"Don't underestimate me!" Ross snarled, clawed hands slashing down like twin scythes.
Ryuuto just smirked. He didn't bother with theatrics—his fist rocketed forward and met those claws head-on.
BOOM!
Metal-on-stone, spark and thunder. Gwen's eyes widened in worry, but Ryuuto's rock-hard fist crumpled Ross's attack and drove the lizard-man's talons straight into the tile. Ross's claws twisted grotesquely; dark green blood sprayed. He howled in pain and fury.
"You—won't—beat—me!" Ross spat through clenched teeth, veins bulging. The monster's muscles bulged like coiled ropes; fury made him reckless. "I'll show you real power!"
"Cute," Ryuuto said, deadpan. "Show me."
Gwen flung a line of webs in an instant—seven, eight strands that wrapped Ross like steel. She slammed, ready to shred him with her web-snares. Except the impossible happened: Ross laughed like a maniac and ripped the web apart. Fibers shredded; Gwen was flung backward, about to collide with the ceiling.
Shadows burst forward to catch her—dozens of Ryuuto's clones materialized and saved Gwen in a single coordinated breath. She landed safe. Ryuuto dusted his sleeve like he'd just finished sweeping a floor.
Ross lunged, claws aiming straight for Ryuuto's chest, fangs bared. He thought the end was coming.
Ryuuto blinked. Then he vanished—afterimage, wind, gone—and reappeared behind Ross with a spinning, screaming Rasengan in his palm.
"Rasengan!" The sphere spun with condensed chakra, humming like a coiled storm.
Ross's tail whipped out in panic, trying to sweep Ryuuto away. Ryuuto met it head-on, thrusting the Rasengan full force. Flesh and scale screamed. The tail became a ruin—mangled meat, blood arcing in a fountain. Ross roared, eyes gone red with blind rage.
He lunged again, jaws snapping. This time Ryuuto didn't dodge for show—he finished the hand seals and shoved both hands forward.
[Ding! System Activated!]
[Newbie Reward Unlocked!]
Time froze for Ross. For a heartbeat his muscles tensed, then—atomized. Ryuuto's attack wasn't physical smash; it was the Original-World Stripping technique. Ross, the lizard abomination, dissolved into glittering motes and vanished without a corpse left behind.
Gwen collapsed into his arms, sobbing and laughing all at once. "You—are amazing!" she hiccupped, clinging to him.
Ryuuto rubbed her head and smiled like a brat who'd aced a test. "You know it. No one gets to hurt people on my watch."
He downed a couple of life potions—quick, clinical—feeling the surge of energy return. Peak condition, no fluff.
[Drop! Host completed: Powerful mutant lizardman eliminated.]
[Drop! Rewards: 20 Life Potions + 10 Bowls of Konoha Village Ninja Ramen.]
Shion's voice chimed in his head, snooty and smug as ever. "Congrats, Host. Ten ramen bowls. Try not to waste them on dramatic kisses."
Ryuuto stuck his tongue out at the ceiling. "Shion, the ramen better be worth the hype."
"Of course—efficiency in recovery and morale boosting," Shion drawled. "But no, you can't clone the ramen. One bowl per reward. Don't test it."
Ryuuto sighed, pockets jingling with potions. "Figures. Stingy little system."
Gwen wiped her face and grinned through the mess. "We should go. There's one more coordinate, right? Connors has got to be at the last place."
"Right." Ryuuto tightened his fingers around hers. "Let's finish this. One final stop. Then maybe—movie and ramen on me."
They stepped out of the subway into the evening air. The city still trembled from the panic, but Ryuuto's grin was a lighthouse—sharp, stubborn, unbreakable. The new enemy waited; so did the next level. He was only warming up.