"Your body's built like a tank, huh? Then I guess it's time for a little field test!"
Ryuuto's voice cut through the storming wind as he dropped from above, lightning bursting from his palms like coiled serpents. His long hair whipped behind him, and the air rippled under the pressure of his chakra.
The sheer intensity of his aura sent shockwaves across the battlefield — even Ultron, Heimdall, and Lauf flinched. Their smug grins vanished as they instinctively stepped back, unwilling to get caught in the blast zone.
Katie Dee clasped Susan's hand tightly.
"See?! I knew my brother wouldn't lose!" she said with teary excitement.
Susan nodded, eyes shining with faith. "Ryuuto never lets us down. Never."
But as Ryuuto's Raikiri — the thunder blade of his making — crackled with lethal power, the Destroyer didn't even budge. It stood perfectly still, eyes glowing white, as if daring him to strike.
"What the hell…? Is it frozen in fear or just stupid?" Lauf muttered.
Ultron ignored him, sensors whirring. "Don't blink," he said coldly. "This next second decides everything."
The lightning in Ryuuto's hands flared so bright it painted the sky white. Then —
"Let's see you eat this!"
He fell like a thunderbolt, Raikiri shrieking through the air — but before it could hit, the Destroyer's head split open with a blinding beam of pure energy.
The two forces collided.
The entire block went supernova.
A column of light ripped into the clouds, thunder rolling across the skyline like the wrath of gods. Katie and Susan shielded their eyes as debris rained down. Ultron and Heimdall's mechanical eyes flickered, trying to process the impact.
When the light finally faded, Ryuuto landed in a crouch — smoke curling from his arms, his breath steady.
The Destroyer had been blown backward, half its armor scorched black, arcs of blue lightning crawling across its frame.
Yet, it didn't fall. The machine's chest pulsed once, twice — then its systems stabilized again. It lifted its head slowly, the glow in its eyes flaring back to full brightness.
Its voice came low and steady. "Impressive. I underestimated you."
Ryuuto smirked, lightning still crackling around him. "Yeah? Same here. You're harder than my landlord's heart."
For a brief moment, there was no sound but the electric hum between them — a mutual acknowledgment.
Then, the Destroyer's tone shifted.
"Interesting. It's been centuries since I've found an opponent worth fighting."
Its jaw opened in what might've been a grin. "Don't die too quickly."
"Funny," Ryuuto said, cracking his knuckles. "I was about to say the same thing."
The air distorted.
They vanished.
What followed was a flurry of clashes mid-air — lightning and metal colliding faster than sight could follow. Each impact exploded with shockwaves that flattened cars and shattered nearby glass.
"Damn, he's matching that thing blow for blow!" Susan gasped.
Katie's eyes were locked on the sky. "Go, Ryuuto… show them who you are!"
But even with his high-speed movement, Ryuuto could feel the burn. His muscles screamed, chakra draining faster than he liked.
Tch. This thing's built like a nightmare. Even Rock Lee-level taijutsu data's barely keeping me even…
[Shion: Host, your stamina is dropping like your credit score after payday. Might wanna end this soon.]
"Thanks for the pep talk, Shion!" Ryuuto snapped aloud, ducking a punch that shattered a building behind him.
The Destroyer's eyes flared — it seized the chance, leaping back, head glowing white-hot again.
A barrage of high-heat lasers erupted from its crown, tearing through the skyline. Entire blocks trembled under the assault; the shockwaves alone forced Ultron's forces to retreat a good distance.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The ground was a sea of molten light and rubble. Civilians across New York woke in terror, windows rattling, the night sky turning blood-red.
"Hahaha!" Lauf threw his head back, laughing manically. "Now the little rat's out of tricks! All he can do is run!"
"Then stop laughing and move!" Heimdall barked. "Grab those two women — use them as hostages if you have to! I want Ryuuto broken before the reinforcements arrive!"
Ultron's red eyes gleamed. "Agreed. I'll handle the capture. You make sure he doesn't interfere."
The villains moved like shadows, their sights fixed on Katie Dee and Susan — unaware that the air around them was already humming again, faint sparks tracing across the ground…
And Ryuuto's voice whispered from the smoke:
"Who said I was done?"