When the dust finally settled, Ryuuto and Susan leaned over the crater together.At the bottom, only a tattered scrap of cloth remained. Susan's expression darkened immediately.
"Loki's not dead," she whispered, trembling. "This is bad. Really bad."
Ryuuto folded his arms, his voice calm but sharp. "So that means I win. Which also means, from now on, you follow my orders without question."
Susan shot him a glare, but her worry didn't fade. "The four of us… we've been tricked by Loki. Reed chased him down and claimed he killed him, but Loki's a master of illusion. He could've faked it easily. Worse, he might've used the scepter to control Reed's mind before that. If that's true, then Reed, Johnny, and Ben are all under Loki's control. Their behavior's been off lately—but I just didn't connect the dots. What I can't figure out is why Loki didn't control me too."
Ryuuto crouched, staring into the pit. "Because if you were under his control, you couldn't keep playing spy. You'd lose all independent thought. Loki's not stupid—he knows you trust Reed. So he controls Reed, lets him give you orders, and boom. Same effect without wasting magic power."
Susan's eyes welled with tears. The realization hit too hard.
Ryuuto sighed and stepped closer, wiping her tears away with his thumb. "Don't cry. It doesn't suit you."
"The four of us are like family," she choked out. "I should've noticed something was wrong… but I kept believing Loki was gone, that the scepter was locked away. I was so sure. Now, it's too late to undo it. Ryuuto… please help me. I can't beat Loki alone, not when my own teammates are his puppets. If you can stop him, I'll follow any order you give. A hundred thousand if I have to."
Ryuuto smiled faintly. "One's enough."
"Huh?"
"My first order," he said, meeting her eyes, "is that from this moment on, you'll obey me completely. No matter how ridiculous the command sounds."
Susan blinked, then burst into laughter. "You're unbelievable."
Ryuuto tilted his head. "Answer me something. If a war ever breaks out between mutants and regular humans—whose side are you on?"
"My stance is close to Tony's," Susan replied after a pause. "I'll fight for coexistence. But if your goal is to oppress humans, then I'll stand against you."
"I have no interest in ruling Earth," Ryuuto said, looking up at the cloudy sky. "This planet's just one rock in a galaxy full of them—millions, maybe billions. Why waste ambition on one little world?"
Susan raised an eyebrow. "You're talking like you plan to conquer the stars next."
"Why not?" Ryuuto's tone turned quiet, resolute. "What's wrong with dreaming big? You don't eat an elephant in one bite. Right now, I just need to keep getting stronger. When my powers first awakened, I couldn't even dent the Hulk. Now? I can."
Susan found herself smiling softly, maybe even a little impressed.
The wind stirred the fallen leaves around them, carrying the moment away.
Of course, Ryuuto wasn't talking about "awakening" in the normal sense.He was referring to the data fragments from his system—each one tied to a legendary shinobi.And the next one he wanted... was from Ōnoki, the Stone Kage who could fly.
To find that, he needed Loki alive.
Half an hour later, Susan guided him through the skies toward the Baxter Building—the Fantastic Four's base.
A translucent energy field shimmered over it, invisible to the naked eye but humming softly to Ryuuto's senses. Any unregistered intruder would trigger the alarm instantly.
But Susan knew a way in."Stay close," she whispered, taking his hand. "If you let go, the system will detect you."
Ryuuto grinned. "With hands that soft? Not a chance."
Susan rolled her eyes. "You use that line on every woman?"
"I don't remember," he said innocently.
"You've been hanging around Tony too much," she muttered. "You're starting to sound like a playboy."
"Don't you women all claim to like guys with a sense of humor?"
"I wouldn't know," she said, stepping through the invisible gap in the shield with him. "My IQ's 170, but my EQ's... well, let's just say I'm emotionally dumb. That's probably why I've never had a boyfriend. Everyone treats me like I'm too smart to approach. But I'm not proud—I'm just bad at reading people."
"I always thought Reed was your guy."
"No. Reed's... more like family," Susan admitted quietly. "The four of us, we've always been that way."
"That's why you can't bear to see them hurt."
"Exactly."
Before Ryuuto could reply, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the hall.Ben Grimm—the Thing—appeared at the far end of the passage, his stony skin glinting under the lights.
Ryuuto pulled Susan against the wall, keeping still.
He could've easily taken Ben down—but not without alerting Loki. And Loki running meant losing Ōnoki's data fragment forever.
Ben paused mid-step. His eyes were dull, lifeless.Ryuuto recognized that empty stare immediately.
Loki's scepter.Mind control.