"Old man, your tone's got some weight to it. Shame it's all hot air. Watch closely—I'm ending this now."
Lightning Style: Raikiri!
Electricity roared to life around Ryuuto's hand as he launched himself at Mandarin like a crimson thunderbolt. Their feud had dragged on long enough—this was the final round.
Mandarin, half-crazed and desperate for victory, unleashed everything. The Ten Rings embedded in his body flared with molten light, merging fire and lightning into a single, devastating pulse.
BOOM!
Raikiri met the Ten Rings' fusion energy head-on. Sparks exploded like stars colliding, shockwaves rattling the underground bunker. Concrete fractured beneath their feet as the clash ripped through the air.
When the smoke cleared, Ryuuto stood tall, sand armor glinting faintly. Not a scratch on him.
He grinned and raised a middle finger. "Nice fireworks. You sure that wasn't your retirement speech?"
Mandarin's voice trembled with fury. "Arrogant brat! You'll die in my hands! Slowly!"
"Sure. Let's make it interesting then."
Shadow Clone Technique!
Dozens of Ryuutos burst into existence, each radiating killing intent. They swarmed Mandarin like a living storm, fists and jutsu raining down from every direction.
While the chaos unfolded, Ryuuto turned his head toward Loki and the Dragon Girl lurking nearby. "Loki! Figures you'd crawl out of the nearest trash heap. And you brought a plus-one this time—cute. Planning to die as a team?"
"Ryuuto, wipe that smirk off your face!" Loki snarled, his illusionary glamour flickering with anger. "Dragon Girl, attack! Leave no survivors! Let's erase the X-Men while we're at it!"
The Dragon Girl's eyes narrowed. "With pleasure. I'll bring you his head myself."
"Captain!" Bobby shouted from behind Ryuuto. "Let us handle those two! You take the big one!"
Steel and Arlo nodded fiercely. "Yeah! Time the X-Men show what we're made of!"
Ryuuto smirked. "All yours. Try not to break too many bones—I'll need witnesses."
Then he vanished in a flash, reappearing behind Mandarin.
Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!
A wave of blazing fire engulfed Mandarin before he could react, consuming him in a roaring inferno.
"Hmph! Is that all?" Mandarin's voice thundered from within the blaze. His new dragon arms flexed, shattering the flames as if they were smoke. "You'll have to do better than that!"
"Oh, don't worry." Ryuuto's tone darkened. "I planned to."
His hands formed a rapid sequence of seals. Chakra erupted around him like a raging tempest.
Eight Inner Gates—First Gate, Open!
Second Gate, Heal! Open!
Third Gate, Life! Open!
Fourth Gate, Pain! Open!
Fifth Gate, Limit! Open!
Sixth Gate, View! Open!
Seventh Gate, Shock! Open!
In an instant, the air vibrated. The ground cracked beneath his feet. Black-red energy coiled around Ryuuto's body as his hair spiked upward, eyes burning like magma. The sheer pressure warped the air itself.
Mandarin flinched. His instincts screamed at him to run.
But pride was poison.
"I don't believe your body can surpass mine!" he shouted, hurling his dragon-arm fist forward.
Ryuuto didn't move. The punch landed—then stopped cold.
Mandarin's face twisted in disbelief as his arm bent unnaturally, bones shattering under Ryuuto's aura.
"Painful?" Ryuuto asked, voice dripping with mockery. "Don't worry. I'll make it quick."
Mandarin roared, blood flying from his mouth. "I'll kill you!"
Before he could raise his fist again, Ryuuto's leg slammed into his gut with brutal precision. The old man shot backward like a cannonball, smashing through a concrete pillar. The entire ceiling trembled.
Mandarin fell to his knees, coughing up black blood. His body trembled, his power slipping away.
"Sand Binding Coffin."
Golden grains surged across the battlefield, wrapping around Mandarin's broken form like a living curse.
Ryuuto raised one hand. His voice was quiet, deadly.
"Sand Burial."
The pyramid of sand snapped shut. The resulting explosion swallowed the entire bunker in light and thunder.
When the dust finally settled, nothing remained of the Mandarin's arrogance—only silence and the faint hiss of burning debris.