"Let me see how ugly your soul really is!"
Ghost Rider's flaming chains lashed out like serpents, ripping through steel and shattering the air with heat so intense it made the walls sweat.
Ryuuto squinted, unfazed. "Sorry, not into staring contests with skulls. You need a cold shower."
He snapped his hands into a seal.
"Water Style — Great Waterfall Technique!"
A roar like the ocean itself erupted. Waves surged from nowhere, slamming into Ghost Rider with the force of a tsunami. Steam exploded across the rails as hellfire met flood.
"Where the hell did that much water even come from—?!"
Before he could finish, the tide swallowed him whole. His flames sputtered out, the motorcycle toppled, and with a deafening bang, the entire carriage broke apart under the backlash.
The train screeched off-balance, but before disaster could strike, Ryuuto raised his hand.
Sand poured from thin air, wrapping around the cars like a golden current, forcing the machine back onto the rails.
"Not bad," Ryuuto muttered, dusting off his jacket as the infernal rider and his bike disappeared into the wreckage below.
He exhaled. "Hey, Shion. At this pace, we'll reach New York in one piece, right?"
[Heh, not bad, Master. But don't get cocky. You've got… twenty-two minutes before the next idiot shows up.]
"Twenty-two minutes? That's practically a nap."
[Assuming you live that long.]
"Touché."
Ryuuto leaned back in his seat, signaled the terrified crew to calm the passengers, and grabbed a cup of coffee. Sand quietly encased the train in a protective layer—just in case the flaming skeleton decided to respawn.
Somewhere beyond the tunnels, in a shadowed ravine, a group of mutants watched the blazing trail fade.
"What the hell happened? That Ghost Rider freak got in, right?"
"Yeah. Which means he's been beaten. We underestimated the target."
Silence followed. One of them clenched his fists. "Then I'll go. If we don't handle this, Magneto's gonna fry us alive."
But before he could move, a gloved hand gripped his shoulder. "Not yet. There's already someone on board. When they fail, we clean up. One strike—end of mission."
"Understood."
The figures vanished into smoke.
Back on the train, Ryuuto sighed as he set his newspaper down. His eyes narrowed.
A tall man in a trench coat was walking toward him, smiling too politely.
"Oh, great," Ryuuto muttered. "Another one."
"Sir," the man said smoothly, "I just want to ask a question."
His aura screamed mutant, and worse—hostile.
"You sure?" Ryuuto said. "The last guy who tried burned out halfway through."
He flicked a shuriken. Then another. Each one sliced the air, glinting like lightning.
The man's body bent—literally. Paper-thin, twisting, dodging each projectile with inhuman precision.
"Found me, huh?" His grin stretched unnaturally wide. "Then let's get this over with."
His arms extended like elastic blades, stabbing forward.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's play," Ryuuto said, cracking his neck.
"Wood Style — Four-Pillar Prison!"
Four towering wooden columns burst upward, caging the shapeshifter.
But his form liquefied, slipping through the gaps like molten wax. He hurled a dagger that lodged deep into the steel wall where Ryuuto had been standing a heartbeat before.
"Not bad," Ryuuto said, smirking. "But I've seen scarier things in a ramen shop."
"Then choke on this!"
The shapeshifter kicked off the wall, his legs twisting into thick ropes, trying to ensnare Ryuuto.
"You're tough," Ryuuto said, tightening his gloves. "But still too soft."
He vanished.
"Mist Jutsu."
A cold fog rolled through the carriage, swallowing sound and sight.
"Coward!" the shapeshifter hissed, whipping his limbs blindly through the haze.
The fog whispered back with Ryuuto's voice, low and amused. "No, just efficient."
Thud.
A silent kick. A gust of chakra. The shapeshifter's head cracked against the ceiling before collapsing to the floor in a heap.
Ryuuto dusted off his coat, sat back down, and muttered, "Can't even finish a coffee around here."
[Host, incoming signature detected. Strong one. Not mutant-level—divine.]
"Divine?"
A thunderclap ripped through the sky. The train windows flashed white.
Outside, lightning speared the tracks ahead—followed by a hammer glowing like a falling star.
Ryuuto's eyes widened, a grin spreading across his face. "Well. Looks like the gods just RSVP'd."