The stone dragon roared—a sound that made the museum walls tremble. Its claws came crashing down, intent on ripping Ryuuto apart.
"You dare to kill me, brat?! My uncle will grind your bones!"
The claws hit. The ground shattered. But Ryuuto didn't even flinch. The impact rang out like metal on metal—his defense unbroken.
"Big mouth, small brain," Ryuuto muttered. "Let me fix that ratio for you."
Raikiri screamed to life, lightning crackling along the blade as he cut upward from the dragon's chest to its neck. The monster split cleanly in two, spraying blood across marble tiles. The air turned thick and coppery, reeking of death.
"Fanatic! Do it now or we're both dead!"
Mindforge's shout cracked through the chaos as he launched his drones into overdrive. The machines turned their weapons on Ryuuto, flooding the hall with a storm of missiles and plasma fire.
"I don't believe you can last forever, freak!" Mindforge screamed.
Fanatic's eyes gleamed with murderous frenzy. She tore a stone statue from its pedestal and hurled it across the hall. It shattered a wall, then she grabbed an old museum helicopter display, spun it once, and flung it into the air. The ceiling exploded.
"Impressive tantrum," Ryuuto muttered. "Guess it's time to stop playing nice."
He drew a deep breath, veins bulging with power.
[Eight Inner Gates — Open!]
First Gate — Gate of Opening!
Second Gate — Gate of Healing!
Third Gate — Gate of Life!
Fourth Gate — Gate of Pain!
Fifth Gate — Gate of Limit!
Sixth Gate — Gate of View!
Seventh Gate — Gate of Shock!
"Seventh Gate… open."
The words tore through the air like a detonation. Energy flared around him—red, raw, alive. Ryuuto vanished from sight.
"Where—where'd he go?!" Fanatic shrieked.
"Above you," came the reply.
A sonic boom followed. The floor erupted as Ryuuto reappeared, fist-first. His punch hit Mindforge square in the head, snapping his neck sideways and blasting him through a steel wall. Sparks rained down.
"Impossible!" Fanatic gasped, backing away. Her voice cracked with terror.
Ryuuto's aura rippled, black and crimson. His eyes glowed with lethal focus.
"Didn't you enjoy throwing junk at people? Let's see how you like it."
He grabbed a shattered bronze exhibit—easily ten tons—and slammed it down on Fanatic. The ground quaked. She coughed blood, then more blood, until she was barely breathing.
Ryuuto didn't stop. He kicked her skyward, flashed up after her, and struck again and again until she cratered into the ground like a meteor.
A ragged whisper escaped her lips before she went limp.
"You… monster…"
Ryuuto exhaled slowly. "Took you long enough to notice."
The air buzzed. Metal groaned. Mindforge staggered out of the rubble, eyes glowing with psychic fury. He activated the museum's final defense system—massive alloy walls slammed down, sealing every exit.
"You're not leaving alive!"
Blades of telekinetic force shot forward. Ryuuto ducked and weaved, his body moving faster than thought.
"I said," Ryuuto growled, "you can't escape me."
He grabbed a handful of glowing vials—recovery boosters swiped from SHIELD—and chugged them down like energy drinks. Power flooded his veins again. He blurred forward, pinning Mindforge in an instant.
Mindforge trembled. His telepathic barrier flickered under Ryuuto's glare. "Ryuuto! We've no grudge between us—don't do this! You can't kill me!"
Ryuuto flipped a coin between his fingers. The soft clink echoed through the wreckage.
"I promise before this coin hits the floor, one of us will die. Want to guess who?"
"Guess your mother—!"
Mindforge unleashed a final psychic blast, pouring every drop of his power into Ryuuto's mind.
But the attack shattered like glass. Ryuuto smirked.
"Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling!"
The technique activated—an energy prism surrounded Mindforge and his psychic shield. The world went silent for half a heartbeat. Then everything inside the prism disintegrated into particles, vanishing into nothing.
The coin hit the floor with a soft ding.
Ryuuto sheathed Raikiri, his breath steady, his eyes burning.
"Eye for an eye," he said quietly. "And the debt's paid."
Lightning cracked outside. Somewhere in the storm, a hammer rumbled.
Next: The Thunderer Descends.