"Look at me not smashing your skull in! Haha!"
Pyro hurled his searing plasma straight toward Ryuuto's chest, energy flaring like a miniature sun. At this distance, he was sure of his kill—his first real victory against the so-called "Powerless Freak."
"Boom!"
The blast tore through the air… but when the smoke cleared, Pyro's grin froze. So did the Demon Dragon and Empath, their faces twisting from triumph to horror.
A wooden log smoldered where Ryuuto had stood. A substitution.
"You done showing off?" Ryuuto's voice came from behind, calm and cutting. "Good. My turn."
He blurred forward with speed that shredded the sand beneath him, chakra whipping the air. A massive, spiraling Rasengan formed in his hand, glowing like a miniature storm. The pressure alone made Pyro's lungs seize.
"Damn it!" Pyro shouted, panicked, his palms flaring as he tried to absorb the attack's energy—but it was too much. His skin split, blood spraying across the dunes as his arms trembled violently.
"Demon Dragon! Empath! Move your asses or I'm dead!"
The two exchanged a grim look.
"Fine! Let's finish this!"
Demon Dragon lunged, fanged jaws wide enough to crush a car. Empath unleashed his psychic wave, channeling the fear and despair of his allies directly into Ryuuto's mind.
"Finally taking me seriously?" Ryuuto smirked. "Too late."
He slammed his palms together.
Eight Inner Gates — First Gate: Open!
Second Gate: Heal Gate—Open!
Third Gate: Life Gate—Open!
Fourth Gate: Pain Gate—Open!
Fifth Gate: Limit Gate—Open!
Sixth Gate: View Gate—Open!
Seventh Gate: Shock Gate—Open!
Each gate exploded open inside his body like detonating grenades. Power surged through him, aura flaring crimson. The shockwave flattened dunes for miles.
The three enemies froze, pinned by sheer pressure.
"My ability—it's not working! He's—he's breaking through it!" Empath stammered, voice shaking.
Ryuuto appeared in front of him in a flash of red light. "You've been messing with my head all day. Your turn."
His fist cracked through Empath's skull before anyone could blink. The man dropped lifeless, half his face gone.
Demon Dragon gagged, collapsing to his knees.
"Get up!" Pyro roared, his voice cracking. "Fight, damn it! We'll die if we don't!"
Desperation took over. Pyro slammed his palms together, a beam of condensed plasma bursting from his eyes, burning red-hot.
Ryuuto didn't even flinch. He batted it aside with one hand. The blast exploded harmlessly into the desert behind him.
He moved faster than sight. His hand pierced straight through Demon Dragon's chest.
"Don't worry," Ryuuto murmured with a grin. "Just close your eyes—it'll be quick."
He lifted the massive body into the air and tossed it aside like trash.
Only Pyro remained, trembling.
"Well, you're the last one. Let's make this fun," Ryuuto said, tilting his head. "Guess how many hits before you die?"
Pyro snarled, blood running down his face. "You bastard! I'll take you with me!"
He unleashed everything. Blood streamed from his left eye as he condensed all his remaining energy into a single blinding Shockwave.
Ryuuto swatted it apart like it was dust. Then his hand shot forward, clamping around Pyro's neck and lifting him off the ground.
"You were loud," he said flatly.
Just as Pyro's vision faded, a metallic clank echoed.
A cold voice followed. "Found you."
Dozens of mutants appeared from the shadows—Magneto at their head, his cape snapping in the storm Ryuuto had created.
Magneto's eyes burned crimson as iron dust spiraled around his fingers. "Ryuuto. I was going to hunt you down. Didn't think you'd walk into my territory yourself."
Ryuuto gave a lazy grin. "Then I saved you the trip."
Before anyone could move, he tightened his grip. Crack. Pyro's neck snapped cleanly.
Silence.
The entire desert seemed to stop breathing.
Magneto's jaw tightened. "You just signed your own death sentence."
"Funny," Ryuuto replied, tossing Pyro's corpse aside. "That's what people usually say right before I prove them wrong."
The air trembled. The showdown between the Red Mirage and the Brotherhood of Mutants was about to begin.