"Since you're too blind to recognize reality," Thor growled, lightning crawling up his arms, "don't blame me for what comes next."
Mjolnir crackled, thunder rolling in his wake. His eyes burned with madness. "Even if I have to tear this city apart, I'll take the Aether! No one—no one—can stop Thor Odinson!"
Bolts split the air. In an instant, Mjolnir hurled thousands of streaks of lightning toward Jane Foster. The world turned white-blue. The hospital windows shattered. But Jane didn't flinch. Her voice trembled with fury more than fear.
"Thor, what the hell happened to you? If no one else will stop you… then I will!"
The next sound was a clean metallic ring—steel cutting through thunder.
A single figure dropped from above, blade gleaming. The strike met Mjolnir head-on.
The collision tore through the building like a shockwave. Walls cracked, the lights flickered out, alarms wailed.
When the dust cleared, Jane found herself held securely in someone's arms.
Ryuuto.
"...You again!?" Thor roared, recognition twisting into rage. "You dare interrupt me twice, Red Mirage!?"
Ryuuto set Jane down and gave her a half-smirk. "Yeah, sorry, blondie. Thought I'd crash your tantrum before you redecorate the ICU."
Behind Thor, two dark shapes appeared—Mindforge, eyes already glowing, and Famine, clutching that cursed drum like a lifeline. Their combined aura turned the sterile hospital corridor into a battlefield.
"Boss, we didn't see him coming!" Mindforge snapped.
Thor didn't even look back. "Irrelevant. The Aether is mine. Kill them both."
"Ryuuto, why are you here?" Jane gasped, half in relief, half disbelief.
He grinned. "Heard your boyfriend's losing it. Figured you could use a hand." His tone shifted, faintly serious. "Erik and Fury filled me in. Don't worry, Doctor—I'm not letting them lay a finger on you."
Jane's fear melted into determination. "Then we fight together."
"Cute," Thor mocked. "Any last words before I crush you both?"
Ryuuto rolled his neck, cracking his knuckles. "Yeah. You talk too much."
"Enough!"
Thor slammed his hand down, lightning exploding from the ceiling. "Mindforge! Famine! End them!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Dozens of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, their minds enslaved by Mindforge, rose to their feet like puppets. Eyes vacant, guns raised.
"Fire!"
Bullets tore through the air.
Ryuuto sighed, sand swirling from his palms like a living shield. Sand Shield: Guard of the Crane. The storm of metal dissolved against it.
"Your little army trick's cute," Ryuuto said, forming seals. "Now it's my turn."
Shadow Clone Technique!
A dozen Ryuutos burst into existence, their chakra flaring in sync. They charged.
"What—how!?" Mindforge staggered as his control shattered against an unseen wall. "My telepathy can't touch him!? Impossible!"
The clones swarmed, disarming possessed agents with surgical precision. The hallway echoed with gunfire, shouts, and the thundering beat of Famine's drum.
The sound struck like a curse. One by one, clones screamed and flickered out, crushed by the invisible sonic pressure.
"Still standing after that?" Famine sneered, slamming his drum harder. "You should've stayed in bed, boy!"
Ryuuto's gaze sharpened. "You brought a drum to a lightning fight? Bold."
He gave Jane a quick glance. "Stay back. I'll handle Drum Boy."
Breathless Murder Technique!
Ryuuto blurred—vanished.
A heartbeat later, he reappeared in front of Famine, blade raised.
Thor intercepted mid-strike, Mjolnir clashing with steel once again. Sparks erupted between them, thunder shaking the ground.
"Still pretending to be a god, huh?" Ryuuto's smirk cut through the storm. "Last time I checked, gods don't need backup."
"Arrogant worm!" Thor snarled. "You think your lightning rivals mine?!"
"Guess we'll find out."
Ryuuto's right hand hummed with power—pure chakra condensed into blinding electricity.
Lightning Style: Raikiri!
Their clash lit the entire floor. The ground split under their feet. Thor held Mjolnir with both hands, straining against the shockwave.
From the corner of his eye, Ryuuto flicked a single shuriken—charged with lightning—straight toward Famine.
"What—so fast!" Famine panicked, stumbling backward, clutching his drum to his chest. "Protect me!"
Mindforge abandoned his control over Jane, snapping back to defend his ally. "On it!"
Ryuuto grinned, chakra swirling faster. "That's right. Keep grouping up. Makes it easier to hit all of you."
Thor gritted his teeth. "You insolent fool! My power is divine! You—are nothing!"
"Yeah? Then stop trembling."
Ryuuto's hand twisted. The lightning condensed, growing into a roaring sphere.
Big Ball Rasengan!
The hospital trembled under the weight of it. Even Thor's eyes widened.
"Attack together!" Thor barked, genuine fear slipping through his voice.
Mindforge's psychic storm, Famine's sonic curse, and Thor's divine thunder all converged—against one shinobi's rising storm.
The air warped, reality humming on the edge of collapse.
Red Mirage moved.