When the storm finally cleared, the battlefield was a wasteland.
The once-flat plateau was shattered into craters and jagged spires, smoke curling from every scar in the dirt.
But that wasn't what caught Thor's eye—
Ryuuto was gone.
"Coward!" Thor's voice boomed over the wind. "You ran away, didn't you?!"
He wasn't wrong… but he wasn't right either.
The instant the lightning struck, Ten Thousand Snakes, the serpent king of the Snake World, had used Reverse Summoning to pull Ryuuto out of danger.
It wasn't an escape. It was insurance.
A move they'd planned long ago.
Ryuuto knew his body couldn't handle millions of volts of divine thunder. Even with Earth Style defense, that kind of power would've fried him like a bug on a hotplate.
So—die stupidly, or live smart.
Yeah, he chose the second one.
A few breaths later, chakra rippled in the air.
Ryuuto reappeared right where he'd been, standing firm amid the drifting smoke.
Thor's eyes widened. "You—!"
"Miss me already?" Ryuuto smirked. "Sorry, the afterlife was full."
Thor didn't reply. He simply raised Mjolnir—and thunder came roaring down again.
[Ding! Skill Activated — Shadow Clone Technique!]
Twenty Ryuutos burst from the original in a cloud of smoke, each charging a Rasengan in his palm.
Blue spirals of energy howled through the air as they surrounded Thor from every side.
"Impressive tricks," Thor growled, "but tricks won't save you!"
He shot upward, carried by Mjolnir's lightning.
But the clones followed—
Earth Style: Light & Heavy Rock Technique!
The air rippled as they lightened their bodies, launching themselves into the sky like missiles.
Some clones halted mid-air, forming a launch path. The others stepped on their shoulders, using them as springboards.
Each vanished in smoke as the last one rocketed forward, Rasengan aimed right at Thor.
The air exploded.
Lightning met chakra, and the shockwave split the clouds.
Even with a god's body, Thor couldn't ignore the pain this time. His cloak tore; blood ran down his arm.
"Damn you—!" Thor's voice cracked as he raised Mjolnir high. "Odin, grant me your strength!"
The hammer flared with blinding energy.
A web of thunder enveloped him, shredding Ryuuto's clones like fragile glass.
But when the smoke cleared, Ryuuto himself stood untouched on the ground, breathing evenly, eyes burning with challenge.
He tilted his head. "You're still standing? That's new."
Thor clenched his bleeding fist. He hadn't expected a mortal—this mortal—to push him this far.
Rage swallowed his reason. He roared and shot toward Ryuuto again.
Ryuuto smirked and began to fall back, weaving hand signs as he moved.
"Earth Style — Geodynamic Core!"
The ground shifted. Massive stone platforms rose and cracked apart.
Thor dove after him, but a burst of chakra sent refrigerator-sized boulders flying at godspeed.
Caught off guard, Thor took one full to the chest.
He hit the dirt with a thunderous boom.
Ryuuto landed beside him, looking down coldly. "Still think you're winning?"
Thor spat blood. "You cheated!"
Ryuuto clicked his tongue. "Cheated? Come on, ever heard of strategy? It's not my fault you swing that hammer like a caveman. You're the son of Odin—don't whine like a rookie."
Before Thor could answer, a scream tore through the air.
Ryuuto turned.
High above, a fireball slammed into Ororo and Natasha as they tried to stay airborne.
They plummeted toward the ground.
"Damn it!" Ryuuto's eyes flashed. He jumped from the cliff in pursuit.
By the time he reached them, the two had crashed into the dirt—and Loki had already seized the scepter.
"Block him!" Loki barked to Pyro, who appeared with fire swirling in both hands.
Flames streaked toward Ryuuto, but he dodged, landing beside Ororo and Natasha.
"You two okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine," Ororo groaned. "Didn't expect that snake Loki to use his own student as a weapon."
Natasha gritted her teeth, standing up. "I've taken worse. Steve's not the only one with upgrades."
Ryuuto nodded in relief—then heard Shion's voice chime lazily in his head.
[Warning: Host's blood pressure rising. Recommendation — violence.]
"Gladly."
He vanished in a flicker, reappearing in front of Pyro.
The fire user barely had time to react before Ryuuto's Rock Fist Technique shattered his attack mid-flight.
Ryuuto grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground. His voice dropped, low and cold.
"I don't care if Loki's controlling you. You still burned my friends."
He squeezed harder.
"You remember Axville, don't you? You were the loudmouth who called me 'Powerless Freak.' Cutting off your finger last time wasn't enough."
"Ryuuto!" Ororo shouted. "Stop—he's still a student!"
But Ryuuto didn't even flinch.
"Then consider this a final lesson."
Crack.
The fire went out of Pyro's eyes. His body went limp like a punctured balloon.
Ryuuto let go, watching him collapse in silence.
Thunder rumbled above again—but this time, it didn't come from Thor.