"Old pervert! Looking for a beating, huh? Fine—let your master grant your wish!"
Ryuuto's voice ripped through the storm of chakra as he charged at Mandarin, fists colliding like thunderclaps. Each blow rang with the metallic crash of steel, raw power shaking the ground beneath them.
"Wood Style: Eternal Tree Burial!"
Ryuuto's hands blurred through a storm of seals. The earth split open, and colossal trees erupted skyward. Branches as thick as iron coiled around Mandarin's arms and legs, binding him tight like serpents. No matter how he struggled or how much force he used, the vines only tightened further.
Mandarin snarled, eyes blazing. "Heaven grant me strength! Let your servant purge this evil boy!"
The ten rings embedded in his body pulsed with violent light. His aura exploded outward, distorting the air with roaring wind and crackling thunder. The earth convulsed beneath the surge. With a shattering roar, Mandarin tore free from the wooden binds, his power field sweeping away the storm of roots like paper.
"Pathetic trick," he growled.
Ryuuto smirked, his tone pure venom. "At best, you're just an old fossil with too many toys. And today, I'm your extinction event."
He slammed his palm to the ground. "Sand Coffin!"
Grains of sand rose from nowhere, swirling around his body and hardening into armor. Mandarin barely had time to react before the same sand wrapped around his legs, locking him in place.
Mandarin's eyes widened. "What—sand?! Where did this come from?!"
He looked down in horror as the golden grains crept up his legs, crushing his limbs in an unyielding grip.
Ryuuto cracked his neck. "You know the saying—kick 'em when they're down? Let me show you how it's done."
"Sand Waterfall Funeral!"
The ground erupted. A tidal wave of sand surged up and swallowed Mandarin whole. His roar of fury and panic echoed through the storm as the desert engulfed him.
A shockwave rippled across the field. Quicksilver, Gambit, and Ariel—locked in combat with Tony and Banner—froze mid-fight, their expressions twisting in disbelief as a massive sandstorm devoured the battlefield.
Even they could feel it—the suffocating energy of death.
"If he actually killed Mandarin," Gambit muttered, "we're screwed. Completely screwed."
The dust settled. And then, impossibly—
Mandarin's laughter broke through the silence.
"Boy… you've forced me!"
He stumbled out of the crater, bleeding, half-charred—and more dangerous than ever. The Ten Rings embedded across his body blazed with white-hot light, their energies intertwining into a halo of chaos.
"You don't deserve to exist! Die!"
"Loudmouth. Fine, let's see which of us disappears first."
A sphere of destruction energy gathered before Mandarin's hands, condensing into a beam that could vaporize steel.
Ryuuto didn't flinch. He pressed his palms to the ground. "Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
The soil around him surged upward, forming a massive stone barrier. The beam struck it head-on, detonating in a thunderous explosion—but when the light faded, Ryuuto still stood tall behind his wall.
"My turn," he said with a grin. "Try stopping this."
He blurred forward, faster than sight. Chakra spiraled into his hand, forming a sphere of raging energy.
"Big Ball Rasengan!"
The swirling mass of power slammed into Mandarin's chest. The explosion threw the air itself into chaos. Blood splattered across the ground as Mandarin screamed, his defenses collapsing.
"What… what is this technique?!" he choked, horror twisting his face. "How can one man contain so much power?!"
Ryuuto leaned close, voice dripping with mockery. "What's wrong? Shocked? Guess it hurts, huh? Should've stayed retired."
He drew the Grasscutter Blade, its edge gleaming with killing intent.
"With a few shiny rings, you thought you could posture in front of me? Let's fix that."
Mandarin's eyes went wide. "W-wait! Don't you dare!"
Ryuuto didn't hesitate. The blade plunged into Mandarin's shoulder, twisting with precision. One of the Ten Rings was pried loose, falling to the ground with a metallic clang.
Mandarin coughed black blood, his aura dimming. "You… demon! This is unforgivable!"
"Yeah? Then let's make it worth the title."
Ryuuto ripped the sword again and again—one ring, two, three—each strike drawing another scream, another burst of blood. By the fourth, Mandarin was half-dead, his body trembling violently, the light of his rings fading one by one.
From afar, Gambit and Quicksilver could barely watch. Their skin crawled.
"This kid's a monster," Gambit muttered, paling. "We're out."
Quicksilver nodded, already backing away. "You don't have to tell me twice. Once he's done with Mandarin, we're next."
Without another word, the two began retreating into the smoke, praying the Red Mirage didn't notice them.