Ryuuto didn't bother hiding his killing intent. The moment his gaze locked onto the headhunter, the woman staggered back like her heart had been hooked and yanked.
Too late.
"Your window's closed."
Eight Trigrams Palms: Revolving Heaven!
With a snap of chakra rushing through his tenketsu, a spinning barrier of raw force detonated outward. Every blast, every stray beam, every mutant strike was hurled back like rubber bullets off steel.
The battlefield fell silent for half a heartbeat.
Ryuuto didn't give her a second one.
He blurred forward, the Red Mirage streaking through smoke and debris.
Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Air Palm!
Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!
Gentle Fist: One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!
Gentle Fist: Three Hundred Sixty-One Palms!
His hands moved like a storm of needles, each strike nailing a vital point. Chakra flared, sealing her pathways one after another. The headhunter's body seized mid-gasp, eyes bulging in frozen disbelief.
Ryuuto's fingers stopped at her throat.
"Next life… try not puppeteering people," he muttered, flicking her forward with a bored tap.
She hit the ground limp, consciousness gone.
Ryuuto was already airborne, vanishing into the night as a streak of red.
[Ding! S-Rank Mission Complete.
Reward: 50,000 Exp.
Role Integration: +30]
Shion's lazy voice leaked into his mind.
[Yo, Host. Two of your character modules are near max. Wanna finish them off?]
"Which ones?"
[Tsunade at ninety. Shikamaru at ninety-five. I mean… you could stop being indecisive for once and just dump the points.]
"Do it."
[Done. Congrats. You can use all their techniques anytime now. Try not to blow up reality, okay?]
"That's the plan."
Ryuuto grinned. More tools meant fewer idiots surviving long enough to monologue at him.
A buzz hummed in his pocket.
He answered instantly. "Jane? Talk to me."
"I—I'm alright," her voice whispered, brittle with nerves but holding steady. "The plan worked. Malekith agreed to meet. Can you come?"
"Already moving. Keep him hooked. Don't take risks. I'm shadowing you."
He hung up, turned toward the darkened forest, and sprinted. A single leap carried him between worlds.
＊＊＊
Hours later, on the jagged border of the Dark Elf territory, Malekith stood with his soldiers lined in ranks. He looked like he'd swallowed fire and liked the taste.
"Listen up," he said coldly. "No mistakes. No hesitation. Today, the Aether returns to us."
One soldier cleared his throat. "Sir… should we tell Thor and his team?"
Malekith's expression iced over. "Allies? They're tools. Tools don't get updates."
Silence flattened the air.
Then a figure approached.
Jane Foster stepped into view, calm and steady despite the heavy pressure of a hundred Dark Elf eyes. She lifted her chin, steady as a blade. Somewhere in the trees, she could feel Ryuuto's chakra pulse—subtle, coiled, ready.
Malekith's excitement cracked through his composure. "You honored us by coming!"
"I'd be more honored if we got this over with," Jane said sharply. "The Aether is tearing me apart. Let's remove it."
"Of course, of course," Malekith purred, offering his hand with exaggerated ceremony. "Enter our realm. You'll be treated as a treasured guest."
She ignored the hand. "Lead the way."
Malekith's eye twitched, but he gestured her forward and stepped into the swirling gateway.
Jane followed without flinching.
Just before her silhouette dissolved into the portal, she glanced sideways—toward the forest where the Red Mirage hid.
Only for a second.
Only enough that he understood.
The last Dark Elf marched through the portal.
And then—
Ryuuto erupted from the shadows, chakra bursting under his feet as he lunged forward.
He hit the collapsing gateway exactly as it sealed.
And vanished into the Dark World after them.