Professor Xavier rose from his chair, hands tightening on the armrests as if bracing the whole school with sheer will. His voice rang through the hall with the weight of command.
"Notify Ryuuto. He'll lead the X-Men into the field. We meet the enemy head-on."
"Yes, Professor!"
Arlo and the others snapped to action, eyes fierce with the kind of determination only world-ending crises can forge. Still, a crease formed between Xavier's brows as he murmured to himself:
"But why… why attack S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers first? Thor shouldn't be targeting them. Something is off."
He exhaled, frustration thinning into weary resolve.
"I hope Ryuuto can turn this around. He's our last real chance."
Xavier pulled on his combat suit and wheeled himself into the staging lift, ready to face gods and monsters alike.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. compound lay in ruins.
Walls cracked open like eggshells. The air stank of scorched metal. Asgardian soldiers and Dark Elves swarmed the battlefield, their numbers a suffocating tide.
"Why are these psychos so committed!?" Wolverine roared, slashing through the horde. His claws tore through armor and bone, but enemies kept coming. Blood streaked down his face like war paint.
Even the Hulk was buried under waves of Asgardian fighters, fists hammering, roaring, struggling to break free.
Iron Man hovered above the chaos, repulsors blazing.
"They're not getting past us! This is our line. Hold it!"
He blasted three Dark Elves into the dirt, smoke curling around him like a cape.
"Final victory's ours!" he shouted, more to push his team than himself.
Banner hurled a boulder the size of a truck, sending Asgardians flying like rag dolls.
"They want a fight? Fine!"
But it wasn't enough. Not against this many.
Then the air shifted.
A crimson streak carved across the battlefield as Ryuuto arrived, flanked by Bobby, Colossus, Scott, Arlo, and the X-Men strike squad. The moment they saw the devastation, fury fired through them.
"Captain," Bobby said, voice tight with rage, "just give the word. We'll wipe them out."
"Ryuuto," Xavier urged, "everything now hinges on you."
Ryuuto nodded once.
"All X-Men: advance and neutralize every hostile force. Protect this ground."
"Yes, sir!"
The mutants surged forward, powers igniting the battlefield. Frost storms, optic blasts, steel fists: the tide finally shifted. Tony and Banner's pressure eased as the X-Men carved open space around them.
"Ryuuto, let us fight too!"
Susan, Katie Dee, and Gwen rushed to his side, eyes blazing with determination.
"We can handle ourselves."
"We won't sit this out."
"We're with you."
Ryuuto sighed softly.
"Stay sharp. Don't take risks."
Shadow Clone Technique.
A dozen clones burst into existence, racing across the battlefield. Half slammed into enemy lines; the rest orbited Susan's group like silent guardians. No enemy blade would get within reach.
With his allies supported, Ryuuto stepped forward alone, the air around him thinning into a razor-edge stillness.
"Come on out," he said, gaze locking onto a shadowed corner. "You've stalked me long enough. No point hiding."
His voice cut through the battlefield like a thrown kunai.
"If you want my head so badly, then step up. Let's end this."
A slow clap echoed.
Figures emerged from the darkness: Thor, eyes storm-bright with arrogance; beside him, Malekith, smirking like death itself. Dark Elves chanted in a circle, weaving black sorcery that sealed the entire zone under a darkened barrier.
Only two sides remained inside:
Ryuuto vs. the combined elites of Asgard and Svartalfheim.
Thor laughed.
"You're bold, Red Mirage. It'll make crushing you more entertaining."
Malekith sneered, venom dripping from every syllable.
"Today, boy, you vanish from this world. Be grateful. Not everyone gets a personal burial from us."
Thor brandished his hammer.
"End of the line."
"You two never learn, do you?" Ryuuto replied, completely unfazed.
He stood with hands in his pockets, voice cool as winter steel.
"You think this little trap is enough? You really believe I'm the one who should be nervous here?"
Power rose around him like a rising crimson storm, crackling across the barrier walls.
"I'll give you one chance to turn around. Because if you fight me like this… everything ends for you."
The battlefield fell dead silent.
Even the air seemed to hold its breath.