Smoke still clung to the battlefield like the world itself couldn't decide whether to exhale or choke. Thor lay crumpled in the crater Ryuuto had punted him into, limbs twitching, eyes rolled white, Mjolnir forgotten somewhere off to the side like a fallen lunchbox.
The God of Thunder wasn't unconscious. No. He was spiritually bankrupt.
There was a difference.
Malekith stared at the sight, both hands slapped over his own crotch like he was guarding national treasure. His voice cracked.
"Thor! What are you doing!?"
Thor didn't answer. Being folded in half tends to limit conversation.
The remaining Dark Elves and Asgard soldiers took one look at the ruined prince and collectively broke into trembling sobs. Tears, snot, the whole pitiful buffet.
Ryuuto pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Seriously? I kick one thunder god and suddenly it's a group therapy session? Cut it out before I decide you look smashable."
Malekith flinched like the words were arrows aimed straight at his blood pressure. But cornered men puff their chest even when drowning.
"Human brat!" Malekith hissed, forcing dark light to gather in his palms. "Hand over the Aether. Now. Unless you don't care about the lives of those women and superheroes you brought here!"
His men tightened formation, even though half of them were shaking like a bunch of malfunctioning washing machines.
Ryuuto didn't blink. Or bother lifting his guard.
This was the part he hated most:
Every villain suddenly thought fear was a skill issue.
"Heh. You really think you and Thor's discount mob can beat me?" Ryuuto's grin sharpened. "Come on. You've all watched me delete half your army in, what, five minutes?"
A pebble crunched under his step.
That tiny sound alone made the remaining soldiers stagger backward like he'd fired a cannon.
"And just so you know," Ryuuto added, tapping his own chest, "the Aether? Already fused with me. Perfectly. Compliments to my metabolism."
Shion chimed in lazily inside his head.
[Ding. Host, please stop flexing like a gym influencer. It's embarrassing.]
Ryuuto: Shut up. Let me have this.
Still, he kept walking toward Malekith one slow step at a time. Aura expanding. Pressure climbing. The whole battlefield felt like someone had pressed the "gravity x10" button.
"If you're smart, you'll kneel now," Ryuuto said lightly. "Surrender. Maybe I'll let you and your boys crawl away with your dignity taped back together."
The soldiers looked tempted.
Desperately tempted.
But Malekith snapped his arms out like a deranged scarecrow.
"Don't move! Don't you dare think he absorbed the Aether! That power belongs to the Dark Elves alone! He's lying!"
He squeezed the dark light between his fingers, forcing it brighter.
"Come on then, Ryuuto! Fight me without those strange abilities! Drop your power-up! Or are you scared!?"
Ryuuto raised a brow.
"You want me to handicap myself because your ego can't handle reality?"
He shrugged.
"Sure. Whatever. Saves me chakra anyway."
The instant he released the Seventh Gate, the explosive aura coiling around him snapped away… but his presence didn't shrink. If anything, the air felt heavier.
Malekith's pupils shrank.
Ryuuto rotated his shoulders lazily.
"Alright, Dark Elf. Show me this 'family magic' you're so proud of."
Malekith lifted his chin, voice dripping arrogance again.
"Hmph! Our magic is far beyond the reach of savage humans! When I win, your corpse will rot under Svartalfheim's shadows for eternity!"
Ryuuto pointed a thumb at Thor, still twitching on the ground.
"If you lose, though, you'll be joining Thunder Boy there. Hell could use a roommate."
"W-wait!" Malekith barked, panicked. "Before we begin—what happens if I… hypothetically… lose?"
Ryuuto blinked at him. "You just realized that now?"
The Dark Elf swallowed hard, then shouted with forced bravado:
"If you defeat me, I swear my life is yours! And my entire Dark Elf race will never again set foot in the human world! Ever!"
Ryuuto tilted his head.
"That's it? No hostage? No dramatic speech? Man… you're giving up faster than Thor's spine did."
Shion snorted.
[Host, if you lose to this guy, I'll factory-reset myself out of shame.]
Ryuuto cracked his knuckles.
"Alright. Let's finish this. Try not to cry too early."