Ryuuto barely had time to blink before chaos erupted.
"Seriously? What the hell are you losing it for! Hit me again and I swear—!"
The Life Monument didn't get to finish. The guy took a full-force punch from his own partner, Longshot, teeth flying, nose spraying crimson. It was the sort of humiliation you don't recover from.
Except Longshot wasn't even conscious of what he was doing.
Tsukuyomi had shredded his sanity.
Now he was a berserk animal sinking fists into the Life Monument's face, roaring nonsense as the two Mutants tumbled into a murderous brawl.
"Hey! Kid!" the Life Monument screamed over the frenzy. "What kind of cursed sorcery did you use!? Stop it and fight me fair!"
Ryuuto didn't bother replying.
The air trembled. Chakra surged.
The colossal red armor of Susanoo rose behind him like a war god dragged out of myth. The Ten-Fist Sword swung once.
Both enemies were skewered like cheap kebabs and sucked into the sealing gourd in a single, ruthless sweep.
"Heh. You two can keep 'loving' each other forever in there," Ryuuto muttered, shaking the gourd with all the smug satisfaction of someone rattling a jar of wasps.
Susanoo dissolved into flaming particles behind him.
Right on cue, Shion's voice chimed in, as lazy and mocking as always:
[Ding! Hidden Mission Completed. Fragment of Character Data acquired! Collect five more to assemble a full Character Data Package.]
Ryuuto cracked a grin.
"Man, if I gather every Hokage's skill set, the universe's power-scaling charts might actually scream."
[Try not to get full of yourself, Host…]
"You call it arrogance, Shion. I call it confidence. And confident guys look cool. Fact."
[…If you say so.]
Her tiny tsundere huff only boosted his mood.
He tucked the data fragment away, then leapt off through the forest.
There were more enemies in this zone. His instincts were screaming it.
And those instincts were right.
Meanwhile…
On a cliff far away, Quicksilver stood still, jaw tense, silver hair whipping in the wind. The satellite feed flickered in his earpiece.
"…Failed again," he muttered, voice colder than usual. "Ryuuto, why can't you just die? This is getting annoying."
Around him, the other gathered Mutants stiffened.
"Hold up—both the Life Monument and Longshot? Dead?"
"No way. Those two losing to some random kid? Not happening."
Quicksilver's gaze cut through them like a blade.
"Worse than dead. And I warned you idiots not to underestimate him. But no. You clowned around and wrecked my entire plan."
"So what now?" a Mutant snapped. "You said no one moves without your order. Are you treating us like a joke!?"
Quicksilver didn't even blink.
"All rules are cancelled. Do whatever you want. Ambush him. Trap him. Poison him. I don't care. Just bring me the kid's head."
He vanished in a silver streak, leaving the others staring after him.
The jungle shifted instantly.
Predators stirred.
Killers woke up.
Mutants scattered into the undergrowth with murder boiling in their veins.
Deep in the Swamp
A figure half-buried in mud—codename Secret Guest—licked her lips, eyes gleaming like a hungry cat.
"Mrs. Spider," she whispered to her partner lurking high in the branches, "think the X-Men captain will stumble into our trap?"
"It's fate," Mrs. Spider rasped, baring rows of jagged teeth. "Once the boy falls in, he belongs to us."
"Good," Secret Guest said, drawing her blade. "I want his death to be memorable."
The air shifted.
Both Mutants froze.
Their eyelids twitched.
Footsteps.
Right toward them.
"He's here."
The tall grass split—and Ryuuto sprinted past, unaware of the ambush.
"Do it!"
Mrs. Spider's hands snapped forward. A massive web crashed down like a white tsunami. At the same time, glimmering poison darts erupted from the side, streaking toward Ryuuto like a venomous rainstorm.
Ryuuto's eyes widened.
"The hell? More enemies!?"
He twisted aside, chakra flaring as the ambush closed in.
And the real fight finally began.