The weeds rustled, and a mocking voice slithered out.
"Heh. Finally decided to crawl out? I thought you were planning to rot in that grass forever."
Ryuuto didn't even bother striking first. One second he wasn't there, the next he appeared behind the long-range mutant like a red shadow, hands in his pockets, smiling as if this was recess.
"You figured me out that easily? Didn't think your ears actually worked."
"You're flattering yourself," Ryuuto sighed. "I didn't find you by sound. The moment I knocked you across the clearing and your idiot friend showed up, your stink was impossible to miss."
"Fake." The guy twitched, face tightening.
"Absolutely real." Ryuuto didn't even blink.
That calm expression only made the long-range jerk panic harder. He cursed, spun, and bolted, flinging a boulder over his shoulder with a desperate roar.
"You brat! You're dead! Go to hell already!"
"No thanks," Ryuuto called after him. "You and your buddy should go together. Saves paperwork."
The long-range mutant lunged first, hoping to catch Ryuuto off-guard.
Crack!
He swung a flashing kick, but Ryuuto casually caught the leg mid-air and flung him away like someone tossing out a broken umbrella.
Ryuuto inhaled sharply.
Fire Style: Great Fireball!
A blazing sphere tore from his lungs, and he shot forward, beheading blade in hand, turning into a streak of red light.
The long-range fighter snarled, eyes flashing with unnatural white. "You think I'm scared of some fireball?!"
His mutation flared. Probability twisted. The fireball bent mid-flight, then whipped backward toward Ryuuto in a perfect rebound.
"Tch… troublesome little rodent."
Ryuuto didn't slow. If anything, he charged harder.
"You want more? Fine, choke on it."
Fire Style: Phoenix Fire!
Hand seals blurred. One flaming shot after another burst from his mouth, filling the air with shrieking comets.
"Why are there so many of them?!"
The long-range mutant's voice cracked as flames hammered him, scorching his skin black and curling his hair into crispy strands.
He screamed toward the battlefield's edge.
"Life Monument! Move your giant butt! If you're not dead yet, help me kill this freak!"
From far away, the monstrous figure known as Life Monument groaned awake, cosmic energy crawling over his stone-like muscles. He rose, towering again, wiping blood from his mouth.
"Relax," he growled. "I'll make him suffer more than anything he's imagined."
In the firestorm, the long-range shooter barely escaped with his life, slamming into the ground with a smoking back. Hatred twisted his scorched face.
Ryuuto landed beside him. "Glare at me again and I'll take the other eye for symmetry."
He lifted his blade, slashing down.
"You can't hurt me!"
The long-range mutant's weakened insight ability flared just enough for him to dodge by a hair.
Then the Life Monument unleashed his full power.
A cosmic Shockwave detonated from his palms, so violent it threw even him backward.
The sky buckled under the force, trembling like a dying giant.
"Idiot! You trying to kill me too?!" the long-range shooter screamed.
But Ryuuto simply whispered:
"Two pathetic clowns."
His eyes bled red and black.
Susanoo.
A colossal crimson warrior erupted around him, taking the full cosmic Shockwave head-on. The impact burst into a storm of red sparks but couldn't break through.
The two enemies froze, terror hollowing their faces.
"What… what is that…?!"
Ryuuto smiled sharply.
"You said you wanted me dead? Come try."
The Susanoo raised a shimmering blade forged of pure sealing power.
Ten-Punch Sword!
Air slammed outward, flattening grass and stone alike. Both enemies stumbled back, pale as ghosts.
Life Monument roared to hide his fear, hurling more Shockwaves.
"We'll see how long you can maintain that thing!"
He turned to the long-range shooter. "Use your insight to read his technique! If we can't break it, we're dead!"
The long-range mutant nodded desperately, eyes glowing—
But Ryuuto's smirk shut down whatever hope he had left.
His gaze twisted. Reality snapped.
Mangekyō Sharingan: Tsukuyomi.
The long-range shooter screamed, clutching his head as blood streamed from his ears and nose. He staggered uncontrollably—
Then punched the Life Monument in the face.