"Heh. You're cocky, I'll give you that," Ryuuto smirked, lightning flickering around his fingertips. "At least you fight face-to-face, unlike those cheap bastards who stab from the shadows. Guess I can respect that much."
The Destroyer charged forward again, his metal body whirring and gleaming with molten heat. Ryuuto's expression sharpened.
"Too bad for you, though. The ending never changes—no matter how many times you come at me!"
He clapped his hands together, lightning surging violently into his palm.
The familiar hum of Raikiri filled the air, thunder snaking around his arm like a wild beast straining to break free.
Crimson eyes flared—Sharingan spinning—as the air itself crackled under his aura.
Ultron, who'd been watching from a distance with that smug, metallic grin, froze mid-laugh.
"That energy… it's unstable—no, it's lethal."
His sensors screamed warnings he didn't want to hear. Even his smirk faltered.
"Then let's see whose power breaks first!" The Destroyer roared, his voice echoing like steel grinding against steel. His core flared to life, radiating a sun-hot glow.
The two forces collided—thunder and furnace—splitting the ground beneath them.
Every impact burst like a bomb, white-hot sparks scattering across the battlefield.
Ultron shielded his face, sensors struggling to keep up with the chaos.
Lauf's and Heimdall's battles with Katsuyu and Ten Thousand Snakes froze mid-motion as shockwaves tore through the sky.
The Destroyer's armor glowed red with strain, dented in several places. But he only laughed—a deep, mechanical laugh that made the air vibrate.
"Pathetic! My metal body cannot be broken by a mortal like you!"
Ryuuto wiped blood from his lip and grinned like a devil.
"Metal or not… everything rusts eventually."
"Arrogant insect!" The Destroyer roared. His core opened fully, a blinding vortex of energy erupting from his chest—lasers and plasma ripping through everything in front of him.
Buildings disintegrated. The ground melted. Even the stars seemed to shudder from the explosion.
And in that blinding light—Ryuuto was gone.
Ultron squinted through the dust. "Did he finally vaporize the brat…?"
A rumble answered him.
BOOM!
Lightning burst from the ground beneath the Destroyer—Ryuuto exploded upward, Raikiri blazing brighter than ever.
"Wrong answer!"
He drove the strike straight into the Destroyer's chest—the exact same spot he'd hit in every clash before.
For a split second, nothing happened. Then—
Crack.
A thin fracture spread across the Destroyer's armor.
The mechanical titan froze, his sensors blinking erratically. "Impossible. You—"
"Yeah, yeah. You've got a great body." Ryuuto chuckled darkly, the glow of lightning fading from his hands. "But I've been carving through the same spot every time we fought. Even gods bleed if you hit the same wound enough."
The Destroyer stumbled, clutching his chest. Metal shards peeled off, glowing white-hot as they fell. His voice glitched with disbelief.
"You… actually damaged me…"
"Now you get it." Ryuuto stood tall, aura flickering but eyes steady. "Don't provoke me, tin man. Or next time, I'll melt you from the inside out."
The Destroyer's fury reignited. His optics burned red, heat distortion rippling off his frame.
"Don't get cocky! You're already running low—your body's spent!"
"Not really." Ryuuto flicked his wrist, smirking. "Got some life potions left. You?"
His confidence burned brighter than any lightning he conjured. The battlefield fell silent, all eyes locked on him.
"I told you once…"
He raised his hand, the storm gathering around him like a living beast.
"…you're destined to lose in my hands."
The words echoed—deep, unwavering—reverberating through the metal husk of the Destroyer's core.
And for the first time, the war machine hesitated. Somewhere deep within that mechanical heart…
he felt fear.