"This… this can't be real!"
Sonic Man's scream was cut short by the sound of his body crashing into the ground. The sheer force of Ryuuto's strike sent him flying, his vision flashing white before everything went dark. One hit, and he was out cold.
Silence fell across the battlefield.
No one moved. Even the smoke seemed afraid to drift. Ultron's eyes dimmed, and Lauf and the Destroyer froze mid-battle — the crushing realization settling in. Their trump card was down.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Mission complete. Reward: 20 bottles of Life Potion, 5 barrels of Ninja Ramen.]
"Ha! Music to my ears, Shion."
Ryuuto chuckled, relaxing his shoulders as the voice of his cheeky system echoed in his mind. Ultron and his crew? He wasn't even looking at them anymore. His mind was already on his loot.
"Still, five barrels of ramen? For this kind of fight? That's stingy as hell," he muttered, half to himself. "Nearly died out there, and I get snacks."
[Oh, come on, Master. You've got plenty! Besides, I do have some good news.]
Ryuuto's eyebrow twitched. "Yeah? What kind of good news?"
[Both your Konohamaru and Onoki data packs have reached full synchronization. The system has auto-merged them. You can now use both their techniques simultaneously—no switching required.]
"Wait... so I can use Rasengan and Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu at the same time?"
[In theory, yes! Assuming your hands are fast enough not to explode yourself first.]
Ryuuto laughed. "Now that's the kind of broken power-up I like!"
He clenched his fist, feeling chakra ripple around him like wildfire. His strength had evolved again—and this time, he wasn't sure there was anyone left on this planet who could keep up.
Deadpool, still wrapped in Gwen's webs, groaned from a distance. "You know, for a guy who punches like a tank, Sonic's sound waves weren't half bad. Shame he's dead—I wanted another round of near-death trauma."
Gwen shot him a glare sharp enough to cut steel. "You will stay put, or I'll wrap you in another layer. Red Mirage doesn't have time to babysit."
Deadpool raised his hands. "Fine, fine! No moving, no regenerating, no being fun. I'll just… lie here like a sad burrito."
Meanwhile, Lauf was on the verge of panic. Tony's repulsors hammered him nonstop, every shot tearing through his armor. "Ultron! Do something, damn it! You said you had a plan! You said that kid wouldn't last five minutes!"
Ultron's expression flickered, processors whirring in silence. Then, without a word, he turned his back and fled.
"Wait—what the hell?! You're just leaving us?!" Lauf shouted, eyes wide with disbelief.
But Ultron didn't look back. He blasted into the sky, metal wings splitting open, leaving his allies behind like discarded trash.
"Coward!" Lauf roared, nearly choking on his own rage. "When I get my hands on you—"
"You're not getting your hands on anyone," Ryuuto's voice cut through the chaos like thunder.
Ultron's sensors screamed a warning, but it was too late.
Ryuuto swung the King Kong Ruyi Staff, the weapon extending across the battlefield in a blur of golden light. It smashed into Ultron mid-flight, sparks erupting as the AI's armor cracked. Ultron spiraled downward, barely managing to stabilize before crashing.
"Hah! So that's the mighty machine god, huh?" the Monkey King sneered, eyes blazing. "If my old pal Sarutobi were wielding me, that thing would've been scrap metal already."
"Don't hold back," Ryuuto said, grinning. "We're sending him home in pieces."
Across the field, Lauf actually laughed when he saw Ultron get flattened. "Serves you right, you tin-faced traitor!"
His satisfaction didn't last long. Tony's laser barrage hit him again and again, driving him to his knees. Bleeding, furious, Lauf turned to the Destroyer. "He's gone! Ultron ditched us! We need to run before that brat turns us into charcoal!"
The Destroyer's voice thundered back, prideful and unyielding. "I will not flee. The word 'escape' does not exist in my code."
Ryuuto blinked. "Wow. Big talk for a glorified toaster."
Banner, half-Hulked and panting, smashed a fist across the Destroyer's jaw. "Guess it's gonna exist now!"
The Asgardian machine reeled but refused to fall, even as half its body was dented in. Lauf groaned, clutching his frost-bitten arm. "You're insane! Fine—'strategic retreat,' then! You stay and cover me!"
He started backing away toward the ruins, trying to dodge Tony's blasts.
"Strategic retreat denied," came Ryuuto's voice, calm and cold.
Both Lauf and the Destroyer froze. They turned—and found him standing right behind them, staff resting casually on his shoulder, eyes burning with crimson light.
"Game's over."