"Threaten me? Magneto, that's cute. You think I scare easy? Come on, old man — try and kill me if you can."
Ryuuto's voice cut through the chaos like a spark in a powder room. Magneto didn't even blink. Surrounded by the Avengers, the X-Men, and enough S.H.I.E.L.D. tech to start a small war, the self-proclaimed Master of Magnetism stood unflinching — arrogance carved into every line of his face.
He glanced at Charles Xavier, then Nick Fury, and smirked as if the entire world were made of tin and he was the only magnet in it.
"You'd all do well to know your place," he said softly, almost kindly. "Don't waste your lives for nothing. You can't even make me lift a finger."
Nick Fury snapped his fingers. Instantly, a perimeter of armed soldiers appeared from stealth formation, rifles charged, drones and fighter jets humming overhead. Every barrel, every optic, locked on Magneto and his Brotherhood.
The air itself seemed to tighten. The tension was thick enough to choke on.
"Now this," came a mocking metallic voice, "this is entertaining."
Ultron, watching from the shadows with glowing red eyes, tilted his head, amused. "Come on, Magneto. Kill the kid. Do it for all of us. You'll be doing the world a favor."
"Shut it, scrap heap!" Quicksilver barked, zipping to Magneto's side. "What, you think a few humans make this fair? You think we need to stoop to your level?"
"Exactly!" shouted another mutant from the Brotherhood. "These worthless humans should've been erased long ago!"
Before things could spiral further, Magneto raised one hand. Instantly, every metallic object in the area trembled — even the soldiers' weapons quivered in their hands.
"Relax," Magneto said evenly. "I didn't come here to slaughter insects. I came for him." His gaze turned toward Ryuuto, calm yet sharp enough to slice steel. "Once this is over, I'll leave New York. But don't get in my way."
The crowd fell silent.
Charles and Fury exchanged tense glances, beads of sweat forming on their brows. They knew what Magneto could do. Provoking him was like lighting a match in a gas chamber.
And yet, one idiot — one very loud idiot — decided to speak.
"Old man, stop acting like you own the place."
Ryuuto spat on the ground, glaring up at him. "You think you can just stroll in and out like this is your living room? News flash — not without my say-so."
Everyone froze.
Dozens of eyes swung toward him. Some in disbelief, others in horror. Gwen and Tony, though, didn't flinch — they'd seen Ryuuto pull off too many impossible things already.
Then came the slow clap.
Magneto.
"Impressive," he murmured. "Reckless, but impressive." He gave a thin smile, the kind that said you'll regret this. "You know, every arrogant fool who's challenged me has ended the same way. I've lost count of the corpses."
Ryuuto cracked a grin. "Then I'll be easy to remember." He raised two fingers toward Magneto, eyes glinting. "Every enemy I've fought ends up one of two ways: half-dead in a cell… or buried with no name to mark the grave."
The ground itself seemed to hum between them, both auras colliding — power and will like two storms meeting head-on.
"So that's it," Magneto said quietly. "You really think you can defeat me?"
"Think?" Ryuuto's smirk widened. "I know. You're not leaving here without a fight."
"You sound confident."
Ryuuto tilted his head. "I'm just worried I'll overdo it and blow your helmet clean off."
A murmur rippled through the gathered heroes. Wolverine chuckled under his breath. Rogue rolled her eyes. Tony whispered, "Kid's got guts or brain damage."
But Ryuuto was already moving, his chakra flaring crimson around him like an inferno.
[Ding! Hidden Challenge Detected!]
[Mission: Defeat Magneto in Single Combat!]
He clenched his fists. No backing down now.
"Shion," he said under his breath, "remember that Hokage pack I didn't open last time?"
[Yup. Want me to unwrap your shiny toy now, Master?]
"Yeah. But before that…" He straightened, voice suddenly serious. "We need to talk about something important."
[Wait— you? Serious? This better not be another dumb joke about my voice settings.]
Ryuuto exhaled. The battlefield hung at the edge of eruption — Magneto waiting, every hero ready to intervene, every mutant trembling behind their leader. And in the middle of it all, the Red Mirage prepared for the fight that would shake the city.
...
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