"I told you, this kind of trick doesn't work on me."
Ryuuto's voice cut through the storm of spinning steel. The shuriken flew like a silver hailstorm, but Magneto didn't even flinch. With a casual flick of his wrist, a magnetic field bloomed around him—every single shuriken froze midair, suspended inches from his body.
"Pathetic," Magneto said coldly, ready to fling them right back.
But then—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The shuriken exploded. Fire and sand burst outward, a wave of heat washing across the battlefield.
Magneto blinked, mildly impressed. "Oh? A trick within a trick?"
Ryuuto's grin flashed behind him like a shadow. "Plenty more where that came from."
Leaf Hurricane!
In a flash, Ryuuto appeared behind the old mutant and drove a kick straight at his skull.
But the impact never landed. Every manhole cover in a thirty-meter radius suddenly tore from the ground, forming a steel cocoon around Magneto. Ryuuto's foot smashed into the barrier instead, ringing out like a gong.
"Heh… impressive speed." Magneto smirked, not even rattled. "But that's all it is—speed."
Ryuuto rolled his shoulders. "We'll see about that."
Leaf Great Whirlwind!
His leg blurred, striking again and again. Metal slabs scattered like confetti. Ryuuto used the recoil to backflip away just as Magneto's counterattack tore through the air.
"You running already?" Magneto taunted. "Too late for that."
He spread his hands wide—and the world responded. Cars lifted from the streets. Light poles bent. Entire fighter jets lost control as the air itself warped under the magnetic surge.
Explosions rippled through the sky as Magneto laughed. "Dance for me, boy!"
Flaming cars and guided missiles rained down, one after another, turning the city block into a furnace.
Charles, Susan, and the others could only watch in horror. The entire sky was fire.
"Yeah, this guy's completely insane!" Ryuuto spat, diving through the chaos. "You really think I've got nothing for you, old man?"
Shadow Clone Technique!
In an instant, hundreds of clones burst into existence. Each one formed hand seals and charged headlong into the storm.
Magneto's eyes narrowed. "Child's play."
He gestured—and the city obeyed. Cars crushed, missiles detonated, the clones vanished one by one in a blur of explosions. But Ryuuto was already gone.
Magneto frowned. Something was wrong. The air around him shimmered faintly…
Then he saw it.
Sand.
Blades, spikes, shuriken—all formed from the dust itself, circling him like a desert storm.
"You can't control sand with magnetism, can you?" Ryuuto's voice echoed, calm and mocking. "Your move."
The sand surged. Shuriken of glittering gold chakra slashed through the air, unaffected by Magneto's force field.
As they closed in, Ryuuto's entire body hardened, encased in Sand Armor. Missiles exploded around him, but the armor simply regenerated, drinking in chakra like a living shield.
Up above, Quicksilver nearly fell from the viewing platform. "What the—how's that even possible?!"
Magneto's lips tightened. "So that's it. You switched from metal to sand."
He gathered more debris, walls of twisted steel wrapping around him in defense. The sand slammed into it, cracking the metal.
"Impressive," Magneto admitted, "but still not enough to beat me!"
"Guess I'll just have to raise the stakes."
Ryuuto took a deep breath. His chakra flared, shaking the ground.
Eight Inner Gates—First Gate, Open!
Second Gate, Open!
Third Gate, Open!
Fourth Gate, Open!
Fifth Gate, Open!
Sixth Gate, Open!
Seventh Gate, Shock Gate—Open!
The air screamed. Black chakra flames coiled around him, searing the pavement. His aura exploded outward, and for the first time, Magneto took a step back.
"What… what are you?" Magneto hissed.
"A monster," Ryuuto said simply. "Your kind of monster."
He vanished. The next instant, Magneto felt breath on the back of his neck.
"Too slow."
BOOM!
Ryuuto's kick landed squarely against his skull. The old man's body bent forward violently and was flung across the plaza like a broken doll, crashing through the wreckage.