"Damn it! You actually had two tricks up your sleeve?!"
Magneto's face twisted in disbelief. He'd barely recovered from Ryuuto's last strike when the kid came at him again—like a beast unchained. The world blurred. Ryuuto's kick smashed through the air, forcing Magneto to pull every ounce of focus he had left.
For a second, the old mutant almost blacked out. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he steadied himself.
"Boy… you've really irritated me," Magneto growled, voice shaking with fury. "This ends now. No more chances!"
With a roar, he thrust his hands forward. The fighters in the sky screamed downward, guns blazing, missiles igniting. The entire field turned into a storm of fire and shrapnel aimed squarely at Ryuuto.
But then—Magneto froze.
Pain shot up his legs. He looked down, eyes widening in horror. A surge of golden sand had erupted from the ground, wrapping tight around his ankles like a predator's jaws.
"What—?! I can't move!"
Ryuuto's eyes flashed. "I don't need your chances, old man. Your life's already in my hands."
Sand Binding Seal!
As Ryuuto's fingers blurred through hand seals, the ground trembled. Magneto looked up—and his breath caught. Above him, the sky itself had turned to sand. It glittered under the sun, dense and sharp as a field of blades.
"What are you planning, brat?" Magneto barked, but there was a crack of panic in his voice. This wasn't metal. This was something beyond his control—something alive.
He didn't get to think twice.
BOOM!
The sandstorm fell like an execution. A violent torrent crashed down from every direction, swallowing Magneto whole.
"Not good!" Charles shouted from the observation deck, shielding his eyes. The roar was deafening. Even from afar, the X-Men could feel the heat and pressure.
Ultron, hidden in the shadows, clenched his metallic fists. "That useless old man's actually getting pushed this far? Tch. Ridiculous."
He'd wanted to see Ryuuto crushed, broken, bleeding. Instead, Magneto was the one buried under a sea of sand.
Even Quicksilver and the mutant students who had mocked Ryuuto fell silent, their faces pale. The mocking "Powerless Freak" had turned into a walking natural disaster.
The storm raged for minutes before the sand finally began to settle.
When it did, Magneto staggered into view—half-buried, pale, and trembling. His armor was shattered. His breath came in ragged gasps.
Ryuuto hovered above, his sand armor gleaming, chakra flames coiling around him like a living aura. His eyes locked onto Magneto.
"The fight's not over," Ryuuto said quietly. "You started this. Now watch how it ends."
He thrust out a hand.
Sand Coffin!
The ground split open. Waves of sand surged upward, swallowing Magneto again and sealing him in an enormous sphere.
"Do you really think I'll die that easily?!" Magneto roared.
The orb shuddered violently.
Magneto's white hair floated as he unleashed every last ounce of magnetic energy. The entire city block trembled. Cars, railings, streetlights—everything metal screamed as it tore free from the earth, spinning into a monstrous tornado of steel.
"Let's see who breaks first!" Magneto howled.
For a heartbeat, the world turned gray. The daylight dimmed as though the sun itself were holding its breath.
From the sidelines, Ultron's sensors screamed warnings. "These two maniacs are going to level the city! I'm out!" He bolted, thrusters igniting, vanishing into the sky.
On the Brotherhood's hovercraft, Quicksilver barked orders. "Fall back! Now! Full power—get us the hell out of here!"
"Ryuuto!"
"Big brother!"
"Don't—he'll be fine!" Charles snapped, grabbing Susan before she could run forward. Gwen, Katie Dee, and Natasha stood beside her, their faces twisted with fear as they watched the storm grow.
"Boy!" Magneto's voice echoed from within the sand sphere. "If you don't stop now, we'll both die here!"
Ryuuto didn't even blink. "Then die first."
The sand began to tighten.