Loki forced down the rising panic in his chest and doubled his pace, commanding the monstrous creature to charge Ryuuto again.
But before the beast could even close in, several blades shimmered through the air—swift and precise. They pierced straight through Loki's shoulders, erupting in bursts of blood.
"Gah—!" He stumbled back, stunned that Ryuuto had already seen through his every move.
Meanwhile, the Raikiri in Ryuuto's hands crackled brighter, hungrier, tearing through the air toward Loki like divine punishment. The monsters around him might as well not exist.
"You little brat! You dare wound me!? You're dead!" Loki's voice twisted into a roar as the wounds began knitting back together, but rage burned hotter than his magic. His pride—Asgardian pride—had been scorched.
"I am the mightiest sorcerer of Asgard!" he bellowed, bloodshot eyes gleaming with madness. "In the name of the gods, I sentence you to death!"
Ryuuto's only reply was a flat, contemptuous snort. "Idiot."
Without wasting another word, he kicked off the ground, lightning trailing behind him as he leapt skyward—Raikiri aimed right for Loki's head.
"Ha! Let's see you survive this! Energy—EXPLODE!"
A grin twisted Loki's lips. For the briefest second, he looked euphoric, like a gambler who'd just drawn the perfect card. His eyes flashed crimson as an expanding orb of energy materialized between them, engulfing Ryuuto in an instant.
The light devoured everything.
Then—BOOM!
The explosion shook the sky. A towering mushroom cloud rose, scattering wind and sand across the battlefield. Silence fell; the air was heavy, oppressive—almost holy in its stillness.
Loki threw his head back and laughed, half-mad, tears welling at the corners of his eyes. "Hahaha! Try surviving that, boy! In your next life, keep your mouth shut and your distance from me!"
For once, he thought he'd won.
But before he could even turn toward Gwen and the others to boast, a cold voice echoed behind him.
"Nice speech. Mind if I return it?"
A figure burst from beneath the sand, wrapped in a hardened armor of earth. Lightning sparked beneath the dust.
Ryuuto stood there—alive, smirking.
"What the—!?" Loki's voice cracked. His mind went blank. The impossible had just happened.
The ground trembled as Ryuuto's chakra-infused sand snaked up Loki's limbs, hardening around them like iron. His arms and legs froze in place. The self-proclaimed god of tricks was pinned like an insect on display.
"No! Stop! You can't—!"
Terror drowned Loki's voice. His face drained of color as Ryuuto walked forward, lightning flickering in his palm.
"Should've kept quiet."
The Raikiri swept across his neck in one fluid motion. Shhhhk.
Loki's head flew.
"Yatta! I knew it—Ryuuto's the strongest!"
Katie Dee, Gwen, and Susan rushed over, faces alight with relief and exhilaration. Their cheers echoed in the sandstorm.
"Hehe, careful," Ryuuto muttered, eyes narrowing. "He's still breathing. Let me fix that."
The grin he flashed was almost playful. He motioned for them to step back, hefting his decapitation blade and striding toward Loki's twitching corpse.
"Eh? Still alive? But his—uh—head's over there…" Gwen blinked.
Their confusion didn't last long.
The severed head suddenly twitched—then leapt up, bouncing awkwardly before rolling toward its body like a terrified hamster.
Loki's magic surged, reconnecting the two halves in a grotesque shimmer.
"You've gotta be kidding me…" Katie whispered.
Ryuuto sighed. "Persistent little cockroach."
The moment Loki's eyes refocused, Ryuuto was already in front of him. Loki froze, panic flooding his veins. His once-godly composure shattered into raw, pathetic fear.
In his mind, Ryuuto wasn't human anymore. He was a demon wearing a smile.
"You really don't quit, huh?" Ryuuto yawned midair, half-bored. "Alright, Loki. Show me your trump card before I erase you for real."
Desperate, Loki trembled and shouted, "Then witness my ultimate spell! I'll end you this time!"
The air turned eerily still.
Ryuuto's eyes glinted. "You talk too much."
His hands flashed through seals.
Dust Release: Original World Stripping Technique!
A barrier of blinding white expanded, swallowing Loki whole. The world itself seemed to cut apart, the edges of reality hissing where Ryuuto's chakra sliced through matter.
Loki didn't even get to scream.
But before the dust could clear—
"Ha! I'm here again!"
A voice dropped from the sky, followed by a red blur in spandex landing between Ryuuto and the fading remnants of Loki's body.
Deadpool stood there, twin katanas gleaming, smirk wide as sin.
"Miss me, Red Mirage?"