"Wait—no way…!"
Ryuuto barely had time to process what was happening. His old World-Stripping Technique—something he'd used ages ago—had just worked on Deadpool of all people. The idiot actually grinned as if enjoying it, eyes half-lidded in twisted bliss, before his body atomized in a blinding flash.
A sharp beam of red light cut through the chaos, grazing past Ryuuto's face.
"Seriously!?" He leapt sideways just as the beam detonated behind him.
BOOM!
The desert erupted. Sand blasted skyward, heat and shockwaves tearing through the wasteland until a massive crater swallowed the ground where he'd been standing.
"Who the hell just shot at me!?" he yelled, chakra flaring. "You wanna die, huh!?"
"Stay alert!" Susan called out, already forming a force field. "There's another one out there!"
Katie Dee landed beside her, eyes scanning the storm of dust. "This timing stinks. I hate ambushes."
Gwen wasted no time—she fired webs into the swirling haze, snagging a faint silhouette. But the figure twisted midair, slipping free of her threads like smoke and streaking toward Loki. The god snapped his fingers, his battered form instantly mending.
"Ultron…" Ryuuto's voice dropped to a cold growl. "Of course it's you, you metallic mutt. Can't stop hiding behind other people's backs, huh?"
He dashed forward, chakra crackling around him.
"Well, since you're here," Ryuuto said, hand signs flying, "don't even think about leaving."
Wind Style: Infinite Dust Breakthrough!
A massive wall of roaring sand surged toward Loki and Ultron, swallowing the horizon.
"Did you see through it already?" Ultron's hollow voice echoed, a cruel smirk glowing in his mechanical eyes. "You've grown stronger… but I don't have time to play."
"Ultron!? Took you long enough!" Loki spat, his tone somewhere between fury and desperation. "These pests humiliated me—kill them all!"
He barely got the words out before the storm hit. His bravado shattered, panic flooding his features. "Wait—wait! I can't stop that!"
"Then open the portal, fool!" Ultron snapped. "Unless you want your atoms rearranged!"
Loki gritted his teeth and channeled his magic, warping the air with unstable energy. A shimmering space rift began to form, lightning crawling along its edges.
Ultron's optics flickered with calculation. "I'll buy you time."
But instead of attacking Ryuuto, he raised both hands and formed three black energy orbs. With a hiss, he launched them—not at Ryuuto—but at Gwen, Susan, and Katie Dee.
"Bastard," Ryuuto snarled. "You dare—!"
Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!
He compressed air and chakra into dense projectiles and fired, intercepting the blasts midair.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions ripped through the desert, shockwaves colliding, sending pillars of sand and flame skyward.
"Gwen! Katie! Susan! You okay!?"
"All good!" Gwen shouted back, brushing sand off her suit. "Little crispy, but fine!"
Ryuuto landed in front of them, eyes blazing. He didn't care about Ultron or Loki now—only that the girls were safe.
"I swear," he muttered, exhaling. "No one hurts my team."
Katie Dee blinked up at him, pouting dramatically. "Relax, Ryuuto-kun! I'm Shadowcat, remember? I'll protect Gwen and Susan-chan!"
He gave her a fond pat on the head. "Yeah, yeah, you're amazing, Katie. I know."
Then his gaze hardened as he looked at the fading rift. "You two got lucky this time!" he shouted. "Next time, there won't be a next time!"
Ultron's mechanical laugh echoed. "You talk too much, boy. Enjoy your short peace."
Loki, clinging to him like a terrified cat, sneered weakly. "You'll regret crossing gods, mortal!"
The rift swallowed them both, sealing with a hiss. The desert fell silent again, as if none of it had ever happened.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've located and defeated the Evil God Loki through the Hidden Map! Reward: Ten Life Potions! Five Barrels of Ninja Ramen!]
Ryuuto froze. "That's it!? You stingy piece of software!"
[Hehe~ Rewards are randomly generated, Host. I don't make the rules.]
He groaned. "Fine, give me all the ramen. I'm eating with Gwen and the others."
[Acknowledged! Preparing four—]
"Five!" Ryuuto shouted, glaring at Shion's avatar (currently cosplaying as Hinata, for some reason). "Gwen, Susan, and Katie get one each, and I'm eating two! This stupid system owes me."
[…Noted, greedy Host.]
Ryuuto grinned, exhaustion melting into satisfaction. "Damn right."
...
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