"Goddamn it—what kind of cursed night is this?!"
Quicksilver burst into the bar, tripped over a stool, and face-planted into the sticky floorboards. He rolled several times before skidding to a stop, groaning like a man who'd just been betrayed by gravity itself.
Outside, Gwen and Ryuuto were pounding on Erica and the Punisher so hard that neither could even lift their heads. Erica's trident clattered uselessly against the pavement while Gwen's webbing snapped through the air in perfect rhythm.
"Quicksilver!" Erica shouted through the chaos. "What the hell are you doing in there? Get out here and help!"
But Quicksilver wasn't listening. His eyes had locked onto something far worse.
On the floor of the bar, Gambit lay foaming at the mouth, bruised and broken, looking halfway to the afterlife.
"Gambit! No way—it's really you?!"
Quicksilver scrambled forward on all fours, grabbing his teammate by the collar and shaking him like a broken vending machine. "Come on, wake up! Don't die on me, you slick bastard!"
And then—
"AAARGH! Ryuuto! I'll kill you, you son of a—wait, huh?"
"BOOM!"
Gambit's eyes snapped open in pure rage. He pounced like a wild animal, pinning Quicksilver down and wailing on him without hesitation.
"Stop—stop! It's me, idiot! I'm not that damn kid Ryuuto!"
Gambit froze mid-swing, blinking through the fog of concussion. "…You're not?"
"No! I came to save your sorry ass!"
Gambit squinted at him, then grunted, still not convinced. "You look like trouble anyway."
Quicksilver spat blood, wiped his mouth, and hissed, "Forget that! Ryuuto's out there kicking the crap out of my men—we need to run before he kills us all!"
But Gambit shoved him off. "No. I'm not done with him yet."
He grabbed an iron rod from the bar counter and staggered to his feet. The moment he tried to move, his knees gave out and he coughed up more blood.
"Ten-year revenge can wait ten minutes, dumbass," Quicksilver muttered, dragging him by the arm. "We're leaving, now!"
Outside, the battle raged. Glass shattered, streetlights flickered, and the pavement trembled with chakra-fueled strikes.
"Erica!" Quicksilver yelled. "We're done here—move out!"
Erica clicked her tongue. "Tch. Lucky night, sweetheart!"
She hurled her trident at Gwen to cover her escape and bolted into the darkness.
"Running, huh? Cute." Gwen flipped sideways, dodging both forks, then fired a web to yank a trash can into Erica's path. Metal slammed against the pavement as Gwen sprinted after her under the streetlights.
Meanwhile, the Punisher—bruised, bleeding, and realizing his backup had abandoned him—snarled. "Using me as bait, huh? Screw this."
He drew a combat knife and charged. "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me, brat!"
Ryuuto sighed. "Idiot."
His heel snapped upward in a clean arc, kicking the Punisher square under the chin. The man flew backward and slammed into a wall hard enough to crack it.
Ryuuto stepped forward—but the Punisher just laughed. "You think it's over?!" He yanked a handful of flashbangs and smoke bombs from his vest. "Die with me!"
The alley exploded in light and thunder. Smoke flooded the street, visibility dropping to zero.
Panting, the Punisher bolted, heart hammering. Heh… worked like a charm. No way that freak can find me now.
Behind him, a whisper cut through the haze. "You done?"
A blur of red streaked through the fog. The next thing the Punisher felt was white-hot agony as a strike split across his back. He flew forward, skidding across the concrete, coughing up blood.
Ryuuto landed behind him, silent, eyes glinting. "You talk too much."
Before the Punisher could crawl away, Ryuuto slammed a boot on his spine. "Go on, tough guy. You said you'd blow me up, didn't you? Keep trying."
"Just kill me already!" the man spat, glaring up in defiance.
"Sure. But first—stay still."
Thunk!
Ryuuto's shuriken pierced the man's palm, pinning it to the pavement. The Punisher's scream tore through the night, raw and ragged.
Moments later, Gwen dropped from a nearby rooftop, landing beside him. "She's gone. I didn't chase too far, like you said."
Ryuuto glanced at her, nodding slightly. "Good. One's enough."