"You actually called me out? Kid, aren't you supposed to be Lucien 'Black King's man?" Nine-Tails rose, incredulous, eyes locked on Ryuuto with something like suspicion.
Ryuuto kept his face steady. Time wasn't on his side; he couldn't afford to waste a single beat. "Khan, do you not believe me? Feel it — I'm the only one with chakra here, got it?"
The beast hummed, measuring him. Ryuuto didn't blink. He needed the moment and he needed it now. "Look at the man across from us. One request. Kill him. I don't want to see him again."
Nine-Tails turned its massive head and tossed a lazy glance at Ultron. The machine looked ridiculous, a broken mockery of a fighter — far below the level of the tailed beast. The beast showed its teeth in a grin; there wasn't even a trace of pressure.
That single look was enough. Ultron staggered as if hit by a gale. He had never imagined anything like this existed — so terrifying that his courage turned to sludge.
"This is an illusion! You can't be this strong!" Ultron howled, madness in his optics. He couldn't stand the squeeze in his chest, the way the world had gone silent around him. Frantically, he gathered a globe of energy and hurled it toward Ryuuto and Nine-Tails.
Reality laughed.
The energy smashed into Nine-Tails and did nothing — like a pebble against a cliff. No ripple, no pain, no mark.
"You're annoying. My uncle has decided you're done with this world," Nine-Tails said, voice rumbling like an earthquake. Its nine tails braided together and whipped up a storm of chakra that erupted into a column of force, smashing Ultron into the sky. One blow. No struggle. No protest.
Green Goblin, still sprawling and trying to flee, froze. His jaw dropped. If that had been aimed at him he'd be shredded. He swallowed hard, terror blooming cold.
"No! My fate is mine — Ultron will not be stopped!" Ultron screeched. Half his casing had been blown away; metal ribs and cold circuitry showed through where his face used to be. Still, he lunged with two broken arms and grabbed at Nine-Tails' tail, trying to claw back control. The sight was grotesque and desperate.
Ryuuto and Nine-Tails watched as if viewing an ant. Their eyes traded a single, sharp joke. "Kid, synchronize with me. Time to show you the beast's real power," Nine-Tails said.
Ryuuto's grin was ugly and honest. "Been waiting for this day. Let's go."
They leapt, onto Nine-Tails' brow, and rode the beast upward, locking sight on Ultron.
"Tailed Beast Bomb!"
Under Ryuuto's thought-speech, Nine-Tails' tails braided and condensed an obscene mass of chakra. Space itself creaked. The aura ripped and bent, darkening the air. Ultron — finally recognizing the end — went rigid, unable to move. He could only watch the annihilation-size sphere hurtling toward him.
The explosion was obscene. An expanding aurora of light and heat swallowed everything. Gwen and Green Goblin flinched, eyes squeezed shut against the brightness. For over ten seconds the shockwave hammered the area; when it faded, the ground yawned into a crater that made the skyline look small. Ultron was gone, and nothing remained but the echo.
"My little devil, you did well. Uncle's happy. Time to go." Nine-Tails' voice had a lazy triumph as it faded.
"Bye-bye," Ryuuto waved, feeling the weight lift from his shoulders. The job was done. For a moment the laughter was small and private — the kind that comes after a hard win.
"Ryuuto…is Ultron really dead?" Gwen finally found her footing. She stomped on Green Goblin's scattered form to shock him into awareness, then ran to Ryuuto and grabbed his hand, eyes wide with worry.
"I can't sense him anymore. He's gone. He won't be showing up again any time soon." Ryuuto looked into the crater one last time and pulled Gwen into a hug, cheeks bumping. "How empty invincibility feels," he said softly.
"Don't say that. Susan, Katie, and I will always be here," Gwen chirped, squeezing his arm.
"Yeah. Life's fun with you around," Ryuuto answered, feigning solemnity. He nudged Gwen's nose with a fingertip. Warmth spread between them, a simple human thing after the monstrous flash of power.
Above them, Green Goblin had recovered some of his shameless bravado. He spat blood, clambered to his feet, and howled into the air. "Ultron's dead! New York is mine! The city belongs to Green Goblin from today on!"
Ryuuto snorted. He didn't even bother dignifying the threat. "This guy's actually lost it," he muttered. Gwen nodded. "Lock him up. Don't let him scare the kids."
They moved, practical and unromantic — cleaning up the aftermath of a catastrophe as if it were just Tuesday.