Ryuuto didn't flinch. "Then come over here and die already. If you're so mighty, prove it with your fists."
Susanoo's giant arm swung down in a brutal arc, the red armor blazing like molten steel. The impact shook the cliffside so hard Quicksilver and Thor practically flinched their souls out of their bodies. One more punch like that and they might sprint off the continent entirely.
But this time, Mephistopheles didn't budge.
A black aura coiled around him, thick and oily. Stones ripped from the ground and floated around him like he was rewriting gravity with bad vibes alone. Ryuuto's brows twitched. Even for a demon king wannabe, that was a lot of edge.
"Haha! I knew you wouldn't embarrass us, Mephistopheles!" Quicksilver cheered like an idiot, arms akimbo.
Mephistopheles didn't even dignify that with words. One cold glance, pupils glowing white, and Quicksilver's mouth snapped shut like he'd been guilt-tripped by the universe.
"Sorry! Carry on! We're not here!" he squeaked.
"Give me your strength," Mephistopheles snarled. "I'll tear this brat apart!"
His clawed hand swept outward—then he ripped the life-force straight out of the surrounding Mutants, absorbing them like living batteries. Their screams cut off in an instant as his aura surged violently.
Thor staggered back. "Norns… he's devouring them alive…"
Quicksilver's face twisted. "We are absolutely settling this later! If you can't even beat Jiang Li— damn it, don't blame the Brotherhood when we stop babysitting you!"
He boosted his speed to the absolute limit and vanished from Mephistopheles' reach, leaving only an angry echo behind.
Thor retreated too, muttering, "Just finish him, demon. Before you make a bigger mess."
But even he stayed far, far away, shielding his soul from the demon's hungry gaze.
Mephistopheles spread his arms. His body tore open, birthing monstrous shapes one after another until the battlefield looked like an inferno straight out of a dark fantasy painting.
"My children—go! Rip him apart!"
A flood of demons charged.
Ryuuto cracked his knuckles. "Alright then. Let's see how many lives you can waste."
Mangekyō Sharingan. Amaterasu.
Black flames erupted across the monsters, consuming them faster than they could howl. Their bodies warped, crumpled, and disintegrated under the cursed heat.
At the same time, Susanoo's colossal hands clamped around Mephistopheles like a divine vice, lifting him into the sky.
"Your life's in my palm now," Ryuuto smirked. "Enjoy the view."
"You can't kill me," Mephistopheles hissed. "You never could."
His body dissolved into shadow, slipping from the titan's grip. A storm of black hurricanes gathered, shrieking toward Ryuuto.
But Susanoo didn't budge an inch. The winds battered the armor, howled, twisted the land into jagged ravines—yet nothing pierced the red spectral shell.
The battlefield cracked open like a shattered mirror, the shockwaves alone strong enough that Thor and Quicksilver had to take to the sky or risk being flattened.
"Young man…" Mephistopheles' voice boomed. "Pushing me this far is impressive. But now, we end this."
"Then stop monologuing." Ryuuto raised his hand. "We finish this with one shot."
Susanoo. Yasaka Magatama.
Chakra orbs spun around him, blazing like burning suns. The demons' dark lord unleashed his own blast—a massive sphere of annihilating black energy.
The world erupted.
Tidal waves of destruction scoured the landscape. Space itself cracked, slits of pure void screaming open between the clashing attacks.
When the smoke cleared, both Ryuuto and Mephistopheles stood unharmed, suspended in the ruined sky.
Mephistopheles grinned. "Why not admit defeat? How many more of my strikes can you endure?"
Ryuuto shrugged. "Who said I'm blocking anything? I'm the one attacking next."
Mephistopheles laughed mockingly and hurled another barrage of dark orbs. He was convinced he'd already won.
Until he saw the blade appear.
Susanoo. Ten Fist Sword.
A spectral gourd hung at the hip of the colossus. The sealing sword gleamed. Mephistopheles' smirk died instantly.
"You— you dare!? Stop!"
Ryuuto didn't.
The Ten Fist Sword pierced straight through Mephistopheles' chest and even shattered his so-called absolute defense. His soul began to unravel, threads pulling into the gourd like water into a drain.
"Stay right there for me," Ryuuto growled, gripping the hilt. "Forever."
Mephistopheles' roar shook the sky.