[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Mephistopheles and Blackheart have been eliminated.
New York has been saved from catastrophic collapse.
Reward: Medal of the King!
System EXP: +200,000]
Ryuuto blinked at the golden notification. "Nice haul. But Shion, what exactly does this 'Medal of the King' do?"
[Report: Wear it, and you get one single use of any ninjutsu from any character data pack… even forbidden techniques. No side effects, no backlash.]
Ryuuto's jaw dropped. "Hold up. You're telling me I can pop the Eighth Gate right now?"
[In theory. But since the medal goes dormant after one use, maybe don't waste it to show off in front of a street pigeon.]
Ryuuto felt the grin spreading across his face like he couldn't stop it. The medal rested warm against his chest, golden and proud, practically humming with power.
"Great. Fantastic. The universe better run, because I'm in the mood to do something unwise."
He admired the medal another moment, then suddenly remembered. "Shion! I still have a character data pack I haven't opened. Hit me. I wanna see who I rolled."
[Executing your request! Opening character data…]
[Ding! Congratulations! Host has acquired the data pack of Aburame Shino. Shino's techniques are now available!]
A list of bug-driven horrors scrolled down:
— Secret Technique: Parasitic Insects
— Secret Technique: Insect Clone
— Secret Art: Insect Wall
— Secret Art: Cocoon
— Secret Technique: Insect Jade
— Bug Summoning: High-Order Swarm Assault
Ryuuto let out a laugh. "A high-tier bug-handler… disgusting. Perfect. I love it."
He stretched, grabbed his gear, and waved goodbye to a still-hungover Tony and Wolverine slumped across a hotel couch like two retired bears.
Time to train. Time to evolve. Time to flex on reality.
Meanwhile…
"Why is that brat Jiang Li suddenly so powerful?!" Kingpin's fist slammed through a reinforced table, splintering it. "What happened to the Mutant assassins I sent? Worthless trash!"
His subordinates trembled.
"Gather everyone. Asgard. Now. No matter the cost, that kid dies."
Across the world, Magneto sat rigid in the Brotherhood's base, fingers tightening around his metal throne. Thor, fresh back in Asgard, felt the same sting. Mephistopheles was gone. Erased. And the culprit? A Japanese teenager with red eyes and a bad attitude.
Panic spread like wildfire.
Within a day, dozens of factions held emergency meetings. War councils. Late-night panicked calls.
They all felt it: A storm was coming. One boy was becoming a problem none of them could afford to ignore.
Quicksilver, meanwhile, had fled to his sad, empty base. He sat on the floor for ten hours straight before finally grabbing a communicator and screaming into Loki's channel.
"Loki! Things are getting insane! If we don't take Ryuuto out now, we're done!"
"Calm down," Loki replied lazily. "That kid is a menace. Better to let Thor deal with him."
"Thor?! Are you stupid? Thor can't even handle his own family drama, let alone that monster!"
"I'm working on it," Loki said. "I've contacted some top-tier Mutants."
"You better," Quicksilver snapped. "Or I'm running far, far away."
He chucked the communicator against the wall. Pieces flew.
New York was no longer safe. Ryuuto's shadow felt like a blade against his throat.
He needed to move. Now.
And as he ran, another notification chimed far away…
[Ding! New Mission Available: Defeat Mutant 'Blue Beetle' for a special reward!]
Ryuuto grinned. "Blue Beetle, huh? Sounds fun. I've been itching for a warm-up."
[Host, do your best. I believe in you. Don't die. It would inconvenience me.]
"Oho? Shion being supportive? Did someone hack your personality chip?"
[Shut up, Host.]
Ryuuto launched himself skyward, turning into a streak of red light.
"Brother, wait!"
A soft impact crashed into him. Ryuuto looked down to find Katie Dee clinging to his chest like a koala, her arms looped around his neck.
"Uh… Katie? Shouldn't you be shopping with Susan?"
She puffed her cheeks, clearly offended. "I ditched. You weren't there."
He sighed, brushing her hair with a fond roughness he'd never admit to having. "I'm busy. Saving worlds. Punching gods. Stuff like that."
"Then take me with you!" she insisted. "I won't get in the way!"
He tried to act serious. "This is dangerous. I'm confronting a threat."
Katie's eyes shimmered. Dangerous. Overly cute. Illegal.
His resolve shattered instantly.
"Fine. You're coming."
"Yay! Brother, you're the best!"
Katie hopped onto his back like she owned the position. Warm arms. Happy hum. Ryuuto felt an embarrassing flicker of softness.
One burst of high-speed movement later, they disappeared into the horizon.
Not far away, Blue Beetle strolled down the street in human form, humming, buying snacks, and generally having no idea that death in the shape of a Japanese shinobi was coming his way.