Blue Beetle's rage cracked across the street like thunder.
"Damn it! You leave me no choice!"
A surge of blue energy roared from his palms, burning through the swarm of chakra-grown insects in front of him. The air turned foul with the stench of scorched shells, tiny bodies dropping like black snow.
Katie Dee's eyes filled with tears. "Ryuuto-kun… the bugs… they're so cute… why do they have to suffer?"
Ryuuto snorted. "Relax. He's not wiping out anything. My swarm runs on chakra, not common sense. I can make more whenever I feel petty enough."
He clapped his hands together.
Secret Technique: Cocoon!
Soft white cocoons sprang up across the pavement, bursting open as fresh waves of insects poured out, rolling toward Blue Beetle like a living tide.
"You forced me!" Blue Beetle barked, panic creeping into his eyes. His armor flared, wrapping him in a spinning sphere of blue light. He blasted himself free of the swarm, panting, armor cracked, face twisted with resentment.
Katie Dee jabbed a finger at him. "Ryuuto-niisan, he's awful! He doesn't care about animals at all!"
Ryuuto rolled his shoulders, heat rising under his skin. "Yeah, yeah. Let's finish this clown."
"You two… you're just as bad as those street scum!" Blue Beetle snarled, eyes blazing. "None of you deserve to live!"
He fired twin beams of blue aurora, the projectiles ripping through the air like laser fangs.
Ryuuto clicked his tongue. "Trying too hard."
The blast aimed at Katie Dee phased straight through her, her Shadowcat intangibility shimmering like a ripple of silver on her skin.
Ryuuto blurred forward, letting the second beam whistle past him before it detonated against a telephone pole, showering sparks.
Then he raised his arm.
Secret Technique: Insect Jade!
A tidal wave of jet-black chakra insects erupted from his sleeve, surging over Blue Beetle with bone-deep hunger. The villain staggered back, but there was nowhere left to run. The swarm swallowed him whole, stealing his energy, his strength, even his voice as hundreds of insects crawled into his armor.
Blue Beetle hit the pavement with a hollow thud, trembling helplessly.
Katie Dee winced. "Uh… Ryuuto-kun, this looks kinda bad. He's not… y'know… dead, right?"
"He'll live. Cops'll drag him back to prison. Come on, let's go stir trouble someplace else."
Ryuuto wrapped an arm around her shoulders and strolled off, ignoring the horrified stares of pedestrians. Behind them, Blue Beetle and the street thugs were dumped into police cars like trash waiting for pickup.
A crisp bell chimed in Ryuuto's mind.
[Ding! Task Completed! Host receives: 1 Lucky Spin + 10 Role Integration Points!]
He smirked. Shion, dump all points into the new character data. Might as well get juiced up while I'm at it.
[Lazy voice mode engaged. Hmph… fine, fine. Points applied. Don't get cocky.]
Ryuuto summoned a scouting insect, letting its shared vision drift across the city. Another trick added to his arsenal.
Now came the fun part.
He slapped the red button on the System's Lucky Wheel. The wheel spun, glittering. It slowed… slowed… stopped.
On a tile marked "???".
He blinked. "Hey, Shion. Did the wheel glitch or something?"
[Heehee. Nope. Congrats, Host. You triggered an Optional Mission. Easy requirement, massive reward.]
"...Define 'easy.'"
[Within three hours, locate and defeat the villain known as Penguin. Reward: an unexpected surprise.]
Ryuuto grinned, fire flickering through his veins. "Perfect. I was getting bored."
"Katie! Hop on. We're moving."
"Yay!" She threw her arms around his neck as he lifted her, and the two launched into the night sky like a streak of light.
They vanished.
And from the shadows of a nearby alley, a chilling voice whispered:
"Ryuuto… why are you still alive? When will you stop haunting my life?"
A silhouette—thin, sharp, trembling with rage—watched their trail vanish. The Penguin, umbrella in hand, strutted out moments later with a squad of thugs behind him. He hadn't yet realized the universe was about to drop his worst nightmare on his head.
"Come on," Penguin muttered, eyes catching on a storefront filled with bird statues and gold-trimmed toys. His breath hitched. "I want them. All of them."
"Boss?" his thug asked.
"You heard me. Bring everything to my mansion. Don't scratch a single feather."
The men stormed the shops, smashing counters and stuffing gold into bags. Civilians screamed. The sheriff patrolling the area took one look, turned pale, and sprinted away like his life depended on it.
Chaos swallowed the street.
And Ryuuto was already on his way.