"Trying to steal my kill?
You're not even qualified."
Ryuuto's Mangekyō spun.
Sharingan — Izanami.
A forbidden pulse of power shot through the air.
The psychic girl's world shattered—then looped.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Her Psychokinesis collapsed into chaos as she fell into the illusion's endless repetition.
Ryuuto didn't spare her another glance.
Instead, he planted a shuriken directly into Bob's thigh.
"GAH—!!"
Bob jolted awake, eyes quivering with terror.
"D-don't kill me! I-I surrendered!"
His brain had nearly been blown apart by the psychic girl earlier. Now his mind barely held together.
Ryuuto crouched beside him.
"One question.
Who sent those Mutants?"
He slapped Bob across the face—hard.
Bob sobbed.
"I don't know! I swear! I—I don't even know who they are! I got a call… something weird… then you showed up and everything went to hell!"
Ryuuto narrowed his eyes.
"Oh? They risked their lives for a man who doesn't know them?"
"I'm telling the truth! They weren't my people!"
Ryuuto stared at him long enough to make the man tremble like a leaf.
"…Someone's aiming at me from the shadows, huh."
With a soft thud, Ryuuto knocked Bob unconscious and leapt away.
The sky trembled.
[Ding! Mission Complete. Rewards:
— 1 Role Data Packet
— 15 Integration Points
— 30,000 System EXP]
"Tch. Still no puzzle pieces.
Shion, got anything better?"
[Oh? Host, there IS a 'better' mission. A great challenge, actually.
The enemy is… very strong.
Do you have confidence?]
Ryuuto grinned.
"I always have confidence.
Bring it on."
[Alright then…
A ridiculously powerful cosmic entity is coming straight for you.
This time the mission is simple: Defeat it.]
"…Ah. That explains the oppressive aura."
A cold thrill shot through Ryuuto as he looked to the sky.
A monstrous lifeform approached at impossible speed.
A battle beyond anything so far was coming.
──Elsewhere…
The X-Men and Avengers both detected a catastrophic surge on their systems.
"Oh God… this energy level is off the charts!"
"This Mutant—if it IS a Mutant—could wipe out the planet!"
"Call every commander! If we fail to respond we might not have a world left!"
New York erupted into global focus.
Panic expanded like a shockwave.
──Meanwhile, at the Mutant Brotherhood HQ…
Magneto lounged on a leather sofa, swirling red wine.
"Heh… Jiang Li might finally die today."
His eyes glittered with fanatic delight.
"When that monster arrives, New York will crumble. And then… the throne is mine."
Thor—yes, Thor—clinked his glass with Magneto's.
"Let the boy be swallowed. It will save us some trouble."
Magneto snorted. "Exactly."
──High above the Earth…
A gigantic being appeared, blotting out clouds.
Eyes glowing red, body radiating cosmic dread.
Galactus.
Beside him hovered Loki, eager like a sycophant dog.
"Lord Swallower! This is it! Jiang Li is down below! The brat has been getting arrogant—claiming he can defeat every Mutant!"
Galactus stroked his massive belly.
"Good. I'm hungry.
Let's see if this boy is tasty enough."
He leaned forward, massive energy radiating like a dying star.
Loki followed quickly—but froze when the titan glared at him.
"And remember," Galactus rumbled,
"call me Lord Swallow. If I get annoyed, I'll snack on a dozen planets before dinner."
Loki stiffened.
"Yes—YES! Lord Swallow, of course!"
Galactus chuckled deeply.
"Hahaha! New York, here I come!"
The sky quaked.
Loki wiped sweat from his brow. "Jiang Li, you're done for."
But then—
Whiiiish—!
Dozens of metallic projectiles streaked upward like silver comets.
Loki's jaw dropped.
"Who—who dared to attack Galactus?!"
Galactus blinked.
"Oh? These little metal toys… look fun."
He opened his mouth—
GULP.
—and swallowed every shuriken whole.
"Delicious."
He grinned.
"Bring me more."
And he continued descending toward Ryuuto.
The world trembled.