It was Angel.
The one attacking from the sky—returning for a sneak strike.
And Sora Yukihara… truly defenseless?
"Wrong."
He feared aerial opponents the least.
Because—
Overheat: Strangle!
The massive wave of threads that had just knocked Colossus off the rooftop suddenly surged upward again. As Sora Yukihara crossed his hands, the entire wave twisted together, spiraling toward Angel in a deadly crushing motion.
This force could pulverize solid rock in an instant.
Angel, lacking any enhanced physical durability, couldn't possibly withstand it.
Clang!
A massive wall of ice appeared.
It only held for one or two seconds—
But that was enough.
With a powerful flap of his wings, Angel shot upward.
The threads only managed to graze his lower legs before he broke free.
In the end—
Just a minor injury.
Sora Yukihara's carefully prepared killing blow failed.
"Run!"
Iceman unleashed waves of cold air to block Sora Yukihara.
Even Colossus had been taken down. Angel had nearly been killed.
The two of them had no chance.
Their only option—
Escape.
"AH—!"
Iceman suddenly attacked the ground.
He had learned.
Cold energy spread silently through the surface—
Freezing Sora Yukihara's feet in place.
But he knew—
That wouldn't hold long.
"Go! I'll cover you!"
Pyro stepped forward.
Then—
Boom!
He detonated a nearby transformer.
Sparks exploded into flames—
Which he immediately absorbed and controlled.
A massive cloud of fire formed—
Large enough to cover half a basketball court.
"You forced this!"
Pyro's face twisted as he raised both arms.
The fire began spinning violently.
A blazing vortex—
Descending upon Sora Yukihara.
There was no escape.
The entire rooftop was engulfed.
Unless Sora Yukihara shattered the ice beneath his feet and jumped off—
He couldn't avoid it.
But—
He didn't move.
Above his head, an object floated silently.
As the firestorm intensified—
Boom!
It exploded.
Threads burst outward in every direction—
Forming a fully enclosed barrier.
Birdcage.
A miniature, sealed Birdcage.
Doflamingo's signature technique—
Adapted for defense.
The flames swallowed Sora Yukihara whole.
"Hahaha!"
"Still think you're tough now?!"
Pyro laughed wildly.
Iceman watched the raging flames and sighed. "Pyro… the Professor won't be happy about this."
"Better that than dying."
Iceman nodded grimly. "Yeah… who would've thought someone this strong would appear out of nowhere? Even Colossus and Angel couldn't handle him."
Pyro smirked. "Strong or not—he's dead."
"You did well."
Angel descended, hovering. "This was an emergency situation. I'll explain everything to the Professor."
A flash of cold light—
Pyro's arm fell to the ground.
"AAAHHH—!"
The pain hit instantly.
He screamed in agony.
Iceman reacted immediately, freezing the wound to stop the bleeding.
"Hurt?"
The firestorm was suddenly blown apart.
Sora Yukihara stepped out from the Birdcage, completely unharmed.
He smiled coldly. "You were pretty smug just now. How does it feel?"
Whoosh!
Angel acted instantly.
He shoved Pyro off the rooftop—
Then grabbed Iceman and jumped.
He knew better than to flee through the air.
That would make them easy targets.
Instead—
He dropped.
Using the building's blind spots to escape.
Meanwhile—
Colossus caught Pyro mid-fall.
By the time Sora Yukihara reached the edge—
They had already escaped.
"Fast."
Sora Yukihara shook his head.
It wasn't that he didn't want to chase—
He couldn't.
His energy was nearly depleted.
And more importantly—
The X-Men weren't his true enemies.
The real enemy was still out there.
And Sora Yukihara would never allow that.
Whoosh!
Threads shot into the distant clouds—
And he launched himself forward.
Revenge.
Norman—
And Oscorp—
Would pay.
Boom!
The gates of the Osborn mansion were kicked open.
Empty.
No guards.
No one.
Completely abandoned.
Sora Yukihara didn't bother with doors anymore.
He blasted his way through with thread attacks—
Searching every corner.
Ten minutes—
Nothing.
No trace.
Boom!
Half the mansion was reduced to rubble.
Fury burning within him, Sora Yukihara shot into the sky—
Heading straight for Oscorp Tower.
"Didn't the X-Men call me a kidnapper?"
"Fine."
"I'll be a thief too."
"There's no way Oscorp moved everything in time."
"I'll take everything worth taking."
"Let's see if I can't trade it all for something worthwhile."
"Just wait, Oscorp… X-Men…"
He accelerated.
Like a demon tearing through the night—
Carrying death with him.