"Hulk…"
General Ross's hands dropped heavily to his sides. The battlefield in front of him forced him to face the truth.
He had completely underestimated the Hulk's power.
Against this monster, his forces had been torn apart. Even the battle-hardened Emil Blonsky had been treated like nothing more than a ragdoll, smashed around at will.
Once the Hulk had finished demolishing these fragile human soldiers, he turned and cast one last furious glare at Ross and Nick Fury before storming away without a word.
"So that's the Hulk," Fury muttered, his single eye narrowing thoughtfully.
The raw speed, the reflexes, the overwhelming brute force—everything he saw impressed him.
The Hulk might not yet match Captain Marvel's power, but in his own way… he might well be the strongest Avenger on Earth.
No matter what, Bruce Banner had to be brought into the Avengers Initiative.
Fury's mind was made up.
For him, this mission's success or failure was irrelevant. He'd only provided intelligence and weaponry. And now, having witnessed Hulk's true strength firsthand, Fury considered it a valuable outcome.
"Damn it."
Ross's face twisted as he cursed bitterly, staring in the direction Hulk had vanished.
Not only was this yet another failed attempt to capture the creature—without Hulk's blood, mass-producing super soldiers was impossible.
And without super soldiers, how could he ever stand against Senju Haruto and his mechanical plague?
Ross could not, would not, accept a future where the United States lived under Haruto's shadow.
"Since the mission has failed, I'll be taking my leave."
Fury's voice was calm, detached. He didn't wait for Ross's response; he had already turned and started walking away. There were other matters demanding his attention.
Ross glanced after him, but said nothing. They weren't bound by command structure—two separate powers, cooperating only when necessary. Orders had no place between them.
And in this situation, Ross didn't need Fury anyway.
Drawing a sharp breath, he summoned his guards and called in medical support. Together, they made for the crumpled figure embedded in the runway.
Blonsky.
Ross cared for every soldier under his command, but when it came to priority… Blonsky came first.
"How is he?" Ross demanded as soon as they arrived, unable to hold back.
Blonsky was the kind of man who, if not driven by Ross's warlike ambitions, could have risen easily to the rank of major general at minimum. A talent like that… Ross wasn't about to let him slip away.
"The situation is dire," the doctor replied grimly, drawing in a sharp breath.
"Over forty fractures. Internal organs badly damaged. He's unconscious. Even if we pull him back from the edge of death, he'll live only by machines. Paralysis from the neck down. Incontinence. That's the rest of his life."
Ross inhaled sharply through his teeth, his face draining.
Alive or not, it made little difference.
Blonsky, if he knew, would probably rather die outright than face that kind of existence.
Watching as Blonsky was lifted onto a stretcher and carried away, Ross fell silent once again.
"The commander of the Hulk capture team…"
His brow furrowed deeply.
On one hand, he admired Blonsky, respected him as the right man for this mission.
On the other hand, his current condition was entirely Ross's fault.
It had been Ross's miscalculation of Hulk's strength that had led them here.
One way or another, Ross owed Blonsky.
"No… not just owe him. For the sake of capturing Hulk, I must see him restored. He's military property."
Ross's eyes hardened. In his mind, another serum came to the forefront—an imitation of the formula that had transformed Steve Rogers during the war.
If that could be used on Blonsky… perhaps he could be made whole again.
Resolved, Ross raised his communicator, contacting headquarters. Preparations were to begin immediately.
Next time, they would succeed.
Meanwhile, the Hulk thundered away from Ross's shattered forces, charging straight toward New York.
Normally, after such a rampage, Hulk's rage would ebb, his body shrinking back into Bruce Banner.
But this time, by accident or fate, he barreled directly into the city. Panic erupted in the streets.
Police arrived quickly, opening fire.
But the very act pushed Hulk, who had been on the verge of calming, back into fury.
He leapt, fists clenched, and crashed down upon an abandoned car.
In a blur of destruction, he ripped apart two vehicles, bending their frames into makeshift shields. With them raised high, he charged headlong through the police gunfire.
Officers were hurled into the air like toys, the clash nothing but a one-sided massacre.
"Raaaaghhh!"
Hulk roared like a wild beast, smashing everything in sight.
"Hulk… hate… you!"
The crude words thundered from his throat, each syllable swelling his strength further still.
The chaos grew so great that it drew the attention of the Masters of the Mystic Arts.
"What in the world is happening here?"
At the corner of the street, a glowing ring of fire appeared, expanding outward from the size of a fist until a full portal opened.
From it stepped a young man robed in the garb of a sorcerer.
At another time, his arrival would have turned heads. But with the city in utter panic, civilians only fled in blind terror. No one spared him a glance.
Normally, the Masters of the Mystic Arts intervened only when sensing incursions from other dimensions. Protectors of the world, not police for earthly troubles.
But the scale of what they felt here made it impossible to ignore.
"First priority is to calm this creature down."
The one in front was none other than Arthur—the former guardian of the New York Sanctum.
He strode forward swiftly, clapping his hands together. A red magic circle flared from his palms as he chanted under his breath.
"Monster!" Arthur shouted, his right arm lashing out.
The circle spun into a glowing whip, which shot forward to coil around Hulk's neck.
"I'm Hulk!" the green titan bellowed back, declaring his name with pride as he swung toward Arthur.
But before he could break free, the crimson whip locked tight.
And behind Arthur, four more sorcerers emerged, each mirroring his spell.
Four additional whips lashed out, snaring Hulk's limbs, pinning him from all sides.
Arthur's eyes narrowed. As long as they kept Hulk bound, subduing him would be far easier.
...
Hey everyone! Want to read ahead and unlock up to 100 early-access chapters? 📖Plus, enjoy even more exclusive novels! Join my Patreon now and dive into the adventure!
patreon.com/Rawink00