Senju Haruto stared at the ruins, black lines forming on his face.
Wasn't the Hulk supposed to be the toughest Avenger in all of Marvel?
What happened to "the angrier he gets, the stronger he gets"?
What happened to "limitless rage"?
This? Just this?
No way.
But no matter how he looked, lying in the center of the crater was not the Hulk at all—only the unconscious Dr. Bruce Banner.
In other words, a single punch from Haruto in Six Paths mode had ended the Hulk.
Something he had never expected.
He had planned to slowly drag out the Hulk's potential, push him into greater and greater fury, and force him to ascend into his legendary Worldbreaker form before clashing with him at full strength.
"Could it be that because this is the Marvel universe, the Hulk can't evolve into Worldbreaker?" Haruto muttered to himself, annoyed.
Whatever the reason, the sight before him drained away all interest in continuing the fight.
Even if he woke Banner up, there was no guarantee he could force the Hulk back out.
"…Forget it."
With a sigh, Haruto gestured to Arthur and the others, signaling them to handle the unconscious Banner.
On one hand, it was the Hulk who interested him, not Banner. On the other, leaving him lying around would almost certainly get him picked up by the military. If the Hulk failed to appear at Broadway, that might interfere with his check-in.
Judging from past experience, triggering a check-in wasn't as simple as arriving at a location—there were always additional conditions.
Still, the only help Haruto intended to give Banner was making sure he didn't fall into General Ross's hands before the check-in was complete. Afterward? His fate was no concern of Haruto's.
After a few simple instructions to Arthur, Haruto opened a portal and stepped back into the New York Sanctum.
To Arthur and the others, Haruto's words were commands from on high.
They exchanged looks, carefully confirmed Banner was unconscious and not about to transform, then cautiously carried him back to the Sanctum.
The battle had shattered their worldview yet again.
Because when Haruto had fought the Hulk, he hadn't used magic at all.
What he displayed was a power none of them had ever seen before—something beyond comprehension.
That only made his strength seem more terrifying, more mysterious.
"Where… where exactly are Senju's limits?"
Arthur took a deep breath. Every time he saw Haruto fight, the man revealed a new power—always overwhelming his opponents with absolute dominance.
They had thought someone as monstrously strong as the Hulk might finally force Haruto to take things seriously, maybe even trouble him.
And yet… it ended with a single punch.
The thought alone filled Arthur with renewed awe. Perhaps he would never, in his lifetime, understand the heights Haruto had reached.
But what Arthur and the others did not know was that this incident was far from over.
Even though Haruto had scrambled the surveillance systems in the area with special magic, masking what had happened, he had underestimated the reach of human technology.
The form he had taken in Six Paths mode—and his clash with the Hulk—had still been recorded.
At Tony Stark's cliffside mansion, the billionaire was hard at work forging his next-generation armor.
Ever since he had witnessed Haruto's "mechanical apocalypse," every fiber of his being screamed one thing: the new suit couldn't rely too much on metal.
He needed a design immune to Haruto's influence.
An anti-Haruto armor.
"Mr. Stark."
Jarvis's voice interrupted his concentration.
Since donning the Iron Man mantle, Tony had fought crime worldwide. To gain an edge, he'd even had Jarvis infiltrate restricted systems. Now, the AI displayed a new discovery in a floating 3D hologram before him.
"…Hm?"
Tony set down his tools, frowning as he studied the projection.
At first, it showed the Hulk suddenly rampaging through a city street. Civilians scattered like frightened rabbits, the entire block falling into chaos.
Honestly, it looked worse than his showdown with Obadiah Stane.
"When was this?" Tony asked. He felt responsible—obligated—to step in.
"Ten minutes ago," Jarvis replied.
The footage advanced. Just as Tony was about to leap into action, several robed figures appeared.
Their entrance resembled Haruto's.
"More magic tricks?" Tony muttered, scowling. He had thought Haruto was the only "sorcerer," but clearly there were more—and from their attire, they looked like an organization.
Which meant… maybe Haruto wasn't the only one capable of unleashing something like a mechanical apocalypse.
The possibility sent a chill down his spine.
But then, a section of the footage cut out—the very moment Haruto should have appeared to confront the Hulk and save Arthur's group. For some reason, the feed showed only static.
When the picture returned, Haruto had already assumed his Six Paths Sage form.
"…What the hell is this?!"
Tony gaped at the white-haired man in bizarre robes, radiating a power that dwarfed even the Hulk.
What was happening to the world?
How many monsters were hiding in plain sight?
First, Haruto and his mechanical apocalypse. Now, this mysterious white-haired powerhouse swatting down the Hulk.
How many superpowered beings were walking the earth?
Meanwhile, inside S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
Tony wasn't the only one who had seen the footage.
Nick Fury sat in his chair, watching the recording as well. In fact, this was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own satellite footage—captured from orbit.
But the massive surge of energy had scrambled part of the recording, and all the cameras on that street had been destroyed.
All Fury could confirm was this: someone on Earth wielded overwhelming power.
And he hadn't even managed to see the man's face clearly.
"…This guy's strength might even surpass Senju and Danvers," Fury muttered, his throat dry.
From the look of it, this mysterious figure had stopped the Hulk's rampage. Which meant he could be a protector of Earth, like the Sorcerer Supreme.
Maybe… maybe he could be recruited into the Avengers Initiative.
Or even—
"Maybe I can use him against Haruto."
Fury's one good eye gleamed.
Perhaps this mysterious man's power could stand against Haruto's mechanical apocalypse.