With the magic and knowledge Arthur had at his disposal, there was no way he could solve the problem tormenting Dr. Banner.
But Senju Haruto's power… his understanding of magic far surpassed Arthur's.
If anyone could truly resolve the issue of the Hulk inside Banner, it would be Haruto.
In fact, Haruto did have the means.
"If I remember correctly," he mused, "in one version of the Marvel comics, there was a universe where Banner, desperate for a solution, turned to magic. Through perseverance, he became the Sorcerer Supreme. Using a forbidden spell, he separated the Hulk's soul from his body and cast it into Hell itself."
That Hulk had caused Mephisto endless headaches.
But for Banner, the problem was solved—no longer would he share a body with the monster.
Still, Haruto had no obligation to help this Banner.
Before his transmigration, Haruto had watched all the Marvel films, but he had never been a die-hard fan. He'd simply followed along because everyone around him was watching them.
As popcorn flicks, they had been entertaining enough.
But in his current reality, Haruto felt that if he had spare time, he would rather invest it in strengthening the overall might of the Land of Fire than meddle in the personal troubles of superheroes.
If it weren't for the necessity of completing check-ins, he probably wouldn't have crossed paths with them at all.
So when Arthur asked, Haruto only smiled and gave no answer.
Meanwhile, having stepped through the portal from the Sanctum, Dr. Banner shook his head vigorously, forcing himself to cast aside all thoughts of sorcerers, magic, and sanctums.
He couldn't find Senju Haruto now.
That left him with only one option—placing his hope in Dr. Blue.
"Dr. Blue…"
Banner did his best to disguise himself, cautious not to be recognized.
Even in his emails with Dr. Blue, Banner had been extremely careful, always worrying about exposure. He used layers of obfuscation to conceal his identity.
Dr. Blue, however, had no such concerns.
He was just a scientist, a professor. Men like him were a dime a dozen in New York. Neither the military nor S.H.I.E.L.D. had any reason to watch him closely.
"Are you… Dr. Blue?"
Banner spotted him quickly and strode over, his voice low but urgent.
As he asked, nerves tightened in his chest.
"You are…?"
The man blinked, then his face lit up with excitement.
His real name was Samuel Sterns, though he only used the alias "Dr. Blue" in correspondence with Banner. In daily life, those who knew him simply called him Professor Sterns.
"…Mr. Green," Banner murmured, scanning his surroundings warily. This wasn't the kind of conversation to be having out in the open.
Sterns understood immediately and beckoned him to follow to his lab.
The truth was, Sterns wasn't just some throwaway character.
It was only because The Incredible Hulk hadn't been successful, and because of conflicts between the lead actor and the studio, that Banner never received another solo film.
And so Sterns' character had vanished from the MCU.
But in reality, his true identity was that of a notorious supervillain—The Leader.
If Abomination was the brute force, Sterns was the calculating mind, and together they had clashed with the Hulk many times.
Even General Ross's transformation into the Red Hulk owed much to the Leader's machinations.
And for Senju Haruto, this was no longer a simple movie universe.
This was reality.
Here, no character would simply vanish because of creative disputes.
If Abomination existed, then the Leader would exist as well.
But Banner, at this moment, had no inkling of the danger.
After a cautious walk through backstreets, Banner followed Sterns into his personal laboratory.
"You can relax, Dr. Banner," Sterns said eagerly. "My equipment is fully equipped, and I've already conducted deep analysis on the samples you sent."
He was visibly trembling with excitement.
"To be honest, before today I wasn't even sure you truly existed."
His words spilled out, unfiltered.
No—he didn't want to hold back.
Yes, the emails Banner had sent had stirred anticipation within him… but standing face to face with Banner, alive and breathing, was a different matter entirely.
It was exhilarating.
After all… this was the scientist's equivalent of meeting an online legend in the flesh!
Banner could only grimace, black lines forming on his face.
He understood Sterns' excitement perfectly well. As a fellow scientist, he could empathize.
But his own situation was dire.
General Ross saw him as the ultimate prize—the key to creating super-soldiers by harnessing the Hulk's power. Ross would stop at nothing.
Any moment, the military could track him here.
Given that reality, Banner had no patience for idle academic discussions.
He wanted one thing: to rid himself of the Hulk. To be cured. To live as a normal man again.
"You're right," Sterns said finally, reining in his excitement. "Come with me."
But as they moved, he couldn't resist pressing further:
"Still, Dr. Banner, are you absolutely sure about this? The blood serum you sent me—it's the most perfect serum I've ever encountered. With its properties, it could eliminate every virus on Earth. Its immune system alone… it's nothing short of miraculous."
Banner didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He couldn't imagine the Hulk ever catching so much as a cold.
In that sense, perhaps Sterns was right—Hulk's blood might truly be the most powerful substance on the planet.
But the truth was cruel.
No one could control the Hulk.
No one could bear the weight of that so-called miracle.
It would only destroy their lives.
"I've made up my mind, Dr. Sterns," Banner said firmly. "No matter what, I must rid myself of the Hulk. And right now… you might be the only one who can help me."
He drew a deep breath, his voice unshakable.
After all, he had no idea where Senju Haruto was.
Sterns paused, gazing at him. There was regret in his eyes, but at last he nodded firmly.
He still had plenty of Hulk blood.
At the same time, through the vast intelligence network of S.H.I.E.L.D., General Ross once again closed in on Banner's location.
Striding through a military hospital, he reached the designated room and felt a wave of relief as he saw Blonsky sitting up in his hospital bed.
Whatever else, Blonsky was the perfect candidate to bring down the Hulk.
"General Ross," Blonsky greeted with a faint grin. "I'm feeling much better now."
...
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