"No telling when Haruto will get here."
Stark's gaze locked onto the chaos unfolding on Broadway below.
The "trouble" Haruto had mentioned was far worse than he had imagined.
In Stark's opinion, Haruto should've just used a portal and appeared here instantly to shut down Abomination's rampage—
not wasted time leisurely driving over while destruction mounted.
But even Stark knew the truth. If they left this unchecked, Abomination would only inflict more devastation before Haruto ever arrived.
Taking a deep breath, Stark steadied himself in midair and flew closer to the monster.
"Stop."
His voice rang sharp with authority as he raised his arms, the repulsors in his palms glowing as they locked onto Abomination's chest.
The hulking creature tilted its head, studying the armored figure before him.
Compared to Senju Haruto's mechanical scourge, Iron Man wasn't nearly as flashy. Yet there were still plenty of eyes on Stark's battlesuit.
But Emil Blonsky—now transformed into Abomination—wasn't among them.
The only thing he cared about was growing stronger, finding his next rush of adrenaline through combat.
At first glance, he even thought Stark's armor might be some new toy whipped up by General Ross.
Without a word, Abomination grabbed a small sedan with one hand, his massive muscles tensing. In a blur of motion, he hurled it toward Stark in the sky like a slingshot release.
Boom! Boom!
The instant Abomination struck first, Stark didn't hesitate. Energy surged through his palms as he blasted the oncoming car apart with a repulsor beam.
But Abomination's combat instincts far outstripped Stark's.
Before becoming a monster, he'd been a hardened soldier, a man who had lived and breathed battle.
"Die!" Abomination roared.
He bent his knees, his leg muscles coiling with terrifying force before springing upward.
The thrown car had only been a smokescreen, meant to block Stark's vision.
As Stark's beam blew it apart, Abomination was already in the air, his massive hand clenching into a fist as he drove straight for Stark's chest.
Even without knowing the suit's design, he could guess—
the glowing arc reactor in the center wasn't just decoration.
The combination strike startled Stark.
He had already begun retreating on reflex, but Abomination's aerial power was monstrous. He closed the distance with ease.
The oversized fist smashed into the armored abdomen with brutal force.
The impact rippled through the suit and into Stark's body, knocking the breath out of him.
It wasn't fatal, but the pain tore away his balance.
Crash!
He was sent hurtling backward, slamming into the pavement of Broadway. His armor skidded and scraped across the asphalt before finally grinding to a halt.
Up in the gunship, all three men watching drew sharp breaths.
Especially Fury.
He'd had his eye on Stark for some time now, intent on pulling him into S.H.I.E.L.D.
No, his armor couldn't compare to Haruto's mechanical calamities in sheer scale, but it was still decades ahead of Earth's current technology.
Even in conservative estimates, Stark's Iron Man suit could overwhelm a fully trained battalion.
Yet here, against this monster… Stark was struggling badly.
And the worst part—
No one could go to his aid.
If this kept up, Stark's life was very much at risk.
"Abomination's strength…"
Ross's eyes widened as he muttered, though his feelings were a tangled mess.
He had faced the Hulk before. He knew firsthand how terrifying that power was.
But now, watching this fight unfold, he realized—
Abomination outclassed the Hulk in raw leaps, explosive bursts of strength, and even combat experience.
If someone could truly control him… Abomination might actually be the ideal weapon Ross had always dreamed of.
But that was the problem.
His temper was no better than the Hulk's. His destruction, even worse.
If this wasn't stopped soon, all of Broadway could be reduced to rubble.
Ross could already imagine facing his superiors. Could already see the faces of his dead soldiers.
How could he explain this?
"Let me go."
The words came from beside him.
Banner's voice.
Ross turned, stunned, as the doctor lifted his shackled hands, his meaning clear.
In this situation, only the Hulk within him stood a chance of stopping Abomination.
"Dr. Banner, you can't even be sure the Hulk is still inside you," Fury cut in sharply, disbelief plain in his tone. "This is your plan? If you can't transform, you'll just be throwing your life away."
It made more sense, in Fury's view, to contact Stark, get him out alive, and then gather more military reinforcements to deal with Abomination.
But Banner didn't hesitate. He shook his head firmly.
"Only the Hulk can stop him."
Ross turned to face Banner fully, their eyes locking.
The emotions there were complicated, layered, impossible to name.
"Banner…" Ross's voice came out rough, stripped of its earlier steel. The confidence he'd shown when capturing Banner was gone.
He had never imagined things spiraling like this.
As the commander, this was his failure. His responsibility.
And as he looked down at the rampaging monster below, realization struck.
Abomination… was very likely Emil Blonsky.
"I can't let you go," Ross murmured, his thoughts racing a mile a second.
He had never liked Banner. Truth be told, he despised him.
Even his own daughter was crazed with affection for the man.
Maybe the Hulk could stop Abomination, but what if it went the other way? What if it ended in disaster? That was a risk Ross could not bear.
"This is all because of you, Ross!"
Banner's tone hardened, his voice rising with raw emotion.
"You hunted one monster—only to create another!"
"And now that creature is trampling over innocent lives!"
"If you just sit here and do nothing, more people will die!"
"And you think you can just pin all of that on a monster? No. The real butcher will be you!"
Banner's voice rang with fury, shaking the cabin. He didn't even wait for Ross's answer.
"Soldier! Open this door!" he barked at the nearest man.
"If you don't want to see more innocents slaughtered!"
Truthfully, Banner didn't even need anyone to unlock him. The Hulk's strength inside him would shatter the restraints the moment it surfaced.
But his words hit Ross hard.
He was right.
Someone had to stop Abomination.
Not for politics. Not for command.
But to prevent more needless deaths.
"Let him go," Fury's voice broke the silence.
He had been quiet until now, but even he recognized the truth.
"At this point, Banner may be the only one who can stop that monster."
Ross drew a deep breath.
He looked at Banner again, and for once, he set aside their personal animosity.
"Unlock his cuffs," Ross ordered at last.