The Leader's eyes widened as the world spun around him. He had never imagined— not even in his darkest dreams— that his end would come like this.
He had believed he stood on the brink of a new age, his age. That he would perfect the Hulk serum, take it beyond Banner's fumbling experiments, and create something greater than Abomination, greater than Hulk himself.
But all of that—every ambition, every scheme—was cut short by a single swing of Senju Haruto's blade.
Unwillingness.
Regret.
Hatred.
A storm of emotions surged in his mind, and with the last of his will, the Leader unleashed one final attack. A psychic gamma beam shot straight at Haruto, aiming to pierce his heart, to drag his enemy into death with him.
But as long as Haruto wore the Cloak of Levitation, defense was unnecessary.
That artifact alone was enough to counter most supervillains' assaults. And this was no flimsy imitation from a film—this was the comic version, which Haruto had obtained through one of his sign-in rewards.
It could shift its form into a scarf, a cloak, even a hood. When fully extended, it could shroud an entire solar system.
Compared to that, a measly psychic beam meant nothing.
Thud!
The Leader's severed head struck the corridor floor and rolled forward. His vision, narrowing to a tunnel of fading light, fixed on a final image: his own decapitated body kneeling, then collapsing face-first in a pool of blood.
Haruto didn't spare him a glance. He strode on, his sights set on General Ross.
For someone like the Leader, not even acknowledgment was worth the effort.
Creak.
Haruto pushed open the heavy door and entered the Leader's lab.
The scientists inside had witnessed it—the effortless, brutal way Haruto had dispatched their master. Horror etched itself into every face.
To them, he was no savior, no hero. He was a merciless butcher.
The male researchers scrambled for weapons. But "weapons" meant whatever was within reach—wrenches, pipes, tools clutched awkwardly in trembling hands.
They aimed them toward Haruto but never advanced. Fear had already broken their will.
Haruto didn't care. To him, they were ants, too insignificant even to kill.
His gaze swept the room until it found the man he sought—General Ross.
At that very moment, the Leader's meticulously prepared experiment reached its climax. The carefully calibrated gamma rays streamed into Ross's body.
Ross stirred on the table, eyes fluttering open. The first thing he saw was the sterile white ceiling.
"Did it… work?"
He sat up, breathing deep. His body felt weightless, unburdened. No strain, no fatigue.
He clenched his fists, marveling at the surge of raw strength coursing through him.
It was no exaggeration to say he felt reborn.
No wonder Blonsky had chased the Hulk serum. No wonder he had craved the Hulk's power.
But as the rush of excitement swelled, Ross noticed something wrong.
The air in the lab was thick with fear. A fear that wasn't his own.
And then he remembered—the Leader's warning.
There was… an intruder.
Ross vaulted from the table, scanning the room. And there, standing calmly among terrified scientists, was the last man he wanted to see.
Senju Haruto.
"You?" Ross's voice cracked with shock. He had never expected Haruto to appear here of all places.
His first instinct was to look around. "Dr. Sterns?"
Tension tightened his jaw. He had just gained this new strength, but Haruto's power was legendary, enough to make even him hesitate.
Yet the Leader did not answer.
"He's already dead," Haruto said simply, breaking the silence. His tone was flat, matter-of-fact.
It wasn't cruelty. It was necessity. The Leader was a supervillain. Left unchecked, he would only unleash more chaos, perhaps even engineer schemes for control of the Hulk serum itself. Truthfully, Sterns should have died back in Times Square.
"What do you want?" Ross demanded, his voice sharp, though his hand was already shifting behind his back, signaling the scientists to call for reinforcements.
But Haruto's Byakugan picked up the motion instantly.
"Don't waste your time, Ross," Haruto said coldly. "Bringing more people here will only get them killed."
His words cut straight to Ross's intent, stripping the plan bare.
In truth, Haruto's goal was simple: ensnare Ross in genjutsu and turn him into a puppet. With Ross's influence in the military and the UN, his sway over the Superhero Registration Act was invaluable.
But something had changed.
Looking at Ross now, Haruto realized he wasn't just a man anymore. He had become the Red Hulk.
That stirred Haruto's curiosity.
Unlike Banner's Hulk, who grew stronger the angrier he became but often lost his reason in the process, Ross's transformation resembled Abomination. He retained memory, intelligence, and tactical thought.
He lacked the limitless rage-powered growth of the Hulk. But unlike Abomination, whose strength was fixed and who burned out when his serum ran dry, Ross's new form could absorb energy itself.
Gamma radiation, cosmic rays—Red Hulk could devour them all and turn them into raw strength.
Ross's eyes flickered with realization. "You're right."
He didn't doubt Haruto's warning. Ordinary soldiers couldn't face this man, and even he couldn't afford to turn his back.
He would have to fight.
Ross lunged forward, body moving faster than he expected. No machinery around—meaning Haruto couldn't rely on certain spells. Intelligence gaps could give him the edge.
As his strides thundered, Ross realized with awe just how far he had changed. Even conservatively, he could cover a hundred meters in under five seconds—far beyond human limits.
And more than speed—he could now transform.
Into the Hulk.
"ROAAAR!"
Ross bellowed, a primal beast's roar splitting the air. Muscles surged, veins bulged, and his pale skin flushed crimson.
Before Haruto's eyes, the aged general's frail frame reshaped into a towering colossus, over two meters tall, radiating raw fury and power.
The Red Hulk stood where Ross once had.
Haruto gave him a slow, assessing look.
He wasn't surprised. If anything, this outcome was exactly what he had anticipated.
"Interesting."