Steve Rogers stood in the middle of the bridge, trying—almost begging—to reason with the monster in front of him.
"Banner! You have to wake up!" he shouted. "If you don't—New York's done for!"
But the thing before him wasn't Banner anymore. The other personality—raw, violent, uncontrollable—had taken over. The Hulk.
And this one didn't listen to reason. It only knew one thing: destroy everything that moves.
The green titan roared, the sound shaking glass across the street. Then it lunged.
Steve braced himself, raising his shield at the last possible second.
CRACK!
The impact hurled him across the asphalt like a toy, embedding him halfway into a parked car.
Even vibranium had limits—and Hulk's punches didn't care about physics.
Groaning, Steve pushed himself up. "If you ever turn villain, pal," he muttered through gritted teeth, "we're all screwed."
Another roar. Another charge.
Steve dove aside, grabbing the railing of the shattered bridge. He dangled for a second, the Hudson raging beneath him, before hauling himself up.
The road was a wreck—crushed cars, fractured concrete, smoke curling up into a gray sky.
"Damn it," Steve breathed. "If Ryuuto were here, this'd be over already—"
"Were you calling me?"
That voice. Calm. Arrogant. Familiar.
Steve spun.
Ryuuto stood at the far edge of the bridge, walking through the dust as if the chaos itself parted for him.
Steve hadn't seen him since the Devil Island Incident—and hadn't forgiven him for that televised speech either.
But right now? Seeing him was a relief.
"Ryuuto! Get over here! Banner's out of control!"
The Red Mirage didn't answer right away. His eyes flicked from Steve to the raging Hulk, then back.
He'd been on his way to meet Susan, but seeing this rampage... well, opportunities like this were PR gold.
If he could stop the Hulk in front of the cameras—he'd own the headlines.
Hero of New York.
Superhuman Savior.
Not bad for someone who'd just declared war on the U.S. government.
Truth was, Ryuuto didn't care about heroics. He just wanted leverage—fame, support, and freedom to do whatever the hell he wanted.
If that meant breaking a few bones or cities along the way, so be it.
He cracked his knuckles. "All right, little Hulk," he said, smirking. "Didn't I beat you once already? Guess you forgot your manners."
The Hulk turned, bellowing, and charged.
Ryuuto's palms began to glow—spirals of compressed energy swirling tighter and tighter until they hummed like caged storms.
By the time Hulk's fist came down, Ryuuto had already thrust his hand forward.
"Rasengan!"
The collision was thunder. The air warped around them as the spiraling energy met raw muscle.
Even Hulk staggered, clutching his fist with a snarl.
He kicked, but Ryuuto flipped over him with ease, landing smoothly on the hood of an overturned car.
He chuckled. "That all you've got?"
The monster roared louder.
"Expansion Mode!"
In a blink, Ryuuto's body grew, muscles tightening, frame matching Hulk's in scale.
The chakra storm in his veins flared even brighter—burning crimson.
The Red Mirage versus the Green Titan.
Two gods on a bridge.
Ryuuto clenched his enlarged fist. "Let's see if you can handle this!"
Energy gathered again, spinning faster—denser—until it screamed.
"Rasengan—Double Drive!"
He shot forward like a red comet, slamming his attack into Hulk's abdomen.
The explosion tore the bridge in half. Hulk's body flew into the sea below, vanishing beneath a massive plume of white water.
Silence.
Ryuuto lowered his hand, his grin faint but smug. "And that's checkmate."
Steve walked over, dusting himself off. "You've changed."
"Have I?"
"I thought you'd join the Avengers," Steve said, sliding his shield onto his back. "Didn't expect you to end up leading the X-Men. Or that you'd… talk about overthrowing the government."
Ryuuto's smile faded, replaced by that sharp, unreadable calm.
"Then let me ask you something, Captain."
"Go ahead."
"What made you become Captain America?"
"To defend the homeland. To fight tyranny."
"Then tell me—" Ryuuto's tone darkened—"are you defending the ruling class, or the people?"
"The people. Always."
"Good." His eyes narrowed. "Then what if that same ruling class betrays its soldiers, manipulates the media, and sells its people out just to stay in power? Would you still protect them?"
The air went quiet. Only the broken bridge groaned beneath them.
Steve didn't answer.
Ryuuto's smirk returned—sharp as a blade.
"Thought so."