Arthur moved first.
The shift in the flow of combat was almost immediate. The moment he stepped into the front line, the X-Men reorganized their formation, taking advantage of the opening created by his precise advance.
Arthur activated his Gate of Babylon, firing spells from the staffs that shot out of the portal.
Using magic was far more efficient now than recklessly throwing blades from within the GoB.
Arthur engaged the Hulk in close-quarters combat using the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist.
His plan wasn't to steal the spotlight or take credit. It was simply to support. He wanted people to see that he was helping the X-Men and Spider-Woman fight the Hulk — not that the X-Men and Spider-Woman were helping him.
And his fighting style was perfect against humanoid opponents.
Every one of the Hulk's strikes was diverted by a short, efficient movement. Every charge was redirected, creating openings for Cyclops to fire, for Rogue to strike, for Gwen to wrap the giant's limbs with reinforced webs. Storm kept the air swirling around them, limiting the monster's mobility or blasting the green giant with lightning.
Gambit and Wolverine attacked in tandem — contained explosions on one side, brutal slashes on the other.
Bit by bit, the emerald giant was pushed down.
Arthur stepped back a few paces, pulled Koryuga from the GoB, and slipped into a drawing stance.
Wolverine shouted when he realized what Arthur was preparing:
"Now!"
And everyone attacked at once.
Cyclops fired a continuous beam. Jean reinforced it with telekinetic pressure. Gwen glued Hulk's ankle to the ground. Rogue slammed her full strength into his torso. Gambit blew up the ground under the monster, throwing him off balance. Storm unleashed a lightning bolt that completed the final push.
"Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki…" Arthur murmured as he vanished from sight, reappearing instantly behind the Hulk.
A deep gash tore open across the Hulk's chest, finally bringing him down.
The ground shook with the impact.
Arthur didn't hesitate. He sheathed Koryuga back into the GoB, climbed onto the giant's chest before he could rise, grabbed the monster's face to adjust the angle — and began punching him repeatedly, straight, without flourish, without pause.
"Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep."
Each impact sent a subtle tremor through the ground. The Hulk thrashed, but the combined pressure of the X-Men held him in place.
Arthur delivered one last heavy blow and stopped, slightly breathless, still gripping the giant's jaw to check if he would yield.
For a few seconds, silence reigned.
The Hulk blinked.
Looked at Arthur.
And spat a tooth onto the ground.
Arthur frowned, immediately realizing he was screwed. "… Sorry about that."
The Hulk's fist shot upward.
The punch hit Arthur squarely, launching him several meters into the air. He crashed into the ground and rolled until he slammed against a tree.
Shaking his head, he stood, rubbing the side of his mouth to check if he still had all his teeth.
Wolverine grumbled from the other side: "Welcome to the club."
Arthur took a deep breath, pulled Koryuga from the GoB again, and prepared to get back into the fight.
"Alright. Second round."
The Hulk roared, rising fast — the wound on his chest completely healed.
—xXx—
While Arthur fought the Hulk alongside Spider-Woman and the X-Men…
Far away in his mansion, Tony Stark woke up suddenly — not because he'd rested, but because he had simply passed out from exhaustion on top of his workbench. His face was marked by two deep dark circles, as dark as the coffee he hadn't had time to drink. The table around him was covered with parts, loose wires, microchips, tools, and holographic projections still glowing faint blue.
He had spent the entire night working on a new set of upgrades for the Mark IV. Ironically, he only realized he'd fallen asleep when his forehead slid off the metal surface.
Tony blinked slowly, feeling the muscles in his neck complain. He reached out, searching for his chlorophyll drink, and took a long sip.
That was when JARVIS appeared, perfectly calm.
[Sir, a major incident is occurring at Central Park. Currently, the X-Men, Spider-Woman, and Mr. Arthur are engaged in direct combat with the Hulk. I assume this is something you would like to see.]
"PFFFF—!"
Tony spat the chlorophyll immediately, dirtying more of the bench than the air.
He shot to his feet so fast he nearly kicked a toolbox.
"Arthur? That Arthur? The Arthur who can't stay out of trouble for five minutes?" He was already making frantic gestures at the hologram. "You're telling me he's fighting that walking green muscle wall?"
[Exactly, sir.]
"JARVIS, connect to any satellite available. Military, private, NASA, I don't care. If you need to, hack all of them. I want live footage now!"
[Already processing, sir. Cross-referencing data from five satellites to stabilize the capture.]
In less than two minutes, a large holographic panel opened before Stark.
And there he was — Arthur.
Tony narrowed his eyes.
The blond wore a long, black leather coat, rigid and perfectly fitted to his body. The material reflected light subtly, highlighting the golden details that traced the edges and seams. The high, upturned collar gave him a naturally imposing posture. Three buckles crossed his chest, aligned with almost obsessive precision — as if every piece of that outfit had been crafted to endure any battlefield.
When he moved, the inner lining — a deep red — flashed for an instant, emphasizing the fluidity of his motion.
A diagonal strap crossed his torso, holding small pouches and an unknown metallic accessory. His reinforced black pants had strategically placed golden zippers. His boots were heavy, secured with metal straps and buckles.
And, to top it off, Arthur wore a mask covering the lower half of his face.
Tony leaned forward, as if that would bring the image closer.
"… He's wearing that stupid mask again. But it's clearly him." He paused. "Is it just me, or did the bastard get even stronger?"
The footage left no doubt: Arthur was literally on top of the Hulk, punching him in the face while chanting "sleep sleep sleep sleep" like an aggressive mantra.
Stark rubbed his eyes, incredulous.
But JARVIS didn't give him time to process it.
[Sir, I've detected a new incident. A large-scale disturbance has begun at the Broadway intersection. The attacker is a yellow-green creature with a constitution similar to the Hulk.]
The hologram split, showing another transmission: overturned tanks, cars being thrown, soldiers retreating in panic as the Abomination advanced like a whirlwind of muscle, jagged bone, and pure hostility.
Now fully awake, Tony felt his blood run cold for a moment.
His expression turned serious immediately. "So that's how it is. Time to work."
Without wasting a second, he grabbed a small device from the edge of the bench and strapped it to his wrist. It was a metal watch with infrared sensors — the trigger for the remote assembly system.
"JARVIS, stop being lazy. Initiate remote launch protocol. And prepare my coffee later, please."
He was already sprinting toward the terrace when JARVIS replied:
[Assembly protocol activated.]
Tony didn't slow down. He reached the edge of the platform, took a deep breath — and made the kind of reckless, stylish leap only he would consider reasonable.
"JARVIS, what are you waiting for? Send the suit!"
A single beep confirmed.
Behind him, hundreds of meters above, the mansion's windows burst open.
Pieces of the Mark IV shot out at high speed — arms, legs, chest, neck, pauldrons — each trailing streaks of blue light. They sliced through the air like guided projectiles, aligning themselves perfectly with Stark's falling body.
The pieces locked into place one by one:
— KLANG on the arms.
— KLANG on the legs.
— SHHHNK on the chest.
— CLACK on the helmet.
The assembly finished mere meters above the ocean.
BOOM!
The Mark IV stabilized midair, blasting a jet of propulsion so strong it carved a crest of water behind him. On a nearby yacht, a group of bikini-clad girls screamed and held onto the rails as the shockwave hit them like an unexpected wave.
Tony leaned forward and accelerated — the HUD tracing multiple possible routes to the location.
The thrusters brightened.
The Mark IV cut through the sky in a perfect arc, leaving a luminous trail behind it.
He would have gone to Arthur to help…
But another monster was waiting.
And Tony already knew which one needed him first.
(End of chapter)
Sorry for the lack of chapters, I had a commitment that consumed my time these past two days