Hulk roared in fury.
Leon Ragnell rolled his wrist and crooked a finger at him. "Come on, then!"
In a blur, the Hulk seized Leon and smashed him into the pavement.
BOOM!
The ground erupted into a gaping crater.
Then the Hulk's fists rained down, one after another.
Spectators froze, then scattered with shrieks.
The punches landed on Leon—
—but the earth shuddered like an earthquake.
Finally, the Hulk laced both fists together and hammered down.
Another thunderclap—this time the street yawned open into a hundred-meter pit.
No wonder: with battle power at 500, he outclassed early Goku from the Z-era.
But…
Leon flicked the dust from his chest and drifted up from the crater.
Too weak.
Seeing Leon floating before him again, the Hulk's eyes widened—puzzled that his target wasn't paste.
He wound up and drove another full-force punch straight into Leon.
WHUMP!
A hurricane of air exploded outward.
Leon didn't so much as sway.
Something animal flickered in the Hulk's gaze—bewilderment.
With all that strength… he hadn't scratched him.
"Looks like you're not all that, huh?" Leon smiled, snared the Hulk's finger with a casual grab—
—and spiked the jade giant into the asphalt.
He hoisted him by the ankle and smashed him the other way.
A little preview of the Loki and Thor treatment.
CRASH!
The Hulk cratered again, gouging a deeper hole in the street.
He lunged to swing back—
—but Leon never gave him the chance. He slipped past the blow, then planted a compact hook into the Hulk's ribs.
Then another. And another.
Each hit drew a bestial bellow.
No contest. Not even close.
At 500, Hulk was strong—but through Leon's eyes, that was all.
Punch after punch, meteors slamming into flesh—
The Hulk's regeneration was impressive—maybe not Wolverine-tier, but ferocious.
Even so, the damage piled up faster than he could heal.
At last—
A ragged roar tore free, the emerald aura bled off, and the giant shrank. The green faded, leaving Bruce Banner swaying where the titan had stood.
The Hulk had been beaten afraid.
Leon glanced at Banner, already tallying odds. Do I have enough to tangle with Thanos yet? If this were the movies, Thanos wouldn't be a match. But reality had been "upgraded."
Banner's destructive output alone far exceeded what the films ever showed.
"Bruce Banner," Leon asked gently, "you okay?"
"I—I think so." Banner stared at Leon with a mix of awe and fear. He could feel Leon's power—and Hulk's fear. The sensation of being crushed and made to yield.
Leon vanished; when he reappeared he tossed Banner a shirt.
When Banner had pulled it on, Leon smiled. "Looks like Hulk won't be coming out for a while."
"Thank you," Banner exhaled.
He'd worried he might be trapped as Hulk forever.
Maybe not anymore.
"I've got a lab in Manhattan. Doctor, would you like to come work for me?" Leon's mouth quirked. "I pay very well. And if a certain 'little guy' acts up, I can help, ah… discipline him."
Banner's eyes brightened immediately.
He was a scientist—always had been. Seeing himself as a mindless brute had been hard enough. If working with Leon meant control, maybe even a normal life…
And Leon meant it. Beyond Hulk's muscle, Banner was a genuine technical heavyweight—perfect to accelerate Leon's projects and sharpen his own edge.
Worth the olive branch.
"Okay." Banner nodded without hesitation.
"But first—" Leon flexed his hands and glanced at the inbound helicopters and tanks, rolling his shoulders. "There's a bit of trouble to clean up."
(End of Chapter)
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