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Fini hadn't even had the chance to hunt down Hydra yet when a phone call from Tony the next day completely disrupted his plans.
In a villa in New York, Fini watched Banner packing his bags and asked with a frown, "You're planning on leaving New York? Why?"
"Staying here only threatens their safety."
Banner's face was exceptionally haggard, and his eyes were dull and lifeless.
Fini looked at Banner and said in a heavy voice, "That wasn't your fault. You were being controlled by Loki. Very few people can resist the influence of the Scepter."
"Even without being controlled, I'm ultimately not safe."
Banner shook his head, his hands never stopping their work. He continued, "Actually, I've come to terms with it. It's unlikely Hulk and I will ever be separated, so it's better if I take him far away from all of you."
"Like hell it is!"
Fini looked at Banner and spoke bluntly. "I don't care what others think, and I don't care if people think Hulk is dangerous. I'm telling you, you can't leave—unless Hulk agrees to go with you."
"This is my body!"
At Fini's words, Banner finally snapped. He stood up and roared, a green tint faintly surfacing on his skin as Hulk showed signs of emerging.
On Earth, Fini was perhaps the person least afraid of the Hulk. He remained completely unfazed by Banner's rage and replied, "Maybe it used to be, but now it's not just your body."
Banner panted heavily, clenching his fists and staring intently at Fini. His eyes were filled with anger, but ultimately, he didn't let Hulk take over.
"You can't stop me."
Banner didn't say anything else. He simply dropped that one sentence and leaned back down to continue packing. Fini frowned deeply, watching him while trying to figure out how to resolve the situation.
Soon, Tony—who had called Fini to notify him of the situation—rushed into the villa. As soon as he entered, he asked urgently, "Why the sudden departure?"
"I've stayed in New York long enough. It's time to move on to the next place."
Banner looked at Tony. He was actually quite grateful to him; after all, Tony had provided him with this villa and let him work in the lab during this period.
"Where do you plan on going?" Tony pressed. If Banner just wanted to go on a trip to clear his head, he wouldn't mind so much, but Banner clearly didn't intend to return.
"I don't know," Banner replied, shaking his head. Fini sensed that Banner simply didn't want him or Tony to know his destination.
Tony spent a while trying to convince him to stay, but Banner's mind was made up. No matter how much Tony persuaded him, Banner just shook his head in silence.
Finally, Banner finished packing his belongings. He stood up, looked at Tony, and then glanced at the silent Fini. "Thanks for looking after me during this time. Hopefully, we'll meet again."
"It's been over half a year. At the very least, let me say goodbye to Hulk," Fini finally spoke as Banner reached the door.
Fini had been thinking it over. He had to deal with Skye's situation and study the 'Breathing Technique.' With so much on his plate, he wouldn't have many opportunities to fight Hulk anyway. It might be better to let Banner go and cool off for a while.
With Nick Fury around, Fini didn't believe S.H.I.E.L.D. would just leave Banner alone. But before the doctor left, Fini wanted to see the big guy. He hadn't seen Hulk properly in a long time; the last time was while Hulk was under mind control.
Banner paused. After looking at Fini for a moment, he finally sighed, set his suitcase down, and began to strip—leaving his pants on, of course.
A few seconds later, Hulk emerged with a roar.
"Long time no see, Hulk!" Fini walked forward and greeted him.
When Hulk saw Fini, a flash of joy crossed his eyes, but then he seemed to remember something. He turned his face away and gave a cold huff like a pouting child, ignoring Fini's greeting.
Hulk's behavior made Fini want to laugh. Fortunately, he had his ultimate negotiation tool: the "Violet Karaage Roll." He handed several over. Hulk couldn't resist the enticing aroma and accepted them. Looking at Fini, he grumbled:
"Mage... play... no take... Hulk."
"Next time for sure! Next time for sure!"
Fini didn't try to explain that he wasn't out "playing" but had been trapped on a foreign planet. With Hulk's intelligence, it was hard to understand the distinction.
As Hulk ate the karaage rolls, Fini told him, "Banner wants to leave. Go with him for now, and I'll come find you after a while."
"Hulk... no want... leave!" Hulk looked reluctant. He then added, "Hulk... want out!"
Fini sighed inwardly. To this day, he still hadn't found a way to separate Hulk from Banner.
"You will. Next time, I'll take you to play on an alien planet!" Fini patted Hulk's massive palm to comfort him. He was thinking that once he obtained the Reality Stone, he had to take Hulk off Earth and see if "Aureolus' Golden Icaros" could solve the separation issue.
Beside them, Tony watched the Hulk—who was acting like a well-behaved toddler in front of Fini—and found it impossible to reconcile this image with the beast he knew. Thinking of the miserable state of his "Hulkbuster" armor from a couple of days ago, Tony felt a wave of frustration. Not only had he failed to get revenge, but he had been brutally outclassed again.
Fini didn't let Hulk stay out too long. After the goodbye, he had him revert to Banner.
Banner didn't say much afterward. He dressed, grabbed his luggage, and left. Fini and Tony remained in the room, both sighing silently. Tony felt he had lost a friend in Banner, while Fini was clearly more concerned about Hulk.
Over the following week, the world—having survived an alien invasion—settled back into a strange calm, as if an invisible giant hand were manipulating everything.
In reality, that was exactly what was happening. Thanks to Fini's intervention, the losses from the Battle of New York weren't catastrophic. Aside from the Manhattan area, the damage to the rest of the city was minimal. This made it much easier for S.H.I.E.L.D. to cover up the impact. After all, humans are forgetful creatures.
However, this didn't affect Fini much. His reputation on Earth had reached its peak; no amount of cover-up could erase his existence. Right now, there might be people who didn't know the name of the President or the Chairman of the UN, but mention the "Knight of Divine Punishment," the "Silver Knight," or the "Silver Dragon," and everyone knew they were talking about Fini.
Meanwhile, Fini was waiting outside a uniquely designed building, feeling somewhat annoyed.
"Could he have been sent out on a mission?"
In his invisible state under "Incursio," Fini sat on a stone step not far away, staring at the building's entrance and waiting for the figure he was looking for.
This was the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, the Triskelion. Even though S.H.I.E.L.D. was an espionage agency, it was impossible to hide a building this massive. After asking Skye for help, Fini had quickly found the location online.
Just as Fini was wondering if he should try again another day, a bald man in a suit and glasses appeared in his field of vision, making his spirits lift.
His target had finally appeared.
(End of Chapter)