Boom—!
A single punch slammed into the ground.
The earth split apart under the force, spiderweb cracks racing outward as the shockwave blasted Captain America several meters away.
The impact came from beneath his feet—something no shield could block.
Huff… huff…
He forced himself up, gripping the vibranium shield, breathing hard.
Even with the Super Soldier Serum pushing his body to the peak of human limits, only minutes of fighting Garou had already pushed him into exhaustion. Every block drained enormous stamina.
Hawkeye and Black Widow lay unconscious nearby, gravely injured.
Garou hadn't tried to kill them—only ensured they could no longer move.
"I can do this all day," Captain America growled.
"All day?" Garou replied calmly. "Even with that special shield reducing the impact, those continuous shockwaves must feel like your wrists are being smashed by hammers."
He never relaxed his hunting stance, not even as Captain America showed fatigue.
Each clash sent layered vibrations through the shield, like relentless torrents slamming into his arms.
"Soon, you'll be lying down too," Garou said, eyes bloodshot and grinning.
The more heroes he defeated, the more he felt himself evolving—closer to becoming a true Monster.
Once he brought down Captain America, he would break through from early Ghost-level to mid Ghost-level strength.
"GAROU!!!"
A thunderous roar erupted.
Hulk abandoned his fight against the Deep Sea creatures and charged toward Garou like a rampaging war tank.
Among the Avengers, Hulk—childlike in mind—only truly cared about Black Widow.
Seeing her unconscious on the ground sent his rage soaring. And with his rage, his power grew.
"Hulk?" Garou grinned. "Perfect. I'll hunt you too!"
"HULK SMASH YOU!"
Hulk threw a punch so powerful the air itself exploded.
Garou instantly used the Flowing Water Crushing Rock Fist to redirect the force.
But the moment contact happened, he felt the horrifying magnitude of Hulk's strength.
Even after deflecting 95% of the power, the remaining 5% still sent Garou flying dozens of meters into the ruins.
Only Hulk, in the entire Avengers lineup, forced Garou to take things seriously.
The rest—Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow—even Falcon and War Machine with their tech, were merely troublesome at best.
"Ugh—!"
Garou climbed out of the rubble, blood flowing from his forehead, nose, and mouth.
Even that tiny fraction of Hulk's force had nearly shattered his arm bones.
Garou was genuinely shocked.
Is this guy even human?
Captain America, watching from a distance, felt something far worse.
Garou was human. That much was undeniable.
But the sheer malice radiating from him made Captain America feel an instinctive certainty:
This man must be stopped here—before he becomes a catastrophe.
"Hulk! We work together!" Captain America shouted.
"Hulk tear him apart ALONE!"
Hulk ignored him and charged again, fists swinging wildly.
Garou wiped blood from his mouth and narrowed his eyes.
"Honestly… this level of brute strength is shocking."
"And it keeps rising with his anger."
"But that's all you have. Technique and speed? Those belong to me, big guy."
Garou abandoned any idea of direct confrontation.
Instead, he switched tactics.
Using fluid footwork and precision movement, he dodged Hulk's devastating blows effortlessly while striking at joints, pressure points, and vulnerable angles.
The strategy worked beautifully.
No matter how strong Hulk was, if he couldn't land a hit, it meant nothing.
Yet Hulk's absurd durability meant even repeated precision strikes did little damage.
After nearly half an hour of this stalemate, Garou noticed something with the corner of his eye—
The Deep Sea creatures were beginning to surround the area in massive numbers.
"…Forget this."
Garou clicked his tongue.
"This guy is a walking meat shield. I can't bring him down."
Even after pushing himself to mid Ghost-level strength during the fight, he still couldn't do meaningful damage to Hulk.
Meanwhile, Hulk couldn't even touch Garou, whose evasion under the Flowing Water style was near perfect.
Garou shook his reddened hands.
"Alright. I'll deal with you next time, big guy."
In the next instant, his agile figure vanished from sight.
Hulk tried to give chase—
But the overwhelming smell of blood on his body had enraged the Deep Sea creatures.
They swarmed him from all directions, trapping him in the middle.
And Garou escaped.
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