"An ordinary person?"
The skinny Peter quietly repeated the words, a longing look gradually appearing in his eyes.
What he longed for wasn't an ordinary life itself, but before he could sink deeper into his thoughts, a deafening crash shattered the moment.
Crash!
After sending Jessica Jones flying with a punch, Hulk climbed out of the rubble he had created.
The instant he stood, he slammed both fists into the ground, unleashing a violent shockwave that hurled the surrounding students through the air.
This wasn't a comic book where destruction somehow left everyone unharmed. An enraged Hulk had no restraint.
More than a dozen students struck the ground with bloody head wounds, while many others suffered broken arms and legs.
Screams erupted throughout the stadium.
None of them slowed Hulk down.
Fortunately, the camera flashes that had enraged him moments earlier were no longer the center of his attention, unintentionally sparing the students.
Hulk looked through the massive hole he had made, then raised his head toward the Helicarrier hovering above.
He wanted revenge on Clark.
Jessica Jones slowly pushed herself back to her feet, dragging her broken arm behind her. Fury burned in her eyes.
She wanted revenge too.
With every step cracking the stadium floor beneath her feet, she charged straight at Hulk.
"You bastard!"
She slammed her shoulder into his thigh with everything she had.
Hulk barely acknowledged the attack.
Without even looking down, he grabbed her around the waist, lifted her effortlessly, and smashed her into the ground.
Boom!
Jessica lay inside a fresh crater, staring blankly upward.
She was incredibly powerful. Her strength ranged well into the hundreds of tons, with exceptional durability, speed, and flight.
Against most metahumans, she was a terrifying opponent.
Against Hulk, she was hopelessly outmatched.
Watching her fall so easily sent another wave of panic through the students.
Their terrified screams only fueled Hulk's rage.
He lifted one massive foot and brought it crashing down toward Jessica.
"Ahhh!"
In the distance, Gwen squeezed her eyes shut.
Peter did the same.
Neither of them could bear to watch.
Just before Hulk's foot crushed Jessica's raised arms, a burst of flames ignited between them.
Axel stepped out of the fire.
He glanced around before smirking.
"Tsk. Hulk, I show up and the first thing I see is you beating up a woman. Is that your signature move now?"
Keeping one hand in his pocket, Axel casually raised his right leg.
Hulk's enormous foot stopped against it as though it had struck an immovable wall.
Hulk froze.
Memories resurfaced.
He remembered Axel.
The guy who had interrupted his fight with Thor.
More importantly...
The shameless bastard who had once ripped off his modified shorts.
Clark could wait.
This idiot came first.
Hatred flooded Hulk's mind.
Bulging muscles swelled across his body once again as his rage intensified.
His massive fist shot toward Axel.
Across the stadium, Peter opened his eyes.
"Who is that?!"
Hearing him, Gwen cautiously looked as well.
Instead of seeing Jessica crushed, she saw a man standing confidently before Hulk.
Axel's composed posture and tailored black suit made him look more like a runway model than someone facing the strongest monster on Earth.
She couldn't help staring.
She watched as Axel shifted into a soccer-style kicking stance against Hulk's incoming punch.
The size difference was absurd.
She instinctively squinted, unable to bear the thought of seeing him torn apart.
Then...
Boom!
The impact echoed across the stadium.
Cracks exploded outward behind Axel.
Despite the fractured ground beneath him, his kick smashed directly into Hulk's fist.
Another thunderous explosion followed.
Hulk vanished.
He blasted through wall after wall, building after building, disappearing across the New York skyline like a green cannonball.
Far outside the city, he finally crashed into farmland, carving a long trench through fields before coming to a stop.
Hulk slowly looked around.
"...?"
How far had that kick sent him?
His confusion lasted only a second.
Then his rage intensified even further.
With two additional arms now emerging from his body, Hulk launched himself back toward New York with enormous leaps.
Back at the stadium, Axel lowered his leg as though nothing had happened.
Hands in his pockets again, he leaned over the crater where Jessica was struggling to regain consciousness.
She looked exhausted.
Her clothes were torn, and dust covered her from head to toe.
Even so, one thing immediately stood out.
She was unbelievably pale, her skin almost seeming to glow.
Even Selina wasn't this fair.
Jessica slowly sat up.
Axel reached down and pulled her to her feet.
"You look pretty rough. Seven broken ribs, one wrecked arm, but your legs still work, so that's good.
Taking a hit from Hulk and surviving with only that? That's impressive.
So, what's your name?"
Before he could finish...
Pfft!
Jessica coughed up a mouthful of blood.
It landed squarely across Axel's face.
His smile instantly disappeared.
Using his telekinesis to wipe the blood away, he spoke with obvious irritation.
"Whoever you are, you'd better be thankful that came from your mouth. Otherwise you'd already be dead.
Seriously, if you're about to spit blood, turn your head.
Don't let it happen again."
Still grumbling, Axel supported her while looking toward the distant green figure rapidly approaching.
Nearby, Gwen's mother hurriedly covered her daughter's eyes.
A moment later, she reconsidered and covered Gwen's ears instead.
Who would have guessed that a superhero who looked that stylish had such a filthy mouth?
Even with her ears covered, Gwen's eyes sparkled.
Watching Axel casually support Jessica with one hand while the other remained in his pocket filled her with admiration.
She envied Jessica's courage.
She also envied the fact that Axel was holding her.
"Mom... are we safe now?
He's so handsome."
"Handsome doesn't pay the bills."
Her mother answered automatically before unconsciously glancing toward Axel again.
Peter, meanwhile, finally relaxed.
"Thank goodness... I thought she was done for.
A superhero actually showed up.
But who is he?
I don't remember seeing him on TV...
Wait...
Maybe I did..."
Peter recalled the news coverage from the recent disaster in New York.
Axel had appeared briefly, but most of the footage involving him had been cut.
No wonder Peter hadn't recognized him.
He certainly would now.
In Peter's young mind, Captain America, Iron Man, and the other famous heroes slowly faded into the background.
Only Axel remained.
Along with his terrible language.
Peter quietly decided he had learned several new insults.
Meanwhile, Jessica's injuries healed at astonishing speed.
Her broken ribs mended.
Her arm straightened.
She had always possessed remarkable recovery abilities. Against nearly anyone besides Hulk, she would have dominated the fight.
Looking at Axel, she frowned.
"Who exactly are you?"
"Me?
I'm your Prince Charming, Princess Snow White.
Listen carefully.
What's coming isn't a fight for someone like you.
Go find a seat in the stands, watch the show, and book a hotel room while you're at it.
After Hulk's finished, your uncle here will take you to see some very large goldfish. The dancing kind."
With that, Axel casually pushed her aside.
Before she could react...
Smack.
He gave her a playful slap on the backside.
Jessica froze.
What was wrong with this guy?
As she stood there speechless, Hulk returned.
He tore through New York like a living missile, smashing through cars and buildings without slowing down.
His momentum dwarfed anything from before.
The instant he landed back inside the stadium, every instinct in Jessica screamed danger.
Every hair on her body stood on end.
This Hulk was vastly more terrifying than before.
Four massive arms now extended from his enormous frame.
He slammed both feet into the ground.
Boom!
The stadium floor erupted.
Hundreds of students were thrown high into the air as the entire arena buckled beneath them.
Death loomed over every one of them.
Axel frowned.
"You really are an unreasonable bastard.
Do you have any idea how many pretty girls go to this school?
I haven't even given you permission to wreck my future fishing grounds."
As he spoke, invisible psychic energy spread through the stadium.
Every airborne student was safely caught before they could fall.
At the same time, Axel launched forward.
His right leg shot toward Hulk's face with incredible speed.
But just before the kick connected, the two extra arms extending from Hulk's back caught his leg.
At the same instant, Hulk's original pair of fists slammed together and crashed downward toward Axel's head.
Feeling the overwhelming increase in power, Axel raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?
So this is the famous four-armed Hulk that's supposed to be strong enough to move the Earth.
You've gotten a lot stronger, haven't you?"
===
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