Hearing Axel's taunt, Hulk instinctively hesitated.
He couldn't understand how anyone could look at him, consumed by absolute fury, and still speak so casually.
That hesitation lasted only an instant.
With a roar, Hulk's two fists accelerated toward Axel.
Axel met them head-on, raising both hands to block the attack.
The moment their strength collided, Hulk's two rear arms released Axel's leg and grabbed Axel's wrists instead.
Having four arms gave Hulk a clear advantage.
His rear hands forced Axel's arms apart while his original pair remained locked against Axel's grip.
Even so, Axel refused to let go, keeping a firm hold on Hulk's front arms near the shoulders.
Both of them were left completely exposed.
Hulk immediately lunged forward, driving his head toward Axel's face.
The headbutt came with terrifying speed.
Looking at Hulk's twisted expression, Axel curled his lip.
"What, you big green pile of crap? Trying to get close to me?"
As he spoke, Axel snapped his right leg upward.
Boom!
The sole of his foot slammed directly into Hulk's chin.
The impact exploded outward in a massive shockwave.
Even the students suspended safely in Axel's telekinetic field drifted toward the stands under the force of the collision.
The entire stadium trembled.
Peter and Gwen stared in disbelief.
Keeping his foot pressed against Hulk's face, Axel chuckled.
"Tsk. If you'd been this strong the last time we met, I probably would've begged you not to kill me.
Too bad.
I've gotten a lot stronger too.
Tell me something, Hulk.
Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
Axel withdrew his leg and suddenly twisted both of Hulk's front arms downward.
Hulk struggled against the pressure and roared,
"Hulk is very ang..."
Smack!
A sharp slap cut him off.
Axel swung his leg lazily in front of Hulk's face.
"What are you yelling for? Didn't I ask you a question?
Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?
If you don't know the answer, then let me teach you.
Because that's exactly what just happened."
"ROAR!"
Hulk's rage exploded.
His already massive body expanded again.
As his muscles swelled, sharp bone spikes burst from both shoulders.
Axel glanced at them with surprise.
"What now?
Trying to become a porcupine?"
Without hesitation, he tightened his grip.
Crack!
The freshly grown bone spikes snapped off in Axel's hands.
The sudden pain made Hulk flinch.
Axel instantly broke free, reversed the spikes, and drove them toward Hulk's eyes.
Thud!
Hulk reflexively shut his eyes as the attack struck.
Axel discarded the broken spikes and surged forward.
His fists became a relentless storm.
Punch after punch hammered into Hulk, driving the giant backward across the stadium.
The continuous impacts generated powerful shockwaves that whipped through the arena.
Students' clothes fluttered violently despite Axel's psychic protection, sending another wave of frightened screams through the stands.
Hulk's furious roars only grew louder.
Finally, his rear arms swung together in an enormous double-handed smash.
It resembled the beginning of Hulk's signature attack.
Unfortunately for him, Axel was faster.
Before Hulk's hands could connect, Axel intercepted both wrists.
Then his right leg lashed forward repeatedly.
Kick.
Kick.
Kick.
Every strike drove deeper into Hulk's mouth.
Crack!
Two teeth shattered loose, falling to the ground with streaks of green blood.
Axel stepped back and casually scraped the sole of his shoe against the floor.
"Haha.
My poor shoes.
Hulk's mouth isn't exactly welcoming, is it?
Still, let's be fair.
Even the nastiest mouth is cleaner than a public restroom.
You don't complain about walking through those.
What's one oversized mouth?
...What?
You think my mouth smells worse than Hulk's?
To hell with that.
Who taught you such terrible manners?"
As he joked with himself, Axel's right leg slowly drew back.
Power gathered instantly.
Before Hulk could react...
Boom!
Axel's kick crashed into Hulk's abdomen.
Hulk folded over like a bent straw.
Then he rocketed backward.
He blasted through the stadium wall, tore through countless buildings, and shot across the horizon toward the Pacific Ocean.
Back inside the stadium, Axel raised a hand over his eyes and watched the distant green streak.
"Nice skip."
Hulk bounced across the surface of the Pacific at nearly two hundred sixty times the speed of sound.
He skipped over the ocean again and again until he vanished beyond the horizon, eventually moving too fast for even satellites to track clearly.
Watching him disappear, Axel laughed.
"What a bunch of frauds.
If you'd used this four-armed form against Thanos, I'd never believe he'd have beaten you into depression.
It would've been the other way around.
You're all bark when I'm around, but against Thanos you turn into a kitten.
Who are you trying to fool?"
After finishing his rant, Axel spat to the side.
The glob punched straight through the stadium wall like a bullet.
The surrounding students instinctively swallowed.
A second later, they realized what they'd just reacted to and collectively grimaced.
Axel ignored them.
He released his psychic field, allowing the floating students to land safely in the stands.
Then he activated his communicator.
"Haha, buddies.
Your old man didn't disappoint.
Even with four arms, Hulk got kicked clean out of New York.
Let me check where he's headed.
Unless something unexpected happens, he's about to crash into the island nation east of the continent.
My guess?
He'll flatten half the country before collapsing from exhaustion."
"...Wow."
Tony's voice came through the channel while he repaired one of the Helicarrier's damaged turbines.
"That's an impressive amount of hostility toward Japan, buddy."
Lex laughed.
"Trust me, Tony. Axel doesn't limit himself to Japan. He has plenty of hostility to go around."
Tony chuckled.
"I can understand part of that. The Japanese auto industry gave America plenty of headaches back in the day.
As for the other part... let's just say that's a sensitive topic."
With the Helicarrier nearly operational again, the pressure on everyone eased considerably.
Lex, Tony, and Bruce had efficiently secured the carrier.
Without Hulk, Hydra had nothing left capable of challenging them.
Clark was the only complication.
Lex spoke over the channel.
"Axel, Clark seems to have run into a problem.
His eyes suddenly released an energy blast similar to Cyclops' optic beams.
It helped knock Hulk into New York, but now he can't safely open his eyes.
Have you ever heard of something like this?
Could the different universe be affecting his Kryptonian physiology?"
"Mutation?"
Before Axel could answer, Tony burst into the conversation.
"Buddy, did you just call Superman's heat vision a mutation?"
His tone turned thoughtful.
"Hold on...
Which version of the DC Universe are you people from?
Your Batman already has incredibly advanced technology.
But your Superman hasn't even mastered heat vision.
That timeline doesn't add up.
Wait...
If he hasn't mastered heat vision yet...
Then he probably can't fly either.
No wonder he's still relying so much on the suit.
I finally figured out what's going on.
Lex, your hair makes sense now."
Lex answered immediately.
"My hair has nothing to do with Superman. I simply take good care of it.
You seem strangely obsessed with my hairstyle."
Bruce, standing beside Clark, spoke while helping him keep his eyes closed.
"So Kryptonians possess more than super strength.
Clark can eventually fly on his own?
Otherwise you wouldn't have mentioned his suit.
Its flight system is its primary function.
If that's considered a burden, then Clark's natural flight must eventually become faster.
Is that why he's called Superman?
Because of the variety of abilities he develops?
How exactly does he learn to fly?
Should I remove the suit and throw him off the Helicarrier?"
"...Huh?"
Clark immediately grabbed Bruce's arm.
"Bruce...
Are you secretly a devil?
I'm definitely not a baby bird learning to fly.
Have you considered that I don't enjoy falling from the sky?"
Bruce patted Clark's shoulder.
"I don't enjoy being Batman either.
Unfortunately, life rarely gives us much choice."
At the bridge entrance, Maria Hill led Phil Coulson and several surviving agents onto the deck.
Bloodstains marked their uniforms from the battle.
Holding a still-hot pistol, Coulson sighed.
"I leave for Tahiti for two weeks, and the world completely changes.
Hydra turns out to be buried inside S.H.I.E.L.D.
Batman and Superman are real.
And I only packed my Captain America trading cards.
All my Superman cards are still at home.
If I'd known this would happen, I would've brought them for an autograph."
He stared excitedly toward Clark.
Even with his eyes shut, Superman seemed larger than life.
Meanwhile, Lex continued repairing the turbine.
"It looks like Clark will be fine, so I can get back to work.
Axel, with Hulk gone, I doubt there's much left worthy of your attention.
Enjoy your break."
"Oh, I definitely will.
Guess where I am.
Midtown High.
And I just met Jessica Jones."
Lex and Bruce exchanged puzzled looks.
Neither of them knew much about Jessica.
Clark, still keeping his eyes closed, immediately spoke.
"Jessica Jones?
God...
That poor...
Damn it.
I can't even finish the sentence.
You've completely corrupted my vocabulary, Axel."
Axel laughed.
"Sure, blame me instead of your younger self for reading way too many superhero stories online.
Relax.
Jessica hasn't crossed paths with Purple Man yet.
She's still completely innocent.
Keep that name in mind.
We'll deal with Purple Man later."
Tony laughed over the communicator.
"You're the one interested in Jessica, Axel.
Exactly how are you planning to 'keep track' of her?
Like a lion marking territory?
If that's your plan, I've got a dozen empty villas around New York you can borrow."