Under Natasha's watchful eyes and the stunned gaze of the remaining onlookers, Hulk's massive body soared through the air. He arced high above the street like a launched missile before hurtling toward the far end of the intersection.
Boom.
Though Richard hadn't used his full strength, Hulk still traveled dozens of meters before slamming into the pavement. The impact carved out a visible crater in the asphalt, fractured lines spreading outward from the center.
The crater wasn't deep, and the physical damage to Hulk was negligible. His durability absorbed most of the force without difficulty.
But the blow to his pride was far more severe.
From the moment Hulk had first emerged into the world, he had been the one knocking others away. He was the unstoppable force, the living battering ram. Yet now, in front of Natasha, he had been launched like a toy.
And Hulk did not like looking weak in front of Natasha.
Unlike Banner, Hulk never concealed his affection for her. She was the only Avenger who could reliably calm him down, the only one who could convince him to relinquish control. Though his understanding of relationships was primitive, one thing was clear in his mind—he did not want her to see him lose.
Before, he had simply wanted to prove himself.
Now he was angry.
For Hulk, anger was fuel. The angrier he became, the stronger he grew. It functioned almost like adrenaline, except without a ceiling.
He rose from the crater in a single motion, muscles flexing, green skin tightening over swelling veins. He locked his eyes onto Richard and roared again, the sound carrying a deeper edge this time.
Then he charged.
Dong. Dong. Dong. Dong.
Each footstep struck the ground like a war drum. Pothole-shaped depressions formed beneath his feet as he closed the distance in seconds. He raised his fist and brought it down toward Richard's head with crushing force.
Richard didn't teleport.
Instead, he stepped forward and swung his blade.
Earth Rend.
Four lightning-fast slashes materialized almost simultaneously. The first three carved sharp lines across Hulk's chest and shoulders. The fourth strike carried the true impact.
Chi—Bang!
The final slash exploded with force, sending Hulk flying backward once again.
The last strike of Earth Rend always carried a knockback effect. In most battles, Richard rarely needed to trigger it. The first three slashes were usually enough to end a fight. When he had used the technique against Benjamin in Los Angeles months ago, his mastery hadn't been refined enough to control the force properly.
Now, he controlled it precisely.
Hulk flew backward for the second time in less than a minute and crashed into the street again.
Even Natasha, who understood Hulk better than almost anyone, hadn't expected this. Nor had the spectators lingering at a safer distance. In their minds, Hulk was the embodiment of brute dominance.
Yet in mere seconds, he had been knocked away twice.
Hulk himself was stunned.
He had assumed he could crush Richard effortlessly. The slender figure before him didn't look physically imposing. But until now, Hulk hadn't even managed to land a clean hit.
Instead, several deep wounds now marked his green skin.
Confusion quickly transformed into fury.
He surged back to his feet and charged again.
This time, when he was knocked back once more, he changed tactics.
Rather than charging directly, he grabbed the nearest car. The metal frame bent in his grip like cardboard. With a snarl, he hurled it toward Richard.
The vehicle spun through the air, a deadly projectile.
Richard didn't teleport.
He sidestepped calmly.
The car passed within centimeters of him before smashing into a storefront behind.
Hulk grabbed another.
And another.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Cars flew one after another, as if they were weightless objects tossed in frustration. Richard avoided those he could with minimal movement, sometimes shifting only half a step. When one required more distance to evade, he sliced it cleanly in half with his blade, allowing the separated halves to spin past harmlessly.
Soon, wrecked vehicles littered the street behind him.
Hulk's aim improved with each throw, but none struck their target.
His rage intensified.
The spectators finally understood their mistake. When the first vehicle had flown past Richard, many had assumed they were far enough away to remain safe while recording the battle on their phones. That illusion shattered quickly.
Glass shards and twisted metal became lethal hazards. Several unlucky bystanders were struck by debris. Shouts replaced excited commentary. Phones were lowered. People ran.
Neither Richard nor Hulk spared them a glance.
When the last available car had been thrown, Hulk stood amid the destruction, chest heaving.
Richard lifted his blade slightly and spoke evenly. "You're out of long-range options. My turn."
He raised his right hand, palm upward, and summoned the magic within him.
Black Materia.
A sphere of condensed darkness formed above his palm. It was roughly the size of a basketball, pitch black, its surface swallowing light like a miniature void.
To anyone unfamiliar with its origin, it appeared to be nothing more than a dense energy orb.
In truth, it was a summoning catalyst.
In the original framework of the ability, Black Materia called down a meteor from the sky. In the game, its parameters were fixed. Here, the power scaled with magical input.
The more energy he fed into it, the larger and more destructive the summoned meteor would be.
He also controlled its descent height.
It could fall from mere meters above the target, striking quickly but with moderate force. Or it could descend from thousands of meters in the sky, gaining devastating momentum.
Higher altitude meant greater impact.
But also lower accuracy.
Unless the target stood still long enough to be crushed.
The black sphere pulsed in his hand as magic flowed into it, the air around him beginning to distort under the growing pressure.
.....
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