With a thunderous boom, the heavy car door Hulk had hurled crashed into the transport vehicle carrying the sonic cannon. In a heartbeat, the entire rig was smashed flat, its metal frame folding like paper before erupting into a fireball. The blast surged upward in a furious bloom of orange and black, forcing even battle-hardened soldiers to shield their eyes from the searing light.
And just like that, half of the sonic suppression collapsed. The remaining cannon alone wasn't enough.
The Hulk didn't pause. A shadow fell over the second sonic cannon—then a crack like thunder split the air as his massive foot came crashing down. The weapon was crushed into the earth, utterly annihilated.
From his perch in the shadows, Daniel gave a small, quiet nod.
Technology had teeth, but even the best-made weapons bore the limitations of the materials from which they were forged. Earth's military might—particularly the United States—was impressive in its sophistication. But metal was still metal. Circuits were still glass veins. And flesh like Hulk's… raged beyond such bounds.
Perhaps, Daniel thought, if the military ever swallowed all of Wakanda and reforged their arsenal from Vibranium, they might dominate Earth itself.
But even that wouldn't be enough to conquer the cosmos.
Across the stars were armaments capable of shattering planets, collapsing moons, and erasing species with a whisper. Earth's pride in its weapons was—at best—a well-decorated illusion. Still, Daniel made a mental note. The idea of combining Vibranium with arcane enchantments had potential. Maybe one day.
But his mind returned to the battlefield. His gaze sharpened as he turned toward General Ross.
The situation was escalating fast. Hulk was growing more furious by the second—and stronger with each heartbeat. It wouldn't be long before Daniel himself would be forced to act.
Ross, to his credit, didn't hesitate.
"Attack helicopters—engage! Full assault. Everyone else—fall back!"
The general's voice rang over the comms with practiced authority. Despite the chaos, his tactical instinct remained clear: They weren't winning this. All their carefully prepared contingencies had failed. The sonic suppression was destroyed. Hulk was unrestrained. The only options now were to retreat or destroy the battlefield entirely.
And they couldn't risk destroying Manhattan.
Ross had limits. If he gave the order to unleash heavy tank fire or artillery on a public campus, politicians would hang him out to dry. Even if they succeeded in subduing Hulk, the repercussions would be disastrous. Public outcry. International scandal. Possibly even being stripped of all authority.
So he played the only card left.
Divert. Force Hulk away from populated zones. Delay and regroup.
Or, he thought grimly, call Stark and beg for help.
Meanwhile, Betty Ross, having overheard the retreat order, sagged with relief. Her knuckles loosened around her fists. Hulk had stopped advancing—just stood there, bellowing, furious but still.
But just when it seemed like the tension might begin to settle...
A blur of movement shot forward—Blonsky.
Daniel frowned.
The man had a death wish.
Blonsky didn't just disobey General Ross's order—he ignored it. He charged Hulk directly, dagger drawn, before stopping just short of the monster. His chest heaved, his face twisted with frustration, self-loathing… and something else.
Bitterness.
"I fought so hard to become strong," Blonsky muttered, eyes glaring up into the green colossus before him. "And this is it? This is all you are?"
His voice dripped with mockery, but the fury in his tone couldn't mask his defeat. He wasn't asking Hulk a question. He was screaming at his own inadequacy.
"Blonsky, stand down!" Ross growled over the comms. His voice, for the first time, trembled with real concern.
But it was too late.
Blonsky casually yanked the earpiece from his head and let it fall. He wasn't under Ross's command anymore. Technically, as a British national and NATO attache, he was always something of a mercenary. Now, he'd made himself a martyr.
"You think you're better than me?"
He grinned—and Hulk answered with silence.
Then, a blur of motion.
A single, earth-shattering kick from Hulk's right leg sent Blonsky flying over sixty meters through the air. His body hit the ground like a sack of wet cement, limbs crumpled, his spine bent in ways spines shouldn't bend. Even from afar, Daniel could tell—every bone in his body was shattered.
Hulk roared again, louder now. The kind of roar that cracked windows and set birds flying in all directions. His anger was rising once more—and with it, his power.
"Fall back! NOW!" Ross shouted again.
He knew this pattern. When Hulk was wounded emotionally, or provoked, he exploded. But if the battlefield cleared, if there were no enemies to focus on, he might calm down.
It was the only way to limit casualties.
But not everyone obeyed.
Betty Ross hadn't moved.
While the soldiers around her retreated, she slipped past them—drawn to Hulk. Her father didn't notice. A large armored vehicle blocked his line of sight.
She walked slowly. Step by step. Toward him.
The beast.
The man.
Bruce.
Ross, unaware of her presence, barked into his comm again. "Open fire! Hit him before he escapes!"
The gunship responded without delay. A deafening roar split the air as it released a hailstorm of bullets. They ripped through the air and punched into the ground like steel rain.
Betty flinched in panic, stumbled—and fell.
She screamed.
And Hulk roared.
But before he could reach her, someone else moved faster.
In a blink, an invisible wave shimmered in the space between Betty and death. A crackle of kinetic energy. Then a blur—a figure appeared beside her, sweeping her into his arms and leaping backward through the storm of bullets.
Daniel.
Ross blinked in disbelief.
"Cease fire! Cease fire!" he bellowed, but it was too late.
Bullets continued to pour down—until something impossible happened.
They hit nothing.
Dozens of high-velocity rounds bounced away from Daniel as if they'd struck a glass dome. A shimmering aura rippled around him like a bubble of unbreakable force. He cradled Betty protectively, shielding her with his body, and retreated in a controlled dash toward the perimeter.
Ross could only stare.
Who the hell is that man?
Then—CRASH.
Hulk, enraged beyond reason, hurled the second car door like a discus. It struck the incoming helicopter in mid-air, sending it spinning out of control. A second later, it exploded in a fiery ball, crashing hard into the earth.
And its target?
Daniel.
He didn't even look back.