75. Mage's Funeral (End) (Two-in-One)

Tony's story was not as exciting as he himself thought.

What I meant was—the reaction from the audience was not as enthusiastic as he had imagined. Most of them were silent. He even saw regret, complexity, and other tangled emotions ripple across green Banner's face.

"Looks like I messed up."

Tony shrugged and straightened the microphone in front of him. "So, who's next? We've still got plenty of time."

"I'll do it."

Dr. Banner stood up—green, powerful, his gaze calm and deep.

That was not the look Hulk should have had. In the past, Hulk's eyes had held only childlike rage and frenzy. He had been like a deceived child; anyone who saw those eyes would have known it. And now, Hulk was gone.

There was only Banner.

Wearing specially made leather shoes, he walked step by step onto the dais. After exchanging a look with Tony, he took his place at the front.

Banner coughed once before slowly speaking.

"There are two people in every mirror. One of them, you can see. But there is another—the one you don't want to see. For me, Hulk used to be the one I didn't want to see."

"I think everyone here probably didn't want to see him either," Banner said with a self-deprecating smile. "Starting in '03, the big green guy began appearing all over the world from time to time."

"Some people called him the 'engine of Demons,' saying I was an emissary of Hell. Well, I disagree. After all, according to the investigations, even though I destroyed a lot of houses back then, I never killed a single innocent person."

"Psychologists said that was because Bruce Banner's subconscious was protecting his bottom line, trying to stop Hulk from killing innocent people."

"But. Sometimes, no."

Dr. Banner lowered his head.