Slaying Abomination

Donnie hated Hulk too, but he had to admit that the recovered Hulk was far beyond the likes of Abomination. Theoretically limitless strength was enough to terrify anyone.

Hulk and Optimus Prime joined forces to besiege him. The relentless attacks left Abomination barely able to fend them off, and what shocked him even more was the terrifying trend that both opponents seemed to be growing stronger as they fought.

Hulk gradually recovered. Optimus Prime's body was continuously strengthened by Spark Energy. Though he still could not take Abomination's heavy punches without damage, he could at least trade blows for a while without suffering excessive losses. The price of that strengthening was Donnie's deathly pale face and his rapidly dimming AllSpark, yet he refused to concede and kept pushing himself to the limit.

Abomination suffered one injury after another, both shocked and enraged. He had always been arrogant and contemptuous of the world, yet now he was being suppressed so thoroughly.

"Trying to kill me? Impossible!" Abomination roared, his eyes glowing blood-red as fury drove him mad. The Hulk Serum spread further, making him even stronger and larger.

Hulk threw a punch that sent Abomination flying more than ten meters away in a miserable state. Donnie seized the chance and had Optimus Prime charge forward, using his new right arm to wildly hammer Abomination's chest. The wound that had never healed rapidly widened.

Abomination screamed and kicked Optimus Prime away.

"You rely on the Hulk Serum you injected. Your strength has a limit. Once the serum runs out, you'll be waiting to die."

He was waiting for an opportunity, quietly recalling memories from his previous life as he tried to estimate Abomination's approximate upper limit of strength.

"Pass on my order. All units, open fire! Tanks are authorized!" General Ross coldly commanded from the sky.

Betty's face changed dramatically. "Father, Banner is still down there! You promised me you wouldn't hurt him again!"

The soldier relaying the message hesitated and looked toward General Ross.

Ross remained indifferent. "That kind of firepower can't hurt Banner. I'm doing this for that newly emerged Mutant! I can't destroy one monster only to create another. I've already made that mistake once."

The always domineering General Ross gave a rare explanation. In order to deal with Hulk, he had ultimately created Abomination, bearing grave guilt. This time, he had intended for Hulk to deal with Abomination, only for a new Mutant monster to be born.

"You can all sense the energy that Mutant unleashed in that instant just now. It was terrifying. Mutants who awaken during a crisis generally possess stronger abilities and pose greater threats. Whether his power is metal manipulation or something else, he is undoubtedly a Level 4 Mutant."

General Ross had once been fortunate enough to witness Magneto's power: a magnetic field so immense it drove people to despair, looking down upon humans like ants as though he were a god. All things fell silent, not a blade of grass remained, and he possessed the power to effortlessly overturn a super metropolis.

If someone like Professor X, a moderate, had been born, that might barely have been acceptable. But who would dare take that gamble? Where the little truck had originally stood, two blood-soaked corpses lay peacefully. One only had to think with their toes to know those two dead people were extraordinarily important to that Mutant, judging by how carefully he had placed them there.

In such a situation, who would dare bet that they could definitely win over this new Mutant?

"General Ross, your mission is terminated as of now. Order your troops to withdraw immediately." A dignified voice suddenly came through the communicator, domineering beyond measure and allowing no resistance.

Ross flew into a rage and roared, "Fuck you! Then what about these three monsters? And who the hell are you?"

"I have an authorization letter from the Global Security Council, bearing authorization from the five major nations. Are you sure you want to see it? General, do not attempt to act first and report later. You don't want to be convicted of treason, do you?" the voice said.

General Ross ground his teeth, wishing he could smash the other man's head with a single punch. Why had they only come out to take over now? He had been just about to reap the rewards! The Council clearly wanted to steal his achievements! Once he handed them over, Hulk would no longer belong to him, and the Super Soldier Program he had overseen at such enormous expense would be ruined. Ross could practically see the prison sentence awaiting him in the near future.

And that suspected Level 4 Mutant would have to be spared as well.

"I can make the decision to hand Abomination over to you. He was your soldier to begin with," the voice said, stern and forceful, as though it wielded immense power over life and death.

Ross's expression shifted unpredictably.

At the scene, Abomination was being completely suppressed. Just as Donnie had said, once the serum ran out, his strength would stop growing, and his threat level would plummet. Under the joint assault of Hulk and Donnie, he no longer even had the strength to defend himself.

Hulk was still growing stronger. But Optimus Prime's strength had stabilized. He had already lost a great deal of metal, and with the material quality of the Changan Star Card, Donnie realized that no matter how much he used the Spark Energy, Optimus Prime's body would no longer change.

What was more, the AllSpark's light was dim, nearly extinguished. Donnie's face was bloodless, yet veins bulged on his forehead and twisted strangely, making people tremble in fear that his head might explode the next second.

By this point in the battle, Donnie was swaying on his feet, nearly at his limit. Vast amounts of Spark Energy had been wasted, and he had only just awakened before being forced into battle. His power was immature, and he severely lacked combat experience, so he could only recklessly unleash Spark Energy for a shred of reassurance. His eyes were red as he stared at Abomination like a man-eating demon, determined to kill him with his own strength at the very end.

Ross could no longer sit still. He refused to watch Abomination die like this. Even if Abomination had to die, he had to die on Ross's dissecting table! Not just anyone could survive the Hulk Serum and undergo a transformation!

At that moment, Ross's possessiveness swelled to the extreme. What belonged to him was untouchable by anyone but him. That was the forcefulness of a general.

Abomination was battered beyond recognition and covered in wounds. He tried to fight back, but was quickly knocked down by another heavy punch, gaining yet another wound. Using all his strength, Abomination leaped up, trying to smash Optimus Prime from above, but Donnie reacted quickly and had Optimus Prime evade in time. Hulk grabbed Abomination and pounded him viciously. Optimus Prime struck ruthlessly through one of his wounds and, before everyone's stunned eyes, chopped off one of Abomination's arms.

"My God, that monster is finished!" a survivor shouted in delight, tears streaming down his face.

"Enough!" Ross roared furiously as he gave the order. "Send the tanks in! Surround Abomination, and don't let those other two get close!"

The tanks rumbled into motion, advancing in a dark mass with fierce momentum. They had been instructed that the green one would not attack them. If the metal one attacked them, they were to retaliate with full force and take the opportunity to blast that enemy to death, ridding the world of a potential disaster.

Optimus Prime's battered, broken form gave the soldiers confidence as well. That metal giant was in terrible condition, especially since his body was far thinner than at the beginning, only half as thick as before.

"You've won, Hulk. You've won! Let me go already, or General Ross won't let you off. I'm his loyal soldier. He'll protect me."

Abomination lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath. Seeing that things were going badly, he decisively surrendered. Cunningly invoking Ross, he earnestly described how loyal he was to Ross and how many difficult missions he had completed for him, while never mentioning his past slaughter of innocents or his unauthorized attack on the military. He was utterly shameless.

"Let me go. I know I was wrong," Abomination kept saying. "Otherwise, General Ross will kill you." A complicated look of humiliation and smugness appeared in his eyes.

Hulk had low intelligence and did not know what to do. Then Betty ran over and hugged him as she cried uncontrollably, leaving him flustered and at a loss.

Donnie panted and smiled.

A vicious glint flashed through Abomination's eyes. He thought it was the smile of victory, the greatest humiliation for a god walking among men like him. He would take revenge and personally crush this little bug to death, but that would be for the future. He forced out a faint smile and said with feigned honesty, "You won. Hurry and leave. The military might turn against you."

Donnie sneered and said coldly, "I'm more interested in turning against you. I told you, I won't let you go."

He had gone mad, desperately squeezing out every last bit of Spark Energy and unleashing it all at once. The AllSpark shone brilliantly, tearing through the darkness and surpassing every previous moment. This eruption without regard for cost or consequence brought unprecedented power. His AllSpark seemed to have begun burning!

Burning!

Burning!

A hysterical, all-out burning that would bloom with light even at the cost of destroying itself!

The battered Optimus Prime suddenly stretched out his arm, which instantly assembled into an astonishing great blade. Countless streams of visible Spark Energy continuously covered that blade, layer upon layer, seemingly without end. Before Abomination's horrified and despairing eyes, he swung once and severed Abomination's head, blood spraying three feet into the air!

The world suddenly fell silent. Everyone watched the scene, their minds blank and unable to think.

Donnie sensed that the AllSpark in his mind was nearly collapsing, silently extinguished. It had burned too much of itself, and the price had been far too great.

Faintly, frantic shouts reached his ears. Donnie was badly injured and mentally dazed. Looking at Abomination's corpse, he muttered, "Worth it," before passing out.