Chapter 38

How had Hulk appeared here? And those dark red, bloodlike contract chains—their offensive power had increased considerably, but their other functions seemed to have been weakened.

The captain still hadn't woken up. That was indeed troublesome.

Heavy footsteps had already approached.

Zhao Yu stepped forward, placing himself between the massive figure and everyone behind him.

"Listen, Hulk,"

he raised his voice. "This is all a misunderstanding. Can you understand that?"

The only response was a low growl.

By now, there was no light of reason left in Hulk's eyes, only pure fury.

And the greater his anger, the more the brutal power within him swelled, while the remnants of his consciousness vanished faster.

A fist the size of a bowl came roaring straight at him, compressing the air into a shriek.

Zhao Yu let out a soft sigh.

"What a hassle."

Blood-red patterns suddenly burst from his right arm.

The mark of a ring surfaced beneath his skin.

A blast of air erupted.

Circular ripples exploded beneath their feet, sand and broken stones spraying outward.

Several apprentices sprawled on the ground were sent rolling backward by the shockwave.

Zhao Yu's heels did not budge an inch.

He even shoved his arm shield forward.

The green giant actually staggered back two steps.

"How... is that possible?"

Someone peeked through their fingers at the sight, their breathing stopping.

Was that truly strength a human could possess?

The practitioners of Kamar-Taj did temper their bodies.

Their limbs were far tougher than those of ordinary people.

But—

They were still spellcasters, no matter what!

What was this supposed to be?

Even that green monster had lost out in a contest of strength?

The apprentices bit down on their lips, swallowing their cries of shock.

The battle would not pause for their astonishment.

Zhao Yu raised his eyes.

"His brute strength is indeed impressive."

he murmured.

"But he understands neither runes nor the flow of energy."

If that purple-skinned Titan wearing the metal glove had been here—

That hand could erase spells and twist the rules—

He would have torn open space and fled at once.

But against a body made purely of flesh and blood?

To someone who studied the mystic arts, it was merely a wall that could roar.

That had only been a test.

The results were acceptable.

"Enough."

He withdrew the shield-shaped barrier of light and curled his fingers into a fist.

The green giant roared again, his feet cracking the ground as he charged like a cannonball.

The ground trembled.

A series of heavy impacts drew closer, like a giant hammer repeatedly smashing into concrete.

The enormous green figure was tearing through the street, rubble flying with every step.

The growl rolling from his throat made the air feel thick, and several robed figures unconsciously retreated until their backs hit the cold wall.

The young man standing at the front did not move.

He did not even raise his eyes. He merely traced a circle in the air with his fingers.

Golden sparks burst from his fingertips, rapidly extending and locking together to form a perfect halo that floated silently directly in the path of the charging giant.

The green beast could not stop his momentum. The instant one foot stepped into the halo's range, his entire body suddenly dropped—as if the ground had opened a huge mouth and swallowed him whole.

The halo immediately went out, leaving behind not even a trace.

The young man withdrew his hand as though brushing nonexistent dust from his sleeve.

Only then did the robed figures release the breath trapped in their chests. Some were so weak in the knees they could barely stand.

The man named Kamidar spoke tensely. "It... where did it go?"

"Up high."

The young man answered briefly, already turning his gaze elsewhere. "It'll take some time to fall. Enough time for it to think things through."

He walked toward the man lying on the ground.

The blond man's star-spangled uniform had been soaked dark across the chest, his breathing so weak it was almost imperceptible.

A dark red chain emerged from the young man's palm like a living snake, its tip probing into the injured man's chest.

A dissatisfied dark glow flickered over the chain's surface, conveying a faint sense of resistance—it desired something else, not this sort of healing work.

The young man ignored it. The chain's glow dimmed somewhat, and the healing noticeably slowed.

A muffled ** sounded in the distance. Several warped black shadows of aircraft swept across the sky, only to be swiftly shredded by an invisible force and fall.

The entire process was eerily quiet, with only the ** of twisting metal drifting on the wind.

A few minutes later, the blond man's eyelashes trembled.

When he opened his eyes, his pupils were unfocused at first, then abruptly sharpened.

Seeing the unfamiliar face looking down at him, his muscles instantly tensed, and his fingers instinctively reached for his waist—where there was nothing.

His gaze swept swiftly over the surroundings: collapsed walls, scattered wreckage of alien machinery, and several exhausted-looking mages.

At last, his eyes returned to the young man's face.

"You did this?"

His voice was hoarse, dry from blood loss.

"Yeah."

The blond man fell silent for a moment, apparently realizing the question had been unnecessary.

He tried to push himself up. The chain slid from his chest with the movement, dissolving into motes of light. "I owe you one."

he said, biting out every word. "If there ever comes a day when you need me—"

Before he could finish, a chaotic shout exploded through his earpiece, mixed with the hiss of static and distant **.

He pressed a hand to his ear, his expression turning grave.

"I have to go."

He rose unsteadily, his eyes fixed on the sky where the smoke was thickest. "Those things aren't finished yet."

The channel was a mess, every kind of voice crowded together.

"Tony, can you locate the captain?"

"I can't get away over here! There's really no way!"

"It looks like Hulk charged toward the captain!"

If the Chitauri had not kept them tied down, they would have rushed over long ago.

"I'm fine. My condition has stabilized."

"I'm heading over to support you."

Steve immediately replied.

"As long as the captain is safe."

"A group of civilians is trapped beneath Brook Bank. They need your help."

"I'll be there right away."

He turned to leave, only to have a hand block his path.

"Wait a moment, Steve Rogers."

"Is there something else?"

"Don't worry. After this, I'll remember your help."

** Captain said.

"That's not it."

"It's about returning Hulk to you."

Zhao Yu flicked a finger lightly.

A glowing rift suddenly tore open in midair.

The massive green body came tumbling out of it, flailing wildly before crashing heavily onto the ground.

"Roar—!"

The instant he landed, the roar made the air tremble.

But when those eyes turned toward Zhao Yu, he instinctively shrank back—the experience of plummeting from such a height had not been pleasant.

Steve had not reacted at all. He only saw Hulk appear out of thin air.

He froze.

This...

What exactly was going on?

A deafening explosion suddenly erupted.

A blinding bolt of lightning tore through the sky, striking straight at the whale-like warship.

But the ship was simply too large, its nearly hundred-meter-long body swaying slowly through the air.

Cracks left by the lightning snaked across the hull, yet they failed to truly impair the steel behemoth's ability to move.

Another warship had already approached from the flank, its shadow washing over the streets like a tide.

Hordes of Chitauri soldiers poured from its hatchways like a dark flood bursting through a broken dam.

They pursued the figure wielding a war hammer, their energy beams weaving a dense net of fire.

Thor maneuvered between the buildings, the wind from his hammer sweeping down enemy after enemy, but there were always stray beams grazing his shoulder armor—not fatal, but like red-hot needles piercing his skin, causing slight sluggishness in his movements.

The pain disrupted the rhythm of battle.

The Chitauri had clearly noticed this. They stopped pressing their attack and instead spread out like a migrating swarm of insects, using every bit of cover to harass him with gunfire.

Lightning bursting from Thor's palm constantly cleared open spaces, but more soldiers immediately filled the gaps.

If thunder had not always torn through the weakest point of the encirclement, he would have already fallen into real trouble.

Panting entered the communications channel. "This is Thor. Third Avenue needs support—where's Hulk?"

The green figure who had originally fought beside him had vanished at some point.

Facing the endlessly multiplying enemy alone, Thor felt his muscles beginning to ache.

"Hulk... has run into a bit of a situation for now."

The voice on the other end of the communication paused. A muffled roar could be heard in the background, like the whimper of a trapped beast. "We'll be there soon."

The speaker looked at the scene before him, his brows knitting slightly.

The green giant who always destroyed everything was now hunched over, his feet grinding the street's bricks to dust, yet he never took another step forward.

A low growl rolled from his throat as his eyes remained fixed on the young man standing amid the ruins. It was a nearly wary posture that had never appeared in Hulk before.

"What did you do to him?"

the questioner could not help asking.

He had seen Hulk crash into warships, tear apart mechanical beasts, and even withstand energy cannon fire head-on, but he had never seen him like this—as though an invisible wall stood before him, one even his anger could not drive him through.

Zhao Yu noticed the hesitation flicker in the other man's eyes.

That was somewhat unexpected.

"Nothing,"

he said calmly. "I merely let him experience sixty minutes of continuous falling."

Continuous falling had never been a pleasant experience.

Even that deity famed for his cunning could not help showing panic after thirty minutes of weightlessness.

Let alone that big green fellow.

Another, still immature personality was hidden within that body.

It could feel anger, so naturally it could also feel fear.

"Tell your tall friend that what happened earlier was just a misunderstanding."

"You can continue dealing with the battlefield. We should be leaving."

After speaking, Zhao Yu signaled for the mages to move.

"Thank you!"

the man in the star-spangled uniform shouted.

Zhao Yu waved a hand and turned to leave.

The instant he took a step, the light abruptly dimmed.

Looking up, three whale-like warships were bearing down in their direction.

At the very front, a figure in a red cape was darting about at high speed.

The ship's bow continuously spewed blazing beams.

Had he not fled quickly enough, that figure would likely have been hit long ago.

These Whale Ships were not as clumsy as they appeared.

As the alien legion's ground assault vehicles, they were covered in firing ports from head to toe, mobile armed fortresses in every sense.

If not for the defensive blind spot on their backs, which gave the counterattackers an opportunity, the resistance would likely have collapsed long ago.

At that moment, it was displaying the firepower suppression expected of a landing craft.

Thor weaved and dodged through the dense barrage.

Zhao Yu looked up at the sky and gave a slight nod.

Now this was more like it.

What kind of warship came without weapons?

When Hulk leaped onto a high-rise, the concrete surface shattered like a brittle crust.

He grabbed the outer edge, sprang upward again, and landed on the back of a massive warship slowly cruising through the air.

On the distant street **, several figures stood in the open, looking up at the sky like motionless targets.

"That thing... turned around."

Kamidar's voice tightened as his fingers unconsciously tugged at the corner of his robe.

Zhao Yu raised his gaze.

A colossal shadow was gradually blotting out the sunlight overhead. A dim blue glow began gathering deep within the ship's bow, as though a giant beast held a cluster of thunderfire in its throat, ready to unleash it.

He sighed. This really was irritating.

The beam tore through the air with a shriek, a blue-white pillar of light about as thick as a wooden barrel plunging straight down.

Scorching steam erupted from the concrete ground, and shattered stones sprayed in every direction.

But before the light could reach those people, it seemed to strike an invisible barrier and abruptly veered aside, exploding against the street corner in a dazzling burst of electrical fire.

A heavy impact rang out from the armor plating beneath the warship—Hulk was hammering away at it, each strike producing another thunderous metallic dent.

Several pieces of outer plating tore free, spinning as they fell and smashing into the roofs of neighboring buildings, kicking up even more dust.

"They always pick conspicuous targets."

Zhao Yu patted nonexistent dust from his sleeve and swept his gaze across the open gun ports along the ship's side.

Mechanical components could faintly be seen turning within, recalibrating their aim.

Kamidar took half a step back, then ** steadied himself. "What do we do now?"

There was no immediate reply.

Zhao Yu watched as the warship slowly turned its hull, the enormous maw lighting up once more with a charged glow.

This time, it was not just one beam. Three gun ports simultaneously glimmered with dangerous blue light.

The wind suddenly changed direction.

Dust that had been floating in the air began to swirl, rolling close to the ground.

Hulk's roar came from afar, mixed with the piercing sound of tearing metal.

Thick smoke suddenly billowed from the rear of one warship as it tilted and crashed into another high-rise. Sheets of glass curtain wall collapsed, their crashing shatter like a brief rainstorm.

"Dodging will never end."

Zhao Yu finally spoke, his voice devoid of emotion.