Captain America breathed heavily, the pressure on him easing dramatically now that the Chitauri had been wiped out.
"Thank..."
Captain America hadn't expected anyone else to be here, much less people dressed in Monk's Robes.
But whatever their identity, they had just saved him.
He was about to thank them when a furious roar rang out.
The windows of the nearby buildings shattered under that roar, raining glass down onto the street.
Then a green figure charged over like a cannonball.
Boom!
The ground shook violently, sending dust flying and tearing apart the asphalt.
Hulk's sheer size was undeniably intimidating.
He stood a full three meters tall, his body covered in bulging muscles.
He looked like a rampaging monster.
Hulk and Banner had two entirely different personalities.
Hulk was like a child, filled with destructive impulses.
Still, he knew enough to recognize Captain America and the others as teammates. Seeing his teammate surrounded by people in Monk's Robes naturally sent him into a frenzy.
He had already taken Wang Yang and the others for enemies, no different from the Chitauri.
His anger made him even stronger.
Boom, boom, boom!
Every step Hulk took struck the ground with a thunderous crash. Several sorcerers with little combat experience turned deathly pale.
They were only Academic Sorcerers, after all.
They had never experienced anything like this.
Seeing such an intimidating giant approach without collapsing in terror was already a testament to their physical conditioning.
Kamar-Taj, standing nearby, fared a little better.
Even he was trembling, but he was still doing considerably better than the other sorcerers.
"Hulk, don't!"
Captain America tried to stop him, but Hulk was angry now and clearly wasn't listening to a word he said.
Watching Hulk approach, Kamar-Taj asked quietly, "Wang Yang, can you handle this guy?"
"If you can't, let's leave first. Retreating isn't cowardice. It's simply a better way to preserve our fighting strength!"
Kamar-Taj's words left Wang Yang feeling rather troubled.
Hulk had charged over in a frenzy, and this clearly wouldn't end peacefully. Wang Yang could easily leave, but the remaining sorcerers were the real problem.
"Hulk, we were only helping Captain America. We're not your enemies!"
Wang Yang spoke up.
But in his frenzy, Hulk wouldn't listen to anyone.
The angrier he grew, the stronger he became.
But his reason vanished along with it.
Staring at Wang Yang, Hulk said nothing and threw a punch straight at him.
His fist came crashing down like a small mountain, making the air thunder.
Even the wind gave a piercing shriek beneath that punch, the sound of air being compressed by tremendous force.
Faced with this, Wang Yang had no choice but to defend himself.
He raised a hand, conjuring the Rings of Raggadorr before him to block Wang Yang.
Boom!
Hulk's punch landed.
A terrifying crash rang out, and a shock wave radiated outward from the two of them.
The sand and stones around them were blown away by the force of the collision. The sorcerers whose legs had already gone weak were sent tumbling across the ground.
Wang Yang, however, didn't budge.
Having absorbed the combat talents of several Masters of the Mystic Arts, he wasn't intimidated even when facing Hulk.
He not only blocked Hulk's attack, but the rebound also forced Hulk several steps backward.
"Sorcerer Wang Yang is unbelievably powerful!"
The sorcerers who had rolled far away were utterly stunned to see Wang Yang block a punch from such a monster.
The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj were skilled in close combat, and cosmic energy enhanced their strength considerably.
But sorcerers were still sorcerers. Against Hulk, whose greatest asset was his strength, they were at a disadvantage.
An ordinary Magic Shield would probably have shattered outright.
Yet Wang Yang had not only blocked the punch, but his Magic Rings of Raggadorr hadn't shattered either. It was simply unbelievable.
They knew Wang Yang had an exceptional talent for magic, but this was far too terrifying.
It wasn't just the other sorcerers. Kamar-Taj was stunned as well.
He felt that even some Masters of the Mystic Arts might not be able to withstand that punch from Hulk.
This depended on both one's magic and one's physical conditioning.
Unlike them, however, Wang Yang was unimpressed as he looked at Hulk before him.
Hulk's strength was certainly formidable.
But once magic reached a certain level, Hulk, who could only fight at close range, was no match for a sorcerer.
For instance, in her fury, Scarlet Witch had nearly torn Thanos apart with her bare hands. That was how terrifying magic could be.
So without any other means to assist him, Hulk was no match for Wang Yang.
Of course, if he were facing Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet instead, he would turn around and leave without another word.
After all, the Infinity Gauntlet could counter all kinds of magic.
Hulk, on the other hand, was little more than a muscle-headed fool in front of a sorcerer.
Besides, Wang Yang wanted to test just how powerful his magic had become.
So far, he was reasonably satisfied with the strength of his improved Rings of Raggadorr.
Wang Yang lowered his hand but kept the Rings of Raggadorr active.
"All right, Hulk, calm down first. We're here to help you!"
But failing to smash Wang Yang with his first punch only enraged Hulk further. He roared and charged again.
Boom, boom, boom!
His thunderous footsteps made Hulk seem like a humanoid tank, radiating menace.
By contrast, Wang Yang's expression remained entirely calm. He said helplessly, "Fine. I'll just have to make you calm down!"
Wang Yang recalled the Free Fall Doctor Strange had used on Loki.
With a lift of his hand, the Rings of Raggadorr vanished. Then he raised his hand and traced a circle.
The circle appeared on the ground three meters in front of him.
The moment Hulk ran into it, he fell straight through.
Then he disappeared.
Seeing Wang Yang deal with the terrifying Hulk so easily, the sorcerers exhaled in relief, feeling as though they had narrowly escaped death.
"What did you do to Hulk?"
Captain America looked at Wang Yang nervously.
"It won't hurt him. I'm just letting him fall for a while so he can cool down!"
Wang Yang replied.
Hearing Wang Yang's answer, Captain America relaxed. Since the man before him had saved him, surely he wouldn't kill them.
"Thank you for saving me. If I ever get the chance, I'll repay you!"
Captain America spoke earnestly, then added, "But right now, I need to go deal with those damned aliens!"
At that moment, his teammates' voices came through his earpiece.
"Cap, Cap, are you still there?"
"Cap, how are things on your end?"
"..."
Although Captain America and the others had only just formed the Avengers, at this moment, they were comrades in arms.
"I'm fine. I'm coming to help!"
Captain America pressed his earpiece as he spoke.
"Good. Glad you're all right. I thought I'd have to officiate your funeral!"
Stark cracked a joke.
"Some civilians are trapped in the Fengda District. Natasha's having a rough time. Cap, get over there and take a look!"
Hawkeye spoke from high above.
"All right, I'll be right there!"
With that, Captain America prepared to leave.
But Wang Yang stopped him.
"Wait, Steve!"
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