All eyes were on Hulk as his bestial aura rampaged throughout the dimension. Banner looked at the sky and jumped. He was so fast that the demonic beast could barely react before he reached him and punched him, exploding the demon into a pool of purple blood.
However, the attack only destroyed the creature's upper body, allowing for his lower body to fall from the tear into the dimension. Banner was not stupid and trained by Edward, so he reacted swiftly by screaming to release a terrifying sonic attack that shattered the lower body.
But it was useless. The demon's blood droplets recondensed into a new body, and the creature calmly looked at Banner in the void with intrigue and puzzlement. "What kind of demon are you?"
'Soul Speech?' Banner thought. "I'm not a demon."
"You're not a demon, but you know how to communicate through the soul?" Garz-Tar said. "Well, your soul doesn't have the unique scent of our kind."
"Yes, it's not corrupted and filthy."
"Hmm, you reminded him of something," Garz-Tar said, looking at him intensely. "Oh, right, Jar-Li said he killed an interesting human during the conquest of a planet called Earth. He said that this particular human could turn into a green monster, and his strength could increase exponentially based on his emotions.
"You can't be that human since Jar-Li used his head as a drinking cup. Are you from another timeline? Interesting. My mission was to capture the Celestial Invaders. I didn't expect there were other rats who had infiltrated our world. My reward for this mission should increase after capturing you.
"It's a shame. I wanted a cup like Jar-Li's."
"We will see who destroys who," Banner sneered before jumping toward his opponent, using the air or even the void as a stepping stone. However, to his surprise, Garz-Tar caught his punch, and only two small steps backward.
"Great strength," Garz-Tar praised. He only knew two magics: Flame and Physical Enhancement, and he was among the best in the universe in the latter. However, this green monstrosity was physically stronger than he was.
Banner started attacking nonstop, using all the fighting skills he had learned in his training. However, Garz-Tar calmly responded. Their clash released terrifying shockwaves that tore apart the void. At first, Garz-Tar was losing ground due to the slight difference in physical stats, but as time passed, Banner found himself being outclassed.
"Whoever trained you did an excellent job, but it's obvious you cannot control the power you've acquired," Garz-Tar commented, and he was right. Banner's maximum output after transforming was Tier 7, but he used his secret talent and Edward's preparation to acquire strength two tiers above the norm.
If Banner had met a regular Tier 9 Demon, this would not be a problem. However, Garz-Tar was experienced and extremely intelligent, which is why he was in charge of this mission. So, he used his experience and skill to disarm Banner.
'This is bad,' Banner thought. His original plan was to prevent this demon from entering the world, and had he known his plan would have failed, he would have allowed the creature to deal with the Cult Leader while he observed from a distance before confronting him.
Now, he was occupied by this monster, leaving the Cult Leader to reinforce the Vice-Leader and put the other team at risk. 'Even if they escape the compound, they might have to choose to escape without me.' Banner would not hesitate to buy the team the time they needed to escape, but he would rather not die if possible.
"You're distracted," Garz-Tar said before punching Banner on his throat and sending him crashing to the ground. He landed not far from the Celestials, and Banner's eyes immediately lit up as he thought of a plan. However, his facial expression changed when he realized the Celestial had already been weakened to Tier 8 by this dimension's rules.
'They can't help me,' he sighed before focusing on the opponent above. Banner gritted his teeth before choosing an extreme measure. He jumped toward his target, and midway through his flight, he once again abandoned his intelligence and let the savagery take control.
The Hulk punched Garz-Tar, sending him flying. He used the void as a standing ground for a double jump. He reached Garz-Tar and punched him again, sending him flying into the clouds. Hulk jumped a third time to reach the demon, but did not strike him upward. Instead, he held his hands together and smashed the latter into the ground.
An enormous force sent Garz-Tar crashing to the ground, destroying everything in the crater around him. However, Hulk was not finished. He did a third jump but downward toward his opponent, wishing to crash into him from such a high altitude.
Garz-Tar's natural recovery abilities as a demon were already abnormal, and his Physical Enhancement Magic allowed him near-immortality-level regeneration. So, he swiftly stood up from the ground. His body turned into flame, and he flew into the sky to intercept the descending Hulk.
Their clash created a maelstrom of flames and power that tore apart the void. Hulk's arms instantly burned into charcoal upon impact, but they regenerated in the next second. However, Hulk was pushed back in the confrontation despite having momentum and gravity on his side..
Garz-Tar grinned. The usage of his Flame Magic had drastically increased his attack's potency, tilting the balance of this fight in his favor. He prepared for a second attack when something unexpected occurred. Black rings suddenly appeared around the two, forcing them to stop in their tracks.
"Sometimes I wonder whether humans understand the concept of hubris?" Garz-Tar said before looking in the distance. The Cult Leader was trying to control the two of them, and Garz-Tar could only shake his head at this person's ignorance. If he had been randomly summoned and the Cult Leader had been prepared, such a move might have worked. But now that he had entered this dimension of his own volition and was not bound by any rules, such an approach was societal.
Garz-Tar casually destroyed the black ring, and his body moved beyond the speed at which the Cult Leader could react. The demon grinned at him before punching his head into a blood mist and swallowing his soul.
"What a disgusting taste," Garz-Tar complained. The Cult Leader could be said to be a master of dark sorcery and summoning, which meant his soul was as corrupted as any demon's. Demons or creatures that serve any Demon God preferred humans or pure souls, hence why these chaotic creatures did not kill each other.
Boom!
Garz-Tar crossed his arm to block an attack. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you," he said, looking at the green monstrosity with a smile. However, despite his calm demeanor, he seriously observed and analyzed the creature.
He realized this human had two souls: one intelligent and one full of anger and wrath. The other human was controlling the other soul, trying to prevent it from taking over and being consumed with rage.
'If I don't eliminate him as soon as possible, the human part will no longer be able to control the monster, and the latter's strength will probably reach the level of his highness, the Demon God,' Garz-Tar analyzed. He was a man of action, so he immediately went on the offensive.