[Third person POV]
"RAAAAAA!!" The Red Hulk's roar tore through the air. His entire body ignited in a searing heatwave, the blast rolling outward with the concussive force of an explosion. Waves of shimmering heat rippled around him, and his eyes blazed so hot that wisps of flame streamed from their corners.
Gwen reacted instantly, summoning a force-field of pure crystalline ice that flared outward in jagged arcs, the frost hissing as the intense heat struck it. "Firestar!" she shouted, bracing her stance as cracks began spiderwebbing through the frozen barrier. "I'll try to stop him for a few seconds—while you siphon the Gamma radiation from his body!"
"I don't think I can!" Lizzy shot back, her voice strained but steady. "If I'm not careful, I could damage his red blood cells—Gamma and all! Which could end up killing him!" Even so, she whipped a flaming lasso into existence, its coiling strands snapping through the air before she snagged a smoldering boulder. With a sharp pivot, she swung it like a meteor hammer, slamming it against Red Hulk's temple. The boulder exploded into shards that rained down in smoking fragments.
"Kat! Same trick you used on Scarlet—do it to Star!" Gwen commanded through their mental link, never taking her eyes off the hulking threat.
Red Hulk's massive arm swept toward her, but Gwen ducked under it, sliding between his legs with fluid precision. A web-line shot upward, attaching to the top of his head. With a sudden yank, she used her momentum against him, flipping the gamma giant over in a thunderous crash that sent tremors rippling through the ground.
Before he could recover, a swirling portal appeared beneath her and instantly reemerged high above Red Hulk. Gwen tucked her knees in mid-air, then drove both knees down into his abdomen like a battering ram. The ground beneath him caved violently, molten rock bursting upward in a plume of lava, the heat washing over everyone as a spray of spit flew from the Hulk's mouth.
Nearby, Felicia placed Jennifer behind her with deliberate care, her gloved fingers riffling through a deck of enchanted cards. She drew the 2 of Clubs, clicking her tongue. "Tsk, you're gonna have to give me a minute here!" With a flick of her wrist, she sent the card slicing through the air toward Red Hulk, a curse of bad luck rippling across his body.
She didn't waste time—Felicia shuffled again, pulling the 6 of Diamonds. "Not much, but make it count!" she called, sending the card spinning toward Lizzy's back. The moment it touched, a rush of confidence and clarity surged through Lizzy.
"I can do it—if I'm touching him for a few seconds," Lizzy said, eyes narrowing. "But you'll have to hold him still long enough for me to work."
"Alright—" Gwen started to respond, but Red Hulk's massive hand shot out like a trap, clamping around her leg. She was slammed into the ground with brutal force, the impact cracking the earth in jagged lines. Her suit's vibranium weave absorbed the worst of it, but the blow still rattled her bones.
The Hulk growled as he began to rise, Gwen's leg still trapped in his iron grip—until Felicia's bad luck spell triggered. The ground beneath him gave way, a fresh pocket of lava yawning open beneath his foot. The sudden disappearance of his footing surprised him, made him loosen his hold, allowing Gwen to flip away.
Mid-spin, she kicked him in the face with a snapping backward strike, the force sending the gamma titan flying into a wall. The stone shattered under the impact, raining debris across the battlefield.
"I don't like being manhandled," Gwen snarled, landing lightly on her feet. "That might be Scarlet's thing—but it's not mine."
"Oi!" a voice shouted from the distance, but Gwen ignored it.
Instead, she spun her hands in a complex pattern, weaving a glowing magic circle around Red Hulk's limbs. "Star! You better move!" She shouted as she levitated him in the air.
The Red Hulk snarled, the veins along his neck and arms bulging as he fought against the restraints. Ice-blue cracks began forming along the magical bindings, forcing Gwen to channel more power to repair and reinforce them.
Lizzy streaked forward, a swirling halo of atom-like rings forming around her wrist. She pressed her palm firmly against the Hulk's chest, her own eyes igniting with fire. "Your soul is mine," she intoned with theatrical menace, pulling her hand back as though physically yanking his essence free.
A torrent of glowing radiation—shaped like molten fire—erupted from Red Hulk's body, spiraling into Lizzy's palm. The energy crackled violently, lighting her hand with a searing red glow as she absorbed every trace she could rip from him.
"AAAAAAARHHHHHHHHhhhhhh—!" The Red Hulk's scream tore from his throat as another blast of searing fire tried to erupt from his body—only for it to swirl inward, siphoned directly into Firestar's waiting hand. The crackling inferno was devoured completely, its heat funneling into her like a living tide. His massive frame began to wither, muscles contracting as the furious red hue drained from his skin. The transformation spread across his body like melting wax, revealing pale flesh beneath.
Within moments, the monster was gone. In his place, General Ross, his head hanging low, arms limp and outstretched still being held up by the ice blue magic circles in the air.
"Wow…" Lizzy breathed, holding up her hand as it burned with a molten light. "I have a glowing hand. How cool is this?!" The heat radiating from her palm shimmered the air, blistering-hot waves distorting everything around it. It was as though she held a newborn star in her grasp.
From behind, MJ strode into view, Betty draped across one shoulder while Felicia carried Jennifer on her back, arms draped over her shoulders.
MJ raised her free hand, her tone brisk. "Bring him down so I can cure him, too."
Gwen obliged, manipulating Ross's limp body until he floated gently in front of MJ. She pressed her palm to his forehead—then instantly recoiled.
"EWW! He's sweaty! I can feel it through my glove—that's gross!" MJ's nose crinkled in disgust, and she flicked her hand to the side as if shaking off the sensation. She stuck out her tongue, drawing a few smirks from the others despite the tension in the air.
Once MJ was done, Gwen hefted Ross over her shoulders. A pink platform of solid energy formed beneath their feet, courtesy of MJ, lifting them into the air.
"Alright," Gwen said, adjusting Ross's weight, "let's go find the boys and see what kind of mess they've gotten themselves into."
Lizzy surged upward first, her still-glowing fist cutting a bright path through the hole in the ceiling. The team followed quickly, the faint tremors in the ground growing stronger with every second.
Rumble… RUMBLE…
A deep, primal roar rattled the air: "RAAAAH!!" Each quake that followed carried another bellow, and amid the chaos came the distant shouts of two familiar voices.
"Hulk! Hulk! Stop, that's enough!"
"You're going to kill him!"
The girls exchanged uneasy glances before accelerating, the wind and rain hitting their faces as they neared the source. When they arrived, the sight that met them froze them mid-flight.
The rain poured harder than ever, cascading in sheets over the ruined military base in the distance. But their attention was locked on the scene directly before them.
Hulk stood over the battered form of the Leader, his massive fists restrained—barely—by Peter on one side and Harry on the other. Both men were straining with every ounce of strength they had, muscles trembling under the sheer force of the enraged giant.
The Hulk's face was a storm of fury, his hair plastered to his skin by rain, water dripping from his jaw. He threw his head back and roared, droplets spraying outward. "HULK WILL SMASH THE LITTLE MAN! HULK WILL NOT FORGIVE THE LITTLE MAN FOR MAKING HULK HURT SPIDER-FRIEND!"
On the ground, the Leader's body was a grotesque wreck. His jaw hung shattered, green blood streaming and swirling into the puddles at his side. His skull had swollen to a grotesque size, parts of his brain's folds disturbingly visible through the skin of his head. His limbs were bent at unnatural angles, twisted like the legs of a crushed cockroach. His chest rose and fell in ragged, wheezing breaths, his twitching body caught between life and oblivion.
Aria stood in front of the Hulk, both hands planted against his chest, trying to push him back, her voice barely audible over the storm.
"Hulk, you're not a monster! If you kill him, there is no going back! You're better than this!"
Peter gritted his teeth, rain dripping from his chin. "Hulk! You know me! I'm telling you—you have to stop!" His voice cracked with the effort, his feet sticking to the ground, bracing himself, though the rain made even that grip uncertain. The longer Hulk raged, the more his strength and size swelled before their eyes.
Felicia wrinkled her nose at the sight of the Leader's mangled body. "Ew… okay, impressive—but ew. Someone get a mop, we've got a radioactive cockroach in aisle five."
"Kat!" Peter snapped, frustration boiling over. "You know I love witty banter more than anyone—but maybe, just maybe, now's not the time?!"
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