A few days later, Summer, Raven, Tai, and Qrow were respectfully seated across from Yasaka in her palace. The elegant Yokai leader smiled graciously and said, "It is wonderful to host one of the Four Horsemen and her esteemed colleagues. But I must ask, my lady — what is the nature of this visit?"
Summer folded her hands neatly in her lap and answered with calm professionalism, "I was sent here to deal with some troublesome individuals who will make a mess of your territory in the coming months, Lady Yasaka. They intend to capture you and use your connection to the ley lines to rip open a hole to the Dimensional Gap so they can challenge Great Red to a fight."
Yasaka's eyes widened in shock. "They wish to use me to do something so… stupid?" she said incredulously. Her tone shifted to firm resolve. "Very well. If these individuals are indeed strong enough to subdue me, I welcome your assistance, my lady — not that I would refuse."
"Wonderful," Summer said warmly. "My two friends, Qrow and Raven, will stay nearby as bodyguards. They can take on corvid forms, so they'll blend in easily."
At her words, Qrow and Raven shifted into their bird forms in a blur of feathers, flying up to perch gracefully on the ceiling beams. Yasaka blinked in surprise and chuckled softly. "Oh my… are you two sure you're not yokai?"
Summer giggled behind her hand. "As for myself and my husband, we'll patrol the city — with your permission, of course."
"Of course," Yasaka replied with a nod and a smile.
Summer and Tai both gave polite bows before turning to leave the chamber. As they exited the palace, a small fox girl rounded a corner too quickly and bumped straight into Summer, tumbling backward onto the floor.
"Oh no, sweetie, are you okay?" Summer asked, crouching down and gently lifting the little girl to her feet.
The child rubbed her head and said shyly, "I'm okay… sorry for bumping into you."
"It's alright," Summer said with a soft smile. "You must be Yasaka's daughter — Kunou, right?"
Kunou nodded. "Uh-huh! Who are you, miss?"
"I'm Summer Rose," she replied kindly, "and this is my husband, Tai."
Tai gave a friendly wave. "Hey, kiddo."
Kunou's tails flicked curiously. "Nice to meet you! I've never seen humans like you in our territory. How come you're here?"
Summer winked playfully. "We're on a secret mission to hunt bad guys — but you can't tell anyone, okay?"
Kunou gasped. "Bad guys in Kyoto?"
"Uh-huh," Summer said with mock seriousness. "You need to be careful, okay?"
Kunou nodded firmly, determination gleaming in her eyes.
"I don't know why," Summer continued, "but my boss said if I saw you, to give you this." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a gleaming golden ticket, handing it to Kunou. "He said to tell you to carry it with you at all times — it'll protect you if bad guys show up."
Kunou's eyes sparkled with wonder as she accepted it. "Thank you! I'll keep it with me always!"
Summer smiled warmly and rubbed the little girl's head affectionately before she and Tai turned to leave for the city, the faint echo of Kunou's cheerful voice following them down the palace steps.
Meanwhile, in the Marvel Zombies universe, John approached the swirling vortex of infinite energy slowly moving toward the unmoving giant at its center. The air crackled with residual power as he came to a stop before the Hulk, whose immense form stood frozen amidst the chaos.
John extended his hand and placed it gently against the monster's arm. For a few tense moments, energy surged and pulsed around them — until it suddenly dispersed, fading into stillness.
The Hulk's body began to shrink and shift, muscles deflating, skin paling. In his place, Bruce Banner reemerged — frail, exhausted, and trembling. His knees buckled, but John caught him before he hit the ground.
Bruce blinked weakly, his voice hoarse as he asked, "How long has it been?"
John met his weary gaze and said quietly, "Five years. You did good, Doc. We were able to save a lot of people. You can rest now."
Bruce exhaled deeply, a faint look of peace softening his worn features. "I'm sorry," he said between tired breaths. "I forgot to introduce myself… I'm Dr. Bruce Banner."
John gave a small nod. "Name's John Wick," he replied evenly. "I'm here to take you somewhere you can spend the remainder of your days peacefully."
He held out his hand, his expression calm but resolute.
Bruce looked at it for a moment, then managed a faint smile. "You know," he murmured, his voice steady despite the exhaustion, "I think I'd like that."
He took John's hand — and in an instant, the two vanished in a flash of light, leaving behind the still, silent ruins of a world long consumed.
When the light finally faded, Bruce found himself standing on a beautiful sunlit island floating in a kaleidoscopic void. The air was warm, carrying a faint ocean breeze that rustled the palm trees scattered around. In front of him stood a massive, luxurious mansion that gleamed like marble under the sunlight.
Sitting casually on the front porch was a tan man in his twenties with short blonde hair and mirrored sunglasses. Dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, he looked more like someone on vacation rather than a divine being. With a laid-back smile, he patted the seat beside him.
"Come have a seat, Doc," he said, his tone light and inviting. "You and I have lots to talk about—and I've got a feeling you'll be my most interesting patient in millennia."
Bruce blinked, clearly confused by the surreal setting but decided to play along. He cautiously walked up the porch steps and sat down next to the stranger. "Hi," he said, offering a polite nod. "I'm Dr. Bruce Banner."
"Name's Apollo," the man replied smoothly, flashing a grin. "God of too many things to name, but right now—just think of me as the god of medicine. The boss asked me to take care of you till you're back in shape, and then give you a ride wherever you wanna go."
Bruce tilted his head, a flicker of curiosity crossing his face. "So… I'm not being detained or anything?" he asked carefully.
Apollo let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "Nah. You're free as a bird, Doc. Though, I gotta admit—I'm surprised you're not more bothered by the whole 'God' thing."
Bruce gave a small shrug, his lips twitching in faint amusement. "I'm friends with Thor."
Apollo raised an eyebrow behind his shades, clearly entertained. "Oh yeah, Thor's a fun guy—great at parties. But I've got a feeling we ain't talking about the same guy." His grin widened as he leaned back in his chair. "Now enough about that… let's talk about you."
And so, Bruce Banner began one of the strangest therapy sessions of his life—with a sunbathing god dressed for a day at the beach.
Meanwhile, back in DxD, Bill sat on the couch in his hotel room, absently flipping through channels on the television. Kuroka and Shirone had returned to their game for a bit to finish powering up.
Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light enveloped the room. As it faded, Kuroka stepped forward, followed by a girl who looked like an older version of Shirone, now possessing the same curvaceous body type as her sister. Both girls had grown two additional tails—one white and one black—bringing their total to four. Their power had skyrocketed from their previous levels to a universal tier; either one of them could now easily take on the heavyweights of this world and win.
Bill's eyes widened in astonishment. "So, you two have been gone way longer than I thought. And how did you get so strong?"
Kuroka stretched languidly, a proud smirk on her face. "We trained a lot. We also learned a lot of things from a purple cat God, nya."
Shirone nodded vigorously, her expression turning into a slight pout. "Yes. Beerus was tough and unfair."
Bill raised an eyebrow, trying to lighten the mood. "Don't you mean tough but fair?"
At once, both Kuroka and Shirone chimed in unison, "No."
Kuroka's smirk returned, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Oh, but the Supreme Kai of Time was fun, nya."
Shirone nodded again, though her nose wrinkled in distaste. "But her food sucked."
Bill let out a soft chuckle, relaxing back into the couch. "Well, as long as you girls had fun."
Kuroka giggled, a melodic and teasing sound. "We did, nya."
In a swift motion, Shirone dropped down onto the couch, pressing herself firmly against Bill's right side. She nuzzled against his arm, her voice soft and sincere. "But we missed you, Master."
Not to be outdone, Kuroka dropped down and pressed against his left side, her voice a purring promise. "Yes, so I'm afraid we'll be keeping you up tonight, nya."
Before he could even process what she meant, Kuroka grabbed his face and started kissing him over and over. After a moment of surprise, he gave in, kissing her back with equal passion. Meanwhile, Shirone grabbed his right hand and guided it inside her kimono. He instinctively started groping her sizeable chest, earning a soft moan as she began to lick his neck.
The two girls broke the intimate moment and pulled Bill to his feet and towards the bed. They then stood at the foot of the bed, staring at him with identical, predatory eyes. Without a word, they untied their kimonos, letting the garments pool on the floor around their feet. Now standing before him in nothing but their underwear, they moved onto the bed and began to crawl towards him.
The next morning, Bill stirred and raised himself up with a long, contented yawn. As he stretched, the several claw and bite marks scattered across his bare torso began to glow faintly before fading into non-existence. On either side of him, the two naked cat girls slept soundly, curled against him with deeply satisfied smiles gracing their lips.
He gazed down at them, a fond expression on his face. "Now all I gotta do is hang out till the summertime, deal with Loki, and go home," he murmured to himself, his voice still rough with sleep.
Then he laid back down, carefully wrapping his arms around the slumbering girls and pulling them close. "But till then," he whispered into the quiet room, "I'll just keep spending time with my girls."