The entire world watched New York unfold, and even Iron Man had decided to make an emergency appearance.
"Tony Stark, you are not needed here!" General Ross bellowed through a loudspeaker from his helicopter.
"Ha! You can't control me. If I were you, I'd jump out of this chopper if I messed up the Super Soldier project this badly," Tony retorted loudly.
He descended from the sky like a shooting star, his suit glowing, and spread his hands, aiming at the brawling Abomination and Hulk. "Make a wish, boys."
Bang! Bang! Two energy blasts fired, but they were useless, barely even scratching the behemoths' defenses. The two giants seemed to ignore him completely, roaring and punching each other, though, admittedly, their own blows were also failing to break each other's defenses.
"Sir, the opponent's subcutaneous density is at least three times stronger than steel. We need to increase output," Jarvis, his loyal AI butler, reported.
"Can I take these two down by just cranking up the power? Maybe I should switch to shoulder, mounted armor, piercing rounds."
"That might, at best, break their skin and encourage them to pay us a little more attention."
"You're too smart for your own good, Jarvis. I should probably upgrade your intelligence program."
Tony weaved back and forth between the two monsters, but he could only harass them; he lacked the raw power to decisively end the conflict. The Mark III armor alone was insufficient for a battle of this magnitude. What was worse, Tony's scans showed that the Hulk's strength was incrementally increasing. Initially overwhelmed by the Abomination, he was now fighting on par. It was only a matter of time before the Hulk fully shed the effects of the suppressing serum, grew exponentially stronger, and ultimately pulverized the Abomination.
At that point, would the Hulk, his power skyrocketing, be able to control his destructive instincts?
"Hey, vampire! Aren't you going to help?" Tony flew over to Blade and shouted. Jarvis had long identified Blade, his various exploits circulating on the dark web.
Blade's eyelid twitched. He almost wanted to stab Tony just to test the quality of his armor. He replied coldly, "I've already saved over a dozen people."
"So what are you waiting for? Or are you just staring at that guy with those strange creatures, hoping he'll somehow turn the tide?"
Blade glared at Tony. It was the first time he'd ever truly hated an AI. If he guessed correctly, the satellite that had been continuously observing them was likely being deciphered by Jarvis. But one thing was certain: Blade was extremely curious about Enzer's next move. His intuition screamed that Enzer was waiting for something crucial to happen, but what?
"Damn it! Damn it all!"
By now, the Abomination's face was a bloody mess from the beating. He was shocked and enraged to discover that the Hulk had finally surpassed his maximum strength! Was there truly no limit to the Hulk's power?
If I hadn't wasted so much time and energy on those strange creatures, I never would have lost! I wish Mr. Blue was still alive. Just a little more Hulk serum…
Filled with hatred, impotence, and uncontrollable rage, he was neither human nor monster, madly pursuing the Hulk's power simply to exceed it. No one could understand the profound tremor and shock he'd felt the first time he'd witnessed the Hulk as an ordinary man.
Boom!
After another devastating blow, the Abomination reeled backward. He struggled to his feet, feeling an immense fatigue. This was terrifying. Why was he tired? It felt as if, the more he fought, something even more dreadful than himself was siphoning away his strength! The Abomination's muscles were numb, and he realized he couldn't go on like this. His internal organs, now countless times stronger, had lost sensation, as if they were no longer his own. Something horrifying seemed to be struggling to burst from his chest. The feeling was utterly nauseating.
I just need to rest for a while, then inject more serum, and I'll surpass the Hulk! After I defeat him, I'm going to drain all the blood from the Hulk's body and transplant his spinal cord into my own!
Extreme admiration had triggered extreme jealousy and possessiveness.
The Abomination clutched his chest, turned, and fled under the harsh glare of numerous news helicopters. Even his running speed was drastically reduced, not even half of his peak. If one could observe closely, they would see strange bulges intermittently forming beneath the chest he clutched so tightly, as if something was desperately trying to escape his body.
"He's escaping!"
"I still don't understand where these two guys came from or why they were fighting."
"Although Blonsky is a deeply disappointing individual, at least he still has a brain!"
Many people were frantically discussing this dramatic turn of events.
The Hulk hesitated, unsure whether to give chase, but ultimately took advantage of the chaos, disappearing with a few powerful leaps.
Despite seeing this, General Ross still didn't give up. The Hulk was too unpredictable, but Blonsky, the soldier he'd trained, could still be salvaged. He viewed Blonsky as a crucial part of his Super Soldier project; Blonsky would not only become powerful but also retain his intellect.
At that moment, a civilian helicopter broadcasting live from a New York media outlet seemed to discover something, suddenly shifting its spotlight to illuminate a figure that had just begun to move rapidly. Although only a few vague shadows were visible, it was enough for cameras to capture their appearance. A figure, seen only from the back, was running at an extraordinary speed, accompanied by several strange, looking creatures. The camera quickly lost track, and Enzer vanished into the complex, chaotic streets.
"Was I seeing things? Did you record that?" A reporter rubbed his eyes, reviewing the video footage.
This footage quickly spread, seen by countless people watching TV. Most dismissed it, given the sheer absurdity of the night: a muscular giant, a billionaire in an iron suit, and now someone walking his… pets. It hardly seemed that surprising, right?
"Mutants! Those things are mutants! But we should have eliminated all mutants on Earth over 500 years ago. Why are they reappearing?!"
Sersi, a member of the Eternals and one of the tools created by the Cosmic Celestials, was watching the TV in shock from her middle school in London. The live video was dim and blurry, but their shapes alone strikingly resembled mutants. After the eleven Eternals were deployed on Earth by the Celestials, it had taken them millennia to eradicate all mutants. Why were some still alive? And mixed with human beings from Earth?!
For a moment, Sersi felt the gravity of the situation. Mutants were monsters specialized in feeding on sentient life. If left unchecked, they would only kill more humans. Of course, at this time, Sersi still didn't understand the true purpose of these divine tools. They weren't intended to protect humans at all, but rather to increase the total human population and accelerate the birth of the Celestial slumbering within Earth's core, a cosmic deity that fed on human consciousness energy, born at the cost of Earth's destruction and mankind's extinction.
Sersi began to call for help. The first person she thought of wasn't their leader, Ajak, but her formidable partner, Ikaris, the combat powerhouse of the Eternals, possessing abilities like flight, heat vision, and an invulnerable body!