The more the Hulk failed to reach Natasha, the more explosive his fury became — and the angrier he grew, the more monstrously his strength swelled. It was a destructive, uncontrollable cycle, and Natasha was trapped right at its center.
With every thunderous step from the green giant, she lost more ground. Her breaths were ragged, her body exhausted, her reflexes growing slower by the second.
The chase through the streets had been catastrophic. Cars crushed, lampposts ripped from the concrete — the path they left behind looked like an improvised warzone. Hulk grew stronger with every roar, every stomp, every frustrated blow. Natasha, on the other hand, felt her stamina draining rapidly.
She staggered, her breath uneven. Her body no longer obeyed her will.
The pressure crushing her was unbearable.
"RAAAAAAARGH!"
Hulk roared as his fist slammed into a stone pillar on the sidewalk. The impact detonated the pillar into hundreds of fragments — shards of rock fired outward like improvised bullets.
Natasha avoided most thanks to sheer reflex and habit… but one fragment struck her right leg.
It was enough to cripple her.
A wet crack echoed through the air, followed by a searing pain that shot up her leg like wildfire.
Natasha collapsed immediately, her knee buckling. Blood spilled fast, staining the asphalt beneath her.
So that's how it ends…?
Hulk marched toward her, each step so heavy that the ground cracked beneath his feet. Natasha let out a tired, bitter smile. For a spy like her, surviving so many years was already a statistical miracle. She never expected to grow old. She imagined her end would come from a bullet, an ambush, a mistake.
Never like this.
Never crushed — literally — by the fists of a green, mindless monster.
The image of a certain blond man crossed her mind. One she would never openly admit she missed.
"I wanted to see you again… Idiot. My idiot…"
It was the last coherent thought she managed to form.
Hulk leaped, soaring over ten meters into the air. His massive silhouette descended like a green meteor, ready to crush her.
But at the crucial instant, something latched onto his face — thick, white webs strong enough to alter the trajectory of a creature weighing tons.
"Sit down, big guy!"
The playful feminine voice echoed through the ruins.
Natasha's eyes widened.
Spider-Woman landed with feline agility atop a partially bent streetlamp, balancing as if it were nothing.
A second later, she dodged Hulk's enraged punch with the ease of someone used to playing with giants.
Gwen shook her head theatrically.
"Wow… You doing okay there, Shrek with a gym membership?"
Hulk roared in reply, ripping the lamp post she'd been perched on moments before — but Gwen was already flipping through the air, firing more webs and using Hulk's own strength to propel herself away.
She landed near Natasha.
"Hey, mysterious redhead lying on the ground looking like she's had an awful day… you good?"
Natasha blinked, still dazed.
"You… who are you…?"
"Your friendly neighborhood lifesaver who arrived exactly on time," Gwen replied with classic spider-style humor. "And relax, I don't bite. I just swing, shoot webs… and make jokes."
Hulk grabbed a nearby van and threw it at them like a toy.
"Sae! Take care of her for me!" Gwen shouted as she diverted the van with a web — though the force made her slide back a few inches.
"Understood!" Saeko answered, rushing to Natasha's side. Of course, she was in disguise; letting anyone uncover her identity would be problematic.
The battle escalated quickly. Gwen moved fast, but Hulk was losing the last scraps of reason. His target wasn't Natasha anymore — it was anything that moved.
Gwen fought well, but even her speed and humor couldn't stop the inevitable: she was being gradually overwhelmed.
Her inexperience fighting enemies of this scale became glaringly obvious.
Hulk finally caught her off guard. He tore up a section of asphalt and hurled it like a tidal wave of concrete. Gwen barely managed to leap — and even then, the impact hurled her back, rolling her across the street.
"Ugh… I'm definitely feeling that tomorrow…"
Hulk leaped at her again.
She tried to raise her arms, but she wouldn't make it in time.
The blow would crush her like a sledgehammer.
But then—
A red beam sliced across the street like lightning.
It struck Hulk square in the chest, pushing him several meters back and carving a trench in the asphalt. The brute roared, confused and enraged.
Gwen lifted her head instinctively.
Jean stood in front, her expression focused.
Cyclops adjusted his visor, faint sparks of energy still flickering at the edges.
Storm descended from above, winds swirling around her like a living tempest.
Jean offered Gwen a gentle smile — as if she truly had no idea who was behind the mask.
"Looks like you needed reinforcements."
Gwen exhaled sharply.
"Oh, did I ever…"
Cyclops stepped forward, charging another blast.
"X-Men," he ordered, "containment formation. We're not letting this monster level another block."
Storm raised a hand, conjuring a surge of wind strong enough to push Hulk back a few meters, just enough to create space.
Gambit moved along the flank, throwing explosive cards that burst against Hulk's skin like miniature grenades. Wolverine charged straight in, claws bared, jaw clenched in a low growl.
Rogue soared overhead, waiting for the right moment to strike. Spider-Woman returned to the fray, swinging back into action despite still feeling the earlier impact.
Jean maintained a steady stance, erecting telekinetic barriers each time Hulk tried to break through. For a few minutes, their coordinated strategy worked — driving him toward a more open area, away from residential and crowded streets.
They reached Central Park before long.
The combined force of the mutants carved a path, while Gwen darted around restraining limbs, intercepting attacks, preventing collateral damage, and rescuing bystanders unlucky enough to be nearby.
But it didn't last.
Upon reaching the park, Hulk unleashed a roar so powerful the earth trembled. His anger condensed, intensifying — and the X-Men's resistance began to falter.
Wolverine was the first to feel it. A sideways sweep of Hulk's arm sent him flying, skidding across the ground until he slammed into a boulder. Storm tried to counter with a violent gust of wind, but Hulk charged through it like it was nothing. Gambit attempted another volley of explosions, but the brute ignored them completely, smashing the ground and opening a crater beneath him.
Jean took two shaky steps back, feeling the mounting pressure.
"He's getting stronger way too fast…"
Cyclops prepared another shot, but Hulk moved first — lifting a truck and hurling it at the group, shattering their formation and filling the area with dust.
Rogue dove in from behind to catch him off guard, but Hulk spun with brutal precision. He raised a fist, ready to smash her into the earth.
Jean realized too late. Cyclops tried to aim, but a blast strong enough to stop Hulk would hit Rogue too.
Rogue only had time for one shallow breath as the fist descended.
And then… she wasn't there anymore.
An arm wrapped around her waist. The world spun. Hulk's punch hit the ground where she had stood, carving a deep fissure.
Rogue blinked, startled, as she found herself in Arthur's arms.
"Sorry for the delay."
His calm voice contrasted sharply with the chaos around them.
Wolverine — barely standing — groaned the moment he recognized him.
"Oh, great… the day just had to get worse."
Arthur raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Come on, Logan. Not exactly the best time for us to hash things out."
His gaze dropped to Rogue still held in his arms. She offered a crooked smile.
"Look, I am enjoying being carried and all, but… I'm feeling two very strange stares on me right now."
Arthur laughed, understanding perfectly. Only then did he set her down.
He turned toward the Hulk.
"It's been a while since we fought side by side, X-Men…" he said.
"But I think this is going to be fun."
(End of chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."