(General P.O.V)
"Halt! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Halt! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Halt!..."
"Any way to shut off that thing?"
Captain America asked of Reed.
The two Earthlings and two Inhumans along with the teleporting Bulldog Lock jaw, were running down the Hallway leading to the core of the Satellite, the IRIS control hub.
The only reason they'd made it this far was a combination of Reed's genius hacking and Black Bolt's destructive sonic blasts.
Any word whispered from the King of Attilan's lips was a catalyst for destruction.
Whatever the two couldn't solve was handled through portaling by using the Inhuman Dog, Lockjaw.
For instance, the multiple hull breaches in some of the hallways had caused a few compartments to be sealed off from access.
However, as long as Lockjaw had a direct line of sight into the next one, they could skip the sealed off compartments entirely.
"It's an automated response to our presence."
Mr. Fantastic answered.
"Maybe if I was next to a terminal, I could..."
A tremor rocked the entire satellite, almost destabilizing their footing.
Crystal used her Aerokinesis to make sure no one fell.
It wasn't the first tremor to rock the IRIS either. They'd already experienced a few more.
"That one was stronger than the others."
Crystal said with concern.
"You think he's okay?"
"Who? Shazam?" Cap smiled.
"Trust me. That's the toughest kid I know. And I know a few tough ones. One time, he took us on while we were affected with a virus that turned us into Hulks."
"Really?!"
Crystal's face was the picture of shock. She knew the Hulk. Heck, everyone knew the Hulk.
"How did he pull that off?"
Even Black Bolt seemed a bit suprised. And the Inhuman king was known for being taciturn. He wasn't easily impressed.
"Not to mention the time he helped saved the city from a Subterranean monster on a war path, looking for one of her children."
Reed added to Billy's list of accomplishments.
"He's powerful and resourceful. I saw it firsthand."
"And to think he's not even 20 yet."
Cap shook his head wryly.
"Damn Junior, showing us up like that."
He grumbled. But even as he did he was smiling.
"And now he's back there. Fighting for us. Fighting to end this. Failure is not an option. Reed, how far away are we?"
Reed stared at his wrist computer, swiping the projected panel while studying the plans.
"According to these blue prints, we turn a corner in front of us and arrive at the entrance to the control room."
He looked up, a strange expression on his face.
"However...something feels off..."
"What do you mean?"
Cap asked, everyone turning to look at the leader of the Fantastic Four.
"Have you noticed how quiet its gotten?"
Reed asked, carefully studying their expressions. Maybe he was wrong, too jumpy to the point he was seeing things that weren't there.
Cap slowed down cautiously, the other 3 cutting down their speed to keep pace with the Avenger.
"The proximity alert from before, it's gone silent."
The Super Soldier muttered in realization.
"Exactly."
Reed stated gravely.
"It might be a trap. Ultron no doubt knows we're coming for him."
"Of course it's a trap."
Cap replied, tightening the straps of his shield.
The other three listened intently.
"But we have our mission. Crystal, Lockjaw, be ready with a portal. If things get dicy, take us out."
Crystal rubbed Lockjaw's head. The Bull Dog woofed in determination.
"Don't worry. We got this."
Crystal gave a thumbs up.
"Just leave it to us."
Then it was decided. There was no turning back, they kept on running before eventually turning the corner and...
(Billy's P.O.V)
The Armored Hulk.
Damn. This guy sounds less trouble than he actually is.
The bastard was relentless and determined to squash me like a bug.
It was in his mindless swings- Swings that caused waves of air pressure to buffet the surroundings and-
Ah, what am I doing? My excitement got the better of me. You don't start a take in the middle.
Let's go back a little.
A huge vortex of irradiated energy had formed above the Hulk. And the energy had gradually seeped into him until he was literally pulsing green amid the purple armor.
I gently landed on the flat ground a few hundred yards away from him.
We stared at each other. Him with green glowing eyes, a rapidly rising and falling chest and a furious snarl on his hard face.
And me, with my Trident in hand, ready to face and whether any storms. Even those of the Gamma type.
A barren breeze blew through us, sending smoke and dust swirling around our makeshift arena, a fitting place for the final round of our bout.
Here we wouldn't be disturbed.
"You know..." I started, bending my knees a little.
"You're going to lose-"
Before I could conclude my statement, my vision was suddenly taken over by a speeding fist.
'He's fast.'
I thought, smoothly dodging by leaning my head to the side.
The Hulk's arm passed mere inches away from my head. I felt a storm of power ripple out through the muscles of his giant arm.
Had that landed...
The scene behind me looked as if a tornado had passed through. The punch was so powerful, it blew away most of the clouds of dust above us away.
Patches of sickly sunlight broke through the smog cover, dying the entire area shades of red and orange.
Unfortunately, my brief surprise cost me. The Hulk took advantage of my close proximity and opened his mouth, then promptly blasted me with a disorienting howl right on my face.
I felt my ear drums rapture, fucking my balance and making me stumble backwards.
Luckily, Psionic Field was still active, allowing me to sense all attacks. For instance, the Kick headed my way was blocked by timely holding the Trident in front of my chest.
The shaft of the weapon received the Hulk's front kick without breaking. But the force behind it had me shooting off.
Heavy. That's how I would describe it. The blow made my hands tremble.
About half of the kinetic energy absorbed, was expelled through my shoulder blades.
The other half was stored, immediately filling up my TK aura tank.
The Hulk lunged after me and I found myself in awe of his speed once more. How something so huge could move so fast was surprising. But I was ready this time.
I slammed the prongs of the Trident onto the ground and pole vaulted above his bullrush. He growled, his claw swipe missing me by a fair margin.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
In the air, I spun, using the Trident to send forth sharp blades of ice at him. This ice was formed from Gaea's divine glowing water and had been strong enough to stand up to Mephisto.
The ice pelted his body...and actually shattered against his outer armor. There were scratches left on his forearms where the armor didn't provide protection, but the Ice had done no lasting damage.
The intimidating aura around him seemed to swell even more after the attack was blocked.
"Impossible."
I landed on the other side, and immediately, the ground below my feet was torn apart as I burst forward in a dash.
The Hulk's fist clashed with the Trident's sharp prongs, producing a thunderous crack in between us. He pulled back the other hand, roaring in Fury.
The punch he unleashed was redirected to the left by the Trident, while I stepped in closer with my own retaliation.
My right fist was covered by the accumulated kinetic energy and the blazing fires of hell. I dumped in a load of Psionic Energy too, not afraid of expending my reserves due to the perk that removed my fatigue.
The fist landed and shattered his ribcage, my hand was also turned into pulp.
The shockwave produced...threw us both back.
We disengaged, him healing his torso and organs, while I flipped, bleeding out momentum as my right hand also regenerated.
"That was a clean hit."
I mused to myself, black tendrils weaving the flesh of my hand together.
Despite the attack,
The Hulk only stumbled a few steps back but remained standing.
How?
The last time I made the same move, I put him down for some time. But now he could take it and remain upright?
That's some bullshit durability.
"Raaaarrhhh!!"
The monster shook its head and grit his teeth, staring holes through me. The attack had the adverse effect of making him even more enraged.
And sure enough, he brought his hands together in a thunder clap. Far faster than I could stop him, another wave of destruction sped my way.
I negated most of it by putting up and reinforcing a Psionic barrier.
However it failed to hold up to the Hulk's mighty strength and the Green Mean machine clawed through the shimmering blue panel to get at me, looking ready to rip my body apart.
I grabbed the glowing water flowing gently around me in a smooth stream and froze his face, temporarily blinding him.
Stepping to the side, the Trident whipped out and I struck an earth shaking blow against his cheek, the impact slightly lifting him off the ground.
Clutching my fingers together, a thin membrane of Psionic energy covered him. I jerked my hand down to the ground and his body eagerly followed, out of his control.
The Hulk was telekinetically slammed onto the ground. And no matter how durable he was, the planet's mass was greater than his, so I know he felt that.
To follow up on the attack, I set a point of teleportation above him, then came down, spinning my body like a wheel to deliver an axe kick.
For a more effective attack, my foot and shin had become covered in hellfire and Hercule's Legacy.
The blazing heel landed and a storm of flames surged out, the flat landscape cratered, spiderwebs running from the impact point, producing a cloud of dust that rose up into the orange and red sky.
The dust hanging in the crater faded to reveal the two of us.
My leg bone was stuck in the Hulk's throat. The rest of my foot having been destroyed in the clash. My costume was frayed and damaged badly as well.
The Hulk was not any better.
Green blood spurted from his injury, flowing down his muscle bound neck and onto the ground beneath him.
Seriously, the cords of the muscles were quite literally holding back the sharp bone of my leg from completely tearing his throat out.
I leaned into it, putting all my weight and power into finishing the job. My intent was not to kill but if this was the only way to put him down...
The crater we were in widened as torrential amounts of Psionic energy surged out of me. The effects of my fatigue negating perk showed themselves here.
The bone sank deeper.
Green eyes full of pained anger met my own.
His arms whipped out to crush my head in between his palms but I had an answer for that.
Klyntar tendrils sprouted from my shoulders, covered with burning points. They shot out like tentacles, spearing through the Hulk's wrists.
A new instinct took over. It's like I knew what I needed to do.
The mix of hellfire and Klyntar produced a gooey tar like substance that flowed along the Hulk's immobilized hands, seeping into the ground.
A text box appeared in my vision.
~~~~~~~
Congratulations! New Racial Fusion Skill Acquired.
Klyn-Tar:- By applying Hellfire to your symbiotic biology, a synergy effect is created. Making the Tendrils and Goo produced by the Klyntar sticky, very corrosive, very hot and hard to remove.
~~~~~~~
I opened my mouth...and vomited the Klyn-Tar right into his face. The heat was no joke.
Instead of Tar, think of it like black magma.
The Hulk's enraged yells turned into Howls of pain. And damn if he didn't have a set of lungs.
I was ready this time, applying a layer of Klyntar flesh inside my ears, blocking the sound.
Even still, while my symbiote bloodline had no particular weakness against loud sounds, it had no particular resistance either.
"Arghh..."
I groaned.
The sound had become too much and I was pushed back, a bit disoriented. This allowed the Hulk to forcefully rip off the chunk of earth around his hands in a bid to stand.
Neptune's Trident was dismissed into my inventory. It's effects in this fight were lessened as the Hulk could heal from basically any injuries made with the Trident.
It was better to find a different way take him out.
Besides, this was in truth, a conquest of strength. A part of me wanted to defeat him within the boundaries of that unspoken condition.
I wanted him to face defeat at my bare hands.
Hercules wrestled with the Nemean Lion. This would be my equivalent.
A mindless punch attached to a large chunk of earth, sped towards my head but I caught it in both of my arms.
"Damn..."
I cursed out, teeth gritting and butt cheeks clenched.
The strength behind him caused me to bend my knees while letting out an involuntary groan.
My feet sank into the hard ground, up to the ankles.
Maybe I should have just kept on dodging.
It was like pushing back against a mountain.
No. Hercule's Strength was more than enough to achieve such a feat, this felt like I was holding up the sky from falling.
The ground further shattered under my feet, hands straining to push back against the Hulk's prodigious strength.
Was it dumb? Yeah. Very very dumb. But I was liking the challenge. My blood sang within my veins.
I reached inside me, seeking out...something. Anything. I didn't want to admit defeat like this.
Not in a contest of strength. Not when I had Hercule's legacy.
Speaking of whom, how did the God of Strength do it that time?
He'd instantly put down the Wyvern with a single blow.
A Wyvern I could only run away from was taken out so easily.
I wanted that. Dammit.
But, it felt...like I was running away again. I should have been able to handle anything by now. I had the strength for it.
I was the Champion. Not of the Gods,( there was a lot to unpack there) but my own. And a champion doesn't lose.
The surge of resolve allowed me to shove the Hulk back, a little kinetic energy aiding me in the endeavor.
The Hulk undettered, pulled back his other hand, and sent down a second punch.
I jumped over it, stepping on the knuckles and landing a kick at his chin that only disoriented the huge guy without really hurting him.
I flipped, pushing off the air while still thinking about Hercules.
His form when landing the attack on the Wyvern had been lax but instant.
Too fast to perceive without Psionic Field helping me study his technique more efficiently.
My powers had been locked back then.
I had to rely on what I could remember and work from there.
For starter's, there was no scarlet glow from his legacy around his limbs when he attacked. No hint of power would be felt before the last instant.
'So maybe, contain all that immense strength within me but don't channel it.'
Secondly, his hands never changed size to become bigger. Which meant he was probably not increasing the arm's mass to handle all that power like I had taken to doing.
Out of necessity too, otherwise any activation of the second legacy would blow apart my limbs.
It was a problem shared by the main character of a popular anime in my last life. Izuku Midoriya.
He combated that by pulling on only what he needed, exchanging incredible strength for more control. I could do the same. Control wasn't the issue for me. Efficiency was.
'And unlike him, I had regeneration. So maybe instead of pulling on a little...'
Solomon's wisdom started working in tandem with my memories.
My body subtly begun to shift its positioning, the placement of my alignment altered through telekinesis.
I fell into Hercule's familiar stance. One hand stretched out in front of me, the palm facing my opponent. And the other hand, pulled back slightly, like a coiled snake- ready to strike.
The Hulk's giant fist cut through the air, on a path towards my body.
I released my own punch as well, colliding against his own. My hand looked pitifully small in comparison to the giant.
Especially now that I wasn't actively trying to overload my muscles with Hercules' Legacy.
"I know how he did it..."
I muttered, a phantom of Hercules appearing in my head, demonstrating the attack.
It was fast.
A single flash of motion. At the very infinitesimal instance of contact. Skin against skin...that's when I injected the Second legacy.
Hercules' strength flowed through my hand like greased light, strengthening the muscles, compressing them hundreds of times over for one single action performed in the fraction of a second.
That kind of power would normally damage my hand. Or worse turn it to ash once Hellfire was added to the mix.
The workaround was to do it so fast, that it wouldn't matter if the hand was destroyed afterwards.
My regeneration would handle that anyway.
And so it happened. A collision between an immovable object and I, a dominating force.
The first expression on the Hulk's face besides anger appeared.
Confusion. The expected results didn't come to pass.
The Hulk's entire hand, from the knuckles to the elbow and the entire shoulder disappeared in a gory explosion.
It was audibly loud, like the crack of a whip amplified to jet engine levels of noise.
The heat then blazed across his torso and head, burning even the vibranium armor around him.
The crater around us became a basin. The edges burning with orange hellfire. The air pressure produced as a result changed the weather.
Dark ominous clouds gathered from the north, blocking out the small rays of sun falling onto the planet.
Behind him, I stood. My hand was still stretched out after the attack, the fist slightly smoking.
Hercules had his skills.
This would be mine.
The Blaze Technique.
Fast and powerful attacks that were meant to bludgeon through any conceivable defense.
The Hulk's body teetered, before falling onto the ground, unmoving.
I lowered my hand, stumbling forward as the limb turned into ash up to the elbow.
Of course it begun regenerating right afterwards but the pain was still there.
Stopping before the Hulk's fallen form, I allowed myself to sink to my knees, waving a hand to put out the hellfire still burning his body. His missing limb started regenerating, although the rate was slow.
And that was because, the Hulk was visibly shrinking, that final attack having proven too much. Even for him.
His body slowly but surely lost the mass and bulging muscles that gave him his incredible strength.
I had won.
Something splattered on the top of my head. I looked up, just as rain, slightly acidic, started falling down.
Huh. How fittingly dramatic.
Without a word, Neptune's Trident appeared from the Inventory, glowing water swirling around the prongs.
Now, time for a field surgery. Let's get that control device out of his brain.
(General P.O.V)
[Power Core:- 12200%]
-First objective accomplished-
-Threats Eliminated-
Tallying...
-1 Superhuman threat: Subject Captain America terminated-
-2 Omega Level threats: Subject Crystal and subject Mr.Fantastic terminated-
-1 Beyond Omega threat: Subject Black Bolt terminated-
-Commencing Second Directive-
[Power Core:- 14000%]
tallying...
-Subject Hulkanium Defeated-
-Processing...
-Processing...
[Power Core:- 15000%]
!!!Power Overload Immenent!!!
-Redirecting additional output to processing-
[Power Core: 10000%]
-Re-commencing second Objective-
-Threat Level Reavaluated-
-Alternative measures initiated-
-Scanning Module Improved!
-Interdimensional Module Improved!
-Cosmic Comprehension Module Improved!
-Communication Module Improved!
-Connecting...
The IRIS satellite's dish reoriented, sending a multilayered signal out into space.
The connection slotted in place and two powerful beings became acquainted with one another.
"Greetings, World Eater."
Ultron's voice reached Galactus.
The World Eater was currently in an earthshaking battle with Thor and the his team made up of Doom and The Watcher.
They'd already failed to stop his progress. And the consequences of that failure was the destruction of the outer planets in the solar system, the ones known as Jovian.
Uranus and Neptune had already been devoured. And Saturn was next.
"-What are you? I am busy-"
Galactus answered, a mouth beam blasting the Watcher through Saturn's rings.
Doom and Thor were battling the Silver Surfer, the three combatants were throwing around cosmic beams, magical bolts and lightning strikes at each other.
All the while, the Asgardian Prince (now king) and the Latverian King did their best to back up the Watcher, who was the only one powerful enough to stand up to Galan of Taa.
Instead of answering the latter, Ultron sent forth an image of Powerhouse: Franklin Richards, in a containment pod within the IRIS's core.
Galactus was immediately interested after sensing the absolute power within Powerhouse.
"-I'm the one who has been sending the signal. And I have a way to contain your endless hunger. Come to me World Eater and I shall assist you in fulfilling your duty. Come and Devour This World and you shall be free-"
Ultron enticed.
Galactus stopped paying heed to the Watcher, Thor and Doom. His Herald could handle them.
Now, his attention was on the third planet of this Star System. A dying planet. Yet one...that held the promise of breaking the cycle. The Endless gnawing hunger. Or rather, give him the chance to choose his own fate.
The World Eater begun his advance to Earth. And in only 5 minutes, he was going to arrive.
Time left: 4:59.