With a slight flex of his arms, Saitama lifted Hulk's massive, bulky frame right off the ground.
The furious green brute roared and struggled, but it was pointless.
Boom!
Like swinging a giant hammer, Saitama slammed the Hulk hard into the ground.
The earth split apart, leaving a crater several meters wide.
Boom!
One smash to the left!
Boom!
One smash to the right!
Boom, boom!
Why not mix it up—left and right together!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Betty stood frozen, her lips parted in shock.
She'd lost count of how many times Saitama slammed Hulk. The ten-meter-wide area around him had completely caved in, like an earthquake had struck.
Hulk lay in the rubble like a pile of mashed clay. Saitama let go and dusted off his hands.
"You okay, Saitama?!"
Still pale, Betty rushed over, clutching Saitama's arm. She glanced at the wreckage, her voice uncertain. "That… that monster… looks a bit familiar…"
"Oh, that's Bruce Banner," Saitama replied casually. He'd seen the name floating over Hulk's head, so he had held back his strength.
If he'd used a normal punch, whether Hulk would still be lying here was questionable.
"What? Bruce? How could he…"
Betty was in disbelief.
Boom—!
The rubble suddenly exploded. The oppressive figure of Hulk hurled debris aside, radiating a beast-like fury.
True to his reputation as a near-broken character in the Marvel world, Hulk's nearly indestructible body only grew stronger with anger.
Even after Saitama's beating, bones broken who knew how many times, they healed rapidly, leaving no wounds.
And seeing Betty standing behind Saitama only fueled his rage further.
"Roar—!"
Hulk bellowed, the wind pressure scattering wood chips and rubble.
He raised a massive green fist and swung it down!
"Stop!! Bruce!!"
Wearing a beige dress, Betty rushed forward, spreading her arms to block Saitama, her frightened yet resolute gaze fixed on Hulk. "Please stop, Bruce!!"
The fist slowed and stopped in front of her. Hulk's eyes flickered between reason and wild instinct.
Finally, with a pained expression, he dropped to his knees, his body slowly shrinking.
Bruce Banner was back.
Perhaps from the massive energy drain, he collapsed unconscious. Saitama had to carry him into the house while Betty prepared some simple food.
Time passed.
By morning, Bruce stirred awake, head pounding, muscles aching, and saw Saitama at the table eating while Betty, with dark circles under her eyes, sat nearby.
"You're awake. Want something to eat? By the way, you looked pretty impressive as the Hulk last night," Saitama greeted him.
"Bruce…"
Betty finally relaxed a little, though her brows remained furrowed.
"Betty… S-Saitama… I'm sorry, about last night…"
Fragments of memory flashed in Bruce's mind. He looked at Saitama apologetically.
"No problem. I was actually curious to see you as Hulk," Saitama said.
"What exactly happened? Do you remember, Bruce? And your body?"
The events of last night were beyond Betty's comprehension, and just thinking about the raging green giant made her uneasy.
Bruce thought for a moment, then suddenly heard sounds outside the door.
Curious, he got up and opened it.
Pfft!
A soft sound, and Bruce froze as a tranquilizer dart struck his arm.
He collapsed instantly.
"I'm sorry… Bruce. You'll be fine—it's just a sedative," Betty explained, pained.
Soon, from outside, a large squad of heavily armed soldiers surrounded the house, their black gun barrels aimed at Bruce.
From behind them stepped General Ross, his cold, commanding gaze sweeping over Bruce.
"Take him away!"
Several soldiers moved in, dragging Bruce off.
But the soldiers' guns didn't lower.
If anything, they seemed more tense, their weapons now aimed at the inside of the house.
"Betty! Come here!"
Ross barked the order, subtly keeping his distance from Saitama.
"Dad? Why? Didn't you say you just needed to keep Bruce safe? Why are you…"
Sensing something wrong, Betty tensed.
"Take her away! Now! There's more than one monster here!"
Ross's voice was sharp. Soldiers stepped forward, still keeping their rifles trained on Saitama.
"Me?!"
Saitama blinked. Since when was he the dangerous one?
"No! Dad, Saitama is a good person! What are you doing?! Saitama, please—don't hurt my dad, please…"
Betty struggled desperately, but it was no use.
Her voice faded as soldiers dragged her away.
Now, about a dozen soldiers remained, surrounding Saitama, who sat at the table calmly eating breakfast.
(End of Chapter)
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