Marvel: Death Knight

Garus had planned to wait until the Hulk defeated Abomination before making his move, but he underestimated how much the Hulk's strength would skyrocket with his increasing rage.

After fighting Blonsky for so long, the Hulk's eyes burned crimson with fury. His rage had surpassed all limits, propelling him into a near-godlike state. At this level, even multiple Abominations would likely be crushed in mere moments.

"Betty, we need to leave now! Banner's lost control," General Ross urged as he signaled his soldiers to pull his daughter into the armored vehicle.

"No, Dad! Banner will listen to me!" Betty protested, unwilling to believe otherwise.

The situation had spiraled beyond Ross's control. All he could do was hope the Hulk would calm down after dealing with the armored stranger.

"Logan, are you okay?" Garus rushed to Logan's side and helped him to his feet.

Logan had never felt this humiliated.

Strength? He couldn't even compare.

Combat skills? Irrelevant when a single punch from the Hulk negated every move he tried.

Physical resilience? The Hulk outclassed him there too. His Adamantium claws barely scratched the monster, while he himself was left beaten and bloodied.

The only thing keeping Logan in the fight was his unmatched healing factor.

"Garus, what the hell is that thing?" Logan grumbled as he stood, his once-pristine suit now reduced to tatters.

"No time to explain," Garus replied. "But I'm not giving up yet."

Garus unleashed a flurry of Frost Death Knight spells: Howling Blast, Strangulate, and Death Coil all targeted the Hulk.

Early in the transformation, the frost magic might have had some effect, cooling the Hulk's fiery rage. But now, the spells barely phased him.

"Damn," Garus spat, coughing up dust. "I thought Blonsky and the Hulk weren't that far apart in power. Dealing with two seemed better than handling just one. Turns out I was way too naïve."

As the Hulk charged, Logan quickly dodged aside, knowing he couldn't face the monster head-on. His healing might be fast, but the pain was excruciating.

The Hulk grabbed a car from the street and prepared to hurl it at Logan. Inside, a terrified little girl screamed.

"Why is there someone in that car? Didn't everyone evacuate?" Garus muttered, shocked.

The Hulk, indifferent to the girl's presence, threw the car with all his might. Just as it was about to crash into the ground, the vehicle suddenly hovered in mid-air.

A woman in a skintight suit appeared, her figure shimmering into view. On her chest was a bold number: 4. Garus recognized her instantly—Susan Storm of the Fantastic Four.

The Fantastic Four were among the few superhero teams in the Marvel universe with publicly known identities. Garus hadn't heard anything about them recently, making her sudden appearance all the more surprising.

"Little one, it's dangerous here. Where's your mom?" Susan asked as she rescued the girl, ignoring the Hulk to focus on comforting the child.

Meanwhile, Garus conjured a green spell circle, summoning gargoyles from his Azerothian base. The creatures swarmed the Hulk, harassing him from the skies, though their efforts were ultimately futile.

"Hey, gorgeous!" Garus called out. "Mind lending a hand? Restrain him for a bit?"

Susan shot him a glare. "No thanks. Clean up your own mess." With that, she loaded the girl into a nearby car and prepared to leave.

But the Hulk wasn't about to let her go. With a single leap, he closed the distance, his massive frame hurtling toward her like a cannonball.

Susan barely managed to raise a force field in time, but the Hulk's punch shattered it instantly. Just as his fist was about to strike her, a stretchy rope-like object wrapped around the Hulk, pulling him back.

It wasn't a rope—it was Reed Richards, the smartest man in Marvel's universe. In another timeline, he'd even fathered the godlike Franklin Richards.

Reed's elastic body made him nearly impervious to physical attacks, but like Logan, he could only endure the Hulk's relentless blows.

Watching his longsword reduced to scrap by the Hulk's sheer strength, Garus knew his current approach wouldn't work. He needed a new plan to complete this mission.

Despite the Hulk's immense physical power, Garus realized his true weakness: his mental defenses. While the Hulk's body was nearly invincible, his mind was only as strong as an ordinary human's.

The Hulk had been influenced by Loki's scepter and controlled by Scarlet Witch's chaos magic. Exploiting this vulnerability was the key to defeating him.

Garus lacked psychic abilities or mind-control spells, but he had one ace up his sleeve: a Gnomish Mind Control Cap from the system's exchange shop. Although he'd planned to hand it over to Azeroth Technologies for research, it was his only option now.

Activating the cap, Garus directed an amplified mental wave at the Hulk. As soon as their minds connected, Garus was overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity of the Hulk's thoughts.

Hulk smash you! Hulk smash you! Hulk smash you! The chant repeated endlessly, an unrelenting storm of rage.

Garus marveled at the contrast. Before transforming, Bruce Banner was a refined and intelligent scientist. Yet in this state, he was a mindless beast.

Under everyone's astonished gaze, the rampaging Hulk suddenly grew quiet. Guided by Garus's mental control, he sat down atop a car, docile as a child.

The battle was over. Logan, Reed, and Susan all heaved sighs of relief.

Logan lit a cigar, his battered suit hanging off him like rags. The sight made him look like a rugged drifter.

Garus approached the Hulk, whose wounds were rapidly healing. Wasting no time, he collected a vial of blood using a crystal container.

[Mission complete. Acquired Hulk's blood. Reward: 7,000 exchange points.]

The mind-control cap's effects lasted only a minute. The Hulk would soon return to his uncontrollable state.

"Hey, beautiful! Can you help toss this big guy into the ocean?" Garus asked Susan. He knew she could fly and wield telekinetic force, though her abilities weren't yet fully developed. "He'll snap out of it in 40 seconds."

Susan hesitated but eventually relented. "Fine." Though annoyed with Garus, she lifted the Hulk with her powers and flew him away.

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