Rowan had allowed Abomination to be created for one simple reason. Bruce Banner needed to see the truth with his own eyes. As long as the Hulk existed, the illusion of a clean escape would never last. And if things worked out, the Academy would gain a very durable gatekeeper.
Abomination wasn't as endlessly scaling as the Hulk, but his raw strength was still terrifying. More importantly, unlike the Hulk, Emil Blonsky retained a single personality. Control was possible.
That didn't mean Rowan stood by and did nothing.
When Sterns was sent flying during the chaos, Rowan made sure not a single drop of replicated Hulk blood touched the man's head. One disaster was enough. He had no intention of letting something worse be born.
After Abomination leapt from the building, Rowan slipped back into the lab and pointed his wand at the unconscious Sterns.
"Obliviate."
Every memory related to Banner, the green gene, and the experiments vanished cleanly.
He dragged Sterns and the stunned soldiers outside, laid them on the street, then turned back toward the lab.
"Fiendfyre."
Blue flames poured forth, swallowing the entire building in seconds. Rowan watched calmly as stone, steel, and equipment dissolved into ash. No samples. No backups. No military misuse.
The army was too busy dealing with Abomination to notice. Even if they had, Fiendfyre wasn't something water or foam could stop.
Minutes later, nothing remained but scorched ground.
Rowan extinguished the flames and flew toward the main street.
Below him, two giants were tearing the city apart. Green and yellow collided again and again, shockwaves rippling outward.
Banner had jumped from the helicopter to stop Abomination and become the Hulk once more.
"Time to end this," Rowan murmured.
He descended between them, amplified his voice, and spoke.
"Both of you. Stop. Another minute of this and there won't be a street left."
The sound froze the battlefield.
Abomination stared. Hulk paused mid-growl. Soldiers and pilots alike went still.
"Who is that?" someone shouted from a helicopter.
"That's him," Betty said quietly. "The man I told you about. George. Headmaster of the Academy."
Ross frowned. "What academy?"
No one answered.
Abomination roared and leapt upward, swinging a hand that could flatten a truck.
"Annoying bird," he bellowed.
Rowan sighed and pointed.
"Flip."
A red flash struck Abomination, and his massive body inverted, dangling helplessly upside down in midair.
"What the hell—" Blonsky flailed, grasping at nothing, strength useless without leverage.
Five seconds later, gravity reclaimed him.
He hit the ground hard.
"You really should watch your diet," Rowan said dryly.
Before Abomination could recover, he tore a wrecked car in half and hurled it skyward. Rowan flicked both hands. The halves veered aside as if politely asked to miss.
Rowan landed lightly.
Abomination charged.
"Freeze."
His legs locked. Momentum carried him forward into a humiliating skid that ended at Rowan's feet.
Rowan didn't waste time.
"Stupefy."
Again.
And again.
Thirty spells later, Abomination collapsed into a deep, snoring sleep.
Rowan turned.
The Hulk was already backing away, eyes fixed on the helicopter where Betty watched, fear and hope tangled together.
Hulk wasn't stupid. Just angry.
Rowan smiled and lifted off, hovering above him. "Hold still. I just need a few hairs."
Blades flashed. A fistful of green hair vanished into Rowan's storage.
That finally did it.
Hulk swung.
Rowan dodged easily and raised a finger.
"Tickle."
The spell landed.
The Hulk's fury evaporated in an instant. Laughter burst from him, loud and uncontrollable, shaking the street. As the laughter grew, his massive frame shrank rapidly.
Bruce Banner stood there instead, breathless and confused.
Rowan repaired his torn clothes with a wave of his wand and met his eyes.
"So," Rowan asked calmly, "still want to live a normal life?"
Banner looked around. At the ruins. The soldiers. The sleeping monster. At his own hands.
Then he nodded.
"I'm in."
...
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