◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews.
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones. or 500 Collections
◇ You can read 50 chapter ahead on P@treon of which 10 Chapters are free. if you're interested: patreon.com/Heroicverse
------------------------------------------------
At this moment.
The "bloodstains" and "scars" on Homelander's body were no longer proof of a pathetic state.
Instead, they were the most dazzling medals of honor.
Hulk was also stunned by this scene.
He looked at those shivering children, and a trace of confusion flashed through his anger-filled eyes.
He was Hulk, not a demon.
The children's crying was like a clear icy spring, pouring over his feverish brain.
"Hulk..."
His raised fist stopped in mid-air.
Meanwhile, Homelander slowly straightened his spine.
Though he swayed slightly, in everyone's eyes, his figure appeared taller now than ever before.
"Have you had enough?"
"If you want to fight, we can continue."
He spread his arms, shielding those children.
"Don't touch them."
As he said this, Homelander silently called out to the system in his mind.
"System, activate 'Team Assembly'."
"Detected team members within a 1500-meter range: Anthony, Jewel, Quicksilver, Crimson Countess, Speedball, The Invisible Man."
"Team Assembly mode activated! Current all-attribute boost multiplier: 360%!"
But this wasn't enough. For the showmanship of a one-hit-kill effect, he needed a stronger burst.
"Activate 'Bond Fist'!"
"Consumed 5,000 special popularity value points! Next strike's destructive power increased by 1000%!"
Homelander's right fist clenched slightly.
Although there was no visible change on the outside, in his perception, the power condensed in this fist had reached an extremely terrifying level.
"Come on, big guy."
Homelander looked at the Hulk before him, sneering inwardly.
"I will end you with this one punch."
He had even thought out his post-strike pose and the lines he should say to the camera—
"Power is for protecting, not for venting."
However, Hulk looked at the shivering children behind Homelander and the old nun who bravely spread her arms.
Then he looked down at his own massive fist.
The anger in his eyes was rapidly fading.
Slowly, step by step, he walked toward Homelander.
"Good, just like that! Hurry up, I can't wait!"
Homelander's right fist clenched even tighter, his heart constantly urging for the moment Hulk would suddenly attack.
But Hulk stopped three meters in front of him.
His body began to shrink visibly, from a six or seven-meter-tall Titan back to his normal state of about two meters seventy.
Hulk lowered his hands like a child who had done something wrong, and said clumsily, word by word:
"Hulk... no fight... no more fighting."
...A light breeze blew by, swirling a few scraps of old newspaper.
A momentary stiffness appeared on Homelander's face, which was still maintaining a resolute expression.
This completely threw Homelander off his game.
He suppressed the urge for his mouth to twitch, maintaining his expression management.
But the groundhog in his heart was already letting out a dragon-like roar.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!!"
"I've already activated my ultimate! I've spent the credits! 5,000 special popularity value points have been dumped in! And you tell me you're not fighting?!"
"Where's your rage? Where's your pride? Weren't you going to tear me apart?!"
"You have to fight! You should roar 'Hulk is the strongest' and then jump up to punch me, so I can counter with a strike of righteous judgment to end you—that's how the script is supposed to go!"
"System! System!!"
Homelander hurriedly called out in his mind.
"I'm not throwing this punch anymore, can I get a refund on the special popularity value? Can I apply for a seven-day no-reason return?!"
The system did not speak, but silently popped up an interface showing a countdown—
Bond Fist charge time remaining: 59 seconds... 58 seconds... 57 seconds... "Damn it..."
Homelander wanted to curse, but right now, cameras from all over the World were pointed at him.
He couldn't get angry, and he certainly couldn't show disappointment.
"Whew..."
Homelander forcibly suppressed the frustration in his heart and quickly adjusted his facial expression.
He slowly relaxed his clenched fist, his eyes showing tenderness and tolerance.
A dozen Hummingbird drones approached, their high-definition lenses capturing this scene with extreme sensitivity.
Under the high-definition close-up, what kind of look was in Anthony's eyes?
It was a paternal, brotherly affection, the relief of seeing a lost lamb finally coming home.
"I know."
Homelander's voice was gentle, yet it was clearly transmitted to everyone's ears through the drones' sensitive audio equipment.
"I know you don't want to hurt anyone, Hulk."
Hulk looked up, and an expression of being wronged actually appeared in those green eyes.
"Everyone... afraid of Hulk..."
"Hulk... doesn't want to be... monster."
Thud.
Under the gaze of the worldwide audience, this Hulk, regarded as the incarnation of destruction, fell to his knees before that red and blue figure.
Like a child who had made a mistake facing a stern... no, a kind father.
"Hulk... also wants... to be hero."
These words made countless sensitive people unable to stop their noses from stinging with tears.
Homelander looked at Hulk and gave the most perfect reaction.
He reached out his hand.
He gently placed it on Hulk's messy hair and gave it a rub.
"Want to be a hero?"
Homelander smiled, a smile warmer than the midday Sun.
"You already are."
"No one is born a hero."
"The moment you choose to use your power to protect the weak, you are a hero."
Hulk felt the warmth coming from the top of his head in a daze.
No one had ever patted his head like this before.
Before, those people would only point guns at him and blast him with cannons.
An emotion he had never felt before spread through Hulk's heart.
The wind picked up.
The sea breeze blew Homelander's cape and ruffled Hulk's hair.
Above the ruins and dust, the god stroked the Beast's head, completing the redemption.
This scene was frozen into Eternity by the shutter clicks of countless cameras.
"Ding! Gained 15,000 special popularity value points! (From Hulk)"
Hearing this notification, the bit of frustration in Homelander's heart finally dissipated.
"Fine, fifteen thousand, this wasn't a loss."
As Hulk's emotions calmed, the green skin began to recede rapidly, and his massive skeleton shrank.
A few seconds later.
Bruce Banner, left in only a pair of underpants, curled up on the ground and fell into a deep sleep... Meanwhile, a few blocks away on Park Avenue.
The style of combat here was not nearly as warm and tender.
Boom!!
A car was flipped into the air.
With the addition of the She-Thor, Jane Foster, the tide of battle instantly turned.
mjolnir in her hand seemed to have found a Master who truly understood it; every swing brought forth a sky full of lightning.
"This hammer... was it always this easy to use?"
Jane performed a beautiful backflip in the air, dodging a missile, and casually smashed the attacking suit of armor into scrap metal with her hammer.
The feeling of power surging through her entire body fascinated her.
Asgardian combat techniques spanning tens of thousands of years were etched into her mind like instinct, making her look even more like a warrior than Thor.
Thor.
This son of Odin was currently in a state of extreme self-doubt.