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*****
Hulk's greatest strength was his power, so his most powerful attack was his fists. In the absence of any powerful weapons, the evolution of 'Devil's Bind' had almost made Fini invincible.
However, although he had evolved 'Physical Resistance', it wasn't the same as being physically immune. If he were hit multiple times, Fini still wouldn't be able to withstand it.
After this period of fighting, Fini had discovered that Hulk's strength fluctuated greatly.
The key factor was whether he was angry.
When Hulk was enraged, his strength increased rapidly. Before Fini had evolved 'Physical Resistance', he didn't dare to approach Hulk when he was in this state.
On the other hand, when Hulk was in his normal state, he was much weaker. In fact, the clearer Hulk's mind was, the weaker his strength was, and the less power he could exert.
This factor, combined with the 'Physical Resistance' evolved from 'Devil's Bind', gave Fini hope of defeating Hulk head-on.
His plan was actually quite simple: keep Hulk in his weakest state, amplify his own strength, and then engage in a fierce battle with Hulk.
The original difficulty of this plan lay in how to keep Hulk in his weakest state and how to ensure his own safety during the battle.
After all, they were just sparring, and Fini couldn't use the same methods he would use against an enemy he despised. Hulk might not hold back, but Fini couldn't use lethal force either.
The evolution of 'Devil's Bind' had solved the problem of self-preservation. After several days of careful consideration and testing, Fini had also found a way to weaken Hulk.
They were still at Banner's villa, where Banner had completely adapted to his current life. He was living a very comfortable life, and his figure had become even more rounded than before.
This made Fini feel like everyone around him was gaining weight.
"Is this really worth it?" Banner suddenly asked in the room. After this period of transformation, Banner had also begun to doubt whether Fini's actions were useful.
"At least if he loses control one day, there will be someone who can deal with him," Fini replied. He knew that Banner could read some of Hulk's memories, so he didn't think he could hide his actions from him.
Banner fell silent. In fact, aside from Fini, he was also helping Tony research the 'Anti-Hulk Armor', providing suggestions for many of its devices.
All of this was to prevent Hulk from going berserk one day.
Sighing, Banner unbuttoned his shirt and, after thinking about something that annoyed him, directly transformed into Hulk. Fini watched, feeling a sense of wonder.
It had only been a short time, and he had already become so skilled.
Compared to Banner, Hulk actually enjoyed his current life more. He had food to eat, drinks to drink, and people to fight with. Except for not being able to go out every day, he was very happy.
This time, Fini had brought Hulk to a new battlefield, a place where he had once fought against Iron Tyrant.
The low temperature here wouldn't cause any harm to Hulk, but it could help him stay calm. Fini, on the other hand, had 'Ice and Snow Resistance', so he wouldn't be affected.
The cold wind and snow didn't make Hulk complain; instead, he looked forward to the battle. Due to the 'Physical Resistance', Fini had recently changed his tactics and no longer tried to completely avoid attacks.
This kind of battle, where both sides could hit each other, was what Hulk enjoyed the most.
"Come, have something to eat first," Fini said before the battle, summoning several 'Kaneko Fried Chicken Rolls' and handing them to Hulk. This was the start of his 'weakening tactic'.
Hulk looked at Fini in confusion but didn't think much of it and started eating.
Although Fini wouldn't put any drugs in the 'Kaneko Fried Chicken Rolls', their natural effect of keeping people in a happy mood was already a kind of weakening factor for Hulk.
Fini watched Hulk eating the fried chicken rolls, focusing all his energy on releasing the 'Golden Grand Technique'. He whispered to himself:
"Strength decreased by one-fifth!"
"Speed decreased by one-fifth!"
"Physical defense decreased by one-fifth!"
"Consciousness reaction decreased by one-fifth!"
"Maintain a happy state for five minutes!"
This was the maximum effect Fini could achieve on Hulk after testing.
Then, he continued to chant for himself:
"Strength increased by two times!"
"Speed increased by two times!"
"Endurance increased by two times!"
"Consciousness reaction increased by one time!"
These 'weakening' and 'amplifying' effects had consumed a lot of Fini's magical energy.
Using the 'Golden Grand Technique' to enhance himself or weaken his enemies wasn't a simple task, as he needed to have a deep understanding of himself and his opponent.
It was like when Fini said 'strength increased by two times'; to make this thought a reality, he had to clearly understand his own strength.
For example, he knew his limit was being able to lift a one-ton object. To increase his strength by two times, he had to think about being able to lift two tons.
When he had helped Skye equip 'Devil's Bind', he had a thorough understanding of her, knowing her strength, endurance, and physique, which allowed him to amplify her abilities.
The same applied to enemies. If he wasn't familiar with them, it would be difficult to make his thoughts a reality, unless he could directly lower them to the level he thought of or amplify his own strength to the desired level.
Unfortunately, he couldn't do that yet.
Therefore, until now, he had rarely used this technique on his enemies or himself, as his strength was always changing, and sometimes he wasn't even sure what his limits were.
It was fortunate that, after this period of fighting, he had gained a detailed understanding of Hulk, allowing him to successfully weaken him.
As Hulk ate the fried chicken rolls, he didn't notice anything wrong, only feeling that today seemed particularly happy.
Fini, on the other hand, was laughing, feeling 'happy' and prepared. He had finally found a way to win.
Fini didn't let Hulk continue eating and started the sparring match after he had only eaten a few pieces.
As the battle began, Hulk finally felt something was off. He felt like he couldn't exert his strength, and when he tried to get angry and roar, his voice was soft and weak.
Fini, on the other hand, looked unusually spirited, directly taking on Hulk's attacks without hesitation, unlike before when he would dodge them.
The battle that should have excited Hulk was now making him feel extremely uncomfortable due to Fini's 'underhanded tactics'.
Hulk felt like he couldn't use his strength, and despite this, he was still in a happy mood, which made him feel conflicted and tortured.
He wanted to get angry, but he couldn't!
"Ah!"
Hulk let out a loud roar.
"Boom!"
Fini took advantage of the opportunity and threw a direct punch, followed by a series of attacks.
Left hook, right hook, left straight punch, right kick!
A smooth combination of moves left Hulk dazed, flying away with a deep look of confusion on his face, as if wondering if this was the same mage he had been fighting all along.
Fini didn't dare give Hulk a chance. The weakening effect of the 'Golden Grand Technique' wasn't absolute, and as Hulk's consciousness became more chaotic, he could feel his strength increasing.
If he gave Hulk the opportunity to recover, Fini's chance at his first victory might slip away.
If everything went as planned, the sixth skill should come from a somewhat old anime, but it should still be fairly well-known, from that era.
(End of chapter)