Stark was completely on edge.
Though he had witnessed the Hulk's raw power before, he never expected the green giant to be this uncontrollably destructive. His own attacks had done little more than provoke him further. S.H.I.E.L.D. and the local police had mobilized overwhelming force—armored vehicles, drones, helicopters—but all of it was useless. Hulk rampaged through it like a hurricane through paper.
And if things continued at this pace, Stark had no doubt the entire block would be reduced to rubble in minutes.
Thankfully, Henry had shown up.
"Henry," Stark said, picking himself up off the pavement, his metal suit sparking and dented in several places. "I owe you one for coming. I wouldn't have asked if there was any other way."
Henry gave a short nod, his expression calm. "I understand."
Stark hesitated, then asked with a sheepish look, "You… you can deal with this, right?"
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Would you have called me if you thought I couldn't?"
"No, no. I just… I know you can teleport people. What I meant is… can you subdue him? Don't hurt him. He's not a monster—he's Banner. Something happened, he lost control. It's complicated and we don't have time to go over it now. But—"
Henry cut him off with a slight wave. "You need him stopped. Without killing him. Understood."
Despite trusting Henry, Stark still couldn't stop himself from warning, "Be careful. This guy… he's on another level."
Henry didn't reply. He simply turned and walked toward the chaos.
At that moment, the Hulk stood at the epicenter of the destruction, surrounded by wrecked cars, broken streetlamps, shattered pavement, and the twisted remains of what used to be two armored trucks. Police sirens wailed in the distance while helicopters hovered above, shining spotlights down on the beast.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had cordoned off the entire area. Every civilian had been evacuated, and all traffic redirected. Even so, the power of Hulk's rage had pushed the situation into critical danger.
Bullets from helicopters and drones ricocheted off his skin. Hulk barely registered them. Each hit only fueled his fury further. He roared, grabbing a chunk of concrete and hurling it skyward. One of the helicopters veered hard to avoid it but clipped the building and spiraled down.
On a rooftop a few blocks away, Nick Fury observed the situation with narrowed eyes.
"This is getting out of control," he muttered. "If we don't do something fast, Banner's going to be labeled a global threat."
Beside him, Natasha Romanoff—Black Widow—watched through her binoculars. "The Security Council's already breathing down your neck, and now this?"
"They wanted the Avengers. I gave them the Avengers," Fury replied, frustrated. "Now we're running out of Avengers to even use."
Just then, a figure stepped into the restricted zone.
Henry.
"Why is he here?" Fury asked aloud, surprised.
"Probably called by Stark," Natasha answered. "They seem close."
Fury's brow furrowed. "He's unarmed."
Natasha nodded. "That's either very brave or very stupid."
Fury paused. "Let him try. He's got Stark's trust—and if he can really do what Tony says, maybe he can end this without anyone else getting hurt. Get our men to hold their fire. No one touches Henry."
Natasha made the call.
On the ground, Hulk noticed Henry immediately.
The street had become eerily quiet. Most officers had pulled back or taken cover, but here came a lone man—walking straight toward the angry behemoth.
Hulk's eyes locked onto him. The veins on his neck pulsed. He roared, his voice shaking the windows of nearby buildings. With a snarl, he reached to his right and tore a car from the pavement like it was made of cardboard.
He hefted it above his head.
From every angle—police drones, rooftop snipers, S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives—eyes widened in horror. Everyone assumed Henry would run or throw up some sort of magical shield.
But he didn't.
He just kept walking.
"What's he doing?" Natasha asked, stunned.
Fury leaned forward. "Is he seriously not going to dodge?"
Tony, watching from behind a crumpled barricade, yelled through his helmet's external speaker: "Henry! What are you doing?! Use magic!"
But it was too late.
With a roar, Hulk hurled the car at Henry with frightening force.
The vehicle spun like a disc, a blur of metal and glass.
Everyone tensed.
The car cut through the air—only to miss.
It didn't just miss. It completely missed.
It slammed into the ground a good five meters to Henry's left, tumbling through an empty intersection before exploding into a fireball.
There was a long, stunned silence.
Even Hulk blinked, confused.
Did he miss?
How did he miss?
Fury was the first to break the silence.
"Does… does Hulk have bad aim now?"
Natasha blinked. "He hit a helicopter out of the sky earlier. How do you mess up a ground throw at that distance?"
Tony stood slack-jawed. "No. No way. He hit me twelve times today! Twelve! How is Henry untouched?!"
Henry, for his part, calmly brushed some ash off his sleeve and resumed walking.
He was not surprised. In fact, he expected it.
He was the luckiest man on the planet, after all.
He didn't need to dodge.
The miss seemed to enrage Hulk even more.
With a bellow, he pounded the ground with both fists, creating shockwaves that rippled through the cracked pavement. His eyes locked onto Henry with wild fury, and he charged.
Each thunderous step cracked concrete. Windows shattered from the vibrations.
Henry didn't flinch.
He raised his hand, drawing a glowing sigil in the air.
Golden runes formed around his fingers as he calmly whispered an incantation.
Hulk swung a massive fist the size of a refrigerator directly at Henry.
It never landed.
A swirling, crystalline shield shimmered into existence around Henry, absorbing the impact and redirecting the kinetic energy into the ground. The pavement cracked in all directions, but Henry remained unmoved.
From the rooftops, even seasoned agents couldn't hide their awe.
"Did… did he just tank a Hulk punch?" Natasha whispered.
Fury didn't respond.
Hulk roared again and struck with his other arm. The same result—the spell deflected it like water against glass.
Henry moved swiftly now.
With a smooth motion, he tapped into the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, conjuring radiant red chains that slithered out of the ether and wrapped themselves around Hulk's arms.
The behemoth thrashed, trying to break free—but the bands tightened.
Then came the Mirror Dimension. Henry pulled his hands outward, and the world around Hulk shifted. The surrounding street folded inward, mirrored buildings stretching into infinity.
Suddenly, Hulk was alone in a twisted kaleidoscope of New York.
A world where Henry had full control.
From outside, Fury and the others saw only golden light flash—and then Hulk was gone.
"What did he do?" Tony asked.
"Mirror Dimension," Natasha answered, recognition dawning. "Doctor Strange used something similar once. It's a containment field, not a prison."
Fury nodded. "And from the looks of it, Henry's got it under control."
Inside the Mirror Dimension, Hulk roared and rampaged, but the environment bent around him. Henry walked calmly through midair, unbothered.
"I don't want to hurt you, Banner," he said gently.
Hulk roared back.
Henry extended his palm, emitting a soothing wave of energy that radiated outward like ripples in water. The color of the dimension softened. The chaotic mirror fractals stilled.
"You're not a monster," Henry said firmly. "You're just afraid. Let it go."
For a moment, Hulk froze.
Then, slowly, the bulging muscles began to shrink. The green skin paled. The fury in his eyes dimmed.
Within seconds, Bruce Banner collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily—sweaty, exhausted, and fully human again.
Henry exhaled and closed his hands.
The Mirror Dimension faded.
Back in the real world, a soft glow lit up the street as Henry stepped out of the golden portal, supporting Bruce Banner by the arm.
Everyone stared.
Even Fury was speechless.
Tony let out a whistle. "Okay. That was… insane."
Henry gently lowered Banner onto a stretcher brought over by S.H.I.E.L.D. medics. Then he dusted off his cloak.
Nick Fury finally stepped forward.
"You didn't even raise your voice."
Henry glanced sideways at him. "Magic isn't always about noise and fire. Sometimes it's about knowing when not to panic."
Fury gave a rare nod. "We owe you one."
Henry didn't respond. He simply turned toward the street and began walking away.
Stark caught up to him. "That was brilliant. I mean… how did you know he'd miss with the car?"
Henry smirked. "I told you. I'm just lucky."
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