To be honest, Stark was still trying to make sense of what he had just witnessed. His mind couldn't process the absurdity of it.
Had Henry really just defeated the Hulk—the Hulk—by doing absolutely nothing?
He turned to Nick Fury with a half-disbelieving expression. "Are you sure that ground collapse was just an accident?"
Nick Fury raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed by the question. "Why are you so hung up on this?"
Stark threw his hands into the air, baffled. "Because it was too perfect! The timing, the angle, the crater—it was like the ground collapsed just to save Henry! You don't think that's just a little suspicious?"
Fury didn't reply immediately. In truth, he'd had the same thought when he first saw it happen. Hulk had been barreling toward Henry like a wrecking ball. Then, just as he was about to land a punch that could have shattered concrete—boom—the ground gave way beneath him, and he disappeared into a hole like a cartoon character falling through a trap door.
It had been hard to believe then, and it still felt surreal now.
But Fury was the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. If anyone had the resources to get to the bottom of this, it was him. As soon as the dust had settled, he'd sent a team to investigate the scene. Within minutes, he had an answer.
"There were indeed structural issues with the street," he said at last. "We confirmed that the foundation was weakened due to a shoddy construction job. Combine that with Hulk pounding on it like a jackhammer… yeah, the collapse was real."
"So you're saying it was just… bad luck for the Hulk?" Stark asked, squinting skeptically.
"Or good luck for Henry," Fury admitted with a grunt.
Stark stared blankly. "Right. Of course. Just a 'coincidence.' Totally normal."
He was struggling to believe it himself. Henry had denied using any magic during the incident. Stark had watched closely—there were no glowing runes, no dramatic gestures, no mystical light shows. Just Henry standing there, completely still, as the earth swallowed the Hulk like a scene from a disaster film.
Nick Fury, ever the skeptic, had also doubted Henry's claim. But the evidence was clear: no energy signatures, no trace of a magical incantation, no interference from external forces. Just a crater, a very angry Hulk, and one incredibly lucky mage.
Stark scratched his head and muttered, "What kind of cheat code life is this guy playing?"
"You're seriously telling me this was all luck?" Nick Fury asked, folding his arms.
Stark shot him a look. "You're standing here with me, director. You saw it happen. If that wasn't luck, then I'm Peter Pan."
Nick Fury fell silent. So did Natasha Romanoff, who had been listening in with a smirk.
After a pause, she said, "You know… the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. It's like the goddess of luck has him on speed dial."
Henry, who was standing nearby and inspecting the edges of the crater, looked up with a calm smile. "It's not so much luck," he said, "as it is… divine timing."
Before anyone could respond, Nick Fury cleared his throat. "Luck or not, that was still reckless. You let the Hulk get within striking distance. If the ground hadn't given out, you could've been turned into a stain on the pavement."
Henry tilted his head. "And yet… I wasn't."
"That's not the point," Fury said sharply. "You can't expect luck to save you every time."
"I don't," Henry replied. "If the ground hadn't collapsed, I had a spell ready to knock Hulk's soul out of his body."
Fury blinked. "You… what?"
"I said I was ready to knock his soul out," Henry repeated casually, as if it were a common occurrence.
Stark squinted at him. "Wait… you can actually do that?"
Henry smiled without answering.
Fury frowned. "You expect me to believe you can just… slap someone's soul out of their body?"
"I don't expect you to believe it," Henry replied. "But you're welcome to witness it."
Fury exchanged a glance with Natasha, who looked equally skeptical.
"Well," Stark muttered, "this I have to see."
As if on cue, a deep, guttural roar echoed from the bottom of the crater.
"HULK!"
Everyone turned toward the sound.
A massive green figure burst from the rubble, leaping sky-high before crashing down in front of them. Dust and debris exploded in every direction.
"Oh no," Natasha muttered. "He's still awake?!"
Fury's eyes widened. "Get back! Everyone, move!"
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents scrambled. Stark took to the air in his suit, hovering out of reach. Natasha ran for cover.
But Henry stood still.
He didn't move.
Again.
He watched as Hulk landed hard, his fists shaking the street.
Henry took a slow breath, then stepped forward.
This time, he wouldn't let luck steal his thunder.
As Hulk bellowed and raised his fists, Henry calmly raised his hand and gathered energy into his palm. Glowing golden runes spiraled around his fingers. His aura shifted, becoming sharp and weighty, like the eye of a storm.
Time seemed to slow.
Just as Hulk lunged, Henry struck out with a single palm—silent and swift.
The moment the strike connected with Hulk's chest, a flash of light burst from his body.
And then—
WHOOOOSH.
A translucent figure was flung out of Hulk's chest, hovering a few feet above the ground—an ethereal version of Bruce Banner, wide-eyed and disoriented.
Everyone stared in shock.
Nick Fury's jaw dropped. Natasha gasped.
Stark floated down, blinking hard behind his helmet's visor.
"Did you just—did you really—?"
Henry clapped his hands together, brushing off dust. "There. Now he's truly subdued."
Silence.
Then Stark pointed at the floating spirit. "Henry… is that Banner's soul?"
Henry nodded. "Yes."
"You slapped it out of him?" Natasha asked in disbelief.
"It's a technique from the Book of the Weishan Emperor," Henry explained. "Not easy to learn, but highly effective."
Fury blinked several times, still unable to believe what he was seeing. "That… that's not possible."
"It is," Henry said calmly. "You're witnessing it."
Stark laughed, a little too loud. "You actually slapped his soul out. Are you serious?!"
"As serious as you were when you built a flying weapons suit in a cave," Henry replied with a wink.
Natasha stared at the spirit of Bruce Banner, who floated helplessly in the air, looking around in confusion. "Okay. That's officially the weirdest thing I've seen all year."
Stark turned to Fury, completely dumbfounded. "Still think Henry can't handle the Hulk?"
Fury rubbed his temples. "I'm going to need a drink."
"I'll make you one," Henry said. "After I return his soul."
With a casual wave of his hand, golden energy swirled around Banner's floating form. The soul flickered once—and then gently re-entered Hulk's body. The moment it did, the green began to fade. Hulk's enormous figure shrank down, muscles retracting, skin returning to its normal human hue.
Bruce Banner collapsed to the ground, unconscious but unharmed.
Nick Fury let out a long breath. "I take back what I said earlier."
"What part?" Henry asked with a smile.
"The part where I doubted you," Fury muttered.
Henry just shrugged. "It's okay. I'm used to being underestimated."
Stark turned to Natasha. "You know what's scarier than the Hulk?"
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"A guy who doesn't need to fight the Hulk. Just wills him into submission."
Henry chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Natasha looked at him with a newfound respect—and just a hint of fear.
Fury straightened up and sighed. "Well… I guess this wraps it up."
"For now," Henry agreed.
But everyone knew—from this point on, nothing would be the same.
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