At that moment, inside S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Triskelion headquarters, a cup of coffee sat in front of Nick Fury.
In fact, about ten minutes earlier, he had been doing exactly what General Ross had suspected—sitting there with his legs crossed, coffee in hand, watching the battle between Abomination and Hulk.
He had even been wondering how long Ross could hold out before asking him for help, and had already begun thinking about how he could use the aftermath to put pressure on the military through the Security Council.
But now, all such thoughts had vanished from his mind.
Most of his coffee had also ended up spilled across the floor.
Because the situation had developed completely beyond his expectations.
Aside from Abomination and Hulk, a third party had suddenly appeared.
And it was actually the legendary creature known as a dragon!
If that had been all, Fury could have dealt with it.
At worst, he would simply have to take immediate countermeasures to prevent the battle between the three monsters from causing even greater damage.
But the real problem was…
What was happening on the battlefield couldn’t even be called a battle!
“ROOOAAAR!”
On the satellite feed in front of Fury, Rayquaza unleashed another draconic roar before smashing Hulk away with a sweep of its tail.
Then one of its enormous claws slammed Abomination straight into the ground!
BOOM!
With a deafening crash, Rayquaza dragged Abomination across the ground, carving a deep trench through the street!
“You—”
Abomination didn’t even have time to finish speaking.
Rayquaza’s claw tore a massive gash across his chest, and then another sweep of its tail sent him flying!
“That dragon…
is incredibly powerful.”
Even Maria Hill, standing beside Fury, couldn’t help muttering those words.
In fact, this had already been going on for nearly ten minutes.
During those ten minutes, the three-way battle everyone had expected never actually began.
Whether it was the seemingly invincible Hulk, who had already left a deep impression on people across America, or the savage Abomination, who had been powerful enough to suppress Hulk…
Both were being completely overwhelmed by Rayquaza.
And anyone who wasn’t blind could easily see it.
Whether in strength, speed, or sheer physical durability, neither Hulk nor Abomination was remotely a match for Rayquaza.
“…”
Nick Fury watched the green dragon wreak havoc across the battlefield with a razor-sharp gaze.
Then he seemed to notice something.
The situation on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan showed a remarkably clear dividing line.
One section had been cut off by the dragon and remained almost completely intact.
The other section—the area Hulk and Abomination had fought through on their way there—was devastated beyond recognition.
“…Hill.”
Fury finally spoke.
“Gather every piece of information we have on this section of Fifth Avenue.
Residents, businesses, properties—everything.”
“Director, are you saying…?”
“This isn’t normal.
That dragon’s appearance is suspicious.”
Fury’s expression grew grave.
Because if his suspicion was correct, then the implications were absurd.
If the dragon really was deliberately preventing Hulk and Abomination from approaching that particular area, then that meant…
Something like that…
actually has an owner!
The mere possibility was enough to give Nick Fury a headache for the first time in quite a while.
But at that moment, the situation on the battlefield abruptly changed.
And the cause of that change was Adrian Cross, who had been observing the battle all along.
“Hulk…
is weaker than I expected.”
Watching Hulk, who was clearly at the greatest disadvantage in the three-way confrontation, Adrian Cross rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
He knew that Hulk was actually one of the strongest members of the Avengers.
After all, the green giant’s strength changed entirely according to his emotions.
In theory, there was no upper limit to his strength!
But at the moment, Hulk’s alter ego, Dr.
Bruce Banner, had yet to accept Hulk as a part of himself and had constantly resisted him.
This…
might actually be useful.
Adrian Cross silently began forming an idea.
But at this point, he also felt there was no longer any need for Rayquaza to keep fighting.
“Rayquaza, finish it.”
Through the connection between them, Adrian Cross issued his command.
“ROOOAAAR!”
Hearing Adrian Cross’s order, Rayquaza unleashed a furious roar in the sky!
As the ruler of the skies, Rayquaza had already grown bored of bullying these weak creatures that had dared to fight it.
Now that Adrian Cross had given the order, its long body immediately began circling through the sky at terrifying speed.
BOOM!
BOOM!
As Rayquaza continued spiraling through the air, an enormous windstorm began forming along its flight path!
“A tornado?”
General Ross stared wide-eyed as the mysterious green dragon created a pitch-black tornado nearly ten meters across out of thin air!
“Get back!
Move away from the battlefield!”
“Retreat!
Hurry!
Faced with what humanity recognized as a genuine natural disaster, the soldiers could no longer hold their positions.
They had never seen a dragon before, so they had no idea how dangerous one might be.
But they certainly knew what a tornado could do!
Within the raging winds, Hulk and Abomination were both swept into the air.
Even with their tremendous strength, neither could escape the tornado’s control without anything to brace themselves against.
[Twister]
[Category: Special]
[Move Effect: Sweeps all enemies into a tornado, with a chance of causing the target to flinch.]
Unlike Hulk and Abomination, Rayquaza calmly circled within the heart of the tornado.
It glanced at the two prey caught within its storm.
Then it casually slapped Hulk straight out of the tornado.
It still remembered what Adrian Cross had told it earlier.
Abomination, meanwhile, roared defiantly at Rayquaza.
“Come on, monster!
I’m immortal!
A little wind like this can’t kill me!”
Rayquaza’s golden eyes shifted toward Abomination.
And beneath the gaze of those eyes, Abomination—whose mind had long since been corrupted by his newfound power—suddenly felt a trace of fear rise from deep within his heart.
Then Rayquaza opened its jaws.
Bzzzz!
An enormous concentration of energy gathered inside its mouth.
Then, with power so immense that even the surrounding space seemed to distort—
It erupted!
Hyper Beam!
BOOM!
The next instant, every viewer watching on television saw an enormous flash of light erupt from within the pitch-black tornado.
Then a colossal beam blasted out of the storm and shot straight into the sky!
The sheer visual impact left everyone watching utterly speechless.
After that terrifying attack, the tornado abruptly dissipated.
What appeared before everyone’s eyes was Rayquaza’s proud figure hovering high in the sky…
And Abomination, whose entire upper body had been reduced to dust.
“Hulk…
doesn’t want to fight it.”
Hulk stared up at Rayquaza.
The green giant who had been knocked out of the tornado earlier muttered those words in a low voice.
Then his enormous body rapidly began to shrink, transforming back into Dr.
Banner.
Before Rayquaza…
Even Hulk, who had never feared anything, had actually become afraid.