Artoria had already rushed near the shattered exit of the mall; it was a mess here, filled with smoke and dust. At a glance, she saw the green giant, who looked like he had stepped out of a myth; the suffocating pressure was right in front of her. The aura of rage, pain, and destruction rushed toward her like a physical force.
There was no time to hesitate, no time to be afraid. She closed her eyes, and her consciousness sank into the system.
"Enable Projection — A character capable of wide-area, powerful mental soothing, emotional calming, and with special effects against 'rage' and 'pain'!"
The interface locked in almost the instant the thought arose. A figure radiating tranquility, compassion, and the ability to embrace all pain and chaos emerged.
[Angel Beats!" Kanade Tachibana (Angel)] (Special Mental Domain Enhanced Version)
[Angel Domain / Mental Command / Harmonics / Guard Skill]
[Note: Not a combat form, but as the Student Council President of the Afterlife, he masters 'Angel Domain' and 'Harmonics' abilities, capable of deploying a wide-area mental interference domain centered on himself, forcibly calming intense emotional fluctuations of individuals within range, especially negative emotions like anger, pain, and fear, and applying a 'Guard' command to temporarily isolate external stimuli.]
This was the character ability Artoria could think of that, without attacking directly or trying to control, was most likely to quickly soothe Hulk's rage! Using 'Harmonics' to forcibly reconcile his chaotic and violent mental waves!
[Use Projection: Kanade Tachibana (Angel Form - Mental Domain Specialization)]
No holy light, no wings. Only a breeze, clear to the extreme and seemingly capable of cleansing the soul, rippled out from Artoria. Her aura became ethereal and pure, her eyes turned into transparent pale gold, and her long hair moved without wind. A simple white dress replaced her casual clothes; there was no weapon in his hands, only soft light dust flowing at his fingertips.
"Deploy — Angel Domain · Soul Tranquility Harmonics."
She whispered softly, hands folded in front of her chest. An invisible yet real field of tranquility expanded instantly from her, enveloping Hulk not far ahead, and the soldiers further away who were being disrupted by foam and still trying to attack!
Within the field, all violent sounds, glaring lights, and chaotic energy fluctuations seemed to be filtered and softened by an invisible membrane. The soldiers' fingers on the triggers became hesitant, and the killing intent and tension in their hearts were diluted by an inexplicable sense of peace. And Hulk, at the core of the field—
His massive body shook violently!
In those green eyes burning with pure rage, the violent vortex seemed to have been struck by solid ice, appearing with a brief stagnation and chaos. The heavy road surface raised high in his hands no longer seemed so oppressive. The excruciating pain (from gamma-ray mutation and the pursuit by General Ross) and boundless rage filling every nerve and every cell of his were slowly washed and soothed by a cool, gentle stream of water. That urge to destroy everything, to tear everything apart, still existed, but it was as if it had been put on a soft shackle, becoming... capable of 'thinking,' capable of 'hesitation.'
"Wu...?" Hulk made a confused, low whimper in his throat, no longer a pure roar. He shook his huge head, seemingly wanting to get rid of this strange feeling, his gaze involuntarily cast toward the small white figure at the center of the field radiating an aura that made him feel 'peaceful' and 'uncomfortably comfortable.'
Now was the time! Artoria (Kanade form) concentrated all her spirit, raising the power of 'Harmonics' to the limit, while adding the 'Guard' command — not to protect Hulk, but to protect the fragile consciousness of Bruce Banner buried under Hulk's rage and pain, temporarily isolating him from the external factors (gunshots, Military vehicles, hostility) that stimulated and hurt him.
"Calm down... It's okay... The pain will pass... Leave this place..." She turned her intention into the softest mental fluctuation, passing through the 'Harmonics' field, gently transmitting it toward Hulk's chaotic mind.
The rage in Hulk's eyes visibly faded, replaced by a blank, childlike confusion. He looked at the road surface in his hands that had started to loosen, then looked at the soldiers in the distance who were slow and ineffective in their attacks due to the influence of 'Harmonics,' and finally looked at Artoria again.
"Hulk... leave?" He blurted out a few syllables vaguely, his voice deep like thunder, but less violent.
"Yes, leave this place. Go to a place without these people." Artoria used all her strength to maintain the field, her face turning pale. This large-scale, high-intensity mental soothing targeted at an entity of Hulk's level consumed far more than expected.
Hulk seemed to understand. He let out a low roar, no longer angry, but more like a declaration. He casually threw the piece of road surface toward an empty lot nearby (still smashing a large pit), then, without looking at the soldiers, turned suddenly, his thick legs erupting with terrifying power, and in a few bounds, he crashed through the wall of another low building at the street corner, disappearing rapidly behind the complex city blocks with a rumbling sound and a sky full of smoke and dust, leaving only a shocking trail of destruction.
The Angel Domain collapsed the moment Hulk left. Artoria staggered from exhaustion, caught steadily by Minerva, who had quietly returned to her side at some point.
"Target has detached. Military units are regrouping and starting to track the traces of destruction. We must leave immediately." Minerva's voice was extremely fast; she half-supported, half-carried Artoria, her figure flashing into the complex passages inside the mall like a ghost, quickly moving away from the messy street.
They did not return to the parking lot; Minerva took Artoria out from another exit, walked through a few alleys, and after confirming no one was following, hailed a taxi and took a detour back to the cottage in Long Island.
Only when sitting on the sofa in her living room, holding the warm water handed over by Minerva, did Artoria feel her pounding heart and overdrawn spirit settle down a little. She canceled the Projection of Kanade Tachibana, and exhaustion surged like a tide.
"You were too adventurous." Minerva stood in front of her, her voice still calm, but Artoria could feel the suppressed, lingering fear beneath that calmness. "Hulk's physical strength and mental resistance are extremely high; any attempt at soothing could instantly trigger a more violent counterattack. Moreover, you were exposed to the Military's line of sight. Although the environment was chaotic at the time, and my interference played a role, they must have recorded abnormal energy fluctuations and your blurry image."
"I know... but I couldn't watch those people get crushed to death." Artoria took a sip of water and said in a low voice, "Besides, I succeeded, didn't I? Hulk... he listened. He left."
Minerva was silent for a moment. "Yes, you succeeded. This exceeded all predictions of the risk model. Your mental soothing ability has had a significant effect on an entity like 'Hulk.' But this means you have been labeled as a special unit 'capable of influencing or even controlling Hulk.' General Ross and his department will never give up. Our concealment level needs to be raised again."
Artoria sighed, knowing Minerva was right. After today, the peaceful days were likely to be discounted.
"Strengthen the vigilance, Minerva. Also, keep an eye on the movements of Dr. Banner. If possible... without exposing ourselves, give him a hint, let him know that at least someone doesn't just want to capture or eliminate him."
"Understood. I will try to send some safe hideout information and basic anti-tracking suggestions to a contact node he knows via an encrypted network, anonymously." Minerva nodded, "Now, please rest well. Today's consumption was very large."
Artoria leaned back in the sofa, closing her eyes tiredly. In her mind, she couldn't help but think of Hulk's last blank, childlike, lost look. Beneath the shell of the angry monster was a scientist's soul trapped in endless pain.
At this moment, in Manhattan, New York, at the top of Stark Tower.
Tony Stark had just finished a video conference. On the dozen screens floating in front of him, besides the company's financial reports and R&D progress, there was one that had been specially enlarged and was playing on a loop: the short, chaotic scene that happened in the Long Island shopping district not long ago. Although the distance was far and the image was shaky, one could clearly see the terrifying destructive power of the green giant, and the inexplicable pause and departure at the end.
"Jarvis, is the analysis complete?"
"Preliminary analysis complete, sir. The target individual (Code: Hulk) has an instantaneous power output estimated to exceed one hundred tons, and the skin and muscle tissue show extremely high resistance to conventional kinetic weapons and energy weapons. His behavioral pattern is driven by extreme anger, but at the last moment before retreating, the monitoring captured abnormal energy fluctuations and mental interference spectra. The source is suspected to be near the mall exit, which has a high spatiotemporal correlation with the sudden 'calm' and departure of the target individual (Hulk). This abnormal fluctuation has a low degree of similarity with some spectra recorded in the previous 'Aerith' incident at the pier, but the nature and intensity of the performance are different."
Tony stared at the scene of Hulk flipping a car and smashing the road, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously. This pure, brutal, overwhelming physical power made even the healthy beating heart in his chest feel a hint of chill. His Iron Man armor was strong, but facing a monster of this level, if he got close...
"Archive the relevant data, especially the data on the destructive power of that big green guy, and the data on the suspected mental interference that can make him 'calm down,' separately. Mark it as a reference project for the 'Anti-Heavy Biological Suppression System,' with the highest encryption level." Tony said slowly, his eyes sharp.
"Archived, project code: Veronica. Do you need to start preliminary conceptual design?"
"No rush, collect more data first. But... yes, Jarvis, it's time to start conceiving some 'large-sized' countermeasures." Tony leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the green giant on the screen, muttering to himself, "Dr. Banner... and that 'magic' girl who always appears at critical moments... This World is getting livelier and livelier."
He picked up the wine glass beside him and drained it in one gulp. Deep in his eyes, besides the dread of Hulk's power, there was an even deeper curiosity and exploration of that
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