Chapter 13: An Astonishing Strike
Seeing Lance Ryder suddenly stop retreating, many soldiers froze in confusion.
Lance raised the wand in his hand and pointed it toward the blazing fireball falling from the sky.
In the next instant—
It was as if an invisible blade sliced through the air.
The exploding helicopter was cut cleanly in half.
The two blazing halves fell from the sky, crashing down on either side of Lance.
Fragments of metal, torn steel plates, and shattered mechanical parts scattered across the ground at high speed.
But when those fragments reached Lance—
They all seemed to collide with an invisible wall.
None of them could harm him.
The wreckage struck the ground and exploded again.
Shockwaves rolled outward.
Flames surged across the battlefield.
Yet everything—shrapnel, fire, and explosive force—was blocked by an unseen barrier.
At the center of it all stood Lance Ryder, holding his wand.
The invisible shield did not protect only him.
It also shielded Betty Ross, who was still in his arms.
The terrifying scene had left her completely stunned.
She didn't resist being held.
Instead, as fragments and flames roared around them, she instinctively clung closer to Lance.
Her mind was almost blank.
But the familiar scent of the man holding her gave her a strange sense of calm.
After all—
Lance Ryder was not a stranger to her.
Betty knew very well that Lance was a powerful mage.
During the time they had spent together, they had often discussed magic.
More than once, she had regretted that she herself could not become a mage.
If she could, she might have been able to help Bruce Banner more.
Now that her memories had fully returned, Betty finally understood why she had always been so curious about magic.
Deep down, even after forgetting Bruce Banner for several years, a part of her had always wanted to find a way to help him.
It had become instinct.
But after witnessing the Hulk's terrifying power today—
She knew something in her heart.
The life she and Bruce once had was almost impossible to return to.
The Hulk saw everything.
He had been about to rush forward.
But the spinning rotor from the destroyed helicopter suddenly flew toward him.
The massive blades spun like deadly saws.
Even steel could be cut apart by them.
Let alone flesh.
Even the Hulk instinctively stepped aside to avoid the spinning metal.
Still, his eyes remained fixed on Betty Ross.
And on the man standing beside her.
The power Lance had just displayed was impossible to ignore.
The Hulk himself might not recognize Lance well.
But Bruce Banner did.
Through Betty Ross, Banner had secretly observed Lance for several days.
Even Banner had never imagined Lance possessed such abilities.
From the distance, General Thaddeus Ross was equally shocked.
When he realized his daughter was no longer beside him—but standing dangerously close to the Hulk—it was already too late.
The helicopter's bullets had already begun raining down like a storm.
Betty Ross had been caught directly in the line of fire.
"Betty!"
Ross shouted in anguish.
Then he saw something unbelievable.
A figure appeared beside her.
Bullets struck the man's back—
But every single one was stopped by an invisible barrier.
None of them penetrated.
Ross had only learned about Lance Ryder a few days earlier.
For years after the Hulk disappeared, Betty's mental state had stabilized.
She had completely forgotten Bruce Banner.
Because of that, Ross had gradually withdrawn the agents who monitored and protected her.
There had seemed no reason to continue.
Besides, Betty was intelligent.
If she discovered she was being watched, it would only worsen the fragile relationship between father and daughter.
In modern cities like New York, brief relationships between men and women were nothing unusual.
Many lasted less than a day.
People met.
Spent time together.
Then went their separate ways.
Even so, Ross had always ordered background checks on every man who appeared near his daughter.
Especially recently.
Fortunately, Lance had already arranged his identity thoroughly.
When Ross's investigators looked into him, they found nothing suspicious.
The only unusual detail was that Lance had entered university at the age of nineteen.
But now—
Seeing the power Lance displayed—
Ross realized there was far more to the young man than he had suspected.
Still, this was not the moment to investigate.
Ross was surprised by Lance's sudden appearance.
According to Stan, Lance had supposedly cut off his relationship with Betty after Bruce Banner reappeared the previous day.
But clearly—
Things were not that simple.
The burning wreckage of the helicopter fell directly toward Lance and Betty.
Ross's heart leapt into his throat.
But when Lance casually split the fireball in half with his wand—
Ross narrowed his eyes.
The wreckage slammed into the ground and exploded again.
Flames surged up, completely engulfing Lance and Betty.
Yet Ross was no longer worried.
If Lance truly was a mage, then this kind of danger would not be enough to kill him.
Although Ross was a soldier, he was also a skilled military politician.
Within seconds, his mind had already moved past his fear as a father.
Instead, he began thinking about the power Lance had displayed.
Ross was not unfamiliar with mages.
As a senior military officer dealing with extraordinary threats, he knew many rumors and reports.
Stories of witches in Massachusetts.
Mystics hidden deep in South American jungles.
Legends of Merlin in England.
Even whispers of the mysterious sorcerers of Kamar-Taj.
But dealing with mages was extremely difficult.
They hid themselves too well.
Even the vast intelligence network of the United States struggled to locate them.
And if you couldn't find them—
Even nuclear weapons were useless.
Unlike super soldiers, mages could not be mass-produced.
To become a powerful mage required extraordinary talent.
Years—often decades—of secluded training.
That was unacceptable to governments that wanted quick results.
From the military's perspective, it was easier to study mutants or super soldier programs.
But that didn't mean mages were useless.
A powerful mage could have incredible influence on a battlefield.
Historical records from World War I hinted at that clearly.
If someone like Lance could be recruited…
Ross's mind raced with possibilities.
After all, he wasn't the only one pursuing power.
Colonel William Stryker had already achieved certain results with mutant experiments.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had recruited individuals with special abilities.
Then there was Tony Stark, whose technology was both admired and feared.
And beyond them, countless secret superhuman experiments were still ongoing.
All these thoughts passed through Ross's mind in seconds—
Simply because Lance Ryder had just saved his daughter.
The raging flames quickly faded.
When the fire finally cleared, Lance Ryder still stood there.
Unharmed.
Betty Ross remained in his arms.
But Lance's gaze was no longer on the soldiers.
Nor on General Ross.
His eyes were locked on one figure alone.
Standing only a short distance away—
The Hulk.
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