In Marvel With Unique Skill Great Sage (MCU) [113]

So... this is it? It's over just like that? he thought, a cold dread washing over him. Am I going to live with the disgrace of being a failure for the rest of my life?

A wave of dejection and despair hit him, quickly twisting into a frantic, almost hysterical anger.

He paced around the lab like a caged animal, his aura dark and menacing. His wild eyes scanned the equipment, a dangerous, crazy glint appearing in them.

When he reached Dr. Sterns, the small scientist who had helped Banner develop the antidote, Blonsky suddenly whipped out his sidearm and jammed it against Sterns' head. The little doctor yelped in terror, his body shaking as he quickly raised his hands in surrender.

"I want what you extracted from Banner..." Blonsky snarled, his voice low and dangerous. His eyes were bloodshot, but a desperate, last-ditch hope flickered within them.

...If I can't beat the monster, a dark thought formed, then I'll become a monster myself!

In the laboratory's storage room, rows of glass cabinets displayed bag after bag of blood plasma. These were all samples of the Hulk's blood, replicated by Dr. Sterns for his research…

….

According to Lemu's... knowledge... a soldier named Blonsky was going to inject himself with the Hulk's blood, then expose himself to gamma radiation, turning into a hideous monster that would rampage through New York.

‘Report. Disturbance detected near Grayburn College. Confirmed Abomination presence at this location.‘ The Great Sage's voice echoed in Lemu's mind.

A full map of New York City appeared on The Armor's internal display. A section quickly zoomed in, and near the area marked 'Grayburn College,' several streets turned a bright, ominous red, indicating heavy destruction.

'Lock on that position. Navigate there immediately.' Lemu commanded.

When Lemu arrived on the scene, he saw a monstrous, dirt-green creature with a spiny fin running down its back. It looked like a massively oversized, grotesque skeleton. It was currently tearing through the streets, causing chaos everywhere.

All that green skin... Lemu mused. Too bad there aren't many things on Earth that can actually break Abomination's hide. Otherwise, it'd be a real mess, green goo everywhere, right?

The Abomination was rampaging down the main road. Cars in its path were crushed like flimsy toy models under its massive feet. It casually picked up one car and hurled it, sending it flying over a hundred meters through the air before it crashed down with a deafening explosion.

Panicked screams filled the air as terrified crowds scattered in every direction. The continuous roar of explosions and the sight of flames erupting all over the street created a scene of pure chaos and terror.

The distinct rat-tat-tat of heavy machine-gun fire added to the din. It was a unit of General Ross's soldiers, desperately trying to fight back against the Abomination.

One soldier bravely grabbed a rocket launcher from his vehicle, aimed at the Abomination's broad back, and, with no regard for subtlety, fired a rocket.

The tell-tale whoosh of the RPG streaking through the air!

The Abomination, back when he was still Blonsky, had been a top-tier soldier. There was no weapon he wasn't familiar with!

The hulking, dirt-green monster spun around with surprising speed, its massive hand shooting out. With a loud CLANG of metal on metal, it caught the incoming RPG mid-air.

Then, with a horrifying, savage grin, the Abomination took a massive bite out of the thick rocket tube. The entire RPG exploded right in its face with a tremendous BOOM!

When the smoke and flames cleared, all that remained was the Abomination's hideously ugly face, now sporting an even wider, crueler, and more mocking grin.

The soldier who had fired the rocket stared in absolute, stunned disbelief! What in the goddamn hell kind of demon monster is this thing?!

Watching the Abomination slowly lumbering towards him, the poor, terrified soldier was frozen to the spot, too scared to even try to run.

The Armor hovered silently high above the chaotic scene.

Lemu looked down at the widespread destruction below, a frown creasing his brow.

There was no telling when, or even if, the Hulk would show up to deal with this.

He couldn't just let the Abomination continue this rampage indefinitely. But actually fighting a creature this tough, this incredibly durable... there weren't many good options. The Armor, for all its advanced tech, was relatively small and light. In the Abomination's massive hands, it probably wouldn't be any tougher than a bar of chocolate.

Lemu sighed. If a direct fight wasn't a good idea, then he'd have to try something a little more... unconventional. A trick.

He remembered something from the... original timeline... about how the Hulk eventually subdued the Abomination. He'd used a heavy iron chain to choke him out.

So then... Lemu thought, an idea beginning to form.

'Great Sage,' Lemu thought, focusing his intent, 'is it possible to use the air manipulation skill to solidify the air around Abomination, to make him suffocate?'

‘Report. Calculations indicate that Abomination's immense strength would make it impossible to physically prevent him from breathing by solidifying the air. However, it is possible to induce suffocation by removing the oxygen from the air in his immediate vicinity. If he does not leave that area, death is a possible outcome.‘

Normal air is about 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. If you take away the oxygen, the nitrogen concentration jumps to nearly 99%. Breathing gas like that would cause a normal person to quickly suffocate and lose consciousness, often before they even realize what's happening or feel any pain.

'Just... possible?' Lemu pressed.

‘The possibility of the subject undergoing spontaneous self-evolution in a crisis situation cannot be entirely ruled out.‘

Lemu silently nodded his understanding. 'Well, whatever. Let's give it a try first.'

An invisible force, the power of magicules, began to spread through the air around the rampaging Abomination. Slowly, molecule by molecule, the oxygen was pulled away. The concentration of nitrogen in that area began to climb steadily.

Very quickly, a pocket of air completely devoid of oxygen formed around the Abomination.

It only took about ten or fifteen seconds. The Abomination, who had been stomping through the street, smashing everything in his path, suddenly started to react. He felt his heart pound, his breath shorten, a strange numbness creeping over him. He had no idea what was happening. He instinctively tried to take deep breaths, but it did no good at all.

He whipped his monstrous head around, looking left, then right, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, nothing that could be causing this.

What's happening to me!!

A primal, inexplicable fear began to rise from deep within him. The Abomination let out a massive, terrifying roar, a sound meant to intimidate any potential threat.

"ROOOOAAAAR—"