"Hahaha! I'm alive! I'm not dead!" Greed demon shouted excitedly, unable to contain his elation. During his sealing, Greed could still see and hear everything happening outside. Watching his fellow demons, each obliterated by Frank with their murals, drove him into a deep panic—he realized this was exactly how Pride had been killed.
If Pride, the strongest among them and a hell lord, died in such a humiliating way, Greed doubted he'd survive either. So when Frank struck, he had lost all hope. Yet, somehow, he survived, and the thrill was almost overwhelming.
So caught up in his excitement, Greed momentarily forgot he was still in a death trap with no real change to his situation.
"Failed, huh? Well, should I try again?" Frank muttered, hesitating as he looked at the demon's eye emitting a faint glow while Greed's injuries started to heal. Greed's situation resembled Pride's, but with a difference—Pride had faced no wounds when freed, even mocking Robert. Greed, however, had barely escaped with his life, severely injured, though in better shape than the other five demons. Frank wasn't sure if his attack could actually finish Greed off.
"Want to give it another shot?" Frank asked Robert.
"Go for it; nothing to lose," Robert replied with a grin, showing no intention of intervening. The Avengers were all present, and if Frank couldn't handle Greed, the others would jump in for the kill.
With Robert's permission, Frank launched another attack. Sensing the familiar pull of the sealing power, Greed panicked, shouting at Frank, "Wait! You can't do this! I survived, didn't I? How can you use the same move twice?"
"Why not?" Frank replied, unconcerned, and sealed Greed back into the wall. He knew Greed could still hear him, so he continued speaking after the demon was imprisoned.
With a long-charged burst of energy, the wall shattered once more. Blood spattered out, but Greed made no sound, seemingly destroyed. But he wasn't dead. Learning from his siblings' fates, Greed pretended to be dead, hoping to escape.
Unfortunately, he didn't know the Avengers were watching him closely, many of them eager to take action.
With a heavy stomp, Hulk stepped in first, crushing Greed's fragmented body further. Greed felt a tremor of fear and finally understood why Shivana had dreaded the Avengers—they truly possessed power. If Shazam had had allies like these, the Seven Sins wouldn't have lasted even until now!
"Run! I need to escape!" Driven by a fierce survival instinct, Greed's scattered fragments started inching in every direction.
But before he could make any progress, a strange rage surged through him, and his desire to flee vanished. Now he wanted only to fight the Avengers, even if he was no match for them.
Hulk's anger energy was at work. It was incredibly useful for eradicating enemies, instantly suppressing any desire they had to run. Greed, despite his resistance as one of the Seven Sins, fell prey to Hulk's rage power and, compelled by the impulse, forced his body to reform. Tapping into the demonic eye, he summoned terrifying flames and lightning, burning his own life force.
Greed's attack wasn't mere desperation; he was burning himself up. If he kept this up, he'd incinerate his own life and might become the first demon to die by suicide.
But before he could fully commit, Johnny Stone unleashed an intense wave of explosive fire, colliding with Greed's thunderous flames. The impact was earth-shaking, and Frank's expression grew serious as he sensed Johnny's power surpassing even his own thunder strike.
The destructive fire consumed Greed's flames, shattering his lightning. Greed's body, barely reformed, began to disintegrate, leaving only the demon eye clinging on a bit longer.
As the explosion subsided, Greed's body was completely gone, reduced to ashes. Johnny, having claimed the "kill," sighed dramatically and looked around at the other Avengers with mock regret. "So weak… I was just going to take a few shots and leave the rest to you, but my output was too strong. Sorry about that; I'll be more careful next time."
"You stole Hulk's prey again?!" Hulk's angry shout interrupted Johnny's posturing.
Hulk had planned to use Greed as a punching bag, but the freshly punched Johnny had ignored that and still dared to claim his target.
"What do you mean, again? First, he's Frank's enemy, and second, last time I only accidentally blasted near you. You were busy with Parallax; I didn't interfere!" Johnny argued, though uneasily.
But Hulk wasn't interested in excuses. He lunged at Johnny, forcing him to activate his elemental form to fly out of reach. In the past, Hulk might have had trouble reaching a flying opponent. He could jump high but lacked agility in mid-air.
Now, though, with his rage energy, Hulk had no such limitations. Unlike Lanterns who needed rings, Hulk's rage energy made him self-sufficient. Though he hadn't yet learned to create solid constructs, a red glow enveloped him, lifting him into the air.
"Damn, I forgot!" Johnny cursed under his breath, heading skyward. Even though his elemental form minimized physical damage, Johnny preferred not to test it against Hulk's fists, especially since Hulk's rage flames seemed even stronger than his own.
"Is this okay?" Frank asked, watching Hulk and Johnny display powers far beyond what he had expected. Though he knew the Avengers were strong, their real abilities were beyond what was publicized.
"Don't worry," Robert said, waving dismissively. "Hulk may be young, but he's got control. Besides, he just got a beating from me recently, so he should behave himself."
"Uh…" Frank was momentarily speechless, then turned to Tony Stark. "Mr. Stark, if Hulk and Johnny are much stronger than their public images, then why—"
"Why don't we emphasize their powers more to raise their profile?" Stark finished, understanding Frank's question. He explained seriously, "Your powers come from so-called gods, so you should understand that many Avengers have surpassed the level of these 'gods.'"
"To the public, though, superheroes and gods aren't the same. Only Superman is widely seen as godlike. For other heroes, people might think they're strong but still human, with superhuman abilities."
"But if people knew that many Avengers are more powerful than what they see as gods, it could create distance or fear. People might start worshiping them as gods or even fearing them, rather than being fans or admirers."
"We've even seen fanatical followers of Superman before, so we set up a new PR strategy for the Avengers to avoid this 'god-building' perception. We are not gods."
Stark wasn't only explaining the Avengers' PR approach but also reminding Frank, who had inherited divine power, that despite his abilities, he was still human—and a young one. The Avengers wouldn't recognize even the gods of old as true deities.
"Is the Hulk fighting the Avengers?" In the meantime, government agencies were growing concerned, interpreting the scene above as a conflict between the Avengers and General Ross.
"But wait! Our intel doesn't show Ross as capable of flight. Has gamma tech advanced again?"
"Unlikely! Gamma tech is fundamentally biological, enhancing the body. It's amazing Ross can even generate energy blasts, but flight is another level…"
Yes, officials had mistaken Hulk for General Ross, as the gamma-fueled red glow around him masked his green skin.
"What?! I'm fighting the Avengers? And against Johnny Storm?" General Ross soon received the report, staring blankly in shock. "Just because I'm 'Thunderbolt' Ross doesn't mean I'm fighting Johnny Storm!"
However, after seeing the latest footage, Ross was momentarily stunned. Hulk's appearance bore an uncanny resemblance to his own Red Hulk form, complete with the flame-like aura.
"Is that me? No, that's not me at all!" Ross bellowed, frustrated. "Find out what's going on, now!"
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