Although Hulk had mentally prepared himself, seeing all this firsthand dealt another devastating blow to his scientific worldview. Mordo, noticing his expression, smiled proudly.
"Of course. Ordinary people may not know, but magic definitely exists in this world. We are Kamar-Taj—the sacred ground of magicians who protect the world from unknown threats."
Hulk, both amazed and delighted, wanted to scientifically analyze the energy composition of those magic shields. Mordo, recalling Lucci's evaluation of Hulk as a "powerful warrior," was both competitive and curious about the unknown.
"Hulk, since the Sorcerer Supreme calls you a powerful warrior, I'm curious… dare to test strength against magic?"
Hulk, snapped from his analysis, was also curious about how these sorcerers fought, and how his own raw strength compared to this "magic." He grinned sincerely.
"Alright," he agreed easily.
The two faced each other and smiled, then walked to the center of the training ground. The apprentice sorcerers, upon seeing this, immediately perked up, dropping their training to gather around.
"Look! The big green guy really wants to spar with Master Mordo!"
"Master Mordo is one of the strongest here, second only to the Ancient One!"
"This will be good!"
Meanwhile, the Ancient One passed by in the distance. She saw the two facing each other on the field and watched from afar, curious about Hulk's strength—someone subdued by Lucci and called a "powerful warrior." She also wanted to see how Mordo and the elite magicians had grown after receiving "Multiversal Energy Conduction Technique."
"Master Mordo, you can go first," Hulk said with a wide, friendly smile.
But to Mordo, it sounded like,
"Are you… looking down on me?"
He frowned, displeased.
"Are you saying you look down on Kamar-Taj… on our magic?"
"No, no, not at all! I would never look down on magic! I'm actually very curious about it! It's just…" Hulk scratched his head, pondering his words. "My strength is a bit much, and I tend to end things in one blow—efficiency, you know. Plus, after my teacher's guidance, my strength control and combat skills are much improved. I'm afraid… if I go first… So, you go first! Show me real magic!"
Hulk's words were sincere—he was genuinely worried about accidentally hurting someone. But to Mordo and the apprentices, it sounded like open provocation!
"So arrogant! How dare this green giant talk to Master Mordo like that?!"
"Teach him a lesson, Master Mordo! Show him the true power of magic!"
Fired up by the crowd and Hulk's confidence, Mordo laughed angrily.
"Fine! If you want to see magic's power, I'll satisfy you!"
He pressed his hands together and swiftly gestured—the "Multiversal Energy Conduction Technique" operating at full power! Gone was the old, laborious way of borrowing energy from other dimensions. Now, the majestic energy of the whole multiverse flowed into him like a lively stream. His spellcasting speed, energy efficiency, and magical power were ten times stronger!
"Shield of Seraphim!"
A giant hexagonal shield of pure golden energy appeared before him.
"Chain Explosion!"
Dozens of glowing red energy orbs shot toward Hulk like homing missiles!
"Thunder!"
A thick bolt of lightning slashed down on Hulk!
"A Thousand Chains!"
His strongest control spell! Mordo slammed his hand to the ground.
"Whoosh—!"
Countless chains of crimson, hellish energy shot up from the ground, the walls, even the air, instantly binding Hulk head to toe, anchoring him to the ground and buildings.
For a while, explosions of fire, thunder, and binding chains engulfed Hulk completely! To the onlookers, it seemed he was utterly helpless under Mordo's onslaught.
"Amazing! Master Mordo is incredible!"
"This is the power of the Sorcerer Supreme's 'Multiversal Energy Conduction Technique'! Master Mordo is stronger than ever!"
"That big green guy should know now—magic is superior!"
Even the Ancient One nodded at this display. Mordo's power had indeed taken a qualitative leap. If it were anyone else, they'd be overwhelmed. But… her gaze lingered on the green figure bound by chains in the midst of magical brilliance. Could someone brought by the Sorcerer Supreme really be so easily subdued?
Sure enough, from within the magical glow, a calm voice spoke:
"Hmm… so this is magic? It's… a bit interesting."
His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears. Mordo's pride froze, and the apprentices fell silent, shocked.
Next moment—Hulk moved. His calm gaze turned serious.
"Alright, warm-up's over. Now it's my turn."
With a roar—not of anger, but of sheer battle spirit—an indescribable, overwhelming force surged from him, like a volcano erupting after eons of slumber!
"Break!"
Hulk flexed his arms.
"Snap! Clatter—boom!"
A series of crisp breaking sounds rang out! The hellish chains, strong enough to bind ancient giants, crumbled like straw ropes in Hulk's pure, absolute power! They shattered—bit by bit—into sparks of light!
"What?!"
Mordo's pupils shrank to pinpoints. His strongest control spell… broken by sheer force?
But that was just the beginning!
Freed from the chains, Hulk didn't even look at the vanished magic. His eyes locked onto Mordo. His massive body leaned back—a classic charging pose—then, he punched! Without even stepping forward, from over ten meters away, he threw a straight punch at Mordo!
The punch looked ordinary, but as it swung, the air before it was instantly compressed and blown apart, forming a visible shockwave—a transparent fist! The terrifying force, like an invisible giant's hand, blasted toward Mordo!
Mordo felt his very soul tremble! Before this pure force, he felt small and helpless, like a flat boat in a storm, about to be torn apart!
He had no time for complex spells, only just enough to pour all his energy into the Shield of Seraphim—his strongest defense! The shining golden shield braced before him.
But—next moment—
"Clang—!"
With a thunderous crash, the supposedly indestructible shield cracked like a spiderweb the instant Hulk's punch landed! It shattered into golden snowflakes! Hulk's punch, after smashing through the shield, continued to blast into Mordo, who had lost all will and power to resist!
Far away, the Ancient One frowned slightly. She wasn't sure if Hulk could restrain himself—if the punch's shockwave would seriously injure Mordo or even the apprentices nearby.
As the guardian of Kamar-Taj, she couldn't let that happen. In a flash, a spark of light flashed in her eyes.
"Buzz—"
No loud noise, no dazzling effects. The space around Hulk cracked like shattered glass, splitting into colorful seams! Hulk's massive body and mighty fist fell instantly into a bizarre, surreal world! Mordo and the training ground vanished. In their place—a strange space of twisted and folded buildings!
"Boom!"
Hulk's punch landed hard—on the top of a building! With a crash, the building broke apart like toy blocks!
Standing in the rubble, Hulk withdrew his fist, his face full of surprise and confusion as he looked around at the Escher-like city, stunned.
"Where… am I?"
Buildings folded like origami, the ground rose and fell like waves, the sky was a kaleidoscope of distorted scenes. Everything here defied all physical laws he knew.
A calm, mysterious voice sounded above him.
"This is the mirror dimension."
Hulk looked up and saw a woman floating in midair, dressed in yellow monk's robes, exuding an ethereal aura—it was the Ancient One.
"Mirror dimension? A dimension made by magic?"
"You could put it that way," the Ancient One landed lightly on an upside-down building. "Here, you can destroy as much as you want without worrying about affecting the real world."
Hulk looked at her with clear eyes.
"You're a magician too?"
She nodded.
A new fighting spirit blazed in Hulk's eyes. His match with Mordo wasn't satisfying—and this woman, who could so easily shift him into another dimension, was clearly far stronger!
"Then… let's continue!" Hulk grinned, full of fighting spirit. "Let's see if you can really trap me in here!"
With a roar, Hulk stomped the ground, launching himself skyward like a cannonball, trying to break through the walls of this strange dimension!
But at that moment, the space around him twisted, the scene instantly transforming into a labyrinth of spinning cubes!
"Boom!"
He crashed headlong into a giant wall, shattering it to pieces.
"Interesting!"
Instead of frustration, Hulk was even more excited. He began to attack his bizarre surroundings with wild abandon—obliterating buildings, kicking over streets, pounding the ground like a meteor, collapsing everything in a hundred-meter radius! He unleashed his limitless strength, and under his onslaught, the mirror dimension suffered a catastrophe.
But… no matter how much he destroyed, the shattered buildings were instantly reassembled by countless fragments, as if time itself reversed. All his destruction seemed… pointless.
...
Bonus chapter at 300 PS
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