New York Sanctum
Deafening combat noises kept detonating through the air.
Everything nearby shattered again and again.
Cabinets and bookshelves that had been stored inside the sanctum were blown apart by raw force.
And the two sides locked in battle—
On one side was Hulk, huge and thickly built, muscles bulging high.
On the other side was Karl.
At the very start, Karl had been pinned down and beaten back by Hulk due to a lack of combat experience.
But little by little—
Karl grew at an astonishing pace.
His fighting experience became richer and richer.
Until he was actually trading blows with the terrifying Hulk—without falling behind in the slightest.
Bang! Bang!
The tremendous vibrations kept exploding outward.
There was nothing fancy in their exchange—no flashy tricks at all.
It was the purest kind of strength.
The purest kind of violence.
Their battle was truly fist meeting flesh.
I punch you. You punch me.
The sorcerers watching from the side all wore expressions of pain, their faces twitching.
Hulk was one thing—those muscles, that frame, one glance and you could tell he was built for destruction.
But what was going on with you, Karl?
How are you going blow-for-blow with a beast like Hulk?
"Aldrich-san, how did you even teach your disciple?"
"Trading punches with Hulk like this—this is way too freakish!"
Several sorcerers watched with their mouths twitching.
Seeing the two of them batter each other with heavy, meaty strikes made their hearts pound in fear.
With fists that huge, if those punches landed on them, they'd probably be beaten half to death, wouldn't they?
Yet Karl acted as if he didn't care at all.
How powerful was this body of his, exactly?
Is this something you can cultivate just by practicing magic?
The other sorcerers were utterly shocked—and Aldrich was no exception.
He stared at Karl, the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
This is what you call "talent"?
This is way too abnormal!
Everyone's cultivating the same magic—so why are you this outstanding?
The sorcerers' shock didn't affect Karl at all.
In the midst of battle, Karl finally gained perfect control over his own strength.
Every punch and every kick carried terrifying power—Hulk couldn't endure more than a few hits.
"ROAR!"
Hulk roared again and again, charging at Karl and attacking.
The sanctum looked miserable, battered to pieces by the two of them.
"Alright. I'm not interested in wrestling with you anymore."
"It's time to end this."
Karl shook his head.
"ROAR!"
Hulk didn't bother responding—he charged straight in.
A punch flew at Karl.
Now that Karl had completely mastered his strength, his reaction speed and power were nothing like before.
Karl shifted his body to evade.
Hulk's fist scraped past Karl's side.
Karl drove two punches into Hulk's stomach.
Under that kind of impact, Hulk's abdomen involuntarily doubled over.
Karl seized the opening, sprang upward, and slammed an elbow down into Hulk's back.
Hulk's muscles rippled like waves, trembling from the impact.
Struck by that overwhelming force, Hulk couldn't hold up for a moment—he crashed down and lay sprawled on the ground.
Karl lifted his leg and kicked Hulk hard.
Hulk's massive body slammed into the nearby shelving and smashed it to pieces.
Boom!
Dust and smoke billowed and spread.
Hulk stood up again.
"ROAR!"
He let out another roar at Karl and charged again.
"Seriously… you really are Hulk."
"Bottomless strength, and you don't get tired at all."
Karl sighed.
Hulk's power felt endless.
That violent radiation had turned him into a beast.
"But unfortunately, your strength still isn't enough!"
"My strength is even greater!"
Karl let out a cold laugh.
His body shuddered—and his coarse sorcerer's robe snapped upright from the shockwave.
Around him, countless points of light appeared once more, in every color.
Different kinds of universal energy—some of it even powerful force from deep dimensions—began gathering around him.
And in an instant—
Karl absorbed it all into his body.
The sorcerers nearby were startled.
"Aldrich-san, is your disciple out of his mind?!"
"Absorbing energy like that—his body won't be able to take it! He's practically gambling with his life!!"
Several sorcerers blanched.
One of them was so worked up that he even started trembling—he simply couldn't imagine that kind of power.
But Aldrich's expression didn't change at all. Inside, he sneered.
This?
This is nothing.
You people didn't see the first time this kid practiced this magic.
The energy he pulled in back then was far stronger than this.
Same magic—but when different people use it, it becomes something completely different!
Karl's talent…
How could they compare?
"…"
Aldrich didn't say anything. He just stared hard at Karl in the center.
After absorbing that energy from the multiverse, Karl's aura of strength grew even more frightening.
And Hulk, like a wild beast, charged straight at Karl again.
This time, Karl had no intention of dodging at all.
He threw a punch directly at Hulk.
"Absolute physical strength?"
"Let's see whose power comes out on top."
As he spoke—
The two collided.
A massive air current erupted from the impact point, blasting outward in all directions.
Even stones the size of watermelons were lifted off the ground by that force.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several deafening blasts rang out.
Hulk staggered backward several steps. With each step, he left behind a crater more than half a meter deep in the ground.
The entire New York Sanctum shook without stopping.
Hulk refused to yield and charged again.
But this time, Karl was even more prepared.
He planted his left foot back, braced himself, and mobilized every muscle in his body.
From his calf to his waist and abdomen, then through his arm—every ounce of strength in every muscle was gathered into this single punch.
Bang!
Their fists collided.
It was obviously mismatched—one enormous, one small.
But what defied all common sense was that the smaller fist won.
Crack!
A crisp, snapping sound rang out.
Hulk flew backward.
In the end, he was flung into a spread-eagle shape and slammed flat against the sanctum wall.
The muscle on Hulk's massive arm twisted into a strange distortion, even looking partially deformed.
That was the bizarre, overwhelmingly powerful force packed into Karl's fist!
"Hiss—!"
The sorcerers watching nearby sucked in cold breaths.
What did they just see?
Hulk… lost?
Hulk losing wasn't the shocking part.
The shocking part was that Hulk lost in a contest of strength!
That was what stunned them the most.
What kind of figure is Hulk?
A monster who can tank tank shells with his body and catch missiles with one hand!
In terms of raw physical power, he's practically unmatched!
Yet Karl actually won?
Everyone's cultivating the same magic—so why are you this outstanding?
(End of Chapter)
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