Before his fight with Hulk had concluded, Richard knew that the San Francisco branch of the Department of Mutant Affairs would continue sending reinforcements. Even if the mutant agents in the operations department weren't confident they could capture him, the San Francisco branch wouldn't simply turn a blind eye to the situation.
After destroying the black fighter jet with a massive Thundaga, Richard used teleportation to bring the disoriented Hulk back to the street.
Looking at the green giant who hadn't yet realized what had happened, Richard spoke deliberately:
"It looks like someone doesn't want us to continue our little game. Let's exchange one final move and call it a day."
As the words left his lips, a phantom sword materialized in Richard's left hand—a weapon that resembled a work of art more than an instrument of battle.
Upon seeing Richard summon another phantom sword, Hulk nodded with serious intent. Though unaware of what technique Richard would ultimately perform, the jade behemoth genuinely wanted to witness it.
Under Hulk's watchful gaze, Richard flourished the phantom sword in an elegant dance. Then, he raised both phantom blades and assumed a cross-like stance in his "Dual Sword Style"—the phantom sword in his left hand positioned forward, while the one in his right hand remained behind.
Though Hulk couldn't anticipate Richard's next move, something about the "Dual Sword Style" stance triggered an instinctive sense of danger within him.
Hulk's premonition proved accurate. Unfortunately, it came a moment too late.
In the second after this foreboding feeling struck him, Richard materialized directly before him and simultaneously swung both phantom swords.
Fallen Symphony: Twin Fang!
This technique wasn't inherent to any character template but was Richard's own creation. Despite being self-crafted, executing the Fallen Symphony: Twin Fang still consumed mana. Without this infusion of power, the phantom swords would deliver nothing more than ordinary slashes, devoid of any special properties or effects.
The twin phantom blades wielded by Richard connected with Hulk's chest in perfect synchronization. Though both followed downward arcs, the left-hand phantom sword slashed from Hulk's right shoulder to his left waist, while the right-hand phantom sword carved from his left shoulder to his right waist.
Hulk witnessed Richard appear before him like a specter, but had no time to counter. He couldn't even raise his hands in defense.
Chi Chi!
As the phantom swords completed their trajectory, a cross-shaped wound instantly manifested on Hulk's chest. Had the target been a normies or a mutant without Enhanced Durability, Richard's Fallen Symphony: Twin Fang would have guaranteed a fatal outcome without question.
But Hulk was no ordinary opponent.
Like the Gravesong Technique, the Fallen Symphony: Twin Fang possessed the capacity to cleave enemies into pieces.
Feeling intense pain erupt from his chest, Hulk was propelled backward uncontrollably, emerald blood spraying from the cross-shaped laceration.
BANG!
The force sent Hulk crashing through the wall of the building behind him, hurling him deep into the structure.
Despite the devastating blow, Richard was certain the injury wouldn't prove fatal to Hulk. In truth, he had no intention of killing the green goliath.
Though Hulk had initiated the hostilities, Richard understood that the behemoth hadn't truly wanted to capture or kill him. Hulk simply sought to prove to Natasha that he was the stronger of the two. His motivation stemmed purely from competitive spirit, not malice.
Hulk's mind operated much like a child's. As an adult, Richard saw no reason to seriously engage in conflict with what was essentially a child. Though he had taken many lives, Richard was no indiscriminate murderer—he wouldn't kill someone simply for displeasing him, especially not someone with a child's mentality.
Besides, he'd thoroughly enjoyed their battle.
Recognizing Hulk's absence of ill intent, Richard had deliberately restrained himself from the beginning. Otherwise, he would have opened with Octoslash at full power.
After delivering the cross-slash, Richard dismissed the phantom swords from his hands and teleported directly to where Hulk had landed. The green titan now lay amid the ruins of a restaurant's back kitchen, surrounded by broken tiles and scattered dishware.
"Let's end this here today. If we continue fighting, innocent people will die," Richard said to the still-prone Hulk.
Hearing these words, Hulk immediately nodded and sat upright. Just as he prepared to speak, Richard continued:
"You can tell Natasha that our fight ended in a draw. You couldn't touch me, and I couldn't kill you." He paused for effect. "After all, your body is incredibly resilient. Your strength and physique surpass my own."
With that, Richard extended his right hand toward Hulk.
Without hesitation, Hulk reached out and clasped Richard's hand. Though not as intellectually acute as Banner, and possessing a childlike mentality, Hulk could still discern others' intentions toward him—he could sense their underlying motives.
"Very well, until we meet again," Richard said. "I hope by then, your combat skills will have improved." He offered a friendly smile. "Come on, big guy, I'm counting on you!"
After giving Hulk a playful pat on the head, Richard activated his teleportation and vanished from the restaurant kitchen.
Once Richard had fully disappeared, Hulk rose to his feet and examined the wound on his chest, which had already stopped bleeding. Due to his extraordinary constitution, many people remained unaware that Hulk possessed regenerative abilities far beyond normal human capacity. Even with most vital organs destroyed, he could regenerate and recover.
Moreover, he maintained immunity to all diseases, poisons, chemical weapons, and biological agents. In the comics, his regenerative capabilities and survivability were so profound that he could endure decapitation with his severed head preserved in formalin. Not only that, but if his head were reunited with his body, complete recovery would occur rapidly, as though the injury had never happened.
While this universe's Hulk might not match the comics' iteration in raw power, his self-healing remained formidable. The scars Richard had inflicted would soon vanish completely.
After rising, Hulk didn't immediately leave the restaurant kitchen. He waited until the cross-shaped wound on his chest had nearly healed before departing to find Natasha.
Las Vegas
Having concluded his "little episode" with Hulk, Richard teleported all the way to Las Vegas, the infamous gambling metropolis. He planned to experience the city's unique culture and, if fortune smiled upon him, perhaps acquire some interesting mutant powers during his visit.
Unlike his previous approach, he didn't search for an uninhabited cabin near Las Vegas. Instead, he manifested directly in the heart of the city—specifically, on the rooftop of a casino.
Las Vegas stood surrounded by barren deserts and harsh wasteland, with no forests to speak of. This meant he could no longer "borrow" a middle-class family's holiday cabin as he had before. However, this posed no significant challenge for him.
His previous avoidance of city centers hadn't stemmed from an inability to disguise himself, but rather because the sparsely populated forest provided an ideal environment to practice his abilities. If he wished to reside in an urban center, he certainly could—though it would require additional precautions, such as effective disguise.
After consideration, he opted for his standard camouflage: sunglasses and a baseball cap. His flowing silver hair was indeed distinctive, but this didn't particularly concern him.
This brought to mind his fanbase.
Following the Los Angeles branch incident, a cult of fanatical followers who worshipped him had emerged in Los Angeles. Three months later, their numbers hadn't diminished—they'd grown substantially.
This phenomenon stemmed partly from the Department of Mutant Affairs' tireless "promotion" of his exploits. But it also reflected America's unique cultural landscape. In the United States, exceptional appearance, distinctive personality, or remarkable abilities could garner a devoted following. Even serial killers and criminals attracted admirers.
Before his transmigration journey, Richard had read numerous accounts of American criminals who'd amassed devoted female fans purely based on their attractive appearance. Back then, he never imagined he'd command such a following himself.
If after the Los Angeles incident his fans had been confined to that city, with only small local websites and forums dedicated to him, the situation had now evolved dramatically. Those once-crude personal websites and forums had blossomed into popular platforms with considerable traffic and registered members throughout the United States.
Richard had created an account on these platforms, though he never revealed his identity or posted content. He merely visited occasionally to observe his followers' recent activities.
Regarding his distinctive silver hair—many of his devotees, especially those with longer hair, had dyed their own locks silver in tribute. Even people who weren't fervent admirers had adopted silver hair after watching footage of him. The passionate protesters in San Francisco served as perfect examples.
Richard retrieved sunglasses and a baseball cap from his system space and put them on, then teleported from the casino rooftop into the vibrant city below.
...
==============================================
Support me at [email protected]/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
=============================================