The Hulk reached the waterfront just as the helicopter crashed onto a dock.
By the time he arrived, the wreckage was completely engulfed in flames.
With a furious roar, Hulk sprinted forward and clapped his massive hands together.
The blast of compressed air extinguished the inferno in an instant.
The feat was absurd.
The shockwave was powerful enough to snuff out a raging fire, yet somehow gentle enough not to injure the people trapped behind it.
It made absolutely no sense.
Then again, neither did the Hulk.
Just as Bruce Banner was about to enjoy a heartfelt reunion with Betty, followed by what promised to be an extremely awkward conversation with General Ross...
A loud cowboy-style whoop shattered the moment.
"Yee-haw!"
Everyone turned.
A robed figure came charging across the dock atop a Nightmare steed wreathed in hellfire.
Close behind him sprinted a hulking demon carrying an enormous battle axe.
Evenson.
And Taylor.
Everyone watching reached the same conclusion.
The horse was fast.
The demon somehow wasn’t much slower.
Warlock demons weren’t built like ordinary creatures. Whether it was a hunter’s beast or a Felguard, they could keep pace with almost anything that stayed on the ground. Unless their master mounted a flying steed and took to the skies, they’d simply keep running.
As he galloped closer, Evenson cupped a hand around his mouth.
"Boss is on the field! Main tank, pick up the aggro!"
Everyone stared blankly.
What?
Before anyone could ask, thunderous footsteps echoed from behind Evenson.
A gigantic figure burst into view.
The Abomination.
He had been chasing Evenson the entire way.
General Ross nearly had a heart attack.
The monster had almost killed him earlier.
He’d barely escaped with his life.
Now the nightmare had followed him here.
Of course, Ross had no one to blame but himself. The Abomination existed largely because of his own decisions.
The Hulk didn’t care whose fault it was.
If the monster was left alone, everyone here would die.
Ross was... negotiable.
Betty wasn’t.
And the Abomination had clearly come looking for him.
Though his reason had burned away during Blood Frenzy, one obsession remained etched into his instincts.
The Hulk.
Evenson had spent the entire chase peppering him with harmless casts of Searing Pain to keep his attention.
The moment the Hulk entered his field of vision...
Aggro reset.
The Abomination pivoted instantly and thundered toward the larger target.
Evenson let out a long sigh of relief.
"Finally. Someone with enough armor to tank this thing."
Warlocks were meant to handle spellcasters.
Instead, he’d spent the last several minutes kiting a raid boss that hit like an enraged freight train.
He had no desire to repeat the experience.
He glanced toward Taylor.
"Well? Get in there."
Taylor planted his axe on the ground.
"I’ve been sprinting on foot this whole time. Can I have thirty seconds?"
"Oh, stop whining. Five minutes ago you wanted to fight everyone you saw. Now I’m actually telling you to fight and suddenly you’re tired?"
Evenson pointed toward the Abomination.
"The pantsless lunatic has entered phase two. Hulk won’t hold him forever. Unless you’re volunteering to tank after he goes down?"
Taylor considered that.
"...Right. I’m going."
Compared to the enraged Abomination, dying and reviving in the Twisting Nether sounded only slightly less unpleasant.
He hefted his axe and charged back into the fight.
Evenson couldn’t remain idle either.
His mana had recovered slightly during the chase, but nowhere near enough for another full engagement.
If he exhausted himself again...
He’d end up clubbing people with his staff.
He sighed.
"Guess there’s only one option."
His body convulsed.
"...God, I hate this."
He cast Life Tap on himself.
It was the Warlock equivalent of drinking poison to quench thirst.
The spell converted a portion of the caster’s own life force directly into mana.
It was an emergency measure.
One no sane Warlock enjoyed using.
Feeling your magical reserves refill while your vitality visibly drained produced a uniquely miserable sensation.
Cold and heat.
Strength and weakness.
Life and exhaustion.
All at once.
With fresh mana available, Evenson reapplied his curses.
Corruption.
Agony.
Unstable Affliction.
Immolate.
This time, however, he chose a different curse.
Instead of Curse of Weakness, he cast Curse of Recklessness.
Normally, the spell drove its victim into a mindless frenzy.
It increased offensive aggression while dramatically reducing caution, reaction speed, and defenses.
On the Abomination...
The offensive part accomplished exactly nothing.
The monster was already operating at maximum recklessness.
Fortunately, the defensive penalties still applied.
That was all Evenson cared about.
Hulk was handling the tanking.
The faster this monster died, the better.
He stretched out one hand.
"Let’s see who’s really on the menu."
Drain Life.
A stream of green energy flowed from the Abomination into Evenson.
His own pale complexion slowly regained color.
Life Tap and Drain Life formed one of the oldest Warlock combinations in existence.
Spend health to gain mana.
Spend mana to steal health.
As long as the target possessed a living body...
The cycle could continue almost indefinitely.
The only real obstacle was enduring the bizarre sensation of repeatedly draining and replenishing your own life.
The battle intensified.
The Hulk occupied the Abomination head-on.
Taylor harried him from the flanks, opening fresh wounds whenever an opportunity appeared.
Meanwhile, Evenson embodied the finest traditions of Warlock combat.
Standing safely at range...
And making everyone else’s life miserable.
As the fight dragged on, the Hulk gradually began gaining the upper hand.
Partly because Evenson’s curses continually weakened the Abomination.
Mostly because...
The angrier the Hulk became...
The stronger he grew.
If a diluted version of Hulk’s blood could produce Blood Frenzy inside the Abomination, then the original source was naturally even more terrifying.
The Hulk drove a massive punch into the Abomination’s jaw, forcing the monster back two steps.
Taylor lunged immediately.
His enormous axe swept low across the Abomination’s calf.
The blade bit deep enough to sever tendons.
The monster stumbled.
"HULK!"
With a roar, the green giant slammed both fists into the ground.
The street shattered.
Massive cracks spread through the pavement, trapping the Abomination’s legs between slabs of broken concrete.
Unfortunately...
Taylor was standing there too.
"Oh, come on!"
He disappeared waist-deep into the collapsing street.
Evenson ignored him.
After continuously draining life throughout the battle, he had fully recovered both his health and enough mana to fight properly again.
Backdraft ignited once more.
He raised his staff.
"Let’s end this."
Chaos Bolt.
A dragon-shaped lance of emerald fire erupted from his hands.
The spell pierced the Abomination beneath the left ribs...
Bursting out through the opposite shoulder.
Everything vital between those two points...
Heart.
Lungs.
Major organs.
Was annihilated.
Even the Abomination’s monstrous vitality had limits.
His enormous body swayed.
Then, with a thunderous crash...
He collapsed.
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