"Dr. Banner."
"Don't come near me!" Bruce Banner felt an intense heat surging through his body. He knew what was coming next, and then—he lost control.
In Zod's eyes, it was as if Banner's body started to emit a green hue, rapidly expanding and transforming into a massive behemoth. In an instant, the Hulk was born.
"Am I supposed to scream, or just say 'Oh my God'?" Zod chuckled as he stared up at the massive green figure in front of him.
Although Zod had the ability to calm Hulk with his mental powers, that wasn't the reason he was here. He came for the challenge, not to tame Banner.
"HULK!" The Hulk roared at Zod, but surprisingly, didn't immediately attack him. Hulk was still naive in this newly transformed state, reacting only to threats.
Zod stood his ground, smirking. He extended a single finger and flicked the Hulk's chest.
Boom!
The Hulk was sent flying, crashing through several trees before skidding to a stop. As he got back up, Hulk's muscles bulged even more, and his rage only grew.
"HULK SMASH!"
The giant lunged forward and brought his fist down onto Zod's head. The ground beneath Zod didn't even crack, as all the kinetic energy from the Hulk's punch was absorbed. Zod's body didn't flinch; instead, the Hulk's fist deformed, as if it had slammed into unbreakable steel. The green giant howled in pain.
Before Hulk could react, Zod's eyes glowed red, and his heat vision blasted through Hulk's seemingly indestructible skin, searing his flesh and cutting through his body.
The Hulk roared in anger, his wounds already healing at a rapid pace. Growing stronger with each passing moment, the green behemoth grabbed a nearby tree and swung it at Zod.
The tree splintered upon contact with Zod's body, reduced to mere kindling.
Crackling with electricity, Zod summoned 100,000 volts of electrical energy and sent it coursing through the Hulk. Despite the jolt, the Hulk only seemed to grow more enraged. Zod then switched tactics, summoning a powerful gust of wind. The force turned into a massive hurricane, pulling the Hulk into its vortex.
The Hulk flailed helplessly, caught in the storm as Zod intensified the wind. Soon, it became a category 6 hurricane—a force so powerful it dwarfed any known natural disaster. But under the Black Queen's careful management, no one else in the world noticed the chaos that unfolded.
Zod stood calm, observing the swirling green figure. "I've reached the pinnacle of soft power," he mused, satisfied with his ability to control the destructive forces so effortlessly. But then, he noticed something. The Hulk wasn't weakening. In fact, he was growing larger and more powerful.
"Hmm... he really is something," Zod remarked, impressed by the Hulk's potential.
Absorbing the hurricane's energy back into himself, Zod allowed the storm to dissipate. As soon as the Hulk hit the ground, the brute charged at Zod again, relentless.
Zod met the challenge head-on, delivering a punch to the Hulk's chest that sank deep into his flesh. The blow was followed by a swift over-the-shoulder throw that sent the Hulk crashing to the ground.
Though Zod was not a Kryptonian soldier by birth, the life code implanted in him had gifted him unmatched potential, and his super-brain allowed him to master Earth's fighting techniques with ease.
The Hulk groaned, stunned by the impact. Zod, taking full advantage, grabbed him by the spine and applied immense pressure, snapping his back.
Crack!
The Hulk let out a guttural scream. His spine was shattered, and Zod moved swiftly, dislocating each of his joints one by one, leaving the Hulk incapacitated. The giant lay on the ground, groaning in agony.
Using his x-ray vision, Zod scanned the Hulk's body. "What a remarkable creature," he muttered, watching in amazement as the Hulk's injuries rapidly healed, his joints realigning and bones resetting in mere moments.
The Hulk, now fully healed, growled and leaped at Zod again. This time, Zod responded by exhaling deeply. His freezing breath turned the air into a blizzard, encasing the Hulk in solid ice.
With a smirk, Zod gathered cosmic energy in his hands, unleashing a photon blast akin to Captain Marvel's power. The photon energy slammed into the Hulk, sending the frozen giant flying across the landscape.
Hulk roared in frustration, but before he could fully recover, Zod appeared above him, grabbing him by the head and slamming him into the ground with incredible force.
"HULK!" The green giant screamed, but Zod raised an eyebrow.
"Can't you say something else? Come on, let's try this." Zod grabbed the Hulk's head tighter. "Say 'Zod is the strongest and most handsome!'"
Boom!
Zod slammed the Hulk's head into the ground for emphasis.
Still, the Hulk refused to give up. He grabbed at Zod, but the Kryptonian barely moved. With a small tug, Zod sent the Hulk flying into the sky. Moving at super speed, Zod followed him, delivering a tomahawk-style kick that broke the Hulk's bones on impact.
The Hulk crashed into the earth, causing a crater hundreds of meters wide and several meters deep. The shockwave from the impact shook the entire region, and the Hulk coughed up blood and fragments of his internal organs.
Zod stood victorious, watching as the unstoppable Hulk struggled to recover, broken but not defeated.