Chapter 29: Overdrive Mode
(Zayne's POV)
Before I knew it.
BOOM!!!
Another devastating punch landed on my chest, sending shockwaves through my body. The world shook around me as the sheer force of the blow made my knees buckle.
"Ugh!" I groaned, skidding back slightly, my boots digging deep into the asphalt.
Before I could even think of countering, another punch slammed into my ribs.
Then another.
Then another.
Before I knew it, Hulk had grabbed me by the torso and smashed me against a building wall like I was a toy hammer hitting a drum.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Twelve straight punches. One after the other. Raw, mindless rage behind each strike. My armor creaked. My bones screamed. The building behind me cracked, shook… and then exploded into rubble.
But like clockwork, the Innocence skill I'd activated before pulsed once more. The building rearranged itself behind me, brick by brick, as if reality hit a reset button.
Still, the pain was real. My ribs weren't broken, but I definitely wasn't walking away unscathed.
Before I could catch my breath, Hulk's giant green fist connected once more with my stomach, sending me crashing across the street, flipping through the air like a broken doll.
CRAAASSHHHHH!!!
I hit the ground hard. Dust flew up around me. My helmet sparked lightly. I tasted blood, even if the system filtered it out almost immediately.
The ground beneath me groaned in protest.
"RRRAAGHHHHH!!!" Hulk roared behind me. That was a victory cry. One filled with savage dominance. He beat me down and wanted the whole world to know it.
Soldiers hiding behind wrecked vehicles peeked over in awe. SPD cadets behind protective barriers exchanged terrified glances.
--- ✦ ---
Ross watched from his command vehicle, eyes squinting in disbelief and fanaticism. "This power… This… This is my creation. All mine. HAHAHAHA!!!
--- ✦ ---
But me? I wasn't angry. I wasn't scared.
I was ecstatic.
Slowly, I got up from the debris. Each limb groaned under the effort, but I pushed through. As I stood straight, something inside me… snapped.
No, awoke.
My fists clenched, and a grin split my face beneath the helmet.
"So this is what a real battle feels like?" I muttered, breath hitching in excitement. "Heh… I love this feeling."
Then it happened.
[WARNING: Energy Levels Exceeding Operational Capacity.]
[GRID OVERDRIVE MODE ACTIVATED.]
[Tier temporarily elevated to: B+]
[Duration: 10 Minutes.]
My eyes widened beneath the visor as a blinding energy surrounded me.
Flames? No. Omni-force.
Raw, volatile, and radiant like a sun incarnate. It blazed across my armor, engulfing me in a fiery aura that surged into the sky. My body levitated slightly from the ground, rocks and debris hovering in midair around me due to the energy field.
I couldn't even focus on the notification properly. The high I was feeling—this adrenaline—was on another level.
The world around me vibrated.
Hulk paused, his instincts flaring up as he sensed the sudden shift in power.
Even in his rage, something inside him—some primal core—knew that the prey had just become a predator.
Everyone on the battlefield, from SPD to Ross's soldiers, froze. That pressure… was suffocating. A spiritual weight that bore down on everything.
But thanks to my Innocence skill, they were protected from the side effects. Just barely.
Then Hulk roared and charged like a wild rhino.
RAAGHHHH!!!
His fist flew like a meteor toward my face.
With a calm breath, I raised a single finger and—
CLANG!
Blocked it.
The shockwave split the air like a thunderclap.
Gasps echoed across the city. Even Ross's jaw dropped. The SPD command center started glitching as sensors tried—and failed—to analyze my output.
I tilted my head slightly, amusement in my voice.
"Hey, big guy," I teased.
Hulk's eyes twitched. He roared louder and tried to pull his fist back.
Didn't budge.
Before he could even react, I cocked my arm back and—
BOOM!!!
Punched him straight into the air.
Hulk's body shot up like a rocket.
Without missing a beat, I shot up after him, flying with pure grid energy radiating from my boots and limbs.
"Oh yeah… I can fly now," I muttered with a laugh.
--- ✦ ---
(General POV – Dino Lab)
Inside the Dino Lab, Tommy stood silently, arms crossed, eyes locked on the screen.
Connor's voice broke the silence. "Since when do Rangers fly?!"
Tommy didn't answer. He knew. He'd seen Rangers ascend past the skies before. But this… this wasn't normal.
Even he couldn't look away.
Kira and Ethan stared wide-eyed, mouths slightly ajar.
--- ✦ ---
(Back to Battle)
I reached Hulk mid-air.
POW!!!
Another punch slammed into his gut.
Then again. And again.
Five consecutive punches.
Each one thundered louder than the last. The fifth one created a shockwave so massive it parted clouds in the sky.
"RAAAGGHHH!!!" Hulk cried, flailing in the air like a ragdoll.
But he wasn't done. That bastard was just getting started.
His eyes glowed green as he absorbed more gamma rays from the atmosphere. He gritted his teeth and roared, shaking the heavens.
I wasn't about to let him power up again.
"Oh no you don't!"
My hand shot out, twin Omni-Blasters forming in my palms.
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
Blue-white bolts of destructive energy surged toward Hulk.
They hit him mid-air, knocking him further back. But instead of weakening him… it made him angrier.
He glared at me with primal fury, aura flaring like a storm.
He screamed as his muscles expanded. The sky turned darker. Clouds twisted around him unnaturally. It was like the atmosphere itself feared him.
"Oh come on!! Is someone juicing this guy?!" I screamed internally.
But it was time to end this.
I summoned my Omni-Saber, the blade bursting into existence in my grip.
Power flooded into it. The grid surged wildly as I focused everything—all my Omni-Force into the weapon.
The blade turned molten gold, energy swirling around it like a sun going supernova.
Then I slashed forward with all my might.
"FINAL ATTACK!!"
The blade emitted a beam shaped like the burning sun itself. Blinding, colossal, and deafening.
It swallowed Hulk whole.
KA-BOOOOOOM!!!!
The explosion shook the sky.
The clouds vanished. The air screamed.
Below, people stared upward, jaws unhinged.
Ross's men couldn't comprehend what they were seeing.
SPD cadets stood frozen in awe.
Tommy and the Rangers were speechless.
Mesogog… well, he was fuming in his fortress.
And from the heart of that explosion… silence.
Then—
THUD!
A figure began to fall.
The flames parted, and I saw him.
No longer Hulk.
Just a man.
Dr. Bruce Banner.
Unconscious. Falling.
I dashed forward, catching him mid-air like a feather in my arms.
I hovered above Angel Grove, sun gleaming behind me, Banner in my arms.
Silence. Utter, reverent silence.
I didn't say a word.
Just stared down at the city.
Because they knew I was a storm in Human form.
--- ✦ ---
Damn. I particularly like this chapter. How was the power up, I gave him guys? Was it good or bad?
Good
Bad