Marvel: The Enlightened One-Chapter 53: [] - One-Punch—The Lizard (Bonus)

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The monstrous Lizard.

A dangling Spider-Man.

And a dumbstruck Gwen.

Hawk didn’t have time to think. He grabbed Gwen, but in that same instant, a realization hit him. He yanked her back, pulling her into his arms and spinning on the spot, turning his own back toward the Lizard.

CRACK! 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The Lizard’s claws slammed into Hawk’s back with the force of a falling boulder, knocking him clean off the staircase.

In mid-air, Hawk twisted again, taking the impact as his back crashed into a bookshelf below.

The shelf splintered into pieces.

It all happened in a flash. By the time anyone else reacted, the library was filled with a new wave of screams as students scrambled for the exit.

"Hawk!"

The Lizard, perched on the stairs like a true monster, let a low growl rumble in its throat as it stared down at Hawk, who was already getting to his feet. "Blood... Give it to me!"

Okay. So he’s here for me.

Hawk, who felt nothing from the blow other than some dust on his now-disheveled clothes, made a mental note. He instinctively glanced at Gwen, who was also snapping out of her shock. "Are you hurt?"

He was curious about something, though.

If the Lizard was after him, why did that last attack seem like it was aimed directly at Gwen?

It wasn’t just a feeling. It was an instinct. If the Lizard had been aiming for him, it wouldn’t have even come close. To think otherwise would be an insult to the two and a half years of brutal training he’d endured.

Hawk’s first impulse had been to grab Gwen and exit the scene at supersonic speed.

But the moment he considered it, a series of consequences flashed through his mind.

Gwen’s body wouldn’t be able to withstand the sudden g-force. The g-force would crush her like an invisible hand.

Or the fatal air resistance would have torn her apart.

His body was built for supersonic movement—Gwen’s wasn’t. That was why he had changed his plan in that split second, choosing to absorb the Lizard’s attack instead.

It had nothing to do with not wanting to expose his powers in front of his classmates.

He wasn’t afraid of being exposed.

And he certainly wasn’t interested in playing dumb to get the upper hand.

Even when he robbed the Quantico base, the most he’d done for a disguise was wear a hoodie and a surgical mask. He hadn’t even worn gloves. If the military had done a thorough investigation, they probably could have found him.

After all, he hadn’t worn any disguise when he’d scouted the place during the day. A simple check of security footage and some motion tracking would be enough to get a match.

In short:

If he wasn’t afraid of being exposed to the United States military, he sure as hell didn’t care about a bunch of students.

He just didn’t want Gwen to get hurt.

Gwen, who had now fully recovered from the shock, instinctively shook her head.

"I’m fine," she said, before her eyes suddenly widened in alarm.

"Look out!"

WHOOSH!

Hawk threw a punch.

The sheer force of the air pressure slammed into the desk the Lizard had flung with its tail, and the desk disintegrated in mid-air.

"Be careful. He’s incredibly strong!" The warning came from Peter, who was now clinging to the wall like an actual spider.

To be more precise, the Lizard was absurdly strong.

If the Lizard’s strength on the Williamsburg Bridge had been a 1, its strength now was a 3.

Fortunately, Peter healed fast. But while he knew Hawk was strong, he’d never actually seen him fight. Seeing that Hawk was about to jump in, he had to give him a warning.

The voice Peter was using wasn’t his own. Compared to his normal voice, this one was deeper, more guttural.

The change was enough to make Gwen glance up for a second, but she quickly turned back to Hawk and nodded.

"You be careful."

"I will." Hawk gave her a reassuring smile.

Gwen turned, ready to run for cover.

But the instant she turned her back, the Lizard’s pupils contracted. It kicked off the stairs, launching itself through the air—once again, straight at Gwen.

"Holy shit!"

"You’re dead!"

The first line was from Peter. Seeing the attack, he dug his hands and feet into the wall and fired two streams of webbing, which latched onto the airborne Lizard’s back, halting its forward momentum for a fraction of a second.

The second line was from Hawk.

Seeing the Lizard try to kill Gwen right in front of him, his voice turned to ice.

The next second.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A sonic boom ripped through the library. Hawk vanished from his spot, reappearing in the air directly in front of the Lizard. He threw a single, almost casual punch that landed squarely on the creature’s chest.

CRACK!

The Lizard’s chest caved in, instantly exposing the mutated heart within. His body shot backward like a kite with its string cut, a brutal shriek tearing from its throat.

Peter was sent flying with him.

His two web lines were still attached to the Lizard’s back. The force of Hawk’s punch pulled him from the wall, and he let out a startled yell as he was dragged along for the ride.

Luckily, he reacted instantly, severing the web lines. He did a quick flip in mid-air, and all four limbs slapped against the library ceiling, absorbing the momentum.

The Lizard was not so fortunate.

CRASH!

CRASH!

CRASH!

It flew backward, plowing through an entire row of bookshelves on the second floor. With a final, thunderous series of impacts, its back slammed into the far wall. The wall spiderwebbed with cracks, finally stopping its momentum.

It had all happened in the blink of an eye.

After sending the Lizard flying, Hawk reappeared next to Gwen. "Are you okay?"

Gwen just stared, shaking her head numbly. Her mind was stuck on the image of the airborne monster lunging at her.

Peter dropped from the ceiling, landing on the wrecked second floor amidst the shattered bookshelves and cracked floorboards. He saw the state the Lizard was in.

He stared.

The Lizard’s chest was completely caved in. Shards of its own ribs were embedded in its exposed, mutated heart.

The heart was still beating—thump-thump—but the rhythm was slowing, and the creature’s green scales were visibly fading back to pale skin.

One punch...

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