Marvel: The Enlightened One-Chapter 72: [] - The End of Hawk’s Revenge

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The once-beautiful, exquisitely crafted cabin on the shore of Culver Lake had, in the blink of an eye, been utterly obliterated by the shockwave, reduced to nothing more than a pile of splintered wood.

The ground beneath Hawk’s feet was a web of deep fissures.

A low growl echoed from the ruins, growing louder, closer.

Until— 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A massive, pure green form erupted from the wreckage like a cannonball, blasting aside the debris that buried it and stomping back into view.

The next second, The Hulk roared, the ground shattering with every step as he charged like a colossal, raging bull.

Hawk didn’t hesitate. He dug his heels in, the cracked earth beneath him turning to dust as he launched himself forward, becoming a streak of light in the afternoon sun, rocketing to meet the Hulk’s charge.

"HUUUUUUUUUUULK!"

"ROAR!"

CRACK!

BAM, BAM!

Within his Cosmo, the flames of battle burned brighter.

Hawk, now a living cannonball, slammed into the Hulk’s massive chest. His momentum didn’t slow; he drove the green behemoth backward, sending him crashing through the treeline at the edge of the lake.

One after another, thick, ancient trees snapped like twigs under the Hulk’s immense weight.

As he was driven back, the Hulk roared in fury, hammering his fists against Hawk’s back again and again.

A flush of red colored Hawk’s cheeks, but the light of his Cosmo only grew more brilliant.

There was no technique here.

No fancy martial arts.

As Hawk drove the Hulk toward the waters of Culver Lake, he simply endured the bone-shattering blows to his back while his own right fist became a blur, slamming repeatedly into the Hulk’s side.

The Hulk’s eyes burned with rage.

Hawk’s eyes grew colder than ice.

CRASH!

Hawk drove them both into Culver Lake. Their bodies shattered the frozen surface, sending twin geysers of water into the air. The moment they hit the water, Hawk used his smaller frame to his advantage, planting his feet firmly on the Hulk’s massive chest. Even as they plunged into the icy depths, his eyes remained cold, his fists relentlessly pounding the green giant beneath him.

He had chosen his battlefield during his reconnaissance trips.

Culver Lake.

Or more specifically, the bottom of Culver Lake.

After awakening his Cosmo, Hawk had gained complete mastery over his senses. He could fight underwater as easily as he could on land, his Cosmo sustaining him without the need for air.

The Hulk, however, could not.

As strong as he was, he still needed to breathe. He had been knocked unconscious by a lack of oxygen at high altitudes before, and even during his final battle with Thanos, he’d had to surface for air.

And so, Culver Lake was the grave Hawk had chosen for him.

But the Hulk clearly wasn’t ready to be buried.

With a single, massive swat, the Hulk sent Hawk flying, then immediately began clawing his way toward the surface. But Hawk was just as agile in the water as he was on land. He righted himself, and with a surge of power that sent a shockwave through the water, he instantly reappeared beneath the Hulk, grabbing his massive leg and dragging him back down into the depths.

The entire lake began to boil.

Geyser after geyser erupted from the surface as the layer of ice continued to shatter.

Gwen, who had witnessed the entire spectacle, was completely stunned. When she finally snapped out of it, she ran to the edge of the lake, peering into the churning water.

The Hulk, with his massive size and green skin, was easy to spot.

Hawk was not.

Gwen strained her eyes, watching the Hulk thrashing below the surface, his limbs flailing as if fighting something unseen. A wave of relief washed over her.

If Hawk were losing, the Hulk would have already surfaced.

The fact that he hadn’t—that he was still on the defensive—could only mean that Hawk had the upper hand.

Just as she was processing this, she heard footsteps behind her.

Gwen snapped back to reality, an idea striking her as she spun around.

She saw her.

The woman in the black jumpsuit, the one who had been sleeping on the roof of her car, was now awake, walking toward her with a pale, unsteady gait.

Natasha’s gaze was fixed on the lake, where geysers were still erupting from the epic battle below. As she tried to locate the Hulk in the murky depths, she reached into her pocket, pulling out a communicator to contact her headquarters.

As for Gwen?

Since she hadn’t appeared with Hawk, Natasha simply assumed she was an innocent bystander.

And then...

THWACK!

Just as she was about to dial, Natasha froze. She subconsciously reached for the back of her head, then turned around.

She saw her.

Gwen, holding a thick tree branch she must have picked up from somewhere, stared back at her. Her eyes were a complex mix—thirty percent nervousness, thirty percent apology, thirty percent determination, and ten percent worry.

What’s with the weird look?

The thought flashed through Natasha’s mind. Then, her eyes rolled back in her head, the communicator slipped from her grasp, and she collapsed.

And just like that.

The Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, a top agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., was taken down by a single blow from a high school girl who wouldn’t even be eighteen for a few more days.

No one would ever believe it.

Gwen gasped as Natasha crumpled, quickly dropping the branch and catching the unconscious agent before she hit the ground.

She looked at Natasha’s limp form, her lips pressed together. After a moment’s thought, she wrapped her arms around the agent’s waist and began to slowly, painstakingly drag her away from the battle.

Gwen’s actions had been pure instinct.

She’d seen Natasha with Bruce Banner; they were obviously on the same side. And it was clear Natasha had been about to call for backup.

She couldn’t let that happen.

Hawk was here for his sister’s revenge. It was his right.

So, Gwen had acted. But she hadn’t wanted to hurt Natasha. And if she left her here, the fight between Hawk and the Hulk could easily harm her while she was unconscious. So, Gwen decided to pull her from the battlefield.

This was a war between Hawk and the Hulk.

Hawk wasn’t using any dirty tricks, and he hadn’t hurt any innocents.

So the Hulk couldn’t either.

One-on-one.

That was the only way it would be fair.

...

Beneath the surface.

With a final, massive splash, the Hulk’s body hit the bottom of the lake, carving two deep trenches in the mud as he slid to a halt.

Never let a wounded enemy escape. Press the advantage.

BAAAAAAAAM!!!!

Hawk, who had come for the Hulk’s life, shot forward, a powerful surge of water blasting behind him. He appeared before the Hulk in an instant, his right fist driving forward.

In an instant, the Hulk’s body arched in agony, the very lakebed beneath him cracking and collapsing. A cloud of mud and silt erupted, momentarily obscuring Hawk’s vision.

The next second, the lakebed began to churn, as if a giant earthworm were burrowing through it. In the blink of an eye, the disturbance had moved thirty feet away.

"Trying to run?"

"You think you can escape?"

Hawk sneered. He watched the rapidly moving disturbance in the lakebed and shot after it, his right fist ready to strike again.

The Hulk burst from the mud, his eyes wide with rage. He roared, taking the full force of Hawk’s punch with his chest. He was sent flying backward again, but as he flew, he threw something he had dragged from the lakebed at Hawk.

It was a small motorboat, covered in moss, that had clearly been sleeping at the bottom of the lake for years.

Hawk saw the boat hurtling toward him but didn’t dodge. He met it head-on.

CRASH!

Hawk’s momentum was broken for a split second.

The motorboat shattered, the two halves flying past him and continuing on their trajectory.

But that single moment was all the Hulk needed.

BAAAAAAAAAAAAM!

The surface of Culver Lake erupted in a spray of boiling water. A green head burst through, and the Hulk began to greedily suck in fresh air.

Gwen, who had just dragged Natasha to a safe distance, was panting with exertion. She looked back at the lake just in time to see the green head emerge and let out a startled gasp.

Just then...

The Hulk, now halfway out of the water, seemed to remember something. He froze in mid-air and looked down, roaring at the surface below.

Hawk, who had caught the Hulk’s right leg at the last possible second, smiled coldly. With a massive burst from his Cosmo, he put all his strength into it, dragging the Hulk—who had been so close to freedom—back down into the icy depths of Culver Lake.

Dragged back into the water, the Hulk saw the surface just out of his reach. He spread his arms and legs, trying to claw his way back up.

But it was too late.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The Hulk’s back slammed into the lakebed once more. He was about to try the same escape maneuver again, but Hawk was already on him, driving a fist into his chest and sending him sprawling before he could even start to burrow.

"Don’t you know? The same move never works on a Saint twice!"

"Die!"

"HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULK!!"

"ROAR!!!!!"

"Sonic Fist!!"

BAM, BAM, BAM, BAM!

Beneath the surface, the water churned violently.

Above the surface, geysers shot into the sky.

One after another, massive pillars of water erupted from the lake, accompanied by thunderous booms from below. Gwen, who had run back to the shore, could only stare, completely dumbfounded by the sight.

But soon...

With a final, deep thud from below, the last geyser fell, and the roiling lake became calm, its surface returning to a glassy stillness as if nothing had ever happened.

By the time Gwen realized what had occurred, Culver Lake was as peaceful as it had ever been.

This is...

The fight is over?

Who won?

Gwen’s eyes were wide, unblinking as she stared at the surface of the lake, her heart pounding with anticipation, terrified that the next thing she saw wouldn’t be the outcome she was hoping for.

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