It was clear that the Lizard could not be reformed by verbal persuasion alone.
At least not until he put down the antenna he was holding - Arthur couldn't fully unleash his speaking powers!
On the rooftop, the black and green figures of Arthur and the Lizard blinked and shifted their positions.
Gunshots, roars, and the sparks of metal clashes flickered incessantly, echoing in the air!
Arthur's form flickered into view, and just as he was about to catch his breath, he saw Lizard hurl the antenna at him like a giant shuriken. Arthur's body flickered again, reappearing behind the Lizard, and he thrust his military knife at the Lizard's back.
But before the knife could land, a massive tail swung at him. Arthur dodged again and appeared above the Lizard.
Switching to a handgun, he fired several shots directly at the Lizard's head! Lizard didn't even look up, crouching low and then suddenly leaping towards Arthur, claws outstretched.
Just as the claws were about to strike, Arthur appeared beneath Lizard, his handgun transformed into a submachine gun!
Bullets sprayed, sparks flew, and Lizard became an airborne target.
With a loud crash, the Lizard hit the ground, his body covered in wounds that began to heal rapidly before Arthur's eyes.
"Without Spider-Man here, this is really tough!"
Arthur's stamina wasn't the problem, but despite unleashing various attacks, the Lizard was still as alive as ever.
Melee combat with this guy was extremely dangerous - the Lizard's strength, agility, and reaction speed were all on par with Arthur's.
Especially his strength! Arthur felt that his own strength was a notch below Spider-Man's, let alone the Lizard's.
Moreover, Arthur lacked any control abilities, relying only on his spatial power to dodge and attack.
While his attacks were varied and sudden, after fighting Arthur for a while, Lizard had begun to anticipate his moves.
Without Spider-Man to distract the Lizard, it became harder and harder to land a blow!
Arthur couldn't rely on frontal confrontations, and he felt like a tiger with no prey to catch.
"If only I had Steve's shield..."
Arthur sorely missed Steve's shield at that moment. If he had it, he wouldn't be so passive against the Lizard's attacks.
Given the Lizard's strength, Arthur didn't dare to take any direct hits.
Even though Arthur's defense should theoretically be high - after all, he was the 'Water Tower' - no one in their right mind would test that theory by getting stabbed. Especially in a situation like this, one hit could mean the end!
Arthur let two grenades slip from his hands. The lizard's tail flicked, sending the grenades back toward Arthur's face.
But Arthur didn't dodge - he suddenly crouched down and closed his eyes.
The next second, a blinding flash erupted, startling the Lizard and stinging his eyes: "These aren't just flash bangs!"
"They've been modified!"
Arthur's form appeared behind Lizard, his hand pressing on the Canali Device strapped to Lizard's back - and pulling it out!
Feeling the sudden loss, Lizard roared, "Give it back..."
"I'm afraid that's not going to happen!"
The voice came from behind, and Lizard spun around to grab Arthur, but caught nothing.
As he whipped his tail around to prevent a sneak attack, the Lizard's vision slowly returned. He looked around in confusion, but saw no sign of Arthur.
A whistling sound came from above. He looked up to see a large red Spider-Man descending from the sky.
With a whoosh, two webs shot out and stuck to the Lizard's arms. Spider-Man flipped in the air, landed, and yanked hard, forcing Lizard into a bridge-like position!
The next moment, Arthur suddenly appeared in the air, descending from above - not with a weapon in his hand, but with the antidote he had taken from Gwen.
**"No..."
The Lizard was shocked, and in an instant, he gathered all his strength and kicked violently into the air!
Arthur gritted his teeth and used the momentum of his fall to brace himself for the impact, but it felt like being hit by a speeding train.
Not only did it stop his descent, it sent him flying back into the air!
After that powerful kick, Lizard hit the ground and landed on his back. He quickly turned around, grabbed the spider web, and with a strong yank, pulled Peter close to him, locking his throat with his tail.
But then he heard a rush of wind and turned his head to see Arthur coming at him again. Lizard swung his tail and knocked Spider-Man away.
Lizard then grabbed both of Arthur's arms with his powerful claws.
"Finally caught you..."
Lizard almost laughed maniacally!
"Laugh at yourself!!!"
Just as he felt a tremendous force pulling at his arms, it seemed as if Arthur was trying to tear him apart.
Arthur tried to cross the room, but his figure only blurred for a moment before staying in place.
"Retrieve!"
Arthur's face flushed, his arms in agony, but he remained incredibly calm.
**[Retrieval Failed!]**
The Disassembler showed the usual error message, but at the points where Arthur's arms met Lizard's claws, the space rippled and pulsed and an indescribable force pushed Lizard's claws away.
As soon as Arthur freed himself, he disappeared from Lizard's sight.
Lizard turned quickly, only to see Spider-Man, who had been thrown aside, leaping back into action.
Arthur reappeared beside Spider-Man: "I have a plan!"
"Tell me quickly!"
Spider-Man panted heavily. He had struggled to get there, and his leg was still injured.
"You keep him busy and I'll take him down!"
Arthur's words were short and to the point.
"Okay!"
Spider-Man replied instinctively, then quickly asked, "And then?"
"After we beat him up, we hold him down and give him the antidote!!!"
That was the ultimate goal, the final step.
The Lizard's transformation came from the serum; injecting him with the antidote would not only reverse his current state but also restore his sanity!
As Arthur finished speaking, the Lizard charged towards them, tail whipping around a metal pipe from the ground and swinging it with a fierce whoosh.
As the pipe swept towards them, Arthur suddenly vanished. Spider-Man shot a web, sticking to a metal device above, and instantly launched himself into the air.
While Lizard's swing missed, Arthur appeared behind him and delivered a powerful kick.
**(End of Chapter)**
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