Bang!
With a loud bang from the direction of the elevator shaft, Dr. Lizard hoisted the elevator out and swung it directly toward Holm.
Seeing the elevator falling toward him like a meteor hammer, Holm swiftly retreated, allowing the massive structure to crash in front of him.
Crack!
The elevator slammed into the ground, deforming on impact and creating a deep crater in the floor. The reinforced materials of Stark Tower held up surprisingly well under the assault; if it had been an ordinary building, the blow alone would have breached it entirely.
As Holm observed the elevator embedded in the floor, he jumped onto it and ran a few steps along the taut steel cable. With a sharp motion, he shaped his hands into a broader and keener giant blade, aiming it at Dr. Lizard.
The pitch-black blade glimmered coldly under the dim moonlight. Dr. Lizard confidently stretched out his hand to grab the blade. In his mind, his defense was impenetrable. Even if this peculiar weapon could pierce his skin, it would never cut through his bones.
Reality, however, was not as forgiving. Holm's powerful strike split Dr. Lizard's palm cleanly in half before cleaving into his shoulder and severing his entire right arm.
"I recall you were missing a left arm earlier," Holm quipped with a grin. "Now it's perfect. You can experience life without a right arm too."
"Damn it! I'll kill you!" Dr. Lizard roared in fury, but before he could finish his threat, a thick ball of spider silk shot out from the side, covering his mouth and yanking his head backward.
Simultaneously, another strand of spider silk latched onto his remaining left arm, rendering him unable to tear the adhesive apart. During the clash between Holm and Dr. Lizard, Spider-Woman, having replaced the reagents, had maneuvered to Dr. Lizard's flank.
While Dr. Lizard's tail still posed a threat, Venom eliminated the opportunity. Sharp tentacles pierced through Dr. Lizard's scales and burrowed into his flesh, pinning the tail firmly to the ground.
With Dr. Lizard momentarily restrained, Holm wasted no time. He transformed his hands into sharp blades and plunged them into Dr. Lizard's neck. Despite Dr. Lizard raising a freshly grown, awkwardly sized hand to block the attack, the blade pierced through his palm effortlessly.
Green-tinged blood gushed from the wound, drenching Holm's blades. Holm attempted to twist Dr. Lizard's head off, but the creature tensed his muscles and gritted his teeth, trapping the blades in his neck and halting any further motion.
"You! Can't kill! Me!" Dr. Lizard rasped through clenched teeth. His jagged, yellow eyes glared at Holm as his voice emerged hoarse and defiant. The spider silk covering his mouth had been shredded by his razor-sharp teeth.
As Dr. Lizard spoke, the wound in his neck ceased bleeding. Holm could feel his trapped hands being immobilized by the tightening muscles, while the spider silk binding Dr. Lizard's left arm weakened under the strain.
"How does this ugly freak heal so absurdly fast?!" Venom's incredulous voice echoed in Holm's mind. "He's not dead even with a blade lodged in his neck?!"
Holm shared the sentiment, focusing all his strength on forcing his blades deeper. The healing capabilities of ordinary lizardmen were already astonishing, but Dr. Lizard's regenerative abilities defied all logic.
Dr. Lizard wasn't just healing—his entire physiology seemed abnormal. The notion of using muscle power to trap a weapon in one's neck was baffling enough, but the fact that his body could halt the bleeding and begin regenerating while under attack was beyond comprehension.
Just as Holm's strength began to overpower Dr. Lizard, allowing his blades to inch forward, Spider-Woman's urgent warning rang out.
"Watch out! My spider silk won't hold him much longer!"
As she shouted, Gwen fired additional webs at Dr. Lizard's left arm. However, the creature's limb was now coated in a slick, light-green mucus that rendered the webs ineffective. His scales also began to stand upright like tiny blades, slicing through the remaining spider silk that restrained him.
Before Holm could react to the warning, the weakened spider silk snapped. Dr. Lizard's freed left hand struck Holm's chest with immense force, launching him backward.
Holm crashed onto the floor, creating new holes and cracks in the already damaged surface. A sticky black liquid oozed from his chest wounds as Venom worked frantically to heal the deep gashes left by Dr. Lizard's claws, which had cut all the way to the bone.
Not far away, Spider-Woman leapt into the fray, taking Holm's place to keep Dr. Lizard occupied. It was imperative to buy time until the serum was ready to deploy. Preventing Dr. Lizard from reaching the device was the highest priority.
"You monstrous freak!" Gwen shouted as she fought, her voice trembling with fury. "A devil consumed by ambition and savagery! Do you have any idea how many people you've killed? How many lives have been shattered because of you? How many families you've torn apart?!"
Dr. Lizard smirked coldly, effortlessly tearing through the webs Gwen shot at him. "What a naïve little wall-crawler," he sneered. "No wonder you hide behind a mask and play the thankless hero."
He struck again, forcing Gwen to dodge as he continued. "This world is cruel. Death is inevitable where humans exist. Instead of dying for meaningless reasons, it's better to serve a higher purpose—to contribute to the advancement of science and hasten the dawn of a new era."
"They should thank me," Dr. Lizard declared, his voice filled with twisted conviction. "I've given their insignificant lives meaning. My experiments have illuminated the path to progress, elevating their ordinary existence into something extraordinary."
Gwen shot another web, her frustration mounting as it failed to stick. Dr. Lizard's grin widened as he threw her aside effortlessly.
"Come to think of it," he mused, his voice taking on a chilling tone, "not all my subjects whined and wailed like you do. There was one… a quiet, timid student who wanted to be special, just like you."
Gwen froze momentarily, her heart sinking as Dr. Lizard continued.
"It's a pity his awakening came because of you, rather than recognizing the brilliance of my work. Still, he was different from the others—not a coward, at least."
Dr. Lizard tilted his head, as if trying to recall a memory. "What was his name again? Peter… Peter Peck? Ah, yes. That was it. Peter Peck."
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