Chapter 257: Hulk vs Venom
Time passed gradually. One hour later.
Hulk's face showed zero fatigue traces. Conversely, Venom Robin's speed decreased progressively. His already-incompletely-manifested strength diminished increasingly.
"Batman, quickly give me chocolate!" Venom Robin shouted toward Batman.
Batman turned deaf ears, standing motionless while observing Venom Robin—whose punches couldn't even shift Hulk's body—knowing shortly he'd approach critical limits.
Dr. Octavius obviously also noticed Venom Robin's current condition. His four rear mechanical tentacles all danced upward, prepared responding anytime to potential changes when Venom Robin approached limits.
BANG!
Venom Robin's fist once again struck Hulk's thigh. Still couldn't shift him whatsoever.
Venom Robin grew increasingly weak. He retreated several steps, both arms hanging at his sides, head lowered without further movement.
"Hulk isn't tired yet." Hulk beckoned Venom Robin from distance.
This time Venom Robin didn't acknowledge Hulk. His pitch-black symbiote arms rippled. Vaguely, both arms appeared stronger than before.
"Stealing my chocolate, calling me fly..."
Venom Robin murmured quietly. His current state resembled someone approaching desperate straits—body beginning producing adrenaline. Endless strength began surging from within toward his limbs.
He charged toward Hulk again. Then once again got swatted away by Hulk.
"Not enough yet."
Venom Robin gritted teeth. Symbiote matter expanded once more.
This time his fist finally forced Hulk retreating half a step.
"Still not enough!"
Venom Robin roared. Under surging internal strength reinforcement, he repeatedly charged toward Hulk—identical to initial battle scenes.
But currently, each time Venom Robin got swatted away, his body expanded somewhat. Pitch-black symbiote matter gradually writhed, wrapping bandage combat suit inside.
Another ten minutes passed. Venom Robin had completely transformed appearance.
His physique matched Hulk's height. Metal-lustrous pitch-black symbiote matter formed tightly-twisted muscle groups across his body surface.
His blood-basin mouth opened wide, displaying full sharp teeth. Scarlet long tongue nearly reached his chest.
After prolonged combat without chocolate's phenylethylamine supplementation or moonlight illumination, Venom Robin's appearance unmistakably prioritized Venom—no Eclipse Knight traces remained.
"SCREECH!"
Venom's mouth released one ear-piercing shriek, leaping high.
BOOM!
Laboratory ceiling was crashed through, creating one broken hole. Venom's body shot mid-air, then rapidly descended via free-fall, once again puncturing the laboratory.
THUD!
One muffled impact—Venom's fist solidly collided with Hulk's. Nearly-visible shockwaves rippled outward from their fist contact.
CRASH CLATTER!
Laboratory's fragile glass containers were blown by shockwaves, falling groundward. Various colored experimental chemicals spilled on floors, then spread into thin layers by subsequent shockwaves.
Professor Morbius opened underarm wing membranes, once again borrowing wind force to levitate airborne.
Dr. Octavius on the moonlight platform used four mechanical tentacles firmly grasping ground. Facial skin displayed consecutive wind-blown ripples.
Only Batman stood motionless in position. Arkham suit rapidly recording Venom's current comprehensive data.
CRACK! CRACK!
As shockwave center, both Hulk and Venom's feet simultaneously trampled laboratory floors into fragments.
Both monsters' fists—after one strike—didn't separate. Instead simultaneously clenching another fist, viciously smashing toward opponents, colliding once more.
This time—no longer muffled sounds but nearly like thunderous roars. Fist-collision sounds caused laboratory lights flickering bright-dark. Massive piles of originally firmly-secured experimental equipment also dropped groundward.
This time—no longer shockwaves but centered on both monsters' second fist collision—one visible circular vacuum briefly appeared, then rapidly vanished.
This resulted from their excessive strength forcibly compressing air outward, creating brief vacuum environments in that small area.
Vacuum existence persisted under one-hundredth second. But Batman still clearly recorded it.
Rapidly-compressed air swiftly refilled vacuums within short timeframes. Suction spontaneously generated, drawing airborne-levitating Professor Morbius toward both monsters' direction.
Simultaneously, Dr. Octavius's body also suspended. Though mechanical tentacles firmly grasped ground, his body still staggered several times toward both monsters.
Batman still stood motionless in position. Only when Morbius uncontrollably got sucked over did he extend his hand, catching him.
"This is Robin's original appearance?" Professor Morbius rapidly retracted wing membranes, casting grateful glances toward Batman while asking somewhat fearfully.
"Yes." Batman spoke concisely.
"This powerful? How did you originally defeat him?" Professor Morbius frowned repeatedly.
He'd originally assumed himself being thorough monster. But now appears everyone on North Brother Island resembled monsters more than him—especially Batman.
Batman recalled encountering Venom's scene. He'd spent over ten seconds understanding Venom's symbiote matter characteristics, then another ten-plus seconds attempting different tactics.
Ultimately with flash grenades and specially-formulated web fluid assistance, he'd spent another ten-plus seconds resolving Venom.
"Some planning." Batman answered.
But currently Professor Morbius's attention had already shifted from Batman, instead staring wide-eyed at Venom and Hulk.
Though Venom's muscles appeared robust, Hulk's taut skin beneath nearly-fiber-pulling muscles possessed even greater explosive power.
As both fist-wrestled, Hulk's playful expression vanished. Instead gritting teeth while deadly staring at opposing Venom, gradually forcing his fist toward Venom's chest.
Observing impending disadvantage, Venom's body muscles began solidifying again. His back slowly arched. Broad spine plus powerful arms simultaneously exerted force, gradually recovering the situation.
---
After confirming Batman as his mission target, Hawkeye didn't immediately move.
He still sat cross-legged on the dilapidated apartment bed, crafting daytime-purchased materials into arrow shafts, inserting them one-by-one into his quiver.
Only after filling the quiver did Hawkeye stand, walking to windows while observing the unreasonably-bright moon in the sky.
"I still don't confirm whether Batman represents SHIELD's assigned target or Hydra's."
"In other words—currently in others' eyes, am I Hydra spy or SHIELD agent?"
Hawkeye quietly asked himself, then opened windows and leaped outward.