"Get out of the way!"
Peter shouted.
He didn't need to say it. Spider-Sense had already made the decision for Bant.
The instant the Lizard charged in with a wave of foul wind, Bant and Peter leapt out of the window in opposite directions without hesitation. Midair, they twisted their bodies, firing two strands of webbing that latched onto either side of the window frame.
The webs snapped taut like slingshots, flinging them straight back toward Connors!
"Spider Flying Kick!"
Another brutal flying kick—this time a coordinated pincer attack.
Connors felt as if his head had been smashed by two massive logs used to ring a bell. A sharp crack rang out in his ears—his skull might well have fractured under Bant and Peter's combined blow!
With one strike landing cleanly, Bant and Peter prepared to follow up. But by then, Connors had already gone berserk from the pain.
He whipped his body around. Claws as big as fans tore through the air, generating violent gusts, while his thick tail smashed sideways—collapsing the corridor wall outright!
Bant dodged in a flash.
His body bent with astonishing flexibility, arching backward to narrowly avoid the sweeping tail.
But the next instant, Connors' claws slashed down again. The razor-sharp talons pierced the air like spears, tearing through it with shrill whistling sounds.
His attacks were so fast they left afterimages!
Yet Bant remained calm. He shifted his body without haste, abandoning his vision entirely and letting his movements be guided purely by Spider-Sense, acting on instinct alone.
Missing his strike, Connors snarled and lunged downward. Protruding fangs snapped shut like a guillotine aimed straight at Bant's head.
Bant dropped low at once, knees bent. At the moment Connors' blood-soaked jaws came crashing down, Bant kicked upward violently, a whirlwind erupting as his foot slammed into Connors' lower jaw!
"BOOM!!!"
A dull, thunderous impact echoed.
Even with Connors' massive size and monstrous strength, he couldn't withstand that kick. His body flipped over like a fish on a grill, crashing onto his back with a heavy slam.
Seeing this, Peter didn't hesitate. He dropped straight down from the ceiling, driving a falling smash into Connors' comparatively softer abdomen.
"Boom!"
The blow carried Connors straight through the floor, collapsing it as both of them plunged into the corridor below.
Bant was about to follow when he saw a red-and-blue figure hurled violently back out of the hole. At the same time, Connors' raised spine pierced upward like a blade, stabbing through the ground!
Like a shark's fin slicing through water, Connors carved open the second-floor corridor.
The floor collapsed in a chain reaction, layer after layer giving way as Connors tore through two levels in one go.
At last, he could straighten his body fully and move without restraint.
"This… doesn't look very good," Peter said helplessly, clinging to the wall as he stared at Connors.
They'd only gained the upper hand earlier because of their smaller size, agility, and the cramped space limiting Connors' movements. Even then, their attacks hadn't done much.
Now that two floors had been completely opened up, Connors was far more mobile than before.
Connors threw his head back and roared. The savage bellow turned into a terrifying shockwave, shattering every window in the building at once!
Bant glanced anxiously at the serum. Thankfully, Osborn's vial was sturdy enough—and protected by a double safety mechanism.
"I'll kill you, you hateful little insects!" Connors charged again!
This time, his movements were far more fluid.
Bant and Peter tried to attack from front and back, but Connors faced Bant head-on while his tail whipped behind him like a second arm, making it impossible for Peter to get close.
When that tail swung, it lashed the air so violently it exploded with force.
Peter watched in disbelief as a wall over ten centimeters thick was reduced to powder by a single strike.
Bant's situation was even more dangerous.
Connors focused most of his attention on him, both arms stabbing forward in a dizzying blur.
Though Bant dodged relentlessly, rendering Connors' attacks ineffective for now, the reality was grim—Connors could afford countless mistakes.
Bant could not afford even one.
"What do we do now?!" Peter shouted.
"Web him up—wrap him into a cocoon!" Bant yelled back, flipping backward to avoid another strike.
He knew webbing wouldn't hold Connors for long in his current state. But they only needed a brief opening—even just a few seconds.
"And then?!" Peter pressed.
"Then inject the serum into his eyelid!"
No matter how much Connors' body had hardened—several times tougher than steel—Bant refused to believe even his eyes were indestructible.
Find the weak point. Inject the serum. At the very least, it should weaken Connors… or restore his sanity.
"Dream on, you two bugs!" Connors roared.
He'd clearly heard every word of their shouted plan, and his attacks grew even more vicious.
But for Bant and Peter, who had already changed tactics and abandoned any thought of head-on combat, it no longer mattered.
They pulled back to a safe distance, refusing to engage directly. Like mosquitoes, they harassed him from afar, continuously firing webs at Connors.
Connors tore at the webbing again and again, but soon his body looked as though it were coated in a thin layer of white frost. His movements gradually slowed.
"It's working!" Peter shouted excitedly.
With Connors slowed, Peter grew bolder. He leapt directly onto Connors' body, climbing around him like a true spider, layering web after web over his struggling form.
Only when every last strand of webbing was gone did Bant and Peter stop. By then, Connors had been completely wrapped like a zongzi—his crocodile-like jaws bound shut by Bant's webs as well.
Connors lost his balance and crashed heavily to the ground.
"Finally… Let's hope the serum works," Peter said, picking up the antidote and walking toward Connors' face. He pried open Connors' eyelid with his fingers.
"This might sting a bit, Dr. Connors," Peter said with a relieved sigh, slipping back into his usual banter. "But don't blame me—given how tough you are right now, the only place more fragile than your eyelids is probably your—"
Bant stood nearby, head lowered as he prepared to replace his spent web cartridges.
The next second, a jolt of electricity shot straight up his spine!
In that instant, the world seemed to take on a strange filter. Every hair on his body stood on end as he snapped his head toward Peter—
"Peter, watch out!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs.
But it was already too late!
In a split second, Connors' muscles bulged violently. His scales bristled, turning razor-sharp and slicing straight through the webbing!
He surged to his feet!
The cocoon-like webbing exploded apart!
A massive shadow fell over Peter—
Only then did Peter's Spider-Sense finally react. He instinctively tried to fire webbing to blind Connors, forgetting that he had already used every last drop.
Connors bared a savage grin and backhanded him away, knocking Peter unconscious in a single blow.
Then the monster twisted his body, turning his blood-red eyes on Bant with cruel delight.
"You're next," he snarled. "I'm going to twist your head right off!"
"I was just thinking the same thing."
Bant raised his left hand. The core mechanism snapped open.
"Four-Armed Overlord!"
/-\
~ PLEASE! don't forget to leave a REVIEW!
~ +20 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/Its_Zack
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access Patreon normally.)
/-\
~# Keep the chapters coming - Support with Power Stones!
~# Every 50 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter