"A month ago?"
"Yes."
The one-eared man—Oz—explained, "Skull Island is surrounded by a massive, raging storm system. If you don't know the safe route, you'll be torn apart the moment you enter."
He winced, sucking in a breath as pain shot through his mangled ear, then continued, "Miss Felicia and Mr. Parker suspected… if Peter's parents hadn't died in that so-called accident years ago, they might actually be on that island."
Hawk raised an eyebrow.
"Howard and Mary Parker?"
"Yes."
"And only Peter and Felicia went ashore?"
"No, there was also an eight-man squad. Because of the time window, the plan was for us on the outside to deliver a month's supplies on that exact day."
"The day after the attack."
"But… our people were all killed. Even the heavily modified supply chopper was stolen."
"Luckily they didn't touch the supplies. That's the only reason I'm still alive."
He shook his head bitterly.
Then, instinctively, he reached for his ear again. The moment his fingers brushed it, his face twisted and he howled in pain.
It wasn't fake. The agony was real.
Hawk watched silently until Oz calmed down, then asked, "Where exactly is Skull Island? Point the way."
Oz pulled out a cracked compass, compared it, then pointed east.
"About fifty kilometers that way, you'll see the storm system. Once inside, compasses fail. This platform is the closest safe staging point."
"Thanks."
Hawk gave a curt nod, ready to leave.
Oz blinked.
"Wait—when's support coming? My ear—"
"They came."
"Where?!"
Oz rushed to the window, staring out over the darkening ocean. He turned back—
But Hawk was gone.
"Shit…"
He stared at the empty doorway, a chill racing up his spine, making him shiver uncontrollably.
…
Moments later, Hawk was already at the edge of the massive storm system Oz had described. Without hesitation, he dove in.
Boom!
The world changed.
Thunder roared as titanic multicolored lightning bolts split the churning black clouds. Enormous whirlwinds spun within the storm, shredding even lightning that touched them.
Hawk sped through, lightning flashing all around.
A crimson bolt the size of a tree trunk ripped toward him.
At the last instant, Hawk flickered aside, letting it slam harmlessly behind him.
He had wanted to test his body against it—
But the memory of Mars stopped him cold. He remembered Thor going berserk, summoning endless lightning. The "pleasant" feeling of it slamming into him had been enough to end that experiment forever.
No thanks.
He pushed harder, accelerating. Within minutes, he burst free of the storm.
And froze.
"Whoa…"
The sight before him was breathtaking.
The sky was sapphire blue. The clouds, brilliant white.
But the ocean below—pitch black, endless, unfathomable.
Clear water is shallow, green water deep, black water bottomless.
Yet something was wrong.
"Wait a second."
"It was night when I entered…"
"Here—it's daylight?"
Time itself was twisted.
He'd been inside less than three minutes—two of them spent debating whether lightning tasted different colors. No way night had passed.
The storm wasn't just weather—it warped time.
As he pondered, his gaze locked on the island ahead.
No need to search. There was only one island in this calm sea. From above, its outline was unmistakable: a massive skull.
Exactly as Oz described.
And eerily familiar.
It reminded Hawk of Knowhere—the hollowed-out skull of an ancient Celestial, where time also flowed differently.
So… was this island the skull of a god?
He narrowed his eyes, studying the land.
Dense jungles covered most of it, massive trees entwined with thick vines. Jagged peaks rose in the center, waterfalls tumbling down into shadowed valleys.
Yet oddly, there was no sign of life.
Hawk hovered closer.
But the instant he neared the coast, an invisible pressure crashed down on him.
His energy plummeted.
"Shit!"
It felt like his power was being crushed into nothing.
He pulled back fast, retreating until the weight lifted. He steadied himself, scowling at the island.
That oppressive presence—he knew it.
It was exactly like the first time he'd felt Mephisto's projection in Africa: the suffocating dominance of a higher being.
A god's aura.
"Don't tell me…" Hawk muttered.
"This really is a god's skull?"
He hesitated.
The wise man doesn't stand under a crumbling wall. Charging blindly in would be stupid. Sure, he wouldn't die—he'd just be reborn in Phoenix fire.
But that didn't make the pain any less real.
And even the Phoenix didn't casually self-immolate before every fight.
Then—
ROAR!!
The jungle below erupted.
A tree the size of a tower ripped free, hurled like a meteor straight at him.
"Well damn."
"Guess someone's home."
Hawk grinned, drove his fist forward.
Boom!
His Supersonic Punch struck the trunk. The moment it crossed into the island's boundary, the speed collapsed to normal sound speed—but even that was enough to shatter the tree into a storm of splinters.
The forest below turned yellow with raining woodchips.
And then he saw it.
The thrower.
Hawk's expression froze.
It rose from the jungle, standing upright. Thirty meters tall, broad-shouldered, rippling with monstrous muscle, its dark fur bristling. It was gorilla-like, but terrifyingly close to human in stature.
"…That's—"
Hawk's eyes widened, disbelief flashing to shock, then to confusion.
"King Kong?"
Jesus Christ.
What the hell was King Kong doing in the Marvel Universe?!
Wait. Wasn't there a one-shot? Avengers versus King Kong?
(And wasn't there even Avengers versus Transformers? Should I add Transformers next…?)
Hawk sucked in a sharp breath, staring down at the towering beast.
King Kong glared back.
And in those massive eyes shone not only animal fury—but intelligence. Duty.
The guardian of this land.
Kong beat his chest, spreading his arms wide, bellowing a thunderous roar at the intruder floating before his home.
"ROOOOAAARRR!!"
"Get out! Leave my island!"
"..."
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]