Boom!
Two Skullcrawlers' heads exploded, brain matter writhing inside before their massive bodies crashed back into the ocher haze.
The remaining three, still locked in a three-on-one struggle with Kong, froze at the sight. One, over twenty meters long, screeched furiously and turned on the shadow racing in from above.
Its barbed tongue lashed out like a scarlet whip.
The sound was like metal striking metal.
The creature reeled its tongue back, hauling Hawk toward its cavernous jaws.
In an instant he was wrapped up, dragged toward those teeth.
But just as he was about to be swallowed—
The Cosmo flared.
Bang!
Screech!
Hawk's limbs burst outwards, shredding the tongue to pulp, leaving him floating in mid-air.
The Skullcrawler roared. It felt no pain. Like a machine of flesh, it bit off its ruined tongue itself, then lunged at Hawk again.
"Supersonic Punch!"
Crack!
Its skull twisted aside, but its barbed tail whipped around like a steel scourge.
Hawk smashed another blow into it, sending the hulking reptile crashing back to the canyon floor.
It shook its head, recovered in less than a blink, and charged once more.
"Lightning—"
"Supersonic Punch!"
Boom, boom, boom!
The storm of fists hammered down. Screaming, the beast slammed flat, limbs snapping under the onslaught. In seconds its head pulped into fragments beneath hundreds of strikes.
The ocher dust parted. The Skullcrawler lay still, a strange ichor leaking from its crushed skull.
Meanwhile Kong seized another, gripping its head in both hands. With a roar, he bared his fangs and tore half its skull away in a spray of gore.
He hurled the twitching corpse into the last one, then clamped both fists around its tail.
Smash!
Left, right, left, right—
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The final Skullcrawler shattered against the earth until its head burst apart with a crack.
Kong roared in triumph, pounding his chest, turning toward the smoking pit that spewed ocher fumes.
Come on. Try again if you dare.
The pit gave no answer, but the haze thinned.
Kong caught sight of Hawk approaching the pit. His roar turned urgent, warning him away.
"ROAR!"
"…Relax. I'm just looking."
Hawk smiled back, landing on the ten-meter rim. His Phoenix Cloth helm slid into place as he peered into the depths.
Nothing. The smoke was too thick.
"Could this… lead to the Hollow Earth?"
The thought stirred, but he forced it down. He pulled back, turned, and met Kong's eyes.
Kong roared again—warning. Their nest was below. Dangerous.
Hawk chuckled. "Don't worry. I'm not going now."
Kong seemed to understand, gave a final grunt, then climbed the cliffs and vanished.
Hawk returned with Peter and the hunters to the Iwi village.
He ignored the kneeling worshippers, stepping straight to Felicia's hut.
A while later Peter returned, rushing inside and embracing Hawk.
"God, I knew you'd find us! I thought you'd come in a month… but it's been a year!"
"Peter," Felicia cut in gently. "It's only been a month."
He froze, staring at her.
She nodded. "Outside, only a month has passed."
"What?"
Peter gawked at Hawk. "Only a month outside?"
Hawk smiled silently.
This Peter was not the same as the one back in New York. The change was good. Brighter, freer.
Rules bound him in the outside world. Here, in the wild, he had been released.
The Iwi's looks said it all. They feared Hawk like a god. But they admired Peter as one of their own.
Peter slumped onto a stool, rubbing his face. "So… the Iwi weren't wrong. My parents really did die over a hundred years ago?"
Felicia soothed him. "Think of it this way—they didn't lie. Howard and Mary died of old age."
That was mercy enough.
Howard and Mary Parker hadn't been devoured by monsters. Their plane had crashed near the Iwi's river, and they lived among them until their natural deaths.
That was why the Iwi welcomed Peter and Felicia so quickly—they already knew his parents, and some still remembered the English they'd taught.
Peter nodded slowly. "You're right. At least they died naturally."
He had already accepted their loss, but the time difference still stunned him. "Only a month outside… that's impossible."
Hawk arched a brow. "And you think shooting webs from your wrists is scientific?"
"I…"
Peter opened his mouth, then shut it again. Wise enough not to argue. "What about Aunt May? I told her I might not be back for half a year. She wanted to know about my parents."
Hawk shrugged. "How should I know? The butler told me you were missing, so I came. But when you get back, your aunt's going to be thrilled."
Peter grinned. "Yeah… she's always cared about them."
Hawk chuckled. "Not just them. She's been worried about little Spider too."
Peter blinked. "Little… Spider?"
"…Guess."
Hawk's eyes flicked toward Felicia, who covered her mouth, startled.
Peter's eyes widened. He turned to her in disbelief. "Fel—"
She met his gaze and nodded.
Peter was stunned.
…
(End of Chapter)
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