On the chaotic, ruined street, the only sounds were the crackle of burning cars and the occasional pop of exploding tires.
Acrid black smoke and thick dust drifted through the eerie silence of the abandoned block.
The muscular man simply smirked, his grip on the steel door completely unyielding.
Sprawled on the ground, Gwen Stacy stared up at his broad back in absolute awe.
‘Who is this guy?’ She had never seen him before, and he definitely wasn’t one of the known Avengers!
Yet he had just stopped the Lizard’s superhuman strength like it was nothing.
‘Th-That’s impossible!’ Dr.
Connors’ reptilian pupils shrank to pinpricks.
The terrifying, superhuman strength he had sacrificed everything to obtain was being completely manhandled by this random stranger!
He had put every ounce of his monstrous power into that killing blow, yet this man had caught it with a single hand—while keeping the other casually shoved in his pocket!
“Sigh.” Holden’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
“You’re so weak.
You really should have stayed in the sewers.
Why come out here just to embarrass yourself?” As he spoke, a faint blue light flared around his wrist.
If one looked closely, the glowing silhouette of an ox’s head could be seen shimmering beneath his skin.
It was the power of the Ox Talisman!
The talisman granted its wielder unimaginable superhuman strength and limitless stamina, drastically amplifying their physical power, striking force, and overall destructive output.
While it might not be enough to punch out a cosmic entity, against Earth-level villains like this?
It was more than enough.
“You…
you damn freak!” Connors roared, completely unable to stomach the sheer humiliation.
He viciously whipped his massive tail back around, aiming a lethal strike directly at Gwen on the ground.
Seeing the incoming blow, Gwen frantically braced her hands against the asphalt, preparing to roll out of the way.
But in a split second, Holden moved.
He lashed out with a brutal front kick, the sheer velocity of his leg tearing through the air with a deafening sonic boom!
CRASH!
The Lizard was sent flying like a kite with a snapped string, rocketing across the street and smashing headfirst into a brick wall.
The entire structure collapsed around the beast, leaving a massive, cratered hole in the side of the building.
‘What kind of strength is that?!
Is he even human?!’ Gwen was absolutely stunned.
When she fought the Lizard just moments ago, she had felt firsthand the terrifying force he possessed—enough to tear a car in half barehanded.
But against this guy, the monster was swatted away like an annoying fly?!
Holden hadn’t even broken a sweat.
He looked as relaxed as if he had just stepped on a bug.
Gwen seriously wondered if she was hallucinating.
This wasn’t just a difference in power; they weren’t even in the same dimension of strength.
“How much longer are you planning to nap on the street?” Holden asked casually, lowering his leg and glancing down at her.
“Huh?” Gwen blinked, finally snapping out of her daze.
“Oh…
sorry…” She realized she was still sprawled on the concrete.
But just as she braced herself to spring up, a wave of intense masculine cologne washed over her.
To her absolute shock, the mysterious man dropped to one knee and effortlessly scooped her up into his arms.
The sudden princess carry sent Gwen’s brain completely offline.
Her mind short-circuited, and beneath her mask, her face burned hotter than the burning cars around them.
She never expected him to just pick her up like that!
It was the first time in her life a guy had ever carried her this way.
“I-I’m fine!
I can walk!” Gwen finally stammered a few seconds later, instinctively squirming in his grip.
Whether intentional or not, the friction of her twisting against his chest felt incredibly intimate.
Through the thin, skintight fabric of her Ghost-Spider suit, she could clearly feel the searing heat radiating from his palms.
Her heart hammered frantically against her ribs, the large white lenses of her mask widening in shock.
“Mm.” Holden gave a slight nod, his expression indifferent as he stepped aside and released Gwen.
“Are you alright?” From a short distance away, Wanda shot Holden a vicious glare before shifting her attention to Gwen.
Even though Holden was acting perfectly proper right now, she highly doubted he had pure intentions.
“I’m fine,” Gwen replied, turning her gaze toward the woman approaching them.
The moment she got a clear look at her face, her eyes went wide.
“Y-You’re the Scarlet Witch?!
I can’t believe I’m meeting an Avenger!” She practically bounded over to her idol, all the danger from moments ago completely forgotten.
“I’m a huge fan!
I’ve always looked up to you!
Don’t listen to the garbage those protesters are screaming out there; I know that’s not the real story!
And…
wow, you are so pretty in person!” Gwen rambled excitedly.
“Thank you!” Wanda smiled and nodded at the energetic girl.
“Oh, wait, are you a superhero too?” Gwen tilted her head, looking at Holden with a slight frown as she racked her brain.
“How come I’ve never seen you before?” She followed Avengers news religiously; if he had ever been on TV, she definitely would have remembered him.
But this young man was a complete unknown.
“I’m not a superhero,” Holden replied coolly, shaking his head.
Subconsciously, his eyes swept over Gwen’s figure.
’85, 56, 90.
Tsk, tsk!’ For a girl her age, those were some fantastic proportions.
Sure, she wasn’t as tall or as developed as Wanda, but Gwen possessed an entirely different kind of charm.
If Wanda was a melancholic, alluring temptress, Gwen radiated a vibrant, youthful energy.
She felt exactly like a fresh, eighteen-year-old college student.
Just as Holden was busy appreciating the view, the sound of shifting rubble echoed behind him.
The Lizard slowly crawled out of the crater in the wall, panting heavily as he glared at the group.
Seeing the three of them casually chatting in the middle of a warzone made the monster tremble with absolute rage.
They were completely ignoring him!
“Almost forgot you were still here,” Holden dragged his gaze away, looking at the Lizard with clear annoyance.
He had been thoroughly enjoying a reminder of youthful beauty, and this overgrown iguana just kept interrupting.
It was seriously killing his vibe.
“DIE!” Connors roared, completely blinded by fury at Holden’s dismissive attitude, charging at the man like a rabid animal.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
With every step the enraged monster took, the ground trembled, leaving a trail of spiderweb cracks in the asphalt.
“Holden, watch out!” Wanda called out instinctively, seeing the sheer ferocity of the charge.
The monster was clearly going all out.
“He’s incredibly strong, be care—” Gwen dropped into a fighting stance, ready to jump in.
FWOOSH!
Before Gwen could even finish her sentence, a blinding, searing pair of crimson beams erupted from Holden’s eyes.
The terrifying heat vision looked as though it could pierce through anything in existence.
Carrying an apocalyptic force, the lasers instantly blew straight through the Lizard’s chest.
A spray of green blood erupted into the air.
The monster froze in his tracks, his reptilian pupils quivering violently as he looked down in sheer disbelief.
There was a massive, gaping hole right through his torso.
It was so clean you could see the ruined street on the other side.