Chapter 77: Peter vs. Ebony Maw

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several missiles descended from the sky, exploding successively on Black Dwarf's sturdy frame.

Black Dwarf's thick, resilient skin rendered the explosions little more than fireworks, barely significant. The only notable effect was the sheer kinetic force, which caused him to stagger slightly.

Captain America, however, remained entirely unscathed.

Having worked with Iron Man countless times, their synergy was impeccable.

Cap fully shielded himself behind his vibranium shield, which absorbed and neutralized the residual shockwaves from the explosions that managed to bypass Black Dwarf.

With his arm slightly bent, Cap then used the combined power of his shoulder and arm to push forward forcefully.

The earlier explosion's impact, combined with Cap's calculated push, managed to disrupt Black Dwarf's balance.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Black Dwarf stumbled backward repeatedly.

At that precise moment, Captain America dashed forward, leaped into the air, and brought his shield down hard, smashing its edge against Black Dwarf's face.

Black Dwarf's head jerked slightly from the impact.

But the blow didn't cause any real harm.

"Pfft!" Black Dwarf tilted his head and spat out a curse in alien tongue, his eyes brimming with disdain for Captain America.

With a sinister grin, he raised his massive scythe, ready to slash at Cap.

Before he could strike, however, a streak of light descended from the sky.

Boom!

It was Iron Man, making a dramatic return.

Having been dragged hundreds of meters into the air by Ebony Maw's strange powers, Tony had finally broken free and flown back into action.

He landed squarely on Black Dwarf's massive frame, aimed his hands at his opponent's face, and slightly raised his right fist.

Duang! Duang! Duang!

A series of rapid, spring-loaded punches hammered Black Dwarf's head, each blow landing with the force of an electric piston, leaving the giant momentarily dazed.

Still, Black Dwarf's extraordinary resilience meant it wasn't long before he regained his composure.

With a sudden upward motion, he grabbed Iron Man around the waist.

Tony immediately ceased his punches and braced his hands against Black Dwarf's grip, struggling to break free.

But the sheer strength of Black Dwarf was overwhelming. Even with the armor's built-in reverse thrusters, it became a grueling tug-of-war.

Zzzzt—

When one plan failed, Iron Man quickly switched to another.

High-intensity laser beams shot from his hands, striking Black Dwarf's grasp.

Black Dwarf howled in pain and released his grip.

At that moment, Captain America attacked again.

He leaped onto Black Dwarf's back, wrapped his legs around the giant's neck, and began relentlessly bashing his shield into the back of Black Dwarf's head.

"Roar!" Black Dwarf bellowed in frustration, feeling as if his skull was about to split in two.

What's wrong with these two?! Don't they know the concept of honor? Why do they always aim for the head?!

Aren't there bigger, easier targets on my body?!

Black Dwarf silently lamented his predicament.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield...

Peter was locked in a fierce duel with Ebony Maw.

The invisible slashes of psychic blades initially kept Peter on the defensive, forcing him to dodge constantly.

But he quickly adapted to the rhythm of Ebony Maw's attacks, regaining his composure and maneuverability.

Seizing brief openings during his evasions, Peter began counterattacking.

With each motion, he launched multiple quantum web threads.

These webs were lightning-fast and nearly silent.

Even someone as formidable as Ebony Maw found himself repeatedly ensnared.

In just a short time, his face was covered with multiple layers of sticky webbing.

These webs were incredibly adhesive, and once they reacted with the air to solidify, only Spider-Man could use his bioelectricity to remove them.

Ebony Maw tore at the webs repeatedly but could only manage to pull off tiny pieces.

This fight was turning into an exercise in frustration for him.

As a long-range mage, facing an opponent with near-maxed evasive abilities was a recipe for wasted energy.

Finally, the moment Peter had been waiting for arrived!

He maneuvered into Ebony Maw's blind spot—a part of his vision obscured by a thick layer of webs covering one of his eyes. Relying solely on sight to detect Peter was nearly impossible now.

Peter extended both hands, firing webs at two nearby buildings.

[Web Sling Shot!]

His body straightened like an arrow, launching himself directly at Ebony Maw.

Bang!

"Argh!"

Two screams rang out almost simultaneously—from both Peter and Ebony Maw.

Ebony Maw had detected Peter's attack at the last second.

But it was too late to fully evade, so he braced himself, ready to trade injury for injury.

He extended his left hand, forming a psychic barrier around himself, while his right hand flicked two fingers forward, sending a psychic blade slashing toward Peter.

Peter's Spider-Sense screamed a warning of the impending danger.

But he refused to abandon this hard-earned opportunity.

At the last moment, he twisted his body slightly, avoiding a critical hit to a vital area.

His fist, however, smashed heavily into Ebony Maw's psychic barrier.

With over 20 tons of force behind it, the barrier shattered instantly!

Yet, a faint, mocking smile appeared on Ebony Maw's face, tinged with disdain.

"Foolish and primitive creature!"

To the arrogant Ebony Maw, the beings on this backwater planet were nothing more than inferior "animals."

While this particular "animal" was admittedly stronger than most, it was still far beneath him.

Though Peter's punch had broken his psychic shield, the force behind it seemed to have reached its limit.

Meanwhile, Ebony Maw's psychic blade had carved a massive wound across Peter's torso.

The battle was as good as won in Ebony Maw's mind!

However, he failed to notice the faint glow lingering on Peter's seemingly harmless fist.

Splat!

Peter's fist lightly pressed against Ebony Maw's face, the movement appearing utterly feeble and devoid of power.

But in the next instant—

[Quantum Stinger!]

A faint glimmer of light pierced into Ebony Maw's head.

This new skill, being used in combat for the first time, carried all of Peter's hopes.

Pop!

A soft sound followed.

Ebony Maw's expression twisted dramatically, and without hesitation, he severed the flesh near the impact point on his head.

The two combatants disengaged instantly.

Both had paid a heavy price.

Nearly a third of Ebony Maw's head was gone. Had he not reacted so quickly, using his instant-cast psychic powers, he would likely be dead.

Peter, on the other hand, bore a massive wound across his waist and abdomen.

His entire side had been split open, with a large chunk of flesh still hanging from his Spider suit, blood pouring out freely.

The excruciating pain made Peter clench his teeth so hard he couldn't utter a word.

Blood gushed from his side, staining half of his body in moments.

Ebony Maw trembled as he raised his hand slowly.

"Wretched, inferior animal! How dare you harm me? Die!"

(End of Chapter)

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