Chapter 32: Diamondhead

Peter plummeted into the murky sewage with a bone-jarring impact that sent ripples throughout the tunnel system.

The transformed Dr. Connors—now the Lizard—possessed overwhelming strength that pressed down on him like a freight train bearing down on a helpless victim. Peter felt himself being driven deeper into the rushing torrent of waste water, the nauseating stench immediately seeping through his mask. The foul liquid threatened to pour into his mouth, and he fought back the urge to gag as he struggled against his captor's iron grip.

He tried desperately to break free from Connors' powerful arms, but the discovery that followed chilled him to the bone: this lizard monster was incredibly, impossibly strong.

The truth was that after Connors' transformation into the Lizard, he had indeed gained tremendous physical power. Combined with Peter's relative inexperience as Spider-Man—he hadn't yet reached the peak of his superhuman abilities—this contest of strength was ending in a decisive victory for Dr. Lizard. Peter's spider-powers, formidable as they were, simply weren't enough to overcome the raw, primal strength of his reptilian opponent.

At this moment, they were being swept away by the flowing sewage, carried deeper into the labyrinthine tunnel system beneath New York City. The current was strong enough to disorient even someone with Peter's enhanced senses.

Dr. Lizard gripped Peter like an adult grasping a child's wrist, applying pressure with methodical precision as he attempted to crush his adversary's fragile human frame. But even as he squeezed with bone-crushing force, he made a startling discovery: the bones of this costumed vigilante seemed to be far stronger than steel, refusing to yield even under tremendous pressure.

This was definitely a superhuman.

Connors' reptilian eyes narrowed with newfound respect and wariness. This wasn't the first time he'd encountered this particular opponent, but during their previous meeting, the two sides hadn't truly engaged in combat. Now, facing the real thing, he was beginning to understand that this masked hero was far more dangerous than he'd initially assumed.

Peter, meanwhile, was struggling not to drown in the fetid water surrounding him. His lungs burned as he held his breath, and he knew with crystal clarity that he had to escape quickly or risk being overwhelmed by the toxic environment.

Summoning his strength, he drew both legs up to his chest and launched a devastating double-footed kick directly into Dr. Lizard's chest. The impact sent the reptilian monster flying backward through the water, creating a massive splash that echoed through the tunnel system.

Without hesitation, Peter immediately turned and fled through the water, his movements fluid and graceful despite the challenging environment. He moved like a fish in its natural element, using every technique he'd learned to maximize his speed and efficiency.

He had come into this fight expecting to be the hunter, but circumstances had rapidly transformed him into the prey. The role reversal was both humbling and terrifying.

After being kicked away, Dr. Lizard refused to give up the chase. He pursued Peter with relentless determination, his massive form cutting through the water with surprising speed and agility.

His palms were broad and powerful, and while they lacked the webbed digits of a duck, they could still push water with tremendous force. His thick, muscular tail functioned like a living propeller, whipping back and forth with mechanical precision to generate massive thrust. These anatomical advantages allowed Dr. Lizard to swim far faster than Peter in the aquatic environment—in fact, at this moment, he resembled a crocodile more than a lizard, a apex predator perfectly adapted for underwater pursuit.

Like a biological torpedo, he rocketed forward through the tunnel system, smashing through water pipes and wire mesh filters that dared to block his path. Metal twisted and concrete crumbled under his assault as he closed the distance between himself and Peter with terrifying speed.

His razor-sharp claws were like steel blades capable of cutting through iron as if it were soft clay. Every swipe tore through whatever obstacles stood in his way, leaving devastation in his wake. The sound of rending metal and shattering stone echoed through the tunnels like the roar of some primordial beast.

Peter kept twisting his body in seemingly impossible ways, relying on his spider-sense to guide him through a series of gymnastic maneuvers that would have impressed Olympic athletes. Each dodge was perfectly timed, each movement calculated to avoid death by mere inches.

But he could dodge countless attacks—if he failed just once, it would likely cost him his life. The margin for error was nonexistent, and fatigue was beginning to set in.

Fortunately, he wasn't completely without advantages in this nightmarish chase.

His flexible body and enhanced agility made him uniquely suited to navigate the narrow confines of the sewer system. After all, not every pipe was wide enough to accommodate a monster of Dr. Lizard's size and bulk.

"If I had known this lizard was so powerful, I should have switched assignments with Ben," Peter muttered breathlessly, his voice barely audible over the rushing water.

Although he was just venting frustration—there was no way he could actually put Ben in such danger—honestly, if Ben knew what he was thinking at this moment, he would definitely be happy to trade places with him.

At that very moment, in the Oscorp Building, Ben clutched a vial of serum antidote in his hand as he surveyed his surroundings with the wariness of a cornered animal.

The mutated lizard monsters had formed a perfect circle around him, their eyes glowing with predatory hunger in the dim laboratory lighting. Each creature stood roughly four feet tall, their bodies rippling with unnatural muscle mass beneath scales that seemed to shift color in the shadows.

Ben had chosen not to use the serum antidote on these abominations—not only because the antidote had been specifically prepared for Connors, but more importantly, these monsters had been affected by Dr. Animo's Transmodulator device. The antidote might prove completely useless against mutations caused by alien technology.

"The watch's cooldown period hasn't expired yet," Ben muttered, glancing at the Omnitrix on his wrist, which still pulsed with that maddening red glow. "I can only try to buy time."

His heart sank as he realized the full scope of his predicament. When he looked around for Dr. Animo, the mad scientist had completely vanished into the darkness like a ghost, leaving only his monstrous creations to finish the job.

Suddenly, his spider-sense exploded like a fire alarm in his mind! The lizard monsters attacked simultaneously, their dark forms swarming toward him like a plague of locusts blotting out the sky!

Without hesitation, Ben spun the antidote vial in his palm and sent it rolling across the laboratory floor—not to use it, but to get it out of harm's way. Then he grabbed the corner of the nearest examination table with both hands and swung the heavy piece of furniture like a massive flyswatter!

BOOM!!!

The sweeping blow sent several monsters flying across the room, their bodies crashing into walls and equipment with bone-crushing force. The creatures immediately let out shrill screams of pain and rage, but Ben noticed something that made his blood run cold.

The examination table in his hands had completely shattered from the impact, but the monsters were already showing signs of recovery. They had clearly inherited the lizard's incredible regenerative abilities—wounds that should have been debilitating were healing before his eyes, closing up in mere seconds.

Without wasting time on further observation, Ben burst out of the laboratory at full speed.

The next second, the remaining monsters surged forward in pursuit, their claws scraping against the floor like nails on a chalkboard. The narrow laboratory doorway wasn't wide enough for them to pass through simultaneously, but this proved to be only a minor inconvenience.

The reinforced creatures simply smashed through the entire wall section, sending chunks of concrete and steel rebar flying like cannonballs across the building's interior. Dust and debris filled the air as they continued their relentless chase.

"Next time I'm definitely bringing web-shooters!" Ben called out as he ran, making a mental note to never again venture into combat without proper equipment.

Of course, Ben wasn't foolish enough to take the stairs—that would be suicide. Instead, he bent his knees and launched himself upward more than thirty feet, landing gracefully on the wall of the Oscorp Building's central atrium. His enhanced adhesive abilities allowed him to stick to the vertical surface as easily as walking on level ground.

He had initially thought this maneuver would allow him to escape the pursuit of the lizard monsters, but what he discovered next defied his expectations. Although the creatures lacked his bio-electric adhesive powers, their razor-sharp claws could be embedded directly into the wall material, allowing them to climb with the terrifying persistence of the Lickers from the Resident Evil franchise.

And they were fast—unnaturally, impossibly fast.

"I have to lead them to the roof," Ben decided, glancing down at the chaos below.

To be completely honest, if he really wanted to escape, he could easily outrun these monsters using his full speed and agility. But he couldn't allow them to escape from the Oscorp Building—the consequences would be catastrophic.

The thought of even one of these creatures loose in New York City was enough to give him nightmares. Once they reached the sewers, capturing them again would be nearly impossible. Both rats and lizards were naturally skilled at surviving in underground environments, and these enhanced versions would be exponentially more dangerous.

Ben's biggest concern was the possibility that they might trigger new mutation incidents, spreading Dr. Animo's madness throughout the city like a plague.

He spun around and delivered a powerful kick to the nearest lizard monster, sending it tumbling back down the wall. But another creature immediately attacked from his blind spot, its claws aimed at his throat.

Ben didn't even turn his head—his spider-sense guided him as he ducked low to avoid the attack, then grabbed the creature's tail with his free hand in a lightning-fast counterattack.

Tons of enhanced strength exploded from his muscles in an instant!

He spin the captured monster like a medieval weapon.

The air around him hummed with the sound of his improvised flail as he used the creature's own body as a club. Several monsters that had been attempting to surround him were suddenly struck with devastating force, their bodies tumbling through the air like rag dolls.

However, this weapon wasn't destined to last long. Sensing that its tail was trapped, the lizard monster immediately tried to break free by severing its own appendage—a disturbing display of adaptive intelligence. But Ben had already anticipated this move and released his grip, hurling the creature like a missile before it could complete its escape.

The thrown creature knocked down a entire row of its companions like pins in a bowling alley, their bodies crashing into each other in a satisfying chain reaction.

However, Ben's moment of triumph was short-lived. A much stronger sense of crisis spread throughout his body like an electric current, every instinct screaming danger.

A sharp sound of something cutting through the air reached his ears—like a blade slicing through the atmosphere itself.

Ben rolled sideways to avoid the attack, his enhanced reflexes saving him from what would have been a devastating blow.

When he looked up again, a massive shadow fell across him like a dark cloud blotting out the sun.

This was a giant spider, much larger than Ben himself—nearly as tall as an entire floor of the building. It appeared to be wearing natural armor plating, its eight spider legs embedded in the wall like steel spears. Each leg was easily as thick as a telephone pole, and the creature's body was covered in chitinous plates that gleamed with an oily, iridescent sheen.

Ben instinctively took several steps backward, his mind racing to process this new threat.

"Did Dr. Animo also use the Transmodulator on the spiders in the Oscorp Building?" he wondered aloud, though he obviously didn't have time to investigate the creature's origins at the moment.

The giant spider rolled toward him like an armored tank, its massive bulk crushing everything in its path. Ben found himself with nowhere to escape—behind him were the densely packed lizard monsters, still recovering from their collision but already beginning to regroup.

The spider monster's powerful claws attacked like a guillotine blade, the strike powerful enough to cut Ben in half if it connected!

A crisp, ringing sound echoed through the atrium—like the collision of metal against stone!

The spider monster's giant claws trembled violently but couldn't move forward another inch.

What was reflected in its prismatic compound eyes was no longer Ben's human form, but instead a tall warrior with a crystal-clear, angular body that seemed to be carved from living diamond!

Diamondhead had emerged from the Omnitrix's cooldown period just in time.

Ben flexed his crystalline arms and easily snapped the spider monster's giant claws with a sound like breaking glass!

"Sorry," he said, his voice now carrying the resonant quality of his crystal form, "but I don't plan on becoming spider food today."

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