Chapter 23

"Not even a scratch!"

Watching Captain Marvel, who had been blown away by his full-powered Kamehameha, simply shake her head and charge again, Hawkins was visibly frustrated.

After all, Captain Marvel in the main universe was capable of blowing up Kree warships with her bare body; even if the 838 universe's Captain Marvel was somewhat weaker, she was still not someone he could defeat with his current level of Kamehameha, nor could Storm or Cyclops.

Seeing this scene, the others were equally astonished, and Nick Fury once again tried to persuade them: "You have no chance of winning. There's no need for further futile resistance. If it truly has nothing to do with you, I won't harm you afterward."

However, how could Hawkins stake his fate on the character of this universe's Nick Fury? Even if Professor X were to compromise, he would not.

So, adhering to the principle of capturing the leader first, he instantly dashed at top speed towards Nick Fury.

If he could capture Nick Fury and use him as a hostage, it would likely force Captain Marvel to cease her attacks, allowing them to retreat safely back to New York.

Once back in New York, it would be much harder for Nick Fury to launch a capture operation against them.

On one hand, he would need to consider the destruction such a battle would cause in New York and whether he could afford the consequences.

On the other hand, he would need to consider the potential casualties among humans if Professor X were to lose control in the city.

Moreover, as long as they could promptly deliver the evidence of Stryker's instigation to the President, Nick Fury would no longer have a legitimate reason to target Professor X.

Additionally, Professor X's public persona was not that of an ordinary civilian; his family business was extensive and not something that could be easily manipulated.

But while the plan was sound, executing it proved to be anything but simple.

Seeing Hawkins charging towards Nick Fury, Captain Marvel immediately abandoned her attempt to capture Professor X and intercepted Hawkins.

Hawkins was fast, but Captain Marvel was not only faster but could also fly.

"Child, stop, I assure you, if you just listen, Fury won't harm you."

Seeing that Hawkins was just a child, Captain Marvel stopped him without launching an immediate attack.

"But I don't quite see it that way. Maybe you don't really understand him!"

Hawkins narrowed his eyes and assumed a Turtle School fighting stance.

If energy attacks were useless, he would have to resort to close combat, which he excelled at.

"I don't understand him? He's my husband, how could I not understand him?"

However, Captain Marvel's next words made Hawkins halt mid-move.

What? Captain Marvel and Nick Fury were married!

But after a moment's thought, it didn't seem so incongruent; after all, both were African-American, a matching racial and skin color pairing.

Moreover, Maria Rambeau in the main universe was married early and had a daughter, clearly unlike Carol who wasn't much interested in marriage or romance.

It was natural for the two to have fallen in love and married after experiencing the Kree event together.

This also explained why Captain Marvel was not aiding other planets enslaved by the Kree in the universe at this time, but instead staying on Earth to assist Nick Fury.

"Triple Afterimage Fist!"

Regaining his composure, Hawkins launched his attack again.

Whether or not Captain Marvel and Nick Fury were spouses, they were currently his adversaries.

Leaving three afterimages to confuse her, Hawkins's true form appeared above Captain Marvel and his hands ferociously chopped towards her neck.

His target was the brainwave interference device on Captain Marvel's neck. Even if he couldn't knock her down, damaging the device would allow Professor X's mental control to take effect.

He didn't believe that Captain Marvel could completely resist Professor X's psychic control.

Yet, Captain Marvel's abilities exceeded his expectations as she swiftly dodged his strike and caught the back of his shirt, lifting him up.

"Your speed is indeed fast, but you can't escape my notice. Since you won't listen, I have no choice but to knock you out."

Seeing Captain Carter and Black Widow struggling in their fights, and Agent May's S.H.I.E.L.D. agents largely neutralized, Captain Marvel decided not to waste more time and raised her hand to knock Hawkins unconscious.

"It seems I have no choice!"

Faced with such dire straits, Hawkins held nothing back.

He managed to knock off the Mickey Mouse sunglasses he wore on his face with his tail, his eyes fixing on the full moon above.

"Thump, thump. Thump, thump thump thump."

In an instant, his heart seemed to be stimulated, beginning to beat rapidly, and his body swiftly expanded, tearing through his martial arts uniform and breaking free from Captain Marvel's grasp.

"What's happening to this kid?"

As his body grew larger, sprouting more and more hair, and finally transforming into a gigantic ape fourteen or fifteen meters tall, even Captain Marvel was taken aback and flew back a distance.

"Roar!"

Hawkins howled at the moon, his eyes blood-red with an uncontrollable rage and destructive desire flooding his brain, incessantly telling him to destroy everything.

If he had been just a low-level warrior like Goku, he would have completely lost his mind by now.

Fortunately, under the main character template, in addition to Goku's personality, it was still Hawkins himself who held the dominant consciousness, allowing him to retain a sliver of clarity.

Although he still couldn't suppress the anger and destructiveness in his mind, he focused his target on Captain Marvel floating in the air.

His powerful fists smashed the ground twice, the tremendous force immediately fracturing the ice-covered earth.

Opening his mouth, he unleashed an energy cannon ten times more powerful than the regular Kamehameha, blasting directly at Captain Marvel.

"Boom!"

Even as Captain Marvel released energy from her body at the last moment, she was still blown away.

"Roar!"

With another roar, Hawkins leaped up, catching up with the airborne Captain Marvel, clapping his hands together and forcefully slamming her down.

What followed was a ground-shattering barrage of hammering blows and a mad outpour of energy waves from his mouth.

At thirteen, Goku had climbed Korin Tower, defeated Mercenary Tao, and had a power level that should have surpassed 120, around 140, as Mercenary Tao's power level was 120.

With the Great Ape transformation boosting his power level tenfold, his power was about 1400, nearly matching that of Raditz.

Raditz had a power level of 1500, which normally allowed him to decimate a planet's civilization on his own.

Considering that Demon King Piccolo, with only a power level of 260, had single-handedly conquered the technologically advanced Dragon Ball Earth's capital and almost produced a mushroom cloud with his full-force energy attack during his final battle with Goku.

Thus, in his Great Ape form, Hawkins indeed had the power to battle this universe's Captain Marvel.

(End of Chapter)