Carol coughed twice as she struggled to her feet, her body aching all over. "Seriously? Playing the victim just to sucker-punch me?"
The bar's interior was in ruins, shattered furniture and debris scattered everywhere. But despite the impact, she wasn't in any real danger.
Although that last attack had looked powerful, 'Martian Manhunter' had been careful to control his strength. He never intended to take her life.
As Carol steadied herself, she looked up, only to see a towering, ten-meter-tall green behemoth. The creature had smashed through the bar's roof and was now reaching for her with a massive hand.
"Back off, big guy!"
At this point, Carol had no doubt that this alien wasn't a Skrull. If every Skrull had this kind of transformation ability, the Kree Empire wouldn't have been fighting them all this time. They would have surrendered already.
But whatever he was, she didn't have time to think. Right now, her priority was stopping that enormous hand from crushing her.
Photon energy surged in her hands again as she fired pulse after pulse at his massive form. But now that 'Martian Manhunter' had fully unleashed his shapeshifting abilities, his body was on a completely different level.
Even at full power, Carol's photon blasts couldn't so much as scratch him.
This was a body capable of going toe-to-toe with Superman.
So why was he displaying such overwhelming strength now when he was supposed to be looking for an opportunity to lose?
Because he wanted to leave an unforgettable image in everyone's mind, to make sure they saw his power while also revealing a critical weakness.
And with Carol's attacks proving useless, there was nothing stopping 'Martian Manhunter' from closing his fingers around her, locking her in an unbreakable grip.
"Ahh!! Let go of me!!"
Even though the Kree Starforce suits were built with advanced technology, they were still standard-issue, nothing compared to the specialized wargear of an Accuser like Ronan.
The suit's defenses weren't nearly strong enough to withstand this level of force and, as 'Martian Manhunter's' grip tightened, Carol felt like every bone in her body would shatter at any moment.
Yet, in that excruciating moment, something inside her ignited.
Her body erupted with an even more intense surge of photon energy. This time, it wasn't just from her hands; the energy burst from every part of her body.
"What?!"
Sensing the overwhelming power surging from Carol, 'Martian Manhunter' put on a shocked expression at just the right moment.
And then—
A devastating photon pulse exploded outward, engulfing the entire bar in a blinding wave of energy.
...
"Oh my God," Coulson gasped, "what kind of monsters are these two?!"
He had barely managed to get out of the bar before Carol was sent crashing back into it. He and Fury had stepped outside just in time to avoid getting caught in the destruction, but now they were witnessing something far beyond what they had expected.
'Martian Manhunter's' monstrous transformation.
Carol's overwhelming photon energy.
Coulson felt that even if he drank an entire bucket of Scarlet Serum, the laser energy he could unleash wouldn't even come close to what Carol was doing now.
Fury, however, remained composed. Initially, he had assumed that the disguised alien was simply a Skrull with an unusual ability. After all, humanity had mutants among them, so why wouldn't Skrulls have exceptional individuals as well?
But now, he realized the truth. The one impersonating Reid was not a Skrull. He was something far more dangerous.
Skrull disguises, no matter how convincing, were ultimately limited. As long as their numbers remained low, their infiltration of Earth was manageable. They had only two options: remain hidden forever or risk exposure and face relentless pursuit.
But this green-skinned alien…
Fury could already tell.
To human society, he wasn't just a threat. He was something far beyond that: a force that could turn their entire world upside down.
Not only could he shape-shift, but he also possessed overwhelming strength, far beyond human comprehension.
And that wasn't even the worst part. He also had psychic abilities.
Before Fury could dwell on the implications, a series of gas canisters inside the wrecked bar detonated, igniting the ruins in an instant.
Flames spread rapidly, engulfing the entire site in an inferno.
Everyone present, including Carol, still trapped in 'Martian Manhunter's' grasp, was momentarily stunned.
Because for the first time since the fight began, 'Martian Manhunter' showed something other than power and control.
He showed fear.
"HELP!! HELP ME!!!"
A look of pure terror twisted his face as he flung Carol aside, sending her crashing into the ground.
But he himself was still in the flames, 'Martian Manhunter's' massive form, which had towered at ten meters, now began to shrink. His body twisted and shrank as he reverted to his original form.
And then, his skin started to burn.
Not from the external flames, but something deeper; something burning from within.
"What the hell…?" Carol pushed herself up, watching in disbelief.
The fire, which should have posed no real harm to anyone of his strength, was causing him unimaginable distress. His own body had begun to combust.
She could see it clearly, if this continued, he wouldn't just be injured—he would die.
In the distance, Fury felt a rush of excitement. If this fire could eliminate an alien who posed a massive threat to humanity, then it couldn't be any better.
Unfortunately for him, 'Martian Manhunter' wasn't going to die. The self-immolation was a ruse.
His agonized screams were just an act. He was stalling, waiting for Carol to step in. And if she didn't, he could still walk out of the flames on his own, though that would reveal too much of his true capabilities.
And sure enough, to Fury's disappointment, Carol moved.
Without hesitation, she rushed into the burning wreckage, her Kree suit shielding her from the flames as she tackled 'Martian Manhunter' to the ground.
She shoved him onto the sandy roadside, frantically smothering his body with dirt to extinguish the fire.
Gradually, the flames dimmed.
'Martian Manhunter' let out a heavy breath, feigning exhaustion as he looked up at Carol with gratitude in his eyes.
"Thank you… for saving me," he spoke weakly.
Carol scoffed, shaking the dust from her hands.
"Don't thank me. I only did it because I was wrong about you," she narrowed her eyes. "You're not a Skrull. If I hadn't jumped the gun, you wouldn't be in this mess."
Unlike Fury, Carol had no deep-seated distrust of aliens. She didn't see the presence of extraterrestrial beings on Earth as a threat.
She had spent years on Hala, the Kree homeworld, surrounded by numerous alien species speaking a shared universal language.
To her, the idea of aliens hiding their true forms on Earth wasn't a reason for paranoia or hostility. It was a reason for sympathy. They had to live in fear, unable to show their real selves to a world that might reject or destroy them.
Wasn't that tragic?
That belief, more than anything, was why—even after nearly having her bones crushed—Carol had still chosen to save him.
At this moment, Fury, accompanied by a still-shaken Coulson, stepped forward. Realizing the alien wouldn't die, his expression shifted to one of guilt. He forced himself to suppress his unease about such a powerful extraterrestrial being, hiding the instinctive rejection he felt.
With a measured tone, he finally spoke.
"My apologies for suspecting you were a Skrull. But now, can you explain why you were impersonating Reid?"
His gaze darkened.
"And while you're at it, what happened to the real Reid?"
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