The sand giant roared, venting its fury.
Every time its arm came down, another building collapsed—sand engulfing the entire street like a living storm.
"This… this is insane…"
Peter's voice trembled. The colossal monster towered over him like a mountain. He'd never imagined Marco could possess this level of destructive power.
"Snap out of it!"
Lucas slapped Peter on the back, snapping him out of his shock. "Leave this to me! Go evacuate everyone—get them off this street, now!"
"You sure you can handle him?!" Peter blurted, eyes wide as he looked from the giant to Lucas, and then to the sword on Lucas's back. He and Gwen had never seen Lucas actually fight.
Lucas just waved him off. "I'll manage. Better than you can, at least—now move! The longer you wait, the more people die!"
Peter clenched his jaw. "Fine—but you be careful!"
He fired his web and swung off, darting through the debris-filled streets, helping trapped civilians get to safety.
Gwen, now mostly recovered, called out, "Be careful, Lucas!" before joining Peter in the rescue efforts.
She didn't say more—because she believed in him. If Lucas said he had a way, then he did.
Now, only Lucas and the towering sand colossus remained.
Having seen movies and played games in his past life, Lucas already knew Marco could transform into a giant made of sand. So the sight didn't exactly surprise him. And more importantly—he knew he had ways to counter it.
"Tch… I really didn't want to use that form," he muttered through gritted teeth. "Why does it always have to turn me into a girl…?"
He grimaced. A perfectly good man, about to morph into something else entirely. Sure, Lucas didn't have gender hang-ups—but if Peter and Gwen found out? He'd never live it down.
---
At the Devil May Cry Agency,
Skye stared at the satellite feed, her heart pounding. Seeing Lucas standing alone before the sand giant made her grip her Moogle plush tighter without realizing it.
"Kupo—!" squeaked the poor Moogle as she finally loosened her hold, gently patting it in apology.
"Boss… please make it out of this," Skye whispered.
An unspoken urge welled inside her—to fight beside him. But all she could do now was watch.
---
Back on the battlefield—
Lucas took a slow breath. He'd promised that little girl he'd find her father. And besides… this was part of his system mission.
"Alright then… let's do this."
He rolled his shoulders, closed his eyes—
—and unleashed a surge of power that tore through the air.
A massive pressure wave burst outward, sweeping through the entire street. Fierce winds howled to life around him.
"W–What the hell is that?!"
Peter and Gwen froze mid-action, both turning toward the epicenter.
A suffocating aura of pure dread pressed down on everyone within range. It felt as if the very air wanted to rip their flesh apart.
The agents stationed nearby weren't immune either.
Coulson and Natasha exchanged alarmed looks—the terror was instinctive, primal.
Up on a nearby rooftop, Hawkeye's fingers twitched; before he realized it, he'd already drawn his bow, arrow aimed squarely at Lucas below. His body reacted before his mind could.
The winds intensified, swirling into a massive tornado, dust and debris spiraling into the sky.
And at the tornado's heart—a flicker of green light appeared.
It spread rapidly, like wildfire through the storm, until the entire cyclone glowed with emerald energy.
Then came a roar—deep, feral, and divine.
"ROAAAAAAAR!!!"
The shockwave blasted outward. The sand giant staggered, its enormous frame buffeted by the storm like a toy boat in a hurricane.
The whirlwind expanded, swallowing the ruins, uprooting rubble and cars, sweeping across the street in a chaotic gale.
And when the storm finally began to clear—
A massive silhouette stood before the sand giant.
Taller. Broader. Radiating ancient power.
Its entire body was covered in feathers of ashen white and gray, taloned feet like those of an eagle, and behind it, two pairs of vast wings unfurled with a thunderous crack.
Each joint along the wings shimmered with razor-sharp talons.
With a single flap, a violent gale exploded outward, sweeping the street once again in a wave of crushing wind.
It was the Wind Eikon—Garuda, straight out of Final Fantasy XVI.
---
"Mother of—what is that?!"
In the S.H.I.E.L.D. command center, Nick Fury stared at the screen, utterly shaken.
He'd expected Lucas to be powerful—sure. But this?
The brief storm alone had generated readings high enough to level half of Manhattan. If Lucas ever wanted to destroy New York, Fury was certain he could.
His single eye gleamed with both awe and unease. "We severely underestimated him…"
Every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent watching felt the same shiver.
Even veterans like Coulson and Natasha had never seen anything like it—a human turning into something so monstrous, so powerful.
What exactly was Lucas Norman?
---
Meanwhile, Peter and Gwen had forgotten all about rescuing civilians.
They just stood there, staring wide-eyed at the titanic Garuda, barely remembering to breathe.
At the Devil May Cry Agency, Skye's hands trembled as she clutched her monitor.
"Who… who is my boss, really?" she whispered, staring at the screen—at the divine creature that was once Lucas.
---
"RAAAHHHH!!"
The only one not stunned was the sand giant himself.
Even Marco was shaken, but he wasn't afraid. After all, he possessed power enough to destroy New York too. Why would he back down?
With a furious roar, he threw a punch the size of a truck straight at Garuda.
But Garuda vanished in an instant—disappearing with a blur of wind.
The next moment, she reappeared behind the giant, claws glowing with green light.
In a flash, Garuda's talons shot forward, slashing across the giant's head.
The sand titan didn't even bother dodging—he swung his arm to retaliate.
BOOM!
Garuda's claw ripped through his head, scattering sand like dust.
At the same time, his massive fist slammed into Garuda's chest—
—but was stopped cold by a barrier of compressed wind.
The moment the sand touched the gale, it disintegrated, blown apart like snow in a storm.
Neither side had gained the upper hand yet.
Garuda spread her wings and darted backward. Green energy shimmered around her body, forming multiple wind blades that hovered in the air.
She flicked her claws.
The blades shot forward—
—and in an instant, sliced through the giant's arms, then his torso, cleaving his entire body clean in half.
The blades didn't stop there—they continued on, carving straight through two nearby high-rises, splitting them down the middle.
RUMMMBLE!!
The skyscrapers collapsed in tandem with the sand titan, both reduced to rubble and dust.
Garuda threw back her head and let out a victorious roar, wings flaring wide, her cry echoing through the shattered streets.
In that moment, Lucas felt something terrifying stir within him—
His consciousness blurring, instinct taking over.
The thrill of battle.
The hunger for destruction.
The primal ecstasy of the hunt.
Garuda's instincts were merging with his own—and Lucas could feel the beast's bloodlust igniting his veins.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 20 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you enjoyed Marvel Manifestor, please give it a Power Stone and leave a review! Your support means everything.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~