"Cough… cough…"
The coughing tore out of Peter's throat as his body convulsed under the aftermath of the attack. Just moments ago, the satellite cannon had been pouring down destruction while lightning struck relentlessly from above, and he had been certain—absolutely certain—that this was the end.
He had already accepted death.
But something unexpected happened.
The lightning… protected him.
Instead of tearing him apart, the bolts that crashed down around him seemed almost alive, weaving together into a barrier that shielded his body. Not only did they fail to harm him, they actively resisted the satellite cannon's bombardment, intercepting and dispersing the incoming energy.
It bought him time.
Precious time.
Peter's chest rose and fell rapidly as he realized what had just happened, and a surge of emotion flooded through him. He had been standing on the edge of death, one step away from being erased, yet somehow the situation had flipped in an instant.
"I was about to die… and then this…"
His fingers twitched as he stared at the flickering lightning dancing around him, his eyes trembling with disbelief and relief. Whoever had intervened had done so at the most critical moment imaginable.
Someone had saved him.
A memory surfaced in his mind—a report from a few days ago about a powerful mutant who had arrived in New York. At the time, it had just been another headline, something easy to ignore.
Now, it felt personal.
"I didn't think…" he muttered hoarsely, his voice cracking. "I didn't think someone like that would help me…"
For a brief moment, tears welled in his eyes.
He had been pushed down again and again, dragged from hope into despair, thrown between extremes until he no longer knew which way was up. Every time he thought he had found a path forward, it collapsed beneath his feet.
And yet, at the moment of certain defeat, someone had reached out.
That kind of help—given at the edge of life and death—left a mark.
The beam from the satellite cannon finally began to fade, its overwhelming brilliance dimming until it disappeared entirely. When the dust settled, Peter stood there once more.
His body was covered in wounds.
But his eyes were sharp.
"Clang."
Tony nearly stumbled midair, his balance thrown off by what he was seeing.
As a weapons manufacturer, he understood exactly what kind of destructive force he had just unleashed. That attack should have been absolute. It should have erased everything in its path.
And yet…
That thing survived.
Not only survived, but still had strength left.
Tony's gaze sharpened immediately, greed flickering behind his eyes as he looked at Peter. The potential of this alien organism was even greater than he had imagined. If he could crack it open, study it, extract every last piece of data—
The scientific value would be immeasurable.
Captain Steve stepped forward at that moment, emerging from the shadows as if nothing had happened. He positioned himself beside Tony, then raised his hand and pointed straight at Peter, his voice firm and filled with righteous condemnation.
"Look around you," Steve said. "Look at what you've done. How many people have lost their homes because of you? How many families have been torn apart because of this?"
"Heh."
Peter let out a cold laugh.
Wasn't his current state a direct result of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interference? They had pushed him, cornered him, forced everything to spiral out of control, and now they stood there pretending to be defenders of justice.
Blaming him.
As if they were innocent.
"Captain," Peter said, his voice dripping with mockery. "Did you forget the part where I stomped you into the ground? And now you're standing there barking like a stray dog?"
"You—!"
Steve's expression twisted instantly.
That memory had become a stain he couldn't wash away, something he tried not to think about. And now, in front of everyone, it had been dragged out into the open.
He could feel the glances from his teammates.
The silent judgment.
A surge of anger rose in his chest.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. will put you on trial!" he snapped. "Justice will decide your fate!"
Tony frowned slightly at the side.
He had no patience for this kind of behavior. When the fight was happening, no one stepped in. Now that the outcome was within reach, suddenly everyone wanted a share of the results.
It was obvious what this was.
They were trying to take what he had worked for.
"This Black Spider-Man is mine," Tony said coldly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "If you think you're taking him from me, you're dreaming."
Under normal circumstances, Steve would have pushed back immediately. But this time, he didn't. Instead, he gave Natasha a subtle signal.
She stepped forward smoothly, her voice calm as she played the role of mediator.
"We're on the same side," she said. "There's no need to let something like this damage our relationship. Director Fury has a few words for you."
Tony raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Let's hear it," he said.
He didn't refuse.
JARVIS quickly connected the call, and Nick Fury's voice came through. The conversation didn't last long, but by the time it ended, Tony's attitude had noticeably shifted.
He didn't bring up ownership again.
At its core, the conflict had never been about principles. It was about benefits. And when the offer was good enough, principles became flexible.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had been around for decades, collecting all kinds of rare and mysterious items—alien technology, remnants of ancient civilizations, things no one fully understood. Most of it had been gathering dust simply because they lacked the expertise to study it properly.
Now, Fury offered one of those treasures.
The Terrigen Crystal.
In exchange, Tony would gain full participation rights in the research of the symbiote.
It was a perfect deal.
Using someone else's resources, gaining access to something new, and still walking away with the biggest advantage—it was exactly the kind of arrangement Tony appreciated.
He accepted.
…
"They're arguing over ownership like he's not even standing there," April muttered under her breath, her grip tightening around the camera. "And then one side just backs off after a deal?"
Her expression twisted with disbelief.
"This is supposed to be the team that represents justice?"
What she saw felt absurd.
But it was real.
There was no perfect justice. No flawless heroes. Just people, each with their own interests, their own priorities, making decisions behind a mask of righteousness.
This was reality.
——
"The Avengers—move out!"
After reaching an agreement, Captain Steve wasted no time. He raised his shield and charged forward, leading the counterattack against the weakened spider demon.
This time, they fought as a unit.
Their coordination sharpened instantly, every movement synchronized, every attack timed perfectly. The teamwork that had been missing before now came together seamlessly, and their combined assault began to push Peter back.
Step by step.
He was forced into retreat.
For a moment, the situation reversed completely. Just like the villains they had defeated in the past, Peter was now being driven into a corner, reduced to little more than a stepping stone for their victory.
The glory of "justice" began to shine once again.
Steve moved in.
He raised his shield high, his body coiling with force as he brought it down toward Peter's head. The distance closed rapidly, leaving no room for escape.
"Clang!!!"
The shield flew backward.
It spun through the air and embedded itself deep into a nearby wall with a heavy impact.
"What—?!"
Steve's vision went black for a split second.
Before he could even process what had happened, an overwhelming force slammed into him. His body lifted off the ground, spinning twice in midair before crashing face-first onto the pavement.
The world tilted.
Pain exploded across his cheek.
He pushed himself up, clutching his face, his expression filled with confusion.
"What just happened?"
Hawkeye narrowed his eyes, still staring at the spot where Steve had been standing.
"It looked like… lightning," he said slowly, uncertainty in his voice. Even with his exceptional vision, he had only caught a fleeting glimpse—just a shadow moving too fast to follow.
Tony's expression darkened slightly.
He remembered the reports from a few days ago.
Another lightning-powered individual had appeared in New York.
"Mutants again…" he muttered.
Hawkeye frowned.
Normally, no one would dare interfere with them. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s name carried weight. They had taken down countless criminal organizations and locked away powerful threats. That reputation alone was enough to keep most people in line.
But this—
"Boom!"
A sudden thunderclap shattered the air.
Before Hawkeye could react, he was blasted away, his body thrown across the ground as lightning struck around him. The electricity didn't scatter randomly—it gathered, twisting and shaping itself into something alive.
The bolts intertwined.
They merged.
And then, from the storm, a creature took form.
A Qilin made of lightning stood at the center of the battlefield, its body crackling with raw energy, its presence overwhelming everything around it.
Superhumans might hesitate.
But a mythical beast would not.
.....
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