The steel shell finally fell away completely, and Valleta, who had lived for so long in a twisted, deformed state, finally stood upright.
She was no longer crawling.
Now she stood on two legs.
Her body was still wrapped in intricate steel armor, but there were more monstrous elements mixed into it now. If she had looked like a spider monster before, then now she looked like a humanoid spider monster.
Because Valleta was now standing upright like a human, with several sharp spider-spears protruding from her back and multiple extra eyes on her head.
It was like some kind of second monster form.
Truly unbelievable.
Kamen Rider Killbus stared at the transformed Valleta in obvious surprise.
Even in his current form, he did not think he could get back up after taking an attack that powerful.
Which meant Hydra had probably used not only technological modification, but genetic enhancement too, allowing this woman to evolve into an ultimate monster.
Valleta breathed in huge gulps of air. With every breath, she could vividly feel shattered bones stabbing into her lungs, but her powerful regenerative ability was already healing her, gradually reshaping her body.
Honestly, her figure was incredible.
The only problem was the monster's head.
That made the whole thing terrifying.
"I didn't expect you to get back up. Want another beating?"
Faced with Kamen Rider Killbus's question, Valleta did not answer him directly. Instead, she started talking to herself.
"This isn't fair at all!"
"Why is it that you people can have this kind of power and still be admired by everyone?!"
"Why did I have to gain power while suffering pain that normal people could never endure?!"
"You so-called superheroes are disgusting!!!"
"The world was never fair to begin with. Superheroes, supervillains, what does any of that have to do with me? Those aren't factions I ever wanted. I'm just your friendly neighborhood guy. I do whatever I want. Other people's opinions are worthless. Why do you even care what they think?"
Peter curled his lip, completely disagreeing with her whole hate-the-world rant.
And that whole "justice always wins" thing?
Anyone who said that was an idiot too.
What was justice?
What was evil?
Who decided that?
Take Thanos for example. Sure, he was a villain. But was he truly evil?
Not really, right?
Otherwise why, after snapping away half the universe, would he choose to retire and go farm in the middle of nowhere?
When certain people's interests or goals align, they gather together and form organizations and teams.
And when that organization runs into trouble, or when someone makes trouble for them, then suddenly the person causing that trouble gets labeled the villain.
That was all it really was.
A bunch of people who thought they were righteous.
Who was actually that noble?
Probably nobody.
Well, maybe Iron Man.
And what did that get him?
You die and that's it.
But what about the pain of the people left behind?
[Ding. Mission issued: Recruit Valleta into the Antihero Multiverse Squad. Reward: one Level 4 Chest, Perfect Genetic Restoration Serum, Iron Spider Armor!]
Hearing the mission prompt in his mind, Peter instantly realized that two of those rewards were obviously meant for this woman.
Sometimes the system really made him want to say thanks for nothing.
The rewards were technically for him, yet he could not even use them himself.
At times he genuinely had no idea whose side the system was on.
"Do you really mean that, kid?"
Steve had somehow walked up beside Kamen Rider Killbus, his expression serious.
The viciousness coming off this kid was far too intense, and his potential was far too great.
If he were properly guided, then yes, he could absolutely become one of Earth's most important protectors.
But if he ever went off course, then the first person to threaten Earth might very well be him.
Even so, Steve still did not agree with Tony's view. He believed that anything unstable should be eliminated before it had the chance to grow.
He could guarantee that he himself would stay true to his principles.
But he could not guarantee that other people would.
Unless that person proved themselves in a way that truly convinced him.
"Why wouldn't I mean it? From the moment I became Spider-Man, I said I wasn't a superhero. And I won't become some supervillain either. I'm an extreme egoist. I won't do things I don't want to do."
Kamen Rider Killbus shrugged.
Gwen, for her part, agreed with Peter completely.
"With great power comes great responsibility" was not wrong.
But that did not mean endless self-sacrifice.
She was not a soldier, and she was not some world-famous superhero.
She had no such obligation, and no such determination.
Maybe she had once believed in that kind of thing.
But under Peter's influence, little by little, she had come to see how laughable and foolish that idea really was.
Just look at the Peter from the Ultimate Universe.
He died.
And what did he get for it, other than maybe a memorial service?
His friends' grief?
His family's pain?
What a mindless way of thinking.
"Listen, spider-kid. You need to get rid of that mindset immediately. You have no idea what it means. Thinking like that will plunge a lot of people into despair. Worse, it could turn the people around you into weapons that others use to control you."
Steve said seriously.
"Have you ever gone through losing family?"
"Have you ever watched a friend die?"
"Have you ever held onto your beliefs with everything you had, only to be betrayed by your teammates again and again?"
"And you're here talking to me about selfless love? If that stupid way of thinking puts the people around me in danger, then why should I follow it? What do other people's lives have to do with me? If I help when I can, that's goodwill. If I don't, that's my right."
"Anyone who wants to control what I do is my enemy."
Peter said it harshly.
So harshly that he made his position absolutely clear to everyone present.
Sure, I may be your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
If you want to call me Spider Punisher instead, that works too.
But don't try to put that giant superhero label on my head.
I hate it.
You can morally blackmail a righteous person with strong ideals.
But you'll never be able to blackmail an egoist who lives by his own rules.
"You're really impossible, aren't you?!"
Steve's temper finally flared.
Anyone would have had enough after Peter kept firing back at him again and again. And Steve was not exactly patient to begin with. He was a rough old wartime veteran.
What really got under his skin was that Peter's words had actually hit where it hurt.
Yes.
He had gone through losing family.
He had gone through losing friends.
He had gone through betrayal by comrades.
He had felt lost too.
But he had still chosen to hold onto his beliefs, because he was the Captain. Even if he was no longer in the military, everything he said and did had become part of America's symbolic spirit. He had no choice but to keep carrying that burden.
"The impossible one is you, Captain America Butt! I don't care what you want to do, and you shouldn't care what I want to do either! I don't sabotage you, and you don't interfere with me. Isn't peaceful coexistence good enough?!"
Peter curled his lip.
"Hahahahaha! Captain America Butt. That's perfect! Hahahahaha!"
Tony, who had always been a playboy at heart even if he also had a strong sense of justice, was fundamentally different from this stubborn old man. Inside the Defenders Alliance, he was the one constantly cleaning up messes.
Honestly, most of them were Steve's messes.
Tony had been fed up with Steve's overbearing way of doing things for a long time, which was exactly why the two of them started fighting the moment they saw each other.
"Shut the hell up, idiot!"
Already irritated to the limit, Steve turned and shouted at Tony.
"You're all insane!"
(End of Chapter)
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