Forces of pure elemental nature collided with each other with such intensity and fierceness that only onlookers could describe the sight before them as the end of times.
Devastating winds, moving faster than two hundred miles per hour, had conjoined into a violent vortex of air that towered over and threatened to devour the city. The winds worked in tandem with the Hudson River, which had taken the shape of a man, as it attempted to extinguish the relentless candle that battled against them.
Down on the streets, Earth-shaking blows were traded by beings made up of pure strength. A man made out of rock battled a woman who pushed him in ways few could, while a man of power battled those, who together, rivaled his own destructive capabilities. And up above, on the rooftops of New York City, a battle – much smaller in scale, but just as important took place as men – as a man, battled unyielding, unending warriors of the shadows who he refused their attempt to envelop and devour him.
All of these battles concerning unending legions and super-powered criminals all conjoined into one battle which starred our two protagonists. Perhaps it was because Spider-Man was just the most active hero who had battled it out with most of them, or because The Kingpin placed him at a higher priority, or he was just – in the villain's own, dim minds, 'in their league' Spider-Man and Talon found themselves the center of attention, as villains of all kinds had come to get their chance to kill the web-slinging hero.
One such of these newcomers was an insignificant assassin by the name of 'DiamondBack', a pink-haired woman who donned a pink and black costume which was littered with diamonds – her very obvious and very boring motif. While Spider-Man skillfully dodged shockwaves, explosive boomerangs, and incinerating flames, the enthusiastic new challenger leaped into the air, hurling a barrage of elongated diamond-throwing spikes But this was Spider-Man we were talking about. A guy who could dodge bullet fire and lightning.
While scaling the walls and evading his attacker's maneuvers, his Spider-Sense tingled, alerting him to the impending 'danger.' He swiftly launched off the wall, contorting his body in unnatural ways to navigate through the storm of sharpened diamonds unscathed and like an unstoppable missile, he hurtled toward the airborne woman at speeds she could not react to.
She looked on, wide eyes displaying emotions he loved to see in bad guys, regret, questioning of life choices, wondering if his punch was going to hurt…
It would, but DiamondBack wouldn't feel it because she was instantly knocked out cold by a punch delivered from the hero who, in his eyes, just beat another barely C-tier criminal he didn't even recognize or bother to know before using his webs to swing away from another one of Shockers blasts.
Simultaneously, The Reaper's iconic scythe clashed against Talon's claws as she briefly turned her attention from The Constrictor and onto the mostly cyborg man, the sole human aspect of him which remained being his decaying face.
The collision of scythe and talons resulted in Laura's adamantium-laced claws effortlessly slicing through The Reaper's feeble weapon and his cybernetic body, rendering him in a state mirroring his shattered scythe—split and divided into three pieces.
His torso and abdomen hung momentarily in the air, the man's decaying face reflecting sheer shock at the astonishing ease of his defeat.
Constrictor's white slits would soon share the same expression for as a man who was an assassin, a merc, a man who adopted the theme of a snake to match his slimy and dishonorable nature, had cracked both his electrically charged adamantium coils with an overhead motion before bringing them back down on the girl who had just cleaved through The Reaper, but she swiftly evaded them.
With a fluid motion, Talon rotated her body, aligning herself parallel to the imminent strikes of the borderline nonsensical weapons. Like any other whip, once they were brought down, there would also always be an opening followed suit for they had to be brought back up to be used again. But that would not happen, as she continued her spin, she used her momentum to carry her and her claws as they cleaved through Constrictor's torso, and the power source which was nestled in his chest.
The Facility had made her – trained her, to be the best.
She would not fall to a fool whose weapons were even more foolish than he was.
She would not fall at all.
Chapter 14: Fight!
"That the best ya got!" Powerman's voice boomed as he felled one of the many robust and brutish men who he now stood against.
Dust and rubble littered both him and the street they were now on as blood which was not his own, dropped from his knuckles.
Staring down the three in front of him with his narrowed hazel eyes which held a fierce fire; The unwavering confident stance he took, and the man who stood beaten and unconscious at his feet all told those who opposed him that he was not afraid of the group who could individually take down armies of men.
The man he felled was known as 'PileDriver,' a six-four, blonde-haired man, who wore a red, white, and blue costume, who – more importantly, was a member of a powerful – and in Powerman's mind, pathetic group.
All four members of the crew were powerhouses which could level city blocks, and they would, should anyone meet their price, hence their name: 'The Wrecking Crew.'
And their leader, the man who led and kept such powerful and volatile men in charge, was a man who the crew was named after, 'The Wrecker.'
Donning a heavy green jacket and pants, with matching purple gloves and boots, he took point as 'BullDozer,' A man who donned an orange suit and apparatus with a titanium helmet which encased his head, and 'ThunderBall,' a man of equal size who wore a green and yellow costume while holding his crude ball and chain weapon, stood at his sides.
"Now that's unfair, this whole entire thing was supposed to be a surprise attack," The Wrecker smugly shrugged as he hit his crowbar against his palm, a malicious smile being displayed through the open mouth portion of his purple balaclava as he got increasingly excited upon seeing what his foe had done to the companion he had no care for, all the while not feeling threatened at all.
Powerman would change that.
"Well I hate to break it to ya but 'surprise' means unexpected, not 'leave a whole buncha signs and light up arrows tellin' everyone and their mama what's gonna happen," Powerman remarked in a belittling voice which intrigued The Wrecker as his two remaining groupmates snickered amongst each other behind his back.
The Wrecker shared a glance and words with his crew mates, words that Powerman didn't need to hear to know what was being said. A super-powered gang was still a gang, and from the body language alone, he knew that they didn't take him seriously.
"And what were these signs, smart guy?" The Wrecker goaded as he took mild interest in what gave them away.
"Well excusin' the open doors and your big ugly boot prints, the quantity of your packed product in comparison to the whole operation implies that most of it was moved – moved today, but with how old the tire streaks are, you could've moved all of it before we even arrived," Powerman aggressively stated as he willingly answered The Wreckers half-hearted question, using it as an opportunity to show that he was more than just his muscles.
Something which the Wreckers weren't.
"The only reason why you didn't, was to make it seem like you had no choice but to leave all of it behind before we busted all of ya to lead us into a false sense of security. Unfortunately for you though, you failed cause your muscles are the only thing that's big about you. You honestly should've taken a page out of your ninja friend's book and hid in the surrounding buildings but like I said before, 'your muscles are the only thing that's big about you,'" He smugly finished as he grinned at the surprised expression which found its way on The Wrecker's stupid face.
"Ho-"
"I'm a private investigator and my daddy was a detective on the force for thirty years, a damn good one too, couldn't hide nothin' from him," Powerman stated with pride but in the span of two seconds, He crossed his arms as The Wrecker closed the gap between them, clashing his crowbar powerfully against Powermans guard as the two grit their teeth and struggled against one another.
"Tell me then, 'Mr. Investigator,' what's gonna happen next?" The brutish man rhetorically asked as he spat in Powermans face, the force of his attack causing Cage's feet to dig into the concrete street due to the sheer force of it but Cage's strength matched his resolve and he refused to be pushed back.
"Outside of me collecting a big check for all this? It'll be me sendin' you and your group of misshapen, misbegotten, chopped-up bums to the damn hospital, crying for your overweight employer."
"Fight Back!"
"Fight Back!" A loud and proud voice yelled as her brutish and powerful attacks yelled louder than her words. Standing at about six feet and six inches tall and weighing at five hundred and forty-five pounds of pure muscle, was the towering, the tough, the terrifying: Titania.
Donning a purple wrestler-themed costume which was crossed with that of a seductress, the well-built, big, and buxom woman with long strawberry blonde hair pummeled The Thing's rock hard skin – cracking it, as her overwhelming confidence was not without backup, for Mary MacPherran was the strongest woman on the planet.
The raid on the docs lead to success with everyone involved: him, Torch, The police and S.H.I.E.L.D agents, all finding crates loaded with stolen weapons which belonged to Hammer, Trask, and more importantly, S.H.I.E.L.D, but as the current situation showed, they were not exempt from the trend that the others had found themselves in.
Beginning the engagement with a gust of wind that blew all the storage crates from their positions, Titania violently emerged to begin the battle which had taken them from a ship and onto the New York streets which was the only ground around that could endure the weight of their battle and even then, it threatened to collapse underneath their feet as blows The Thing tanked with minor injury caused great strain on the pavement below.
Just barely moving out of the way from a devastating elbow drop that shattered the ground below, The Thing put up his guard once more as the powerful, but surprisingly fast woman got up to continue striking him with her theatrical blows.
"This is the problem with you Grimm," She yelled, using her strength to bash through the man's simple yet effective boxing guard to land an uppercut which sent the five-hundred-pound man off his feet.
"All that strength, all that size, and underneath it all is a giant wuss," she said with disgust as Ben spat out a mixture of saliva, blood, and rock before getting back on his feet.
"Bein' a wuss an' bein' polite are two different things ya dumb broad," Ben angrily said as he clenched his fists, his furrowed brow displaying the irritation and temptation he withheld from using his strength against a foe who by every single account save for one, warranted a show for him to use all of it against her.
"Da only reason yer still standin' Mary is cause my Aunt Petunia raised me to neva' lay hand's on a woman," he spat as he blocked another blow from the red-headed powerhouse.
"My heart goes out to your woman then," She retorted as she broke through his guard once more to land another blow on his face, "Then again, if she's with you then she-"
A powerful blow sent her face in the opposite direction and stumbling back, ceasing everything she was going to say as she stared at the man in front of her with shocked eyes.
"That's it, I'm makin' an exception!" Ben yelled as he slammed his fist against his palm.
You could say whatever you wanted about him, but the moment you even spoke bad about the love of his life, you best be running for life soon after.
Titania wiped the blood from her nose before grinning.
"The Yajū has sentenced you to death."
A raspy voice of death echoed as Daredevil fought against the hoard of living shadows doing the work of the devil they came from. The ninja's clad in clothes of blood and weapons of old used their skills – honed and passed down for hundreds of years to fulfill the contract, the deal they had, to kill The Devil of Hell's Kitchen.
These assassins have gone through many names, throughout the countless ages they have appeared, but all translations, all variations, all lead to the same meaning.
The Hand.
An overzealous ninja clan that does the work of their "Yajū", which translates to "beast." This 'beast' is unknown, their goals are unknown, and with how these warriors didn't even seem to register what pain was, if they were human was unknown.
What was known is that their service is only available to those who threatened modern Global civilization, those like Hydra who sought to rule humanity underneath their iron tyrannical grip.
And it would appear that Wilson Fisk was evil enough for their service's to be available to him.
They had infiltrated the nearby buildings as both he and Powerman entered the warehouse, and upon recognizing that both the Wreckers and other parties were nearby, they decided to split up, Powerman taking the streets below, as he took the rooftops.
"Then I'd like to make an appeal for Judicial Misconduct and Fraud," Daredevil sharply replied as he spun around to use his clubs to halt the vertical slash from a katana which threatened to split him in two. Sparks illuminated the horned vigilante's gruff and unkept face as the two metallic weapons collided but in a swift movement, he dodged another blow coming for him before using his other hand and weapon to take out the ninja clad in red who sought to cleave him in two.
That just left about thirty more.
Best of the best fighting skills and expert acrobatics was what kept the blind vigilante from succumbing to the overwhelming numbers his tired and wounded body struggled to keep up with, but those two alone were not the only abilities underneath his belt which helped keep the man afloat.
Saving a blind elderly man from death fifteen years ago, then, twelve-year-old Mathew Michael "Matt" Murdock found himself blinded by a radioactive material which spilled onto his face from a truck crash as a result of saving the man.
Losing his sense of sight, he found that his other senses had been enhanced, resulting in him gaining a new one as well, a sense similar to that of a radar hence the name "radar sense." Similar to the sixth sense of the much younger hero Spider-Man, but less refined and inferior, lacking the precognition, and its famous tingle, Murdock is able to gain a sense of his surroundings due to his brain emitting electromagnetic waves which travel outwards and bounce off his surroundings before ultimately being picked up again.
Alongside that, his peak physical condition due to his strenuous training by both professional boxer and loving father, Jonathan Murdock, and a blind man who helped teach him to hone his senses, he was able to keep up with the hoard of shadows.
But he was still a man, and despite his training and his senses, he was a tired man, an exhausted man, a wounded man.
While he was dealing with five foes at once, a sixth one had managed to thrust his katana just beside his abdomen, not piercing through it but slashing it deeply and causing him to wince in pain.
"The Yajū denies your request, only your suffering is permitted."
The many cuts and wounds gained from today, from yesterday, the day before that, and the week before this one, they were catching up, slowing him down, his breathing slowed as he took deeper gasps for air, and his legs started to give in, his grip was slipping…
"...But… even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you will be… blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled…" He recited to himself as his body moved once more, dodging and attacking his foes after the split second of overbearing exhaustion.
Once strong and burning bright, now weak and dim flame rocketed around the dark – stormy skies as beings in control of both wind and water threatened to extinguish his cosmic given flames.
Evading a towering hand constructed of waves which carried the weight of the very river, The Human Torch continued circling around the vicious waterspout before him which was going against and reversing the rules of nature with its catastrophic and brisk winds which had forcefully overtaken the clouds which caused them to swirl into a cyclone which produced even heavier winds and squalls.
The young blonde boy squinted his eyes and grit his teeth as he struggled against the fierce winds that made flying an uphill battle which was made even harder due to the various debris from the ship cargo and the containers themselves being shredded into pieces and carried with the Whirlwind that used such things in an attempt to give him more scratches and cuts then he already had.
And that wasn't even mentioning the numerous and seemingly infinite water tentacles which suffocated his trail of flames as they attempted to grab hold and snuff him out.
Johnny Storm, the hotheaded boy who fittingly found himself with the ability to control fire had found himself in battle with men who had control of his nature counterparts.
At the center of the devastating tornado before him, Whirlwind spun in his gothic, muted, and expressionless iron armor, with Hyrdroman accompanying him down below, who used his powers to become one with the Hudson River to create a towering, thirty-foot-long apocalyptic – human in shape monster, who swatted at him with his winds, and chased after him with numerous lashes which sprouted out his body like heat-seeking missiles.
"Yo, the both of you have a better chance killing me with tinnitus - I mean tetanus, than whatever it is you're doing right now," Johnny spat as he spun around in order to dodge chunks of metal fragments but his voice was drowned out by the deafening sounds of sheer calamity.
"I almost regret turning Sandman into glass just so he could give you guys a hand but…actually – nah, I take that back, he made a pretty good statue to take pictures with," The teen added as he found himself getting quickly surrounded by a spiral of tentacles made up of water which caused him to abruptly rocket upwards before they strangled him in their grasp.
"C'mon Hydroman, I'm not Spidey, this whole entire thing only works when someone else is talking, and Whirlwind's voice is so muffled by his stupid helmet that you'd have better luck talking to Klaw!" Johnny flew through the crevice between Hydromens fingers as vicious tidal waves aggressively yelled in place of his lack of voice.
Eyeing the biggest thorn of his side, Johnny circled around Whirlwind before creating and tossing a ball of scalding flames at the iron-cased man only for it to be blown away like all his previous attempts.
He scowled in vexation.
Beams of Fire, constructs of concussive heat, and now fireballs were rendered useless by the cold chill wind.
"Look, guys, I know you aren't so bright; You can control the elements and yet you choose to be goons for a man who had one too many ice creams, like, can't you dream any smaller? Why do you even work for him?" The teen asked without any purpose, subconsciously distracting himself from his increasingly dire situation while his mind scrambled to figure out what to do.
But his attempts were thwarted as when the teen made another lap around the man-made tornado, he was left surprised at the now towering form of Hydroman who had amassed the entirety of the water and more, to create a giant, dwarfing form which made Johnny resemble a cheap candle you'd find at a dollar store.
Eyes widening in pure shock, he quickly went on the move as both of Hydromans giant hands came rocketing towards him as he audibly made a sound which distinctly sounded like "money."
"That's a good point, but have you ever thought that maybe there's other alternatives? Like, I make a lot of money on youtube showcasing my powers, and it doesn't lead to me getting beat up by a good looking hero and sent to prison, where I'll be exploited for a couple of cents," Johnny blasted the giant creature with beams of fire which barley evaporated any water as he once again went on the defensive and just barely missed Hydromans hands.
"I've faced people far bigger, far stronger, and far smarter than you!" he yelled to himself this time as he fought through the brisk winds which threatened the foundations of buildings.
Refusing to allow them to overcome him, refusing to be put out, and more importantly, refusing to lose, Johnny Storm grit his teeth as his anger and irritation grew upon the countless fruitless attempts he made which played in his mind over and over again, his flames grew larger, grew bigger, grew stronger, and he flew through the gust of wind that held him in place, brighter, stronger, more livelier than ever.
With newfound confidence, he arrogantly smiled.
"Now you can surrender, no one will blame you since it's me you're up against bu-" all his confidence faded immediately as his gaze moved from the eyes of Whirlwind and onto the giant aquatic hand right in front of him.
A giant hand he had failed to notice due to his tunnel vision.
Due to his speed and physics he knew but could never explain clearly, he smashed right into the equivalent of hard cement, going through the hand with great pain and his flames totally extinguished.
Coming out from the opposite end of the hand, disorientated by pain and just entering and exiting water, he fell with all his momentum lost which allowed for him to get picked up by the powerful winds which carried him around and around and around, bringing him closer and closer and closer, before Whirlwind delivered a powerful hook at speeds over two-hundred miles per hour which further disorientated him, which furthered his pain immensely, and which sent him flying like a falling meteor down towards the streets of New York City where he would inevitably crash with even more pain.
Body feeling like spaghetti, face all bloodied from his nose, mouth, and wounded cheek which were all excreting vast amounts of blood, The Human Torch coughed with great affliction as his body refused to listen to his efforts to get up.
Sent off his feet by ThunderBalls ball and chain which sent his course right into the Wrecker's Crowbar like a baseball, PowerMan was sent tumbling with an echoing blow and a trail of blood escaping his mouth.
Stunned and dazed by his foe's vicious blows, Titania had taken advantage of The Thing's moment of disorientation and picked him up horizontally before using his and her body weight, along with her strength to crash into the ground with a powerful slam that collapsed the street they were on with an earth-shaking tremor.
Daredevil found himself on his knees, bloodied and wounded, utterly exhausted as a ninja stood beside him with their katana high in the air.
"Christmas…" Luke Cage muttered as he caught his breath, The Wreckers crowbar echoing along with his laugh.
"What's wrong Mr. Investigator? thought we was gonna 'be sent to the hospital?'" The Wrecker mocked as he burst out laughing with his group.
"AND FOR THE FINALE! FOR A GAPING, ASTOUNDING, TEN-MILLION DOLLARS, THE EARTH MOVING, THE POWERFUL, THE STRONGEST WOMAN ON THE EARTH: TITANIA, WILL END THE FANTASTIC FOURS, EVER LOVIN BLUE EYED B," Titiantia theatrically yelled to a non-existent crowd and to a Thing who was too dazed to even register what she had just declared.
"今あなたは死ぬ、他の人と同じように"
"Now you die, like any other," a hand ninja spoke as the tip of his katana glistened with the moonlight.
The now human Johnny Storm struggled to get up as he bled from his mouth, eyeing the two elemental powerhouses which had cast him away, with anger beyond hate at the moment.
These two were far below people he's triumphed over, they should've been easy, less than easy. Instead, they just sent him with his tail between his legs and were more importantly heading to the city which would no doubt endanger and cost the lives of too many people.
And that was a price he wouldn't pay.
"Alright that's it…" he bitterly mumbled to himself as he turned his attention to Fisk Tower which was facing towards them from a distance. He could feel Wilson Fisk's eye's on him, feel him be pleased with the sight before him…well he'd have to savor the next couple of seconds because what Johnny Storm would do next would burn it off the face of the earth, alongside both Whirlwind and Hydroman.
"It's…"
"And who are you?" Spider-Man asked as he effortlessly dodged bullets from a muscular man clad in black militaristic gear who wore a mask with a skull printed on it.
"I've already told you my name!," He yelled as he dropped his dual submachine guns in place of a knife to enter hand-to-hand combat' with his target.
"Did you? My bad, but if it's anything like your costume then it's extremely forgettable," Spider-Man retorted with a laugh as he effortlessly and minimalistically dodged CrossBones attacks.
"Then remember that you're fighting a super soldier!" The Merc yelled as he tried to catch him off guard with a roundhouse kick.
"Right," Peter sarcastically agreed as he leaned all the way back to avoid the move his sixth sense warned him about.
"I've beaten both the Black Widow and Swordsman!" Crossbones stated proudly as if those achievements meant something to Spider-Man.
"Wow, only the strongest of Avengers, next thing you're gonna say is that you've beaten Hawkeye too."
It didn't.
"Who cares if you've beaten the Avengers B-members? What about Captain America – a real super soldier – The First Avenger? " Spider-Man asked as he became slightly more aggressive, choosing to block CrossBones attacks which didn't phase him at all.
But quickly growing tired and needing to move on from him, Spider-Man fiercely intercepted a punch from The Merc and sent his fist to the side, sending him off balance and leaving him totally open.
"Who am I kidding? A guy who embodies a twelve-year-old's create-a-character could never swing his league," Spider-Man stated firmly as he readied a fist to deliver to a wide-eyed Crossbones.
"And you don't swing mine," Peter stated both confidently and violently before delivering an uppercut which sent him off his feet and instantly knocked him out.
While all of this was happening, Talon was busy dealing with Shockers and Boomerang's gaze along with plenty of other villains of zero renown. Their initial battle with six foes had more than tripled, with newcomers too low to name coming with the intention and goal to kill Spider-Man.
She would not allow that.
Evading dangerous shockwaves, and explosive boomerangs, Laura patiently waited for the next array before using one of the unnamed villains as a foothold to propel herself toward Boomerang's next wave of explosive weapons.
Leaping herself over Boomerang's wave of boomerangs, she grabbed one in the same manner and the same conduct Boomerang did before throwing it and catching both him and his armored partner in an explosion.
She positioned herself next to Peter and narrowed her eyes as Shocker remained unphased by her attack, though the same could not be said for his knocked-out and blackened partner.
Her attention was soon diverted however as more foes were coming their way.
"They keep on coming," Laura stated as the foes they faced increased once more.
"Good, 'cause that means we keep on fighting," Peter replied as he stood next to her, posture wide and fists clenched, displaying nothing but an eagerness to fight and the confidence to back it up.
"I would not suggest anything else," She would not lose, surrender, nor flee to the walking jokes in front of her.
Peter chuckled.
"Get ready then! Cause…" Spider-Man said for all to hear, extending his arm and pointing his finger right at his foes as Talon hunched over, one leg forward and the other far back as she prepared for what would happen next.
"IT'S ALL OR NOTHING!"
Splitting the sky in two with flames so bright and hot that he no longer resembled a human torch but a blazing comet – a shooting star, The Human Torch rocketed towards his elemental foes at speeds of Mach-one, Mach-two all the way to Mach-five as the annoyed, angered, bittered teenager grit his teeth as his thoughts raced at an even faster pace.
His mind burned as hot as his flames as millions of thoughts concerning just how fast, how badly, and how brutally he should embarrass the two in front of the city he called home, in front of the denizens and fans he had in New York – in front of their boss who was no doubt watching the catastrophic spectacle, praying on his downfall.
And when he came to the split-second, almost instinctual conclusion as to what he would do…
He grinned.
Hydroman's monstrous form could only look on in fear before his entire torso was instantly evaporated, collapsing the body and causing the river to violently shake the earth as it violently returned to place.
Immediately after piercing through Hydroman, he turned his sights onto the spinning man in iron armor. Their eyes met, and Whirlwind's heart stopped as the burning eyes of Johnny's which held uncontrolled and unfathomably powerful flames displayed his full intentions.
The Human Torch, like a wolf hunting a wounded rabbit, sped towards Whirlwind, and like a wounded rabbit, all he could do was watch as the teen circled around him, dead set on showing that Whirlwind's powers – the only thing he was known for, was something he was better at.
His trail of flames surrounded the gothic man who desperately tried to put them out but his attempts to do so proved to be his downfall for the fire burned at searing temperatures. The rampant viscous flames used – fed off Whirlwind's power, to make them stronger, to surround him in an incinerating entrapment he could not get out of.
But this wasn't even an attack of some kind, just a display of power and helplessness.
Trapped inside a cage of undying flames, Whirlwind could only look up in shock and surprise as Johnny entered the eye of the storm with him, a devious, almost malicious smile on his face and as if he was containing a vast and uncontrollable power, the boy cradled himself before exploding in a bright light, instantaneously harnessing his power to create an even larger, horrifying, viciously powerful vortex of flames which encased the villain in a burning blazing inferno that cast an orange glow across the sky.
When the flames faded and the smoke cleared, Johnny Storm stood in the air, looking down at the now, unconscious, and badly burned bodies of Whirlwind and Hydroman who were floating in the completely normal, sometimes safe-to-swim river as the clouds above relaxed and went back into formation, with the rain quickly leaving to reveal the clear night sky.
"Do you understand now?" He asked the unconscious villains with a wink.
Bulldozer, at the behest of his leader, prepared to deliver the finishing blow to Powerman who was now on his knees, sweat pouring down his face as the helmet wearing Bulldozer stared back at him with shadowed eyes.
Staying true to his namesake, Bulldozer shook the earth and flattened everything in his path with every step he took towards Powerman, fully intentending to ram his titanium-encased head through Powerman's skull, but angered and battered by being close to the hands of defeat, and never one to back down, Luke Cage grit his teeth as he stayed in place.
With clenched fists and a desire like none other to topple those before him, Luke Cage didn't bother moving out of the full-throttle Bulldozer before him, didn't bother thinking of a strategy to get out of this, didn't bother thinking about anything other than fighting.
Letting out a mighty yell, Luke Cage slammed his head – his tiara, against that of Bulldozers and instantly demolished his helmet, sending him collapsing in pure pain with the shattered pieces of his helmet.
Not expecting such a thing to happen, the other members of the crew sought to quickly rectify the error with Thunderball taking a mighty spin of his ball and chain with all his strength before sending it Powermans way.
The weapon ripped through everything in its way as it circled towards Powerman but Powerman, true to his namesake, shattered the ball with a punch of pure power.
Thunderball couldn't even react because immediately after, Luke had grabbed hold of the chain and used all his strength to yank the man his way.
With Thunderball being forcefully sent his way, Luke ran with legs stronger than any cheetah, faster than any animal, faster than Thunderball could even register, and with his powerful legs and surprising amounts of agility, he drop-kicked the man square in the face, shattering all of his teeth, breaking his nose, and sending him flying back the way he came before landing and blocking an attack by The Wrecker whose smugness and laughter could not be found, only anger.
But he wasn't the only angry one.
With The Wrecker's crowbar against his forearm once again, Luke in a very rare display used all of his strength to push it away and deliver a mighty punch to the Wrecker's cheek but to his surprise and dismay, the man took the blow in stride and sent Luke back with a punch stronger than anything he's felt in his life.
His eyes fell on the fallen Bulldozer, only to see that his powerful, six-foot mammoth-like body had been replaced with that of an overweight man.
He turned to look at Thunderball who was now average, and Piledriver who was scrawny.
The Wrecker smirked, he explained to him why his strength had increased like all villains do. His crew did not contain their own powers, instead, he shared his own with them, greatly reducing his strength to ten tons, but at full power, he had the destructive capability of fifty tons.
He stated this in an attempt to terrify Powerman, but he merely smirked.
Fifty tons?
He hasn't been pushed like this before.
He's always wanted to know his limits.
The two destructive forces clashed with one another on plateaus that could only be rivaled by beings like Titania, The Thing and Thor, but with every punch he took, with every punch he delivered, Powerman pushed himself harder, and harder, hitting harder than The Wrecker himself as the rush of the fight, the beating of his heart, and instinct drove him.
The Wrecker had found himself overwhelmed – yes, he was a being of pure strength but Powerman…Powerman was more than that. He was fast, agile, and with a body that appeared to be unbreakable, The Wrecker's initial even match had suddenly become one-sided with Powerman giving him a beatdown which ended with The Wrecker out cold inside a crater with his imprint.
"THAT'S HOW WE DO IT UP IN HARLEM!" Luke triumphantly yelled.
Just before Titania could conduct her theatrical finisher, The Thing, wounded and injured, and more importantly irritated, caught her ferocious two-handed slam from his knelt-down position with one hand, slowly lifting his head so that the woman could see his burning blue eyes.
Ben's insurmountable strength held her in place as he slowly got up from his knees, blood boiling hotter than ever.
Yes, he was raised by his aunt who taught him to never hit a woman, and yes, he did go against it, but he still held back, never one that was too fond, comfortable, or for hitting a woman, and he still wasn't, but auntie's boy Ben Grimm was put to the side.
See, he may have been raised by a fantastic aunt and uncle, but he also grew up on the poorest and most dangerous streets of New York, during a time before all the governments and such realized that maybe a good way to prevent crime was to invest in poor neighborhoods.
Aunt Petunia may have taught him to be too polite, maybe even a wuss, but someone else was there to correct that.
Ben Grimm was a nineties kid who grew up in a nineties Yancy Street, who was raised by a gang who took their name sake straight out of the worst slum New York ever had – has.
And during his time as a member of The Yancy Street Gang, he learned a bunch'a lessons, all of which his aunt would disapprove.
He has forsaken such lessons with time, age, and maturity, but there was one lesson he'd never forget.
It didn't matter if you started a fight or not.
And It didn't matter who you were fighting unless it was your ma', your grandma', your sister, or your girl.
All that mattered was that you won.
And that was exactly what he was going to do.
Titania may have been the strongest woman on the planet, and most likely top four of the strongest people to walk the earth but she was not the Hulk at one, nor was she Thor at second, and she was most definitely not third, cause that was him.
Tossing her hand to the side which sent the woman off foot, Ben Grimm raised both his hands in a similar fashion she did not too long ago, and with all his strength equal to that of a hundred tons – if not more, he brought them back down on her head with so much force that it shattered the ground she stood on and sent her limp and unconscious body crashing through so many levels of the sewers that the everyday taxpayer would notice a slight increase in their dreaded annual bill for Damage Control.
"I'd say I feel bad Mary, but you was askin for it," he stated as he slowly picked up the unaware woman before making the climb back up to the New York streets.
Sharing the same burning determination to win and second wind that others had received, just before the sword came down to detach his head from his body, Daredevil instantly rolled backwards from his knelt position, having his bound legs intercept the blade and slice through their binds before, in a show of peak human agility and skill, using his legs to kick the blade and take out the ninja in an instant before getting back on his feet.
Arms tied behind his back and surrounded by expertly trained assassins, Daredevil fought using only his legs, his senses, and his skills.
Dodging kama's, kitana's, shurikens, sai's and even kyoketsu shoge's, Daredevil bounced around the ninjas, with flips and acrobatic moves, while taking them out with swift and expert kicks hailing from Muay Thai, Taekwondo, and Kickboxing.
Even when he was stationary, the man in red was still on the move, bouncing between his feet, always ready to be on the move, not allowing any of his foes to lay a single hit on him. Doing a spinning, seven-hundred-twenty-degree quadruple kick on one of the ninjas, he saw fit to release his hands after giving himself enough room.
Upon Landing after his move, he flipped over a foe who tried to catch him from behind and brought his bound hands over his legs and to his front, where he would incorporate them on his assault before they too would soon be released, by an attack from a kyoketsu shoge which was thrown with the intention of hitting his heart, but sliced through his binds instead.
With all four – eight limbs now available, his fight had become more and more in his favor and when he managed to recover his weapons, it was practically won.
Combining the two batons into a massive staff, he fought off all his foes from all angles with devastating twirls from his staff which was used not only to attack, but to defend him from the multitude of weapons, while also allowing him to lift himself onto the air.
With only ten now left and completely surrounding him, the Hand ninjas sought to put an end to Daredevil by attacking him all at once but contorting his body to simultaneously dodge while also allowing for high-speed complete spins from his staff, The ninjas were all left bruised, blooded, and out as Daredevil stood above them, his staff now two batons once more as he wiped the blood from his mouth with his thumb, a small smirk on his face.
"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison."
Shockwaves, incendiary grenades, micro missiles, and grenades all conjoined into one massive explosive wave which shattered all the surrounding glass in an attempt to thwart the advancement of Spider-Man and Talon but like two unstoppable forces who were much more superior to the lofty group, the two briskly burst out of the smoke and flames at the speeds of their own heartbeats.
Speeds their opponents could not compete with.
Taking point, Laura bolted towards Shocker, dodging his shockwaves by using the surroundings to leap over them. Once she had gotten close enough to do so, Laura waited for Shocker to fire another blast towards her before using a parked car as a platform to leap off, jumping over the blast just barely and leaving his outstretched arms open for her to slash, and with a spin, she did just that.
Landing on her feet with the now defunct gauntlets, she looked up at the armored man who simply laughed.
"You think my gauntlets are the-" but he was quickly silenced as she circled around him, slashing at pieces of his suit and his backside. Based on the information given to her by Peter, Shocker's only weapons were his gauntlets, but due to his new armored attire, advancements, and employer, she assumed that the flaw was corrected and that the armored suit he wore could vibrate the air like his gauntlets.
And she assumed correctly.
Shocker was left speechless, but there was someone else to fill the void.
"What's wrong Shocker? She ruin your moment?" Spider-Man asked his longtime foe as he appeared right in front of him.
"If it makes you feel any worse, with a name like 'Herman', winning was never in the cards," Spider-Man quipped before befalling his foe in a blow and following Talon who had already moved to Scorcher.
Moving faster than the hydraulics in his suit could catch up with, Laura wreaked havoc upon his suit, cutting and slicing through it and the man underneath it just like Shocker, destroying his fuel lines and weaponry in the process while Spider-Man smashed through his protective see-through dome to knock out the regular man underneath it.
But at that same moment, a volcanic tornado lit up the sky in a bright orange which left everyone stunned at the display of power but Spider-Man could only stand with impressed excitement.
"Look at Torch go! We can't let him one-up us like that," Spider-Man excitedly stated to his partner who was also impressed by the display of power despite her knowledge of it.
The sheer cataclysmic sight the blonde haired boy had created, along with the wave of heat that washed over her certainly proved that he was undoubtedly one of the strongest superhumans to ever walk the earth.
"He won't," Laura confidently stated as she picked up their pace. With Scorcher and Shocker now down, the only 'threats' which remained were paltry villains, mercenaries, and those who would too fall at their feet.
Increasingly getting faster and faster as they went on, Spider-Man and Talon rapidly exchanged sides as they blitzed the unnamed villains who unfortunately swarmed them. Each time they crossed one another, they picked up their speed, and even set the other up.
"Catch!" Spider-Man yelled as a villain with a squid-themed costume was thrown not too far from her. Intercepting the airborne villain, she leaped into the air before contorting her body sideways and kicking him back down to the earth, instantly knocking him out.
The two, unsurprisingly, ultimately won, along with the other heroes winning their own victory.
With Grins, smiles, and in Talon's case, stoicism with a sense of satisfaction being hidden underneath, the heroes basked in their victory.
But despite the tribulation…things were only just beginning.
Looking down at his befallen and badly burned enemies, Johnny Storm embodying the element of fire smiled but that was instantly changed as in a second – no, faster than a second, as fast as lighting, he was blasted with an excruciating pain that pierced every single part of his body.
What happened in the next couple of seconds was unknown to him but when Johnny regained his consciousness and recovered in the air, the answer as to what happened would be terrifyingly shown to him.
Eyeing around his surroundings to see what had just attacked him, his eyes widened at the 'figure' before him.
"E-Electro?" The Human Torch hesitantly asked as he looked at a blinding blue figure which was now barley human.
"Yeah…LongtimenoseeTorch," He speedily replied in his now static-like voice as a smile quickly found its way on his face. Maxwell 'Max' Dillion, known as Electro, was one of the many villains he shared with Peter. According to his friend, he was an electrician at an Oscorp facility which was experimenting with electric eels. One day when doing maintenance in a severe lightning storm, lightning struck through the skylight and hit him, causing him to fall into a tank full of eels, but by a stroke of luck, he survived and gained powers of electricity but this…this was different.
Floating in the air with electricity violently branching off of him, violently illuminating the now cloudy skies with a bright blue, Electro flew above him. The man who was once human with Caucasian skin now had seemingly discarded his mortal flesh, his body instead of being constructed by flesh and bone was now electricity incarnate, barely able to maintain shape as it twitched violently with its once yellow, now blinding white layered with blue electrical powers, showing it.
"Like The new look? – IHAVENTFORGOTTENABOUTLASTTIMEWEFOUGHT!" He violently yelled in a different tone which caught Johnny off guard.
"Are you okay?"
"IWASHOPINGTHEWEBHEADWOULDBEHERETOOBU – Oh-oh, I'm better than okay," Electro changed the subject once again.
His body was not only different but he was too.
His voice and his mannerism were as volatile as electricity itself with his fingers and head twitching rapidly like he couldn't contain himself.
Electro was never on the stable side of mentality but the unhingedness of him, the terrifying power he displayed which was several thousands of volts stronger than his usual output had put Johnny severely on edge.
"See – I was hoping – wanted, to be the one who would fight you – glory hound – Torch," Electro spat as his tone fluctuated with his body, "You sit there with your – bootlickers – fans, praising you, people loving you – IT SHOULD BE ME!" with his vicious yell, electricity violently discharging and utterly destroying the parked cars and lights below them with miniature explosions.
"You and Spider-Man — LAUGHATME! – but now…now things are different. The – GOBLIN, showed that I don't have to play by your – RULES! And the Kingpin – fatman, made it so – I CAN BE MORE! I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT LIVES OR WHAT'S RIGHT AND WRONG! – I CHOOSE WHAT'S RIGHT AND WRONG! – I CHOOSE THE RULES! – I TAKE WHAT I WANT – WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE!" With each word he spoke, with his anger quickly rising, so did Electro's power as he began destroying everything in his presence with wild electricity that made it seem that the skies itself were shattered like a window when met with a powerful force.
"AND I WILL HAVE ALL BOW BEFORE ELECTRO!"
Johnny didn't need Peter's stupid sense to feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand, telling him that the joke who wore a stupid starfish mask was gone.
"Ho-Ho, Look at you! I came here lookin' for Powaw'man, not Waltaw' Awange," an amused voice with a clear New Yorken accent due to the dropped 'R' boomed in amusement and laughter.
Taken off guard by the new arrival, Powerman quickly turned around to see a man standing opposite to him, a longsword resting on his shoulder, as a shield remained on the other.
Donning a navy blue skin-tight costume – which the six-two male filled out well, russet accents like a collar and sleeves, was a man who wore a long white hooded cape that was of the same brown on the inside, long white gloves, and cuffed boots, with multiple belts and pouches around his body.
His key defining feature was his surprisingly expressive skull mask which hid everything save for eyes.
A mask which was currently laughing to himself as he stared at Powderman's attire.
"Da' seventies cawlled by da' way, they want their short back, and wow, what's with the chain belt? I thought – wait, how do I not make that sound racist…um…I can't, neva'mind, fugget' I said anything – actually, fugget' da' last sentence cawse everythin' else was piddy funny," The man snickered to himself before quickly getting serious and pointing his sword right at the confused and unamused Powerman.
"What's with da' hokey outfit though faw 'eal? Awh' you also a man out of time or do ya' just have a pooha' taste in clothes?" he asked as he slightly tilted his head.
"I dunno, what's with the underwear bein' on the outside," Powerman retorted as he pointed out the also corny design the man in front of him had.
"Don't diss the undies, They're awh' a supaw'hero classic," The skull-faced man staunchly defended with hostility in his voice.
"Yeah, it's the same thing with my outfit; sure it may be hokey but that's what this hero business is all about," Luke Cage stated, which intrigued the man in front of him.
"So you weah' dat' stupid costume for your business?" he asked which prompted a nod from Powerman.
"Wouldn't be caught dead wearing this thing outside of it."
Upon hearing this the man smiled, before instantaneously pouncing towards Powerman with such speeds and strength that were far above the average human.
Barley stepping the way out of his sword, his attacker ceased, bringing it down to his side and circling around him as he let out a chuckle.
"I knew I made the right cawl choosin ya' ovaw' Spidaw-Man," He excitedly declared before reading himself.
Powerman scoffed before standing up straight and eyeing the skull-faced man fiercely.
"Yeah, well you should've chosen him," Luke declared as his attacker went to slash him with his sword. In attack Luke would fully take to display his power, "I have unbreakable skin and your swo-"
He stopped himself as his attacker brought his sword to his side.
The tip and edge was covered in blood.
Luke looked to his side, completely and utterly bewildered upon seeing himself, seeing his skin, be sliced open for the first time since he received his powers.
He let out a muffled grunt as the giant wound reached from his shoulder down to his abdomen, blood squirting and staining his dusty and torn shirt.
He looked at his attacker once more, a smug smile on his face as he expected the surprised look on his target.
"Swawd is secondary grade adamantium, not unbreakable like the true primary bouge stuff but it does the job," he explained as he twirled his sword with pride.
Powerman still looked at him with surprise, he first thought the man in front of him was a joke but if his sword can pierce his skin then what else could he do?
"Whawt? You have unbreakable skin, I got daw' internet, an ubaw-expensive arsenal, and a killaw goil-friend much smartaw than me. I didn't even want to use the swawd cawse even though it's not primary it's still adamantium and this stuff is expensive but my goil' was like 'the ad says he has unbreakable skin, adamantium slices through everything, bring the sword,' and I had to bring the swawd and – look, it doesn't mattaw, you'll be dead in seconds. I was given the task of killin' you and I'll see to it since my name ain't 'TaskMaster' for nothin," Taskmaster proudly stated before getting ready to begin their fight.
"Just in F.Y.I though, None aw' this is personawl, I'm only here to collect that bag, yaw feel me?" He added with a shrug.
Powerman paused before letting out a snicker, "Yeah, I feel you, I can say the same thing," he stated with hostility before clenching his fists and reading himself for their fight as well.
"Here lemme help you," a hand was given to The Thing who was in the process of carrying both himself and Titania out of the wreckage they had created for themselves.
"Thanks," The Thing said as a big and strong had clasped his, lifting the both of them up and out onto the New York streets once more.
Ben, ever the gentleman, gently placed Titania on the ground as he thanked the man for helping him, conducting the same manner he always conducted when people always helped but then his brain kicked in, and his autopilot turned off.
Since when could anyone lift both him and Titania up with one hand? that was almost a ton…and with one hand…
"Who are you?" He asked as he turned around to come face to face with the man who helped him. Standing before a shirtless and bald six-four male who wore black and white striped pants and boots, Ben Grimm was left frozen in shock as the man's Caucasian skin was quickly changing into…into his, with his large ball and chain doing the same.
"Right now…I'm you," he smugly stated before sending The Thing skipping down the street with a mighty punch.
"Names Absorbing Man, The Kingpin's hired me to kill you, and I'm here to do that…gleefully," He stated with a heinous smile before leaping up into the air and spinning his ball and chain.
A sharpened playing card being thrown at him instantly put Daredevil at the highest priority as a familiar scent quickly appeared right in front of him.
Not even bothering with taking him by surprise due to knowing it wouldn't work, a man in a dark spandex suit with white gloves, white boots, and a white collar, Bullseye, one of the world's deadliest assassins who was even on a higher level of killing then Laura Kinney was, appeared with a fond smile on his face, as if he was seeing a longtime friend once more.
"Hiya DD, It's been a while," The death-worshiping assassin happily said with a large smile on his face, "You look like shit, what happened?" he mocked as he smoothly stroked his clean-shaven chin, something Daredevils stubble made impossible, "Oh wait, the biggest crime lord to ever exist found out who you were. Man, I do not want to be in your shoes, now don't go all worrin' about If I know, I sure as hell don't cause if I did, The Kingpin would have me killed, and here's the thing, I like Killing – Hell, I love killing, but I'm not a big fan of being killed, since I kinda like being alive and I can't kill when I'm dead, but then again, both of those things don't have to be stated," Bullseye said with a laugh.
Daredevil remained silent and unamused which caused the man to pout.
"This is why I like the kid more, he actually talks to me, plus, He. Is. Terrifying. Really puts the adamantium bones to the test," Bullseye patted his bicep, "I almost was going to be going after him, try something new for once, but then I saw you and I just. Could. Not. Help MYSELF! I might be zero and one to the kid, but I got a huge score to settle with you," Bullseye angrily and fiercely stated as he readied himself with Daredevil doing the same.
"I hope you've still got some juice left in you buddy, 'cause I've been thinking of plenty of ways to repay you for the last time we met," He finished as he licked the edges of his razor-sharp cards, hatefully glaring at the blind man before him.
Still tired and exhausted, the smart choice would be to run when in the face of one of the most dangerous men on the planet but that would be pointless.
But that smart choice was very rarely the right one.
And he would not run.
He would not give in.
"Bring it on Bullseye."
In an instant, Peter's Spider-Sense went off, and things slowed once more for him, while Laura let out a sniff. Automatically, she moved out of the way for what she smelt like was a projectile coming her way while Peter caught it in an attempt to figure out what it was.
"A blowdart?" Spider-Man said as he looked at her, his voice being a mix of disbelief and amusement as he took the outdated weapon lightly whereas Laura…
"Give it to me!" Laura harshly demanded much to his surprise as she forcefully took it before he could even pass it to her. She observed it as she frantically sniffed the air around her, her mind instantaneously coming to the conclusion but surprised that he would even pick up a bounty such as this.
Very, very few, used them in the profession of mercenary work due to guns and other weapons rendering them useless and impractical.
But there was only one she knew who could use such an old-fashioned tool and still make it look like a threat.
Only one who would also use a deadly neurological poison only found in Africa.
Spider-Sense going off once more, Peter looked around his surroundings before catching sight of an orange blur falling right towards them, meeting whatever it was halfway.
In an instant, his arm clashed with a long metal pole as he glared at a six-foot Caucasian male with long, sleek, black hair and a beard which lacked any gray hairs.
That was the best look he could get for almost immediately, he could feel a foot step on his chest and push him back as the man used him as a platform to leap off of before landing on a misplaced car, his weight caving in the roof upon his landing.
Laura looked at the man with wide eyes as his scent was non-existent, untraceable – untrackable… and he had even managed to sneak past her enhanced senses as well.
"Whose this? Off-brand Tarzan?" Peter jokingly quipped as he gestured at the man who had her mind racing.
The man before them wore a vest constructed out of a lion's head, with its luscious mane flowing with the wind and keeping his entire back both covered and warm. His attire was mostly constructed from that of a lion, possibly even the same one he wore as a jacket with a necklace, belt, and pant cuffs being constructed of large, and sharpened teeth.
Wearing black leather boots, loose dark brown, an armband crafted from the skin of a cheetah and two wrist braces which were constructed of the same unknown metal of his spear, one of the world's deadliest assassins, an assassin whose reputation she knew, stood before them.
Armed with countless weapons holstered along his belt and possibly more tools in his pouches and jackets, Laura Kinney glared at the man The Facility had warned her about.
"His name is Kraven the Hunter, a title given off to the chosen male heir of the Kravenoff family. Those who bare the name a-"
"-Are the best hunters to ever walk the earth," Kraven finished off proudly with a thick Russian accent as he eyed the two teens. Laura eyed him too, The Kraven she was familiar with was a man named 'Sergei Kravenoff,' who at this point in time should be in his eighties, but the man before her looked no older than thirty.
The Kravenoff family for countless generations were the greatest hunters to ever walk the earth, with the family possessing a tradition which enhanced the human body, but after World War II, Sergei Kravenoff who was the head of the wealthy and esteemed Russian family based in Africa had gone through experiments by The Russian Government to go through even further enhancements, but that was all she knew - all The Facility would tell her.
Even with such an experiment, the man before could not possibly be Sergei due to his youthful appearance.
"It would seem your Malen'kaya l'vitsa seems to know a thing or two, Pauk," Kraven said as he brandished his spear in excitement which instantly caused her to defensively stand in front of Peter which caused Kraven to raise an amused brow, while Peter remained oblivious.
"Shame I can't say the same about you. Greatest hunter in the world must be a pretty low bar if you show up to fight two superheroes with a spear, some knives and a blow dart," Spider-Man pointed out before laughing, and much to both his and Laura's surprise, Kraven joined in too, letting out an amused chuckle.
"Ha, you put it like that Pauk, and it would indeed be foolish to show up with what many would consider rudimentary weapons but the old ways are why we are here, to begin with, and sometimes, the best thing to return to," He stated in an educational voice before instantly narrowing his eyes and lowering it, "but do not be mistaken into believing that these are my greatest weapon for that title…"
"...belongs to me," he declared as he walked off the roof of the car he was on and landed on the street, cracking it with his sheer weight alone.
"And as such, I have come here to hunt another weapon, like me, but to my surprise, I have found more…" he said with a tilted head and smirk which caused both Peter's and Laura's mind to draw conclusions?
Was he with the facility? Did they hire him to look for her? Did The Kingpin hire him? Did they know?
"Weapon? Hey, wha-" Peter tried to ask but was quickly cut short due to Kraven interjecting him.
"-Though I may not hail from America, as a Hunter, it would be foolish to not get myself antiquated and informed of The Hierarchy…and systems of power in whatever grounds I hunt in," He explained as he looked around his surroundings.
"And I know that you, Pauk, stand at the top of the food chain. Belonging to a class of apex predators that few belong in – That I belong in. As a hunter, and more importantly a Kravenoff, I had intended to lay claim to you to test my skills, however, someone else had beaten me to it," Kraven stated with a disappointed and bittered tone.
"Boo hoo?" Peter replied as he was trying his best to follow what Kraven was saying.
"And if it is one thing my father told me, 'it is to never get in between a battle of two apex predators.' For in my research on the hierarchy of this concrete dystopian jungle, I have come to the knowledge that it is not just Spiders who stand at the top…" Kraven trailed off as he looked behind him, Peter's and Laura's extra senses going off as they both warned of something coming in quickly.
Both warning them of something dangerous.
"But Goblins too."
At the mere mention of that word, what once was a tingle became a searing headache as every hair on his body spiked up along with his heart rate.
Immediately before Spider-Man could react - before Talon could react, a blur had come and grabbed Peter by the neck before racing down the street they were on and bashing his body through a building.
Taking him far, far away, from Laura Kinney.
Instantaneously registering what just happened, wide eyes fixated on Peter's body which was forcefully bashed through countless walls, she instinctively, consciously, willfully, disregarded everything and everyone around her – even Kraven, as her mind and otherworldly forces she did not know demanded her to follow, to help – to protect, to keep him at her side, but her stride was cut short as the tip of a spear had moved to attack but years of training – a whole existence dedicated to combat, her body moved on it's own and her claws clashed with the body of a spear.
The body of the metallic weapon remaining unbroken despite coming in contact with her primary adamantium claws.
She growled and snarled and hatefully bore holes through The Hunter's excited expression.
"Your fight is with me," Kraven stated as he licked his lips with excitement.
Brought through too many walls he couldn't even count, nor register, Peter Parker struggled to get a look of his attacker due to the immense noise, dust which obscured his vision, and the tight suffocating grip around his neck which was slowly killing him.
His mind and heart raced with his body as fear, dread, disbelief, and panic all battled for control over his brain.
Goblins?
It couldn't be, it just couldn't be real, there was no way Norman Osborn was back, no way The Green Goblin was alive.
He watched him die.
Impaled by the two prongs of his glider….
…but the hand around his neck, the predatory noise of an engine which almost purred…The harrowing, screeching, laughter….
They all pointed to the contrary.
Before he could be brought through another building, he wildly struck at his attacker's, hitting what he felt was hardened skin.
With his wild strike that fortunately hit his assailant's chin, the iron grip on his neck which was digging into his costume and neck was released, causing him to free fall.
Gasping for air as he fell, he frantically looked around for any possible sight of his attacker as he began to web swing.
Preparing himself mentally for The Green Goblin.
But like a creature of the night, a monster in a movie, he was all gone.
His spider-sense went off.
Not even ten seconds after being released, the wall closest to him exploded and his attacker came once again, full intention of impaling him with the armored glider's prongs, but Spider-Man's enhanced senses and lighting speed reaction time prevented that.
Pulling himself upwards and above the figure which had just come close to killing him, Spider-Man found his place above the hole in the wall, standing on the side of a building with wide eyes beneath his lenses.
"You're not The Goblin…" Spider-Man as he made eye contact with the man riding the glider.
Instead of green armor which had purple cloth put over it, there was a skin-tight costume that had dark harbor blue contrasting against bright Halloween orange.
The orange bits of the man's costume tightly covered his chest, abdomen, and shoulder muscles, mimicking their shape as the material – that was certainly not cloth, used for the orange gave them the texture of a pumpkin.
His sleeves and pants were blue, providing a nice color balance.
He wore a matching pair of orange gloves and boots of somewhat loose fitting gloves and boots which were torn and tattered at the cuffs.
The boots were pointed while the finger parts of his gloves were torn completely off.
He wore a skirt made from heavy, clean-cut cloth that covered his front and back upper thighs while leaving his pelvic area completely open for a free-flowing, longer piece to dangle sharply down to his lower calves on both his front and the back sides.
A large black belt was strapped around his waist, housing large leather pouches full of who knows what, and even a metallic handle which was connected to a demonically winged guard which had a smiling pumpkin in the middle.
Peter's gaze was stuck on the face, however.
Following the medieval-inspired look, the man who he thought was the Green Goblin wore a torn and tattered medieval hood which was connected to a tattered cape which wrapped around and covered both his neck and collar bone entirely.
He stared at the mask.
It wasn't smooth or sleek like the mask he had been so acquainted with – yes, some details were the same like the long pointed ears which went through holes in the hood, but where Norman's mask was still obviously a mask, this one was rough, full of detail and rough speckles, having lines and wrinkles which made it resemble a decrepit human face.
But more importantly, it was flawed.
With his aforementioned exposed obliques and fingers following the same texture and color of dead rotting skin, but with protruding, sharp, and large scales being seen from his sides, while his fingers had miniature ones as they ended with jagged and sharp talons in place of nails.
Whoever was behind the costume made a great attempt to make it seem real but the real catch was the eyes.
instead of one-way plastic yellow eyes which were hollow…these ones were a bright crimson red which he swore glowed if the small ambient light around them was anything to go off of.
They seemed alive…real…
The demonic face that Peter Parker was watching, observing, and questioning, merely smiled as he spun around to come face to face with the wall-crawler, costume and appearance on full display.
The mysterious new foe who had simultaneously calmed his fears while creating new ones, smiled in a twisted manner upon hearing Spider-Man's surprise.
"Oh, I am a Goblin…" He cooed in his warped voice as he reached into his leather pouches with both his hands causing Spider-Man's spider-sense to go off.
"JUST NOT GREEN!" He excitedly and proudly yelled as the familiar howling screech of The Green Goblin's pumpkin bombs reached his ears as a barrage of them was thrown immediately at him.
Quickly propelling himself off his spot, Spider-Man dodged the massive explosion which annihilated all in their path and landed on the rooftop of the opposing building, with The Goblin before him hovering high above in the air.
Looking down at him with his crimson eyes which displayed his satisfaction and excitement for the coming battle.
"YOU CAN CALL ME: THE HOBGOBLIN!"
Next one will for sure be shorter.
Anyways, more important notes, I'm gonna be aging up Bobby and Nightcrawler so that it makes sense in the timeline and I have a nice balance between adults and teens while also making The X-Men resemble when they were launched with Chris The Goat Clairmont so X-Men fans expect that and maybe other characters to come in soon.
Also expect the same treatment with The X-men cause this chapter was so huge to give the others time in the sun and show your their traits and shit.
Bobby will be 19 making it make more sense with the timeline I have in mind, NightJobber will be 21, I'm gonna be making the adjustments with the other chapters.
Also I'm nerfing Peter, He's gonna be going down fifteen tonnes and be a twenty tonner, not a big change but one that allows for more things to be a challenge. I am a firm believer that Peter Parker scales past ten tonnes but making him a 35 tonner at 17 is me cooking not good shit, fortunately it doesn't change much
Like I said prior, the next one will be shorter but it will be a doozie with things and Ideas I've come up with and change up the mythos of a lot of characters.
We're gonna be in the mansion soon, after the next two chapters, things will be moving quickly, I know I've been saying that but at each turn I realize that I should add more to flesh things out.
But I promise, once we get into the mansion we'll be having multiple day skips and such.
Peter and Laura will take the focus next chapter, I just wanted to give you guys a break and show others.
I hope you like what I did here cause I'm taking liberties with everyone in the story to fit into the narrative, themes, and character arcs.
Share your thoughts in the reviews.
I also did the MVC3 reference.
Have a good one.