Peter Parker climbed out of the ruins of the clock tower, the sharp pain in his chest making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
His suit had a large hole, revealing the skin beneath, which had already begun to bruise.
Matt's strength was far greater than before.
Not just strength.
Speed, reactions, and that suffocating sense of oppression.
This was not the Daredevil he knew at all.
"You've changed, Matt."
Peter struggled to his feet, his web-shooters already ready.
Matt walked slowly towards him, each step incredibly steady.
"My old self was too weak."
There was no emotional fluctuation in his voice.
"Weakness made me lose too much. I lost Elektra, I lost the peace of Hell's Kitchen, I lost the chance to truly protect this city."
Peter took a step back.
He could feel the cold killing intent emanating from Matt.
This was not a joke.
Matt truly wanted to kill him.
"So you joined The Hand?"
Peter tried to awaken the conscience deep within Matt with words.
"Have you forgotten? How many innocent people has The Hand killed? They are the evil you have always been fighting!"
"Evil?"
Matt stopped, seemingly pondering the meaning of the word.
"Peter, you are still too young."
He looked up, and though he couldn't see, his eyes seemed to pierce through everything.
"There is no absolute good or evil in this World. Only order and chaos."
"The Hand gave me power, gave me the chance to establish true order."
"And you so-called heroes, you just spin in chaos, never solving the fundamental problems."
Peter's heart sank to rock bottom.
This wasn't brainwashing.
These were Matt Murdock's heartfelt thoughts.
He truly believed that The Hand's path was the correct one.
"What about the criminals you killed?"
Peter asked, struggling for his last words.
"Do they deserve death too?"
Matt's lips curled into a cold arc.
"They received their due judgment."
"Eternal, just judgment."
No sooner had he spoken than Matt disappeared from his spot again!
This time, Peter's spider-sense gave him a warning a few tenths of a second in advance.
He rolled sharply to the left, a web shooting towards a distant stone statue.
But Matt's speed was too fast.
An Iron Fist whistled past Peter's shoulder.
Peter cried out in pain, his body losing balance in mid-air.
He barely shot out another web, trying to stabilize himself.
But Matt had already anticipated his trajectory.
He kicked the web, and a huge vibration traveled along the silk to Peter's hand.
Peter's entire hand was numb from the shock, and he had no choice but to let go of the web.
He fell heavily onto the church roof, rolling several times before stopping.
"You're too weak, Peter."
Matt looked down at him.
"So weak that it makes me wonder how you've survived in this city until now."
Peter struggled to stand up, but the sharp pain in his chest made his movements sluggish.
Matt didn't give him a chance.
He stepped in front of Peter and stomped his foot on Peter's chest.
"Crack."
The sound of breaking ribs was clearly audible.
Peter let out a suppressed scream.
"Matt! Stop!"
Elektra finally spoke.
She had been watching coldly from the side, only now speaking to stop him.
"He's just a kid."
Matt turned to look at her.
"Kid?"
There was a hint of mockery in his tone.
"This 'kid' just tried to stop us."
"He's a threat."
Elektra walked over to Matt.
"He's not a threat. He's just misguided."
She squatted down, looking at the suffering Peter.
"Just like we were once misguided."
Peter struggled to lift his head, looking at Elektra.
In this woman's eyes, he saw a trace of complex emotion.
Not sympathy, but something deeper.
Understanding?
Or memory?
"Elektra..."
Peter used all his strength to squeeze out these words.
"I heard Matt talk about you, you used to be a good person too."
Elektra's expression changed slightly.
"Good person?"
She chuckled softly.
"I was never a good person, Little Spider."
"I'm just a killer. A killer trained to be a perfect weapon."
"The only difference is, now I know who to kill."
She stood up and looked at Matt.
"But he's right. Killing a child won't do us any good."
Matt was silent for a few seconds.
Finally, he moved his foot off Peter's chest.
"You have one minute to get out of here."
He said to Peter.
"If I see you appear in Hell's Kitchen again, I won't be so merciful next time."
Peter struggled to get up.
His body was shaky, but his eyes remained firm.
"I won't give up, Matt."
He said, coughing up blood.
"One day, I'll bring the real you back."
Matt didn't answer.
He just watched silently as Peter limped towards the edge of the church.
Peter shot a web and disappeared into the night.
The top of the church fell silent again.
Only Matt and Elektra remained.
"You've gone soft."
Elektra suddenly spoke.
"The old you wouldn't let any threat go."
Matt turned to look at her.
"Are you testing me?"
Elektra shrugged.
"I'm just curious."
"Curious what made Matt Murdock this way."
Matt walked to the edge of the church, looking down at Hell's Kitchen below.
In the streets, The Hand's ninjas were methodically carrying out his orders.
Cleaning up street dealers, expelling homeless vagrants, maintaining a superficial order.
"I died once."
Matt suddenly spoke.
"And then?"
She asked.
"Then I stayed in the dark for a very long time."
Matt's voice became distant.
"A very, very long time."
"There, I saw the truth of this city."
"I saw all the pain, all the despair, all the sin."
"I realized that with my old methods, I could never save anyone."
Elektra listened quietly.
She could feel that every word Matt said was sincere.
This was not the result of brainwashing.
This was a man's re-cognition of the World after experiencing death.
"So you chose The Hand's path."
Elektra said.
"I chose the effective path."
Matt corrected her.
"Elektra, join me."
He turned to face her.
"We can rebuild this World together."
"Establish a new order without pain, without despair."
Elektra looked at him.
This man was still the Matt Murdock she had loved.
But at the same time, he was completely different.
Her hand unconsciously reached for the weapon at her waist.
The power of black sky stirred within her.
It craved battle, craved slaughter, craved to destroy this man who had betrayed everything.
But Elektra suppressed this urge.
"I need time to think."
She finally said.
Matt nodded.
"I'll wait for your answer."
He turned to leave.
"But don't make me wait too long."
"The change in this World has already begun."
-------------------------------
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