"We messed up!!!"
Captain Steve could only watch as the black mass in front of him expanded, twisted, and then erupted outward into something monstrous. What had once been a symbiote now reformed into a towering abomination, its structure resembling a skeletal spider forged from jet-black bone. The creature's jagged mouthparts snapped through the air like serrated blades, each movement producing a sharp, grating echo that made the skin crawl.
At the core of this nightmare, a thick layer of hardened tissue had formed like armor, wrapping tightly around Peter's body. It was as if the creature had built a living fortress just to protect its host, sealing him inside like the heart of a war machine. Compared to the previous mutation, this form was far more violent, more grotesque, and far less stable.
The distortion wasn't just physical. It was mental.
"Slaughter!!"
The word tore out of Peter like a broken command, the last remaining fragment of his sanity reduced to a single instinct. All that remained in his mind was the need to kill the two heroes standing before him, to crush them and erase everything they represented. His thoughts had collapsed into pure rage, leaving behind nothing but madness wrapped in black flesh.
Just as the tension reached a breaking point, someone clapped.
Tony Stark stood there, completely unfazed, slowly applauding as he studied the massive creature with bright, analytical eyes. Instead of fear, there was fascination, the kind only a man obsessed with innovation could feel in the face of something so dangerous.
"I underestimated the potential of this alien organism," Tony said, circling slightly as if inspecting a new prototype. His tone carried genuine excitement. "The fact that it can undergo this kind of controlled mutation while maintaining a symbiotic state is incredible. Honestly, I'd love to take it apart and see how it works from the inside."
The words landed like a bomb.
Steve turned his head sharply, disbelief written all over his face, while Hawkeye and Black Widow—who had just arrived at the edge of the battlefield—stood frozen. They stared at the massive spider-like horror looming over the street, then at Tony, who was casually discussing dissection like this was a lab experiment instead of a nightmare.
Had he lost his mind?
It might have made sense if it came from a deranged scientist, someone already teetering on the edge. But this was Tony Stark, the billionaire playboy who usually cracked jokes in the middle of a fight. Hearing him talk like this sent a chill through everyone present.
Hawkeye narrowed his eyes slightly, glancing toward Natasha, while she subtly returned the look. No words were needed between them. They had both come to the same conclusion at the exact same time.
If this thing really was as valuable as Tony implied, then it wasn't just a threat—it was an asset.
And assets like this weren't something you let fall into the wrong hands.
They would need backup. A lot of it.
At that exact moment, the giant spider demon moved.
From its perspective, the small figures below weren't just enemies—they were irritants, insects daring to stand in its way. It didn't need to distinguish between old grudges and new ones anymore. Everything in front of it was a target.
A massive leg came crashing down.
"Boom!!!"
The ground exploded under the impact, dirt and debris blasting outward as a crater nearly three meters wide was carved into the street. The sheer force behind the strike was terrifying, and it didn't take much imagination to understand what would happen if a human body were caught beneath it.
They wouldn't survive. There wouldn't even be anything left.
Steve's expression hardened as he stepped back, his mind racing for a solution that refused to come. For the first time in this fight, he wasn't confident. The situation had spiraled beyond anything he could handle with strategy and willpower alone.
Tony, however, had already shifted gears.
"JARVIS," he said sharply, his gaze locking onto the creature. "Activate the Iron Legion."
He had planned for situations like this long before they ever happened. Hidden away in his armory were multiple suits of armor, each designed for rapid deployment in emergencies. Until now, they had remained dormant, little more than contingency plans gathering dust.
Today, they were being unleashed.
Tony looked toward the horizon just as streaks of fire began to appear in the distance. One by one, they grew brighter, faster, and louder, cutting through the sky like incoming missiles.
The Iron Legion had been deployed.
They were coming to surround and bring down the giant spider.
——
"Warning! Warning! A giant spider monster has appeared in Hell's Kitchen. All civilians are advised to evacuate immediately and avoid the area."
The alert spread rapidly across every major platform.
Back at his hidden base, Liam leaned back comfortably as he watched the live footage streaming across his screen. The video feed showed the Avengers clashing with the enormous spider demon, explosions lighting up the battlefield as chaos unfolded in real time.
He casually poured himself a glass of soda, the fizzing sound oddly relaxing against the backdrop of destruction. Grabbing a handful of snacks, he settled in like someone watching a movie instead of a life-or-death battle.
Spider-Man had already been beaten into the ground by him earlier. The Avengers, in his eyes, weren't much better.
There really wasn't much to look forward to.
"Sss…"
A faint sound drew his attention.
The red symbiote—his creation—slid along the doorframe and entered the room, moving carefully as it approached the workbench. It carried itself with an odd sense of discipline, almost like a trained pet reporting back to its master.
It began recounting everything it had done over the past few days, describing in detail how it had cleaned up the thugs and criminals in Hell's Kitchen. It even mentioned its encounter with Peter, including how it had knocked out two of his teeth during their fight.
A smile spread across Liam's face as he listened.
He reached out and gently patted the creature, his fingers brushing against its slick surface with clear satisfaction. There was something deeply amusing about the entire situation.
The "child" he had raised had beaten both Spider-Man and the man who could barely be called his father.
That was entertainment.
Far more interesting than anything else.
What pleased him even more was the fact that this symbiote had only undergone a single evolution and was already this powerful. The potential was obvious. Once it gained access to higher-level energy sources, like the Divine Tree bloodline, its growth would be terrifying.
This world truly lived up to its reputation.
Energy, talent, power—it was everywhere.
Liam could feel it constantly.
His body functioned like a black hole, endlessly pulling in ambient energy from his surroundings. The process never stopped, operating twenty-four hours a day, refining and strengthening him with each passing second. He could almost feel something greater forming within him, as if his body was preparing to birth a celestial entity.
It felt incredible.
"Compared to when I first got the Divine Tree Physique," he muttered, swirling his drink, "I'm at least five percent stronger now."
Still, it wasn't enough.
He wanted more.
[Ding! A random mission has been detected nearby.]
The system's voice rang out, crisp and immediate.
[Spider-Man's Fury: Peter Parker has suffered repeated humiliation—first being defeated, then being stepped on by Captain Steve Rogers, and now facing the threat of dissection by the Avengers. His anger has reached its peak. He desires revenge.]
[Ding! Upon accepting this mission, the host must assist Peter in humiliating the Avengers and stripping them of their pride. Rewards will be multiplied based on Peter's level of satisfaction.]
Liam's eyes lit up instantly.
Now this… this was interesting.
The first time, he had helped Sandman humiliate Spider-Man. That had paid off nicely. This time, the roles were reversed—and the stakes were higher.
Now he could use Spider-Man to slap the Avengers in the face.
Two birds. One stone.
Or better yet—one mission, two rewards.
"Perfect," he said with a grin.
While others struggled, he would collect.
Leaning forward, he patted the symbiote again and fed it another portion of condensed energy. The creature absorbed it eagerly, its body rippling as it devoured the power.
"Eat up," Liam said calmly. "We've got work to do."
——
Meanwhile, as the news of the giant spider demon spread, April slammed her hand against the dashboard.
"Drive faster!"
Her partner glanced nervously at the road ahead, then at the cars rushing in the opposite direction. Traffic was chaotic, people abandoning the area as fast as they could, as if fleeing from a natural disaster.
"April… are you seriously planning to go straight into that?" he asked, his voice tight with anxiety. "Everyone else is running away, and we're heading right toward it. Doesn't that seem a little insane?"
April didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Her answer was immediate, absolute.
She leaned forward slightly, her eyes burning with a strange intensity as she stared ahead.
"Do you like being praised?" she asked suddenly. "Do you want recognition? Money? Fame?"
Her partner blinked, caught off guard by the question.
"Then come with me."
There was something in her voice—something sharp and unyielding—that made it impossible to argue. It wasn't just ambition. It was hunger.
And once those words left her mouth, he fell silent.
Because deep down, he already knew the answer.
No one could resist fame and fortune.
.....
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