"So, what does everyone think about Wraith Spider having this kind of power?"
Tony paused the video and asked the room.
"The technology behind that armor isn't something Stark Industries can reproduce yet. I couldn't even identify its energy source. JARVIS says the material isn't from Earth."
He was not asking because he wanted to study Peter himself. What he really wanted was to study the armor's special abilities and see whether they could be mass-produced. Even if a mass-produced version only reached three-tenths of the original's performance, it would still be a revolutionary leap. Overall combat capability would rise by a huge margin.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't have any relevant data either."
Peggy Carter took a sip of coffee as she spoke.
As both a veteran agent and the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., on top of being one of the founding members of the Defenders Alliance, she naturally had access to one of the strongest information networks in the world.
And yet even now, they had found no data on the armor.
Nor had they managed to discover the identities of Wraith Spider or Ghost-Spider.
It had to be said, those two Spider-People had done an impressive job covering their tracks.
Steve said nothing. His face was still dark, and the steel cup in his hand had already been crushed out of shape.
"If I saw it correctly, that armor should have some kind of magical energy flowing through it. Your technology can't reproduce that, Tony. At least not as it is now. Unless you went to Wakanda and tried to build an armor like it there. But the magical power itself still originates from the one wearing it..."
Stephen Strange watched the footage over and over before finally giving his conclusion.
As the Sorcerer Supreme, he could naturally sense magic.
But the type of magic involved here was strange.
It was not white magic.
Not black magic.
Not chaos magic either.
It was something soaked in blood, destruction, and ominous killing intent.
"What's strange is that this magical energy seems to contain tremendous blood vitality and a mix of destructive and creative force. Earlier, you said he dragged all of you into some kind of strange space. I think that was also a magical effect."
Doctor Strange gave his own judgment.
"Magic too? That just makes him even more mysterious..."
"If the situation becomes uncontrollable, I still think we should capture him. He already admitted himself that he isn't any kind of superhero, and he possesses this kind of power. If he ever loses control, the damage would be impossible to measure."
"And if he were to join Hydra..."
Steve said seriously,
"Then this wouldn't just be a New York crisis anymore."
But Strange calmly shook his head in response.
"Your emotions have been off these past few days. Maybe Hydra resurfacing has put you under pressure. But from everything we've seen so far, this Spider-Man doesn't seem like a threat. If simply having great power is enough to make someone dangerous, then everyone in this room qualifies as a threat."
"Doctor..."
"Maybe his methods are excessive, sure. But don't forget, you're a battlefield veteran. You've killed at least as many people as he has. If decisiveness and bloodshed alone are enough to judge whether someone is good or bad, then that argument doesn't hold up very well, does it?"
Before Steve could finish, Tony cut in.
He already liked the spider-kid a lot, and the kid clearly respected him too. As for why the spider-kid disliked Steve so much, maybe it was just because Steve had that face like he looked down on everybody.
Honestly, Tony found that irritating too sometimes.
"Tony, you..."
"Enough, Steve. Tony's right. Which one of us has clean hands here? You can't just label him a villain because he doesn't want to be some superhero. Not everyone lives by some grand ideal."
Peggy finally stepped in. If she let it continue, the two of them would definitely start going at each other again.
"Hulk, what do you think?"
"I don't really get the rest of it, but I am interested in studying that tech."
Hulk rubbed his chin seriously. He might be violent and hot-tempered, but that did not erase the fact that he was still a scientist.
"I still can't accept it..."
"Oh, give it a rest. If you're bad at this, train harder. If you can't handle it, don't play. I am seriously sick of the way you keep slapping labels on people. Who do you think you are?!"
Mental self-torment?
Not a chance.
Tony had learned from the spider-kid.
When things got annoying, just go feral.
That night, the founding members of the Defenders Alliance launched into an intense shouting match. Mostly it was Steve and Tony, with Hulk occasionally throwing in a few lines when he got fed up. As for the other two, they spent the whole time trying to break them up.
...
Meanwhile, after a week of training, Peter and Gwen were finally starting to see results.
Their strength had not increased dramatically, but at least their spider powers were now fully integrated into their movements.
After all, ever since becoming Spider-People, neither of them had really taken the time to study their abilities seriously.
Just because spider powers came naturally did not mean mastery came naturally too.
Knowing how to do something and being fully proficient at it were two different things.
On top of that, Peter had also invented a few new gadgets, with Gwen helping him along the way, of course.
The power of the Electro-Pulse gauntlet had been increased again, while the recoil and the later backlash were both reduced to the lowest possible level.
And Peter had also made spider claws for Gwen using the same material as Harry's prosthetic.
They were not on the level of his spider arm-blades, but the material was still one of the rarest metals around. Even exceptionally strong steel would not be able to break them.
Lying on his bed, Peter looked at the watch on his arm and opened the communication function.
The group chat for the multiverse squad was already lively.
[New Goblin Harry: I just helped my universe's Peter deal with this black goo-covered alien thing. That stuff was disgusting... (image)]
Harry posted a picture showing a black alien sludge wrapped around a person. It looked revolting.
That alien lifeform was obviously the symbiote, Venom.
Though this version did not seem as strong as the other Venoms Peter knew about.
[Elda Valleta: Those fangs...]
[Ultimate Green Goblin Norman: You didn't get hurt, did you?!]
[New Goblin Harry: I'm okay. Just a few minor injuries, but my healing factor will take care of it fast. Thanks for worrying, Dad... By the way, how are things in your universe?]
[Ultimate Green Goblin Norman: The infection is temporarily under control, and we've already developed an antidote. But Gwen in my world has changed a little. It seems like she became Spider-Man too...]
[Wraith Spider Peter: What?! What happened exactly?!]
[Ultimate Green Goblin Norman: I don't know the full details either. But she really does seem to have spider powers now, and she wants me to help make her a Spider Suit... black hood, red eye lenses, silver web lines. It kind of looks like a matching set with yours.]
All right.
He was being teased.
In truth, the hooded design was probably inspired by Spider-Gwen's suit, and the red-and-black color scheme was clearly chosen to match his own.
Gwen...
You should be stronger than most Spider-People, right?
After all, you were a Spider-Woman with a perfect superhuman body.
(End of Chapter)
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