Professor Monster stared at the main screen. The image showed a smoking crater, a ruined substation, and twisted metal. Silvermane was gone.
Amazoness's voice, usually laced with cruel amusement, was flat.
"Silvermane is destroyed, Professor. Spider-Man… survived."
Professor Monster felt a coldness spread through him. An asset, gone. A prototype, wasted.
"The human captives?" he asked. His voice was a low rumble, laced with artificial calm.
"Escaped," Amazoness replied. "Spider-Man facilitated their exit before engaging Silvermane. We were unable to retrieve any materials."
The inefficiency grated. He had given Amazoness a clear objective. She had failed to secure the resources.
She failed to eliminate the target.
She failed to prevent the escape.
Unacceptable.
He expected absolute success from his creations. Anything less was a flaw in the design. Or in the execution.
He fixed his glowing yellow eyes on the screen, a precise calculation running through his mind.
Amazoness stood still, her crimson eyes widening a fraction. Her gaze shifted to the main screen.
Professor Monster followed her sight. A sleek, dark spaceship launched from the industrial district, streaking into the night sky. It climbed fast, a black spear piercing the clouds.
He recognized the shape. A deep, ancient hatred stirred within him, cold and sharp.
"Marveller," he stated, his voice a low growl.
Amazoness offered a silent nod, her predatory smirk gone. Even she understood the weight of that name.
Garia. Still interfering.
The Marveller, Garia's vessel, could travel through space. It housed the powerful battle robot, Leopardon. This was the same ship that had evaded him for centuries. Its presence confirmed Garia's continued involvement, a constant thorn in his side.
Professor Monster had pursued that ship across star systems, chasing the last remnant of Planet Spider's resistance. To see it now, here on Earth, was a direct challenge.
He thought of the long hunt, the battles, the frustration of never quite crushing the alien warrior. He had believed Garia was a fading threat.
A grave error.
This was not a simple planetary conquest anymore. This was a renewed war.
Professor Monster felt the weight of Garia's enduring interference, a four-hundred-year-old grudge. He cursed Spider-Man, seeing the hero as nothing more than a puppet. A tool for his ancient enemy.
"This is far from over," Professor Monster declared, his voice resonating with unshakeable determination. It echoed in the command center.
He thought of his long history of conquest, his endless ambition. Planets burned, civilizations crumbled. His empire expanded, fueled by his will. Earth would be no different.
He affirmed his commitment to creating even more powerful Machine BEMs. Stronger. More resilient. Each one a testament to his genius.
"I will personally eliminate Spider-Man," he vowed. His glowing yellow eyes fixed on the Earth's holographic image. He already saw it as his own. "Earth will be conquered. No matter the cost."
* * *
The school hallway felt loud. Too loud. Takuya scrolled through his phone, his thumb moving quickly over the screen. Every news site, every social media feed, screamed the same story.
GIANT ROBOT BATTLE IN TOKYO!
MONSTER ATTACKS! MAN IN SPIDER COSPLAY SAVES THE CITY!
He saw shaky videos, grainy pictures of Silvermane towering over skyscrapers, and a shining, gold-and-black robot. Spider-Man himself remained a blurry red-and-black figure. The hero was everywhere, yet nowhere.
Good. Stay that way.
He heard whispers. Kids in class talked about it. Their voices were filled with excitement, disbelief. He knew the relief of saving them. They had no idea.
He felt a small, secret satisfaction. Tokyo was safe. His friends were safe.
He walked into the courtyard. He saw Nijika, Ryo, and Rito gathered in a corner. Nijika's blonde ponytail swayed as she talked. Ryo, in her usual dark clothes, listened, her blue hair falling over her yellow eyes. Rito stood beside them, looking nervous.
Takuya walked over. He kept his expression carefully blank. Just angry worry.
"Hey, Takuya!" Rito said. His light brown hair was messy. He looked pale. "Did you hear about what happened?"
"Yeah, I heard," Takuya said. "Hard to ignore, really. Everyone's talking about it."
Nijika spun around, her vermilion eyes wide.
"Takkun! It was so scary!"
She grabbed his arm. Her hands were cold. She started talking fast, describing the train, the Ninders, the terrifying chrome monster.
"They just burst in! And then that scary woman with the silver hair showed up. And that… that huge robot thing."
Silvermane.
"Then this guy in red and black showed up," Ryo said. Her voice was flat, but her yellow eyes were wide. It was rare to see Ryo so openly affected. "He fought them. He saved us."
Takuya nodded, listening carefully. He kept his face neutral, showing concern.
"The red and black guy?" Takuya asked. He made sure his voice sounded surprised.
"Yeah! He calls himself Spider-Man. He was amazing!" Nijika said. "He fought those… those things and saved us."
Her voice trembled.
"We thought he won. But then… that huge silver monster got even bigger."
Nijika shivered. Ryo nodded, a slow agreement.
"It was gigantic," Ryo added. "Like a building walking."
Takuya felt a knot in his stomach. Hearing them talk about it, the terror in their voices, made it real again. The danger they had been in.
"And then a huge spaceship came," Ryo continued. "It turned into a giant robot. Gold and black."
Nijika nodded quickly.
"Yeah! It was like something out of a show! It fought the big silver monster. It smashed it with a huge sword!"
Rito and Takuya nodded. They saw the video spreading around the internet.
"It was so cool," Rito said, his voice a little shaky. "The giant robot… and Spider-Man. He was so fast. Like a blur."
"Yeah, I know, right?" Nijika said. Her eyes were bright. "I wish we could thank him. He saved us."
"He did," Ryo agreed. She pushed a strand of blue hair from her face. "Not many people would jump into a train wreck like that."
Nijika nodded.
"We haven't seen him since. I hope he's okay."
I'm right here.
A quiet warmth bloomed in Takuya's chest. It was a good feeling, hearing them talk. It was different from the thrill of fighting. This was… appreciation.
"I'm sure he would appreciate that," Takuya said, his voice softer than he intended.
He cleared his throat, trying to cover it up.
Too much. Got to be careful.
"Who knows where he went," Rito added. "Maybe he lives far away."
The talk of Spider-Man faded. Nijika's attention drifted to Ryo.
"Ryo, you still owe me money from last week's practice. And you said you needed new bass strings, but you spent all your money on vintage vinyl again."
Ryo's expression remained flat.
"Nijika, money is temporary. Music is eternal."
Nijika threw her hands up. Her ponytail bobbed.
"That's not an excuse! We need to save for the band! And new strings are essential!"
"These old records are essential to my artistic growth," Ryo countered calmly. "You wouldn't understand."
"I understand you're broke!" Nijika shot back, exasperated. She rolled her eyes. "And you'll be borrowing from me again by tomorrow."
"It's a cycle of mutual support," Ryo said, almost philosophical. "A band's true strength lies in its shared resources."
Takuya watched them, a small grin pulling at his lips. Their usual routine. The constant back and forth. Nijika, all bright energy and frustration, Ryo, all calm logic and mischief. Rito chuckled nervously beside him. This was familiar. This was normal. No giant robots. No monsters. Just his friends. This was what he fought for.
* * *
The cool mountain air bit at Takuya's cheeks. The cemetery was quiet, just the rustle of leaves in the breeze. Stone markers stood in neat rows, grey against the green. He found the familiar stone, his father's name etched into it.
He pulled out a pack of incense sticks and a lighter. The flame flickered, then caught, sending thin curls of smoke into the sky. He pushed the sticks into the earth before the stone, then laid a small bouquet of fresh white chrysanthemums at the base.
He hadn't been here since the funeral. The pain had been too fresh, too sharp. And then the chaos of Garia and the Iron Cross Army had taken over. He felt a weird mix of guilt and something else. Something he couldn't quite name.
It's been too long, Dad.
His voice was low, almost a whisper, as he spoke to the stone. He hoped his father could hear him.
"I met someone. An alien."
He paused, remembering Garia's silver eyes, the glowing cracks on his skin. It still felt unreal.
"His name is Garia. He's from Planet Spider. He gave me powers."
Takuya told his father about the Spider Bracelet, the strange heat when it pierced his skin. The way his senses had screamed at him in the city. The strength that had made him accidentally break chopsticks.
"I'm Spider-Man now."
He talked about the training with Garia, the endless punches, the lessons about the Way of the Spider. How he learned to move, to fight. How Garia pushed him, always.
"Garia told me about the Iron Cross Army. About Professor Monster."
A cold anger started to simmer inside him, pushing back the sadness. He remembered the Ninders, their black armor. Amazoness, with her cruel smile. And Silvermane, the monster that had captured his friends.
"They're the ones who killed you, Dad."
He felt the familiar tightening in his chest, the hot rush behind his eyes. It was a familiar feeling, one he'd grown used to.
"I fought them. I fought Amazoness and the Ninders in the mountains. They were trying to launch missiles at Tokyo."
He remembered the GP-7 roaring to life, destroying the missile platform. The satisfaction of seeing the explosion, knowing he'd stopped them.
"I stopped them, Dad. I blew up their missiles."
His voice grew stronger, a hard edge replacing the quiet grief.
"And then they sent Silvermane. It was a giant robot. It almost got Nijika and Ryo."
A fresh wave of anger hit him. The image of the empty train car, his friends gone. He had failed.
"But I beat it. I used Leopardon. I blew it up."
He closed his eyes, remembering the giant robot, the flash of Sword Vigor, the explosion that had torn Silvermane apart. He remembered the feeling of triumph. The feeling of making them pay.
"I'm making them pay, Dad. For you. For everything."
For my normal life.
He opened his eyes. The anger felt good. It felt right. It felt like a shield against the pain.
"I stayed away too long."
He looked at the gravestone, then at the other markers around it. He thought about all the people who had lost someone to the Iron Cross Army. All the people who didn't even know.
"I let the grief get to me. Made me weak."
He clenched his jaw. That wouldn't happen again. This visit was for more than just remembering. It was about solidifying his purpose.
"I came here to make sure I don't forget. To make sure I keep fighting."
A cold, sharp feeling settled deep in his gut. A sense of direction. This wasn't just Garia's mission anymore. It was his. His vendetta.
"Professor Monster. Amazoness. Every single one of them."
He spoke the names like curses. Each one a promise.
"They're going to pay. I won't stop until they do."
He took a deep breath, the scent of incense and damp earth filling his lungs. He felt a heavy weight in his heart, but it was clear now. Clear and cold.
He gave one last nod to the stone, a final, silent promise. Then he turned and walked away from the gravesite. The quiet cemetery was behind him. The city waited.
He reached his motocross bike, parked near the cemetery gate. The red and white machine felt solid, familiar. A piece of his old life, now connected to his new one. He swung his leg over the seat.
He kicked the engine.
VROOM!
The roar of the engine filled the air, cutting through the silence. It was a promise. A declaration. He would find them. He would make them pay. He twisted the throttle, and the bike shot forward, speeding out of the cemetery. The hunt was on.
END OF BOOK 1