Peter was clearly overpowered. The battle with the original was even harder on him, forcing him to give his best, and Spider was doing just fine.
Built up stubbornness, willpower plus character. A real dzhigit, that now actively received in the face from the guy in the suit Goblin. But it's not like Parker was left out in the cold. Thanks to his spider sense and incredible agility he managed to avoid most of the blows, constantly snapping back, from which the Goblin mask had long since fallen into disrepair, as well as the remnants of Peter's costume.
-Your pathetic attempts are only amusing-.
The Goblin's punching was rough, hard and rather mediocre. He didn't have any clear school and, apparently, didn't have a lot of experience in street fights, like Spider, who spun around his enemy like a yule log, constantly striking at vulnerable places. And it was paying off.
Six or more blows to the left thigh of his left thigh had drained the psycho of his limb, forcing him to his knee.
-Ha... Ha... Ha. So what's next? Friendly neighbour. You gonna kill me?
Peter stood with his fist raised, and from behind his torn mask I could see his expression change. My friend was clearly at a loss as to what to do. Uncle Ben's upbringing was at odds with his thirst for revenge for all the atrocities the Goblin had committed....
And to my, and probably everyone else's, joy, the Spider was easily able to make a choice, stopping his hand.
-No, death is too easy a fate for you.
The last charges of the web covered the Goblin from head to toe, leaving only a small opening for his face.
-You did the right thing, old chap-.
-Ph, another weak-willed piece of rubbish. Next time you'll regret your action, Spidey, I promise you," after which the Goblin turned his mad eyes on me, "and you'll die, maybe quickly, maybe not.... Ha-ha-ha.
-The usual speeches of a lunatic. Fist bumps after a fight. With all your toys you've lost anyway," I confirmed, wrapping my arms around the roof, where broken gliders with bits of cobwebs visible on them were lying in abundance, "and once you've done time or escaped, you won't have any more of those pleasures, Norman.
-Hehehehehehehe... Norman weakened, he cowardly bowed his head, agreeing to give up and lose. I'm a Goblin, remember that, son," the Goblin sniffed the air with his nose and covered his eyes, continuing to speak in a calm, ingratiating tone, "besides.... What makes you think my new friends are going to let me go to jail?
-What... ?
The next second, I was yanked off the roof, sending me flying. Something was tugging at my tentacles. An unstoppable force literally shot me through the streets of the city. I struggled to keep my hat in place, and the manipulators were obedient to my commands, leaving me stunned.
At the same time, the battle on the rooftop from which I had so hastily flown had begun anew, and this time Peter's enemy must have been something more serious.
Scarlet flashes were hitting the sky, gathering into clouds and seeming to open a passageway to hell. I don't know how real the comparison was, but it looked really fucked up.
-What a day, what a problem... My favourite city is New York.
Now was not the time for neatness and sentimentality. Peter needed help, so I stopped being cautious and my manipulators carried me forward. Occasionally ripping pieces of brick from roofs or breaking vents, I moved my extra limbs like a child's cartoon, spinning them in circles and accelerating more and more.
My appearance in our arena coincided with several other facts and each of them did not make me happy. For starters, there was a gorgeous girl standing in the very centre of the roof, waving her arms and sending red rays of goodness in every direction. A scarlet haze was emanating from her, which gathered around her, corroding the space itself.
Secondly, there was the chief capitalist, American and death dealer Tonny Stark, restrained in his own suit. Apparently he had been squeezed like a tin can, and now the man was just trying to get out of the trap.
"Probably flew in on the noise. So much for the super suit."
Sabretooth had woken up and was now chasing Peter with Goblin, slowly but surely cornering Spidey.
At the edge of my consciousness, I could feel Rand approaching, and Murdock would probably be here with him, but I'd have to hold out until then.
I'd been getting close to the sexy lady in the scarlet armour who was throwing power blasts at Pete, but as soon as I was near her, she fired a huge stake at me from over her shoulder.
"Damn wench."
With one blow, she clipped my upper left arm, then began disposing of the rest in the same manner. There was an intimidating smile on her pretty face, you know the kind of smile that makes you stop approaching women, subconsciously expecting every one of them to be the same.
-Boring.
She was very strong. Dangerous. And most of all, violent. I saw no pity or compassion in her eyes, only pleasure at the work she'd done.
Her hair rose to the sky behind her back. The scarlet hem of her cloak fluttered from side to side, swept by the wind and the mist the colour of blood.
She was flirting with me. Intimidating and flirting at the same time, occasionally winking or smiling at successful deflections of her attacks.
"Crazy bitch."
The second arm fell off, dropping a useless piece of iron to the ground. Something had to change...
"Eh, this is gonna hurt, but it's all about winning, right?".
One of the tentacles clawed at the ground, clearly getting her attention. Giving the command for the manipulator to simulate drilling and active movement while in reality it twisted in rings, preparing to send me flying.
The feisty girl only raised her eyebrows ironically, mocking and amused by my exertions. She walked in a gallant gait, throwing slashes of scarlet energy at me, which I could hardly take in my arms, as she circled around me, forcing me to keep facing her.
-You're a bit of a mouthful. Your mate, on the other hand, wouldn't shut up.
-...
-You're definitely not one of us. Your power, it's like the kind used by a ninja boy and a man in a devil costume.
-...
-Your silence only confirms your desperation.
She didn't get a chance to finish. The last unused and whole manipulator threw a handful of rubbish at the chatterbox. And I followed. Shot out like a cannon. The tentacle straightens up, even managing to overtake me and be the first to take the hit.
The first now and third claw is cut down with a perfect cut. It runs along most of the tentacle, dividing almost two metres of steel into two halves.
I'm close. The wind hits me in the face. Screams and explosions can be heard all around, and somewhere in the periphery I can feel flashes of Qi.
The Goblin laughs. Creed growls. And the Scarlet Witch grinning contemptuously... Yeah, that's a great nickname. I finally remembered it. It's appropriate, tells you exactly who you're dealing with and what you'll remember.
I'd rather call her a bitch. But who in their right mind would call a supervillain that?
I'm very close. Just a few steps away. A Qi-fuelled body can easily cover that distance with just a little push.
The second tentacle is moving forward. The last one. I don't even doubt it. The flow of power from Wanda simply vaporises the claws and squeezes the base to an unrecognisable size. Just a mangled and useless piece of metal. But it has served its purpose.
Taser fires before the last step. A slight movement of his hand, just a twist of his fingers and - a real wave that easily breaks a not insignificant car, carries both darts away.... It was worth it.
My left foot comes forward, resting on the ground and creating a fulcrum. All my body weight is forced towards my right arm. My torso is pulled to the ground, and my head is already down, hiding from the crazy girl's lunge.
She realises I dodged. Still hoping to make things right... Too late.
Overhand, with a good third of my current supply of Qi, crashes into her cheekbone, crumpling her helmet parody and breaking her bones. I hear them crunch. I feel the resistance. A thin film of scarlet power had managed to seep through after all... Or was it there all along? It doesn't matter. It's just a delay, because the goal has been achieved and now I can finish what I started.Left hand to the liver. Right to the torso, right down the centre of the stomach and intestines. Then left. Right again. Left. Right. Left.
The witch is lifted into the air. Spit and vomit fly out of her mouth, but it's still not enough to accurately disarm a threat of this level.
I spread my arms out to the sides, my palms glowing with golden energy, dispelling the scarlet darkness and that vile fog that tastes of rot and death.
A blow to my ears. I hear her shriek, but besides the witch, someone else is calling my name. But no... We can't stop, we have to keep going.
Shifting from her face, my hands grab the girl's shoulders, pulling the helpless body closer... Can't be fooled, I can feel the life rushing through her, hear her breathing and her heart beating. Just a little bit.
My forehead crashes into Wanda's nose, breaking it and spilling fresh blood onto my dust-dirty mask.
A final knee strike to the ribs. Not too hard so that no splinters would appear and damage my organs, but enough to break bones and make breathing difficult.
And to top it all off, a throw, fast and hard. Right on his back to knock out the rest of the air.
No. Better to be sure.
I pull a stun gun out of my pocket. It can't shoot, but it's more powerful. Just what you need in close quarters.
I drop to my knee next to her. There's panic and fear in her eyes. Through a veil of pain and confusion, she stares right at me. Her face is bruised and swollen, and blood is pouring from the corner of her lips. Tear drops gather in the corners of her eyes, causing me to freeze for a moment before I can touch the taser to her neck.
"Fool."
But it was too late to think about it. I was yanked from my seat again, pulling me somewhere toward the edge of the roof. If I'd thought Wanda's strength was unstoppable before, now there was not even a hint of breaking free. My own tentacles and their remnants rose from the ground and braided around me from all sides, cocooning me.
Qi flew out in a torrent, strengthening and healing my body as my former limbs squeezed me like anacondas.
There was madness going on all around. Charges were going off, police sirens were being heard, helicopter blades were popping and my friends were screaming.
They were fighting. Out of the corner of my eye, turning my head out of the iron grip, literally, I saw Rand and Daredevil protecting the unconscious Pete, fighting off the mutants who were closing in on them.
"And there were more assholes."
And that made it all the sadder. There were too many enemies. Already visible to me fatty, a guy with spikes all over his body, a bearded man who looked like a bum, and a couple of other subjects that I did not have time to see.
-Fucking mutants.
-Ho, you got something against us?
I was abruptly turned upside down, and some of the metal slid off my head, revealing a new character. I knew who it was, and so desperately realised that the chances of a successful exit were plummeting.
-Magneto... What are you doing here?
-Is there any point in telling you anything at all?
Magneto raised his hand in surprise, continuing to play the intellectual from the high society party, and began to slowly squeeze my fingers, breaking my bones and forcing the fragments of manipulators into my body.
-You were wrong to raise your hand against one of us, boy," Lansher smiled patronisingly, while keeping his murderous gaze on me, full of malice and contempt, "you should have just walked away while you had the chance. Our species can't be together... Friendship, love. It's like an alliance with apes.
-Fucking fascist bastard," I exhaled in pain, deciding I didn't care. They're going to shatter my bones now, it's only a matter of time before the rest of my Qi leaves my body, and given the force of the compression, it won't be long now... -It's said that when a man sees the black underside of society, he'll never turn his back on it again.... But not you... You've seen what the worst of men are capable of, and you've decided to become one. A dictator and a fascist who preaches the idea of a superior race... I hope you haven't taught your lackeys to raise their arms to the sun.
My words provoked his anger. Lansher's face contorted beyond recognition, and he could barely contain himself from responding angrily.
-You're just a boy. An idealist and a righteous man who divides the world into white and black.....
-Hypocrite.
-That's enough. Your words bore me," Lancher's hand clenched into a fist, and now I realised that all this time he had only wanted to cause me as much suffering as possible, and now he wanted to kill me. The chi was draining away rapidly. I didn't know what to do." "Your speeches might have convinced someone younger and dumber, but anyone with enough sense would dismiss this nonsense...
-Not anyone, old friend.
I was no longer able to discern reality. All my energy was spent trying not to become a tube of toothpaste that had been hit by a road roller.
-Charles," Magneto turned round in mid-air with me and stood face to face opposite his old friend, "there's no point in you getting involved....
-No need for these lies," interrupting his friend gently, the imposing bald man in a suit and wheelchair nodded his head suggestively towards me, "and no need for unnecessary blood either. Let's call it a day. Your shenanigans have attracted too much attention-
-Mischief? Is that what you call our struggle?
-Fighting in ideals, in actions, in what will be left behind and whether our goals will live on.... But it's all achieved by peaceful hard work, not by- -
-Stop it. This argument has been going on for years, and we both know that we will each have our own way.
At that moment, the grip finally loosened and I was able to breathe, oxygenating my lungs.
-Uh, shit...
-Hmm, human.
Magneto gave me a disdainful look and waved his cloak, then pulled a few machines towards him, creating rudimentary platforms where his mutant sidekicks soon ran in.
-You win today, Charles.
-You won today, Charles." "You won by your mere presence and you didn't even have to fight," the strange bald man said, "Maybe there's a point to what I'm saying after all.
-Not for me," Lansher's face flashed a smile to my and probably everyone's surprise, "you can fill your students' heads with this nonsense, but sooner or later they will realise that reality is very different from your fairy tales.
Without commenting on Magneto's last word, the handicapped businessman easily and casually turned round on his wheelchair, without making any visible effort.
-I would apologise, but I see that my words will not achieve their purpose anyway-.
-It's not that, I'm having a hard time perceiving reality at all right now, your mate's handling the metal with great dexterity.
-Huh, yeah, he's got a knack for it," the bald guy glanced in the direction of the departing mutants, and began to stare at me, squinting his eyes, "I think we should go.... No. We should meet. What do you say, Mr Rorschach?
-Definitely not tonight.
-Of course, I think it goes without saying. -No. Well, then, here's the address.
And a thought was put into my head with a street name and an image of a house. A real thought! That made me look at that funny squinting old man in a new way. Something was stirring in the recesses of my memory, hinting that I couldn't forget about such a guy.... But in spite of all the attempts, the result was unsuccessful and I had to settle for the fact that he was someone really important and dangerous.
We sat in silence for a few seconds before the bald type grinned suspiciously, as if.... Read my mind. Now I was really uncomfortable and scared.
-No need to panic. Let's talk about it when we meet, okay?
With a final smile, Charles vanished, disappearing in a puff of smoke right before my eyes.
But that wasn't the strangest thing about the evening. It was the complete absence of the police and all those who were rushing towards the building. There was no more sirens blaring, no more shrill screams of frightened people.
Just me and my friends on the fractured roof of the building.
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