[Third Person's PoV]
The Vulture didn't seem to care that Peter was in the middle of a conversation or that he was actively planning a way to save him. None of it mattered. All that registered to the villain was his singular, relentless goal: to complete his mission, no matter the cost.
With a deep, guttural breath, the Vulture opened his mouth and unleashed a devastating sonic scream. The raw force of the sound tore through the air like a missile, shaking the foundations of the street and uprooting sections of pavement. Windows exploded in the distance. Street signs rattled and tore from their poles. The world around them trembled.
Peter's silhouette blurred as he moved, his body shifting instinctively in response. He bolted toward a nearby building, and the Vulture followed without hesitation, wings flapping with a fury that sent gusts of wind in every direction. Peter sprinted straight up the side of the structure, defying gravity, just as another sonic blast chased after him. At the last possible second, Peter flipped off the wall in a blur of motion, narrowly avoiding the concussive wave. He soared across the gap, landing on the rooftop of a neighboring building.
The Vulture let out a screech, beating his wings to lift himself into the air. Flames licked the edges of his feathers as he soared higher, keeping his prey within his sights. Meanwhile, Peter's entire body began to crackle violently with an intense surge of blue chi, energy whipping around him in chaotic arcs.
Another sonic scream ripped from the Vulture's throat—aimed directly at Peter—but Peter vanished in a blur, the sheer speed of his movement leaving behind a residual shimmer in the air.
The Vulture, undeterred, flapped his wings again and took off in pursuit.
What followed was a high-speed chase through the heart of New York City. The two tore through the streets with supernatural velocity. Peter ran faster with each step, pushing his body past its limits. The ground beneath him burned as his feet connected, leaving behind blackened scorch marks. He released arcs of electric-blue energy with every twist and turn, his weblines helping him navigate the city's tight alleyways and sharp corners with pinpoint precision.
Overhead, the Vulture rained destruction from above. Trails of hellfire streamed behind him as he flew, his sonic cries igniting aerial explosions wherever they struck. Each blast was a combination of heat and sound—fiery concussions that detonated on impact, lighting up the street like a warzone.
At first, Peter stumbled—his legs shaky and body aching, the pain slowing him for a heartbeat. But he gritted his teeth, drawing strength from deep within. He refused to give in. He surged forward with renewed determination, faster than ever before.
He poured more of his chi into his suit, feeding it with raw power. In seconds, it regenerated, the fabric weaving itself back together in a shimmer of light. Behind him, explosions erupted, but Peter didn't flinch. He was a blur of movement now—unstoppable. The kinetic force from his speed began to ignite the ground beneath him, not just the ground but his suit as well.
He fired a web to the side of a local bodega, pulled himself into a sharp turn, and skidded across the ground, sparks spraying in all directions. He continued forward without missing a beat.
The Vulture mimicked the maneuver, turning with eerie precision. But when he turned, all he found was an open, shimmering portal in the ground.
Before he could react, a figure erupted from the portal behind him—Spider-Man, in full motion, bursting forth in a crouch with his arms spread wide. His lenses glowed with discharging energy, and the heat from the flames dancing along his body gave him a ghostly, burning silhouette.
Peter collided with the Vulture's back, knocking the villain off balance. The two tumbled through the sky in a chaotic spiral. As they spun, Peter clung tightly to his foe.
"Whoaaa, Bessie!" Peter shouted with a wild grin. "If I knew we were going for a rodeo, I would've brought my cowboy hat!"
He fumbled with his utility belt mid-flight and pulled out two compact discs. With practiced efficiency, he slapped both onto the Vulture's back.
Then, activating his wing-suit, Peter let the wind catch him and soared gracefully into the air, gliding around in a wide arc to gain distance.
The Vulture growled, turning sharply. He extended his wings, ready to fire his deadly feather daggers—until the discs activated.
A vibrating pulse exploded outward from the devices, enveloping his wings in a shimmering aura. The metal began to ripple, then liquefy, melting in midair.
"Wha—WHAT IS THIS?!" the Vulture shrieked, struggling to maintain altitude as his mechanical wings dissolved into puddles of molten alloy.
His flight path became erratic, and then he dropped like a stone, plummeting from the sky. "DAMN IT! CURSE YOU, SPIDER-MAN!"
But the fall didn't end him. With surprising agility, he twisted midair and smashed through the glass sunroof of a nearby greenhouse. He landed in a crouch with a thunderous crack that splintered the ground. Chunks of earth shot upward as his landing sent out a shockwave.
Peter dove after him, twisting through the air before landing like a spider—low, balanced, every muscle tense. Slowly, he rose to his full height.
"Why won't you just stay down?!" Adrian Toomes snarled, his body rising. His fist ignited with flame, heat warping the air around it.
Peter's own hand surged with glowing blue energy, lightning crackling across his knuckles as chi pulsed from within. "Can't you see I'm trying to save you, you stubborn old man?!"
Both men leaned forward and charged with everything they had.
"Then die!" the Vulture bellowed. "That's the only way you could ever save me!"
They collided mid-charge, fists flying in perfect synchronization. Each punch landed squarely on the other's face. The force of the impact whipped their heads to opposite sides, and they each staggered backward from the sheer power of the exchange.
Adrian took a step forward and launched another wild punch, but Peter intercepted it cleanly, blocking the strike with one hand before driving his fist straight into Adrian's gut.
"I don't think you truly understand the consequences of your actions!" Peter shouted, his voice laced with desperation and fury.
The Vulture grunted in pain, staggering slightly, but retaliated with a furious swing. Peter ducked under it with practiced reflexes and answered with two lightning-fast jabs to Adrian's ribs.
Adrian snarled and raised both arms, bringing down an overhead strike with brute force. "I understand perfectly! I don't need a lecture from some goody two-shoes!"
Peter weaved under the blow and retaliated with an uppercut that snapped Adrian's head back. He followed up with two punishing swipes across the older man's face, each blow echoing in the air like gunshots.
"Clearly you do!" Peter roared, fury breaking through his usual composure. "This is your soul we're talking about! Once it's destroyed or eaten, that's it—your very existence is gone. Nothing left. No afterlife. No reunion. Just… nothing!"
With a snarl, the Vulture surged forward, grabbing both of Peter's arms mid-swing and driving his knee toward Peter's stomach. "I STOPPED EXISTING THE MOMENT THEY WERE TAKEN FROM ME!" he bellowed, voice hoarse with rage.
Chi exploded outward from Peter's suit in response. He gritted his teeth, reached up, grabbed Adrian by the fur-lined collar, and smashed their foreheads together. The headbutt landed with brutal force, the sound of breaking cartilage ringing out as Adrian's nose shattered.
"YOU STILL HAD A HOPE TO SEE THEM IN THE AFTERLIFE!" Peter screamed, his voice cracking. "BUT YOU THREW THAT AWAY FOR A LIE! YOU FOOL!"
Adrian staggered back, clutching his nose as blood gushed from it like a broken pipe. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the bridge of his nose and forced it back into place with a sickening crack. The pain didn't even slow him.
He glared at Peter through swollen eyes and growled low in his throat, his voice dark and threatening. "I do have hope. Hope of seeing them again. And it starts… with your death."
Peter's eyes widened. In an instant, he launched forward, his body flashing with chi as he soared into the air. He came down hard, delivering a punishing blow across Adrian's face.
"He's a demon, for Christ's sake!" Peter shouted. "Do you really think he'd honor whatever deal you made?!"
He didn't give Adrian a moment to recover. Peter's fists became a blur, striking again and again. Adrian's head snapped back and forth like a ragdoll, his mouth spilling blood that splattered against the garden's vibrant flowers, staining them red.
"It's what he does!" Peter yelled, his voice trembling with raw emotion. "He gives you hope—makes promises—and then watches with glee as he shatters them and leaves you in despair!"
Another blow.
"In what world does a demon honor anything?!"
Another.
"He uses your pain—your love—against you!"
Peter's fists moved so fast they blurred, fueled by chi and heartbreak. With every punch, Adrian's body convulsed. His face swelled and bruised. His ribs cracked. His form slumped under the brutal rhythm of Peter's assault.
Adrian stumbled backward, steps clumsy and unfocused. His face was almost unrecognizable now—one eye swollen shut, lips split, blood leaking from every angle. His body trembled, and then he dropped to one knee, unable to stay standing.
"W-What other choices did I have?" he croaked, barely intelligible. His voice was muffled by the damage to his face. Tears slid down his cheeks, hot at first—then turning to steam as they met the heat radiating from his own cursed body.
"I prayed to God…" he said through broken breath. "I prayed for justice. For… mercy. For something. But my prayers were never answered…"
---
Far away, in a realm beyond mortal comprehension, Satannish sat upon his obsidian throne. His grotesque form was cloaked in shadow, his monstrous face twisted into a sneer of contempt.
"Mortals…" he spat, disgust dripping from every syllable. "What weak, pitiful creatures. You grant them tools. You bestow power. And still, they fail."
He leaned on one clawed fist and hissed, "How pathetic…"
---
Back in the ruined garden, thin glowing cracks began spreading across Adrian's bruised and broken body. Mystic light radiated from within him, shining brighter with each passing second.
"But someone did hear me," Adrian whispered, his voice now eerily calm. "And it wasn't God."
Peter's breath caught. His eyes widened as the glowing lines across Adrian's skin spread faster, more intense.
"No…" he breathed, his voice small. "No, don't…"
"I don't regret what I did," Adrian said, closing his eyes, accepting what was to come. "If I had the chance to do it all again… I would. The only regret I have is that I won't see them again. Not in this life… or the next."
His body began to dissolve, turning into glowing particles of mystic energy. They lifted into the air, caught by some unseen force. The only thing left of him was his final whisper, echoing softly through the devastated garden.
"Thank you… for letting me deliver my vengeance, my Lord. I'm sorry I have disappointed you."
Peter lunged forward, reaching out. "NO—!" he cried. But his hands passed straight through the fading particles. He stumbled, tripping forward and collapsing onto one knee where Adrian had just been.
Slowly, Peter reached up and pulled off his mask. His hair clung to his forehead, soaked with sweat and blood. His face was dirtied, his expression shattered. He bit his lip, trying to hold himself together—but it quivered despite him. His grip on the mask tightened until his knuckles turned white.
Tears slipped down his cheeks—hot, silent, relentless. Not just from the pain that still pulsed through his very soul, but from something far deeper. But from a failure.
He smashed his fist—still clutching the mask—into the dirt. The kinetic force exploded outward like a shockwave, cracking the earth and sending what remained of the greenhouse collapsing in a cascade of shattered glass and metal.
"Damn it…" Peter choked out, his voice hoarse. A lump caught in his throat.
************************************************
+5 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3