To be honest, when Mark witnessed the Spider-Man of this world being gruesomely drained alive, he felt an intense anger. He even considered directly killing Daemos in the heat of the moment.
But after their brief confrontation, he quickly regained his composure.
Daemos was stronger than Morlun. To kill him, Mark would need to utilize at least one disposable Infinity Stone.
And even if he killed the life-force sucking bastard, he could still resurrect.
It made no sense.
So, he decided on a strategic retreat.
---
Mayday Parker ran, tears streaming down her face, cradling her brother, Benjamin Parker, in her arms.
The deafening sounds behind her, the violent shaking, the upheaval of the earth—all this left her not just saddened but also deeply shocked.
What kind of battle could cause such cataclysmic destruction?
Who was the monster that killed her parents?
And her boyfriend, Wes—his fate remained unknown. But she dared not look back, not even for a moment's pause.
She knew her most crucial task now was to ensure her brother's survival!
Otherwise, her parents' sacrifice would be in vain!
Meanwhile, Mary Jane was falling behind.
Thanks to years of conscious training, her physical endurance surpassed that of most people. However, being over forty and carrying her husband's lifeless body, she had only managed to run a few hundred meters before Mark found her.
Had Mark not arrived in time, she might have been crushed by a collapsing building.
Mark swiftly took her and Peter's body away from the danger zone.
"Thank you, what about that monster?" Mary Jane was still in shock.
Mark glanced at the twig-like body of Spider-Man and sighed, "I came to bid farewell to you. Though it's regrettable, since Peter's dead, you'll be safe from now on. That monster came only for him."
Mary Jane's eyes flashed with sorrow. But upon hearing Mark's words, she grabbed his hand, "No, that monster said his targets were not only Peter but also my daughter, Mayday, and my son, Benjamin! Can you save them?"
"Mayday Parker? Benjamin Parker?" Mark raised an eyebrow.
Because he had been summoned by Peter's message before his death, he had assumed this world also had only one Spider-Man.
But now, with this revelation, he roughly understood which world this was.
The timeline of this world was approximately fifteen years earlier than the main universe (Earth-616), which meant that most events and related characters were about fifteen years behind those of Earth-616.
Pragmatically speaking, this means that most of the events, history, and character history associated with the heroes of Earth-616 happened 15 years before they would have on Earth-616, but the overall political, technological, and sociological progress of the world is exactly concurrent with Earth-616. As such, a lot of the superheroes of the past have either grown up, grown old, or retired, and now new groups and new superheroes are proving themselves in protecting the world.
The Avengers had disbanded for several years, and the Fantastic Four has now become the Fantastic Five. Younger heroes like Nova have become seasoned veterans, while others such as Cassie Lang and Kristoff Vernard have risen to prominence.
Mayday "May" Parker, also known as Spider-Girl, was the first child of Spider-Man Peter Parker and Mary Jane Parker in Universe-982. Her name was in memory of her Aunt May.
After her birth, Mayday was kidnapped by the Green Goblin. It was with Kaine's (Scarlet Spider's) help that Spider-Man from Universe-982 managed to rescue Mayday Parker.
Afterward, Spider-Man from Universe-982 sought revenge on the Green Goblin, losing a leg in the conflict and relying on a bionic prosthetic leg provided by Mister Fantastic for mobility.
As a result, Spider-Man from Universe-982 retired and started living a normal life.
However, Mayday Parker, who idolized her father and inherited his abilities, embarked on the path of a superhero.
It's worth noting that Mayday Parker also had a "Ben Uncle," but not Ben Parker; it was Ben Reilly (another Scarlet Spider and a clone of Spider-Man).
In an attempt to save Spider-Man from Universe-982, Ben Reilly was fatally pierced by the Green Goblin's glider, but his spirit continued to influence the next generation.
There's another critical point.
This child named "Benjamin Parker" is a significant piece in the Spider-Verse mega-event.
Inheritors, The Scion, and such.
"Well then, since that's the case, let's find them first. I'll take them away together." Mark placed his hand on Mary Jane's shoulder and vanished instantly from the spot.
Soon after, booming sounds echoed from a distance.
Daemos, whose appetite was greatly stimulated by Mark but suddenly lost track of him, was now infuriated.
However, he speculated that Mark might be going after Mayday Parker and her group. He followed the trail of their aura all the way there.
He didn't know, though, that Mark had just learned about the existence of other spider totems in this world.
It was just a twist of fate.
However, Mark was faster than Daemos.
After all, he possessed a combination of quantum spider-sense and psychic abilities, making it effortless for him to locate the whereabouts of Mayday Parker and her brother and teleport directly to them.
When Daemos sprinted all the way, finally reaching where May and her brother had last been detected, he found no trace of them.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Daemos fiercely pounded the ground, fracturing it into pieces.
However, no matter how much rage he vented, he couldn't find Mark and the others.
"Weaver, find a world full of totems similar to the one I devoured previously, and send me there. I need to vent properly!" Daemos bellowed his rage to the skies.
Immediately, a portal appeared before him.
On the other side of the portal was a peculiar world!
In this world, animals drove cars and wore clothes, just like humans!
---
[Mark's Dimension (Formerly Beyonder's)]
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Hey, boss, you're finally back! Uh, who are they? Mary Anne Jane?" Arachnid rushed over, curious, and scrutinizing them.
"Peter?" Mary Jane stared at him, her eyes wide.
"Dad?" Mayday Parker also caught sight of him, exclaiming in surprise.
Mark explained, "He's Spider-Man from another universe, Peter Parker. You can just call him Arachnid or Circus Spider-Man because before this, he was a circus performer, living with his Mary Anne Jane and performing in the circus."
"Hello, Peter. Sorry, I'm a bit..." Mary Jane's voice choked up, unable to continue.
Arachnid noticed the dried corpse in her arms. Even though all vitality had been sucked out, faint traces of facial features remained visible. Coupled with Mary Jane's and Mark's emotions, he probably guessed the identity of the body.
Immediately, he closed his mouth, feeling a mix of emotions.
At the same time, there was a sense of relief.
If it weren't for Mark arriving in time, he might have ended up like this too, right?
"Mary Jane, put him in here," Mark said softly.
Immediately, he used his creation ability to craft a stone coffin in front of them and helped her place the body of Spider-Man from Universe-982 into the coffin, sealing it shut.
"Once this war is over, once we defeat the Inheritors, we can send him back to your own world." Mark said.
Mary Jane and May Parker both felt downcast, and Mark understood their emotions.
He then recreated the appearance of Aunt May's house from before in this world, similar to what he had seen in the Ultimate Spider-Verse, and built some houses for them to settle in.
"This world currently has no concept of time. There's no sun or moon. Use the clocks placed in the rooms as standards."
"The food is in the fridge, set to an infinite supply mode. It automatically replenishes once taken. I've also prepared baby formula for little Parker, placed in the cupboard. If there's anything else needed, feel free to contact me."
"If you decide to train, do it later. For now, take some rest."
After briefing the mother and daughter on a few matters, Mark left.
---
In a laboratory constructed out of thin air.
Mark extended his left hand, completely immobilizing Arachnid in mid-air.
"Parker, are you ready?"
Arachnid nodded solemnly. "Boss, I'm ready. Come on!"
...
Because Mark had released the aura of the Spider Totem in front of Daemos, he successfully caught his attention.
Meanwhile, the Master Weaver, currently imprisoned by the Inheritors, was a being far beyond him on the "Fate" path. He wasn't certain if the other would follow the trail to find them. If he did, it would be alright as long as he was present.
In this universe, he feared no one, not even Solus himself. However, if he happened to be away rescuing someone...
To hedge against this, he prepared to enhance Arachnid's power. Yes, the same "Spider Gene Surgery" done to Spider-94.
He sought the mutated genes of spider and human genes, utilizing quantum energy to make minor adjustments, transforming them into "Golden Spider Genes."
After undergoing this surgery, Spider-94's strength increased at least several dozen times from his original state!
But his starting point was low; his original strength was less than a ton. Arachnid's starting point was slightly higher than Spider-94, but not as strong as the Ultimate Spider's that Mark had encountered, leaving room for improvement.
In this universe, performing surgery was without as much reservation. With the energy of the entire universe as a backing, Mark could maintain his peak state continuously in this universe.
Like after the recent brawl with Daemos, where his expended energy and mildly aching bones had instantly returned to normal upon returning to this world.
In a matter of minutes, Arachnid's genetic transformation surgery was a resounding success.
Both Arachnid and Spider-94 were ecstatic about their enhanced abilities.
"Unbelievable! Thanks, boss. Take me next time. I feel like I can take on that jerk now!" Arachnid bounced excitedly, volunteering for the fight.
At this moment, his normal strength was probably around seventy to eighty tons, this was a six to seven-fold increase from his previous ten or so tons, which was quite impressive.
And this was just his normal strength.
As everyone knows, a part of Spider-Man's strength involves psychological effects. For example, Tobey Spider's normal strength of about 15 tons could stop a train in rage. Even Spider-Tom, whose strength might be less than 15 tons, could, for a few seconds, hold a ship that is breaking in half with all his might.
With the current Arachnid, even if he couldn't defeat Morlun, he should be able to engage in a fair fight, unlike before when he was easily defeated.
In him, Mark saw his former self.
He decisively addressed him, "Your current strength is far from enough to defeat them."
°°°
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