The Cantel warriors were taken aback, watching this lone human cut through their ranks like a hot knife through butter. They had expected him to be an easy target, not an unstoppable force. Their initial shock was understandable—the strength and skill of this human didn't match anything in the intelligence they'd been given, and it went against all their assumptions. But their astonishment didn't mean they were ready to retreat.
The Cantel were born for combat. They were expendable foot soldiers, treated like tools by their employers and valued more for their numbers than their individual skills. On the battlefield, they were used to the idea of death, and none of them would retreat just because they faced a powerful enemy.
Spider-Man, meanwhile, kept moving, his instincts guiding every step. He spotted the next alien advancing on him, its long, twisted arm reaching out for his shoulder. But his red-and-gold Iron Spider suit seemed to almost flow, slipping out of the creature's grasp. The Cantel warrior's clawed hand grabbed nothing but air, and before it could recover, Spider-Man twisted his body and smashed his elbow into its face. The impact sent a crack through the alien's skull, and it stumbled back, dazed.
Without missing a beat, Spider-Man twisted to the left, elbowing another alien, while his right hand shot out a small round pellet from his suit's spinneret. The pellet exploded with a sharp bang, releasing a burst of blue energy that sent several Cantel warriors flying, suspended in midair.
This was the suit's "Suspension Matrix," one of its advanced features. The Suspension Matrix could temporarily lift enemies, trapping them in place and buying Spider-Man a few precious seconds. Though his usual webbing hadn't worked against these aliens—they'd somehow managed to cut through it—this new gadget seemed to be effective.
However, while the Suspension Matrix worked wonders against ordinary criminals, the Cantel were tougher. After only a moment in midair, they broke free from the force field, dropping down and charging toward him once again.
Spider-Man found himself surrounded, the alien horde closing in from all sides. Despite his high-pitched screams and shouted warnings, his hands and feet moved with calm precision, showing no sign of panic. Each elbow strike, each twist of his wrist to fire a web, every kick—all of it was quick and purposeful. His armor's spinneret kept firing different types of webs and gadgets, each one meant to delay or stop the relentless Cantel.
He leapt into the air, dodging an attack, then twisted midair to land a powerful spin-kick on another alien. When a Cantel tried to grab him, he planted his palm on its forehead, sending a jolt of electricity through its body and watching it collapse in a shuddering heap.
"Suspension Matrix! Electric Shock Web!" Spider-Man shouted, his voice rising in excitement. "Let's see you handle the Recoil Web!"
Spider-Man's unique personality was on full display, and it was clear that the more nervous he got, the more talkative he became. In the heat of battle, he kept yelling out his moves like they were part of a wrestling match, filling the air with his loud commentary. His voice bounced around the dark, cavernous space, and though some of his calls didn't even match his moves, it was all part of his frenzied, tense energy.
The "Recoil Web" he'd called out wasn't even webbing—it was a powerful Recoil Energy Cannon in his suit's palm, powered by the arc reactor. But in the middle of the action, he hardly noticed or cared, too caught up in the intensity of the fight.
The Cantel were stunned at his speed and skill. Each time they tried to close in on him, he'd leap out of reach, twisting and turning like a flash of red and gold. His webs erupted in bursts, wrapping around those who got too close, while he continuously moved, springing from one spot to another, making it nearly impossible for them to get a solid hit.
Even when some of them tried to sneak up from behind, the titanium-alloy spider legs on his back blocked them, striking the Cantel who dared to come too close. A few Cantel attempted a surprise attack, but they were immediately impaled by the spider legs or sent flying across the room.
Realizing how powerful this human was, the Cantel began to hesitate. Though they weren't afraid of death, this fierce display forced them to consider their next steps carefully. They rushed him from every angle, but he continued to fight with the same unrelenting energy, leaving a trail of fallen Cantel warriors behind him.
Despite their vast numbers, they could feel a faint unease creeping in. It wasn't that they feared this one human. Even with his impressive abilities, he was still just one person. Their numbers would eventually overwhelm him. But the thought of a world filled with fighters like him planted a seed of doubt.
What if there were more humans like this one? What if Earth had an army of these powerful beings? If even a fraction of Earth's population had this level of skill, their mission could face serious challenges.
In truth, though, their fears were exaggerated. Iron Spider-Man was one of the strongest fighters Earth had, and even among Charlie's collection of heroes, only a few could match Spider-Man in hand-to-hand combat.
Charlie hadn't sent Spider-Man here with any expectation that he'd change the course of the battle. His goal was simple: gather as much information as possible and learn about the Cantel. If Spider-Man managed to take down a few aliens, that was just a bonus. Charlie could always have Spider-Man retreat if the fight got too intense, and if it came to it, he could let Spider-Man fall. After all, Spider-Man would simply respawn later, no harm done.
As the fight continued, Spider-Man's health bar started to drop. Though each hit he took was minor, the constant blows were starting to take their toll. The Cantel were physically stronger than ordinary humans, and even though Spider-Man dodged most of their attacks, the ones that landed slowly wore down his armor.
His suit's damage began to accumulate, and eventually, the Cantel attacks started breaking through, injuring his actual body.
Still, he had managed to take down at least fifty or sixty aliens by now. The ground around him was littered with the bodies of defeated Cantel. Even though the Cantel weren't afraid to die, his fierce resistance made the others hesitate. His brave, relentless fighting caused some of the warriors to falter, unsure of whether to keep rushing forward.
But Charlie knew he'd gathered nearly all the information he needed by this point.
The unknowns that had initially worried him no longer seemed as mysterious. He'd been unsure about this alien threat, but now he felt like he had a better idea of what they were facing.
This enemy wasn't some advanced race with sophisticated technology and powerful space fleets. Either their technology was completely different from anything humans understood, or they didn't rely on technology as humans did. They fought more like wild beasts with incredible physical strength, relying on brute force rather than advanced weaponry or gadgets. Their hand-to-hand combat was fierce, but not as terrifying as Charlie had first feared.
One lingering mystery, however, was the floating island itself.
From the outside, it looked like an enormous, jagged black rock. Even with advanced scanners, it had appeared as nothing more than a stone, with no special readings or signals.
But the island seemed to serve as some sort of massive transport vessel. It had carried the Cantel army across the stars, reaching Earth with a precision that suggested it was more than just a hunk of rock.
Either the island was powered by unknown forces, or its design followed principles humans couldn't understand. In any case, Charlie couldn't fully grasp how it functioned, but he sensed that it was important.
This floating island could be a powerful weapon in itself. If it reached Earth, there was no telling what kind of destruction it might be capable of.
And there was one more worry. What if the Cantel had more powerful beings among them, hidden somewhere within the island? Spider-Man had only encountered the front-line soldiers—the pioneers of the invasion. Who knew if stronger, more experienced warriors were lurking in the shadows, waiting for their moment to strike?
With these thoughts running through his mind, Charlie continued controlling Spider-Man, skillfully dodging attacks and jumping from place to place. His goal now was to explore the area further, hoping to uncover more secrets about the island.
If only he could go a little deeper…
All of a sudden, his spider-sense flared up wildly, the warning symbol flashing bright red on his display.
Reacting instantly, Spider-Man fired a web and pulled himself up, trying to swing out of range. But he wasn't quick enough. A powerful, invisible force slammed into him, filling the entire area with crushing pressure. The impact was too fast and too strong to dodge completely. He was thrown back, hurtling through the air as if he'd been hit by a speeding train, and he crashed heavily into the ground.
A dark shadow filled the space around him, looming large and ominous.
Every Cantel warrior froze at the sight of the figure. Slowly, the aliens shifted, moving aside as if under a silent command. They parted in perfect formation, creating a wide path for the shadowy figure to advance, like a dark wave parting in the sea.