Chereads / A Certain Artist In Marvel / Chapter 68 - Chapter 67 - Questioning Reality

Chapter 68 - Chapter 67 - Questioning Reality

In the dimly lit church in Queens, the tolling of the bells was interrupted by Peter Parker's anguished scream. Huddled beneath the large clock in the bell tower, he was in the throes of intense agony. The black spider suit he had once admired for its power and speed had become a curse, engulfing him in a dark and uncontrolled rage.

Peter's struggle to remove the suit was desperate. His body, now covered in the black symbiote, was battering the clock with relentless force. His hands clawed at the suit, tearing away the black mass that had overtaken him.

"Call--"

Exhausted and covered in sweat, Peter finally slumped against a pillar, hoping that the worst was over and he could return to being himself. But his relief was short-lived. From below, he heard a muffled cry.

"Uh, hum."

Peter peered down and saw the black symbiote enveloping another figure. His heart sank when he recognized the person—it was Flash Thompson, the star football player from school.

"Peter, help me!!" Flash's voice was frantic and desperate.

Despite their past conflicts, Peter couldn't ignore Flash in his time of need. Flash had come to the church to pray for a successful graduation and a spot on a prestigious rugby team. Instead, he found himself caught in the same dark force that had plagued Peter.

"Hold on, Thompson!" Peter shouted, jumping down to help. But his exhaustion made him stumble, and he struggled to maintain his footing.

The symbiote consumed Flash rapidly, transforming him into a dark, monstrous version of Spider-Man. Peter watched in horror as Flash became a twisted reflection of himself.

"Oh no," Peter cursed himself. If he hadn't been in the church, if he hadn't been possessed, Thompson wouldn't have been caught in this nightmare.

"Oh, I meet Peter again."

Flash's voice, now a distorted and menacing growl, emerged from the darkness. The symbiote within him spoke with a sharp, malevolent tone.

"Thompson, wake up!" Peter pleaded, hoping that the real Flash would resurface.

But before Peter could make any progress, the symbiote-controlled Thompson lashed out with a black whip, sending Peter crashing into the stone wall.

"Hahaha, Peter is awesome, I am Thompson!" The symbiote's voice roared with cruel delight, reveling in its newfound power and the chaos it could unleash.

Peter, bloodied and battered, struggled to stay conscious. "Thompson, listen to me! This will only hurt you..."

"Ha! Hurt me? You're just envious of my power!" The venomous entity sneered. Thompson's body, now enhanced and growing larger, was almost unrecognizable. The symbiote had turned him into a monstrous giant.

"Let's see if you can survive this, Spider-Man!" The creature roared, its voice echoing through the church.

With a violent charge, the symbiote lifted its enormous fists and brought them crashing down on Peter with terrifying force.

Bang bang bang!

Peter tried to shield himself at first, but the relentless assault soon overwhelmed him. He felt his bones cracking under the onslaught.

The symbiote-infused Thompson grabbed Peter by the neck, lifting him high and continuing to pound him mercilessly.

"Goodbye, Peter," the monster taunted.

As the creature threw Peter into the air, its fists were poised to strike again, its mouth widening with sharp teeth and a long, dripping tongue.

Suddenly, a flash of purple and black streaked through the church.

"Om!!"

Footsteps echoed as a new figure emerged from the shadows. It was a teenager with pale hair, dressed in a striped short-sleeved jacket and black shorts. The most shocking thing about him were the four crimson, whip-like appendages extending from his waist.

The newcomer surveyed the scene with a calm, detached demeanor. He regarded Peter and the transformed Thompson with an unsettling sense of curiosity.

The pale-haired boy looked at the chaos around him and addressed the creature, "How much is 1000 minus 7?"

The venomous entity paused, momentarily distracted by the question. It stared at the boy, trying to assess the threat. The creature, now recognizing the boy's unnatural abilities, wondered if he was some kind of mutant or enhanced being.

The boy calmly placed the injured Peter against the wall and turned his attention to the symbiote.

"Run away, run away," Peter weakly urged, fearing for the boy's safety. He knew that the symbiote's power was overwhelming and that even with the boy's unusual abilities, the odds were grim.

The pale-haired boy, whose appearance was both alien and familiar to Peter, seemed unfazed by the threat. His eyes, dark and intense, revealed a profound darkness that seemed to consume everything around him.

"You are just a weak one," the boy said coolly, his voice carrying a sense of superiority.

As soon as he spoke, he crossed his arms in front of him, blocking the monstrous fists of the symbiote with ease. The impact created a dull, resonant clash.

Simultaneously, the crimson appendages behind him surged forward with lethal precision. They shot towards the symbiote, their movement swift and accurate.

Puff!

The crimson limbs pierced through the symbiote's dark form, splattering black filaments on the ground. They struck with such force that they drove through the monster's throat.

With a sudden shift, the symbiote's head was jolted back, and black liquid spilled from the wound. The boy's attack had left a significant impact.

"Get in the way."

The boy's expression was resolute. He had been through intense trials and had become extremely powerful, shedding any remnants of weakness. He fought with a fierce aggression, determined to eliminate any threat that hindered him.

His face, once calm, now showed a fierce determination as he stepped forward. His crimson appendages lashed out, and his hands, strong and controlled, struck with precision.

Boom! !!

The crimson limbs hit the symbiote with a thunderous impact, causing a shockwave that reverberated through the church. The symbiote was thrown violently against the wall, debris cascading down and burying the creature beneath a mountain of rubble.

"Awesome, so strong."

Peter watched in stunned silence, his mind racing to comprehend the spectacle before him. The battle had taken a turn he hadn't anticipated. His injuries began to heal slowly, and his vision cleared as he focused on the boy's back.

"I've seen it, yes, I have seen it."

Peter's thoughts whirled as he tried to piece together the unfamiliar yet oddly familiar scene. The boy's fighting style and appearance were strikingly similar to characters from a manga he had read.

"Whip? No, it should be a long one...Kazuko?"

Kazuko!

Ghoul!

Peter's confusion deepened. The boy's fighting style and the crimson appendages matched those of characters from the manga he had read. He muttered in disbelief, "Isn't this a manga? Did I read it wrong? But this seems to be a ghoul?"

"Xu Mo, Faker. What kind of comics are you drawing that people are coming out of them?"

As Peter stared at the boy's back, his shock was palpable. The lines between fiction and reality had blurred in a way he never imagined.