Whirr~~
The speeding train barreled down the tracks as the swarm of mutated spiders approaching it suddenly met a powerful air current.
Instantly, many of the mutated spiders were swept up, spiraling into a black vortex as the violent airflow twisted and turned.
"Oh, no! Damn it!"
Alexei cried out in alarm. Some of the mutated spiders collided wildly with the metal siding of the train, producing a rattle like falling beans. In the process, many of them disintegrated into black mist, swept away by the air current.
The train sped off, and the mutated spiders quickly gathered themselves into Alexei's form on the track.
Glaring at the black figure atop the train, he let out a furious roar.
"Why?! Why am I so damn unlucky?!"
Before he could pursue further, a rumbling noise filled the sky above.
"Finally, Carter's here."
On top of the train, Charlie let out a sigh of relief as the helicopter approached at high speed.
These relentless pursuers were troublesome. Now it was SHIELD's problem to handle! Kingpin's capture of these mutants was bound to stir up something big. Hydra might even be involved.
Charlie had no intention of dragging this out.
Just as he was about to leave, the helicopter veered past Alexei, heading straight for him.
"Hmm?"
Sensing something off, Charlie felt a pang of dread.
Sure enough, flames suddenly burst from the helicopter's bay as a rocket sped straight toward him.
Reacting instantly, Charlie launched a web barrage, catching the incoming rocket in mid-air before leaping off the train.
"Return to sender!"
With a single, deft flick in a discus-like motion, Charlie swung the web-attached rocket around him, redirecting it back toward the helicopter.
Boom!!
The rocket struck the helicopter, lighting up the night sky in a fiery explosion.
[You have saved everyone on the train as the Friendly Neighborhood Hero, gaining +3 restart chances]
Billowing with smoke, the helicopter crashed onto the ground, sparking another explosion as the spinning rotor blades sliced through the tracks, scattering debris and fragments.
Amid the flames, a figure slowly rose, shrouded in blood-colored mist, and a familiar metallic smell filled the air.
"What…?"
In surprise, Charlie saw the metal arm disintegrate under the blood mist, revealing red, sinewy muscle sprouting with vicious barbs. A monstrous blood-red claw appeared.
"Charlie Parker, I'm here to avenge Steve!"
Bucky, expression cold as ice, stepped out from the flames with a massive blood-red blade in place of his arm.
"Die!"
Bucky charged forward, the blood-red blade slashing down with brutal force.
With his spider-sense warning him, Charlie leapt back in an instant, just as the ground where he had been standing turned into a crater.
Crash!
Debris flew everywhere as Bucky closed in rapidly under the shroud of the blood mist, reaching Charlie within moments.
Whoosh~~
Winds roared as the blood-red blade swung down again, but Charlie's fist struck Bucky first.
Boom!!
A tremendous blast shook the air as Charlie's punch, carrying several dozen tons of force, sent Bucky's body tumbling over a hundred meters, leaving a deep gouge along the ground like a bulldozer's path.
"So Hydra's given you some of their strength, huh?"
Charlie slowly lowered his fist, the red light in his eyes flickering as his bulging muscles relaxed to their normal size.
"Since you're here, it's time to end this for good."
With that, Charlie's black-suited body expanded, fully unleashing the power of his titan-strengthened Spider-Man physique. He became a black missile aimed straight at Bucky.
After that brief clash, Charlie realized that while Bucky had been enhanced by Hydra, he still wasn't as strong as Steve. Bucky wasn't an insurmountable threat.
Boom!!
Air currents swirled as Bucky, feeling Charlie's looming presence, gritted his teeth and braced himself. His blood-arm blade writhed, morphing into a menacing claw.
"Wow, Prototype vibes," Charlie quipped, the spider legs on his back twitching in anticipation.
Boom~~
Bam, bam, bam-
The claw sliced through the air, the ground trembling slightly under the force of the clash. Black spider legs flashed, blood splattered, and Bucky's blood-red arm was pinned to the ground by the spider legs.
Ahh!!
Bucky screamed, unable to gather his strength to retaliate as Charlie slipped behind him.
Charlie planned to deal with Bucky the same way he had with Steve.
If he could rip out Bucky's spine, the fight would be over.
Rustle, rustle-
Suddenly, a wave of black insects surged toward them, causing Charlie to grimace.
He had no desire to have those things crawling all over him.
So, he swung Bucky's body into the insect swarm.
Boom!
Bang~~
With each impact, the blood mist surrounding Bucky's body erupted, preventing the smashed mutated spiders from reforming, which sent Alexei into a panic.
This mist could counter his abilities!
Seeing this, Charlie grinned.
"Perfect. A two-for-one."
Squelch!
Just then, Bucky tore off his own arm, finally freeing himself from Charlie's grasp.
He scrambled to the side, as muscle tendrils squirmed at the torn arm socket, quickly regenerating a new limb.
"Let's team up and kill him," he told Alexei.
Alexei scoffed. "I'm not your henchman."
"I'll pay you."
"Deal."
Instantly, a massive figure took shape as layers of mutated spiders piled together, forming a hulking, three-meter-tall humanoid monster.
Returning to his human-spider form, Alexei kept his distance from Charlie, opting instead to shoot acidic webs from afar.
Pew pew pew~
The corrosive webbing shot toward him, but before Charlie could react, Bucky charged, relentless.
Hiss hiss~~
Blood mist spread anew. The webbing dissolved instantly as it touched the mist, leaving Bucky unharmed.
But Charlie felt a keen danger from the acidic webbing.
"Die!"
Bucky roared, his blood-red claws morphing into writhing tentacles that blocked all of Charlie's escape routes.
Unfazed, Charlie simply raised his hands, dark liquid spreading across his palms to form massive paddle-like shapes.
Anyone who'd been friends with the Hulk knew how to use this move.
"Blow away, my pride unleashed!"
In the next instant, he clapped his hands together, unleashing seventy tons of force in a single, thunderous burst. Dust and debris shot out as the powerful gust engulfed everything in its path.
Boom~~
A fierce shockwave rippled out from Charlie, sending the white webs spiraling back and scattering the blood mist around.
Hiss hiss~
Caught in the blood mist, Alexei recoiled, his body smoldering as white smoke rose from his sizzling skin. The pain was unbearable, forcing him to roll on the ground in agony.
"Ahhh, it hurts!!"
Bucky, standing right in the line of the shockwave, staggered, feeling dizzy. But by the time he regained his bearings, it was too late.
"No!"
Squelch!
A piercing pain shot up his spine as Charlie tore Bucky's spine from his body, blood splattering everywhere.
Deprived of his strength, Bucky fell to his knees, grimacing through the searing pain but refusing to scream like Alexei.
In fact, he even managed a smirk.
Because, in his mind, he had already won.