In the midst of the smoke, the Green Goblin knelt on the ground, his hands clasped in a prayer-like gesture, murmuring, "Lord of Hell, Mephisto."
"If you can really help me, not only my soul, but even my life—you're welcome to take it anytime!"
"Your life? I'm not interested in that. I only want your soul."
"Norman Osborn, are you willing to become my servant?"
"As long as you agree, I will immediately grant you the power to deal with those two clowns outside."
Mephisto's voice seemed to echo from all directions, yet also resonated deep within Norman's mind. At first, both the Green Goblin and Norman thought this was some new invention by Tony Stark.
But after losing control of their body and being forced into a prayer position, they realized that this so-called Lord of Hell possessed some kind of unimaginable power—something that transcended everything Norman had ever known.
"By becoming your servant, I'll gain the power to defeat those two outside?" This time, it was clearly Norman speaking.
"Of course, Norman Osborn. With the power I bestow upon you, people like Tony Stark will be crushed beneath your feet," Mephisto's voice coaxed. "Including that Spider-Woman from earlier..."
Mephisto's words, like a devil's whisper, stirred Norman's recent memories. He had always taken pride in his enhanced body, combined with the exoskeleton he'd meticulously developed. The fusion of these two gave Norman immense confidence.
That confidence, however...
...vanished as soon as he faced Spider-Woman, making it seem like child's play.
Norman gazed slowly toward the smoke, as if he could see Spider-Woman lingering outside. A thought began to form in his mind. If Spider-Woman were dead... then his exoskeleton, his genetic modifications, would still be the strongest.
"I'm willing to become your servant..."
"Hahahahaha..." Mephisto's wild laughter echoed before he continued, "But your agreement alone is not enough. I need both of you to consent!"
Norman slowly raised his head. One of his eyes was filled with bloodshot veins, while the other remained normal. Though it was one body speaking, two distinct voices emerged.
"I'm willing to be your servant!"
"To serve Lord Mephisto..."
As soon as the words were spoken, Mephisto's laugh became even more piercing. "Hahaha... Norman Osborn! From this day forth, bear the mark of Hell and live on as my servant!"
A deep red light appeared out of nowhere, sinking into Norman's forehead. Instantly, a gut-wrenching scream escaped from Norman's throat.
"Ahhh..."
As Norman screamed, the exoskeleton on his body began to writhe as if it had come to life. The mask, which had fallen to the ground, suddenly flew back up and affixed itself to Norman's face. The mask also started writhing, as though it was devouring Norman's original face.
Then, green flames began to flicker across Norman's body.
Outside.
Standing on a rooftop, Alan frowned as he stared at the changes occurring within the smoke surrounding Norman.
"What a sinister power... who's helping the Green Goblin?"
Alan quickly racked his brain, thinking of who in the Marvel universe might wield such powers.
Before long, a name came to mind.
"Mephisto... how did he suddenly appear here..."
If it really was Mephisto, then the current Green Goblin would be far beyond what Gwen and Tony could handle.
Alan glanced toward the New York Police Department, deep in thought...
Both Gwen and Tony, watching the Green Goblin as he knelt in prayer, felt an ominous sense of dread rise in their hearts.
Suddenly, they heard the Green Goblin's agonized screams from within the smoke.
Both of their expressions changed simultaneously, their foreboding feelings intensifying.
"Spider-Woman, I don't want to waste any more time here. I have other things to take care of!" Tony, trying to mask the sudden unease that had crept into his heart, began charging up his repulsor beams, aiming them at the Green Goblin.
Gwen, pointing her web-shooters at the Green Goblin, echoed, "Neither do I!"
Just as the two were about to attack simultaneously, a woman's scream suddenly erupted from behind them.
The woman behind them—who else could it be but Anna?
Tony and Gwen turned their heads, drawn by Anna's scream.
"What the hell is this now?!"
The scene before them completely shattered Tony's understanding of reality. Gwen, frowning, asked softly, "Red Queen, what's going on?"
The Red Queen, being a product of technology, couldn't comprehend the realm of magic and could only respond, "Miss Gwen, I don't know. But it seems the aircraft is coming to life."
The once-disabled aircraft that Tony had destroyed was now slowly rising again. The previously rigid metal was morphing, taking on a fleshy texture. Even more bizarre, the two machine guns that had fired bullets transformed into two blood-red eyes.
This strange scene left everyone present in utter disbelief.
George gave a direct order: "Open fire!"
All the police officers aimed at the flying machine, unleashing a hail of bullets that sent sparks flying. In an instant, the aircraft was riddled with holes. George barely had time to feel a moment of triumph before seeing the holes writhing, slowly sealing back up as if nothing had happened.
Anna, covering her mouth, stared wide-eyed at this incomprehensible, logic-defying event.
The newly-formed eyes on the aircraft turned, focusing briefly on George. Just that one glance filled George with an unnatural fear, rising from deep within. He gripped his gun tightly, seeking some semblance of security.
But in the next moment, the aircraft's eyes shifted away, turning towards Norman's direction and flying toward him.
"Tony, stop it!" Gwen shot her webs toward the machine.
"Don't give me orders!" Tony retorted, charging up his repulsor blasts while his shoulder-mounted missiles locked on.
Gwen's webs shot out first, and Tony's bullets followed closely behind. The plan was simple: Gwen would restrict the aircraft's movements, and Tony's firepower would overwhelm it in an instant.
But what they hadn't anticipated was the aircraft's eyes flashing red. Two blood-red beams of light shot out, instantly melting Gwen's webs and detonating Tony's arsenal. The explosion's smoke and shockwave forced both Gwen and Tony to step back instinctively.
"I swear, this is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen!" Tony grumbled, his attack failure doing nothing to dull his sarcastic nature.
"Watch out, it's coming!" Gwen warned, her spider-sense picking up the approaching threat from within the smoke.
And it was fast!
Just as Gwen's warning finished, Jarvis's voice sounded: "Careful, sir."
Without giving them any time to react, a dark shadow shot between them, heading straight for the Green Goblin within the green smoke.
"I'm going in first!" Tony shouted, flying towards the smoke, with Gwen quickly following behind.
As Tony neared the green mist, the ear-piercing screams from earlier had suddenly ceased. Now, all that could be heard was crazed, maniacal laughter.
Along with the laughter came a powerful storm, centered not just on the smoke—but more precisely, on the Green Goblin. The smoke was quickly blown away, and the figure of the Green Goblin began to emerge.
The moment Tony got close, the storm hit him head-on, sending him flying backward. Gwen, not as close, immediately dropped to the ground, her hands sticking to the floor to steady herself.
"Jarvis, activate the rear thrusters!" Tony commanded. Moments later, the thrusters on the back of his Mark 6 suit ignited, stabilizing him in mid-air.
Once steady, Tony glanced at Gwen and asked, "Care to explain what's happening right now?"
Gwen looked back at him, clearly just as clueless about the situation.
"Got it, message received," Tony muttered, realizing from Gwen's expression that she had no answers either. He stopped asking questions and focused his attention back on the smoke.
As the storm gradually subsided, the Green Goblin reappeared in front of them. Despite his confusion about how the Green Goblin had transformed after spending a brief moment in the smoke, Tony couldn't help but let his sarcastic nature surface again.
"My God! He looks even uglier than before."
Gwen silently nodded in agreement.
At this moment, the Green Goblin stood atop the aircraft, its wings gently flapping. His once-proud metal exoskeleton, designed to follow the contours of his muscles, now looked more like a grotesque, skin-tight suit.
Moreover, the patterns on the suit had turned blood-red. At the joints, wisps of greenish-blue flames flickered. Even more disturbingly, the mask on his face seemed to have fused with his skin, making it look like his real face, with his eyes exposed. As Norman spoke, the mask moved along with his expressions.
"Look, they're still here. That means I can have some fun," the Green Goblin said with a sinister gaze, looking playfully at Gwen and Tony.
Tony raised his repulsor cannon. "Seems like someone forgot who got beaten down and had to hide earlier."
"Let me remind you," Tony said, as he charged up his repulsor and, with a whoosh, fired it directly at the Green Goblin. Tony confidently anticipated the Goblin would dodge and began calculating his next move, preparing to fire again.
But to his surprise, the Green Goblin didn't dodge. Instead, he raised his chest, letting the two blasts hit his chest directly. They only left behind faint scorch marks. The exoskeleton on his chest seemed to regenerate as tiny flames flickered, and the burn marks vanished completely.
"Is that all you've got, Tony Stark?" the Green Goblin sneered.
Tony frowned. "Jarvis, did we miscalculate the power level?"
"No, sir. It's just that he's… beyond normal parameters," Jarvis replied.
The Green Goblin mockingly wiped his chest and said, "Tony, how about you try mine!" With that, his glider tilted slightly, and two thicker, red laser beams shot out.
Boom! The blasts hit Tony's chest at an incredible speed, sending him flying backward and crashing into the ground.
"Tony!" Gwen shot out her webs, trying to catch him, but the Green Goblin, using the speed of his glider, appeared right in front of her.
"Spider-Woman, I wonder if your precious strength can still defeat me now," the Green Goblin taunted, advancing toward her. Gwen had no choice but to abandon her attempt to save Tony.
Just like before, the Goblin threw a punch, but this time, Gwen didn't try to block it. Not because she couldn't, but because the Goblin's fist was now wrapped in those dangerous green flames.
Gwen didn't know what those flames were capable of, but her spider-sense was screaming at her: they were deadly!
Seeing Gwen constantly dodging his punches, the Green Goblin grew increasingly irritated. "Fight me! Why won't you block like you did before?!"
In his frenzied state, the Green Goblin failed to notice Tony slowly getting back on his feet.
"Jarvis, is the system functioning properly?" Tony asked.
"Everything's fine, sir," Jarvis confirmed.
Remembering how he was blasted away earlier, Tony's anger surged. "Let's see how he likes this!" Tony engaged his thrusters at full power, launching a punch aimed straight at the Green Goblin's face.
The Goblin's glider, however, sensed the impending attack. It quickly flew to his side, positioning itself between Tony and the Green Goblin. Tony's punch landed on the glider instead, shattering part of it.
The Green Goblin's bloodshot eyes shifted to Tony, grabbing his fist mid-punch. "Tony Stark," he snarled, his voice cold as death itself, chilling to the bone. The green flames began burning rapidly around Tony's Mark armor.
Jarvis quickly reported, "Sir, we've got a low-temperature warning!"
"What?!"
Seeing Tony caught, Gwen immediately grabbed his arm, trying to pull him free from the Goblin's grasp.
The Green Goblin seized the moment, smirking wickedly. "Come on, enjoy the chill of hell!"
Suddenly, the green flames erupted, engulfing himself, Gwen, and Tony in an inferno...
---
Author's Note: In the comic Spider-Man: One More Day, after the events of Civil War (the inspiration for Captain America: Civil War), Peter Parker sided with Tony Stark on the Superhero Registration Act and revealed his identity as Spider-Man to the public (inspiring the plot of Spider-Man: No Way Home). This led to his enemies targeting him, and Aunt May was gravely injured. Peter searched everywhere for help but found no one who could save her. That's when Mephisto appeared, offering Peter a deal—Aunt May's life in exchange for Peter's future, including his love with Mary Jane and the existence of their daughter. Mephisto also erased everyone's memories of Peter being Spider-Man.