Cherreads

Chapter 18 - Chapter 18

Though Kingpin's massive body was bulky, his speed was anything but slow. He ran with surprising agility, faster than any normal man — though still not fast enough to outrun Harry.

"Kingpin, you're not getting away!" Harry shouted from above, guiding his hoverboard after the fleeing giant. But Fisk ignored him completely, charging straight ahead without hesitation.

Harry swooped down in front of him and fired a burst of bullets at his feet — tat-tat-tat! — forcing the mob boss to stop in his tracks.

"You'd better stay out of my way," Kingpin growled, stepping forward. "Even your father won't be able to save you."

"My father?" Harry frowned, confused. But before he could think more about it, Felicia pushed away from his waist and jumped down from the hoverboard.

"Kingpin! Pay for my father's death!" she screamed, cracking her whip toward him.

"Hmph. Foolish girl." Kingpin took one giant step forward, grabbed the whip mid-air, and yanked Felicia toward him — his fist cocked back, ready to crush her with a single blow.

But Felicia had learned from before. As she was pulled in, she twisted her body, using the whip's tension to redirect her momentum — and kicked Kingpin square in the chest.

"Huh!" Kingpin grunted, throwing up his arm to block. The impact barely made him stagger; his body was as solid as steel.

He released the whip and reached out with both hands to grab her. Felicia landed lightly, but at such close range, her whip was useless. She quickly flipped backward, trying to create distance.

At that moment, Harry dropped from the air. He swung his glowing blade in a horizontal arc toward Kingpin's massive hands. Seeing the green light of the blade, Kingpin instantly withdrew — he knew better than to try blocking it.

But Harry wasn't finished. He pivoted, sheathing the blade in a fluid motion, planted his right foot for leverage, then flipped forward — and slammed his leg down on Kingpin's bald head.

"Argh!" Kingpin roared in pain, crashing to the floor. Yet even in that position, he retaliated, swinging a massive fist upward.

Harry barely dodged, springing backward. His enhanced reflexes — inherited from the spider serum — were quick, but his strength wasn't evenly distributed like Felicia's super-soldier enhancements. He relied on agility, not brute power.

Landing behind Kingpin, Harry saw the crater left by the punch and felt a cold sweat run down his back. If that blow had connected, he'd be pulp.

Kingpin suddenly lunged to his feet and hurled Harry across the room like a ragdoll.

Boom!Crack—!

Harry smashed into a glass wall. A spiderweb of cracks spread across it before it shattered completely with a crash!

Before Harry could fall out of the building, Felicia's whip lashed through the air. He caught it mid-drop, halting his descent.

"Thanks," he gasped.

"Don't thank me," Felicia said sharply, retracting her whip and locking eyes with him.

"Huh?" Harry blinked in confusion — but then saw Kingpin rise again, glaring with fury.

"Hmph! Harry Osborn," Kingpin snarled, "you'll die here today — even if you are Norman Osborn's son!"

"My father?" Harry repeated, baffled. The words rang in his mind, but before he could think, Kingpin's roar came again — and his fist followed.

Harry and Felicia exchanged a glance, then split in opposite directions. Kingpin's punch whooshed through the air. With both arms, he swept out to the sides — but they ducked low, each striking simultaneously at his legs.

Bang!

The crime lord's massive frame toppled to the ground, shaking the floor.

Harry stepped onto his back, drove the light blade into the floor beside his neck — the green energy blade humming inches from his skin.

"You said my father's name," Harry said coldly, pressing the blade down just enough to make Kingpin flinch. "You'd better explain."

Though Norman Osborn had left his son a broken childhood, he was still Harry's father — and he had ensured Harry's survival before his death.

Kingpin trembled, feeling the searing heat at his neck. Felicia bent down, reached into his pocket, and retrieved the stolen USB drive. She glanced at Harry, then stepped aside.

"Norman Osborn… isn't dead," Kingpin said suddenly.

"What?!" Harry's eyes widened. His grip faltered, and the blade dipped — nicking Fisk's skin. A thin line of blood appeared instantly.

"I said… your father is alive," Kingpin rasped. "He lied to everyone — even to you."

"Impossible! He can't be alive!" Harry shouted, but his heart was racing, the disbelief giving way to a trembling hope.

"Oh, he's alive," Kingpin continued, voice rising, sensing Harry's turmoil. "He faked his death. Wanted to see if you could survive the spider venom. You were his test subject. If you lived — good. He'd know how to save himself. If you died — he'd learn from your corpse."

The words hit Harry like a punch to the gut.

"Why?!" he shouted, dropping the blade, seizing Fisk by the collar. "Why would he fake his death?! Why would he use me?!"

"To live," Kingpin sneered. "That's all Norman Osborn ever cared about. Himself."

Kingpin's grin widened. Harry's rage boiled — but his grip loosened. The hesitation was all Fisk needed.

The giant suddenly grabbed Harry's wrist, twisted, and slammed a fist into his gut.

Boom!

Harry was launched backward, smashing through a concrete pillar before crumpling to the floor.

Kingpin ignored Felicia at first — she wasn't his priority. But since she stood in his way, she had to be dealt with.

Felicia kicked at him; he blocked easily and countered with a powerful strike.

Bam!

Felicia hit the ground hard, unable to move.

Kingpin picked up Harry's glowing blade, turned toward her, and raised it high.

"Your father died by my hand," he said coldly. "And now, you'll join him."

He brought the blade down —

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A blur of motion — and the blade flew from his grasp, clattering across the floor beside two broken red batons.

"Daredevil," Kingpin snarled, turning toward the figure stepping through the smoke.

Matt stood there, bloodied but alive.

At that moment, Harry recovered, launching himself forward on his hoverboard.

"Kingpin!"

The board slammed into Fisk's chest, knocking the massive man backward — hard. He crashed into a support pillar, shattering it.

Harry pressed a control, catching a bomb sphere ejected from the hoverboard. "Catch!" he shouted, hurling it straight at Kingpin.

"Let's go!"

He swooped low, grabbing Felicia as the board veered toward the shattered wall.

"Matt!" Harry called.

Daredevil sprinted and leapt, catching the edge of the hoverboard as it soared out of the crumbling building.

BOOM—!

The explosion erupted behind them, fire and glass bursting outward as the skyscraper windows shattered with a thunderous crash.

Matt pulled himself onto the board, Felicia lay weakly in Harry's arms, and the three of them streaked away through the night — leaving the ruins and the buried Kingpin behind.

More Chapters