Argo, Seventh-Floor Corridor
Peter Parker's mouth was like a floodgate—once opened, it wouldn't shut. His voice echoed down the dim corridor.
"So, what's your name? Diluc? That's a cool name! Is it a codename?"
His eyes darted around as he trotted after Diluc, pressing on before the other could respond:
"Where'd you buy this outfit? The fabric looks really special. Is it fireproof? That firebird just now—"
Diluc didn't stop walking. He didn't even turn his head.
The hem of his black-and-red windbreaker swayed silently with each step, and the soles of his boots made no sound as they passed over a pool of blood.
Peter curled his lips, ready to fire off another question—when an inexplicable jolt of dread shot through him without warning.
Hiss!
His spider-sense screamed like an electric current up the back of his neck. Peter's head snapped up—and there it was: a blue-gray tentacle dangling from the ventilation duct, its valve-like maw less than half a meter from the back of Diluc's skull.
"Be careful—!"
Swish!
The Blackrock Slasher flashed, carving a crimson arc through the air. The tentacle split cleanly in two. The front half, still writhing with its grotesque mouthparts, hit the floor and thrashed wildly. The rear half recoiled into the darkness like lightning.
Pah-pah-pah-pah—
Diluc sheathed his blade in one fluid motion, as casually as if he'd just swatted a mosquito.
Peter's eyes widened. He'd never seen anyone react that fast.
…Okay, maybe almost as fast as me.
"Wow! Your reflexes are—"
BOOM—!!
Before Peter could finish, the surrounding bulkheads bulged violently outward. Six thick tentacles burst through the walls, splattering slime everywhere.
"Stand back."
Diluc finally spoke—his voice cold as tempered steel.
Hrrraah—!
He lunged forward. Instantly, black-and-red flames erupted along the Blackrock Slasher.
In the narrow corridor, Diluc became a whirlwind of motion. Every strike of his blade found its mark—precisely severing each tentacle at the joint. The severed limbs carbonized into ash before they even hit the ground.
In seconds, the six monsters were reduced to six smoldering piles of charcoal.
Peter Parker lowered the steel pipe he'd just raised, lips quirking in reluctant admiration. He muttered under his breath:
"Tsk~ What's the point of being handsome? Only six seconds—"
"Aaah—!!"
A girl's heart-wrenching scream pierced the air from somewhere down the hall.
Peter's expression froze.
"Damn it—that voice… Gwen?! Gwen!"
He shot forward like a bullet, too fast for Diluc to stop him.
He barreled through corners, leapt down stairs, smashed through broken hatches—knocking aside every obstacle until he skidded to a halt at the entrance to the observation hall.
And then he froze.
At the center of the chamber stood an obelisk built from thousands of corpses, crowned by a writhing throne of flesh and blood.
Embedded within it was the monster's core—a grotesque island of pulsating horror. Each of its tentacles was thicker than a tanker truck, and the countless mouthparts dotting its hide gaped wide enough to swallow a person whole.
Near the left exit, Gwen Stacy and Kate huddled against shattered French windows, surrounded by more than a dozen advancing tentacles.
In the corner, Gwen's beige dress was already stained crimson. Kate leaned heavily on her broken leg, gripping a shard of glass like a dagger.
In the center of the hall, Harry Osborn was swept into the air by a massive tentacle. He desperately beat at the hideous appendage wrapped around his waist.
The monster's bloody maw gaped open, revealing three concentric rings of razor-sharp teeth arranged in a spiral.
Peter Parker's mind went blank.
Save Gwen? Or save Harry?
Cold sweat trickled down Peter's forehead. He frantically calculated distance, time, and success probability—but every possible plan ended with the death of one of his friends.
"I'll leave those two to you."
Suddenly, Diluc's voice came from behind.
Before Peter could turn, a scorching wind brushed past his side.
Swish!
The black-and-red windbreaker fluttered amid the sea of corpses and blood as Diluc shot toward Harry Osborn like an arrow.
"ROAR—!"
The monster unleashed a deafening bellow. Over twenty tentacles—each lined with gaping maws—rose simultaneously, lunging at Diluc.
"Sizzle!"
They moved in coordination: some swept low at his legs, others struck straight for his throat, and three more specifically blocked potential escape routes. This wasn't the chaotic frenzy of a wild beast—it was a calculated, tactical encirclement!
Diluc's eyes narrowed.
"Hah!"
The Blackrock Slasher swung horizontally, and the shockwave from the fiery explosion severed the first five attacking tentacles.
Seizing the opening, he leapt onto a falling limb, spun midair, and carved a perfect ring of flame with his blade.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!"
A series of explosions erupted, reducing the encircling tentacles to a rain of fire and ash.
Diluc charged through the burning, carbonized flesh, his boots striking the vertical bulkhead repeatedly as he traced a zigzag path—dodging every interception with impossible precision.
"ROAR—!"
Enraged, the monster abandoned its attempt to devour Harry. All its tentacles snapped back to shield its core.
"BANG!"
A colossal tentacle—nearly three meters in diameter—surged from the blood pool below. Its tip split open, spewing high-pressure mucus.
Diluc accelerated instantly.
He shifted direction twice in midair. The hem of his black-and-red windbreaker was grazed by the corrosive slime, leaving an ugly stain—but that minor cost granted him the perfect angle of attack.
"BOOM—!!"
The Blackrock Blade, wreathed in black-and-red flames, cleaved down with devastating force—severing the base of the tentacles coiled around Harry Osborn.
"Shhhhhhh!!"
Meters of flesh split apart. The intense heat vaporized the green blood before it could even spray. Harry plummeted—only to be caught midair by Diluc's outstretched hand.
"Find somewhere to hide."
Diluc hurled Harry toward the edge of the battlefield, then leveled the Blackrock Slasher in his left hand at the monster. From the blade's tip, a fireball blazed—dazzling as the sun.
Sensing the overwhelming power, the creature recoiled.
"ROAR—!"
With a reluctant shriek, it retracted all its foraging tentacles and began dragging its slick, massive body toward the shattered floor-to-ceiling window.
Piles of corpses were absorbed into its form, fueling its escape…
A cold glint flashed in Diluc's eyes. The Blackrock Slasher ignited with raging black-and-red flame as he launched himself after the fleeing monster like a bolt of lightning.
"Trying to run?"
The beast roared again—deafening, furious—and dozens of tentacles erupted in all directions, striking like giant serpents. Diluc moved like lightning, his blade tracing a fiery arc that severed the first three tentacles at their roots.
Green ichor splattered—but more limbs surged forward, cutting off his retreat.
The mound of corpses on the ground became his greatest obstacle. Diluc crushed a ribcage beneath his boot, and his momentum faltered for just an instant—that was the opening the monster needed.
"BANG—!"
A main tentacle—thick as a barrel—slammed into Diluc's side.
"BOOM—!!"
The impact sent him flying. His body tore through three layers of bulkhead before finally stopping. Amid showers of sparks, Diluc dropped to one knee—his coat, impossibly, still spotless.
Seizing the chance, the monster accelerated toward the sea. The fractured hull offered no resistance—it crumpled like paper…
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