The cleaver thudded rhythmically against the cutting board. Without any special tools, she could slice potatoes into long, thin shreds. Beside her lay the already-cut green pepper strips. The dish could loosely be called green pepper shredded potatoes. Over the time they had spent together, Tifa had learned this was Zord's favorite dish, followed closely by char siu—though, unfortunately, she hadn't learned how to make that yet.
"Tifa, Flame Spirit, I'm going out for a walk."
"Okay, come back soon."
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"No need. I'll be back by dinner."
Zord changed his shoes, pulled the door open, and stepped out quickly. A feeling of finally walking out of Eve Castle welled up inside him. Gazing at the wide-open sky, he instantly felt much lighter. But as he glanced back, he spotted Angel Yan leaning against the window frame, waving at him with a smile.
He lifted a hand in a brief wave, then picked up his pace, deciding to find something to occupy his stroll.
That woman, Esdeath, was completely addicted to war. She was off in the cosmos and couldn't bear to come back. Almost everyone else was gathered here. Probably because Zord was too strong, Esdeath's desires for conquest, control, and possession had nowhere to go, so she could only vent them through war.
...
Unlike those certain mentally ill people who are wired and energetic at all hours, most people in modern society are at their sharpest in the hours between late night and early morning. Peter Parker never slept in. Not just because he was a student and a superhero, but also because he had gone from being an intern at Stark Industries to a full-time employee with plenty of vacation days. However, Peter Parker hadn't died or turned into a monster the way the original storyline dictated... mainly because Zord stepped in and changed his fate. He extracted the spider-gene serum from Spider-Gwen and injected it into Peter Parker. Specifically, Zord chose a super-spider serum that combined the best traits and characteristics of various spiders. This meant Peter Parker was probably more powerful than the Peter Parker of the main universe, and even the Peter Parkers of other universes. As a superhero, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man had appeared on the scene earlier than the vast majority of active heroes, but in terms of fame, he didn't match up to Iron Man, who appeared much later. After all, Spider-Man has superpowers, but no super-money-power. Now, however, he was an employee of Iron Man's company, working at Stark Industries. Age-wise, it might have a child-labor vibe, but in America, that's no big deal.
Still, New York today was as chaotic as ever.
Seizing a moment when the other bus passengers weren't looking, Peter ducked into the very back, pulled the spider mask from his backpack, and swiftly pulled it on. He slipped off his shoes, yanked the window open, and jumped out. His new spider suit, which had been simulating ordinary clothes, instantly reverted to its original form. A shot of webbing sent him swinging, and he headed rapidly toward the scene of the incident.
An ancient warrior in retro-style, rust-pitted armor stalked down the street, carrying a massive battle shield and a bloodstained long spear. A sizable crowd had gathered around, and at the center lay over a dozen residents, all bearing serious injuries. There was no doubt that these people had clashed with the strangely dressed figure.
"Hey, buddy, you know what? I was just about to head to work. I've got fifteen minutes before I'm late, and it's still seven or eight blocks away. Today's my first day as a full-time employee. If I'm late, I might leave a bad impression on the boss, maybe even get my pay docked."
Multiple strands of webbing shot out, sticking to the armored shield soldier's feet. The webbing from Peter's hand also stuck to the soldier's spear and shield. In a reverse grip, he tried to yank the weapons away. But the instant Peter exerted force, a burst of unimaginable, monstrous strength yanked Peter from the traffic light and sent him crashing violently into a wall.
The shield soldier paid no attention to Peter's words. He ripped the webbing off his weapons, then charged at Peter, who was sliding down the wall, spear thrust forward. The spider-sense screamed frantic warnings—an omen of death. Peter shot webbing through the gap between the soldier's legs, then used the pull to slide his whole body right between them. But just before he slipped past, the massive shield swung and slammed into him.
"Oh, shit!"
Even the guardrail along the side of the road bent from the impact. Pain made Peter curse out loud. But as he recovered, the long spear came tearing through the air again, fractures trailing in its wake. Sparks flew as steel scraped steel, and the ground shattered along with the strike. Peter dodged just in time, a heart-pounding sensation he hadn't felt in a long time washing over him. Isn't this guy a little too strong?
Normally, constant quips and chatter were a must in a fight, but right now, Peter didn't dare lose focus for even a second. His usual superhuman agility seemed completely useless here. The shield soldier's long spear and battle shield could always perfectly intercept his every move, as if reading his thoughts. Even his highly durable webbing tore as easily as paper against that spear.
Boom! The spear blade swept across the ground, ripping up a thick slab of pavement. A shield strike delivered with some kind of special internal force sent the shattered slabs flying like explosive shells straight at Peter. Growing anxious, Peter crossed his wrists and fired several layers of webbing from his multi-web shooters to block the bursting debris. He moved with the pull of the web lines, and along the way, grabbed two bystanders who were too close to the scene and dragged them clear.
Thud, thud, thud! The shield soldier shook his head slightly, watched the rapidly maneuvering Spider-Man, paused for a moment, then hurled his battle shield. The spinning shield roared with gale-force wind, grazing past Spider-Man. The suit absorbed some of the impact, but a sharp pain still shot through his waist and abdomen. The building behind him now sported a huge gaping hole smashed straight through it.
"This is definitely Demon-level!" Peter Parker seized a breathing gap and couldn't help but start yapping. But what he absolutely didn't anticipate was that the real fight only began the moment that shield left the soldier's hand.
Hands shedding grit and dust gripped the spear shaft. The rusted blade, looking as though it was perpetually drenched in blood, dipped downward slightly. The warrior lowered his stance, gradually locking onto Peter. An indescribable terror rose from deep within Peter's heart. At that moment, S.W.O.R.D.'s warnings blared from the surrounding Sentinel robots. Instantly, the onlookers who had assumed it was just cosplay fled for their lives.
S.W.O.R.D.'s warnings were more effective than any other alarm.
Suddenly sensing danger closing in, every hair on Peter's body stood on end. He shot webbing to the side and pulled himself away in a rapid swing. A violent, gale-force lunge roared past right where he had been standing, blasting a huge crater into the spot. The thrust spear retracted in a flash, then the blade began to dance, whipping up a hurricane that swept outward in all directions. The spear's edge was sharp enough to cut through even steel.
What was going on?
/-\
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