"A bet?" Gwen blinked. "Bet on what?"
"On them."
Peter pointed to the three unconscious men on the ground and, farther off, Rhino, who was already in shock from the pain.
"I bet the law you keep praising won't reform them. Within three months—aside from that big idiot—the other three will be busted out or escape on their own.
"Then they'll come back even worse."
"To prove it to you, not only will I not kill them today, I'll clear up the mental mess those outside forces caused."
At that, Peter turned and locked eyes with Gwen, speaking each word deliberately.
"If I lose, I'll be like you from now on—no killing, everyone goes to court."
"But if I win, you never stop me from killing again, and you owe me one unconditional favor."
After hearing the stakes, Gwen didn't hesitate.
"Deal. I'll take that bet."
She liked her odds.
In her eyes, the tech had simply warped their minds.
Strip away the power and add some legal justice, and they'd surely see their mistakes and repent.
"Perfect."
Seeing her take the bait, Peter nodded in satisfaction.
Tell someone a hundred times and they won't learn; let life teach them once and it's enough.
When Gwen watched these men walk the same dark path again, no lecture from him would be needed—she'd change on her own.
With that thought, Peter stopped twisting Scorpion's neck, yanking off the masks and hoods of The Punishers Killer Brothers and Rhino.
"Burn their faces into your memory.
"I promise it won't be long before you see their crimes splashed across the headlines."
With that, Peter began stripping their gear.
[Deep-green sacrificial item detected: Vulture's High-Tech Wing… Sacrifice!]
[Deep-green sacrificial item detected: Scorpion's Multi-Function Battlesuit… Sacrifice!]
[Deep-green sacrificial item detected: Rhino's Polymer Suit… Sacrifice!]
[Green sacrificial item detected: Spider-Slayer Exoskeleton… Sacrifice!]
Hmm?
Peter glanced at The Punishers Killer Brothers. So your suits are the Spider-Slayers JJJ built to catch Spider-Man in some other Universe.
A glance at the 2,800 new sacrifice points in his system panel brought a satisfied nod.
Who knew how long it would take for the next Sinister Six to show up after these guys died?
Farming sacrifice points was a beautiful thing.
After offering up their suits, Peter used the horse talisman to cleanse the rage the chemicals and radiation had left in them.
Minutes later the four villains groaned back to consciousness.
Seeing Peter standing over them and finding their suits gone, they scrambled into a terrified huddle.
Gwen mistook their terror for remorse.
She stepped forward, voice stern.
"Turn yourselves in to the NYPD downstairs and swear never to hurt anyone again, and we'll let you live."
The four survivors nodded frantically, swearing on everything holy they'd go straight.
Watching them flee, Gwen preened and looked back at Peter.
"Hmph—get ready to lose!"
Peter could only shake his head helplessly.
What could he do? He'd picked this adorable fool himself. "All right, mess cleaned up—let's head home."
He offered his hand with practiced ease.
"Ghost-Spider, need a lift?"
Gwen tilted her head, smiling; this was the Peter she adored.
"Since someone's so eager to escort me, I'll graciously give him the chance."
They hopped onto the flying skateboard and flew off, laughing.
Tony descended, cradling Obadiah's corpse, surveyed the wrecked Stark penthouse and the departing pair, and groaned.
Screw this!
They get to ride off into the sunset while I'm stuck with the cleanup?
Wait… weren't they just helping out for free?
Never mind, then.
He glowered at Obadiah.
All your fault for stirring the pot.
…How Tony explained things to NYPD, the Military, and S.H.I.E.L.D. is another story.
After dropping Gwen off, Peter didn't rest; he headed straight for Hells Kitchen.
He hadn't forgotten the mastermind behind the Sinister Six.
Set a trap for me? Time for payback.
Boom!
The flying skateboard smashed through the top floor of Fisk Tower.
Inside, Kingpin paced, anxiously waiting for news of Bullseye.
Peter burst through the panoramic window on the board, clipping the crime lord and sending his massive frame stumbling.
Seeing the board hit him at nearly 200 km/h and only stagger him made Peter's eye twitch.
At that speed most men would be paste, yet Kingpin barely flinched—peak human physique on a ludicrous level.
Hit him with a Hulk-style gamma blast and he'd probably go toe-to-toe with Thanos-without-the-Infinity Gauntlet.
Kingpin snapped out of his daze, saw the iconic red-and-black suit, and paled.
Cursing Bullseye and the rest as worthless, he triggered his cane, belching a cloud of smoke at Peter.
Blinding smoke in place, Kingpin swung a fist the size of a ham hock.
"Die, Punisher!"