Chapter 79: The Enemy Strikes Back
"Harry! No!"
Spider-Man's webs allowed him to travel fast, but not fast enough. The Green Goblin flew directly through the air towards Gwen, reaching her much faster.
Peter was still on the ground when Harry, hovering above, reached Gwen first. Peter could only watch in horror as Harry Osborn used his glider to slice through the rope holding Gwen by her hands.
"NO!" Peter shouted in despair. He leapt with all his might, launching himself upward to try and catch Gwen.
Gwen, although scared, remained calm. As she saw the red figure getting closer, her belief in Peter never wavered. She knew he would save her.
"Hahaha!"
Harry Osborn cackled maniacally from above and flung a pumpkin bomb toward Gwen's falling body as an act of malicious joy.
"Ahh!"
Peter caught Gwen with one arm and shot a web with the other, attaching it to the bomb and flinging it back toward Harry.
Amid the explosion, Peter quickly shot another web to attach Gwen's clothing to the clock tower wall. "Stay here. Trust me," Peter assured her before shooting another web to propel himself toward the clock tower's peak.
Harry was his best friend, his brother, but this attack on Gwen crossed the line. Peter had to teach him a lesson.
"Boom!"
Harry, momentarily disoriented by the explosion, was caught off guard as Peter launched himself at him, landing a powerful punch that sent Harry crashing back onto the top of the clock tower.
"Ahhh!"
Peter, not holding back, shot a web to yank Harry toward him. He delivered a spinning kick, hitting Harry squarely in the face and sending him flying off the clock tower.
"Buzz!"
Despite taking two direct hits, Harry's Green Goblin armor proved its worth. Enhanced by the spider serum, Harry regained his composure midair, stabilized himself using his glider, and tore off his cracked mask in rage, revealing his disfigured face. His twisted expression burned with hatred as he snarled at Peter, "I swear, I'll make you experience despair!"
"Harry…"
Peter, momentarily stunned by Harry's deformed face, snapped out of it upon hearing those words. With a stern tone, Peter shouted, "Harry! No matter what's happened between us, you shouldn't drag others into this!"
"And what's with that armor? Who did this to you? Tell me who's behind this!"
Peter had no idea the Goblin armor was an Osborn creation. Since the original Green Goblin, Norman Osborn, had never revealed his identity, Peter assumed some sinister organization was responsible.
"Hahahaha!"
Harry laughed maniacally at Peter's question, his laughter echoing through the air.
"Die!"
Before Peter could react, Harry's expression turned murderous as he lunged at him.
"Ha!"
Peter didn't back down, meeting him head-on. As they clashed, Harry ignored Peter's punches and wrapped himself around Peter tightly. His glider activated, speeding them both toward Gwen, who was still dangling from the clock tower.
"Don't you dare!"
Peter growled in fury, shooting a web to attach to the glider, trying to pull it back. However, the glider's engine was powerful, and with Harry restricting his movement, Peter struggled to overpower it.
The two forces clashed, and suddenly, the glider veered toward the clock tower wall. It crashed into it, and its sharp blades accidentally severed the web suspending Gwen.
"Snap!"
The web broke, and Gwen began plummeting toward the ground.
"No!"
In a burst of desperation, Peter broke free from Harry's grip with an elbow strike, knocking him unconscious. Without hesitation, Peter jumped off the tower, eyes locked on Gwen as she fell.
Shooting a web toward her, he caught her midair.
"Snap!"
The web wrapped around Gwen like a hand, but Peter quickly realized they were too close to the ground. His calculations told him the web's elasticity wouldn't save her in time.
Time seemed to freeze as Gwen's body plummeted, her head mere inches from the ground.
Suddenly, a portal materialized beneath Gwen, swallowing her just before impact. The portal shot upward, severing Peter's web and taking Gwen with it.
Peter sighed in relief, only to see the portal reopen above him, dropping Gwen back into the air with a scream.
"Gwen!"
Peter leapt to catch her again, but a Mark 85 Iron Man suit flew in, enveloping Gwen before gently landing her safely on the ground.
"Gwen!"
Peter quickly followed, landing beside the suit as it opened, letting Gwen step out.
"Gwen!"
She managed to take one shaky step before her legs gave out. Peter caught her, tears welling up in his eyes. "Gwen, are you okay? Don't scare me like this, please!"
"Little AI reminds you, Miss Stacy might just be scared stiff," the Iron Man suit's AI calmly reassured Peter.
"And Peter," Ned said, walking over with Huang Xiwang, "Let this be a lesson—never use webs to catch someone in freefall."
"Thank you, Ned," Peter said gratefully, then turned to Huang Xiwang. "And you are…?"
"Parker, don't you recognize me?"
The faceplate of the Mark 5 suit opened, revealing Huang Xiwang's smiling face.
"Huang? I should've guessed," Peter said with a small laugh.
"Don't celebrate yet, Parker!"
Before they could relax, an ominous voice boomed across the skies:
"Vishanti's followers, prepare to face judgment!"
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