Not So Friendly Anymore

The Goblin's laughter echoed through the darkened penthouse like shards of glass, jagged and grating, filling every corner of the opulent room. Oscorp Tower stood tall over the city, and at its peak, Norman Osborn reveled in chaos. He leaned back in his leather chair, boots propped on his desk, tossing a silver goblin grenade up and down in his hand. The metallic click with each catch seemed to punctuate the erratic rhythm of his maniacal chuckling.

"Two little flies squashed in one night," he whispered to himself, his grin stretching wide beneath the pale green hue of the screens around him. A half-empty glass of scotch sat untouched on the desk beside him, forgotten in the wake of his growing hysteria. "Smythe and Crossbones... gone, just like that. Impressive, Spider. Truly." He paused, savoring the moment, as if Spider-Man could somehow hear him.

The city lights flickered outside the window, casting distorted reflections across his face. He traced a finger lazily across the glowing surface of a screen, zooming in on footage of the shipyard massacre, mercenaries webbed up, necks snapped, Sable's precise shots ending lives without hesitation.

"Efficient," he muttered with approval. "Methodical. Ruthless." The last word slipped off his tongue with particular delight.

His voice lowered, almost conspiratorial, as if whispering to a friend. "He thinks he's becoming like me. A monster. But the truth is..." He stopped mid-sentence, savoring the thrill building inside him, "...he'll never be enough. Never."

He sprang to his feet, pacing along the room with manic energy, his green-tinted eyes gleaming under the dim light. "No, no, no... Spider-Man is still bound by the chains of righteousness. Still clinging to some deluded notion that all of this... this blood and rage will somehow make him free." He twirled the grenade again in his hand, then caught it and grinned. "But it won't. It never does."

Stopping before the floor-to-ceiling window, Norman pressed his hand against the glass, his gaze sweeping over the city sprawled below him. "What's the point, Peter? All those bodies, all that pain, and for what? To topple my empire? To stop me?" He scoffed, shaking his head slowly. "Foolish boy. This city belongs to me. It always has."

The mask was waiting for him on the desk. Norman stared at it, his second face, his truest self. The smooth, metallic grin of the Green Goblin stared back. He reached for it, his fingers trailing along the cold surface as if greeting an old friend.

"They never understand, do they? Not the heroes, not the villains... They all think the game can be won." He chuckled softly, slipping the mask over his head, the familiar hiss of the seals snapping into place.

"Ah, but only I know the truth." His voice deepened, warping into the mechanical rasp of the Goblin. "The game was never about winning. It was always about chaos. About seeing how far we can fall before we hit the bottom."

He threw his arms wide, spinning slowly in place as if addressing an unseen audience. "And Peter... oh, Peter, my dear boy... you're falling faster than I ever imagined."

The Goblin stopped spinning and stared at the wall of monitors, each one flickering with scenes of destruction, broken drones, lifeless mercenaries, Crossbones slumped in death. His gloved hand hovered over a switch, flipping it with a delighted cackle.

"Let's see what happens when you lose everything," he whispered to himself as alarms began to ring across the tower.

The monitors shifted to a live feed of Peter and Sable, still moving through the night, unknowingly closing in on their next target.

"Tick-tock, Spider," the Goblin hummed, rocking on his heels like a child waiting for a surprise. "Sooner or later, the fall will break you. And when it does..."

He leaned closer to the screen, his grin wide and wild beneath the mask. "I'll be waiting at the bottom."

With one last laugh, deep, full, and terrifying, he smashed his fist through the glass of the nearest monitor, shards scattering across the desk. Blood dripped from his knuckles, but he barely noticed.

"Come, Spider-Man," the Goblin whispered into the broken silence, his voice brimming with excitement. "Let's finish what we started."

---

The moment Peter and Sable stepped into Oscorp Tower, alarms blared, and red lights bathed the sleek corridors in a sinister glow. They were inside the belly of the beast now, where every corner, every vent, and every shadow could be a threat. The cold air stank of ozone and metal, a precursor to the chaos waiting ahead.

"Get ready," Peter muttered, the symbiote writhing across his body, sharpening his senses.

Sable chambered a fresh round into her rifle, the metallic click lost beneath the droning alarm. "I always am."

The first wave hit before Peter could respond. Automated turrets slid down from the ceiling, spinning toward them with an ominous whirr. Peter's spider-sense screamed a fraction of a second before the turrets unleashed a storm of bullets.

Peter somersaulted forward, webbing one turret and yanking it violently into another. Sparks exploded as both machines clattered to the floor, their metal shells dented and smoking.

Sable moved in tandem, ducking beneath a burst of gunfire and firing two precise shots into the control panel on the wall. The remaining turrets stuttered, then powered down with a defeated hiss.

"No hesitation," she whispered, giving Peter a curt nod.

They pressed deeper into the building, sprinting down a corridor lined with reinforced glass walls displaying Oscorp's experiments—half-finished drones, vats of glowing chemicals, and mechanical limbs twitching with half-programmed life.

A squad of mercenaries spilled into the hallway ahead of them, pulse rifles raised. The air buzzed with energy as they opened fire. Peter vaulted off the walls, flipping through the hail of blue energy bolts. He shot webs mid-flip, snagging two rifles and wrenching them from the mercenaries' hands.

The symbiote surged, coating Peter's fists as he crashed into the nearest guard, slamming him into the ground with bone-breaking force. Before the others could react, he webbed one mercenary's legs together and yanked him into another with a brutal swing.

Sable wasted no time. Moving with military precision, she slipped between the remaining mercenaries, her silenced rifle snapping off clean headshots. Bodies hit the ground before they could call for reinforcements.

"Clear," Sable said, already reloading.

Peter stalked forward, his body thrumming with violent purpose. "Not for long."

The elevator doors at the end of the hallway dinged, and opened. A hulking brute in advanced exo-armor stomped into view, a heavy pulse cannon mounted on his shoulder. His visor glowed a menacing red as he locked onto them.

"Spider-Man," the brute growled through his helmet's speaker, voice distorted. "Osborn sends his regards."

Peter's eyes narrowed beneath his mask. "Then send this back."

He charged, webbing the cannon's barrel just as it fired. The pulse blast detonated mid-air, rocking the corridor with a deafening boom. Peter vaulted over the brute's shoulder, flipping behind him and webbing his legs to the ground.

The mercenary struggled to move, but Sable was already in position. She unloaded three precise rounds into the gaps in his armor. The brute staggered, roaring in pain, before Peter finished him with a brutal kick that crushed his helmet inward. The armored giant crumpled like a rag doll.

"One less problem," Sable said coldly.

They reached the stairwell leading to the upper levels, but just as they moved to ascend, the walls hissed open, revealing rows of spider-like drones, metal legs clicking ominously, their red sensors glowing with malicious intent.

"More toys," Peter muttered.

The drones swarmed, their legs stabbing through the air with deadly precision. Peter reacted on instinct, flipping between the machines and firing rapid webs that tangled their limbs. One drone leapt toward him, but Peter caught it mid-air and hurled it into another, sending both clattering to the ground in a heap of tangled metal.

Sable moved like a predator through the chaos. She switched to her sidearm, taking out drones with surgical precision, each shot finding a vulnerable joint or exposed wire. A drone lunged at her, but she sidestepped smoothly and drove her boot into its sensor core, crushing it underfoot.

"Keep moving!" Peter shouted, webbing a cluster of drones to the ceiling.

They bolted up the stairwell, the drones scrambling behind them, their metallic legs scraping against the concrete walls. Peter twisted mid-climb, firing webs down the staircase to block the swarm's path. The sticky strands held, slowing the drones just enough to buy them a few precious seconds.

The next floor opened into a sprawling atrium filled with Oscorp's finest security forces. Dozens of mercenaries in tactical gear took cover behind pillars and reinforced barriers, their weapons trained on the stairwell.

Peter grinned beneath his mask, the symbiote thrumming with anticipation. "We're making an impression."

Sable smirked. "Let's leave a mark."

The mercenaries opened fire, pulse rounds and gunfire ripping through the air. Peter shot webs to the ceiling and swung across the room, dodging bursts of energy while hurling webs at the enemy.

He landed behind two guards, webbing one to the floor and smashing the other into a column. The impact cracked the concrete, sending dust and debris flying. Another mercenary rushed him, but Peter spun, webbing the man's gun and delivering a brutal elbow to his jaw.

Meanwhile, Sable moved like a ghost, weaving through cover and taking down guards with ruthless efficiency. Every shot found a target, every movement precise. A mercenary tried to flank her, but she sidestepped, grabbed his wrist, and twisted it sharply, forcing him to the ground.

A grenade arced through the air, heading straight for Peter. He snagged it with a web mid-flight and flung it back into the mercenaries' ranks. The explosion rocked the atrium, scattering guards like rag dolls.

"How many more floors?" Sable asked, her voice steady despite the carnage around them.

"Too many," Peter muttered, kicking a guard across the room. "But we're close."

They pressed on, leaving a trail of broken bodies and shattered machinery in their wake. Each step brought them closer to Osborn, closer to the man who had turned Peter's life into a nightmare.

"Just ahead," Peter said, eyes locked on the final set of double doors looming at the end of the corridor.

The symbiote pulsed with hunger, anticipation building with every heartbeat. Peter knew Osborn was waiting behind those doors.

And this time, there would be no running. No more games.

Only an ending.

For both of them.

---

The heavy double doors to Norman Osborn's office hissed open, revealing a cavernous room bathed in the cold glow of the New York skyline. Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched behind a sleek desk, giving a breathtaking view of the city below, as if Osborn perched on a throne above the world.

Norman Osborn stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back. His silhouette cut a sharp, confident figure. He turned slowly, a cold smile curving across his lips as Peter and Sable stepped into the room.

"Well, well... The prodigal spider returns," Osborn said, his voice low and dripping with mockery. "I've been waiting for this."

Peter stepped further into the office, his eyes locked onto Osborn. The soft glow from the city skyline cast jagged shadows across the room, the tension thick enough to choke on. Sable moved silently beside him, her rifle raised but steady, eyes cold and focused. Yet for Peter, it was as if only he and Osborn existed in this moment, the culmination of years of hatred, loss, and betrayal.

Osborn's smirk widened as he took a slow step forward, his hands still clasped behind his back. "I expected a little more fanfare, Peter. Perhaps some quips? No? Just quiet fury today?" He chuckled, savoring every second of their reunion. "How's the old man doing? I imagine Uncle Ben must be so proud of his little boy now."

Peter's fists clenched, but he held his ground. "Say his name again. I dare you." His voice was a low growl, vibrating with restrained rage.

Sable kept her weapon locked on Osborn, but she could sense Peter's control fraying at the edges. She shifted slightly, ready for what was coming.

"And then there's dear Gwen." Osborn's voice softened into a mockery of sympathy. "You were so close to saving her, weren't you? A fraction of a second slower, and—" He snapped his fingers, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the quiet room. "Snap. Just like that, she was gone."

Peter's teeth clenched so tightly it felt like his jaw might break. His heart pounded in his chest, every cruel word tearing at old wounds that had never truly healed.

Osborn tilted his head, as if studying Peter with morbid fascination. "What haunts you more, I wonder? Her falling... or the fact that for a moment, you thought you had saved her? That fleeting second of hope before reality tore it all away?"

Peter's breath hissed between his teeth. The symbiote responded to his emotions, tendrils writhing across his body, twitching like coiled snakes ready to strike.

"And let's not forget your daughter." Osborn's grin turned into a razor-sharp sneer. "What was her name again? Ah, yes... Mayday." He took another step closer, his voice dropping into a cruel whisper. "All those promises you made to her. All those moments you thought you had time. Only for her life to slip through your fingers, just like Gwen's."

Peter's vision narrowed, his breath ragged. Every cell in his body screamed for vengeance. He could see her, Mayday, her bright eyes, her laughter, the way her little hand fit perfectly into his. And then the crushing emptiness. The silence.

"She must've been terrified in her final moments," Osborn mused, eyes twinkling with sadistic pleasure. "Crying for her daddy, knowing he wasn't coming."

That was it. The last thread of Peter's restraint snapped.

With a snarl of pure fury, Peter lunged, the symbiote exploding from his body in jagged tendrils. His claws slashed through the air, aimed directly at Osborn's throat.

Osborn moved with unnatural speed, the Goblin serum coursing through his veins giving him reflexes far beyond human limits. He twisted to the side, Peter's claws missing by a hair.

"That's more like it!" Osborn roared, laughing with unhinged glee. He lashed out with a vicious kick, sending Peter skidding backward. "Come on, Spider-Man! Show me the monster you've become!"

Peter hit the ground but rolled back to his feet instantly, the symbiote twisting around him, forming deadly claws and spikes. "I'm going to rip you apart," Peter growled, his voice low and feral.

Sable fired a burst from her rifle, forcing Osborn to duck and roll behind his desk. "Focus, Parker," she hissed. "We do this right, no mistakes."

Osborn popped up from behind the desk, grinning like a madman. "Oh, there are plenty of mistakes here tonight, Silver. But none of them are mine."

Peter launched himself forward again, claws slashing. Osborn met him head-on, blocking with inhuman strength. The two collided in a blur of fists and fury, smashing through furniture as they traded blows.

Osborn's laughter echoed through the office, fueled by madness and venom. "What's the plan, Parker? Kill me and hope that somehow makes up for all the people you couldn't save?"

Peter drove his knee into Osborn's gut, the force of the blow sending him crashing into a bookshelf. "No," Peter growled. "I'm killing you because you deserve it."

Osborn coughed but grinned through the pain, wiping blood from his mouth. "Such conviction! Where was that when your daughter needed you?"

With a roar, Peter swung again, his claws aimed for Osborn's face, this time with every intention of ending it.

Osborn ducked under Peter's swing, the razor-sharp claws slicing through the air with a hiss. But Peter was relentless. He twisted his body mid-motion, slashing upward with a brutal backhand swipe. Osborn barely managed to shift in time, but one of Peter's claws tore a deep gash along his cheek, sending blood spraying across the room.

Osborn staggered, clutching his face, but the grin never left his lips. "That's it, Parker! Let it all out! Show me who you really are!" His eyes blazed with insanity as he wiped the blood with the back of his hand.

Peter didn't respond, he was past words now. The symbiote writhed around him like a living storm, feeding on his rage, warping his body into something monstrous. The tendrils sharpened into jagged, black claws, the air buzzing with the sound of his every movement.

Osborn lunged forward, throwing a punch powered by the Goblin serum's monstrous strength. Peter blocked it with an arm bristling with symbiote tendrils, absorbing the blow and twisting Osborn's arm. With a sickening crack, Peter dislocated Osborn's elbow, but the Goblin only laughed through the pain, a wild, crazed sound.

Before Peter could capitalize, Osborn drove his knee into Peter's ribs, the impact making Peter grunt as he stumbled back. Osborn leaped at him like a feral beast, the serum-enhanced speed turning him into a blur. He slammed Peter into the wall with a bone-rattling impact, and they crashed through a bookshelf, shattering it to splinters.

But Peter didn't stay down. With a snarl, he grabbed Osborn by the throat and hurled him across the room. Osborn crashed into the desk, splitting it in two, papers and glass scattering everywhere.

Osborn rolled onto his feet, panting but still grinning. "You think you can win, Parker? You've already lost. You lost the moment you started playing this game."

Peter charged, claws outstretched. This time, Osborn wasn't fast enough. Peter tackled him, slamming him to the ground. The symbiote surged, tendrils coiling around Osborn's limbs like iron shackles, pinning him down.

Peter's eyes burned with fury as he raised a clawed hand, the symbiote sharpening it into a blade. "This is for Gwen."

He brought the claw down, aiming for Osborn's face. Osborn twisted, but not fast enough, Peter's claws raked across his face, ripping through skin and bone.

Osborn let out a guttural scream as the symbiote claw tore through his left eye, blinding him. Blood poured from the wound, staining his sneering grin.

Even through the agony, Osborn laughed, a grotesque, rasping sound that echoed off the walls. "Is that the best you've got?!" he spat, blood dripping from his mouth. "Go on, Spider-Man, finish it! End me, if you think you're any different from the monsters you fight!"

Peter froze, his hand still raised, claws dripping with blood. Osborn's words dug deep, twisting inside him like a knife. He could feel the symbiote urging him forward, whispering for him to finish it.

But before Peter could make his choice, Osborn's good eye gleamed with malicious intent. With a sudden burst of strength, he tore free from the symbiote tendrils and shoved Peter off him.

The two combatants scrambled to their feet, breathing heavily, the room now a battleground of broken furniture and shattered glass.

Osborn grinned, his one good eye gleaming with triumph. "What's the matter, Parker? Losing your nerve? Or did you finally realize that no matter what you do... you'll always be too late to save anyone?"

Peter's breath came fast and ragged, the symbiote shifting erratically around his body, reflecting the chaos inside him. His claws flexed at his sides, twitching with the urge to tear Osborn apart, but something, something fragile, held him back.

Sable stepped forward, her rifle steady, her voice low but insistent. "Do it, Parker," she urged, her tone devoid of hesitation. "End him. You know this only stops when he's gone."

Peter's eyes, dark and wild beneath the writhing black of the symbiote, locked onto Osborn's bloodied face. The world felt like it was spinning out of control, and only one thing, Osborn's death, promised to still the storm inside him.

"All those years," Sable continued, her voice cold but persuasive. "All the pain, all the bodies. You don't leave men like him breathing. You finish this, or everything you've done means nothing."

Peter's claws trembled as they hovered inches from Osborn's throat. The symbiote pulsed eagerly, sensing Peter's hesitation, feeding on his rage, whispering promises of vengeance.

Osborn, one eye destroyed and the other glinting with malice, chuckled through the blood dripping from his lips. "Listen to her, Parker. She's smarter than you ever were." His grin widened into a grotesque sneer. "You know you want to. Give in, be the monster everyone thinks you are."

Peter clenched his jaw, every nerve screaming for him to finish it. To finally erase the nightmare that was Norman Osborn. His breath came in sharp bursts, his claws mere inches from carving into Osborn's throat.

"Do it," Sable whispered, her voice cutting through the silence like a knife. "End him now."

Peter's claws hovered over Osborn's throat, inches away from ending everything. The symbiote hissed eagerly, urging him to tear into the man who had taken so much from him. His heart pounded in his ears, drowning out every rational thought.

"Do it," Sable urged, her voice low and firm. "There's no coming back from this, Parker. And there shouldn't be."

Osborn coughed a wet laugh, his grin wide despite the blood streaming from his ruined eye. "Listen to her, Parker. End me. Be the monster you've always fought so hard not to be."

Peter's breath hitched, his claws flexing. Memories of Gwen, Mayday, every broken promise, every failure, burned inside him.

He bared his teeth, his voice a venomous snarl. "This is for Gwen... for Mayday."

But in a sudden, jerking motion, Osborn's hand darted beneath the rubble of his shattered desk, closing around a small, black device. His thumb pressed down.

Peter's senses flared as he recognized the blinking red light, a bomb.

His body moved on instinct.

"Sable, get down!" Peter roared, hurling himself toward her.

The click echoed like a death knell, followed by the sharp whine of a detonator. Peter slammed into Sable, wrapping her in his arms, the symbiote thickening around them in an instinctive shield.

BOOM!

The room erupted in a deafening explosion, heat and shrapnel tearing through the air. Glass shattered, walls buckled, and flames roared to life. The force of the blast hit Peter like a freight train, throwing him and Sable across the room.

He twisted mid-air, taking the brunt of the explosion against his back. Fire and debris tore at the symbiote, the impact sending him crashing into a wall with Sable cradled beneath him.

They hit the ground hard. Peter's ears rang, the edges of his vision swimming in darkness. The symbiote flickered across his skin, struggling to reform, tendrils scorched and frayed.

Sable groaned beneath him, dazed but alive. Peter's arms still encircled her, his body shielding hers completely.

"Peter..." she whispered, blinking through the haze, her voice disoriented. "You... idiot."

Peter grunted, pain rippling through his chest, but he managed a grim smile. "You're welcome."

He staggered to his feet, helping Sable up as smoke filled the room. Flames licked at the edges of what was left of Osborn's office, and the ceiling groaned ominously under the strain of structural damage.

Peter's eyes darted toward the smoldering wreckage where Osborn had stood. His breath hitched, there was no sign of him. Just twisted metal and burning debris.

Peter's gaze scanned the wreckage, heart pounding. His mind raced through the possibilities, unwilling to believe that Norman had truly been destroyed in the blast. Then, through the smoke and flickering flames, a low mechanical whirring reached his ears.

A shape emerged from the haze, a sleek, jagged silhouette slicing through the air.

The Goblin Glider.

Osborn stood atop it, his face twisted in a sick grin, blood smeared across his ruined eye. "Did you really think it would end like that, Parker?" he taunted, his voice echoing with manic glee. "This dance between us will never end!"

Peter tensed to leap after him, but a pained grunt from Sable stopped him in his tracks. He spun around and saw her leaning against a shattered wall, her face pale, one arm hanging limply at her side.

"It's dislocated," Sable hissed through clenched teeth, her brow slick with sweat. "I'm out." She exhaled sharply, frustration evident in her eyes. "Go after him. Now."

Peter hesitated for only a moment, guilt and instinct warring within him. "You sure?" he asked, voice strained.

Sable glared at him, her fierce determination cutting through the pain. "I don't need your pity, Parker. Get. Him."

Peter nodded once, the symbiote rippling over his body as if eager to comply. "Hold tight. I'll be back."

With a burst of motion, Peter launched himself through the broken windows, shards of glass spinning in the night air. Wind whipped past him as he soared into the open sky, the cold bite of the city night forgotten in the heat of pursuit.

Ahead, Osborn's glider streaked through the skyline, banking hard around towering buildings, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake.

Peter narrowed his eyes. He wasn't going to let him escape, not this time.

The symbiote formed makeshift wings along Peter's arms, giving him extra momentum as he propelled himself forward. He fired a web, catching the corner of a skyscraper, and slingshot himself toward Osborn, gaining ground fast.

Osborn turned his head, spotting Peter closing in. His grin stretched wider. "That's it, Spider! Come and get me!" He cackled as the glider's thrusters roared, propelling him into a dangerous dive between buildings.

Peter gritted his teeth, weaving through the maze of steel and glass with inhuman agility. He could hear the engine's whine growing louder, feel the heat of the thrusters just ahead.

His fingers curled, claws forming as the symbiote bristled with lethal intent. "You won't get away this time, Norman."

Osborn twisted his body, throwing a cluster of razor-sharp pumpkin bombs behind him. The explosives detonated mid-air, a series of fiery blossoms erupting in Peter's path.

Peter shot a web at a nearby ledge, yanking himself out of the blast zone at the last second. Flames licked his heels, but he swung through unscathed, relentless.

Osborn sneered over his shoulder. "Faster, Parker! Don't disappoint me now!"

Peter's rage boiled over. He pushed harder, propelling himself with every ounce of strength the symbiote granted him.

The night sky echoed with the chaotic sounds of pursuit, and Peter knew: this was it. No more hesitating. No more holding back.

Osborn wasn't getting away.

Peter tackled Osborn off the glider mid-air, both of them hurtling toward a rooftop below. They crashed into the surface with a bone-rattling impact, rolling across the concrete in a tangle of limbs. Peter pinned Osborn beneath him, fists hammering down with relentless fury.

Osborn snarled, blocking a few blows with his forearms, but Peter's strength, fueled by anger and the symbiote, was overwhelming. Blood spilled from Osborn's lip with every punch, yet he grinned through the pain, savoring the violence.

With a wicked laugh, Osborn reached into his belt and hurled a compact explosive. The grenade detonated between them, sending both men flying through the air. The blast ripped through the rooftop, and they plummeted into the building below.

Peter crashed through beams and shattered walls before landing beneath a mound of debris, buried under chunks of plaster and steel.

Osborn stood among the wreckage, battered but upright, brushing dust from his torn clothes. "Is that it, Parker? Is this how it ends?" he mocked, circling the ruins.

The pile of rubble shifted. Slowly, Peter emerged from the wreckage. His suit was in tatters, chunks of it missing, strands of hair poking through, and his mouth and jaw exposed beneath the cracked mask. The symbiote wriggled erratically, struggling to mend his injuries, but failing to keep up with the damage.

Peter's ragged breathing echoed through the broken room. His eyes glowed with hatred as he launched himself at Osborn, tackling him to the floor again. Straddling the Goblin, he grabbed Osborn by the collar, his voice a low growl.

"No more," Peter snarled, lifting Osborn by his shirt and throwing him across the room. The Goblin crashed against a wall, and Peter was on him in an instant, fists hammering down with ferocity. "All the people I've murdered..." His fist connected with Osborn's face, shattering bone.

"...By letting you live," Peter hissed, slamming Osborn's head against the wall.

Osborn coughed, blood spraying from his mouth as his laughter rattled in his chest. "I never kept count," he wheezed.

Peter grabbed him by the collar again, eyes blazing with fury. "I did."

Osborn grinned, blood staining his teeth. "I know."

A knife slipped from Osborn's sleeve into his hand. Peter's spider-sense blared in warning, and he twisted just in time to avoid the thrust. The blade scraped across his side, narrowly missing vital organs.

"And I love you for it," Osborn whispered, a manic gleam in his remaining eye. He lunged, the knife slashing through the air with deadly intent.

Peter dodged most of the strikes, but the toll of the battle and his injuries slowed him. Osborn landed several vicious slashes, the blade biting deep into Peter's flesh. Blood seeped through his tattered suit, and Peter staggered, his vision blurring from pain and blood loss.

Osborn advanced, twirling the knife into a reverse grip. "It's finally here, isn't it? The moment we've both dreamed about."

He pounced, knocking Peter to the ground. Peter strained against him, weakened, struggling to keep the knife from plunging into his face.

"Oh, Parker," Osborn whispered, his grin widening. "Don't tell me you're going to fall asleep before we finish. You really are weak."

With a sudden surge of adrenaline, Peter roared and smashed his fist into Osborn's face, throwing him off. He scrambled to his feet, the symbiote slithering across his form, patching wounds as best it could.

Osborn staggered, but Peter didn't give him a second to recover. He charged, slamming Osborn into the wall and pinning him by the throat. His fingers tightened around the Goblin's neck as Osborn gasped for breath, clawing at Peter's hand.

"Not quite how I imagined it," Osborn choked out, his voice rasping. "But... we can still end on a high note."

With a final, desperate effort, Osborn drove the knife into Peter's chest. Once. Twice. A third time.

Peter gasped, feeling the searing pain spread through his body. But the rage swallowed it whole. With a vicious twist, Peter wrenched Osborn's head to the side, there was a sickening crack as his neck snapped.

Osborn slumped, paralyzed from the neck down, but the madness in his eyes remained. Blood dribbled from his mouth as he laughed weakly. "I'm so proud of you, Parker... Welcome to the top of the food chain."

Peter stood slowly, his breath ragged. The symbiote writhed over his hands, twisting into massive, jagged claws. He loomed over Osborn, the hatred in his gaze burning brighter than ever.

Osborn smiled through the blood. "Do it."

Peter's claws shimmered in the moonlight for a heartbeat, and then they slashed downward with savage precision.

Osborn's laughter was cut off, his body falling still beneath the fatal blow. The room was silent, save for the faint hum of the symbiote receding from Peter's claws.

It was over.

Finally.

Thanks for reading everyone

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