Chapter 132: Inner Demon - part 2

A black, massive arm swung down.

"Kh…!"

The inner walls of the building shattered, sending chunks of rubble flying at me.

No way I can dodge that!

I fired a web from my Web-Shooter, slowing the rubble’s momentum. With a kick, I knocked the weakened debris away and landed.

Right in front of me stood a gigantic Demon. Its skin was pitch black, its face hidden behind a stark white devil mask… with several horns sprouting from the back of its head. And on top of that demon’s head stood Mister Negative—Martin Li.

『Those who dare interfere with me shall suffer the consequences!』

The demon’s colossal fist slammed into the ground. White and black sparks erupted… turning into a downpour of lightning.

"Damn it…!"

Trusting my Spider-Sense, I weaved through the storm and closed the distance. With that momentum, I slammed a punch straight into the demon’s face.

There was impact.

Its jaw shattered, scattering into dust and vanishing like mist. Surprisingly fragile.

Honestly, anticlimactic—

『Futile!』

Black haze surged around the demon’s body… and it was restored.

"Y—you’ve gotta be kidding me!?"

The revived demon lunged forward with a headbutt, knocking me back. I was sent flying into the abyss below—barely catching myself by shooting a web at the floor.

Black haze swirled violently. The floor cracked apart, revealing nothing but void beneath.

…Another unreal sight. But this is reality.

Unlike that time, my Spider-Sense is functioning now. Its sharpened warning tells me—this scene is real.

Kicking off the floor, I closed in on the demon.

『Annoying little spider! I’ll exterminate you!』

With Martin Li’s roar, the demon swung its fist. That’s no independent creature. It moves exactly like an extension of his will. Most likely… a manifestation of his own malice, shaped by his power.

I’ve met the real devil, Mephisto… and this is nothing like him.

If this really is Martin Li’s manifested malice… then of course it would be immortal. Unless I cut off the source of that malice—or defeat him himself—this battle won’t end.

The haze around the demon swelled, so bloated it seemed ready to burst. Its shape warped, outlines blurring. That could only mean one thing: his malice was raging out of control, slipping beyond his ability to restrain it.

"Martin Li! Don’t let yourself be swallowed by malice! Go back to the kind man you were!"

『Back? No! This is my true self!』

The demon’s arm stretched, cracking like a whip. With explosive sound, it lashed toward me.

I dodged each strike—but every miss shattered more of the floor. Cold sweat ran down my back. Getting hit by that wouldn’t just hurt—it would be fatal.

『Behold! This is my power! None can stop me! No one can ever take from me again!』

"That’s wrong! You know the pain of being robbed, and yet you’d inflict that on others!? That’s not right!"

The demon’s arm burst open, splitting into countless tendrils. They all shot toward me at once.

"Don’t lose to your malice! Defeat your inner demon, Martin Li!"

『Defeat the demon? Wrong! I am the demon itself!』

The swarm of tendrils rushed me. Not good—I can’t dodge them all!

I managed to swat a few aside with my hands—but others slipped through, striking me and hurling my body away.

"Gh…ugh!"

『Do not seek goodness in me! I am the demon of vengeance! You could never understand!』

The demon’s body now burned like fire. Its very flesh seemed gone. And in its hand… a massive sword.

Coughing, I pressed a hand to the ground.

"…You think I don’t understand?"

『Yes! My parents were stolen from me, and with this power I gained—I must have vengeance! That is justice! You could never understand!』

"No… I do understand."

How could I not?

I knew Martin Li’s pain well—because we shared something.

"I too… had foster parents killed by evil men. I too gained powers I never asked for. I too once thought about revenge."

『…Then why!? Why do you try to stop me!?』

The blade came down. My legs—numb, unable to move.

All the damage I’d taken finally caught up with me. I’d been fighting all day…

"The great power we carry… must be used for the right thing. Not to hurt others—but to help them. That is our responsibility… yours and mine both!"

I caught the massive blade—many times larger than me—with both hands. My bones creaked. The floor cracked beneath me.

『There is no such responsibility!』

"You… You know it deep down! You’ve always been someone who can fight for others! You know this better than anyone!"

『What are you…!』

"Wake up! Break free from this desolate place and cut ties with the demon!"

The weight of the blade pressed harder and harder. I was seconds from being crushed.

The demon mocked me with laughter.

"At F.E.A.S.T., there are people waiting for you! People grateful to you! People who respect you! To betray those feelings… would be unforgivable!"

『…But! But it’s too late! I can’t go back! I can’t stop now!』

The sound of straining, cracking echoed. The demon’s body blazed even fiercer.

『I can only move forward! To purge true evil! To cleanse this world!』

"You… stubborn fool!"

A shadow loomed over me on the sword. The Demon had raised its other hand.

…If it slammed that down on the blade, I’d be crushed without question.

I needed to move—but my feet were pinned as if sewn into the floor, buried under debris. I couldn’t budge.

『Don’t try to deceive me! Spider, be crushed and die!』

The fist came crashing down—

A sound like shattering glass rang out. But no impact came.

The black haze shattered apart, darkness breaking—and from the sky, someone dropped down. Their black vibranium armor caught the light.

It was—

"Michelle!"

My most trusted ally.

『Apologies, I’m a bit late.』

She kicked away the demon’s arm, saving me.

Without thinking I called her Michelle—but it was Nightcap… and she lent me her shoulder.

『You…!』

『Mister Negative. Your "Devil’s Breath" has already been neutralized. Your Demon guards have been disabled. This ends here.』

…Fast work. I clenched the ground beneath me, impressed despite myself.

My breathing steadied.

Bones creaked. Some might be broken. But far more bones remained intact. That meant I could still fight.

I drew in a deep breath… and exhaled.

Relief washed over me. Yes—I could still fight.

『But I…! If you insist on interfering…!』

The demon ignited again. Twin swords materialized in its hands.

Black haze saturated the air, sparking like a storm cloud ready to burst.

『…Stay here. I’ll handle the rest—』

"I'm fighting too."

The black mask turned to glance at me.

"I have to… save him."

『…I see. Yes. That’s how it should be. That’s the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.』

I pulled away from the shoulder I was leaning on, and together we stood side by side.

One wore a sleek, black high-tech armored suit—Nightcap.
The other wore a handmade red-and-blue suit—Spider-Man.

They couldn’t look more different… yet without a doubt, she was my trusted partner, my sidekick.

Mister Negative glared at us.

『So what if there’s one more of you!? It changes nothing! You cannot stop me! All it means is more corpses will pile up!』

With a roar, Mister Negative commanded the Demon, and its sword came crashing down.

Michelle and I rolled in opposite directions, narrowly avoiding the strike.

"Let’s go!"

『Right.』

The sword swung at Michelle again. I shot a webline, yanking the blade off course. Its tip veered away from her, slamming into the floor nearby.

『Tch.』

Michelle sprang off the sword like a platform, twisting her body midair before driving a kick straight into the demon’s face.

『Useless! Such efforts are meaningless!』

Black haze wrapped around the Demon, already beginning to regenerate.

I fired a web, pulling Michelle back toward me. She landed at my side.

『Troublesome.』

"But there’s a small opening whenever it regenerates."

『…In that case—』

"Yeah. Let’s do it."

With only the bare minimum of words, Michelle and I nodded.

She dashed forward ahead of me.

The Demon, just finishing its regeneration, extended a hand to intercept her.

I followed a beat later—kicking off the ground, I planted a foot on Michelle’s shoulder.

『Go!』

She used her body like a spring, launching me upward.

"Over here, Martin Li!"

『What!?』

Mister Negative’s eyes followed me as I rose into the air. And in that instant, Michelle slid low into the gap beneath the Demon.

『Wrong. Below.』

Her elbow slammed into the Demon’s gut.

Noticing, Mister Negative glared at her, his irritation plain.

『Petty tricks! But they’re meaningless! My demon is immortal—』

"Maybe so… but what about you!?"

Twisting in midair, I fired webs from both hands.

The regenerating Demon couldn’t move—making this the perfect opening. I latched both web lines onto its shoulders.

Pulling hard, I launched myself backward.

『What are you—』

"Here I come—!"

I slingshotted myself forward, legs extended like an arrow.

"Wake up already!"

I pierced through the Demon—through Martin Li’s malice—and drove a kick into his face.

『Gwahhh!?』

The brutal blow hurled him several meters away. He crashed into the floor, bouncing violently.

The recoil sent me flying too—but Michelle caught me, cushioning my landing.

『Ghh… urghh…』

The Demon dissolved into mist. With Li torn from it, it could no longer maintain form.

Even his own Mister Negative guise faltered, the black haze dissipating.

The surreal dimension melted away, leaving only a vast atrium. Through the windows, the skyline of New York stretched out.

"Dammit… I was so close…!"

Martin Li slammed a fist against the ground, teeth clenched.

Michelle called out to him.

『Martin Li.』

"…I have nothing left—"

『The Maggia down on the lower levels are already being detained by S.H.I.E.L.D.』

"…So what. They know every loophole in the law! This country’s justice can’t touch them—"

『Do not underestimate S.H.I.E.L.D. …Laws like that can be bent however we please.』

Martin Li looked stunned.

"That’s why your revenge ends here. They’ll pay for their crimes. And thanks to this, we’ve managed to take down the Maggia all across New York in one sweep."

"…………"

His face twisted with complicated emotions. He certainly didn’t look convinced.

Seeing him like that, I spoke up too.

"This was the right outcome, Martin Li."

"The right outcome? Nothing about this is right…!"

Martin Li roared, spitting out the blood in his mouth before glaring at me.

"I was so close! Just a little longer, and if you hadn’t interfered—I could’ve killed them—!"

"That’s exactly why this is right. Because now… you don’t have to carry the weight of more sin."

"I’m not afraid of committing sins…!"

"Even if you’re not afraid, it’s a burden your future doesn’t need to bear."

At my words, Martin Li gave me a bewildered look.

"…Why? Why are you going so far… to try and save me?"

Beneath the mask, I let a faint smile slip. Even if he couldn’t see my face…

"Because you’ve saved so many people yourself. Without ever asking for anything in return."

"So what if I did…?"

"That’s why. I just want to do the same thing as you."

It was selfless love. The will to protect people who had nothing to do with you. A wish to make the world a better place.

Both he and I shared that same feeling.

Running F.E.A.S.T. couldn’t have been easy. It must’ve weighed on him heavily.

But still, he never gave up.

He kept reaching out to those who were hurt and in need.

Even if he carried a darker side, that was something worth respecting.

"You are a good man, Martin Li."

"…But I…"

"Even with two sides to you, the part that saved others—that doesn’t become a lie."

"…I’m a villain."

"But you’re also someone who’s done good."

I forced my battered body to move closer, laying a hand on his shoulder and nodding.

"That’s why you have to return. Atone for your sins… and go back to F.E.A.S.T."

"I… I…"

Martin Li collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

"Why… why am I…?"

He hugged himself like a child, silently sobbing.

When I turned back, I saw Michelle standing there with her arms crossed, watching quietly.

"What were you doing all this time…"

And over the wailing sirens, all I could hear was the sound of Martin Li’s broken sobs.

---

A large number of transport vehicles had gathered, carrying away the captured members of the "Magia" and the "Demons."

Mr. Negative… Martin Li was among them, but apparently none of the names of those arrested this time would be made public.

It had been a dangerous operation, one that could have harmed civilians if anything had gone wrong… baiting out the mafia to corner them. "S.H.I.E.L.D." didn’t want this made public either.

That’s why… if Martin Li serves his sentence, then surely… he’ll be able to return to "F.E.A.S.T." again someday.

I don’t know if that’s fair or truly the right thing… but I felt glad.

Come to think of it, Aunt May and the others had already been rescued from the "F.E.A.S.T." shelter. The "S.H.I.E.L.D." agents had carried it out right after I left… and I could finally breathe easy.

The collapsed "F.E.A.S.T." building would be repaired by this country’s reconstruction agency, "Damage Control."

Even if one sponsor was gone, the activities would surely continue.

…Well then.

Michelle and I stood atop a building, looking down at the arrested. The sunset painted New York red.

The cooler evening breeze brushed against us.

Michelle touched the lower edge of her mask. In that instant, the front plate unfolded, revealing her true face.

It was slightly damp with sweat, but she exhaled deeply, her refined features unchanged.

Then she turned that face toward me. Her cheeks softened in the glow of the setting sun.

"Good work, Peter."

"Same to you, Michelle… you worked harder than I did, didn’t you?"

I took off my own mask, showing my face. My hair was messy, drenched with sweat.

Honestly, I must’ve looked like a ragged, pitiful Peter Parker.

But Michelle, seeing me like that, seemed just a little happy.

"Everyone has their place. I can do what I’m able to… and you can do what only you can."

"…You think so?"

"Mm. For example… I believe I could have stopped Martin Li too."

Michelle closed her eyes. Bathed in sunset light, she looked even more beautiful than usual.

"But I couldn’t have made him change. I couldn’t have saved him. That’s what I believe."

"…I see."

"Yes. That’s why you’re amazing, Peter. Because you can do what I cannot…"

She laced her fingers together, fidgeting with them. For a while we just listened to the distant noise of New York.

We said nothing, but simply being side by side… that alone made me happy.

After a little time, Michelle spoke again.

"The essence of a hero isn’t about hitting villains—it’s about helping people…"

"Yeah… wait, that was something I said once, wasn’t it?"

"Mm. That’s why… because you even try to help villains, Peter, to me… you really are the greatest hero."

"…Uh, ah… yeah… thanks."

Embarrassed, I scratched my cheek. My face was surely red, but the sunset would hide it.

Michelle spoke again.

"…Thank you. Always, Peter."

With those words of gratitude, she leaned against me, resting her weight on my shoulder.

I felt that weight pleasantly, and opened my mouth.

"…I’ve always been grateful too. Meeting you… it’s made me happy."

Dusk deepened, the sky slowly turning dark.

Yet that fleeting moment between day and night felt like something irreplaceable, and it made me glad.

I thought that as long as I was with her, even the most ordinary day, the most trivial time… could become something special.

Feeling her weight against me, I leaned closer too, smiling as I spoke.

"…Doing this, the two of us being heroes together—it’s not so bad."

"Mm…"

We acknowledged each other, nodding.

But the truth was… Michelle was a government-recognized hero, an agent of "S.H.I.E.L.D." Compared to that, I didn’t belong to any organization—I was just a vigilante.

That difference in standing always made me hesitate to fight at her side.

If I kept working with Michelle, I’d surely be scouted to join "S.H.I.E.L.D." someday. Nick Fury never missed a thing, and they were always short on superpowered personnel.

But… becoming a "S.H.I.E.L.D." agent would mean I could no longer act freely—some might say selfishly—as a hero.

Swinging through the city, helping someone, solving small troubles… acting as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man—I wouldn’t be able to do that anymore.

Of course it made sense. "S.H.I.E.L.D." operations were funded with public money. Interfering in people’s daily lives, waving my power around when there was no threat to life—that would never be allowed.

It was correct. Letting the government manage great power was surely the "right thing." Small crimes and problems could be left to the police.

But… was that really the "good thing"? Could I still call myself the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?

"…Peter."

"Yeah?"

She called my name. Michelle wasn’t looking at me, but at the sunset sinking into Queens.

"…Because our positions are different, there are things only you can do. Don’t let it bother you. That’s one of your best qualities."

"…Thanks."

Michelle took my hand. Even through the hard vibranium armor, it felt soft, warm.

"If we’re ever truly in trouble, then again… we can help each other."

"…Yeah. No matter what happens… if we’re together, we’ll overcome it."

"Mm."

The touch of her hand gently soothed my heart…

"Ah."

Michelle let out a small sound.

"Peter, since my day off today got ruined… can we reschedule our date for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

I flipped through the calendar in my head, then pursed my lips.

"Sorry, tomorrow… I’ve got classes at the university."

"…I see."

Michelle deflated, her disappointment plain to see.

Seeing her like that filled me with guilt. I wanted to cheer her up somehow, so I searched for an idea.

"Uh… well then, how about… you come over to my place after this?"

"I’ll go."

"…That was quick."

"Mm."

Michelle gave a little snort through her nose. It was such an unexpectedly cute gesture, nothing like the way she had looked just moments ago as Nightcap.

She smiled softly, but then her expression clouded.

"…Well, I still need to write up the report for this mission."

"Huh? You sure that’s okay…?"

"I’ll write it at your place, so it’s fine… yeah, it’s fine… probably."

Then, pulling herself up with the hands she’d had wrapped around her knees, Michelle stood. Her blue eyes glimmered in the crimson glow of the sunset.

…Her eyes.

Those were the "Watcher’s Eyes."

Eyes with the incredible power to perceive every dimension.

Which reminded me of something she once said.

That she had seen me die.

In the parallel-universe multiverse, there is no concept of time—no past, no future.

If the axis shifts, that becomes another universe… connecting to both distant futures and far-off pasts.

Which meant my death was… a possibility, a future that might one day come.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t afraid. I didn’t want to die.

But I had no intention of giving up being Spider-Man.

"On the way back… should we swing on the webs?"

"Agreed. I want to go on an aerial stroll-date."

I lifted her in my arms.

This weight. Her weight.

A life.

I was only able to protect it because I had chosen to live as a hero.

Not just hers. I had saved many others too. As their Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

That’s why I wouldn’t quit. I couldn’t quit.

If fighting meant I could save someone, then even if I was scared, even if I was anxious… I could fight. I could keep fighting.

"Well then… shall we go home?"

"Yeah."

So that I’ll never have regrets, I’ll remain their Friendly Neighborhood.

To stay true to myself. Carrying the responsibility I must never lose…

Because life, existence… doesn’t go on forever. It isn’t eternal.

That’s exactly why I have to live without regrets. Never again, not anymore, not ever again.

I’ll keep fighting.

As the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

I bear the responsibility and the resolve to do so. …Besides, I’m not alone anymore.

"…Peter?"

"Hm? Ah, sorry… let me just put my mask back on."

If I kept fighting alone, someday I might collapse under the weight of it all.

But with her… I felt like I could fly anywhere.

Helping each other, she and I—we were a team. Both as people, and as heroes, we were a team.

So for now… that was enough. Even if the future worried me, even if I feared death… right now, I was happy.

Still holding her in my arms, I shot out a web.

---

I kicked aside the rubble. From the ruins of the abandoned "F.E.A.S.T." shelter, I picked up a cracked wooden ornament.

"…………"

I held it in my hand… and crushed it. Inside was a USB drive.

"…So this is it."

This contained information on Mr. Negative… the business he had been running in secret.

I slipped it under my coat. This was a critical factor.

I had even gone so far as to feed false information to the Maggia in order to get my hands on it.

This USB drive, and the information inside… if I used it myself, I likely wouldn’t achieve much. But to the gangs that control this city… it would be something they’d kill for.

I could use it to threaten business partners. I could use it to propose joint ventures. I could use it to frame anyone I didn’t like.

Yes, if it were him—

Wilson Fisk… the Kingpin.

It was his doing that the conflict between the Maggia and the Demons had escalated. They had been nothing but obstacles.

There only needed to be one ruler of New York’s underworld… that was what the Kingpin believed.

And so, simultaneously, he took steps to damage both groups. He leaked the Maggia’s information to the Demons, and the Demons’ information to the Maggia.

Forcing two organizations of unequal strength into balance, ensuring both sides would be hurt.

The result was that both the Demons and the Maggia were half-destroyed.

But the Maggia… New York wasn’t their only foothold. Still, the damage they suffered was catastrophic. They would withdraw from the city, at least for now.

What remained was the slice of assets they left behind. And the one to carve up that pie… would be Kingpin alone.

I had been hired by him to carry out intelligence work on the Maggia and the Demons. S.H.I.E.L.D. had also been investigating them… but when it came to disguise and infiltration, I was far superior.

Especially in disguise—there was no one better than me.

I slipped a hand into my coat and rose from the ruins.

"Good work, everyone."

I called out amiably to the "Damage Control" team that had come to the site, then left the scene. They had no reason to suspect me.

I made my way into a back alley.

A steel door reflected my face. In it, the image of a rough-looking man with a beard.

A windowpane reflected my face. This time, a young, handsome man appeared.

A puddle reflected my face. An elderly man was staring back.

All of these people… had already departed from this world. Because I killed them.

Then, in a shard of glass, my true face was reflected. What I saw was a mannequin-like visage, pale as snow. No hair, no nose, no lips. Only eyes and a mouth.

Yes… this was my real appearance.

People feared me. They called me "Chameleon."

I passed through the alleyway and entered my hideout through a hidden door. Resting my chin in my hand, I pulled up a tablet and gave it some thought.

"Still… the Maggia with zero casualties, and the Demons as well?"

On the screen was a photo of the man they called Spider-Man—the one in the red mask.

"That was unexpected. But… the client’s minimum conditions have been met."

I closed the tablet and slipped it back inside my clothing.

"But still… interference is interference. That bothersome spider must be ‘exterminated’—"

I picked up my personal smartphone. Scrolling through the contacts list, I opened the number of "my brother."

"No… it must be ‘hunted.’"

I placed a call to my brother, Sergei Kravinoff—

No… to "Kraven."