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Chapter 64: Kill Them All - Part 3

The Divine Grand Church.

A large church located within New York City.

Several police vehicles are parked outside the church.
Even so, there doesn't seem to be anyone inside them.
The empty police cars quietly flash their lights in the rain.

I watched them.

From atop one of the gargoyle statues standing on the four corners of a nearby building.

"Heat signatures detected inside... lifeforms present."

AI Karen reported from within my mask.
The person who killed Mr. George might be in there.

A drone that had separated from the chest of my suit returned and docked back inside.

I stepped forward and leapt off the gargoyle statue.

A dive from nearly 100 meters up.
I deployed a small silk-web parachute from my back to slow my descent.

Landing hand-first on the ground, I rolled forward to absorb the impact.
Even for me, a fall from that height would cause injuries otherwise.

I entered the church, moving quietly so as not to make a sound.

Avoiding the expensive-looking furnishings, I pressed against the wall and advanced deeper… and deeper…

...Ugh.

Why are churches always filled with so many sharp decorations?
They look painful to step on. I’ll try to stick to the flatter spots.

…There’s a smell of blood.

A really strong, thick stench.

...Ugh, damn.

There’s a cop’s corpse lying there.
I could tell at a glance that he was dead.

Because he had no head.

My mouth filled with a sour taste.
I swallowed hard from the tension and nausea.

…From what I’d heard, Cletus Kasady—the death row inmate who broke out of Ryker’s Prison by himself—was never a normal person.
But when I see a body with its entire head seemingly bitten off… it makes me think a real monster is waiting deeper inside, and it’s terrifying.

But this is the man who killed Mr. George.

I won’t let anyone else become a victim. I have to fight.
I took a deep breath and focused.

The blood on the corpse had turned black.
It oxidized from exposure to air.

That means some time has passed since the murder.
Or so I thought.

He’s probably not nearby anymore.

There’s no presence.
None at all—nothing I can feel.

Not even a flicker from my Spider-Sense.

I dropped to the ground and searched the body.
Judging by the number of bullets left in his pistol, he must’ve fired several shots at the killer.

There are signs of a struggle.
But the officer’s uniform wasn’t damaged.

…He was probably killed in the very first strike.
And his head… was eaten?

Whoever did this must have had an enormous jaw and razor-sharp fangs.

I’m starting to think the enemy isn’t even human anymore.

But if it’s really that big of a monster…
Shouldn’t my Spider-Sense be reacting?

It’s supposed to respond to threats, even hidden ones—

...No.
There’s an exception.

Venom.

Because he was once bonded to me, he learned how my powers work.
He doesn’t trigger my Spider-Sense.

But Venom is supposed to be bonded to Eddie Brock.

The one I’m chasing is Kasady.

No, but… wait.
Could it be that Kasady too—?

Suddenly, the wall beside me collapsed.

A decoration modeled after the Virgin Mary shattered, and the debris came flying toward me.

"Whoa!?"

Then, from beyond the ruined wall, red tendrils lashed out—

Still no reaction from my Spider-Sense.

But an intense chill ran through my body.
It wasn’t from the temperature—it was instinctual fear.

My heart rate shot up.

I instinctively fired webbing to try and gain some distance.

But there weren’t just one or two tendrils.

Several thin, writhing tendrils surged toward me.
Their tips were shaped like claws, black and discolored.

They lashed wildly, kicking up dust from the rubble as they came at me.

I spun midair and kicked one of them away.

But I couldn’t dodge the others.

One of the clawed tips slashed through my body.

“Ow!”

My suit was torn, and blood sprayed from the wound.
Nanomachines instantly began repairing the damage to the suit.
They also stabilized the wound, performing emergency treatment automatically.

But that didn’t mean the injury disappeared.

Wincing from the pain, I struggled to pull back.

Thankfully, the wounds were shallow.

Just surface-level cuts on my upper arm, thigh, and side.
No deep damage.

As I created distance, the tendrils stopped reaching for me—maybe they’d reached their range limit.
Their master pushed aside the dust and revealed itself.

A monster with oozing, blood-red skin.
Jagged teeth bared in a grotesque smile, with a long tongue dangling from its mouth.

…It looked just like a red Venom.

Its frame was thinner than Venom’s.
But it wasn’t small.
It was taller than me.

I remembered what Dr. Richards—someone I know—said when he analyzed my black suit… no, when he analyzed Venom.
There was no mistake.

This thing is one of the symbiotes.

However, the reason my Spider-Sense is nullified isn't because of some inherent ability of the symbiote species.

It's because Venom, after bonding with me, copied my powers—that's the reason.

Then… that red one in front of me—is it a clone of Venom?

Either way, it’s clearly a similar kind of creature.

Even with the pain from my wounds, my mind keeps working.
Maybe I’m just escaping into logic.

Because my Spider-Sense doesn’t work on it, dodging every attack is impossible.
If this keeps up—

The red monster bared its teeth in a grin.

“…Spider-Man, huh? Not exactly what I came here for… but I’ll be taking your codex as well.”

Codex?

…No clue what that means, but I can tell this thing in front of me wants to kill me.

Even strangers are out for my life now?
Guess that makes me popular.

I know full well this isn’t the time for jokes, though.

“You kind of came out of nowhere… Who are you? I’m not here for you—I’m after Cletus Kasady.”

“Then this works out nicely. My host is Kasady.”

…Ah. That explains it.
So Kasady bonded with a symbiote too.

Nothing hits quite like a bad feeling coming true.

…Today’s fortune must be rock bottom.

“Looks like that gives me a reason to fight you, then… Not that it would've changed much, since you’re trying to kill me anyway.”

“Fight? Beat me? Are you some kind of comedy act? Hilarious. You’re just here to die.”

Kasady, clad in the red symbiote, spread his tendrils wide.

“Then I’d better be careful not to laugh myself to death… uh, Red Venom?”

“Wrong. Don’t lump me in with that loser. I’m—

The tendrils all rushed toward me at once.

“—Carnage the Massacrer!

The ends of the tendrils weren’t just little hooks anymore.

They had morphed into deadly forms: razor-like drills, small axes, scythes… a whole twisted arsenal.

Not that I want any of it.

I shot webs to try and restrain the tendrils, but they moved too fast, twitching unpredictably and making it impossible to get a clean shot.

He’s better at handling tendrils than Venom.

…Venom has strength on par with mine.
That’s because he copied my abilities.

That’s why fighting Venom was so hard for me… but this Carnage in front of me seems even stronger.

If that’s true, I’m in serious trouble.

It’s a real crisis.

But I can’t run away.

Even though I’m terrified.

…With great power comes great responsibility.

And I won’t run from either enemies or responsibility.

Dodging the incoming tendrils, I charged straight at Carnage.


“Is this the place?”

“Yeah… Gwenom’s picking up a really strong reaction too.”

I glanced at Nightcap, who was standing right next to me. The police vehicle he’d been driving came to a stop, and we got out.

Harry got out too… but the host of Riot was left in the police car. Still unconscious.

Ahead of us stood a large church.

And from inside—it was coming. A powerful presence.

A sharp, needle-like sensation, like being jabbed in the nape of the neck.

There’s no mistake.

A symbiote is in there.

Whether it’s Kasady or not, there’s definitely something inside.

While Nightcap remained cautious and observed the church, I walked straight up to the entrance.

Seeing that, Nightcap hurriedly tried to stop me.

“Wait, Gwe—Gwenom. I’ll go first.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to go first, since I can detect them? That way we won’t get ambushed.”

“…You’re right.”

He reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Harry followed right after and ended up sandwiched between me and Nightcap.

…Yeah, he’s still really wary of him.

“Well then, let’s go insi—”

Above.

A sharp reaction hit me.

An ambush from above!

Reflexively, I shot my tendrils down, used the recoil from striking the wall to launch myself sideways.

I tumbled across the ground and slammed into the opposite wall.

Just then, the roof shattered—and something massive dropped right into the spot I’d just been standing.

With a loud crash, the stone floor split and scattered.

“Tch! Dodged it, huh…? But I found you, Cletus Kasady!”

The one who appeared was a massive, muscular, jet-black symbiote.

…In my head, Gwenom was bouncing with excitement.

Ah, so this is… Gwenom’s “Papa”?

Which means—

“Venom…!”

“We’re here to kick your—”

“Wait, wait, wait, Venom!”

A man’s voice rang out from inside Venom.

“What is it, Eddie!? Are you getting in the way!?”

“Hey, Kasady was a guy, right…?”

“Yeah, of course! A creepy dude!”

“Then what about the one in front of us…?”

Venom stared at me.

…This is really uncomfortable.

Then his eyes widened in shock.

“She’s got boobs—it’s a woman, Eddie!”

…When Gwenom and I fuse, it kind of shows my figure.

“…Gross.”

I recoiled in disgust and took a step back.

“Right? So then—”

“…Kasady was a woman?”

“No! I’m telling you, that means this isn’t Kasady!”

…So this is Gwenom’s dad?

He’s… yeah. Kind of a mess. Definitely a mess.

Meanwhile, Gwenom is all excited, totally ignoring how I feel about this.

“Venom.”

Nightcap stepped forward from behind me.

He moved in front, as if to shield me.

…Or maybe I’m just overthinking it.

“Who are you? No, wait—I recognize you.”

“…Redcap.”

…Nightcap called himself Redcap.

So what is his name, really?

We haven’t known each other long enough for me to figure it out.

“Right! But why? You used to be red.”

“It’s just a color change for today…”

“I know this! It’s called a makeover!”

At Venom’s comment, his host—the man called Eddie—spoke up.

“Hey, Venom, maybe you should shut up now…”

“Why?”

“Because…”

…Because you sound like an idiot.

Most likely, the host is just embarrassed.

As the awkward silence stretched, we heard thudding footsteps running toward us.

“Hey! Don’t just go on ahead without me!”

“You’re the one who was slow.”

Venom growled back at the voice.

…From the sound of it, they’re allies?

The one who dropped down through the hole in the roof was a man in a brown suit with yellow armor.

A full-face mask covered his head, glowing yellow eyes peeking through.

He wore massive gauntlets on both arms—definitely someone who stood out.

He landed directly on the ground—

“Whoah!”

—and stumbled.

Apparently the drop was higher than expected, and he didn’t land properly.

He landed on his backside, then scrambled to his feet in a hurry.

I gave a wry smile and glanced at Nightcap beside me—

“…Herman?”

He said it in clear surprise.

…This might be the first time I’ve seen him genuinely shocked.

“Ah, it’s you. Been what, a month? Wait, why are you black now?”

“There’s a reason for that… more importantly, what are you doing here?”

Nightcap replied with a casual tone.

…There’s a kind of familiarity in the way they’re talking.

What kind of relationship do they have?

Harry said Nightcap was an assassin… so does that make this Herman one too?

…Though judging by what I’ve seen, he doesn’t exactly look the part.

“Fis—no, uh… from our boss. Gave us orders. Said to beat down all the freaks that showed up in this city.”

“…I see. So our goals are aligned.”

“Yeah, that’s good. I didn’t wanna fight you.”

“Well, same here.”

Seeing the two nodding like old friends, I finally relaxed, relieved they weren’t enemies.

Then, watching this, Venom opened his mouth.

“Herman, what’s with the brats behind that red guy?”

“Huh? Hell if I know… Redcap, who are they?”

“Ah…”

Red…? Night…? This is getting confusing.

Anyway, Nightcap glanced at Harry and me.

“The one fused with that black symbiote is…”

“I remember now! The ‘Manic Maniac’! The kid who cut out my tongue—the one made by the Life Foundation…!”

“…Is that true?”

Venom turned to look at me.

“I go by Gwenom now.”

“…Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Venom tilted his head in confusion.

“I gave her that name.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because ‘Manic’ was an ugly name.”

“…Eddie, I don’t understand young human females. You talk to her.”

“Eh? Uh, sure…?”

Venom’s face peeled open to reveal his host, Eddie.

How should I put it…? He looked like a rather unimpressive guy.

“Uh… hey there?”

“Hey.”

Compared to Venom, he at least seemed a bit more level-headed and composed. He immediately understood that I was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

…Still, honestly.

So this is Gwenom’s “dad,” huh.

A bit of a letdown, maybe.

He’s incredibly self-centered.

Once the introductions were over, Nightcap introduced the other one—Harry.

Apparently Venom and Herman had met him before too, as Herman let out a dry chuckle.

“W-what’s so funny?”

“Nah, nothing… it’s not your fault. It’s just… we’ve practically gathered the whole Sinister Six here.”

“…That’s a part of my past I’d really rather forget.”

Harry frowned and averted his gaze.

Seeing that, Herman let out another mocking laugh.

…I get the feeling I might not get along with these two very well.

Or maybe I just don’t feel like trying.

After all, one’s a selfish symbiote, and the other’s basically a thug.

Whether he sensed my mood or not, Nightcap spoke up.

“…Our goal is to secure Kasady as well. Would it be acceptable if we cooperated for now?”

“I don’t mind,” said Harry.

“Same here. If you’re in, I’ve got no complaints,” Herman added.

Everyone agreed so easily that it felt a little awkward to speak up—but I opened my mouth.

“…Can I say something?”

“What is it?”

“I need to talk… to Venom, over there.”

When I looked his way, the black symbiote once again wrapped around Eddie, and those sharp eyes glared at me.

“What do you want, brat?”

“You were the one who bonded a symbiote to Kasady, weren’t you?”

“He just stole it on his own.”

…So he wasn’t even going to admit that it was his fault.

Even though, indirectly, he was the reason my father died.

No.

If I let myself dwell on that, I’ll drown in anger.

“…Why are you chasing Kasady? Out of guilt?”

Guilt? Responsibility, you said? Pfft, did you hear that, Eddie? What a riot!”

The moment I said the word, Venom burst into loud laughter.

“What’s so funny?!”

“‘Responsibility’ is a word for the weak and mediocre! We don’t need it.”

Blood rushed to my head.

But I suppressed it.

…The anger management training with Dr. Banner was paying off.

“You too, Manic Maniac—or was it Gwenom now?”

“Then tell me—why are you chasing Kasady?”

I spotted the contradiction and pressed him.

Venom laughed… and extended his tongue.

“We just can’t stand the thought of someone stealing power and running wild with it, living carefree like it’s nothing.”

It was such an absurd, tyrannical reason that I was left speechless.

“Th-That’s just…”

“Cry about it all you want. We’re not helping you. Herman, our cooperation ends here too.”

“Huh?”

“We’re not interested in playing nice with a bunch of kids… We’ll do things our way.”

With that, Venom extended a tendril, launching himself up through the hole in the roof.

Herman watched him go, clearly thinking something, then glanced at Redcap and let out a sigh.

“Don’t worry. I’m still on your side.”

“Thanks, Herman.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Herman went to pat Nightcap on the back… only to have Nightcap dodge it.

But still—he said you, not you all.

So in the end, Herman probably doesn’t like us much either.

…Inside my head, I could hear Gwenom’s voice, concerned about me.

I told her, I’m fine.

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