Chapter 99: Death of Redcap - part 1

Running through New York’s underground maze.

Relying on the information Tinkerer left behind… chasing after Michelle.

"Haah… huff, haah…"

I hear the sound of ragged breathing. But it’s not mine.

The one gasping for breath, completely exhausted—

"Herman! You’re too slow!"

"U-haaah, hff-hff… I-I’m Shocker, dammit, ugh, cough!"

Herman suddenly stopped, breaking into a fit of coughing.
He braced his hands on his knees, gasping for air.

"I’m not weak… cough, it’s you, you’re the freak here… hah, haah… damn, I think I’m gonna puke."

I tilt my head.

"I don’t think we’ve run that far though…"

"We’ve run plenty! I’m wearing armor, it’s heavy, no ventilation, it’s hot as hell, damn it…"

…Right, I’d forgotten.
I don’t get tired because of my powers, but Herman… well, he’s just a normal human.

Keeping up at this pace is impossible for him.

…But still, slowing down isn’t an option either.
We have to hurry…

"…………"

After thinking a bit, I step in front of Herman.

"Huh?… Tch, whatever, go on ahead. I’ll catch u—"

Before he could finish, I dropped to one knee, turning my back to him.

"…Huh?"

"Come on, Herman, hurry up."

When I waved him over, he finally realized, and I heard a growl of frustration.
With obvious reluctance, he put his foot in my hand, wrapped his arms around my shoulders—

I hoisted Herman onto my back.
Yep. A piggyback ride.

"…Why the hell am I—"

"You think I want to carry an old guy around on my back?"

With that, I stood and broke into a run.

"Old guy!? I’m only twenty-four, dammit!"

"What!? No way, you don’t look it at all…"

We pushed forward through the dim tunnel, relying only on GPS.

"I-I swear I’m gonna kill you for this…!"

"Uwah!? Okay, sorry, my bad!"

Herman kept yelling from behind me, but I didn’t stop running.
We both wanted to save Michelle.

Since we both knew that, neither of us would waste time.

But still—

"There’s no way in hell I’m ever gonna be friends with you…!"

Well, I wasn’t exactly hoping for that either.

"Same here… I never planned on being friends with you anyway."

He still hasn’t apologized for taking Gwen hostage.

But… at least for now, we’re allies.

I ran, ran, and then noticed on the map—Michelle’s red marker was suddenly moving farther away.

Fast… like she’d gotten into a car or something.
Not impossible to catch, but it would take time.

The red marker was headed for the big bridge connecting Brooklyn to the outside.
…She’s planning to leave New York.

I slammed on the brakes and stopped.

"H-hey, what is it?"

"Just running underground isn’t gonna cut it."

"Then what do we do?"

The fastest way I can move—

"…We’re going topside."

"Huh? Wha…?"

Ignoring Herman’s confusion, I stopped under a ladder leading to a surface exit.

When he tried to climb off my back, I stopped him… and swapped out my web-shooter cartridge.

Cartridge 2: Elastic web-line.

I kicked off the ground with all my strength, firing web-lines to either side.
Then I pulled on them hard, landed—

"Whatever you do, don’t let go."

"Huh? Wha—"

The recoil launched us like a slingshot, hurling us upward in an instant.

"Nggh!?"

Herman bit his tongue and made a weird noise.

I ignored it and kept rising… smashing through the cover hiding the entrance to the surface.

It was… tile.
I heard the sound of pale green tiles shattering.

…Where is this?

"Y-you… if you’re gonna do that, at least give me a warning—"

Herman seemed to realize where we were and fell silent.

This place… a bathroom.
A bathroom inside a large shopping mall.

Because of the late hour… only the emergency lights were on, leaving it dim, but… I figured it out right away.

"…Why the hell is this connected here?"

"Who knows…?"

…Somehow, it felt awkward.

I set Herman down and headed outside the bathroom… pushing open the glass window.

Outside, tall buildings stretched into the night.
For me—Spider-Man—that was basically home turf.

I planted my foot on the window ledge and slipped outside.
Herman followed me out.

Together, we walked across the shopping center’s parking lot.

"…Hey, what the hell are you planning?"

"What do you mean? If we just keep running, I don’t know if we’ll ever catch up."

Those words made Herman freeze for a second.
It looked like he realized something.

"…I can’t do that kind of thing, you know?"

"Then just get back on my back."

"That’s not the damn point…"

He’d already figured out what I was about to do.

With these skyscrapers around, I could use my specialty—web-swinging.

Thwip!

I fired a web-line.
It stuck to the wall of a nearby building, and I turned back to Herman.

He stood there, arms crossed, grumbling.

"…You always just leap around like this without a safety line?"

"Well, you know… there’s the web-line right here."

I pointed at the web stretched between my hand and the building.
Herman gave me this exasperated look.

Then, moving cautiously, he stepped closer.

"…This is for saving her. Damn it, damn it, damn it…"

Muttering curses under his breath, he climbed onto my back again.

"Whatever you do, don’t let go."

"…What happens if I do?"

"Well, then—"

I pictured Herman plummeting dozens of meters to the ground.
He must have imagined the same thing, because I felt him shudder on my back.

"N-no, never mind… don’t say it…"

"OK… then here we go."

"A-anytime, I’m ready!"

Trying hard to shake off his fear, Herman puffed himself up. I found it a little amusing as I kicked off the ground and yanked hard on the web-line.

We shot upward in a burst of speed, rising several meters into the air.

"Here we go!"

I fired another web with my free arm, latching onto the next building, and pulled.
Our bodies swung into the air, accelerating like a pendulum.

"U-uwah, holy crap, we’re so high…!"

Herman shouted as the ground dropped away beneath us.

"You’re making such a big deal out of it…"

I launched another web and climbed higher.
Then I called back to the rigidly frozen Herman.

"If it really comes down to it, you could always blast a shockwave into the ground. I’ve seen you do it before."

Back when he was part of that “Sinister Six,” I remembered him using it to land from buildings.

"Flying on your own and getting hurled around by somebody else are two different damn things! If I’m not pointing my arms at the ground, I can’t even do it! If I slip off your back, I’m dead for su—gah!?"

…He must’ve bitten his tongue again.

I chuckled wryly and fired another web, picking up more speed.

Kicking off the walls, I used the elasticity of the web-line to propel myself even faster.

I cut through the wind, soaring over New York, now sunk deep into darkness with only a few scattered lights.

…Time was running out.

I swung faster, skimming across shortcuts, gliding smoothly through the night.

…Herman’s grip on me tightened.
Ah, guess he really was that scared.

After several minutes of flight across New York’s sky, I swung into position ahead of the red marker.
If they were heading for the bridge… they’d definitely have to pass this way.

I landed on the rooftop of a modest office building.
Set Herman down—and—

"U-ugh…"

He looked queasy.
Guess he hadn’t enjoyed the web-swinging much.

"Huh? That bad?"

"Don’t make it sound like this is somehow my fault… The ride was absolute hell."

He snapped irritably at me.
I tilted my head, not quite understanding.

"Hm, I thought cutting through the night air felt refreshing."

"…You’re insane."

Herman backed away a step, looking disturbed.
…Ignoring him, I turned my eyes from the rooftop’s edge, scanning the distance.

"Tch, damn it… so, where is she?"

"That car right there."

A pitch-black… oversized vehicle.
Not even a logo or ad on it—just a plain truck flanking it on both sides.

…Yeah, those had to be from the organization too.

"…Which one?"

"That one, look."

I pointed.

Herman squinted, putting a hand over his forehead and leaning forward.

"…That little speck there?"

"What color is it?"

"Green, right?"

"No, not that one… behind it. The black car, and the trucks—"

"I can’t see that far, you idiot!"

Herman barked, snapping at me.
He almost jabbed me in the shoulder, but I twisted aside to avoid it.
Guess that was a waste of my Spider-Sense.

"Huh? But still…"

"I’ve got 20/20 vision, damn it… A normal person can’t see something a thousand meters away!"

…Fair point.
In the dark, with black cars, no way he could make it out.

Whatever.

"When the car gets here… I’m jumping down."

"…O-okay? And then what?"

"What do you mean, what?"

I tilted my head again, and Herman smacked his own arm in irritation.
The scrape of metal rang out.

"I mean the plan, dumbass!"

"There isn’t one… I’ll just go down, talk to her, and bring her back."

"…Ugh, damn it. Don’t tell me I keep losing to some moron who just wings it like this."

Herman grumbled curses, while I focused my eyes back on the oncoming car.

"That one?"

He must’ve spotted it too.
…I planted a foot on the rooftop ledge, waiting.

The car drew closer.

And then—I jumped.

Herman must’ve missed the timing, because he didn’t follow.

I fired a web to the wall, swung down, and landed on the road right in front of the car.

The windows looked like one-way mirrors; I couldn’t see inside.
But the coordinates put Michelle here.

…Even with me dropping right in front, the car didn’t slow at all.

They were going to run me over.

I fired webs to both sides, connecting them together—

A giant spiderweb, spread across the road.

The car barreled straight toward me.

It slammed into the web I’d stretched across the street, its speed finally dropping—then I braced myself and held it back head-on.

"Grh!?"

This thing definitely wasn’t a normal civilian vehicle.
Even after the collision, it wasn’t slowing at all… the horsepower was insane.
The body was reinforced too—had to be some kind of special alloy.

It looked like a regular car on the outside, but in reality, it was a miniature armored vehicle!

I drove my feet into the road like stakes, pinning it down.
Concrete cracked beneath me, fragments scattering.

Bit by bit, inch by inch, the car finally started to lose momentum—

—then my Spider-Sense screamed.

I sprang upward, landing on the hood.
A split-second later, a fireball tore through where I’d just been.

"That was—!?"

The blazing sphere smashed into a building wall, melting through its glass windows.
That heat… it was massive.

The two trucks flanking the car surged forward, overtaking it—
and on one of them, the roof of the cargo bed split open.

From inside… a humanoid robot rose up.

It had to be over two meters tall, a giant frame.
It had been lying flat in the truck, but now its torso straightened upright.

Too big for a human to wear, too small for anyone to pilot.
Unmanned. Definitely.

Its armor gleamed purple.
A human-shaped body, plated like a knight—yet its head looked eerily human, almost grotesque.

One word: unsettling.

And in both its palms, a red glow burned.
Wreathed in flames—flames that defied the laws of physics at first glance.

My Spider-Sense flared again.

—Not good! I couldn’t stay on the car.

I leapt down to the street as another fireball streaked past.
Then another. Two shots in quick succession.

Damn it… was its energy endless!?
This wasn’t scientific—at least, not in any way I could imagine.
Flames shouldn’t have mass, let alone fly like solid projectiles—

I looked up.

…Michelle’s car was pulling away.

Crap, this wasn’t the time to fight this thing!
I needed to chase her—!

The robot dropped from the truck bed, advancing toward me.
Jets roared from its feet, lifting it into the air.

Both palms leveled at me again.

Another fireball launched.

The building that had taken the last hit—the glass had melted.
At that temperature… at least a thousand degrees Celsius.

My nanomachine suit had its limits.
If that hit me, I’d die.
The heat would punch straight through the suit and boil me alive.

I couldn’t block it—only dodge!

I flipped aside, rolling as the blast skimmed past—
but the robot swung its arm at me mid-air.

"Ugh!?"

The strike slammed me into a building wall, cracks spiderwebbing out around me.
The shock reverberated straight through my suit. No broken bones, but… damn, that hurt.

The robot loomed closer, its eyes glowing—silent, unfeeling.

And then—

It was hurled away.

Not by its own movement—it was shoved, violently, as if struck by some invisible force.
It smashed into a building, glass exploding everywhere.

…Good thing this was a business district.
No bystanders around at this hour.

I turned my head—and there he was. Herman.

"You’re late!"

"You’re just too damn fast!"

Right then, the robot fired again.
Not at me—at Herman.

I rushed to intervene—
but his gauntlets were already glowing.

Shockwave energy burst from them, smashing into the fireball.
The blast scattered, flames breaking apart and dissipating into nothing.

"That guy’s in that black car, right!?"

Herman shouted at me.

On the map displayed inside my mask, the red marker was moving away.

I hurried to reply.

"Yeah! Michelle was riding in that!"

"Then hurry up and go!"

Herman unleashed a Shockwave. It slammed into the robot that was trying to get up, knocking it back down with a loud crash.

…Go on ahead, he says, but still—

"But, the robot—"

"I'm telling you I'll smash this thing! Just get moving already!"

The robot, still on the ground, fired a fireball. Herman countered it with another Shockwave… but then, something small popped out from his gauntlet.

That was… an empty small battery.
Shockwaves aren’t unlimited.
But the enemy robot’s energy level? Totally unknown.

And from what I’ve seen so far… a Shockwave isn’t enough to bring it down.

…I can’t just leave him here.

"But—"

"Shut the hell up! What the hell did you come here for!? Don’t forget your damn mission, idiot!"

Herman roared at me.

The mission… that’s to save Michelle. That’s why I came here.

And Herman should be fighting for the same reason.
That’s why—

"Michelle will be sad if you die… so don’t die, okay!?"

"Yeah, now get the hell outta here, Spider-Man!"

"You too! Don’t you dare die either, Shocker!"

I shot out my web and leapt into the air.

"I already promised I wouldn’t die! Don’t need you to remind me!"

As Herman blasted another Shockwave at the robot, I turned my back to him. I forced away the tugging feeling, that urge to look back.

Honestly, I don’t like Herman.

He’s rough, arrogant, selfish… But he’s also got a good side.

Michelle saw that in him too… that’s why she called him a comrade.
And Herman is fighting to protect her as well.

So even if I hate him… I’d be sad if he died.
And Michelle would be too.

That’s why I don’t want him to die.
I should turn back and fight with him right now.

But going back would trample on Herman’s resolve.
That, I can’t do.

So for now, I’ll trust him… and carry out his mission in his place!

I shot a web to the building ahead and swung forward.
Forward, forward.
Kicking off walls, running, accelerating into the air.

…It’s strange, though. Not a single soul around.
Even if it’s the business district late at night… isn’t this a bit too empty?

Well, it saves me from worrying about bystanders.
Makes it easier to fight.

…There it is!
The black car—along with a truck!

I fired my web forward and yanked hard.
The recoil launched me onto the roof of the truck.

…My Spider-Sense tingled.
There was noise beneath my feet.

…Of course. If there are multiple trucks that look the same… there’s no way only one robot would be guarding them.
I expected this.

I immediately leapt to the truck’s side and shot a web at the tire.

The tire spun, winding up the web… until it wrapped tight around the axle, tangling it up.

The truck rocked side to side… I kicked hard across the bed.

Losing balance, the truck toppled over and crashed straight into a closed convenience store.

…Maybe I’m breaking too much stuff.
Compensation… yeah, no way I can pay for that… ah, I’ll think about it later.

I dashed along the ground and shot a web onto the car racing away.
Letting it pull me forward, I leapt onto the roof.

…Michelle is in here.

I stuck my feet to the roof, leaned forward… and reached for the rear door.

Trying to force open the locked door, I yanked—

A hole opened beneath me.

I jumped back just in time, landing on the car’s hood.

The opening was on the rear roof… and from it, I saw a familiar black arm.

I gasped.

The roof tore apart on both sides, revealing a black armored suit.

My old wounds ached with a sharp sting.

"…Michelle."

"…………"

There was no answer to my call.

The mask she wore wasn’t the usual red one.
That one… I had smashed it myself.

So instead, she wore the black mask she had donned during the fight with Carnage.

But… the mask was stained red.
The color of blood.

Tinkerer’s blood.
I’d seen the footage—I knew.

And now, Redcap, drenched in blood and dyed red, appeared before me.

In her hands… Tinkerer’s head wasn’t there.
But lowering my eyes just a little… I saw it in the backseat.

I frowned beneath my mask—

"What did you come here for, Spider-Man."

"To save you."

Even when I answered… she gave no real reaction.
Instead, she turned her face away—

"…Haa."

She sighed.

Then her gaze returned to me.

"Spider-Man… you’re misunderstanding something."

"That’s not true."

"You came here to save Michelle Jane, didn’t you?"

"…Yeah. I—we came to save you—"

"There is no such person."

I stared at her face.
But beneath that blood-soaked mask, I couldn’t see her expression.

"Michelle Jane is a fabricated identity made by the Organization. I was only acting to deceive you… there’s no such human being."

"…But—"

"Even the way I spoke, my personality, everything… it was all an act."

"…Then who are you?"

The blood had dried. It no longer dripped.
And surely, even if wiped, it would never come off.

"I am Redcap."

The red-stained mask looked right at me.

"I’ve always been called that… from the very beginning."

Michelle… Redcap drew a knife from her waist.

…The worn-out knife she had used to decapitate Tinkerer.

"I… I don’t intend to fight you."

I never want to hurt her again.
I haven’t even apologized properly for hitting her in the face.

"Then I guess I’m the one getting hit unilaterally."

She raised the knife and swung it down at me.

"Ugh—"

I gripped it and stopped the blow.
The impact bent the car hood.

A knife like that can’t pierce a nanomachine suit.
I already knew that from our previous fight.

So… I can tell that her attack carries no intent to kill.
Even my heightened Spider-Sense only reacts faintly.

"I came to save you…!"

"Who? Michelle Jane doesn’t exist… I told you that."

I slammed the side of the knife with my hand.
It made a dull sound, and broken pieces fell to the ground.

We both took a small step back.

I looked at the red mask.

There were so many things I wanted to say.
If we met… I wanted to apologize… that will left behind… I wanted to say it was awful, I wanted to tell her I wanted to see her… so many words I wanted to say.

But—

"The one I want to save… is you."

I spoke the words I had in my heart, the ones floating up, right then.

"Even if you aren’t ‘Michelle Jane’… even if your speech is different…!"

I spoke out loud.

"No matter what secrets you hold… the person I fell for isn’t just the name ‘Michelle’!"

Our eyes met across the mask.

"It’s you…! You’re the one I fell for… so I’ll save you!"

"I don’t recall asking to be saved—"

"No matter what you say, I’m not going to hesitate anymore!"

I whipped my aching body forward and stood firm in front of her.

"…You’re awfully selfish."

"Didn’t know?"

"Yeah… I suppose."

"Can’t you just give up and let me save you?"

Suddenly, she turned to the side.
She averted her eyes from me… as if she couldn’t bear to look.

"Impossible."

"Michelle… I—"

"No. I… my—"

She pointed to her chest.

"My bomb is here."

"…Huh?"

My mind went blank for a moment at her words.

"A bomb…?"

"If I betray, it detonates and kills me."

My thoughts tangled.

"…That’s…—"

"I will die. That’s why I cannot be saved."

A bomb…?
Michelle will die?

If she betrays, she dies… she’s been doing all this… because of that?
That’s… that’s… cruel.
Cowardly, even.
Because then… I can’t save her.
But still, I want to save her.
Why… why like this.

"But… I am not afraid of losing my life… I have no value in living. I should have realized this much sooner."

"That’s not—"

"I bring misfortune to others… it would be better if I didn’t exist."

Grabbed by the neck.

"Gu…!?"

The hand gripping me… it’s hers.

A slender, soft… gentle hand.
The same hand that day, when she held mine, and my heart skipped a beat.
Now, clad in black armor, that hand is wrapped around my throat.

My reaction was too slow.
Even in this moment, as I’m being strangled, I couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

『But don’t worry… I’ll be dead soon.』

I couldn’t understand her words.
Dead? Why?
Why would she die…?
I don’t get it. Tell me.

『This car is heading to our boss… to the leader. And there, Spider-Man… you’re not needed.』

She hurled me out of the car.

I tumbled across the ground.

The car had been speeding… the damage was severe.

"Guuh, ahh…!"

The impact exceeded what the suit could endure, piercing through my body.
Some of the nanomachines broke down, and parts of the suit peeled away.

"Gehoh… gghoh…"

Through the hole torn in the mask, my mouth was exposed.

"Mi… Michelle…?"

In my fading vision, she grew smaller and smaller.
Further away.

I reached out a hand while still lying there.
…But it couldn’t reach.

Slamming my fist into the ground, I tried to piece together the words I’d just heard.

…Michelle said the car was heading to their leader, the boss.
Why would she tell me that…?
Why would she say she’s about to die…?

Ah.

Michelle… she intends to take the boss down with her.
Throwing away her own life, and with that—

"…Ugh…"

My body can still move.

The suit’s partially broken.
My bones ache… my breathing’s rough.
But still, I can move.

I can keep moving.

I stand up.

Michelle… doesn’t understand a thing.
She says she’s a fan of Spider-Man, yet she doesn’t understand me at all.

I won’t give up over something like this.
I’ve faced countless hardships before.

I have power many times greater than an ordinary person.

What is that power for?
It’s to protect someone precious… to save others, right?

I’ll prove that I’m worthy of this strength!
To whom?
It doesn’t matter—I'll prove it to myself!

I slap my trembling knee, forcing myself to rise.

Failure isn’t an option.
This time… no, not just this time—there’s never a time I can afford to lose!

Remember, Peter Parker.

Winning when the odds are easy is simple.
What truly matters is standing back up—no matter how dire the situation—and overcoming it!

I start walking.

I look at the web-shooters.
The cartridges… the fluid is running low.
I’ll have to limit my web-swinging.

That means… I have to move forward on my own two feet.

My limbs ache.
My breath is ragged.
A stitch in my side stabs at me.
Even so… walking won’t be enough to catch up with her.

So I break into a run.

I pump my arms, enduring the sharp pain.

It hurts… it hurts so much.
But at least nothing’s broken.
I can still run.
I can still act toward my goal.

I run.

There’s no time to rest!

I won’t stop.
I can’t stop.

Not because anyone told me to.
But because I, by my own will… will keep moving forward.

My body is at its limit.
My brain screams at me to rest.
But I keep running.
Kicking off the concrete, racing through the city I live in.

She was crying.
I know she was crying beneath that mask.
Even if I couldn’t see it, I could tell.
She’s been crying all this time.
From the very moment we first met.

I’ll never let her cry again.

That’s why—I have to catch up to her now.
It’s the first thing I can do.

I won’t stand by and neglect what I can do, only to let someone suffer… I won’t allow it.

I run.

There’s a bomb planted in her chest.
So what do I do?
I don’t know… I don’t know, but… for now, I just won’t stop.

Sometimes, action matters more than thinking.

I glance at the map under my mask.
The red symbol is moving slower than before.

The fight on the car earlier must’ve damaged it.
The roof’s broken, the balance thrown off… that’s probably the case.

I can still make it in time.

I don’t know where their leader, the boss, is.

But still—I run, I run.

Suddenly, my Spider-Sense flares.

I dodge to the side immediately.

A chunk of ice shoots past me.

I turn back.
…It’s the robot from earlier, the one that flipped a truck.

"First fire… now ice, huh?"

Both of its hands swirl like tiny blizzards.
I don’t know what kind of logic it runs on, but… I’m really getting sick of this.

I don’t have time for a fight.

My Spider-Sense screams louder than ever before.
Stronger than anything I’ve ever felt.

I dodge another incoming chunk of ice, turning back—

And see… countless robots, identical in shape to the one in front of me, flying through the sky.

Not one or two.
Far more.

"Ha… haha…"

I couldn’t help but laugh.
Because it was ridiculous—ridiculous that I was.

Of course.
If there are two of the same robot… it’s only natural there’d be more.

…But that’s no reason to give up.

I dodge another flying chunk of ice and kick one of the robots away.
Grabbing its neck as it falls, I yank hard.

"Hh… grh…!"

My muscle fibers scream.
Tomorrow, I’m definitely going to be sore…!

I tear its head off and fling it away, glaring at the swarm in the sky.

There really are a lot of them.
If only this were an illusion.

One of the flying robots breaks off, diving straight at me.

…I inhale, then exhale.
I’ve been prepared for this… ever since long ago.

Since the day Uncle Ben died… and I caught that burglar.

No one’s going to stand in my way.

I clench my fist tight… aiming my web-shooter—

And in that moment, a flash of light cuts across my vision—blasting the robot away.