Marvel’s Shadowed Knight

"So there really is a Batman." Gwen stared at the figure in front of her, clearly surprised.

The whole situation felt surreal.

A character who only existed in comic books was now standing right before her.

It gave her a strange sense of dissonance.

"I have to give it to you—you actually thought of using this method to find me." Bruce spoke directly to Peter Parker, not even sparing Gwen or Miles a glance.

"Well, you're a die-hard Batman fan. I figured this would definitely get your attention." Peter shrugged, unconcerned, and switched off the Bat-Signal beside him.

With a quick leap, he landed effortlessly next to Bruce.

Seeing Peter jump across so easily, Gwen wasn't about to be left behind. With a light hop, she landed beside Batman as well.

That left Miles in a tough spot.

He had only recently gained his spider powers and had yet to fully master them. Even something as basic as sticking to walls was still a struggle for him.

Sure, during his chase with Ock-Max, he had managed to swing using his webs, but that situation was completely different.

Now, having to clear the gap between two high-rise buildings felt like an impossible task.

Miles looked at Gwen, who was already standing with the others, then patted his cheeks to hype himself up.

"You got this, you got this, you got this!"

Psyching himself up, he took a few steps back before sprinting forward.

Just as he reached the edge, ready to make the leap—

He stepped on his own untied shoelace.

The jump itself was perfect, but with his balance thrown off at the last moment, there was no way he was going to make it across.

Gwen and Peter reacted instantly, both reaching for their web-shooters to pull him to safety.

But someone was even faster.

In a split second, Bruce fired his grappling gun, the cable wrapping securely around Miles' arm.

With a pull of the trigger, he reeled Miles up effortlessly.

"Thanks."

Miles looked at Bruce—who remained expressionless as he retracted his grappling hook—and offered a grateful nod.

Bruce didn't respond. Instead, he raised his grappling gun once more.

"If you want to talk, I suggest you find another location. Otherwise, someone's going to come looking for us soon."

As he spoke, he had already fired his grapple in another direction.

Before any of the Spider-People could reply, Bruce vanished into the darkness.

"Seriously, his whole vibe is ridiculously dark compared to us. Are we sure he didn't just step out of a comic book?" Miles couldn't help but mutter as he watched Bruce disappear from sight.

Peter gave him a small nod. "Now that, I have to say, is a very Spider-Man thing to say."

With that, he shot out a web and took off after Bruce.

Gwen was about to do the same, but when she glanced at Miles, she hesitated for a moment.

"You'll catch up."

That was all she said before firing her web and swinging away.

Miles stood there, unsure how to even describe what he was feeling.

What the hell is going on?

At this point, the only thing Miles could do was muster up his courage and follow behind Gwen and the others.

That said, he was at least smart about it—he managed to keep up with their pace.

But what surprised him the most was that, despite being seasoned Spider-People, Gwen and Peter—who were arguably the most agile individuals in the city—

Could only follow behind Batman.

Bruce was right. Not long after they left, a team had already arrived on the rooftop.

This time, the armbands on these operatives bore the symbol of an eagle, formed by a simple yet distinct pattern.

Clearly, S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken notice of this unusual situation.

For them, any extraordinary event had to be kept within a controlled scope—

Especially when it involved a superhero who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Looks like we were still too late." The lead agent glanced at the now-extinguished Bat-Signal and pressed his communicator.

"Keep a close watch on the area. Maybe in a few days, the mystery will solve itself." The voice on the other end didn't seem too concerned.

To S.H.I.E.L.D., this newcomer was nothing more than another street-level hero.

And for a street-level hero, there was no need for a full-scale operation—just having someone monitor the area for any unusual activity would suffice.

New York had more than enough vigilantes. S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't possibly keep tabs on every single one of them.

"Understood."

The squad leader motioned for his team to remove the makeshift Bat-Signal emblem.

"Take it back for analysis. Let's find out who put this thing up."

"Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, Bruce and the Spider-People had already reached the neighborhood where May Parker lived.

Suddenly, Gwen sped up, leaping ahead to block Bruce's path.

At that moment, Miles realized something—

The Spider-People weren't unable to surpass Batman.

They had simply been waiting for the moment he stopped.

"Hold on!" Gwen's eyes locked onto Bruce, sharp and unwavering.

"Why are you here?"

"What exactly do you know?"

Right now, Gwen looked like a cat with its fur bristling in alarm.

And what she was protecting, without a doubt, was the home of May Parker behind her.

"Wow, what's going on here?" Peter Parker quickly stepped in as the mediator, clearly not wanting to see a conflict break out between a Spider-Man and Batman.

Even though he had absolute confidence in a Spider's abilities, the thought of going up against Batman—a man who always seemed to have a contingency plan for everything in the comics—left him feeling a little uneasy.

Especially since the Batman he had encountered didn't seem to hold back in a fight.

"Then let's talk right here."

Bruce, having been blocked, didn't show any particular reaction. After all, he had only come to have a conversation.

"What do you want from me?" Ignoring Gwen, Bruce shifted his gaze to Peter Parker.

He was the one who had lit the Bat-Signal.

"First, let's discuss the question you asked last time. I've finally figured out my answer."

But instead of getting straight to the point about why he had sought out Batman, Peter seemed more interested in continuing their previous debate.

"Hmm?"

Bruce's ambiguous response once again piqued Miles' curiosity.

He really wanted to know—what exactly did Batman mean by that "Hmm?"

"We are not criminals. We have always been fully aware of the path we chose. We know that our actions follow our own sense of justice."

"At the very least, I can say that about myself."

Peter Parker's eyes gleamed with conviction as he spoke.

"So, what is it that you need from me?"

However, the older Spider-Man hadn't anticipated that Batman had absolutely no intention of continuing their discussion.

That, more than anything, drove him crazy.

(End of Chapter)

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