Marvel’s Shadowed Knight

Bruce didn't say much—he merely touched his arm armor lightly.

Even at this moment, his gaze remained fixed on the monster before him, cold and sharp.

However, Bruce was well aware that anything contained by S.H.I.E.L.D. must have some special significance.

In the Batcave, the information sent back by Bruce was displayed on the large screen.

Upon seeing Bruce's message, Jessica immediately sprang into action.

"Why are you coming after us? We're only here for Spider-Man and have no intention of getting involved with you." Doctor Octopus smiled as he spoke.

For them, the presence of one more superhero would create entirely uncontrollable variables.

Such unpredictable factors lowered their chances of completely subduing Spider-Man this time.

Even though they knew such words would be futile against these heroes, they had to at least give it a try.

It didn't cost anything, after all.

"I happen to think what you're doing has everything to do with me." Bruce stared at the three people in front of him, showing no intention of moving.

"Committing crimes in New York naturally involves me." His voice remained steady.

"You think New York belongs to you?" Doctor Octopus saw a shadow of an old acquaintance in Bruce.

That guy, though now locked up in prison, had always harbored ambitions of dominating New York.

Wilson Fisk—this man before him seemed to share the same mindset.

"The last person who claimed New York as his own is still throwing parties in prison!" Doctor Octopus knew any further talk would devolve into verbal sparring.

The best course now was to have a proper fight.

Venom and Scorpion had already targeted Spider-Man, leaving Bruce to Doctor Octopus.

Doctor Octopus controlled his mechanical tentacles, launching an attack on Bruce.

The strength and speed of the mechanical tentacles far exceeded normal standards. Although Bruce's primary attention was on Venom, he remained wary of others.

The moment Doctor Octopus attacked, Bruce reacted instantly.

He dodged with a flip and simultaneously launched a Batarang.

The angle was extremely tricky, curving midair toward Doctor Octopus's back.

"Hmm? No, no, no, such tricks won't work." Doctor Octopus shook his head, using a tentacle to swat the Batarang.

However, the moment the tentacle touched the Batarang, it exploded.

A powerful electric current immediately paralyzed the tentacle, sending shocks toward Doctor Octopus.

Yet, after a brief flash of sparks on her body, the attack had no further effect.

Clearly, this kind of attack was ineffective against Doctor Octopus.

"I thought you'd try an electromagnetic pulse next." Doctor Octopus paid no mind to the paralyzed tentacle, which recovered within seconds.

"I figured you'd have electromagnetic pulse defenses by now." Bruce showed no surprise.

After seeing Peter Parker's various Spider suits in the Spider-Cave, he knew Spider-Man had used every method to combat his enemies.

Doctor Octopus must have experienced the sting of electricity before.

"Very clever. If you weren't my enemy, I'd definitely take you out on a date." Doctor Octopus continued her assault without pausing.

Her tentacles rained down on Bruce like a storm.

Though Bruce dodged and counterattacked, Doctor Octopus completely ignored his attacks.

After all, she had four tentacles.

As Bruce avoided one tentacle, another came at him from a different angle.

Doctor Octopus grabbed an ATM machine and hurled it at Bruce's face.

This time, Bruce wrapped himself in his cape, lowering his head to endure the blow.

"Wow, I told you Spider-Man could wear a cape too!" Miles, though struggling against the two villains, found a moment to observe Bruce's defensive posture.

His eyes lit up with excitement.

"You should worry about yourself, Spider-Man!" Scorpion's fury boiled at Miles' distraction.

Venom's response was simpler—he wrapped a symbiotic tendril around Miles' neck and slammed him against the wall, cracking it.

"I can feel its affection for you... and its desire to devour you. I don't know why Spider-Men always seem like chosen ones." Venom's long tongue slithered across Miles' mask.

It was like watching a pervert preparing to do something unspeakable.

"Oh~~~ Bro, your breath stinks." While speaking, Miles searched for a way out, his spider-sense screaming.

This guy genuinely wanted to eat him.

He no longer had the energy to check on Bruce's situation.

Meanwhile, Bruce used a smoke bomb to disengage from Doctor Octopus.

"Hey, little bat, don't hide!" Doctor Octopus scanned the smoke but found nothing.

Bruce had long improved smoke bombs, even in this universe—adding lead powder to obscure scans.

Now masked, Bruce scanned Doctor Octopus from the shadows.

Her tentacles were clearly upgraded with bio-mimicking technology, though still electronic at their core.

EMP attacks were likely ineffective.

But one thing remained unchanged—her spinal chip still powered them.

To enhance compatibility, she had designed a suit that synchronized her body movements with the tentacles.

Additionally, neural implants allowed her to control each tentacle independently.

"Hey! Little bat, I found you!" Doctor Octopus lunged at Bruce.

Exactly what Bruce wanted.

He used his grapple gun to swing over her head, landing lightly behind her.

"I thought you'd give me a good fight. I'd enjoy watching you die." Doctor Octopus grinned, attacking again.

A tentacle struck toward Bruce's head.

This time, Bruce stood still.

Doctor Octopus disliked this lack of resistance but didn't care.

Just as the tentacle was about to hit, it stopped.

Doctor Octopus's eyes widened in disbelief—her tentacles no longer obeyed her.

"What did you do?" she shouted at Bruce.

Her technology was flawless. The only explanation was that Bruce had tampered with her tentacles.

"I must admit, replicating the bioelectric signals of your neural implants was a clever idea—but once breached, your tentacles are useless." Bruce fiddled with a small device in his hand.

Bruce's calm voice struck Doctor Octopus's heart like a heavy hammer.

She never expected her technology to be cracked so easily.

"You bastard!" Doctor Octopus's expression twisted with fury.

The next moment, Doctor Octopus's tentacles slowly retracted into the storage compartment on her back.

There was no sign of them coming out again.

Even if Doctor Octopus herself wanted to move, she found it impossible.

Her uniform was also locked in place.

Bruce didn't seem to feel anything. He simply walked over, scooped up Doctor Octopus by the waist, and carried her to Jefferson.

"Take her away. She's no longer a threat, but I'd suggest you remove the equipment from her body." After placing Doctor Octopus in Officer Jefferson's arms, Bruce turned and walked away.

"You damn bat! You better remember this!!!"

Even now, Doctor Octopus didn't forget to shout at the departing Batman.

Unfortunately, Bruce had no intention of looking back.

His attention was now on the events unfolding inside the bank.

It had to be said—Miles' learning ability was truly impressive. He had already found ways to counter Venom and Scorpion's attacks, even managing to land a few solid punches that sent his opponents flying.

Like the one who had just landed at Bruce's feet.

Scorpion had somewhat anticipated the monstrous strength of these Spider-Men.

After all, he'd dealt with another Spider-Man for over a decade.

But it was still frustrating—despite turning himself into this half-human, half-monster form, he still couldn't stand toe-to-toe with Spider-Man.

At this moment, Scorpion noticed Bruce standing nearby, silently observing him.

He slowly got to his feet. One thing was certain—when standing on both legs, his towering height could be quite intimidating to the average person.

But in front of Batman, height was meaningless.

"I knew that woman was unreliable," Scorpion muttered, clearly dissatisfied with Doctor Octopus.

After all the chaos she caused, she still hadn't managed to harm this guy in the slightest.

Useless.

Bruce stared at Scorpion calmly.

He never understood why some people willingly turned themselves into monsters.

Especially voluntarily.

But then again, it was no different from their choice to become supervillains.

Who knew what went on in their minds?

"I'm curious—are you the same as Doctor Octopus?"

Bruce's question made Scorpion freeze.

His first instinct was that Bruce was mocking him—mocking him for being just as useless as that woman.

His pincers shot up, ready to crush Bruce's skull.

But Bruce was faster. A Batarang flew through the air.

Scorpion's reflexes weren't any worse than Doctor Octopus's.

In fact, he was even cocky enough to catch the Batarang between his steel jaws.

Just as he was about to throw out a taunt, the Batarang released an electromagnetic pulse.

Bruce shielded himself with his cape, ensuring he wasn't affected by the blast.

When he lowered the cape, Scorpion was already sprawled on the ground, completely paralyzed.

"Looks like you're not the same as Doctor Octopus," Bruce remarked as he stepped over Scorpion and continued forward.

Scorpion glared furiously at the man who had just walked over him.

Even though he now understood that Bruce wasn't mocking him, the truth felt even worse than an insult.

Meanwhile, Venom and Miles were still locked in an intense battle.

Every punch and kick left destruction in its wake—neither of them was holding back.

"Hey, Boss! I just sent you the files you wanted!"

Jessica's voice came through Bruce's earpiece.

As he scanned the densely packed documents in front of him, Bruce couldn't help but be impressed by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s extensive research on the subject.

The files contained a detailed breakdown of Venom's abilities and behaviors.

They had even conducted human experiments using death row inmates.

Once bonded, the subject truly transformed into something beyond human.

It can, at the same time, drive people into a frenzy, making them bloodthirsty.

Although it has no sensation of its own, the Venom symbiote possesses its own will and can act independently of its host.

According to the account of a death row inmate, being bonded with the symbiote felt like having two minds—one his own and the other consumed by nothing but an insatiable hunger.

And that second mind belonged to Venom.

However, it is often the primal instincts that completely suppress the human mind.

Such a singular and simplistic way of thinking is almost impossible for a human to maintain.

But none of this was particularly important to Bruce. What he needed to find now were Venom's weaknesses.

If this thing was truly as described in the records, Bruce couldn't believe that S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't try to turn it into their own super-soldier.

It was only during later experiments that Venom's issues were discovered.

They worried about being targeted once their findings were exposed.

When Bruce reached the last page, it confirmed what he had suspected all along.

Venom had a fatal flaw.

And at that very moment, another figure entered the battle.

A red-and-blue figure burst into the bank's lobby and delivered a powerful kick to Venom.

The arrival of this figure shocked everyone.

Because he looked exactly like the deceased Peter Parker.

Venom spun through the air before slamming into the wall.

Gazing at the figure before him—someone who ignited his overwhelming urge to devour—Venom was certain that this person was Spider-Man.

"I never expected Spider-Man to fake his own death," Venom scoffed at the web-slinger standing before him.

Perhaps it was the idea that Spider-Man had chosen to hide that irritated him so much.

But for Miles, the impact was entirely different.

He stood there, staring at the Spider-Man before him in disbelief.

He was certain he had never seen this Spider-Man before.

Because he was completely different from any of the Spider-Men he had encountered.

This classic red-and-blue-costumed Spider-Man had no noticeable belly.

And unlike the others, he showed no signs of interdimensional displacement.

Naturally, Miles assumed that this man was the Spider-Man of this universe.

"Peter..." Miles wanted to say something. He even considered reaching out to touch the figure in front of him to confirm if he was real.

But for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Should he admit that he had failed to uphold Spider-Man's responsibilities?

Or should he confess that he hadn't fulfilled their shared promise?

At that moment, he suddenly felt a surge of hesitation.

Meanwhile, Peter Parker, who had arrived here, noticed the young black-suited Spider-Man beside him but said nothing.

He merely assumed that Miles was some kind of clone.

After all, it wouldn't be the first time he had encountered such a thing in his own universe.

Ben Reilly, Kaine Parker—weren't they the same?

"I don't recall ever pulling off a stunt like that. All I remember is taking you down last time," Peter Parker said, looking at Venom.

Even though the Venom before him looked slightly different from the one he had defeated before…

Peter Parker was certain—it was Venom.

After all, no one else had such a grotesquely menacing mouth.

Bruce observed the scene before him, furrowing his brows.

One thing was clear—this Spider-Man was definitely not from this universe.

The situation was becoming increasingly chaotic.

(End of Chapter)

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