Marvel’s Shadowed Knight

When the mechanical body controlled by Mysterio was subdued by Bruce, everything the two Spider-Men had been witnessing in their separate illusions vanished.

At that moment, Miles collapsed onto the ground.

Even though his rational mind told him that everything he had seen was fake, the sensations had felt too real.

It left him momentarily unable to react.

Peter Parker understood all too well what a blow this was for Miles.

After all, when he had first encountered something similar, his own reaction probably wasn't much different.

That sense of helplessness was always hard to accept.

What surprised Peter Parker even more, however, was how Bruce remained completely unaffected by it all.

He ignored everything and walked straight toward the mastermind behind it all.

This made Peter wonder—had Bruce even seen anything at all?

"It's just a robot," Bruce examined the mechanical device in his hand and said to the Spider-Men. "They've placed enough virtual projection devices around it to create all these illusions."

"He'll be back."

Peter Parker reacted swiftly.

"We should be able to track where he came from, right?"

Peter had already understood Bruce's intention the moment he picked up the device.

Miles watched the two of them, wanting to say something, but in the end, he chose to remain silent.

He wanted to ask Bruce what had happened to the Prowler, but after witnessing that horrifying scene, he couldn't bring himself to face him again.

What if his uncle really had harmed his parents?

Miles thought to himself—he would never forgive himself for that.

"It was all fake," Peter Parker tried to comfort him.

Miles lifted his head and looked at Peter. "But it could still become real, couldn't it?"

His words left Peter speechless.

Because deep down, Peter knew—Miles was right.

The images conjured by Mysterio were nothing more than their greatest fears brought to life.

"It won't happen," Bruce coldly interrupted, cutting off the somber atmosphere between them.

Hearing Bruce's words, Miles suddenly found a surge of courage.

He stood up abruptly, pointed a finger at Bruce, and shouted, "Do you really think you have control over everything? Do you really believe that nothing will ever happen just because you say so? That's just your own wishful thinking!"

Miles was on the verge of breaking down, yelling at Bruce, nearly losing all restraint.

The illusions had placed an unbearable burden on him.

Bruce, however, simply stared at the distraught boy with an indifferent expression, unmoved.

Just as Miles was about to say something else, Bruce put down the mechanical device from Mysterio—

And, just like before, without hesitation, Bruce punched Miles.

The punch landed with full force, sending Miles crashing back onto the ground. As he looked up at Bruce from this new angle, for the first time, he truly felt the fearsome presence emanating from the Bat.

"When you're just a kid, you can throw tantrums all you want," Bruce said coldly. "But when you put on that suit, you're no longer just a kid."

"If you want to cry, if you want to fall apart, take off that suit first before coming to me."

Bruce picked up the mechanical device once more and walked toward the Batmobile.

Peter Parker crouched down beside Miles, patting him on the back.

"You're okay. You just haven't been through enough yet. But I believe you'll make a great Spider-Man."

But Peter's words of encouragement clearly didn't have much effect.

Without a word, Miles leapt onto a nearby building, shot out a web, and disappeared into the night.

Peter considered following him, just in case Miles did something reckless.

But he also knew that at this age, people rarely listened to advice.

With a sigh, Peter understood Bruce's reasoning. He just hadn't expected Bruce to be so... harsh.

"He's still just a kid," Peter said as he sat in the Batmobile, addressing Bruce.

"The moment he chose to wear that suit, he stopped being a kid. He became a hero. A protector of this city."

"Anyone can be under the mask. They can have powers or not. But they have to live up to the expectations that come with it."

Bruce showed no reaction to Peter's words. He simply started the Batmobile and drove off into the heart of New York City.

Back in the Batcave, Peter watched as Bruce focused intently on dismantling the mechanical device. He still couldn't shake his concern for Miles.

"That kid... he'll be okay, right?"

Even as Peter asked, he wasn't entirely sure. The impact on Miles had been massive.

That kid had simply not been through enough yet.

It could very well leave some lasting scars.

"If you have time to worry about him, you'd be better off finishing your own work first," Bruce replied without even glancing up, meticulously disassembling the device.

"Sometimes, I seriously wonder—do you even have emotions?"

Peter sighed and resigned himself to his work.

As Bruce continued taking apart the device, he had already extracted all the programming and formulas embedded within it.

Now, Peter's job was to crack them.

What Peter didn't notice was that, when he had questioned Bruce's emotions, Bruce's usually steady hands had paused—just for a brief moment.

Then, he resumed his work as if nothing had happened.

The small workspace was anything but quiet.

It was always filled with Peter's endless chatter.

He was like a bird that never stopped chirping.

But to Bruce, that bird's voice wasn't pleasant—it was neither a nightingale nor a lark.

If he had to name it, Bruce thought Peter wasn't much of a Spider-Man.

He was more like... a crow.

Meanwhile, in Universe 616...

Mysterio had already removed his helmet.

He was uncertain—should he kill Spider-Man in that other world, or should he simply leave him there and stage a grand tragedy in this one?

He stared at the portal before him, unsure of what he truly wanted.

But soon, he made up his mind.

He knew exactly what he wanted.

It wasn't just about earning greater respect and admiration than Spider-Man.

It was about accomplishing what no one else had.

Killing Spider-Man.

Once the thought took root, he quickly composed himself, donned his mask, and activated his mechanical devices.

Step by step, he walked into the portal.

He had chosen to deal with Spider-Man in another world while recording everything in this one.

He would see his plan through.

Back in Miles' world, just after parting ways with Bruce and Peter...

Miles raced toward Brooklyn at full speed.

More than anything, he wanted to see his parents—to calm his overwhelmed, chaotic mind.

But as he reached his home, he suddenly realized—he was still wearing his black-and-red Spider-Man suit.

He was so close.

He was just about to step through the door.

He could already see his mother sitting in the living room.

But in the end, he gave up.

At that moment, he finally understood why Bruce had been so harsh on him.

Because to outsiders, he is no longer just a child—he is Spider-Man.

Just as he cannot confide in his parents about his true identity, he can only stand here, watching his mother from a distance as she sits in the living room.

The moment he put on this suit, the weight of responsibility became overwhelming.

Taking one last deep look at his mother, Miles' figure vanished from his window.

He had to find Bruce. They had to find Peter Parker. He wanted to know if everything he had done made him a worthy Spider-Man in their eyes.

Inside the Batcave, Bruce and another Parker were already using the mechanical device's signal to locate where Mysterio had sent these things.

"Looks like we did it, Bats! Give me a high five!"

Peter Parker was clearly excited, extending his hand toward Bruce, hoping for a response.

Unfortunately, Bruce had no such intentions. He simply turned and walked away.

"Alright, what else can I say? This guy is seriously no fun," Peter Parker muttered awkwardly as he withdrew his hand.

He suddenly remembered—no matter the version, Batman was never the chatty type.

Maybe one day, a version of Batman would appear in a story where he laughs openly with everyone.

Though he thought about it, Peter Parker quickly caught up with Bruce.

At the very least, they had to ensure Mysterio wouldn't cause any more unexpected trouble in this world.

"By the way, don't you think running on empty every day like this will lead to malnutrition or some serious health issues?" Peter Parker asked in confusion as he sat inside the Batmobile.

"I'm Batman."

That was Bruce's only response.

Peter Parker had nothing more to say.

It seemed like this was every Batman's standard answer when faced with such a question.

The Batmobile's engine roared to life. At that moment, Aunt May walked out from the back, holding a tray with freshly baked red date bread for Bruce.

"Looks like my red date bread was late again," Aunt May sighed helplessly.

She really couldn't understand these young people—how could they keep going without even stopping for a meal?

When her gaze landed on Jessica, Jessica instinctively understood what Aunt May meant.

It seemed the freshly baked red date bread would be hers alone once again.

She promised herself that once Bruce returned, she would make sure he enjoyed these delicious treats.

"Looks like that guy sent another mechanical device into this world."

Inside the Batmobile, Bruce noticed the sudden appearance of a familiar signal and immediately understood that Mysterio was moving faster than they had expected.

Just as Peter Parker was about to ask what their next move was, Bruce floored the accelerator, pushing the Batmobile's speed to its maximum.

Even for Spider-Man, the sheer rush of speed sent adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"Seriously, don't you think this speed is way over the limit? The traffic cops are definitely going to come after you!" Spider-Man gripped the overhead handle tightly, trying to steady himself.

In front of him, the Batmobile weaved flawlessly through traffic without a single scratch.

"We can't give him time. He might use it to return to the place where he set up his illusion devices."

Bruce spoke as he effortlessly dodged an oncoming car.

"Alright, alright."

Spider-Man admitted that Bruce had a point.

But that didn't mean he was okay with Bruce's wild driving style.

Even if no one got hurt, Spider-Man was sure that if people saw the Batmobile, they'd think twice before taking their own cars onto the road—out of sheer terror.

Bruce's driving skills were undeniably top-notch. In no time, they had reached the source of the signal—an abandoned warehouse.

Bruce didn't even bother stopping. The Batmobile crashed straight through the warehouse doors, ramming into Mysterio's illusion device.

At the exact moment of impact, Bruce swiftly opened Peter Parker's cockpit hatch.

Peter knew exactly what he had to do. He leaped out, shooting a web toward the eerie, glowing device.

Based on their research, Mysterio could only maintain control over his illusions if he stayed near the device and kept it active.

Sure enough, Mysterio was dragged out from another world by Peter Parker.

"I got him!" Peter Parker called out.

But Mysterio had already started making his move.

Before he could even counterattack, Bruce was already in front of him, pulling a small orange vial from his utility belt and injecting it into Mysterio's body.

"W-What did you just inject me with?!"

Mysterio looked at Bruce in horror.

"Fear."

Bruce yanked Mysterio away from the portal, preventing him from escaping back to his world and causing further trouble.

Whatever Mysterio feared most—only he knew.

Peter Parker watched as Mysterio writhed on the ground, overwhelmed by terror, and found himself feeling an unexpected hint of pity.

Clearly, whatever Mysterio was seeing was enough to leave lasting psychological scars.

The next chapter will be released around 7:30. From now on, updates will come at 7:00 and 7:30.

(End of Chapter)

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