C665 Spider-Man (Patreon)
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“Where do you think you’re going?” Peter asked as Centurion tried and failed to escape, his rune working just as planned. “I just got here and you already want to leave… Isn’t that rude? You’re supposed to be the host of this little gathering, you know? How can you just leave without even welcoming your latest guest?”
“I… I was just…” Centurion tried to make up an excuse, but before he could say much, Peter spoke once again, cutting him off.
“What do you think, Tiamut? It’s rude, isn’t it?” He asked and immediately the air crackled with tension as the undead Celestial’s gigantic figure materialized from his shadow, a towering figure of darkness and rage.
“What the hell is that?!” Miles and Mateo shouted in unison, their eyes widening as the monstrous figure appeared behind Peter and glared down at Centurion.
“I-I don’t know…” Their Uncle Aaron answered, just as confused and frightened as they were.
“!?” Centurion's eyes widened in terror at the sight, his body trembling with fear as he recognized his former pawn, now transformed into an undead shadow under Peter's command. “How?!”
The Kang’s mind raced for answers as he began to wonder where it all went wrong. He especially wanted to know how his former pawn had turned into this shadow creature, but he doubted Peter would answer his questions at this point.
‘Perhaps it has something to do with Deaths cloak?’ Centurion guessed.
Tiamut's voice echoed through the chamber, a guttural growl filled with centuries of pent-up anger and frustration. "You thought you could control me, Centurion? You thought you could bend me to your will like some mindless, rampaging puppet? And then you have the gall to try and escape?!" Each word out of the Celestials mouth dripped with venom, his gaze fixed on Centurion with an intensity that sent shivers down the cyborg's spine. “Master is right. You’re being quite rude…”
“Ohh… I think you made him mad~” Peter commented tauntingly, enjoying the show playing out in front of him.
“Master?!” Centurion staggered backward, his confidence faltering in the face of Tiamut's overwhelming power. "N-no... it can't be..." he stammered, his voice trembling with fear as he desperately tried to activate the multiverse traveling function of his suit, only to find it disabled by Peter's rune once again.
Reaching forward, Tiamut’s shadowy arms closed the distance between them, his fists wreathed in dark energy. With a roar of fury, he unleashed a barrage of blows upon Centurion, his fists raining down on his most hated enemy.
Centurion's suit hummed with energy as he desperately tried to fend off Tiamut's relentless assault. With a swift movement, he summoned an energy shield, hoping to deflect the incoming blow. But Tiamut's strength was overwhelming, shattering the shield with a single strike, sending Centurion flying across his own lair, smashing into the wall with a loud thud.
“Ugh…!” The Kang spat out a mouthful of blood upon impact, collapsing to the floor soon after.
“?!” Miles, Mateo, and Aaron watched from the sidelines, relieved to see that the monster from Peter’s shadow seemed to be on their side.
“Is that all, Centurion?” Peter tauntingly commented from across the room, casually leaned against a nearby wall. “I thought you were supposed to be one of the most powerful Kang’s in existence? Does the council of Kang’s only amount to this much?”
“…” Centurion wanted to answer and defend himself, but sadly, he had no reply. Although he hated to admit it, in front of beings like Peter and Tiamut, who held god-like powers, any Kang would have a hard time, especially with their ability to escape sealed away. ‘I need to get out of here before-‘
As he regained his footing, Centurion activated his suit's thrusters, propelling himself out of harm's way just in time to avoid Tiamut's next attack. But the undead Celestial was relentless, his shadowy form moving with unnatural speed as he closed the distance once again.
With a surge of determination, Centurion launched a counterattack, firing a barrage of energy blasts at Tiamut. But the Celestial seemed unaffected, the dark energy surrounding him absorbing the impact of the blasts as if they were mere mosquito bites.
Realizing that brute force alone wouldn't be enough to stop Tiamut, Centurion tried a different approach. He focused his suits energy, attempting to disrupt Tiamut's form with a concentrated blast, putting as much power into it as he could. But to his dismay, the attack had little effect, Tiamut's shadowy form absorbing the energy with ease.
“Hmm… Thanks for the meal.” Tiamut smirked.
Desperation mounting, Centurion tried to outmaneuver Tiamut, darting around the chamber in a flurry of movement, propelled by his suits thrusters. But Tiamut anticipated his every move, his towering figure cutting off Centurion's escape routes with uncanny precision.
With each failed attempt at escape, Centurion's hope dwindled, his suit straining under the relentless assault. “…”
“Where are you going, little bug?” Tiamut asked as he swatted Centurion out of the air like an annoying fly.
“Aaarghh!” Centurion screamed in pain as he was slapped into the floor, a small crater forming below him.
“Why don’t you just give up?” Peter asked Centurion from the other side of the room. “It’s not like you can escape and you certainly can’t beat Tiamut, which means you stand absolutely no chance against me. So, why not just make it easy on yourself and surrender?”
“I…” Centurion spoke as he shakily stood to his feet. “…REFUSE!” He shouted, refusing to give up, drawing upon every ounce of determination and ingenuity he possessed in a desperate bid to survive, but…
*Crack!* Taimut brought his hand down and flicked Centurions stomach, sending him flying across the room, his suit and ribs both cracking and breaking simultaneously.
Sadly, determination and ingenuity meant nothing in the face of true, unadulterated strength.
As Tiamut unleashed another barrage of blows, Centurion's suit flickered and sparked, the strain becoming too much to bear, his screams echoed through the chamber, a symphony of agony as Tiamut's wrath descended upon him without mercy.
Every punch, every kick was a testament to the celestial's determination to exact vengeance upon his tormentor, his rage fueling each devastating blow.
With each strike, Centurion's armor buckled and cracked, his circuits sizzling with the intensity of Tiamut's assault. But still, he refused to yield, his stubborn pride driving him to continue fighting against impossible odds.
Tiamut was not interested in a fair fight either, his only desire to inflict pain upon the one who had dared to experiment on him and twist his mind to suit his own ambitions. With a cruel smirk, he continued his relentless onslaught, each blow landing with calculated precision as Centurion's suit crumbled beneath the onslaught, his body battered and bloody.
Centurion's cries grew more desperate with each passing moment, his body battered and broken, his strength waning with each blow. Yet still, he refused to surrender, his willpower fueled by a stubborn refusal to admit defeat.
But Tiamut was not one to show mercy, his rage consuming him as he delivered blow after blow upon his helpless foe. Each strike was a symphony of pain, each blow a reminder of the suffering he had endured at Centurion's hands.
As the battle raged on, Centurion's strength began to wane, his body battered and bruised, his spirit broken by Tiamut's relentless assault. With a final strike, Centurion crashed into the ground in a heap of broken metal and shattered dreams.
The chamber fell silent, the echoes of the battle fading into the darkness as Tiamut stood victorious over his fallen foe.
"Is he still alive?” Peter asked as he walked over, stepping in front of Tiamut to check Centurion, who wasn’t looking so good. He was covered in wounds and blood, and even his suit was barely holding together, shattered pieces scatter all around his beaten form.
But most of all, he was still conscious and alive, his breath ragged and labored as he stared up at Peter with wide, fearful eyes.
"Please," he gasped, his voice barely a whisper. "Have mercy."
But Peter's expression remained cold and unyielding, his gaze unwavering as he stood over his fallen foe. "Mercy?" he scoffed. "Did you show mercy to those you’ve killed. What about Mateo’s dad? Did you give him mercy?” He asked, pausing for a moment, hoping to hear an answer, but Centurion remained silent. “No, you didn’t, did you? So why should I show you even an ounce of mercy?"
Coming to terms with his loss and inevitable death, Centurion looked up at Peter and smiled, “Then I might as well go out with a bang, huh?”
“?” Everyone seemed confused by what he meant but that, but their confusion would be cleared up in a moment.
With a final, defiant roar, Centurion activated his suit's self-destruct sequence, channeling all of its remaining power into one last explosive burst.
“!” Everyone watched as his suit began to brighten, its power rising with every passing second.
“If I’m going to die, then I’m taking all of you with me!” Centurion exclaimed as his suit began to pulse.
Mateo, Miles, and Aaron stood frozen in fear, their hearts pounding in their chests as they braced for the impending explosion.
But just before Centurion's suit could unleash its deadly payload, Peter approached him with an air of calm confidence, tapping the glowing suit with a single finger.
As Peter withdrew his hand, the suit began to dim, the ominous glow fading until nothing remained.
Centurion looked up at Peter in shock, his disbelief evident in his expression as he whispered, "I never stood a chance, did I?"
Peter simply shook his head, his gaze unwavering as he replied, "No."
Turning to Mateo and Aaron, Peter gestured towards Centurion, his tone matter-of-fact as he said, "He's all yours."
Mateo and Aaron, still nursing their injuries, limped over to the fallen Kang, their faces etched with determination as they confronted the man who had caused them so much pain.
Conjuring two swords, Peter handed them over to Mateo and Aaron before taking a step back, allowing them to exact their revenge.
Looking up at his executioners, Centurion's voice was resigned as he said, "Just get it over with already..."
Without hesitation, Mateo and Aaron drove their swords into Centurion's chest, their movements swift and purposeful. As the life drained from Centurion's eyes, his body slumped to the ground, blood pooling around him.
Silence descended upon the chamber, broken only by the sound of Mateo and Aaron's ragged breathing as they stood over their fallen enemy. Peter watched from a distance, his expression unreadable as he observed the scene unfolding before him.
Finally, Mateo and Aaron turned away from Centurion's lifeless form, their faces drawn and weary as they faced Peter once again. There were no words to express the mix of emotions swirling within them, but Peter understood the gravity of the moment without needing any further explanation.
With a nod of acknowledgment, Peter watched as they limped out of the chamber, their long fight against Centurion finally over.
A/N: 1858 words :)