Chapter 668: The Enigma of the Spider's Web (Part 1) (Patreon)

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In the office of Arkham Sanatorium, Schiller, Strange, and Loki occupied three separate sofas, each facing a different direction. The fourth sofa, however, was reserved for Peter.

Peter sat there with a restrained posture, knees together, hands on his knees, occasionally glancing left and right, or shivering slightly because all three people in front of him were staring at him intently.

"You're saying he's filled with the Power of Belief, but why can't I see it?" Schiller asked, his gaze fixed on Peter.

"This is magic, something ordinary folks can't... Oh, wait, you absorbed Knull's power earlier. You can simply extract it and attach it to your eyes to see," Strange explained while demonstrating.

His eyes briefly emitted a gentle radiance, which quickly faded, returning to its usual tranquility. But now, his vision had undergone a change, allowing him to perceive fluctuations of power that were invisible to ordinary eyes.

Schiller tried it and was momentarily disoriented. He hadn't considered this aspect before, as the fact that Spider-Man's origins were tied to magic was easy to overlook. Plus, during his time in DC, he hadn't mastered the world of magic power until he had to rely on Constantine to enter the Spirit Realm. He had forgotten that, in Marvel, he had another identity – that of a sorcerer.

After activating the magic vision, Schiller blinked in surprise. Instead of seeing Peter, he now beheld a massive, glowing golden sphere sitting across from him.

"What's going on? Why is he glowing?" Schiller shielded his eyes with his fingers, and Strange did the same. Loki sighed, saying, "Can't you guys tone down the energy attached to your eyes? It's blinding."

Following their advice, they reduced the energy to a thin veil, allowing them to see Peter's true form. Schiller turned his head to Loki and asked, "Why are you so skilled at this?"

"I'm a God. I didn't learn magic in my mortal years; I was born proficient in using this kind of energy. So, of course, I know how to handle various situations," Loki replied, shifting his gaze back to Peter. With keen interest, he continued, "This child seems on the verge of becoming a demon god. Where did he acquire such potent Power of Belief? How many followers does he have?"

Both Loki and Strange looked at Schiller, and Strange raised his hands, saying, "Schiller, I understand that you're an expert in this field, but you're exaggerating. Does Peter really need to ascend to godhood? He just started college. Even if he wants to become a Cosmic God, shouldn't he finish his degree first? I wouldn't want the first demon god to emerge from Earth after I become Sorcerer Supreme to lack a college diploma..."

"It wasn't me; would you believe that?" Schiller explained with great exasperation. However, judging by the eye contact between the other two, they clearly didn't believe him. Schiller sighed and turned to Peter, asking, "Have you eaten anything unusual lately or met strange people?"

Peter shook his head and replied, "No, I've been quite normal recently—normal classes, normal dates, normal gaming... Oh, wait... I haven't been gaming!... Didn't stay up too late either."

"If you're sure it wasn't you, I can check his soul. But it's better to find a place with no one around..." Strange suggested.

"A place with no one around? What are you planning?" Schiller looked at Strange, who stared back, assessing Schiller from head to toe. Strange said, "What am I planning? Have you forgotten? When the soul leaves the body, it becomes uncontrollable. If you're okay with it, I can start right here."

"No, wait, my new Sanatorium has just been renovated!" Schiller hastily stopped Strange from producing the soul jar.

Approximately twenty minutes later, everyone gathered in the laboratory of Stark Tower. Stark stroked his chin and said, "So, Peter's experiencing these unusual symptoms not because of his mating season but due to Mysticism?"

"Correct, and what you might not know is that Peter's mutation after being bitten by the spider isn't entirely a scientific one. It's very likely connected to magic. Do you remember the guy who called himself Morlun during the bat invasion event in Central New York?" Schiller asked as he flipped through his medical records.

Stark and Steve tried to recall the event, which had happened not too long ago, but their memories were already hazy. Recent events had been overwhelming, and what had once seemed earth-shattering, like the bat invasion, now appeared relatively insignificant. After all, the entire Earth was preparing to venture into the cosmic ocean.

Stark remembered some of the things he had seen during his ascension and furrowed his brow, showing a wary expression. He even had JARVIS scan the surroundings, as if afraid someone was watching Peter.

He exchanged a knowing look with Schiller, an unspoken understanding between two members of the spoiler club, causing both of them to remain silent.

"He came for the sole purpose of hunting Spider-Man. But the specifics are still unclear. For now, let's examine Peter's soul to ensure nobody has tampered with it without our knowledge," Schiller summarized concisely.

"What are we waiting for then?" Steve, feeling anxious at the possibility of foul play, urged, "Let's begin the examination immediately!"

"The problem is that Peter possesses the Spider-Sense. If his Soul leaves his body, his body acts on its own and has exceptional combat capabilities. Last time, he even wrecked my clinic," Schiller sighed, speaking as Peter displayed a guilty expression beside him. Schiller reached out and patted Peter's shoulder.

"So, we need to find a place with no one around to extract Peter's Soul for examination. It's best if everyone is present to prevent him from straying into populated areas, as it might pose a danger to the surrounding city," Strange said, taking out the Soul bottle.

"You know who we should contact for this," Schiller glanced at Natasha, who had just arrived. Natasha took out her phone, contacted Nick, and eventually chose a location in the New Mexico desert, where the Asgardians had previously descended.

Returning to the scene, the marks of destruction were still evident. Loki stood on a rock, observing Spider-Man, who was surrounded by the others. He turned to Schiller and remarked, "Aren't you making a fuss over a child with spider mutations? Is it worth this grand display?"

Schiller glanced at him and asked, "Did you only look at Asgard when you arrived?"

"I was preoccupied with Asgard," Loki shrugged.

Schiller used a walkie-talkie to address Steve on the other side, "You all should step back. Our Mr. Loki has some thoughts on Spider-Man's combat abilities, and we must give him a chance..."

After speaking, he provocatively made eye contact with Loki. Loki snorted and said, "Even though I'm not an Asgardian and lack their physique, don't underestimate me. I may not have used magic in personal combat recently, but it doesn't mean I can't handle a child like this."

With that, he extended his hand, and a soft radiance of magic enveloped his entire body. A magnificent robe appeared, and with a wave of his hand, a staff materialized in his grasp. Then, in a flash, he stood next to Spider-Man.

"Loki, wait, why are you all leaving?" Peter looked around and noticed Stark and Steve retreating, leaving only Loki in the arena.

Peter took a step back and said, "Mr. Loki, you might not know, but I have great destructive power when I'm asleep. It's better if you..."

Loki smiled at him, flexed his wrist, spun the staff, and with a forceful swing, there was a resounding "boom," and Peter's Soul was ejected from his body. Strange quickly collected the Soul using a small bottle and swiftly moved away from the battlefield.

The body without a Soul initially slumped to the ground but suddenly jumped up, making a defensive posture without warning. In the absence of a Soul, this reaction was typical, causing no surprise to Loki.

What did surprise him was that this lifeless body acted on its own. In the absence of his Soul, it assumed a defensive stance.

Although Loki spoke lightly, he exercised caution. Without knowing Peter's resistance to magic, he refrained from employing direct attacks like missiles. Instead, he waved his staff and summoned a stone giant from the ground.

Several magical lights shimmered, completing the enchantments on the stone giant. Loki refrained from using offensive enchantments and instead added layers of "sturdy" and "agility."

Seeing the stone giant, Peter stood his ground in a defensive posture. Loki furrowed his brow, contemplating whether to dismantle a few stones to weaken the stone giant's power, as he didn't want to risk injuring Peter.

In Loki's eyes, Peter was still a young boy who hadn't even started college. Even when taking Asgard's lifespan into account, both Thor and Loki were older than Peter. While Loki didn't rigidly adhere to Asgard's warrior honor principles, he had no interest in picking on children.

While Loki hesitated, the stone giant began to attack. Loki considered his options, squeezing a healing spell into his hand, just in case he needed to provide prompt treatment in case of injury.

The massive stone giant raised its robust arms overhead and delivered a powerful downward strike. A deafening crash ensued as a cloud of dust billowed. Loki narrowed his eyes because he knew the strike hadn't connected.

Just as Loki was about to search for Peter, a faint gust of wind rustled, rapidly escalating into a violent gale with piercing sonic booms that followed almost immediately.

Around the colossal stone giant, several blurred figures surrounded it. Perhaps it wasn't several but rather a single figure composed of multiple afterimages. Due to their incredible speed, these afterimages practically merged into a protective shield around the stone giant.

The sound of "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" continued without pause. In just a few seconds, it subsided, returning to tranquility. Loki had just raised his staff when the enormous stone giant disintegrated with a "poof," scattering into ordinary rubble.

Loki slightly opened his mouth, gazing at the shattered enchantment runes with trepidation as he swallowed hard.

Clutching his staff tightly, as the magical radiance illuminated the area, what appeared in his field of vision was Peter's fist, the size of a sandbag.

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 669: The Sorcerer's Threat (Part 1)