Chapter 716: The Infinity Event (Part 32) (Patreon)

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In a moment reminiscent of fireworks bursting over New York, every Spider-Man was flung outwards, a layer seemingly sliced clean off the city’s skyscrapers. The turrets and monitoring equipment Otto Parker had installed on every high-rise rooftop were reduced to dust.

Peter’s outstretched hand froze in place. He swallowed hard and walked over to the recently ejected Amazing Spider-Man, asking, “Your Spider-Sense, didn’t it go off?”

“It did, but too late.”

Picking himself up, the Amazing Spider-Man replied, “After all, we ambushed him. He retaliated in the blink of an eye. Even with our Spider-Sense, we couldn’t evade in time. Thankfully, that move wasn’t very powerful, or we’d be in a real mess…”

But at that moment, the Amazing Spider-Man noticed Peter, who had turned back, wearing an expression of shock. Following his gaze, he then saw the silhouette that had repelled them now forming a massive black sphere in its hand.

Shortly after, the figure extended a hand, and the sphere slowly floated up, triggering the Spider-Sense of every Spider-Man to go wild. Space Captain Spider-Man shouted, “Stop him!!!”

Red Bee, with Peter in tow, raced towards the sphere at breakneck speed, but as they neared, they realized the black sphere was emitting a tremendous gravitational pull, attracting everything in its vicinity.

“Don’t come closer, he’s trying to trap us all!” Peter yelled.

But it was too late. Many swiftly moving Spider-Men had already drawn near the black sphere, now flailing as they were pulled in by its attraction.

Space Captain Spider-Man, not knowing the nature of the sphere but certain it needed to be destroyed, levitated, his body radiating a white glow, with twinkling lights emerging behind him.

In a moment, a punch tore through the air, imbued with the force of Eternity, hitting the center of the black sphere. Space Captain Spider-Man felt as though he hit nothing, yet the trapped Peter shouted, “It’s working! The gravity’s weakening, keep attacking the sphere!”

All the Spider-Men sprung into action, each unleashing their unique moves against the black sphere. But soon they realized that it wasn’t just them being pulled in—countless pieces of building debris were too.

The debris, controlled by the gravitational force, continuously converged towards the center, and like a relentless pestilence, chased down the Spider-Men, adhering to their bodies and immobilizing them within a hard shell, rendering them unable to move.

Peter, utilizing Red Bee’s velocity, fought against the formidable gravitational pull, aiding the other Spider-Men in repelling the building fragments. But this exerted a significant toll on both him and the symbiote, raising doubts about how long they could last.

Aside from Space Captain Spider-Man's energy attacks, which managed to damage the black sphere and weaken its gravity, the other Spider-Men’s assaults seemed futile, the collective effort of dozens falling short of the impact made by Space Captain Spider-Man alone.

Realizing that energy attacks were effective against the sphere, Peter immediately thought of using magical energy. However, not versed in magic himself, in his urgency, he remembered that while he couldn’t wield magic, a wand could.

Fumbling, he drew out the wand, recalling the incantations Professor Schiller had taught him, channeling the magic energy within him into the wand.

Stored within the wand were not only auxiliary spells but also some with significant lethality. Peter searched his memory for the right incantation capable of effectively destroying the black sphere. Extending the wand with a vigorous wave, he aimed at the sphere and shouted:

“Shadowless Divine Blade!”

In that moment, he felt the gravitational force binding him lessening. Peter continued to bombard the sphere with the spell.

During a brief lull in his assault, Peter glanced downward and saw Schiller on the rooftop looking up at him, his gaze causing Peter’s heart to skip a beat.

Standing on the rooftop, Schiller's eyes were devoid of whites, the insides completely pale violet with concentric circles of lines, and the pupils surrounded by a slightly darker shade. When those eyes fixed on someone, they instilled a profound chill.

Peter narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing. He noticed that this Schiller was much younger than Dr. Schiller he knew, appearing to be in his twenties.

More importantly, his nose bridge was pierced with three black spikes, two beneath his lower lip, and a black bar through his ear, adorned with several black studs. [Six Path Sage Schiller?]

This appearance, combined with his intense gaze, was deeply unsettling. Peter realized Schiller wasn’t in a rush to attack; it seemed he was merely observing the group assailing him.

But Peter knew they must first deal with the black sphere that was relentlessly pulling them in.

Most of the Spider-Men were terrestrial beings; suspended in the air, they were virtually defenseless against the gravity sphere. However, with their combined efforts and Peter's spells, they might just stand a chance to neutralize it.

Spider-Man, now endowed with the power of Eternity, once again possessed the capability for aerial combat. They swiftly moved toward Schiller, but Schiller always managed to vanish from the spot with incredible speed, then lunged with a sudden punch.

Fortunately, the Spider-Men were able to preemptively dodge his attacks thanks to their Spider-Sense. Peter observed that Schiller, persistently attacking mid-air, furrowed his brow – evidently realizing that a surprise assault was futile against Spider-Man.

Suddenly, Schiller halted mid-flight, forming a strange hand gesture. Spider-Man heard him shout, “Spirit Communication Technique: Yatagarasu!”

In an instant, all the Spider-Men’s Spider-Senses tingled again as numerous large birds, with razor-sharp beaks, materialized and began to dart about at high speed.

Though the Spider-Men could still dodge the birds using their Spider-Sense, doing so inevitably disrupted their formation. At this moment, Peter and Space Captain Spider-Man had managed to get close to Schiller’s side.

There was someone even faster: Otto Parker, with his four tentacles, used the stored energy from his tentacles to spring forward from the rooftop of Parker Industries, shooting straight towards Schiller.

As Otto neared Schiller, he saw a cold smirk appear on Schiller's face.

Otto wanted to dodge, but it was too late. Schiller surged forward, seizing his arm, and in an instant, drained the energy that Space Captain Spider-Man had shared with him.

Like discarding trash, he flung Otto Parker onto an opposing building. Schiller then shot upwards with incredible speed until he was above the setting sun.

A black rod appeared in his hand, which he tossed lightly into the air. Countless shadows gathered around him, and as he dived down rapidly, countless black rods shot out like arrows.

"Dr. Schiller!" Peter shouted, "No! Don't do this!"

The Spider-Men scrambled to avoid the onslaught, but the previously summoned Yatagarasu had already blocked most of the aerial space available for dodging. In a moment, several Spider-Men were impaled by the black rods, rendered incapable of combat.

Schiller turned his head, his pale purple eyes devoid of emotion under the afterglow of the sunset. Spider-Men were falling like raindrops before him, and Peter watched his eyes, filled with disbelief.

Schiller turned back, no longer looking at Peter. Peter saw him make another gesture, and quickly, the once brilliant afterglow of the sunset began to dim, as a vast expanse of dark clouds gathered over New York City.

As the rain began to fall, Peter felt a chill, and then he saw that familiar figure disappear into the skyline.

Space Captain Spider-Man exhaled in relief but then his expression grew more solemn. He flew back to the rooftop of Parker Industries where the Amazing Spider-Man was helping Spider-Woman evacuate the wounded.

"After the last battle with the Inheritors, three Spider-Men were sacrificed, twenty-six were injured. It was a struggle to recover, and now, over forty Spider-Men are injured, all with penetrating wounds. Who knows how long they will need to recover."

Space Captain Spider-Man sighed. At that moment, Otto approached and said, "The intelligence was flawed, a misstep that could exhaust a thousand soldiers. Who told you his special ability was only to become Grey Mist?"

Space Captain's brow deepened with worry, then he looked towards Peter. Peter was helping Spider-Gwen remove a black rod from an injured Spider-Man. Noticing Space Captain Spider-Man’s gaze, Peter said:

"Don’t look at me. The Schiller I know would only turn into Grey Mist and at most perform some magic. I’ve never seen these powers before."

"If that's the case, we might as well deal with Solus ourselves!" Spider-Gwen stood up, "This is totally unfair!"

"Schiller will not harm Spider-Man if we do not provoke him. He didn't come after us, and even when we did provoke him, he showed restraint and then left on his own. So why not focus on the Spider-Army's archenemy?" Gwen was clearly dissatisfied.

"But if we let him continue like this, the stability of the entire Space will decline and collapse."

"Do you still believe what Eternity told you?" Spider-Gwen raised her voice, "He didn't even tell you the enemy's capabilities! How do you know he's not deceiving you?"

"I..." Space Captain Spider-Man shook his head helplessly, looking at the wounded lying on the ground, his resolve wavered.

According to Otto Parker, Schiller had been in this Space for some time without causing harm. If they hadn't provoked him, he would have been content watching the sunset from the building's rooftop, not troubling anyone. This was much safer than the Inheritor Family that was chasing Spider-Men across the Multiverse.

Originally, Space Captain Spider-Man thought that if they could complete some necessary sacrifices to maintain the peace and stability of the Space, then it was worth trying.

But now, it seemed that even capturing a single Schiller was proving to be an arduous task. According to Eternity, the multiverse was teeming with countless Schillers awaiting their capture. It was yet to be decided who was hunting whom.

"First and foremost, we must return to base to regroup and devise a strategy."

"I need to return to my Space," Peter said as he turned around. "There are tasks waiting for me there."

With those words, he activated the transporter and departed. The Amazing Spider-Man shook his head and turned to SpaceCaptainSpider-Man, saying, "You shouldn't have doubted him earlier. Adolescents are always extra sensitive."

SpaceCaptainSpider-Man shook his head in response, "It was just an instinctive reaction. I'll apologize when he returns."

However, the moment Peter returned to his own Space, he was greeted by Stark's roaring demand:

"Capture him, now!"

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 717: The Infinite Event (Part Thirty-Three)