"You?!" Barry Allen was stunned by the unexpected betrayal. He couldn't believe that Harry Osborn, who had seemed perfectly normal just moments ago, would attack him—and succeed!
Harry, who had been just an ordinary human without any superhuman abilities, shouldn't have been able to harm Barry. Even without defensive capabilities, Barry's skin was too tough for Harry's hand to penetrate.
The only plausible explanation was that the small amount of mysterious liquid injected into Harry had indeed altered him, possibly even taken control of him. This realization flashed through the minds of the Avengers. Reacting quickly, Susan Storm used her powers to forcibly move Harry away, preventing further harm to Barry.
Despite Harry's instinctive struggle to break free from Susan's control, he remained suspended in mid-air, unable to escape, and only slightly better off than Peter Parker, who was under similar control.
"Barry, are you okay?" Johnny Storm frowned, concerned about the blood flowing from Barry's wound.
"It's not too serious. He only managed to break through my defenses without leaving any lingering effects. I'm already speeding up my healing process, but I won't be able to help much for a while..." Barry Allen replied, shaking his head slowly, his face pale.
"That's a relief. I never thought that experiment would be so terrifying. Just a little bit was enough to control someone's mind!" Morbius muttered warily, eyeing Richard Parker.
As a former renowned biochemical expert, Morbius had a deep understanding of the eerie experiments Richard Parker was conducting. He could at least infer the horrifying power contained in that small dose of experimental serum.
"Swish!"
"Watch out!"
Just as most of the Avengers' attention was on Barry, Steve Rogers, still battling the giant spider, shouted a warning. He leaped forward to block a sudden attack from the spider.
"Boom!" Steve landed clumsily, having barely managed to prevent the giant spider from spearing the suspended Harry Osborn. Without Steve's quick reaction, Harry might have been impaled by the spider's spear-like legs.
"What ruthlessness!" The Avengers were momentarily stunned. Susan Storm quickly relocated Harry to a safer position, out of the giant spider's reach, to avoid further surprise attacks that could compromise their efforts.
The Avengers had to admit that Richard Parker was indeed a cold and ruthless individual. After using Harry to ambush Barry Allen, he had no qualms about having the giant spider kill Harry as soon as Susan neutralized his usefulness. This revealed that, to Richard, a controlled Harry who could be captured by others was of no value and deserved death.
However, Harry's predicament also hinted that Richard didn't have a direct way to control Harry's life or death. Otherwise, he could have simply made Harry drop dead on the spot. This implied that the Avengers didn't have to worry about Peter Parker being killed on a whim by Richard Parker.
"Susan, keep an eye on Harry and take care of Barry. We'll handle the giant spider and try to break through its defenses to help Pietro and deal with that guy!" Steve Rogers quickly issued orders, then turned to Tony Stark.
"Tony, your firepower is the strongest among us. We need you to break through the spider's defenses. Johnny's flames are too powerful; they might cause a collapse…"
"You think I'm not worried?" Tony Stark replied with a hint of exasperation. If he could, he would have already unleashed a full-power blast to annihilate the giant spider. The problem was, this battle was taking place underground, and using such overwhelming force could cause the entire area to collapse.
While the Avengers could potentially escape in time, Peter Parker was a different story. Especially under Richard Parker's control, Tony didn't dare lose sight of him, uncertain of what Peter might become if they were separated.
"Get JARVIS to calculate the optimal energy range quickly. We'll provide the data support!" Johnny Storm threw a fireball that made the giant spider scream in pain but didn't push it back.
"The previous attack was calculated by JARVIS to be enough to kill this spider, but clearly, it's being controlled like Peter and Harry. We can't rely on conventional methods…" Tony Stark fired another repulsor blast that pierced the spider, causing more disgusting fluid to spray out. Despite increasing the power, the effect was the same.
It was clear that the spider had lost its sense of pain and survival instinct under Richard's control. The strange substance seemed to have enhanced its regenerative abilities as well, with the wounds from Tony's previous attacks already starting to heal.
Tony needed JARVIS to compute a perfect energy output that would completely incapacitate the giant spider without risking a collapse of the underground structure.
Meanwhile, behind the giant spider, Peter Parker was relentlessly attacking Pietro. Earlier, Pietro's speed allowed him to dodge Peter's attacks effortlessly, especially without Harry Osborn as a burden. But as time passed, Peter's strength continued to grow, making it increasingly difficult for Pietro to keep up.
"People said I was overpowered, but you're almost as strong as when you wielded Mjolnir now that you're under control!" Pietro grumbled as he dodged and blocked Peter's strikes.
"Good thing Harry was taken away. If he were still here, I'd be the one getting impaled now, unable to withstand even a single hit and getting defeated by you…"
"Can't you take this seriously? Knock me out already!" Peter Parker, frustrated by Pietro's constant chatter, screamed internally. Ever since the battle began, Peter had been trying to get Pietro to understand his predicament, hoping to relay information that could help resolve the situation.
But without any psychic or telepathic abilities, Peter's attempts to communicate through sheer will were futile.
"Damn, these Avengers are stronger and stranger than Peter. Their abilities are more enigmatic than Peter's lightning powers. Where do these guys come from, and how did they get such powers?" Richard Parker pondered as he observed the battlefield. Although he wasn't yet at a disadvantage, he was increasingly uneasy and starting to worry.
Richard knew that the Avengers were holding back due to their concerns about Peter's condition and the structural integrity of the underground space. But if the fight dragged on, they would eventually unleash their full power, rendering the giant spider and Arachnid-Men irrelevant in the battle.
"Do I have to resort to this now?" Richard Parker looked at the eerie substance in his hand, hesitating for the first time as if unsure whether he should proceed.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
As Richard was lost in thought, the battle saw a sudden shift. Pietro was sent flying by Peter's powerful blow. After landing, he elegantly spun around and dashed towards the Arachnid-Men, smashing them one by one like they were nothing.
"Damn it! If I can't fight Peter, I'll smash you filthy creatures instead! Enough is enough!" Pietro grumbled as he pummeled the Arachnid-Men, clearly frustrated. He couldn't risk seriously injuring Peter, fearing irreparable harm, and the constant interference from the Arachnid-Men was pushing him to his limits.
Unintentionally, Pietro's rampage against the Arachnid-Men provided a turning point in the battle.
As Richard Parker was deep in contemplation, the Arachnid-Men guarding him saw their comrades being slaughtered by Pietro. Realizing their impending doom, their newly awakened consciousnesses drove them to act, and they attacked Pietro without Richard's command.
"Hmm?!" Pietro's eyes lit up with surprise as more Arachnid-Men rushed at him. He eagerly engaged them, quickly dispatching them, and then deftly dodged several of Peter's web shots, charging straight towards Richard Parker.
"What?!" Richard Parker snapped out of his thoughts, sensing danger. To his shock, he found himself alone, his guards gone, and saw a blur of motion—Pietro's grinning face charging at him.
"Boom!" Richard Parker tried to evade, but his speed couldn't match Pietro's. He was sent flying into a wall, coughing up blood as he crashed into it.
"This guy is definitely tougher than these monsters!" Pietro squinted at Richard Parker embedded in the wall. This time, Pietro had used his full strength, aiming to end the crisis by killing Richard Parker outright.
Despite his best efforts, Richard survived the blow. Although he was bloodied and appeared battered, he wasn't significantly weakened. In fact, the punch seemed to have jolted him into a new state of clarity and determination.
Yes, after being punched into the wall by Pietro, Richard Parker instantly regained his senses. He knew he couldn't afford to hesitate any longer. If he continued to waver, he might not survive this encounter.
Thus, Richard Parker made a decisive choice. Instead of channeling the eerie substance into Peter Parker or the giant spider, he directed it into his own body.
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