A near-manic brilliance suddenly erupted in the aristocratic giant's crimson eyes.
His gaze locked onto Peter with absolute focus, completely disregarding Gwen and the other three Spiders standing nearby. That look wasn't the stare of an enemy; it was the gaze of a glutton who had starved for centuries, finally setting eyes upon a legendary delicacy that promised a path to godhood!
In his perception, individuals like Gwen and Hobie were merely bright spots within the Web of Life and Destiny—powerful, yes, but ultimately just vessels for the "Totems," mere "food" for his family.
But Peter was different.
He wasn't a spot of light.
He was a sun.
Even though Peter lacked the distinct aura of a Spider Totem, he possessed an indescribable, transcendent connection to the entire Web of Destiny. It felt as though Peter merely had to stand there, and the Great Totem itself would bow its head in submission.
This sensation... this power that far surpassed any known prey!
There was no mistake!
The prophecy was true!
This man, before him, wearing no suit at all, was the pivotal existence from the prophecy the Inheritors had passed down for over a century!
Long ago, the Inheritor family hadn't specialized in hunting Spider Totems. They were "omnivores"; the power of any totem was equally delicious to them. But later, they became specialized predators of the Spiders.
The reason for this change was simple: Their father, Solus, had heard a prophecy.
The prophecy stated: "The Inheritors shall fall by the power of the Spider Totems!"
To shatter this preordained fate, they had to collect and destroy the three most critical manifestations of the Spider Totem's power:
The Scion, the Bride, and... The Other!
The "Scion" referred to the future successor of the Spiders, representing "Heritage and Rebirth." The "Bride" was the crucial link connecting all totem powers, representing "Unity and Fearlessness."
But "The Other" was the most unique. He was the ultimate evolutionary form, representing "Finality and Mastery." Unlike the Scion or the Bride, The Other did not undergo constant reincarnation; he only appeared when the Spider Totem was meant to die but refused to do so.
It was a power meant to maintain universal equilibrium.
Only by finding these three powers and destroying them simultaneously could the Inheritors reverse their destined extinction!
Solus believed in this prophecy without a single shred of doubt. Thus, from the day he learned of it, he led his family to feed exclusively on Spider Totems, beginning a hunting journey that spanned centuries.
Over those hundreds of years, the Inheritors had captured "Scions" and "Brides" countless times. But they had never found "The Other." They hadn't even caught a glimpse of him.
But now, sensing the boundless, vast ocean of power within Peter, the giant was one hundred percent certain: this man was the most mysterious and critical key—The Other!
"Haha... Hahahaha!"
At that thought, he burst into a crazed laughter, his bear-like body trembling with excitement.
"I found it... Father, we found it! 'The Other' has been discovered by me, Daemos!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the man calling himself Daemos lunged. He stomped his feet onto the pavement, causing the ground beneath him to crater and explode!
He transformed into a blur nearly invisible to the naked eye, ignoring the four Spiders and charging straight for Peter!
"Peter!" Gwen cried out, her wrist flicking to fire a web.
"Out of my way!"
Daemos was faster than Gwen could have imagined. In mid-charge, he actually reached out and snatched the web line out of the air. Some unique property of his physiology allowed him to handle the webbing without being affected by its adhesive; instead, he used the line to effortlessly sling Gwen away through the air.
Seeing Gwen make her move, the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Spider-Punk, and Superior Spider-Man wasted no time.
Superior charged forward, the four mechanical spider-legs on his back extending to impale Daemos's chest. Friendly Neighborhood webbed a massive chunk of debris and swung it like a wrecking ball. Spider-Punk raised his electric guitar—its edge sharpened like an axe blade—and swung for Daemos's head.
But against Daemos, these efforts were a joke.
The debris from Friendly Neighborhood didn't even brush his clothes. He caught Superior's mechanical legs with his bare hands and snapped them like dry twigs with a single flex. Spider-Punk's axe-guitar connected squarely with his skull, but the resulting sound was like steel hitting steel.
CLANG!
The massive shockwave made Spider-Punk's eardrums ache. Daemos, having taken an axe to the head, acted as if nothing had happened, save for a microscopic, barely visible scratch on his forehead.
"Begone, insects!" Daemos roared impatiently. "You appetizers have no right to stand before me!"
With a casual swing of his arm, he punched Spider-Punk. A single blow sent the punk-rocker flying, collapsing a brick wall and leaving his chest visibly caved in.
"What kind of monster is this guy?!" Friendly Neighborhood yelled, facing an Inheritor for the first time.
Superior Spider-Man's brow furrowed into a deep 'V'. "This one is stronger than that woman, Verna, we encountered before!"
Seeing the three of them fail to slow this "Daemos" down for even a second, a wave of discouragement hit the Spiders, replaced quickly by fear for Peter's safety. They had heard the giant's words—their "Boss" was clearly an incredibly important target.
Would their boss, as monstrously strong as he was, be a match for this freak?
As those thoughts raced through their minds, Daemos reached Peter. Looking at the giant exuding a primitive, savage aura, Peter didn't show a hint of panic. Instead, his eyes held a trace of curiosity, like a visitor at a zoo watching an exhibit.
Hmm. Strength is decent. Speed is okay. And being immune to Spider-Sense makes him a natural hard-counter to typical Spiders. But...
Against me, it's still not quite enough.
As Peter mused, Daemos's massive, shovel-like hand reached for Peter's throat. His face was twisted into a mask of pure ecstasy, already envisioning the moment he would bring "The Other" back to his father to receive his ultimate reward.
But in the next second, those visions turned to dust.
SLAP!
A crisp, resounding sound of an open-palmed strike echoed through the street.
Peter hadn't even bothered to blink. He had simply waved his hand backhandedly, like swatting a persistent, annoying fly.
But that single slap sent the seven-foot-tall, prehistoric-beast-like Daemos...
Spinning away like a top!
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