Rex Viper led Nine Spiders and the others out of the Dragon Bone vault, retracing their path up into the second underground level of the Financial Building. The tremors hadn't stopped—in fact, they were getting worse. The concrete ceiling groaned under the strain, dust drifting down in fine gray clouds as if the entire structure was beginning to crumble from the inside out.
Before he could take another step, a voice called out sharply.
"Boss!"
A head popped out of a sewer access tunnel nearby. David leaned halfway out, his expression equal parts relief and panic. "You finally made it!"
Rex raised an eyebrow. "Why are you down here?"
David glanced at the three women behind him and immediately clutched his chest like he'd just walked into something dangerous. "The shaking's getting worse. If you didn't show up soon, I was about to bail and save my own life."
Rex ignored the theatrics. "What's happening up top?"
David's expression darkened instantly. He shook his head hard. "It's over. More than half of your Avengers team is already down."
Rex paused, surprised. "That fast? Didn't Clint Barton join the fight?"
David let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah. That's the problem."
He leaned further out of the tunnel, voice lowering slightly. "Barton got contaminated. Controlled by that demon crap. First thing he did was put an arrow through Wade's knee. Then he ran straight into the defensive line and started shooting anything that moved. Took down over a dozen agents and cops before they finally dropped him with concentrated fire."
Rex's expression shifted, his eyes narrowing.
David kept going. "It didn't stop there. Agents like May, Ward, Rumlow—S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel—started turning on each other too. Total chaos. No command structure left."
He shook his head again, still a little stunned himself. "Wade saw what was happening and just went full psycho. Pulled a bunch of grenades and blew everyone around him out cold—including himself. Sent his own body flying more than ten meters."
"Now?" David added grimly. "Only Blade and Black Widow are still standing."
Rex went quiet for a moment.
So the Beast's influence could spread like that—corrupting minds, turning allies into enemies. Barton had always been the weakest link mentally. Rex had counted on brute strength and positioning, not this kind of wide-scale mental contamination.
Still…
"Wade's status?" Rex asked.
David rolled his eyes. "Let's see. Late-stage cancer, arrow through the knee, kicked around twice by Daredevil, then blew himself up. Not looking great."
He shrugged. "Even if he's not dead, he's probably already contaminated. Honestly? I don't think he's worth saving anymore."
"Bullshit."
Rex's voice snapped cold and sharp.
"If anything happens to Wade, I'm dragging Nick Fury through hell for it."
David blinked. "Uh… wasn't Daredevil the one beating him up?"
"The arrow came from a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. The internal collapse came from S.H.I.E.L.D. The failure to protect him? Also S.H.I.E.L.D." Rex's tone turned flat, absolute. "Nick Fury owns that."
David paused.
Then nodded slowly.
…Yeah. That actually made sense.
Another violent tremor ripped through the underground level. Cracks spidered along the ceiling, and chunks of debris began falling more frequently. The entire structure felt like it was seconds away from collapsing.
David's face turned pale. He waved frantically toward the sewer tunnel. "Boss, we need to go. Right now. If we stay, we're getting buried alive."
He jabbed a thumb behind him. "Take the sewer route. It's the only safe way out, even if it's contaminated. The Beast's influence has already spread through more than a dozen surrounding blocks. People are going crazy."
His voice dropped, grim and uneasy. "Closest neighborhoods are already showing cannibalistic behavior. This place is turning into hell."
Rex turned to Nine Spiders, his tone decisive. "You and David go. Use the sewer."
She hesitated. "What about you?"
Rex let out a quiet sigh, almost amused. "Me? I've got a job to do."
He rolled his shoulders slightly, eyes sharpening as he looked toward the surface above.
"Time to fulfill my divine responsibility… and save the world."
David stared at him like he'd just heard something insane. "Boss… that's a demon up there. You serious?"
…
In the square above, the battle had already crossed the line into something beyond human.
Daredevil moved like a predator toying with prey, his black aura writhing around him like living smoke. Every step he took carried overwhelming pressure, every motion precise and effortless.
Blade was barely holding on.
Blood soaked his body, his half-vampire physiology the only thing keeping him upright. Even that was failing. His vision blurred, his breathing ragged, his body running on nothing but the last fragments of instinct.
Black Widow was in even worse condition physically.
But her eyes remained sharp.
Clear.
Untainted.
As a Red Room survivor, she had clawed her way through hell long before tonight. Her will had been tempered under conditions most people couldn't even imagine. The Beast's corruption pressed against her mind—but it didn't break through.
Still, willpower didn't equal strength.
The tremors hit again.
Glass exploded outward from the surrounding buildings, shattering into thousands of fragments that filled the air like a storm of blades. The entire battlefield turned into a rain of razor-sharp shards, glittering under the red glow of firelight.
Natasha dropped to one knee, gripping her tactical knife.
The blade was battered, chipped along the edges, its once-perfect surface now scarred from repeated impacts. Even so, she held it steady.
Time slowed.
She could feel everything.
The weight of her body.
The rhythm of her heartbeat.
The warmth of blood gathering along her chin before it finally dropped.
Her knife was knocked aside once.
Her vision dimmed for a fraction of a second.
Then—
Something snapped.
Her muscles surged, drawing on the last reserves hidden deep within her body. Her legs exploded with sudden power, launching her forward.
She didn't dodge the falling glass.
She charged through it.
Shards sliced across her skin, cutting lines of red across her arms, her face, her body. Blood sprayed, but she didn't slow down. One drop smeared across her left eye, turning half her vision crimson.
Her grip remained steady.
Cold.
Precise.
"Pfft—"
The blade drove straight into Daredevil's throat.
For a brief, impossible moment, even he couldn't react.
Natasha didn't stop.
She stepped in closer, twisting her body as she dragged the knife sideways across his neck like a ritual execution. Flesh split. Half his neck opened in a brutal arc.
Then she drove the blade into his back.
Only then did her strength finally give out.
Her legs buckled, and she dropped to her knees.
"You did well."
A calm, almost appreciative voice sounded behind her.
Wilson Fisk stood at the entrance of the building, the red ghost mask covering his face. He had been watching the entire fight in silence.
"Truly impressive," he continued. "Unfortunately… it doesn't matter."
Natasha's eyes widened slightly.
In front of her, Daredevil's arm bent at an unnatural angle. His hand reached back, grabbing the knife and pulling it free. His spine straightened with a sickening shift, his head lifting back into place.
Black energy surged.
The wounds sealed.
Completely.
"This isn't a fight between humans anymore," Kingpin said, spreading his arms slightly. "This is a battle between humanity… and gods."
His voice rose, filled with dark conviction. "Look at this city. Rotting from the inside out. Once glorious—now nothing but filth and decay. The powerful treat it like a playground, dumping all their corruption here. There's no order. No control. That's why people suffer."
Explosions echoed in the distance. The sky had turned a dark, burning red. Smoke choked the air. Helicopters passed overhead, but none of them stopped.
No one was coming.
No one even remembered this battle anymore.
"You won't win," Natasha rasped. "Because there will always be heroes who stand up."
Kingpin laughed, low and mocking. "No. There aren't."
He gestured toward the chaos surrounding them. "This world proves it."
Then he waved a hand casually.
"Night Devil. Kill them."
Daredevil tilted his head slowly, his movements unnatural, predatory. His gaze locked onto Natasha as he stepped forward, one step at a time, like a beast closing in for the kill.
Then—
"Biu. Biu."
Bright blue energy blasts tore through the air.
They slammed into Daredevil's body, blasting him backward as black energy scattered violently from the impact. For the first time in a long while, his form showed actual damage.
A familiar voice followed.
"I'll say it once, motherf— I'm the hero here."
Nick Fury stepped forward, flanked by Hill, an injured Coulson, and several agents. They held strange, high-tech weapons that hummed faintly with power.
Kingpin laughed like he'd just heard a joke. "Have we been playing too long? These people actually think they can challenge us now."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Fine. Let's educate them."
Daredevil moved.
He launched forward and leaped high into the air. Black demonic energy erupted around him as he came crashing down like a living missile.
The speed was overwhelming.
Fury barely had time to react.
"Oh shi—"
"Boom!"
The impact sent him flying across the square like a ragdoll, blood spraying as his body slammed into the ground. He didn't move.
Kingpin spread his arms, laughing openly now.
"Who's going to stop me?"
"Who can stop me?"
"Come on! I'm not afraid!"
"…Uh."
A voice cut in, casual and almost awkward.
"Yeah, so… I've actually been standing here watching for a while."
There was a brief pause.
"I figured since you didn't notice me, I'd just let you finish."
A slight chuckle followed.
"Kingpin… maybe turn around?"
"I'm right here."
....
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