Miguel's frenzied roars echoed incessantly through the hollow underground space. Listening to the endless stream of curses pouring from his mouth, the hundred or so Spider-Men present exchanged glances, momentarily lost.
After all this time, it seemed their leader was also a victim?
As the group stood paralyzed by 2099's breakdown, Peter had seen enough. The Spiders were good for many things, but their characteristic indecisiveness was enough to make anyone's blood pressure spike.
Slap!
With a heavy backhand from Peter, the world went quiet.
"I'm sorry to inform you, but my tolerance for 'Riddlers' is zero." Peter looked down at Miguel, whose face was a mess of tears and snot, and spoke bluntly: "I'm giving you three seconds to tell me everything you know."
"Tell me, who fed you all that crap? Who told you that breaking a 'Canon Event' would collapse a universe?"
"Otherwise..." Peter shifted into Symbiote mode, a terrifying, fanged visage splitting off from his shoulder. "I'll make you talk using my own methods!"
Miguel, looking like a beaten dog, looked up at Peter. The hatred was gone, replaced by a gaze that was unnervingly sharp. At this moment, he had only one thought left: revenge.
And Peter was clearly the only one capable of killing the bastard who had played him for a fool. Since their conflict was based on a lie, once Miguel realized Peter wasn't the threat, his rage transferred entirely to the mastermind.
"I'll talk!" Miguel blurted out, a fire for vengeance dancing in his eyes. "That man is called... Ultimate Spider-Man!"
"He was the one who sent me to that collapsing universe so I could replace my deceased alternate self! And he was the one who appeared before me after it fell apart, telling me that our 'experiment' had failed.
He told me that to save others from the same pain, I should form a Spider-Society to prevent more universes from collapsing..."
As Miguel spoke, the truth of his experience unfolded.
Miguel came from a future universe where technology was advanced but the world was dark—a place with far more supervillains than heroes.
Though he was Spider-Man, he felt powerless against the infinite tide of crime and lacked a sense of purpose.
While he was wallowing in despair, the ultimate Spider-Man appeared, telling him his world was beyond saving and asking if he wanted a chance at a different life.
Miguel agreed, becoming an experimental subject sent to another world. The rest was the history he had already told.
Ultimate Spider-Man?
The name left every Spider-Man present—except Peter—completely bewildered. Who was this Spider-Man jumping out of some corner of the multiverse? The name certainly sounded arrogant.
Even veterans like Spider-Punk looked puzzled; they had traversed many worlds but never met a Spider-Man so prideful as to call himself "Superior."
Only Peter's eyes flickered with a hidden understanding. He couldn't help but glance at Dr. Otto Octavius, who was standing nearby "eating melons" (watching the drama).
Because that man—or rather, a variant of him from another universe—was the Superior Spider-Man Miguel was talking about!
Peter didn't know every detail of Marvel comics before transmigrating, but as a fan of the Spider-Man IP, he had seen enough to know the "Spider-Otto" arc from The Death of Spider-Man.
In that story, a dying Dr. Otto Octavius developed a device to swap souls. He trapped Peter Parker's soul in his own dying body and successfully took over Peter's life.
With Peter's powers, Otto's lack of moral limits, and his super-genius intellect, he dubbed himself the "Superior Spider-Man," vowing to be a better hero than Peter ever was.
If it was that guy, it was no wonder a "meathead" like Miguel had been played. Against a fusion of Dr. Octopus and Spider-Man, Miguel's IQ stood no chance.
Furthermore, with Otto's condescending nature, it perfectly tracked that he would treat other Spiders as playthings for his "experiments."
Peter accepted that Miguel was telling the truth. However...
"I lied. Even though you told me, I'm going to verify it myself to see if you're holding anything back!"
Peter thrust a symbiote tendril into Miguel's brain to read his memories directly. The brutal, straightforward method made the surrounding Spiders gasp.
Just as some were about to protest the brutality, Peter withdrew the tendril. Miguel wasn't dead; in fact, he looked better. While reading the memories, Peter had used the symbiote's vitality to mend some of the most fatal injuries.
He was spared death, but the punishment remained. Peter wouldn't let him have his "painless recovery," nor would he let Miguel have the "perfect ending" of getting his own revenge. Miguel was destined to watch from the sidelines as Peter defeated his enemy.
"Fine. Since you didn't lie, I'll let you keep your life." Peter then turned to the sea of Spiders. "I'm going to find this 'Ultimate Spider-Man' and see what he's really up to. You coming?"
The crowd erupted. They had all been screwed over by this "Ultimate" jerk's lies. How could they be satisfied without teaching him a lesson?
"You don't even have to ask!" "I can't wait to punch that guy in the face!" "Let's go! Count us in!"
Looking at the fired-up Spiders, Peter nodded with satisfaction.
"Very well. Everyone, listen to my command!"
"Spider-Society... Move out!"
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