Faced with Spider-Man's provocative behavior (even if the meaning was lost on him), the Executioner was the first to charge, eager to wash away the disgrace of their last encounter. Seeing the Executioner lunge forward, Peter immediately fired a web shot directly at the man's face.
The Executioner, having prepared himself, jerked his head down sharply. However, he soon realized a strand of webbing had snagged his foot, causing him to lose his balance and tumble face-first onto the ground.
Peter, of course, knew exactly what his opponent was doing. The Executioner was the only one of the trio who couldn't use magic; naturally, he couldn't have known that Peter could predict his every move. For that matter, the other three remained in the dark for now, though as mages, they would likely be able to use spells to counter him once they caught on to Peter's trick.
The Executioner, however, was easy prey. With just a light tug, Peter sent him sprawling. Following up, Peter used his webbing to snatch the man's giant axe, stepped firmly onto his back, swung the weapon, and slammed it hard against the incoming Absorbing Man.
"Eighty!"
This axe was an Asgardian tool used for executing criminals, so it was capable of harming even Thor. Yet, against an Absorbing Man whose entire body had been converted into Uru metal, a weapon of this caliber only left a faint mark on his chest. Loki, controlling the Absorbing Man's arms, gripped the giant axe tightly. He smiled at the Spider-Man before him and issued a mocking retort.
"Is this how you fight a god?"
"Of course not. I almost forgot since you didn't mention it." Peter immediately summoned the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak to bind the Absorbing Man. The latter instantly began using Surtur's fiery power to burn through the chains, but that wasn't Peter's true goal. Peter slapped his palm directly against the man's body. In that instant, Loki fell into a state of shock.
Loki had never bothered to learn about Midgard's so-called Sorcerer Supreme. Or rather, his arrogance had always prevented him from respecting these mortal mages.
But what on earth was this palm strike that had knocked his soul right out of the body?
"Hot, hot, hot! Full disclosure, I just learned this, but it turns out I'm quite adept at catching ghosts."
Shaking his hands, which felt scorched from the high temperature, Peter looked at Loki's spiritual form—now separated from the body—and gave a nonchalant shrug. Of course, Loki certainly had the power to return to the Absorbing Man's body, and could even prevent the same thing from happening a second time.
But Peter wasn't going to give him a second chance. After all, Loki had already vacated the body, and the Absorbing Man's own soul had been swapped out by Loki earlier.
So, with no one currently controlling the Absorbing Man's body, what would happen?
Peter fired a web shot onto the Absorbing Man. In the next second, the man's entire body began to rapidly transform into the material of the webbing. Loki rushed back immediately to regain control, but his expression instantly turned to one of terror. He found the Absorbing Man's body was beginning to dissolve, and he himself had to endure the excruciating sensation.
"What did you do?!"
"Just web solvent. I fired it right after the webbing. I usually use it to quickly clear away obstructing webs—and that includes you now."
Still standing on the Executioner, Peter watched as the Absorbing Man fumbled with his pockets and kindly offered Loki a reminder: "The Absorbing Man assimilates surrounding objects into the same substance. So, if you're looking for that Uru alloy you gave him, there's a high probability it's already been turned into part of the webbing."
"Aaahhh! I'm going to kill you!"
"That's too much. Everyone else says, 'Spider-Man, I'm going to kill you!' and yet you won't even call me by my name."
Peter couldn't help but mutter to himself. Suddenly, his ankle was snatched by the Executioner. The man had finally found an opening and intended to slam Peter into the ground, hoping to eliminate this loathsome insect through sheer brute force.
However, as he lifted him, something felt wrong. He turned his head only to see a fist nearly pressed against his face. Peter landed a heavy punch squarely on his jaw, sending the man collapsing back to the ground.
In the midst of the chaos, Loki finally found a solution. He touched the Executioner's axe, turning his body into the same metallic alloy, and charged forward to grapple Peter. Peter's back immediately sprouted four mechanical spider limbs to brace against him. Loki grinned, forcing the Absorbing Man to exert his full strength.
It was a level of strength capable of rivaling the Hulk, enough to crush the person in front of him in an instant. But while it felt like he had succeeded, the reality was different.
The four spider claws were indeed snapped, but the Spider-Man who should have been there was bypassed as if he didn't exist. Then, the broken limbs instantly transformed into a powerful adhesive, binding him firmly in place.
"Nanomachines, son."
Peter, deactivating his invisibility, walked over to the Absorbing Man. "Of course, you could try to assimilate these nanobots. I'm actually curious if the Absorbing Man can assimilate nanotechnology. If he turned into a mass of nanobots, would he be completely under my control because he'd be receiving the same programming? Then again, you probably don't know a thing about Earth's technology, do you?"
Loki desperately wanted to curse, but he didn't even dare leave the Absorbing Man's body. If he did, he might actually turn into a pile of nanobots himself—a classic case of going for the wool and coming back shorn.
Peter then shouldered the Executioner's massive axe. Before the man could fully stand up, Peter used the flat of the blade to knock him completely flat again. He then looked toward his other two opponents. Both Amora and Malekith had chosen to stand by and watch.
Amora's hesitation was understandable; she was busy resisting Doctor Strange's portal. It was Strange who had sent Peter here in the first place, so he naturally knew something was wrong and how to get there. Amora had to focus all her magic on disrupting the portal.
As for the other one...
"Don't you intend to help, Malekith? Why are you just watching!"
Malekith had been standing on the sidelines observing Loki's beating. Upon hearing the shout, he finally snapped out of it. "Oh, I am but a mage. I do not possess such strength. If I were to fight you, I would likely suffer a swift defeat."
Peter looked at Malekith with a hint of confusion. So in this situation, are you really just going to do nothing and stay there like a spectator?
"Actually, I come from a clan called Blackbile. My mother was the clan leader," Malekith said idly, like an old man, before breaking into a smile.
"The only special skill our clan has mastered is raising dogs."
The black storm swirling around the Bifrost suddenly expanded, delivering the "hounds" to the ground.
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