Let's reach 250 Power Stones for an extra chapter
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The Green Goblin's sudden appearance froze the trio. Cipher and Spider-Man reacted instantly. They moved in sync, like a well-oiled machine, interposing themselves between Harry and the monstrous figure.
Their faces were grim, eyes locked on the Goblin, every muscle tense. Their mission was clear: protect Harry Osborn at all costs. Whatever Norman Osborn had become, he was a clear and present danger.
Harry remained rooted to the spot, his mind struggling to reconcile the image of his father with the green-skinned monstrosity before him.
"Dad?" Harry asked, his voice barely a whisper, laced with disbelief. "Is that… is that really you?"
The Goblin tilted his head, a cruel smile twisting his lips behind the mask. The voice modulator distorted his words, lending them a sinister, inhuman quality. "Yes, Harry. It's me. I've become… more."
The confirmation shattered the last vestiges of hope in Harry's heart. This was not some cruel joke, or some elaborate misunderstanding. His father, the man he had admired, feared, and longed to please, had willingly transformed himself into a monster.
Harry's eyes darted back and forth. He couldn't understand what was going on. "But why, Dad? Why are you doing this? What do you even want?"
The Green Goblin threw his head back, and a cackle erupted from his throat, echoing through the chamber. His eyes glowed with an unholy light, and he gestured grandly around the room.
"Want?" The Goblin repeated, the word dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, Harry, my simple son. I want what I always wanted. What I deserve. Power! Control! And respect!"
He pointed a clawed finger at the opulent armory. "They took Oscorp from me, Harry! Those spineless vultures on the board, they stabbed me in the back after everything I built! I gave them prosperity, innovation, a future, and they repaid me with betrayal! But I'll show them. I'll show them all."
His tone shifted, becoming almost reverent. "But this isn't just about revenge, Harry. This is about ascension. I have glimpsed the future, a world remade in my image! The weak must be culled, the old order destroyed, and from the ashes, a new age will arise, an age of Goblins!"
The Goblin's laughter filled the room once more, a manic, discordant sound that sent shivers down Harry's spine. Spider-Man took a step forward, ready to strike. Cipher tensed, prepared to defend his ally.
"They called me mad, a monster," the Goblin continued, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "But they will see! I am not a monster, I am a god! And this world...this world is ripe for the taking!"
The Green Goblin turned his gaze to Harry, his tone softening, laced with a perverted affection. "Join me, Harry," he pleaded, extending a hand, "Together, we can reshape this world. Oscorp can be ours again."
Spider-Man shot forward, his hand outstretched towards his friend. "Don't listen to him, Harry! He's insane!" His voice cracked, filled with urgency, desperate to pull Harry back from the abyss.
The Goblin scoffed, his attention shifting to the two heroes. "Ah, but I have more to offer than just family. Cipher, Spider-Man. You have the power. Join me, and together, we will have a world remade in our image."
Spider-Man stepped closer to the deranged industrialist. He hoped that some semblance of Norman was still present. "Norman, stop this! You don't have to do this. Think about what you're doing! This isn't you!"
The Goblin's eyes flashed with annoyance, then amusement. "Oh, but it is, Spider-Man. It's the most me I've ever been! I have never been more lucid, more focused, more… sane!"
Harry stepped forward, his voice trembling. "Dad, please! This isn't the way! There has to be another way."
The Goblin turned, his expression shifting from manic glee to something akin to disappointment. "Harry, my son, you disappoint me. I offered you power, a chance to be more than you are, but you choose to cling to weakness."
He sighed, and his shoulders slumped. He turned to his enemies. "But it seems I cannot convince you. You are all blind. You are all weak. Very well. I have wasted enough time here." He looked from Spider-Man to Cipher, who were ready to fight. The Goblin smirked. "Consider this a prelude!" With that, he turned and mounted his glider, soaring out into the night.
Before anyone could react, the green monstrosity swooped, and the armory became a battleground.
He hurled a trio of pumpkin bombs, grinning as the explosives sailed through the air.
Cipher reacted instantly, his mind racing. "Harry, get down!"
He grabbed the younger Osborn, yanking him behind a reinforced table just as the bombs detonated. The blast rocked the room, sending debris flying. Spider-Man, with his enhanced agility, dodged the projectiles.
Cipher shoved Harry further into cover, then whipped out his Digivice. "Time to even the odds!"
[Spirit Evolution]
The Digivice flared with orange light. Data swirled around Cipher, encasing him in a cocoon of digital energy. A surge of electricity coursed through his body. Armor plates materialized, blue and yellow, forming an insectile exoskeleton. Beetlemon crashed into the room, his signature horn crackling.
The newly formed Champion Digimon, without missing a beat, unleashed his fury, slamming his fist against the Green Goblin's leering face. The force of the blow sent the villain careening off his glider.
Now with the playing field a little more even, Beetlemon and Spider-Man engaged the Green Goblin. Beetlemon, a powerhouse of electric energy, moved with surprising speed, given his bulky frame. He dodged Goblin's attacks. Spider-Man used his webbing and acrobatic skill, keeping up with Goblin's movements.
The fight was a symphony of destruction. Goblin's laughter mixed with the sounds of cracking concrete and arcing electricity. Each strike, every near miss, ratcheted up the intensity.
The Goblin, momentarily stunned, staggered back. He massaged his jaw, then spat a glob of green saliva onto the floor. His gaze flickered between the armored Champion before him, and the web-slinging vigilante. Though they were a nuisance, dealing with them wasn't on his list of priorities. Not now.
He had a city to terrorize, a serum to perfect, and a destiny to fulfill. These heroes were mere obstacles, easily circumvented, for now. He would deal with them later, when he had achieved his true potential.
A wicked glint entered his eyes. No, his objectives had to be accomplished first.
With a maniacal grin, the Goblin vaulted onto his glider, the machine humming to life beneath him. He glanced back at the trio, his expression a mix of contempt and amusement. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he activated a timer on a pumpkin bomb, carefully placing it on a rack laden with other explosives.
Before anyone could react, the Goblin was gone, soaring through the gaping hole in the ceiling, leaving chaos in his wake.
Spider-Man's spider-sense blared, a deafening alarm in his head. Every nerve ending screamed of impending doom. He looked at the rack. He needed to get out of here.
Beetlemon's horn crackled with increased intensity. He felt a primal urge to flee, a certainty that something terrible was about to happen. This was really bad.
"Get down!" Cipher bellowed, his voice laced with urgency. He grabbed Harry, pulling him to the ground, shielding him with his armored body. Spider-Man, sensing the imminent danger, followed suit, diving for cover behind a overturned metal desk.
Then came the inferno.
A blinding flash erupted, followed by a thunderous roar that ripped through the armory. The air pressure reversed violently, sucking everything towards the epicenter of the explosion. The concussion was deafening. The rack of bombs, ignited by the timed device, unleashed a chain reaction of apocalyptic fury.
The room became a maelstrom of destruction. Metal twisted and melted like putty, concrete crumbled into dust, and the very air crackled with searing heat. Fire consumed everything, painting the scene in hues of orange, red, and black.
The ceiling groaned under the strain, weakened by the initial fight and now assaulted by the full force of the blast. Massive chunks of concrete tore loose, plummeting towards the ground. Support beams buckled, sending showers of sparks into the inferno.
The armory, once a repository of advanced weaponry and Goblin technology, was now a tomb, a swirling vortex of ruin and annihilation. The shockwave slammed into Beetlemon, Spider-Man, and Harry, throwing them against the far wall. The ceiling collapsed entirely, burying the armory in a mountain of smoldering rubble.
The dust settled, but the air remained thick with the stench of burnt metal and ozone. Silence pressed down, broken only by the crackling embers. Desperate, the armored Champion, muscles straining, heaved against a fallen beam the size of a small car. Each grunt reverberated in the confined space. With his enhanced strength, he shifted the beam just enough to create an opening.
Beside him, Spider-Man, moving with uncanny grace, cleared smaller pieces of debris. He used his webbing to secure unstable sections, preventing further collapse. He was nimble, agile, and quick.
Finally, a sliver of light pierced through the darkness. Together, they worked in unison, their contrasting strengths complementing each other. They worked, until Harry Osborn was revealed.
The young Osborn lay beneath the pile, his clothes torn, face smudged with soot, and eyes wide with disbelief. He was alive, spared from the worst of the blast. The two heroes had managed to shield him. But he was clearly in a condition.
His breathing was ragged, his body trembled uncontrollably, and his gaze darted around. He couldn't process. The revelation of his father's transformation and the brush with death had overloaded his senses. The near-death experience played over and over.
Peter's voice cut through the haze, laced with concern, as he crawled towards Harry.
"It's okay, Harry," Peter said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to cure him. We're going to save your father." The conviction in his tone was unwavering. It was as if he was trying to reassure both Harry and himself. Despite the terror, despite the odds, they had to try.
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