Let's reach 250 Power Stones for an extra chapter
***
The arrow, lodged deep in his eye, pulsed with a strange energy. VirusGoblin staggered back, clutching his face. The fusion of Norman Osborn's corrupted flesh and Datamon's mechanical enhancements began to unravel, not with the intended healing, but with a violent, agonizing breakdown.
His armor buckled, metal groaning under immense pressure. Wires, once integrated seamlessly, now burst from his skin like metallic entrails. The green glow that had defined him sputtered, replaced by a sickly, pulsating violet. His form convulsed, the once imposing silhouette contorting into something grotesque.
"It's… working!" Hawkeye exclaimed, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. "See? Told you I never miss."
But the triumph was short-lived. As VirusGoblin writhed, his roars of pain replaced the earlier fury. The armor began to crack, not from external force, but from within. His limbs twisted at unnatural angles, bones snapping with sickening cracks that echoed across the bridge. The fusion was a catastrophic failure.
Sparks showered from his disintegrating body. The stench of burning metal and something acrid, like ozone and decay, filled the air. He was melting, dissolving, his form collapsing into a heap of corrupted flesh and shattered technology.
Hawkeye's grin faded, replaced by a look of grim fascination. "Well, that's… not ideal," he muttered, lowering his bow. "Guess the cure has some serious side effects."
Spider-Man watched, horrified, as the monstrous entity that had terrorized the city melted into a puddle of viscous fluid and sparking wires. The green glow was gone, replaced by the cold, dead light of dying circuitry and the faint, lingering smell of fear.
The shattered remains of VirusGoblin began to steam and hiss on the bridge's roadway.
Jokermon watched with detached amusement.
This was not how he'd envisioned the grand finale. A pity. Still, a show must go on.
With a flick of his wrist, Jokermon unleashed a torrent of dark energy. It struck the bridge's steel supports with the force of a meteor strike.
KRA-SH!
Metal shrieked in protest. Beams buckled, concrete dust billowed, and a deep groan vibrated through the very structure of the Queensboro Bridge.
"What the—?!" Spider-Man exclaimed, his spider-sense screaming.
Jokermon's attack intensified, targeting the bridge's foundation. Massive chunks of concrete rained down, followed by twisted steel girders.
The roadway beneath them fractured.
"Everyone, move!" Hawkeye yelled, nocking an arrow.
Spider-Man acted instantly. Web fluid shot from his wrists, creating a makeshift net to catch falling debris.
"Gwen, get down!" he shouted.
He swung towards them, a blur of red and blue, his webs catching Gwen, Ethan, Kyubimon, Greymon, Garurumon, MailBirdramon, Ballistamon, Black Widow, and Hawkeye just as a colossal section of the bridge began to plummet into the East River.
The heroes dangled precariously, suspended by Spider-Man's quick thinking. Below them, the water churned where the bridge had once stood. The air filled with the groan of stressed metal and the panicked cries of those caught in the unfolding disaster.
"Thanks, web-head!" Beetlemon grunted, clinging to a web line.
"Don't mention it," Spider-Man replied, his voice strained. "Just try not to fall."
Jokermon, a jester's grin plastered on his face, seized the moment. The chaos was his stage, the destruction, his applause. With a flick of his wrist, a shadowy portal swirled open, large enough to swallow the fragmented form of the Green Goblin and the rapidly reforming Datamon.
"Catch you on the flip side, heroes!" Jokermon cackled, his voice echoing with a cruel mirth.
He ushered the still-writhing Green Goblin into the swirling vortex, Datamon clinging to his back like a parasite. The portal snapped shut, leaving behind only the acrid stench of ozone and the eerie silence that follows a storm.
The bridge, already a mangled wreck, shuddered once more as Jokermon's retreat sent tremors through its already compromised structure. Twisted metal groaned, and more chunks of concrete rained into the river below.
"He's getting away!" Hawkeye shouted, his voice tight with frustration.
Spider-Man, still supporting the weight of the fallen heroes, could only watch as their enemies vanished, leaving behind a trail of devastation. The fight was far from over.
Ethan reverts from Beetlemon, his armor dissolving into data. He stumbles, catching himself on a fractured piece of the bridge. Frustration and a sinking sadness wash over him. Goblin and Jokermon slipped away again.
"We almost had them," Ethan mutters, kicking a loose piece of rebar.
Angewomon and LadyDevimon, back in their Gatomon and BlackGatomon forms, flank him.
"It's a tough situation, Ethan," Gatomon says softly, nudging his leg. "But we're all still here. That's what matters."
BlackGatomon nods, her usual smirk absent. "Yeah, kid. We didn't get wiped out. That's a win in my book."
Renamon, now back in her fox-like form, shakes her head, sending a cascade of digital leaves scattering. "They are formidable," she admits, her voice calm. "But their escape does not mean our defeat."
Gwen rushes over, her eyes wide with worry, and pulls Ethan into a hug. "You guys okay? That was… insane." She pulls back, checking on Renamon. "Renamon? Are you alright?"
Renamon gives a slight nod. "I am well, Gwen. Thank you."
"It's good to see you all safe," Gwen says, looking around at the dazed Digimon and heroes. "Even if they got away."
"Yeah, they did," Ethan sighs, the weight of the world settling back onto his shoulders.
Suddenly, a familiar voice cuts through the air. "Gwen! Oh, thank God!"
George Stacy scrambles onto the bridge, his police cruiser abandoned at the entrance. He rushes to his daughter's side, his eyes scanning her frantically for injuries. He pulls her into a tight hug, his relief palpable.
"Are you hurt? Are you okay?" he asks, his voice rough with emotion.
"It's okay, Dad. I'm alright."
"…That's good."
His gaze drifts to the assembled Digimon, his eyes landing on Renamon. A deep sigh escapes him. He looks utterly exhausted, as if he's seen too much strangeness in one lifetime.
"Gwen," he starts, his voice weary, "who… what are all these people? And… that?" He gestures vaguely towards Renamon, his expression a mixture of confusion and sheer fatigue.
Gwen takes a deep breath. "Dad… uh, these are my friends. And this," she gestures to Renamon, "is Renamon. She's… complicated. But she's with us."
George stares at Renamon, his brow furrowed. He'd dealt with enough bizarre incidents in his career, from alien invasions to enhanced criminals, but a talking fox-creature? He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Right. Complicated. Just… try to keep the complicated ones away from the rest of New York, alright, kiddo?"
Ethan watches George Stacy embrace his daughter, a wave of relief washing over him. The immediate crisis on the bridge has passed, but the knowledge that Jokermon, Datamon, and the Green Goblin escaped gnaws at him.
Black Widow and Hawkeye, their faces grim but professional, approach Ethan. Black Widow's gaze is sharp, cutting through his alias.
"Ethan Kepler," she states, her voice devoid of warmth.
Ethan's eyes narrow. So, they know.
Hawkeye steps forward, his bow slung over his shoulder. "Nick Fury wants to have a word with you. And your friends," he adds, glancing at Gwen, Spider-Man, and the Digimon, "Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy. You're all coming with us."
Ethan's jaw tightens. SHIELD. Of course. This whole situation just got a whole lot more complicated.
***
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