Upon seeing A2 appear, Venom instinctively recoiled in fear and retreated deep into Peter's body, too terrified to emerge.
"Hey, Venom! What are you doing? Get out here right now! How am I supposed to handle this without your help?" Peter pleaded helplessly.
"Do whatever you want with Miss A2—she's terrifying! She could crush me in a heartbeat!" Venom hissed from within.
The symbiote was huddled inside Peter, utterly unwilling to surface. The pressure A2 had exerted on him last time had been so overwhelming that now, just the sight of her sent shivers through his blackened essence.
And it wasn't just Venom. Every symbiote that had been "taught a lesson" by A2 now trembled at the mere mention of her name.
That was precisely why Loren had deliberately entrusted A2 with managing the symbiote population at Morgan Manor.
The manor had since cultivated dozens of symbiotes, each with unique abilities—and A2 served as their unforgiving instructor.
Ordinary symbiotes? They obeyed without question. Even Riot, the former leader of the symbiote collective, now submitted meekly to A2's authority.
He'd gladly play the role of a lowly henchman, never daring to show even a flicker of defiance.
Because disobedience came with consequences: A2 would strip mutinous symbiotes of their consciousness entirely, repurposing them as raw materials for her bioengineering experiments.
No wonder they feared her. They'd rather face annihilation than cross her again.
"You haven't done anything wrong," Peter insisted. "Miss A2 doesn't kill innocent people indiscriminately. What are you even afraid of? Just come out!"
"Hurry up! If you help finish off Carnage today, you'll have pulled off a real feat—and Miss A2 might even reward you."
Peter lowered his voice, coaxing—and lying—through gritted teeth: "I'll even let you eat that murderer's brain."
"You said it!" Venom perked up immediately. "Once we beat Carnage, its host's brain is all mine!"
The promise of fresh neural matter made Venom hesitate. Lately, thanks to Peter's rigid "no-killing" policy, Venom hadn't tasted meat in weeks. Now, he was so starved he'd happily lick the scalp off a squirrel—let alone feast on a human head.
"I said—get out here. Now."
"Alright!" With the deal sealed, Venom surged forth.
In an instant, Peter transformed back into the towering, black monster, baring razor-sharp teeth at Carnage, who was crawling from the ruins not far away.
"Venom! Spider-Man! You two damn bastards have ruined my plans time and again!" Carnage snarled. "Today, I'll kill you both!"
More than a dozen scarlet tentacles lashed out from Carnage's body, impaling the alley walls like crimson spears. Using them as anchors, he levitated into the air—towering, monstrous, and wrathful as a demon god.
Venom shuddered. "Damn it… this thing's even bigger than my father."
"That's what I was thinking!" Gwen said, retreating to Venom's side, her mask hiding a look of confusion. "Wasn't Carnage spawned from you? How come he feels like he's a whole tier stronger?"
Venom sighed helplessly. "Don't blame me! A symbiote's strength depends not just on itself—but on its host's physical condition."
"What kind of shape is Peter in? And that psycho? Please. While I'm with Peter, I eat chicken, duck, and fish every day. That murderer's been gorging on human brains for weeks—he's practically built out of corpses! Of course he's stronger!"
"So… the more people you eat, the stronger you get?"
"Not exactly," Venom clarified seriously. "The human brain is just a top-tier delicacy on the symbiote menu. Eating good food makes me happy—and when I'm happy, I work harder."
"..." Gwen stared.
"Do you really think I won't burn you to ash?" Carnage roared, insulted by their casual chatter.
Enraged, he unleashed a barrage of venomous thorns toward the trio.
Gwen and Venom dodged swiftly—but A2, standing calmly behind them, simply strolled forward, unruffled.
"I don't care how you got here," she said, her voice ice-cold. "Climb into this jar right now. Or the consequences will be severe."
She tossed a glass containment vessel at Carnage's feet, her expression brooking no argument.
At the sight of it, Venom's core quivered. That tone—that look—brought back memories of the day A2 crushed Riot and the others without mercy. Back then, they'd thought she was bluffing. They'd paid for that arrogance in blood… and near-incontinence.
Those who hadn't yet faced A2's wrath had no idea what true terror looked like.
Carnage, arrogant as ever, transformed into a massive scythe and cleaved the jar in half with a single swing.
"Hahahaha! You want me to surrender? Woman, are you joking? Get lost!"
Not only did he mock her—he lunged, attempting to impale A2 in one brutal strike.
Venom clapped sarcastically. "Awesome! But you're dead meat now. I'll just sit back and wait to eat your head."
Carnage froze mid-attack, bewildered by Venom's words—just as his scythe-blade neared A2's chest.
In the blink of an eye, A2—who'd been a dozen meters away—appeared directly in front of him.
His blade shattered against nothing.
Before he could react, A2 caught the broken edge in her hand—and drove it straight through his skull.
Cold steel flashed.
Then, in less than a heartbeat, every single one of Carnage's tentacles—his limbs, his weapons—was severed clean. He collapsed into a twitching, limbless stump.
Before he could regenerate, a piercing high-frequency shriek erupted from A2's body.
Carnage screamed, writhing in agony, and violently separated from his host, Cletus Kasady.
A2's hand shot out, seizing Cletus by the collar and yanking him away like a ragdoll.
Now hostless and helpless, Carnage tried to flee—but Venom stomped down on him with glee.
"Hehe! Of all the beings in the multiverse to show off in front of, you picked Miss A2? You asked for it!"
Venom scooped up the wriggling red mass and trotted over to A2. "Miss A2! I caught him! What should I do with him?"
She glanced at the shattered jar, then at Carnage, and said coolly: "He broke the container. We can't take him back. Eat him."
"!!!!" Carnage shrieked.
"No, no! I don't need the jar—I'll go with you! Please!"
"Too late," A2 said without emotion. "Those who don't know their place don't deserve a second chance."
"Hehehe… Thank you for the meal, Miss A2!" Venom wasted no time. He shoved Carnage into his maw and devoured him whole in seconds.
Once finished, his eyes slid toward the unconscious Cletus.
Promises were promises—and brains were brains.
Just as Venom leaned in for his second course, Alice's voice echoed in A2's mind:
"Sister A2! The Boss has emerged from seclusion!"
"2B and Tifa—both in new bodies—plus the newly born Commander and maid Marie Rose… They're fighting over lollipops in the lab! Hurry back, or there'll be none left!"
"What?! Damn it—I'm coming!" A2's eyes widened in panic.
She'd only stepped out to handle fieldwork—and now she'd gained two more sisters? Worse—they were stealing her candy?!
Without another word, she blurred into motion and vanished toward Morgan Manor.
Peter blinked. "Where does Miss A2 keep going?"
"How should I know?" Gwen shrugged. "All the women around Lauren are mysterious. Anyway, I'm heading home to sleep."
She paused, then added with a knowing smile, "Oh—and say hi to your girlfriend, Mary Jane, for me."
A lot had changed in the past three months.
Even Peter had fallen in love—and his partner was none other than Gwen's best friend, Mary Jane.
"Uh… we're not living together yet!" Peter sta
mmered.
"Really?" Gwen grinned. "Then I misunderstood!"
With a playful wink, she webbed away and disappeared into the New York skyline.
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