"Crack!"
Suddenly, a sharp tearing sound of metal ripped through the air, and everyone froze instantly.
Then they saw it—the bulkheads on both sides of the corridor bulged inward violently. The thick, hardened steel plates twisted and deformed like tinfoil, and dazzling sparks erupted from the ruptured welds.
"It—it's coming! That monster!"
Kate screamed in terror, her sharp nails digging into Damian's shoulders. He grimaced in pain but didn't dare move.
"Bang!"
Peter Parker lunged for the elevator and slammed the call button. The display showed the car was still on the fifth floor—it would be a while before it arrived.
"Boom—!"
But at that moment, the bulkheads finally gave way. Amid a storm of flying metal shards, a blue-gray behemoth burst through the wall, reeking of a putrid, suffocating stench.
"Squeak!"
To the left, a second, serpentine monster tore through the steel, drenching the floor in slimy ooze.
Two monstrous creatures—each over two meters in diameter—now blocked the passage. Their surfaces bristled with dagger-like barbs, slick with yellow-green mucus that reeked of rotten fish and sulfur.
At their front ends, petal-like mouthparts pulsed open and shut, revealing three concentric rings of spiraling, razor-sharp teeth.
"Ugh—!"
Faced with such an abomination, Gwen Stacy gagged involuntarily.
Even in the lightless depths of the ocean—where life grows unchecked—these creatures defied all reason. Their very forms were an affront to nature.
Suddenly, both monsters convulsed and contracted violently. Their grotesque maws gaped wide—
"Clatter…"
—and vomited out dozens of human skeletons. The bones clattered against the wall and tumbled to the floor, slick with a pink slurry of half-digested flesh. Globules of slimy fat dripped like melted wax. A skull rolled to Harry Osborn's feet, a shred of partially corroded retina still clinging to its empty eye socket.
"Aaah—!"
Gwen Stacy and Kate's screams echoed horribly through the confined space.
Harry's eyes widened in horror. His body trembled as he stumbled backward, slamming hard into the elevator doors.
Peter Parker steeled himself and stepped silently in front of the group, muscles coiled beneath his clothes.
The monsters gave them no time to breathe.
"Swish!"
The first creature roared and lunged forward, its hideous maw snapping toward them.
In a flash, Peter shoved Gwen aside. The monster missed, crashing into the fire cabinet behind them with a deafening crash.
Before Peter's feet even touched the ground again, the second monster slammed down like a battering ram.
"Bang!"
He rolled sideways in a blur, barely avoiding the impact. The floor where he'd stood shattered, sending debris flying in all directions.
"Hey, ugly! Looks like nature really went out of its way for you," Peter spat, wiping monster slime from his mouth, his eyes blazing with disgust. "Knowing you'd never accept your own face, it kindly spared you eyes! But honestly—your breath and your looks? Way worse than your mouth!"
"Swish!"
A tentacle whipped in from the side. Peter arched backward at the last second—the tip grazed the ends of his hair, and the rancid wind it carried stung his cheeks like a lash.
Before the monster could withdraw its attack, Peter Parker launched his own—
"Bang!"
A whip kick slammed into the center of the tentacle, and the collision between muscle and barbs made a dull thud.
The creature recoiled in pain, but Peter seized the opportunity, grabbing the protruding bone spurs on its surface. Using them for leverage, he flipped over and landed squarely on the monster's back.
The barbs sliced his palm, and blood trickled down his arm—but he grinned through gritted teeth and spat with disgust:
"This is the most disgusting thing I've ever done in my life!"
The monster thrashed wildly, trying to shake him off, but Peter clamped his legs tight and unleashed a barrage of punches onto its slime-coated hide.
"Ora! Ora! Ora—!!"
Each strike carried terrifying explosive force. The monster's blue-gray skin dented and cracked, spraying foul-smelling, dark green fluid.
"Scrrrhhhhhhh—!"
It let out a high-pitched roar—and from above, several more monsters dropped down.
Peter twisted at the waist, flipped backward through the air, and barely dodged a fatal strike.
The instant he landed, he pushed off the wall and drove a flying knee straight into the edge of the creature's maw. A sharp "crack!" echoed as three jagged teeth shattered.
Enraged, the monsters lunged at him like giant pythons coiling to strangle their prey.
Peter's pupils shrank. He was cornered—with no room to dodge!
At the last second, he dropped into a crouch, braced himself with his hands, and launched both legs upward like coiled springs!
"Boom—!"
The two monsters collided midair, their bodies rippling with impact.
Peter seized the opening, leaping through the gap. As his back hit the wall, he rebounded with a roundhouse kick, slamming the monster's left tentacle into the bulkhead.
The steel plate dented inward, and the creature howled in agony.
"ROAR—!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the corridor, another monster roared and pounced toward Kate, who clung to Damian's back. The moment its jaws opened, it exhaled a putrid, fishy stench.
"Swish!"
Damian sidestepped, snatched the gleaming fire axe from the floor, and swung it down with all his might!
"Clang—!"
The blade struck true—but the sound wasn't flesh tearing. It was metal clashing against something unnaturally tough.
The blow landed with tremendous force, yet the damage to the monster was negligible—almost laughable.
Still, the creature was furious. Enraged by the insult, it charged at Damian with reckless abandon.
"Bang—!"
"Peter! Get them out of here!"
Damian barely dodged the next strike and hurled Kate from his back toward Harry Osborn, who—terrified but resolute—stood protectively in front of Gwen Stacy.
"Remember where the lifeboats are! Get them out—I'll hold these things off!"
Peter rejected Damian's plan and insisted on covering the rear himself. He believed his strength was enough to hold—or even kill—these monsters.
Just then, the elevator chimed with a soft "ding."
"Peter! Z! Come back soon!!"
Gwen reached for Peter, trying to pull him away—but Harry grabbed her arm and dragged her into the elevator.
The corridor was now swarming with monsters charging from both ends.
Peter turned and locked eyes with Harry. His message was clear:
"Go. Now."
But just as he finished striking his heroic pose, Damian kicked him hard—straight into the elevator.
Peter scrambled to get back out, but Damian leveled the axe at his head and growled:
"Peter Parker, listen up! If you don't get them out safely, I'm ending our friendship—right here, right now!"
Without another word, Damian spun on his heel and charged toward the horde.
"Come back, Z! Come back quickly—!" Gwen sobbed, tears streaming down her face as she reached for the door-open button.
Peter stopped her, his own eyes burning red.
Kate tried to bolt out too—but Harry held her back.
As the elevator doors sealed shut, Damian tossed aside the fire axe. A slow, defiant smirk curled at the corners of his mouth.
"Alright… Now let's start round two."