Peter had no idea he had already scored two massive hits against Belasco without even throwing a punch. When the demon lord tried to corrupt his soul, he accidentally prodded Knull's dormant consciousness, supercharging Peter's symbiote connection to Limbo. Then, Belasco's magical assault triggered an automatic, cosmic backhand from the Web of Fate.
Peter was just focused on finding Illyana. Limbo crawled with demons and corrupted mutants. the multiverse bracelet vibrated on Peter's wrist, scanning the environment. It confirmed a terrifying reality: these mutants originated from entirely different timelines. Belasco hadn't just conquered Limbo. He had harvested X-Men from across the multiverse to build his demonic army, proving he was a massive threat.
Peter relied entirely on his enhanced spider-sense and the symbiote's optical camouflage to stay alive. The black suit shifted, perfectly mimicking the jagged terrain to evade demonic patrols. The trail for Illyana felt like it was getting further away, but he stumbled onto something else. A demon corpse lay cleaved perfectly in half. Another smoldered nearby, reduced to ash by potent dark magic.
Peter ran through the magical theory he knew. Magic generally fell into specific categories based on its properties. White magic handled protection, healing, and enhancement. Black magic dealt with damage and control. This classification was just about usage, not inherent evil. Chaos magic—or primordial magic—was an entirely different beast tied to the Darkhold. Wanda could control it, but only because it was innate.
Someone out here is using magic to butcher demons, Peter thought. Whether it's Illyana or not, they aren't our enemy.
So—whoa!
His spider-sense shrieked. Peter dove backward at top speed. A massive firestorm erupted from the exact patch of dirt he had just occupied.
Peter rolled to his feet and looked up at the sky. A figure hovered low in the air. It was Ororo Munroe—Storm. But her skin was a deep crimson, and jagged, razor-sharp talons extended from her fingers. She looked far removed from humanity. Peter wasn't sure if she was an enemy, so he didn't attack blindly.
She didn't spot his cloaked form, but she knew someone was hiding down there. She hurled another, even larger firestorm to suppress the area. It missed Peter. He let his spider-sense guide his feet. He casually strolled through the gaps in the inferno, positioning himself directly beneath her. He fired a web-line, ensnaring his opponent. He yanked hard, slamming the demon-Storm into the ground.
"Sorry, ma'am," Peter called out. "I don't know whose side you're on, but you clearly know who killed these demons, right?"
He kept his camouflage active, throwing his voice to bounce off the nearby rocks. Before Storm could recover, a blur lunged from the shadows. It was Kitty Pryde—Shadowcat. Limbo had warped her horribly. She sported actual feline ears, a twitching cat tail, and heavily mutated limbs and facial features.
A second later, a skeletal Wolverine burst forth. His bones were engulfed in sulfurous hellfire. He charged directly at Peter's cloaked position. Peter leaped aside. He fired twin web-streams, pinning the skeletal Wolverine to the scorched earth.
"Sorry, I hope this isn't the answer to my questions," Peter said, dropping his camouflage. The black suit rippled back into view. It didn't stop them; they swarmed him again. Peter shifted his stance, destabilizing the symbiote on his left arm to form a blade. He swung it, forcing all three corrupted X-Men back simultaneously.
The buzz at the base of his skull spiked. His spider-sense warned him of a tall, elderly woman charging down with a greatsword. Peter vaulted backward. The blade cleaved the solid ground where he had just been standing. He checked his bracelet mid-dodge to see if this older Magik was from his universe.
The readings confirmed she wasn't. "Look, if you aren't Belasco's people, can you tell me where the other Illyana is?" Peter shouted. "She's from Earth-616, my universe, and she was twelve years old when she got here!"
"We discovered the X-Men were missing, so we came here," Peter continued. "I'm Spider-Man. I don't know if you've heard of me."
His spider-sense flared one more time. Peter spun on his heel. A blonde girl his age charged him, a sword raised high. Peter snapped his leg out in a calculated kick. He pulled his strength, but his heel struck her wrist perfectly. The greatsword spun out of her grip.
The disarmed girl stared at him with complete indifference. "You're too late, Spider-Man," she said coldly. "More than three years have passed."
The twelve-year-old Illyana Rasputin had already turned fifteen in Limbo. She had celebrated her birthday by slaughtering a giant demon. Now, someone was suddenly claiming to be here for a rescue, and no one believed him.
"In reality, it's only been a few minutes," Peter explained. "For everyone back at Xavier's School, the passage of time is negligible."
He didn't expect Illyana and the others to instantly believe him. Trust was reciprocal; it had to be earned through actions to be reliable.
"Okay, maybe you're not our enemy, but so what?" the skeletal, burned Wolverine growled. He pointed at the five gathered rebels. "By now, there aren't many left who dare to oppose Belasco. Only us. How do you plan to help us deal with him?"
Could six people really take down Belasco? Wolverine clearly didn't believe it.
"The X-Men from Earth-616 were imprisoned by Immortus for his own purposes, not corrupted," Peter stated, establishing his reinforcements. "Thus, we rely on the Sorcerer Supreme of our world. He is always watching my movements, and he should have already sensed my disappearance."
Wolverine clearly didn't approve of relying on someone else for a rescue. However, there was no other available solution.
The skeletal mutant asked the next logical question. "How do we release those superheroes while Belasco himself is standing right over them?"
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