[Third Person's PoV]
Upon spotting both Firestar and Nightwing hurtling toward them at blistering speeds, Kraven's men reacted with precision and urgency. As one, they raised their arms and activated the sleek devices mounted to their wrists. In a dazzling burst of energy, crossbows forged entirely from glowing, translucent energy extended over their forearms like gauntlets of light.
Their expressions hardened into grim determination, fists clenched as their targeting systems locked on. With focused stares and synchronized timing, they unleashed a hailstorm of energy arrows. The air shimmered with the heat of each shot, the arrows cutting through the sky like comets made of condensed plasma.
Nightwing's eyes narrowed beneath his mask. Without hesitation, he whipped his arms through the air in rapid, fluid arcs. From his palms, orbs of swirling, crackling chi energy erupted out. Each orb intercepted a volley of incoming arrows, colliding midair and detonating in brilliant flashes that echoed like fireworks. The relentless, flowing motion of his limbs wasn't just for show—it was tactical, building back kinetic energy that he had lost and mixed back with his chi.
Beside him Firestar, let out a scoffing breath before gliding one hand forward, casting a radiant blaze of fire and heat. A spiraling barrier of flames erupted from her position, sweeping forward like a tidal wave of inferno. The heat incinerated the remaining arrows before they could reach her, reducing them to smoke and flickers of dying light. The resulting heat wave expanded outward, forming a veil of steam and energy—a smokescreen as destructive as it was beautiful.
Out of that thick curtain of smoke, both heroes emerged like vengeful angels.
From above, Firestar raised her hands high before snapping them downward, sending a bombardment of firebolts crashing like guided missiles toward the water below.
Each bolt found its mark on Kraven's speedboats and assault crafts, exploding on impact and igniting brilliant towers of flame. The shockwaves painted the ocean's surface in hues of orange and red.
Nightwing followed suit, soaring with his hovercraft. With a twist of his torso, he launched his batons with superhuman force, enhanced by his training and super strength. The batons screeched through the air like spears. Upon striking their targets—the metallic hulls of enemy boats—they pierced straight through engines and critical systems. Explosions followed in quick succession, the vessels torn apart in spectacular bursts of fire and twisted shrapnel.
The concussive force from the blasts rebounded the batons with flawless timing. Like boomerangs, they spun back into Nightwing's waiting hands as he soared through the chaos, weaving between the rising columns of fire and debris. With acrobatic grace, he flipped through the air and rose higher, catching a panoramic glimpse of the shattered enemy fleet below.
From within the raging fires and wreckage, Kraven's soldiers erupted unscathed, launching upward in perfect formation. Their bodies were encased in shimmering force fields, forming translucent domes of defense as jetpacks roared to life on their backs. The symphony of engines and the synchronized movement of dozens of airborne troops was terrifying in its efficiency.
In a matter of seconds, they had formed a coordinated perimeter around Nightwing and Firestar, their formation tightening into a predatory ring in the sky.
Nightwing noticed a faint glow building on their utility belts, the same hue as their shields—a pale blue. His eyes narrowed behind his mask as the soldiers reached for their belts.
Each pulled a compact device from their side holsters—unassuming at first glance. But with a snap and a pulse of energy, the devices expanded into volatile energy rifles, the barrels glowing brighter with unstable plasma. The whirring hum that followed was sharp, rising in pitch as the weapons charged for a deadly synchronized blast.
Hovering back-to-back, Nightwing and Firestar exchanged glances, slowly spinning in place, scanning the ring of enemies around them.
"Babes…" Harry said in a casual tone, twirling his batons as if they were drum sticks "It seems we're surrounded~"
"You're as cute as you are obvious," Lizzy shot back with a playful scoff, her entire body glowing like a star, embers dancing around her figure as she floated.
"Should we make this an official date?" Harry grinned, eyes darting between targets.
Lizzy flashed a smirk over her shoulder. "I thought it already was~"
Harry laughed, the sound filled with unshakable confidence. "Now that's what I like to hear!"
With no further warning, they launched into action—Harry spinning into a flurry of strikes, Lizzy becoming a streak of flame as she raced toward her side of the circle.
---
Elsewhere in the city…
From the top of a towering skyscraper, Spider-Man dove like a meteor. His black hood flapped wildly in the wind as he plummeted toward the chaos below. The skyline blurred behind him as he twisted midair with the precision of an Olympic athlete.
As he neared street level, he fired a web with a sharp thwip! and swung low, legs extended in a sleek arc that skimmed just above the pavement. At the peak of his swing, he kicked off an invisible pivot in the air, launching himself higher once more. He soared above the rooftops, flipping, rotating, the city stretching beneath him.
Below him, a convoy of armored buggies sped through the streets—each packed with Kraven's men clad in urban camo and bristling with weaponry. Blades, guns, and gadgets clung to every inch of their gear like predators ready to strike.
With a confident shout, Peter launched a webline to the lead buggy and yanked himself forward, electricity building in his clenched fist.
"Coming in sticky!" he declared with a grin.
He smashed into the front hood of the vehicle with enough force to cave it in. The front end crumpled instantly, sending the rear of the buggy flying upward. The goons inside screamed as they were ejected from their seats by the force of the impact, tumbling head over heels through the air.
Without looking back, Spider-Man reached into his belt and flicked two compact web bombs behind him. They zipped past the flailing bodies and detonated midair. Instantly, massive strands of synthetic webbing exploded outward, forming a net that stretched across the alleyway and between buildings—catching the airborne soldiers in a tangled mess of adhesive.
Spider-Man let out a ferocious yell as he grabbed both the front of the vehicle's armored hood and with his enhanced inhumane strength qripped it open like peeling a tin can. Metal screamed as it tore apart, sparks flying in all directions.
The moment the buggy's remains scattered to the sides, the convoy behind it screeched to a sudden, chaotic halt. Tires screamed as they swerved wildly, rubber burning into the asphalt. Vehicles bumped into one another in a disorganized pile-up, the impact echoed softly accompanied by their grunts.
Civilians nearby shrieked and gasped, stumbling back from the sidewalks, some dropping their shopping bags while others raised their phones to record the chaos. Gasps and murmurs filled the air as the unexpected spectacle unfolded before their eyes.
Spider-Man turned to face the wrecked fleet of vehicles, the wind tugging at his hood, electricity sparking faintly across his fingertips. He marched forward, radiating frustration with every step.
With a sudden, forceful kick, he launched one of the vehicles straight into the others, causing an even louder series of metallic crashes in a showcase of strength and power.
"Where is Kraven?!" Peter asked coldly, the lenses around his eyes narrowed and glowing brighter by the second. "Tell him his rent's due—he's overstayed his welcome, and this is his eviction notice."
From the top hatches of the trucks and buggies, Kraven's men emerged in a swift, trained response, moving with unnatural coordination. One of the hunters in front—clearly a squad leader—slammed the butt of his spear to the ground twice. The tip of the weapon split open and reformed, blooming like a mechanical flower into a dual-bladed energy weapon that pulsed with light.
Around him, the others mirrored the ritual. Swords ignited with the hum of burning plasma. Gauntlets snapped into place, arcing with high-voltage energy. Even their armor shifted, tightening, reshaping into something far more battle-ready than what they'd worn moments ago.
Peter tilted his head and scoffed under his mask. "Fancy toys. Who's your toymaker?"
The hunters didn't laugh. They charged.
Peter groaned exaggeratedly. He glanced at the bystanders now completely absorbed in the moment, phones raised, eyes wide. They were right in the blast radius if things went south.
"Sorry, ladies and gentlemen," Spider-Man said, his lenses closing as if he was smiling towards them in a reassuring manner. "This performance doesn't come with a live audience."
With a sudden stomp, he triggered a shockwave that pulsed out across the ground in the form liquid glass. The transparent wave rolled across the sidewalk, rippling reality itself. In an instant, a dome of refracted light rose around the combat zone. Due to his control only Kraven's men, himself, and a handful of wrecked vehicles inside were pulled inside the different dimension. The real world remained untouched beyond it, protected.
The hunters froze briefly, their eyes darting around in confusion. The world around them had changed. The streets warped and shifted as reflections multiplied. They were still in New York but clearly something had changed. Everyone looked almost exactly the same however reflective surfaces hovered in the air for a brief moment as it all closed officially trapping them inside the Mirror dimension.
"Come one, come all, to the House of Mirrors!" Peter declared in his best ringmaster voice, arms wide. "No refunds. No exits. No mercy."
---
Elsewhere in the city...
In another borough of New York, chaos reigned just as fiercely.
MJ, dressed in her striking red spider-suit crouched like a panther on the edge of a rooftop ledge. Her glowing eyes locked onto the airborne hunters approaching from above—jetpacks roaring, weapons primed.
From her back, four construct spider legs made of luminous pink energy extended outward in sharp, predatory arches. They twitched and gleamed, mirroring her anticipation.
Her grin widened.
"You guys know what separates a prey from a predator?" she purred, her voice echoing with an eerie dual-tone. "It's not their claws... not their fangs... and it sure as hell isn't about who's top of the food chain…"
She rose slowly, her back arched as her constructs hovered protectively around her.
"It's the fear they can inflict... the psychological pressure. And there's no one that can cause as much psychological damage as I do around here."
As the hunters rushed toward her, MJ thrust her hands down. In a flash, an energy wave pulsed across the street below, summoning a mirror dimension of her own. The rooftops twisted into geometrical spirals. The attackers now found themselves reflected in a thousand surfaces, unable to tell what was real and what was deception.
MJ's silhouette danced among the illusions.
---
Across the river, in a more silent quarter of the city, Gwen Stacy stood at the top of a rusted telephone pole. Her stance was still, her posture composed—statuesque. She said nothing.
Silence, for her, was louder than any speech.
An icy blue aura pulsed gently from her body, tendrils of translucent energy rising and swirling in rhythm with her heartbeat. Her suit, normally matte white with black and magenta trim, now glowed with ethereal lines, accentuating her form.
As she extended her arms, her aura grew larger, more defined—taking shape behind her.
A massive spectral bird rose above her, formed from her aura, wings spread wide across the mirror dimension's warped skyline. Its eyes glowed like twin stars, and its screech split the air like a war cry. The hunters around her hesitated, realizing too late what they were witnessing.
It wasn't just a bird.
It was a phoenix—a manifestation of Gwen's authority over the power of coldness, of absolute zero.
She didn't speak, she didn't need to. Her power along could say more than any words ever could.
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