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Chapter 44 - "Shadow-Spidey's Debut."

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Jasper rubbed his head, feeling like someone had punched him in the face. Everything was spinning—he felt awful. Looking around, all he could see was rubble, like a battle had just torn the place apart. His Spider-Man suit was in tatters. Was the enemy really that strong?

Iron Man's helmet was in the middle of repairing itself, and Jasper noticed Tony's nose was bleeding. Yeah, whoever they fought wasn't just some average thug.

But... why were they staring at him?

"Whoa—!" Spider-Man suddenly leapt at him.

What the hell?! Jasper's spider-sense screamed danger.Spider-Man was attacking him?! Did Peter Parker completely lose it?

Jasper tried to dodge, but his body felt heavy and exhausted. He could barely move.No way he could avoid this one—

BAM!!

A black shadow appeared just in time. Shadow-Spidey blocked Peter's punch and kicked him away.

Jasper's knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground.

Shadow-Spidey turned and caught him.Tony Stark frowned and said coldly, "You've already lost."

In Jasper Dark's condition, there was no way he could beat both Iron Man and Spider-Man. But now, with this new wildcard in play, things had gotten a lot more complicated.

Still dazed, Jasper rubbed his head and looked at them."What the hell is going on?! Why are you two attacking me? I was training in the forest, wasn't I? How did I end up here?!"

Spider-Man and Iron Man exchanged glances."You're… Jasper?" Iron Man asked.

"Who else would I be?" Jasper snapped. "Seriously, what's going on here?!"

Tony looked him over, then said, "Let's talk somewhere more private."

He also had Jarvis lock down the area. If this got out online, Jasper's normal life would be completely screwed.Tony still hoped Jasper could live a regular high school life—not get hated or feared by everyone.

Jasper nodded.

The three of them headed to Tony Stark's place.

Once they arrived, Tony looked Jasper in the eye."Tell us everything. Do you even realize what you've done?"

"You shattered a man's chest, turned an entire street into a warzone—do you know how many crimes that counts as? You could be facing serious charges. So spill it. What the hell happened to you?"

Tony looked furious. There was no sweeping this under the rug.

Then he had Jarvis pull up the footage—Jasper Dark wrecking the street.

Jasper stared at the screen, totally lost.That guy was him… but he didn't remember any of it.

What the hell?

He started questioning both Spider-Man and Iron Man, trying to figure things out.

Eventually, the truth came out: there was another consciousness living inside him.A separate personality calling itself "Jasper Dark."She was the one who caused all the destruction and attacked both heroes.

Jasper rubbed his head again.Could Jasper Dark have come from the dark magic he'd been learning?

But he was still a total newbie at dark magic! No way it should've caused this.

So he told Tony and Peter everything—about crossing over into this world and studying dark magic.

Tony and Peter looked at each other.This was… beyond insane.

Tony rubbed his temples."Dark magic? Why the hell would you study that?"

Jasper tilted his head."Because it's cool. And strong."

"That's it?"Tony was hit with the harsh reminder—Jasper really was still just a kid.

Jasper nodded."Yup. That's the whole reason."

He thought dark magic looked awesome and powerful, so he wanted to learn it. That was it.

Spider-Man looked at him and said,"You're cool and all, but maybe try thinking things through a little more."

From his perspective, this was a huge lack of judgment. Learning dark magic just because it looked cool—now he had a dangerous alter ego because of it. No matter how you looked at it, that was reckless as hell.

Suddenly, Jarvis spoke:"Sir, we have incoming."

CRASH!!!

Captain America smashed through a window, followed by Black Widow, Hawkeye, and several agents.

They were all here for one reason: Jasper.

"Hey—hold on a second!" Spider-Man jumped in front of them, trying to stop things from escalating. He already knew what was going on. They were here to arrest Jasper.

Black Widow glanced at him.Earlier, they'd seen Jasper getting knocked around by Spider-Man and Iron Man, which led some people to believe he could be beaten—and that made him too valuable not to study. So now they were making a move.

Tony stepped in front of Jasper."I've got this under control."

Cap didn't budge."He destroyed an entire street! He's extremely dangerous."

Cap was convinced Jasper would lose control again. If that happened at school, everyone would be at risk.

He stared directly at Jasper."You're dangerous."

Jasper hesitated, then said,"I won't lose control again."

Now that he knew what triggered it, he could stop it from happening next time.

But Cap didn't believe a word of it. He was ready to take Jasper down by force.

Jasper gently pushed Spider-Man and Tony aside."No need for you guys to handle this. I've got it from here."

His strength had fully recovered, and Shadow-Spidey was still with him.No way he was going to lose.

Purple lightning started crackling around him.Tony's scalp tingled—he'd seen this state before. It was not good.

Tony couldn't help but say,"Don't kill anyone."

If Jasper crossed that line, it would be nearly impossible for Tony to protect him anymore.

Jasper nodded."I get it."

BOOM!

Purple lightning exploded out.

In one second, Hawkeye and Black Widow were sent flying.In the next, Jasper smashed Captain America into a wall.By the third second, all the agents were down.

By the fourth second, Jasper stood surrounded by crackling purple lightning, staring at the beaten heroes."When I get serious, none of you can stop me. How exactly were you planning to arrest me? You're all too weak."

Cap and the others were completely outmatched. They didn't even stand a chance.

Captain America wiped the blood from his lip."You're too dangerous. I can't let you threaten innocent lives. You're like a ticking time bomb—one that could go off at any moment and destroy everything around you."

Jasper's power and speed were just too overwhelming. Cap knew he couldn't win.

Spider-Man finally stepped forward."I'll keep an eye on him. If he loses control again, I'll stop him."

Cap was quiet for a moment, then glanced at the bruised Black Widow and Hawkeye.They definitely couldn't take Jasper down.

But Spider-Man? Yeah… he might actually be able to do it. He'd barely managed to fight Jasper earlier. Sure, he got knocked around a lot, but he was still standing. That was more than anyone else could say.

So yeah. Maybe letting Spider-Man watch over him could work.

"....."

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