Based on Karn's threatening words about Ben, Gwen had already sentenced this multiversal predator to death in her mind.
Of course, she couldn't bring herself to actually kill someone under normal circumstances, that fundamental moral line remained intact despite her transformation. But she would absolutely not hold back when it came to delivering a thoroughly devastating beating to this monster!
Superior Spider-Man positioned beside her was about to urge her to remain calm and not allow herself to be provoked by Karn's psychological manipulation, but Gwen moved with such incredible speed that his warning never had a chance to be voiced. In the blink of an eye, her slender form shot forward like a missile, trailing a brilliant beam of pink energy behind her like a space meteor streaking across the Manhattan skyline.
BOOM!!!
Even Karn, with all his supernatural reflexes and centuries of combat experience, couldn't react in time to what was happening.
Gwen's open palm struck Karn's chest with the force of a controlled nuclear explosion. Concrete fragments mixed with razor-sharp glass shards erupted in the devastating shockwave, creating a deadly rain of debris. Two figures smashed through the reinforced curtain wall of the office building and launched into the air above the street, with brilliant Mana energy dancing between the shattered glass like captive lightning, emitting light so intense it could be seen from orbit.
The tremendous explosion instantly attracted the attention of countless pedestrians and drivers throughout the surrounding blocks, but when they looked up and discovered that several tons of steel reinforcement and concrete chunks were plummeting directly toward their heads, their casual curiosity transformed into life-or-death panic.
Superhero battles were undeniably spectacular to witness, and watching heroes demolish villains was even more thrilling from an entertainment perspective, but when that epic confrontation was taking place directly overhead, the experience became significantly less enjoyable for everyone involved.
Not to mention the distinct possibility that the heroes might use the car you had purchased with a five-year auto loan to demolish the house you had bought with a thirty-year mortgage...
"Have you always been this explosively violent?" Superior Spider-Man asked with obvious amazement, his eyelids twitching as he watched the destruction unfold.
He could never have imagined that the Spider-Person in this universe was not only a young woman, but also demonstrated such overwhelming brutality when she engaged in combat! Not only had she delivered a single strike powerful enough to shatter mountains, but she was also maintaining relentless pursuit of Karn even as they plummeted toward the street below. During their rapid descent, her hands remained constantly in motion, her fists transformed into pink energy hammers that struck Karn's head six times per second with metronomic precision.
He actually traveled across universes to hunt Spider-People, and then had the audacity to speak threateningly about Ben, Gwen thought with escalating fury. This isn't just simple criminal behavior anymore, this requires maximum force response.
She struck harder and faster with each passing moment, but Karn was gradually beginning to mount an effective counterattack.
The Spider-totems he had consumed over the past century weren't merely decorative trophies, and the mystical power he had absorbed through systematic predation wasn't just for show.
A massive surge of stolen energy erupted from Karn's body and shot toward Gwen like a directed pulse weapon. The powerful atmospheric displacement instantly shattered every piece of glass in the buildings lining both sides of the street. With a tremendous "CRASH!" that echoed through the urban canyon, the entire city block was suddenly carpeted with what resembled sparkling crystal rain falling from the sky.
The sight was breathtakingly beautiful, but also lethally dangerous!
This was the densely populated heart of Manhattan, where millions of people worked and lived in close proximity. Sharp glass fragments and heavy masonry debris falling from such heights could claim dozens of lives in an instant if allowed to reach street level.
Gwen desperately wanted to abandon her attack to intercept the falling debris, but Karn had no intention of allowing her to disengage from their confrontation.
He planted his foot against what appeared to be empty air, as if stepping on solid lunar surface, and used the reverse thrust generated by atmospheric pressure to rocket toward Gwen with his energy weapon extended for a killing thrust.
"Go to hell, Spider-totem!" he roared with murderous intent.
Gwen had no choice but to halt her pursuit of the falling debris and instead stretched out both hands to grab the razor-sharp energy blade at the tip of Karn's weapon with her bare palms.
BOOM!!!
The tremendous kinetic energy from their collision directly altered both combatants' original falling trajectory, sending Gwen rocketing toward the reinforced wall of an adjacent skyscraper like a biological missile.
The two figures resembled a runaway freight train that had lost all braking capability, smashing through concrete barriers as if they were made of tissue paper.
The building walls they encountered shattered like poorly constructed sand castles at the slightest contact, with broken masonry cascading downward in thunderous avalanches of destruction.
Within moments, the devastation had spread throughout the entire city block, creating what looked like a war zone in the middle of America's financial capital.
Superior Spider-Man clung to the edge of the damaged building, staring in absolute amazement at the scope of destruction that continued expanding with each passing second.
What in the multiverse is this supposed to be?
Is this still technically Spider-Man combat? he wondered with growing alarm. Gwen's destructive potential at this moment rivals that of a Hulk on a rampage.
He was still processing the implications of what he was witnessing when Gwen's voice cut through the chaos with obvious frustration: "Spider-Man, why are you just standing there watching like this is entertainment? Have you switched sides?! Get down there and save those people!"
The urgent reminder struck Superior Spider-Man like a physical blow as he suddenly remembered that his primary responsibility wasn't spectating this incredible battle.
This battle-hardened interdimensional veteran, who had seemed so capable and experienced moments earlier, now felt like a complete rookie compared to Gwen's natural command presence and tactical awareness.
He responded immediately, bending his knees and diving from the building's edge in a perfect swan dive formation. Within seconds, his sophisticated artificial intelligence, named "Anna" after his deceased girlfriend, had analyzed the current crisis situation and generated a comprehensive plan for minimizing civilian casualties from falling debris.
He didn't have sufficient time or resources to intercept every piece of falling masonry, but Anna had confirmed the precise locations of all pedestrians in the impact zone through thermal imaging analysis, which gave him the crucial information needed to prioritize his rescue efforts.
Superior Spider-Man extended both arms simultaneously, launching spider-webs that spread across the sky like an enormous safety net above the panicking crowds.
The cacophony that followed resembled multiple buildings collapsing simultaneously, gray dust clouds filled the air above the street while ground-shaking vibrations were so intense that Captain Stacy, who had driven away long ago, felt them through his patrol car's suspension system.
In the distance, Gwen, who was still engaged in fierce combat with Karn, breathed a sigh of relief as she witnessed Superior Spider-Man's successful crowd control efforts.
Fortunately, she thought with gratitude, although he's not as capable as Ben would be in this situation, that Spider-Man is proving more competent than I initially expected. He's just a bit slow and clumsy in his responses.
Seriously, she reflected with mild exasperation, how are we supposed to protect Earth if we have to work with such inefficient allies?
She projected a concentrated beam of energy from both palms, blasting Karn away from her position with tremendous force, then suddenly thrust her hands forward in a complex magical gesture. The Mana responded to her will, gathering in her palms and forming two intersecting spheres of brilliant light.
Simultaneously, around Karn's airborne form, multiple rings of energy beams wrapped around his arms like supernatural restraints, binding him with bonds of pure space force.
Gwen's eyes lit up with satisfaction as she flashed a smugly triumphant smile.
Spider powers? Those are completely useless compared to this. I need Ben's energy!
It turns out that my Ben really is the best!
However, in the next instant, Karn released a primal roar of fury and shattered Gwen's energy restraints through pure brute force amplified by stolen totem power.
The shockwave generated by the energy release swept outward in all directions like a supernatural tsunami.
Gwen's body swayed within the turbulent energy currents, and then she heard a sharp whistle cutting through the air, the distinctive sound created when an object pierces the atmosphere at supersonic velocity.
The Inheritor was launching another attack!
Superior Spider-Man didn't allow himself to worry about the ongoing destruction of Manhattan's skyline. He performed a rapid visual survey of the area and confirmed that most civilians were unharmed, only a few individuals had sustained minor injuries from flying debris and glass fragments. Satisfied that the immediate casualty situation was under control, he quickly launched himself back into the air to pursue Gwen and Karn's aerial battle.
"Damn it, I should have brought additional Spider-People for backup!" he muttered with frustration as he swung between buildings.
The destructive potential of those two was far beyond what he could effectively manage single-handedly. He was too busy attempting to reach their position to provide meaningful assistance to Gwen, while simultaneously being overwhelmed by the ongoing need to clean up the battlefield devastation they were leaving in their wake.
Fortunately, at that crucial moment the wailing of police sirens rose above the urban chaos. Superior Spider-Man looked down and observed a patrol car navigating against traffic through a street filled with obstacles and debris. Captain Stacy, wearing his distinctive police hat, had stuck his head out of the driver's window and appeared completely dumbfounded by what he was witnessing.
He had noticed the sounds of combat during his return journey and had come back because he was concerned about his daughter's safety. But somehow his precious little girl appeared to have been replaced by a grown man in a spider costume!
"Damn these political agendas!" he cursed angrily, condemning the ancestry of every politician who had promoted social policies he disagreed with.
It was because of these cultural developments that the entire country was falling into chaos and confusion. How can we maintain proper governance when we have to deal with these complications?!
When regular law enforcement can't save America, I'm going to run for mayor first, then governor, and finally president to completely change everything! the devoted father thought with determination, secretly wiping away tears as he made this solemn vow in memory of his "daughter" who was apparently no longer the person he had raised.
Superior Spider-Man had no idea that he was being mistaken by Captain Stacy as evidence of unwanted social transformation, but he did recognize the official police insignia and authority.
His web-line snapped at that moment, causing him to fall gracefully and land with practiced ease on the patrol car's reinforced hood.
"Mr. Policeman," he said with respectful acknowledgment of Stacy's rank.
"You're actually addressing me as 'Mister'?" Captain Stacy replied with obvious emotional distress. "Even if you've undergone this change, you're still my child! You used to be my daughter, and now you're my son!"
"What are you talking about?" Superior Spider-Man asked with a confused frown, using his enhanced strength to punch through the patrol car's bulletproof windshield. He reached inside and grabbed the police radio, immediately pressing the transmission button while looking up toward the distant sky where the two combatants were still engaged in their destructive battle. The affected area continued expanding with each exchange of attacks.
He observed Gwen attempting to use her unique energy abilities to restrain Karn, but unfortunately their opponent managed to break free from each binding attempt.
"Isn't this type of energy supposed to be effective against this particular enemy?" he wondered with growing concern.
Superior Spider-Man didn't realize that Gwen had only recently acquired access to Mana energy and possessed no formal training in its magical applications. She was employing this space force in the most rudimentary way possible, essentially using raw power rather than refined technique.
But regardless of her inexperience, this represented the closest anyone had ever come to achieving victory against an Inheritor.
In all the universes he had visited previously, either the local Spider-People had been brutally murdered before he could intervene, or they had proven completely outmatched by their opponents, forcing him to rely on desperate sneak attacks to save whoever could be rescued.
Gwen represented a genuine variable, a factor that could potentially lead the Spider-People to actual victory against the Inheritor threat.
She cannot be allowed to fall here!
He immediately transmitted his emergency orders: "Listen carefully, arrange for immediate evacuation of the fifth and sixth city blocks. There is an extremely dangerous individual in the airspace above New York. Your Spider-Woman is currently engaging him in combat. They're moving in the direction of Brooklyn. I cannot save everyone by myself, so we need coordinated emergency response."
After completing his transmission, he tossed the radio back into Captain Stacy's lap, then pointed dramatically at his own head while delivering a stern threat: "Do exactly as I've instructed, or I'll web your eyes shut and leave you here."
With that warning delivered, Superior Spider-Man launched himself back into pursuit of Gwen and Karn's ongoing battle.
Captain Stacy was left sitting in his damaged patrol car with blank, uncomprehending eyes.
"What did he just say?" he muttered in confusion.
"That little glowing pink figure is supposed to be my daughter?"
He glanced up toward the sky where the energy-wreathed combatant could barely be described as humanoid, let alone resembling his beloved child. What possible connection could that space entity have to his precious baby girl?
But after several moments of contemplation...
"Well, at least she's still my daughter in some form," he concluded with resigned acceptance, deciding to follow Superior Spider-Man's emergency instructions regardless of his personal confusion.
Superior Spider-Man's form streaked between Manhattan's towering buildings as he maintained pursuit of the aerial combatants.
He was simultaneously attempting to catch up with their position to provide assistance and conducting rescue operations for civilians caught in the expanding battle zone. He deployed all of his reconnaissance spider-drones, which had originally been designed for surveillance purposes, but were now being repurposed to lay protective webbing throughout the air in advance of the fighters' projected path.
He witnessed Karn breaking free from Gwen's Mana restraints and immediately launching another assault. The angle of his energy weapon's attack was strategically calculated to target Gwen's most vulnerable points.
"Look out!" he shouted as loudly as possible.
The most terrifying aspect of the Inheritor threat was their ability to neutralize Spider-People's supernatural defensive capabilities.
Nearly all Spider-totems relied heavily on spider-sense during combat situations. This early warning system had proven incredibly reliable throughout their careers, consistently enabling them to transform potentially lethal encounters into survivable challenges. The precognitive ability wasn't limited to battle scenarios, it could even detect experimental hazards and environmental dangers before they became critical.
But spider-sense provided no protection whatsoever against Inheritor attacks.
Under these circumstances, Spider-People who had become accustomed to depending on their precognitive abilities often found themselves completely disoriented when first encountering the Inheritors. This fundamental disadvantage was why most Spider-totems were killed during their initial confrontation with these predators, often without even the opportunity to escape and warn others.
At this crucial moment, Karn's weapon suddenly shifted downward, with the shaft sweeping across Gwen's midsection in a devastating horizontal strike.
CRACK!
The energy shield that Gwen had hastily constructed as an emergency defense developed spider-web-like fractures across its surface, then shattered completely with a thunderous explosion of released power.
Karn pressed his advantage immediately, releasing a growling battle cry as he spun his energy spear into a blazing silver wheel of destruction. The brilliant white blade collided with Gwen's defensive energy constructs, producing cascading arcs of electrical discharge that resembled a waterfall of fire and meteors as the weapon slashed toward her with lethal intent.
Massive eruptions of sparks exploded across the sky like an apocalyptic fireworks display.
But Karn's killing stroke missed its target once again. Dozens of energy beams wove themselves into an intricate net that blocked his weapon's trajectory and entangled the spear's shaft with supernatural tenacity.
He looked up in disbelief to see Gwen floating in the air several meters away, her lips curved in a slightly mocking smile. Her glowing hands were spread wide, and dozens of barely visible energy strands connected her fingertips to the restraints wrapped around his weapon like space puppet strings.
Karn was immediately stunned by this unexpected development.
"Have you forgotten that weaving webs is every spider's greatest specialty?" Gwen asked with obvious satisfaction at her tactical success.
As the duration of her Mana transformation extended, her control over the Mana became increasingly sophisticated and precise. Although the energy threads she was now creating appeared thinner than her previous constructs, their tensile strength far exceeded the beams that had previously bound Karn.
As she spoke, she moved her ten fingers with elegant precision, causing additional streams of Mana to flow outward from her hands. Within moments, the supernatural threads had tightly wrapped around Karn's limbs, torso, and throat with the efficiency of a master craftsman.
Karn attempted to break free through brute force, but the slightest movement caused the restraining threads to constrict even tighter, cutting deeply into his skin and causing rivulets of blood to seep through his damaged flesh.
"If you don't want your body to be sliced into convenient pieces, I strongly advise against struggling," Gwen warned with cold clinical detachment.
"What in the multiverse are you?" Karn demanded, his voice dropping to a bestial growl like a predator trapped in an inescapable cage.
There had never been a Spider-totem quite like Gwen across all his centuries of hunting.
He had attempted to resume his energy absorption process, but his supposedly invincible ability had completely failed to function. His supernatural power for consuming totem essence had no effect whatsoever on the pink energy entity that now comprised Gwen's transformed state.
For the first time, he could understand exactly how Spider-People felt when they discovered their spider-sense was useless against Inheritor attacks.
"The roles of predator and prey have been permanently reversed," Gwen replied without answering his question directly.
She brought her hands together and began concentrating all the remaining Mana in her body to form a devastating pink sphere of space destruction.
Her Mana reserves were still relatively limited, having been substantially depleted during the extended battle. The energy threads binding Karn wouldn't maintain their integrity much longer before dispersing due to her exhaustion. She could only gather every available joule of power and eliminate this threat before he managed to escape her restraints.
"I don't enjoy killing people," she said with genuine regret, studying Karn with cold determination. "But you've left me with no alternative."
This individual represents an extremely dangerous threat to everyone I care about!
If he were allowed to escape and continue his multiversal hunting expedition, Gwen was terrified that Ben, who was also technically a Spider-totem, might eventually become one of Karn's targets.
Maybe Ben doesn't need my protection, she acknowledged, but I absolutely cannot allow him to be placed in danger because of my failure to act!
To ensure that Karn was permanently neutralized with a single decisive strike, Gwen committed almost all of her remaining power reserves to this final attack. She exited her full Anodite energy form and absorbed all the ambient Mana surrounding her position, sacrificing her transformed state to deliver a killing blow that would eliminate this space threat completely.
"I have eliminated Spider-totems from countless universes throughout my existence," Karn said with fatalistic acceptance, "but I never anticipated falling to a human child..."
The Inheritor showed no fear of death or destruction.
The Inheritor family possessed advanced cloning technology that would immediately activate upon any family member's demise, copying their genetic template and creating a perfect replacement body with all memories intact.
Of course, Karn wasn't aware that he was so thoroughly despised by his own relatives that they had deliberately omitted his genetic data from the resurrection machinery, ensuring that his death would be permanent.
"You're wrong about something important!" Gwen declared with fierce pride as space energy gathered around her clenched fists.
"The one who defeated you wasn't me, it was Ben!"
The concentrated Mana sphere erupted with the force of a contained supernova!