The cold rays of the setting sun cast long shadows across the Manhattan skyline as a tremendous roar echoed through the urban canyon, reverberating off glass and steel with bone-shaking intensity.
Agent Venom's devastating punch had created a crater-sized hole in the building's reinforced rooftop, sending chunks of concrete and twisted rebar cascading toward the street far below. But despite the overwhelming display of symbiote-enhanced strength, there was no trace of satisfaction or relief on any of the three heroes' faces.
Morlun stood completely unharmed within the destruction, his expensive suit remaining as pristine and immaculate as if he were preparing to attend an elegant dinner party rather than engaging in mortal combat. Not a single thread was out of place, not even a speck of dust marred his perfectly groomed appearance.
And in a very real sense, that comparison was entirely accurate, he was indeed preparing for dinner as his pale, predatory eyes studied Peter with the focused intensity of a gourmet evaluating the evening's main course.
A Spider-totem feast!
Although the Nemetrix's presence had theoretically solved the fundamental flaw that forced the Inheritor family to parasitically survive on the life force of other totems, hunting Spider-People represented far more than mere sustenance. The intoxicating aroma of spider-essence was absolutely irresistible to their kind, and their predatory activities were inextricably connected to ancient prophecies regarding the family's continued survival and dominance.
From every conceivable angle, Spider-totems had to die!
Morlun flexed his arm with casual indifference, and the motion generated enough kinetic force to lift Agent Venom, despite the symbiote's massive size advantage, high into the air like a discarded toy. With a contemptuous flick of his wrist, he hurled the black-clad hero off the building entirely, sending him plummeting toward the street with tremendous velocity.
Then he planted his right foot against the damaged rooftop and launched himself toward Peter with explosive speed, his pale hands curved into razor-sharp claws that were obviously intended to close around the wall-crawler's throat in a grip that would end his life.
Peter ducked low to avoid the lethal swipe, planted his hands against the concrete surface, and launched both legs upward in a devastating scissor kick aimed at Morlun's midsection with enough force to shatter reinforced steel.
However, such conventional tactics meant absolutely nothing to someone of Morlun's experience and capabilities, as he had already studied the combat patterns of countless Spider-totems throughout his centuries of hunting.
The Inheritor's lean frame twisted through the air with impossible grace, effortlessly avoiding Peter's attack while simultaneously grasping the young hero's extended ankle with his backhand. In the next instant, he clenched his free hand into a fist and delivered a devastating counter-attack with the precision of a surgical strike!
BOOM!
The punch connected with Peter's skull with the force of a sledgehammer, sending explosive pain through his enhanced nervous system and leaving him dazed, disoriented, and unable to mount any immediate defense.
Witnessing his friend's predicament, Harry launched himself into the battle without hesitation.
The Neo-Goblin armor's integrated propulsion systems activated with brilliant flashes of blue flame, twin jets emerging from concealed compartments in his boots to rocket him directly toward Morlun's position. Simultaneously, the retractable arm blades deployed from his gauntlets with mechanical precision, their monomolecular edges capable of slicing through virtually any known material.
Whoosh!
The atmosphere itself seemed to scream as the razor-sharp weapons cut through the air, but Morlun avoided the lethal assault by simply shifting his torso slightly to one side, demonstrating the kind of effortless superiority that suggested this entire confrontation was merely recreational entertainment.
But just as the Inheritor was preparing to pivot and deliver a crippling kick to Harry's vulnerable midsection, the Neo-Goblin armor underwent a dramatic reconfiguration. Harry's shoulder pauldrons suddenly expanded and revealed twin weapon barrels that were now aimed directly at Morlun's center mass.
BOOM!!!
A violent sonic eruption shattered the evening air as concentrated sound waves exploded outward with devastating force. The massive shockwave struck Morlun's lean frame and launched him backward like a missile, sending him tumbling helplessly between the towering buildings before he crashed to the street below with bone-breaking impact, his fate uncertain.
The sonic cannons represented one of Ben's most ingenious weapon designs, technology originally developed for Peter's spider-suit that could punch through several meters of reinforced steel plating with a single concentrated blast.
However, Peter had always preferred mobility and stealth over heavy artillery, finding such weapons incompatible with his acrobatic fighting style. Harry, on the other hand, had immediately recognized their devastating potential and had convinced Ben to integrate the sonic systems directly into his Neo-Goblin armor using cutting-edge nanotechnology.
"Are you alright, Peter?" Harry asked with obvious concern, quickly moving to help his friend rise from the damaged rooftop surface.
Peter pressed both hands against his throbbing skull, blinking away the stars that clouded his vision as he attempted to focus. "It feels like someone detonated a grenade inside my head..."
"Besides that, I have the distinct impression that something is fundamentally wrong with this situation," he continued with growing unease.
Peter studied Morlun's motionless form sprawled on the distant street with obvious wariness, his enhanced senses detecting subtle wrongness that his conscious mind couldn't quite identify. During the brief moment when the Inheritor had grasped his ankle, he had experienced the terrifying sensation of having tremendous strength throughout his body while being completely unable to access or utilize it, as if he were recovering from a debilitating illness that had drained his superhuman capabilities entirely.
"Stay alert, Harry," he warned with grim seriousness. "There's something extremely dangerous about this man that goes beyond normal superhuman threats."
More than just dangerous, Peter's instincts screamed. The Inheritors were literally the natural predators of Spider-totems throughout the multiverse!
In fact, when Morlun had made physical contact with Peter moments earlier, he could have immediately begun the process of draining his totem power completely. But Morlun was fundamentally different from his exiled brother Karn in terms of methodology and personal preferences. While Karn was content with simple energy absorption, Morlun genuinely savored the psychological aspects of his hunting.
The Inheritor family had always derived tremendous pleasure from watching Spider-totems die in prolonged agony, and they had even developed techniques for consuming their prey while still alive. They would methodically tear away flesh and blood piece by piece, forcing their victims to endure excruciating pain while slowly succumbing to blood loss and trauma.
This represented the most psychologically devastating method of execution imaginable.
At this moment, Morlun had completely recovered from Harry's sonic assault with supernatural resilience. He rose to his feet with fluid grace and regarded both Harry and Peter with a sinister smile that suggested the previous attack had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience rather than a genuine threat to his existence.
"I must revise my earlier assessment," he said with obvious amusement. "The Green Goblin and Spider-Man actually functioning as allies? This universe possesses some genuinely intriguing event."
Peter felt his equilibrium returning as his enhanced physiology rapidly healed the damage from Morlun's devastating blow, though his head continued throbbing with residual pain. He maintained his grip on Harry's armored forearm for support while calling out with desperate urgency.
"What is your purpose in invading Earth?" he demanded, his voice carrying the authority of someone who had faced space-level threats before.
"Don't you realize that this planet falls under the jurisdiction of the Plumbers organization?"
Plumbers? This represented the first time Morlun had encountered references to such an organization, but he dismissed the concern with contemptuous indifference. He assumed it was merely another superhero collective similar to countless others he had encountered throughout his multiversal hunts. He had faced the Avengers, the Illuminati, the X-Men, and numerous other heroic organizations across dimensional boundaries, what was one more group of costumed vigilantes?
Such superheroes might present moderate tactical challenges during hunting expeditions, but his target remained exclusively Spider-totems.
If the Inheritor family had allowed fear of retribution to influence their predatory activities, they would have abandoned their space hunting centuries ago.
Not to mention that he now possessed the secret weapon that Maltruant had provided specifically for this mission.
"So many questions from tonight's dinner," Morlun observed with dark humor, flexing his lean frame to assess and eliminate any lingering effects from the sonic weapon assault.
"Dinner?" Harry's eyes widened with horrified realization. "You're planning to eat us?"
"I have no interest in consuming Green Goblins, child!" Morlun replied with obvious disdain as he studied Harry's armored form.
The artificial enhancement represented nothing more than technological augmentation rather than genuine totem power. He would derive more satisfaction from hunting sewer lizards than wasting time on such inferior prey.
After delivering that dismissive assessment, he turned his attention toward Peter with unmistakable hunger gleaming in his pale eyes.
"Spider-Man, you represent our designated prey!"
"Dude," Harry whispered, nudging Peter with his elbow while maintaining his defensive posture, "are there any secrets you haven't shared with me? Like maybe some special ingredient in your body that serves as a gourmet delicacy?"
"Do you think that's remotely possible?" Peter replied with obvious irritation. "You don't even know whether I was up late last night taking care of personal business."
"Actually, that's true," Harry nodded with matter-of-fact certainty.
Peter's response carried genuine shock: "Wait, you actually know about that?!"
The wall-crawler was completely dumbfounded, he had been speaking hypothetically, but Harry's casual confirmation struck him like a physical blow.
He immediately leaped away from his friend with lightning-quick reflexes, protectively crossing his arms over his chest with obvious mortification.
"No wonder you're incredibly wealthy but don't even have a girlfriend," Peter accused with growing horror. "It turns out you're..."
"What exactly are you imagining?" Harry interrupted with exasperated confusion. "I wanted to play games with you last night, but you didn't answer any of my calls. Azmuth informed me you were 'managing personal risks' and insisted on conducting solo patrol activities. But I never expected you actually preferred that type of recreational activity."
Harry had inadvertently exposed Peter's private habits with clinical precision.
"Stop, stop, stop talking about this!" Peter pleaded desperately, his face burning with embarrassment beneath his mask.
He immediately attempted to redirect the conversation toward less personally mortifying topics: "Did you hear him mention having Spider-Man for dinner? Eating spiders is absolutely disgusting!"
Ben: ???
Morlun released a cold laugh that suggested he found their banter mildly entertaining rather than insulting. He certainly wouldn't allow himself to become emotionally compromised by Peter's attempt at psychological warfare. But just as he was preparing to resume his assault, the rooftop surface beneath his feet suddenly erupted with violent force.
Several blade-like protrusions of black symbiote material pierced through the reinforced flooring like serrated teeth, surrounding his position before converging at tremendous speed to create an inescapable trap!
Peter and Harry launched themselves into the air simultaneously, deploying web-lines to further restrain Morlun while he was distracted by the unexpected ground assault.
The Inheritor, who had been planning to escape through aerial maneuvers, suddenly found himself completely entangled in sticky webbing that adhered to his expensive suit and limited his movement options significantly. Harry quickly followed up by hurling two razor-sharp projectiles that pinned the web-lines to the damaged rooftop surface, effectively anchoring their opponent in place.
Agent Venom, who had been launched from the building during the initial exchange, finally returned to the battlefield at this crucial moment. His flowing symbiote form had reconfigured itself into dozens of sharp-edged blades that approached Morlun from every conceivable angle, creating a spherical death trap.
"We were waiting for Venom's return," Harry called out triumphantly as he balanced on his glider while Peter clung to the building's vertical surface. "What exactly were you waiting for?"
Did this arrogant predator really assume they would continue arguing while their lives were in mortal danger?
The dense array of symbiote blades condensed directly into a massive black sphere, completely encasing Morlun within its protective shell. Venom's main body emerged from the damaged rooftop like an enormous predator bursting through the surface, his monstrous grin displaying rows of razor-sharp teeth.
"Let me pound him into paste and spread him on a hamburger!" he declared with obvious bloodlust, extending his long tongue to wash across his face while showing an expression of eager anticipation. "Venom honey burger, delicious and nutritionally complete!"
But Flash Thompson's consciousness immediately protested from within their shared mental space: "Don't even consider it! I refuse to consume human remains!"
"Why not?" Harry asked with morbid curiosity. "Don't you enjoy the authentic flavor of large intestine?"
Venom adopted a thoughtful expression as he considered the culinary implications: "It has a somewhat bitter aftertaste, but I think it could work as an interesting dietary variation."
"Have you actually eaten that?!" Harry exclaimed with mounting disgust.
This time it was the Neo-Goblin's turn to distance himself from his ally.
He pinched his nose with obvious revulsion while backing away: "Flash, don't speak to me anymore if you've been consuming biological waste."
Flash Thompson's face appeared partially through the symbiote's surface, displaying an expression of wounded innocence: "I didn't eat anything disgusting!"
"You really haven't consumed any waste products?" Peter asked with skeptical concern.
"Venom ate it," Flash immediately deflected responsibility to his symbiotic partner.
"Is there actually a meaningful difference between you two at this point?" Peter observed while also shifting several steps away from the contaminated hero.
"It's technically possible that Flash didn't eat waste material, but it's statistically unlikely that Flash didn't eat waste material."
Spider-Man, why is your reasoning so precise? Flash thought with frustration, not wanting to continue this deeply embarrassing conversation: "Who exactly is this enemy we're fighting?"
"Who knows?" Harry replied with a casual shrug. "The situation appears to be resolved anyway."
"Not necessarily," came Morlun's voice from within the black sphere with disturbing calm.
In the next moment, a pair of razor-sharp claws tore through the symbiote construct like tissue paper, and the Inheritor emerged from his temporary prison with his clothing still perfectly arranged and his composure completely intact.
"I must express surprise at how remarkably weak your combined power truly is," he observed with clinical detachment.
"Now it's time to conclude these recreational activities." Morlun reached toward his collar and pressed his pale fingers against the Nemetrix core that Maltruant had provided.
"Wait, that device..." Peter's pupils contracted with sudden recognition and growing alarm.
"What is it?" Harry asked, detecting the urgency in his friend's voice.
"That's an Omnitrix!" Peter declared with absolute certainty.
During Ben's initial attempts to modify and understand his transformation device, Peter had worked closely with the technology under his cousin's direct supervision. He had operated the interface controls, studied its functions, and become intimately familiar with its distinctive design characteristics. Therefore, when Morlun revealed the Nemetrix core, Peter could immediately identify the unmistakable similarities to Ben's device.
Harry was equally shocked by this revelation, his expression becoming grimly serious as he studied their opponent with new understanding.
From another universe, and he possesses Omnitrix technology...
"Could it be possible that he's actually Ben from a parallel universe?" Harry suggested with obvious confusion.
What kind of ridiculous theory is that?
"Are you completely blind?" Peter replied with exasperated disbelief. "Ben is nowhere near that physically repulsive!"
Even Agent Venom was rendered speechless by Harry's wildly inaccurate speculation. "Aren't you being a bit too creative with your guesswork?"
"This individual is classified as an Inheritor," Venom explained with the authority of someone accessing deep genetic memories. "He originates from the multiverse and specializes in hunting Spider-totems across dimensional boundaries. His information exists within my symbiotic genetic database."
The memories of the Klyntar existed in the form of a vast hive network that transcended individual consciousness, and the experiences of other Venom symbiotes from throughout the multiverse could pass through dimensional barriers, allowing him to access crucial intelligence when necessary.
However, the sheer volume of accumulated memory was so enormous that Venom rarely accessed it unless dealing with commonly encountered threats or particularly significant dangers.
Morlun happened to represent exactly the kind of heavyweight threat that warranted immediate intelligence retrieval.
"But I have no explanation for how he acquired Omnitrix technology," Venom admitted with obvious concern.