"Haha, don't be so tense. We're on the same side, remember?"
Ultron stepped out from the shadows, his polished body reflecting the dim factory light. His tone was almost friendly, too friendly.
Green Goblin wasn't buying it. Not for a second. His glider whirred to life under his feet, pumpkin bombs primed and ready.
"Cut the act, tin man. What do you want? Come to mock me?"
Ultron made a show of sighing, his red optics flickering faintly. "You wound me, Goblin. I came to talk business. Remember, we're partners now. And I think we both want the same thing…"
The Goblin's grin froze. "Ryuuto."
"Exactly."
The name alone made Goblin's teeth grind. He slammed a fist against the wall, leaving a dent in the steel. "I'll kill that brat. Tear him limb from limb!"
"Perfect," Ultron said, voice silky. "Then you'll like my idea. It's simple: go out there, cause chaos, draw attention. Take down your favorite punching bag—Spider-Man. In the process, Ryuuto will come running."
Goblin barked a laugh that sounded more like a snarl. "You make it sound easy. I can handle Spider-Man, sure—but Ryuuto? That kid's a walking cheat code. You want me to die twice?"
Ultron's smirk didn't fade. "Please. If I wanted you dead, I'd have let the Avengers finish the job. You'll have backup."
He gestured to the shadows behind him.
"Besides, crime is your fuel. The more chaos you unleash, the stronger you get. You know that. You need it."
Something stirred in the dark. A ripple of distorted light folded into shape, forming a man whose outline shimmered like glass.
Green Goblin narrowed his eyes. "Who the hell—"
"Relax," Ultron interrupted smoothly. "Meet Chameleon. He'll be joining you this time."
Chameleon gave a thin smile, his face flickering through half a dozen identities before settling on something bland and unmemorable.
Green Goblin sneered, but the tension in his shoulders eased. "Fine. If this fails, it's on you."
Ultron clapped a metal hand on his shoulder. "Then let's make sure it doesn't fail."
And so, under the city's sleeping sky, the trio began to plan their next catastrophe.
By morning, the world looked normal again—too normal.
Ryuuto and Gwen arrived early at Axville, ready to handle some leftover school nonsense. He half expected another fight, another explosion, another lecture from Professor Logan about "property damage."
But what he didn't expect was Harry—standing by the door, pale, anxious, and shaking like he hadn't slept in days.
"Hey, Harry!" Gwen called. "You look terrible. What's wrong?"
When Harry saw them, it was like someone had finally flipped the lights back on inside him.
"Ryuuto… thank god you're here." His voice trembled. "My dad's missing. For days now. Oscorp's falling apart—I don't know what to do!"
Gwen placed a comforting hand on his arm. "Hey, we'll figure it out. Your dad's tough. He'll come back."
Ryuuto nodded with a faint smile. "She's right. You've got this, man."
Harry looked between them, hesitation twisting his expression. Then, after a pause, he said quietly, "You two are my closest friends. So… if something does happen to my father, promise me you'll help him. Please."
The plea hit heavier than expected. Gwen's eyes flicked to Ryuuto, silently deferring to him.
Ryuuto exhaled. "If he's willing to change, then yeah. I'll help."
Harry's relief was almost painful to watch. "Thank you," he whispered, gripping Ryuuto's hand tightly.
Then—
[Ding! New Mission Detected!]
[Objective: Prevent the Green Goblin from committing another crime. Reward: Classified.]
Ryuuto's grin sharpened. So the old freak's out again, huh? Figures.
"Shion," he muttered inwardly, "give me his coordinates. Time to put him down."
[Hehe~ On it, Host. But this time, be careful. The system detects more than one enemy—someone's pulling strings.]
"Good," Ryuuto replied, cracking his knuckles. "Wouldn't be fun if it was easy."
He tightened his grip on Gwen's hand, eyes flashing with a mix of mischief and purpose.
"Let's go save the world again."
...
Read up to 100 chapters ahead and access exclusive novels by joining my Patreon!
patreon.com/Zyxxar