Marvel’s Spider-Man: Across the Multiverse

Carnage and Spider-Man had both left, leaving behind a crowd of terrified staff and customers.

The bar owner had to step up and take control of the situation.

He instructed a few bartenders to calm the guests and announced that all drinks for the night would be on the house. Then, he called the police to report the incident. However, he soon learned that someone had already called the authorities the moment that monstrous being, Carnage, had appeared. The nearest officers were already on their way.

"Mary Jane, you—" After handling these matters, the bar owner turned to look for Mary Jane, intending to tell her to head home and rest. But to his surprise, she was already gone.

He didn't dwell on it, assuming that she had simply left on her own.

Nor did he feel upset about her abrupt departure.

After all, Mary Jane had once been a popular theater actress. Though her fame had faded, her performances as a resident singer still brought in a considerable crowd to his bar.

That was precisely why he had stepped in to protect her from Peter Parker earlier.

—

Meanwhile, just a few streets away from the Passion Space Bar, atop a church tower, stood a small bell tower housing a massive bell—large enough for two or three people to wrap their arms around.

It wasn't unusual for a church to have a large bell.

It served many purposes.

Most commonly, it was used as a signal—for calling people to attend services, weddings, or other religious gatherings.

During times of war, a ringing bell could even signify surrender.

But tonight, it had found a new purpose—one that its builders could never have imagined.

Tonight, it was going to be used against an extraterrestrial being.

Spider-Man, clad in his black Venom suit, stood alone atop the bell tower.

Not far away, Carnage crouched on a nearby rooftop. Gwen Stacy lay bound beside him, ensnared by crimson webbing that Carnage had generated from his own body.

Peter Parker stood by the massive bell, staring in Carnage's direction.

"I hope you keep your promise," he said.

"Keh keh keh—relax! As long as you hand it over, I'll let her go. Good little children always listen to their fathers!" Carnage cackled maniacally.

Spider-Man gave a slight nod. He didn't respond with words—his actions would prove his resolve.

He turned to the bell, took a deep breath, and with a swift motion, he clenched his fist and struck it with all his strength.

GONG—

The ancient bell shuddered under the impact, releasing a deep, resonant chime.

"AHHHHH—"

As the sound echoed through the tower, Spider-Man collapsed to his knees. The black suit on his body began to writhe and shift uncontrollably.

It looked like lard melting near a heat source—losing its solid form, yet not entirely liquid either. Instead, it twisted into something caught between solid and fluid, an eerie, shifting mass.

"Graaahhh—"

A second agonized scream rang out.

This time, it came from the black liquid oozing onto the ground!

Both Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy were stunned by what they were witnessing.

"How is this possible? It's actually alive!" Gwen Stacy was horrified. It was supposed to be just a suit!

But this scene only strengthened Peter Parker's determination to rid himself of the black suit.

Gritting his teeth, he threw his body against the massive bell repeatedly, making the black substance detach from him even faster.

But it still wasn't fast enough.

Thinking back to everything that had happened recently, his resentment toward the black suit had reached its peak.

Without hesitation, he stretched out both hands, grabbing the black mass on either side of his body. Summoning his immense strength—equivalent to 20 tons—he began peeling it off, bit by bit!

However, as if aware that its end was near, the black substance clung tightly to his skin, refusing to let go.

For a moment, it turned into a battle of willpower.

The agonized screams of both Peter Parker and the symbiote intertwined with the resounding chimes of the bell, turning the small bell tower into something resembling a ghostly purgatory.

This eerie commotion did not go unnoticed.

The closest person to the source of the sound was someone inside the church below.

His name was Eddie Brock. He had once been a promising young man—or at least, he thought so. Others might have disagreed.

He had a girlfriend who was not only young and beautiful but also confident and charismatic. Well… former girlfriend, perhaps, because just earlier, he had seen her—Gwen Stacy—heading to a bar with that damned Peter Parker.

He also had a coveted job at the newspaper… until that same Peter Parker had ruined it for him.

Damn it!

Sitting in the church, Eddie Brock grew angrier with every passing thought.

Everything that had gone wrong in his life recently was somehow tied to Peter Parker!

Damn Peter Parker!

How could the world have both an Eddie Brock and a Peter Parker in it? There simply wasn't room for both!

The church was nearly empty at this late hour. Even the priest had already left, leaving Eddie alone in the dimly lit space.

He sat in one of the pews, whispering a desperate prayer—praying for Peter Parker to disappear from this world.

Just then, a faint scream echoed from behind the church.

"What was that?" Eddie Brock turned his head, listening carefully. He felt a twinge of fear, but curiosity far outweighed it.

After all, he had nothing left to lose.

When a man has lost everything, he fears nothing.

Without hesitation, he stood up and began walking toward the back of the church.

---

A little farther away, in front of the Passion Space Bar, multiple police cars had already arrived, their red and blue lights flashing intensely.

Officers had secured the area, and among them stood an older-looking police captain.

As he listened to the bar owner's description of events, his face darkened.

From what he had just heard, the blood-red monster—Carnage—had abducted a girl. And that girl was none other than his own daughter… Gwen!

When he learned that their destination was the bell tower of the nearby church, Captain George Stacy could no longer hold himself back. Without hesitation, he ordered all units to move toward the church immediately.

And just then—

The bell tolled.

---

Meanwhile, even farther away, a sudden flash of white light streaked across the sky.

Two figures materialized atop a rooftop.

"What world is this?" Gwen asked curiously, surveying her surroundings.

Peter shook his head. "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the world of a Spider-Man called 'Tobey-Spider.' But honestly, the multiverse is in complete chaos right now, so I can't say for sure."

Gwen blinked. "Since we're uncertain, why don't we just go find this world's Spider-Man?"

Peter chuckled, nodding. "You're absolutely right. One thing we do know for sure—this world has a Spider-Man!"

After all, his method of searching worlds was always based on the presence of a "Spider-Man." If there wasn't one here, he wouldn't have ended up in this world in the first place.

(End of Chapter)

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