The Dark Knight of Marvel

"Don't worry, I can handle it." May gently patted Mary Jane's shoulder, assuring her that she was fine.

Watching this strong old woman step into the house, Mary Jane found herself at a loss for words. Even if she wanted to say something comforting, nothing seemed appropriate.

She could only stare at Aunt May's door, hesitating for a moment before finally stepping closer. Pressing her hand lightly against the door, she spoke softly, "If anything happens, I hope you'll call me. We're still family, aren't we?"

There was no response from inside the house, but Mary Jane was certain that Aunt May had heard her.

"I'll come back to see you, Aunt May." Leaving those words behind, she turned away, feeling a deep sense of sorrow.

As for whether May had actually heard Mary Jane's words—of course, she had.

However, what shocked her even more were the figures that now stood before her.

"Oh my God…" May covered her mouth, trying her best not to cry out in surprise.

"Apologies for entering without permission." A figure dressed entirely in black and white tipped his hat in greeting.

"Sumimasen!" A small, adorable girl nervously spoke up, bowing slightly toward Aunt May.

Behind her, a robotic companion—strangely human-like—mimicked a guilty expression, as if apologizing as well.

"I don't know if talking animals are normal in this world, but it's a pleasure to meet you."

If it weren't for this unexpected voice, May might not have even noticed the small figure perched on her coffee table.

"Wait… wait a minute." May was struggling to process everything unfolding before her.

She had long known that her nephew was Spider-Man.

But he had never mentioned having so many… companions.

The most he had ever talked about were people like Captain America.

At today's memorial service, May had seen many famous superheroes.

It was clear they had come to honor Spider-Man.

"You… you're not my nephew's friends, are you?" May tried to steady herself.

The sheer number of shocking events today was overwhelming.

Her nephew had died in an earthquake of unknown origin—though deep down, May believed Peter had fallen at the hands of a villain.

How could an unknown earthquake possibly claim Spider-Man's life?

"Even now, it's still hard for me to believe, but… this isn't our universe. We were transported here due to some kind of anomaly," the black-and-white-clad figure cautiously explained.

"And I suspect that the reason we were brought to this world is tied to the source of this universe's Spider-Man's death."

Despite looking like a teenage girl, she was the quickest to deduce the reason behind everything that had happened.

"It seems they've explained everything," the small, doll-like figure remarked.

But before anyone could react further, they all tensed.

Their Spider-Sense was warning them—someone was at the door.

"Ding-dong."

The doorbell rang. Instantly, they shifted into battle-ready positions.

Without hesitation, May grabbed a baseball bat from the side and cautiously approached the door.

"Hide. I'll handle this."

Letting an elderly woman face an unknown danger alone seemed far from ideal.

But May's plan was the best option.

For now, it was safer for them to remain unseen. When they had arrived at May's home, they had already sensed several individuals watching the house with ill intent.

Avoiding their surveillance had been easy, but stepping outside now could lead to unpredictable consequences.

They hid themselves as quickly as possible.

When May opened the door, she lowered the baseball bat in her hands.

It was just a group of children holding Spider-Man memorabilia.

Some adults had accompanied them as well.

"Excuse me, may I leave this here?" A little girl held out a Spider-Man doll, with a small card attached to it.

The childish handwriting on the card made it clear that it contained everything the child wanted to say to Spider-Man.

"Of course, sweetheart," May said, crouching down and gently stroking the girl's hair.

"He was a good man."

Watching from inside the house, the hidden spiders all shared the same silent thought about the Spider-Man they had never met.

But they weren't the only ones watching.

A bat was also observing the scene from the attic of his own home.

Wayne wasn't particularly surprised that fans had found this place to leave gifts.

Spider-Man's presence was akin to the Flash's.

For the people of both universes, these two heroes represented their worlds' moral compass.

Barring those bizarre alternate universes, in most functioning realities, they were always the final line of defense in their teams.

But through Batman's eyes, those adults accompanying the children were clearly not ordinary people.

Their posture while standing, their alertness while walking—everything about them screamed professional training.

These were not government agents; they were seasoned mercenaries.

After all, if they were American government operatives, they wouldn't be this cautious when dealing with the family of a superhero.

Wayne was willing to bet his own head that these people were up to something.

"They're really keeping an eye on this place."

Wayne could sense at least five different individuals in the vicinity, assigned to monitor the area.

Their paranoia was off the charts.

Even though the man was already dead at their hands, they still feared someone might come for them?

No wonder Kingpin had managed to climb so high in this world.

This level of caution ensured he would never fall victim to arrogance.

Even when facing Spider-Man.

The Kingpin of the main universe had once realized that Vanessa was his greatest weakness—and had ruthlessly eliminated her himself.

By removing his own vulnerability, he ensured that he would always remain untouchable.

But in this universe, Vanessa had become a ghost haunting Kingpin's dreams—an obsession he could never escape.

Wayne stroked his chin. He had secured a place for himself in this world, but there was still a vast gap between him and the real Batman.

Perhaps the events to come would be the perfect opportunity for him to truly become the Dark Knight.

"Kingpin..."

Wayne studied the sharp edges of the batarang in his hand.

(End of Chapter)

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