Soros watched as Bruce stood his ground.
Even though he didn't understand what kind of power the blood-red bat swirling around Bruce represented, it wasn't much of a concern to Soros.
That aura of lifelessness emanating from the bat might not be to Soros's taste, but as a totem hunter who could never be truly full—
Consuming such a depressing totem might leave a bad taste in his mouth for days, but if it meant eliminating those Spiders, it was worth it.
Soros had faith in his own abilities.
"In front of me, all your resistance is meaningless. Wherever I go, all comes to an end," Soros said, slowly walking toward Bruce.
"Oh, this guy is so full of himself. I don't even know how he can say crap like that—acting like he's invincible or something." Barry Allen's voice echoed in Bruce's mind, thoroughly disgusted by Soros's shameless bravado.
Bruce raised his eyes, locking onto the approaching Soros.
"Do you bleed?"
"What?" Soros clearly hadn't expected such a stupid question from Bruce.
"Haven't you heard what I said before? Death has no power over our family," Soros replied coldly, before abruptly charging at Bruce.
Mayday Parker wanted to warn Bruce—
But in the very next moment, Bruce had vanished. All that remained where he had stood were blood-red bats swirling through the air.
His speed left behind only a streak of red light that the Spiders could barely perceive.
That red streak collided with Soros in an instant, sending the giant flying.
But as someone who claimed to stand tall above countless worlds, Soros had ample combat experience. He quickly regained control, adjusting his posture mid-air to ensure a stable landing.
His battle instincts allowed him to maintain stability even in this sudden assault.
But Bruce wasn't about to let him land so easily.
Before Soros could touch the ground, the red streak flashed again. This time, Bruce drove him even farther.
He didn't give Soros a single chance to regain his footing.
Speed is power. That truth was now on full display in Bruce's actions.
And this time, Soros didn't just fly—he crashed. Bruce's latest strike plowed him into the earth, carving a trench even deeper and wider than the one his son had made.
Soros tried to stop his momentum with his hands.
The ground beneath him split with ten deep claw marks where his fingers dug in.
But everything he did was in slow motion compared to a speedster. Bruce was already in front of him in the blink of an eye.
Wearing crimson gauntlets, Bruce pressed a hand firmly against Soros's head.
And then—he rocketed forward.
Everyone could only see the red blur as Bruce bulldozed Soros out of Central Park, speeding straight onto the city streets.
"So that bat wasn't a normal person from the start, huh?" Punk Spider-Man muttered, struggling to find the right words. The bat had left too deep an impression.
But Jessica Drew from Earth-616 shook her head. When Bruce had intercepted her earlier, she could still sense that the bat was just a normal human.
Though his strength had nearly reached the limits of humanity, it hadn't yet crossed into superhuman territory.
Why he could now burst out with such terrifying speed—no one knew.
Captain Universe Spider-Man had slowly regained his strength. He stood up and looked toward Morlun, who had also managed to rise again.
"Now's not the time to worry about that bat. We should be more concerned about those damned Inheritors," he said, floating into the air once more.
He'd already learned his lesson. And with the bat's warning fresh in his mind, he had no intention of engaging the Inheritors in close combat again.
Morlun slowly rose to his feet.
Elsewhere, the Inheritor siblings were still tangled in battle with the other Spider-Men.
At the rear of the battlefield stood a visibly anxious Silk.
It was obvious—those Inheritor siblings were targeting her, the one they called the Bride.
"Hand over the girl," Morlun said, reaching out toward Mayday Parker. He intended to finish what had almost been completed.
To take the offspring.
"Not a chance," British Spider-Man stepped in front of Mayday, eyes locked fiercely on Morlun.
To Morlun, none of these Spider-Men were true threats on their own. But with so many of them gathered, they did pose an annoyance. Taking the Bride wasn't going to be easy.
As for Soros's battlefield, the other Inheritors believed their father wouldn't fall so easily.
But the truth was—Soros had already been pushed all the way to New Jersey by Bruce, completely removed from New York.
Soros roared furiously, "Enough!"
He tried to grab Bruce's hand, but Bruce, empowered by the Speed Force, had already anticipated the move. He immediately released Soros's head and darted to the other side.
From Manhattan to New Jersey—
It had taken just one second.
Soros's back was raw from the high-speed drag against the ground, to the point where his spine was visible.
"You're bleeding," Bruce said coldly, watching Soros rise again in the distance.
The words sent Soros into a fury—but he didn't lose control. He knew exactly where his advantages lay.
Raising his fists high, Soros slammed them into the ground.
Of course Bruce knew what he was trying to do—change the terrain, make it so Bruce couldn't use his speed freely.
Blood-red bats once again whirled around Bruce's body as he appeared before Soros in a flash.
The moment Bruce was about to strike, Soros made a move—he threw a punch toward seemingly empty space, knowing full well Bruce wasn't there yet.
Bruce dodged the attack, but it gave Soros the opening he needed.
He smashed the ground.
The once-flat terrain turned jagged and broken in an instant.
Crumbled stone and fractured earth transformed the battlefield into unfamiliar ground.
To Soros, terrain didn't matter—flat or complex, it made no difference. His power was absolute.
But for someone who relied on running, it was a different story. Navigating unstable terrain was far harder than sprinting across smooth ground.
Even Barry Allen scratched his head at the sight. Sure, he could run across every inch of the world in a moment, but that didn't mean he was familiar with all of it. Unfamiliar terrain always came with trouble.
Bruce entered Speed Force mode instantly, adapting to the terrain around him.
His thought speed was already superhuman—now, immersed in the Speed Force, he surpassed even his previous limits.
In a flash, he'd analyzed the entire landscape, figured out where to descend for optimal momentum—
In mere seconds, he'd simulated dozens of routes through the terrain that could let him strike Soros effectively.
"What's wrong, Bat? Don't feel like fighting me anymore?" Soros called out mockingly, looking up at Bruce who now stood at the edge of the rugged terrain.
"Your speed is impressive, but you're probably not used to fighting on rough ground, are you?"
Soros seemed quite pleased with having limited the speedster's movement—but in the next moment, Bruce had vanished again.
Red streaks of light zipped around Soros, flashing from every direction, each one followed by a thunderous punch.
Some punches sent him flying.
Others slammed him right back down.
He was like a mouse being toyed with by a cat—tossed and pounded without mercy.
This time, Soros couldn't touch Bruce at all. Nothing he did could even graze a scrap of Bruce's armor.
Now, Soros regretted not draining every ounce of cosmic energy from Captain Universe Spider-Man. If he had, maybe he wouldn't be in this miserable state.
But Bruce wasn't giving him time to regret anything. The punches kept coming—furious, relentless, storm-like.
Perhaps because Soros had devoured too many Spider-Men, his body had already evolved beyond the realm of normal superhumans.
Even though Bruce had shredded his back earlier, Soros had already regenerated muscle and skin.
His regeneration was astonishing.
But it was only astonishing.
Because now—Soros was weakening.
Every punch Bruce threw came with one or two blood-red bats, each one leeching Soros's vitality.
His once-massive frame was beginning to shrink.
His strength was fading. Even though his punches still carried nearly all their former power—
Soros could feel his life slipping away.
And that, for him, was the most terrifying thing in the world.
Why had the Inheritors hunted the Spiders for so long? Because of that damn prophecy.
A prophecy that said one day, they would be overthrown and destroyed by the Spider Totems.
To ensure the Inheritor bloodline survived, Soros had his children—and all his kin—hunt the Spider Totems.
Yes, they could devour other animal totems too, but in Soros's eyes, none were as potent as the Spiders.
Only by killing the Spiders could the Inheritors maintain their dominance.
They'd long since lost count of how many Spiders they had slaughtered, but one thing was clear—this hunt had lasted for over a century.
"Master Weaver! Open the way home for me!" Soros roared.
He didn't want to keep tangling with the bat.
The bat's attacks might've been like scrapes to someone of his power—but each one delivered real damage. The bats were draining his life force.
If this continued—
Eventually, the bat would wear him down to death.
Even though he had clones, being killed by the Bat meant there was no chance of returning—his life had already been completely devoured.
The Weaver obeyed Solus's command and opened a portal for him to return to Earth-001.
The sudden appearance of the portal disrupted Bruce's attack rhythm. He could only watch helplessly as Solus stepped into the portal and disappeared before his eyes.
Bruce glanced in the direction Solus vanished, then immediately turned and rushed back to Central Park.
At that moment, Morlun and the twins had already received word of Solus's departure.
They knew the crimson Bat was returning, and the only thing they needed to do was get out.
Without hesitation or desire to fight, they contacted the Weaver and asked him to open a path home.
When Bruce arrived, all he saw was the portal slowly closing.
At that moment, he could no longer hold on—he collapsed to the ground.
The crimson armor slowly faded away, reverting to the original pure black Batsuit.
Before losing consciousness, Bruce used the last of his strength to force the Red Death back into the mental prison in his mind.
And just as the Bat collapsed, Cosmic Captain Spider-Man seemed to sense something. He looked up at the sky—and sure enough, he saw a familiar figure: that enormous bald head.
The Watcher had arrived, silently observing everything that was happening.
This made Cosmic Captain Spider-Man look at Bruce with a strange expression.
If it weren't for something significant, why would the Watcher show himself so easily?
But Cosmic Captain Spider-Man couldn't sense any threat from Bruce that could trigger such a major event.
If anything, the only possibility was the overwhelming darkness radiating from the Bat.
Jessica from Earth-616 quickly rushed to Bruce's side and helped him up.
She turned to Cosmic Captain Spider-Man, hoping the strongest among them could discern what had happened to Bruce.
When Cosmic Captain Spider-Man fully examined Bruce's condition, even he couldn't help but be impressed.
This guy was truly hardcore.
Though he didn't know the source of this Bat's superpowers, the side effects were clearly extreme.
Bruce's lower leg bones were completely shattered.
His hand bones were riddled with countless fractures.
His arm bones were in even worse condition, riddled with various issues.
It could be said that Bruce was now someone who could become fully paralyzed at any moment.
Cosmic Captain Spider-Man slowly descended beside Bruce and began channeling his cosmic secret energy into Bruce's body.
Solus wasn't wrong—this mysterious cosmic energy truly was a powerful life force. As it entered Bruce's body, it immediately began repairing the damage.
But as Cosmic Captain Spider-Man poured energy into Bruce, he discovered something shocking.
The darkness surrounding the Bat hadn't been there from birth.
Rather, it seemed... carefully designed.
Cosmic Captain Spider-Man was about to investigate further when a voice stopped him.
"No."
That deep, commanding voice—it was only the second time Cosmic Captain Spider-Man had heard it. It belonged to Eternity.
Eternity was stopping him from probing further into the Bat's body, forbidding him from exploring that bottomless darkness.
Cosmic Captain Spider-Man didn't understand why.
But as Eternity's guardian, he naturally followed Eternity's will.
He continued healing Bruce's injuries with his energy, unaware that traces of it were being devoured by the endless darkness within.
The treatment worked well. Cosmic Captain Spider-Man nodded at Jessica, indicating that the Bat was now fully healed.
"I'm back!" Peter Parker reappeared on Earth-13 through a portal.
He was about to crack a joke, but the ruined environment and the fallen Bat made it clear—this was no time for humor.
Returning with Peter were Gwen and Spider-Girl Anya.
There were even two Spider-Men they had never seen before.
The moment Gwen landed, she immediately searched for Bruce—until she saw him, resting his head on Jessica's lap.
Gwen frowned slightly, but she knew Bruce wasn't the kind of person to do something like that.
She walked over to Jessica's side.
Jessica explained everything to Gwen.
After learning the full story, Gwen quietly sat beside Jessica, waiting for Bruce to wake up.
"You took too long," said Spider-UK, walking over to Peter Parker.
"I noticed that too, but this time, I brought back a very powerful ally." As Peter raised his dimensional wristband, a bright light appeared in the sky.
Unlike any previous entrance, what came through the portal first were two massive mechanical arms—then the awe-inspiring giant robot.
"Leopardon!!!"
Inside the robot's cockpit, a man in a Spider-Man suit struck a dramatic pose: "I am the emissary from Hell! And I will fight for the fate of all spiders—and against all evildoers!"
Leopardon's arrival stirred the curiosity of all the Spider-Men present—where exactly had Peter Parker and the others been?
"Three different, yet strangely similar places."
Before anyone could ask, Peter had already begun to explain.
"Looks like we might actually stand a chance against the Inheritors now," said Ultimate Spider-Man, looking at Leopardon, then glancing at Bruce resting on Jessica's lap.
"We will be the victors in the end."
Meanwhile, on Earth-928—the home of Spider-Man 2099...
As one of the few who hadn't participated in the battle at Earth-13's safe zone, Daemos was now hunting down three Spiders.
He was determined to reclaim his corpse from them.
At this moment, Spider-Man 2099, along with Six-Armed Spider-Man and Spider-Woman, had just returned to his secret base.
Miguel's older brother looked at the two newcomers with confusion.
"Miggy, can I ask who your two friends are?" Jabir looked at the people behind Spider-Man 2099.
Six-Armed Spider-Man extended one of his hands.
"I'm Peter Parker. I created a formula to neutralize my spider powers, but as you can see, I ended up with four extra arms." He had already come to terms with it and didn't mind the transformation.
Jabir, however, seemed unsure—which hand was he supposed to shake?
"Which one do I shake?"
"The one I'm holding out, obviously."
Miguel then introduced the woman with four mechanical spider-legs extending from her back.
"This is Spider-Ma'am."
"It's Spider-Woman, actually," she corrected him, then removed her modified flight cap mask. "But you can call me May."
Miguel knew better than to argue—he quickly corrected himself. "Got it. This is May. May, this is my brother, Jabir."
May stepped forward and offered her hand.
Jabir, clearly inexperienced in dealing with women, awkwardly shook her hand. "Uh, hi. I'm Jabir."
May smiled. "Mm-hmm, I figured."
"And you're May."
"Right back at you."
"So… where are you from?" Jabir scratched his head, still not letting go of her hand.
"New York. 1895," May replied patiently, unfazed by the awkwardness.
"Welcome to 2099."
"Thanks, but you don't have to keep holding on." May looked slightly exasperated.
Jabir clearly didn't get it. "Sorry, what do you mean?"
"My hand. You can let go now," May said a bit awkwardly.
"Oh! Right." Jabir finally realized he was still holding her hand and quickly let go, though the blush on his face gave him away.
May looked aside, flustered, and teased, "If that's your thing, Peter's still got a few hands left unshaken."
"No, no thanks, I'm good."
(End of chapter)
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