"Secure the perimeter! Double-check the corpses—none of the Vipers crawl out of this alive!" Punisher's voice cracked like gunfire across the battlefield, soldiers snapping into motion without hesitation.
Ganke stood at the edge of the rubble-strewn street, rifle still smoking from the last volley. His scarred face twisted into something darker than anger—something bordering on despair.
"Fuck!!!" he spat, slamming the side of his gun. "How many of these lunatics do we have to bury before it ends!?"
Kraven, bound in thick webbing, let out a low, guttural chuckle. The sound was broken, hoarse, yet defiant. Even in defeat, even shattered and bound, the hunter's pride burned.
Spider-Man's eyes never left him.
(He's done… but his fire isn't gone. One wrong move and this fight could reignite.)
The rebels fanned out, rifles sweeping, eyes scanning the debris for any signs of movement. Milo's cybernetic eyes flickered across the ruined street, highlighting the heat signatures of the bodies sprawled across the cracked pavement. Punisher's soldiers moved with brutal efficiency, inspecting every corner, clearing every shadow.
Then a sudden shift in the air.
A whistling sound, high-pitched, almost too fast to track. Spider-Man froze mid-breath. Ganke's head snapped toward the source, eyes widening.
"No!!!" he shouted, voice breaking, as explosions erupted from the center of the street. The first body, a Viper who had been pretending deadnflung itself upward in a spray of fire and shrapnel.
Soldiers were thrown into the air, limbs twisting in unnatural angles. Screams split the night. Dust, smoke, and fire consumed the battlefield in an instant.
Spider-Man lunged to shield a downed rebel, spinning a web shield to block a hail of shards, metal fragments sparking against the sticky strands.
(Suicide bombs… they're rigged!)
Ganke dove behind a broken pillar, rifle still clutched to his chest, eyes wide and haunted. "They're, God, they're bombing themselves! Soldiers, MOVE!"
Quin leapt over a burning carcass, silver braid whipping as she tore through a Viper charging blindly into the flames. "Get the living out first! Milo, cover the rear! Robin, flank left…NOW!"
The street became chaos incarnate. Spider-Man swung over a burning vehicle, narrowly dodging another body detonating midair. Sparks rained down around him. His ribs screamed with every movement, bruises flaring with every twist.
Kraven, even bound, let out a low, hoarse laugh. "Beautiful… chaos… isn't it, Spider…" His eyes, half-lidded, scanned the carnage like a predator observing a failing hunt. "You call this victory? It's only the beginning…"
Spider-Man gritted his teeth.
(If I don't act fast, half of these guys will die—and Kraven's grin will still be there, mocking us.)
He swung to the nearest pillar, catching Quin mid-leap. "Go! Save the others! Don't let the fire spread!"
The ground shook with another blast. Soldiers were thrown like ragdolls, screams echoing off the ruined buildings. Harry rolled under a crumbling wall fragment, pulling a wounded comrade to safety. "Move!! We're not losing anyone else!"
Trey and Arlo barreled through the flames, fists and rifles smashing Vipers who had ignored the danger, the twins grinning even as sweat and blood mixed with soot on their skin. "You die first, we survive second!" Arlo shouted, swinging a rifle like a club.
Milo's eyes scanned the battlefield, issuing calm, precise commands despite the chaos. "Left flank compromised! Push fire back! Cover the perimeter—Spider-Man, you're up front!"
Spider-Man's gaze flicked to Kraven. The hunter's chest heaved violently against the webbing, eyes still burning with fire. Spider-Man's hands tightened.
(I can't let him see this… can't let him think he's winning.)
He shot a line of webbing, yanking a half-buried soldier clear of an explosion just as the debris tore past. The soldier coughed, clutching his shoulder, eyes wide. "Thanks…"
"Move! Keep moving!" Spider-Man barked, spinning through the air, swinging from shattered beams and twisted metal poles. Every strike, every web shot was calculated—saving lives, dodging death, and keeping Kraven trapped.
Punisher moved with surgical precision, his rifle cutting down Vipers who refused to die quietly. Each shot was final, executed with calm, remorseless efficiency. A soldier who had frozen in fear was dragged to cover by Ganke, trembling but alive.
The explosions kept coming, bodies flung in every direction. Spider-Man's senses were stretched to their limits, tracking heat, motion, and sound simultaneously. His ribs throbbed, blood mixed with sweat dripping into his eyes, but he didn't stop.
A Viper, unseen, lunged with a jagged blade. Spider-Man's reflexes flared, he twisted, ducked, and a snap of webbing ensnared the attacker midair. The body went up in a small explosion, debris raining down like cursed confetti.
(This isn't just a fight. It's a war—and Kraven set the rules.)
He swung low, webbing another rebel to safety, then rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a third explosion. Harry crawled out from under rubble, firing a shot into an incoming bomber. "Not today! Not one more!"
The night was alive with chaos
fire, smoke, blood, screams, and the echoing, guttural laughter of Kraven. Spider-Man's eyes flicked back toward him, heart pounding. Bound, beaten, bleeding Kraven's grin never faded.
"Spider… always… fighting…" the hunter rasped, voice a ragged whisper through the webbing. "Always… hunting… always… alive…"
Spider-Man clenched his jaw, spinning a web line across the burning street, yanking it tight to redirect a collapsing wall. Quin and Robin scrambled through, dragging injured soldiers to safety.
The bombs kept detonating one after another, suicide Vipers charging recklessly into the fire. Punisher's voice cut across the chaos, commanding with brutal clarity. "Fall back to the left flank! Secure the wounded! No one dies tonight!"
Spider-Man's mind raced. Every web shot, every flip, every punch, he was moving faster than fatigue, faster than pain, faster than fear. And all the while, Kraven's eyes followed him, calculating, alive, untamed.
(I can hold him here. I can save everyone. I just have to survive this fight…)
Another explosion flung Spider-Man across a pile of rubble. Smoke filled his lungs, heat blistered his skin, but he rolled, webbed another soldier to safety, and leapt to a higher beam. Flames licked the broken buildings, sparks scattering like fireflies.
"Spider! Up here!" Ganke's voice rang, terrified but commanding. Spider-Man swung toward him, narrowly dodging falling debris. Ganke pointed to a line of Vipers charging with more explosives.
"I'll cut them off! Cover the wounded!" Spider-Man yelled. He rocketed forward, webbing snapping, body twisting midair. The explosions erupted around him like thunder, he dodged, struck, and redirected debris, a one-man wall between life and death.
And through it all, Kraven laughed. Bound, broken, bleeding but still watching. Still alive. Still the hunter.
Spider-Man's eyes locked on him.
(I'll survive this… and I'll make sure you can't hunt anyone else.)
To be continue