The stars and stripes fluttered in the wind behind him.
It was Homelander.
Peter recalled the scene of his first meeting with Homelander.
Surrounded by the cheers of the crowd, Homelander was like the brightest star in the sky.
He remembered Homelander walking up to him, crouching down his tall frame, his eyes filled with expectations.
"To my like-minded friend, Peter."
"Never let this World change you."
"This World is full of power; some people possess power but use it to bully the weak. Others possess power but choose to turn a blind eye. If you possess power, you will make the right choice."
"...With great power comes great responsibility."
Those teachings, those images, kept lingering before his eyes.
Homelander was like his father, his mentor, his God of Mankind.
How could he betray his God of Mankind here?
How could he let Earth be shamed here?
"I..."
Peter's pupils suddenly contracted, his previously dazed eyes instantly regaining clarity, even revealing a hint of sharpness.
"I... will never admit defeat!"
Peter shouted, quickly pulled on his mask, leaped back several meters with all his might, and put distance between himself and Eros.
The false friendship and sense of dependency implanted in Peter's mind by Starfox dissipated completely at the moment Homelander appeared, like snow meeting the scorching sun.
"What did you... do to me just now?" Peter demanded sharply.
The gentle smile on Eros's face froze.
Looking at the Spider-Man who refused to admit defeat and began to question him, a flash of disbelief crossed his eyes.
Since he awakened this ability, no creature had ever been able to forcibly break free from such deep emotional infiltration by their own will.
What kind of terrifying mental anchor was hidden deep within this seemingly fragile Earth boy?
The smile on Eros's face gradually faded.
"It's a pity, Peter." He sighed and shook his head helplessly. "I did use my ability on you just now, but it was for your own good. Really, I don't want to hurt you."
"Don't act so hypocritical." Peter gritted his teeth, feeling a wave of lingering fear and anger.
He had actually been emotionally manipulated by such despicable means.
"I'm serious." Eros spread his hands. "My brother, he is threatening me with the people I love, with the survival of dozens of Planets. If I lose, he will kill them all."
He looked at Peter and persuaded him again: "You are a good kid, Peter. Your Earth only has one Planet, but I carry the lives of dozens of Planets. I beg you, concede the victory to me."
Peter crouched slightly, his fingers hovering over his web-shooters, adopting the most standard combat stance.
He looked at Starfox, without sympathy or hesitation.
Only... danger! Enemy!
Eros looked at Peter's unwavering stance and knew that there was no other way.
"I love peace, and I don't want to fight you..."
"But I have a reason I must win!"
Eros clenched his fists, power surging within him, creating a current of air around him.
He was no longer that gentle friend, but a Titan warrior who had to clear obstacles to survive.
Peter watched Eros, who was fully unleashing his aura, without the slightest retreat.
"What a coincidence." Peter responded coldly. "Me too!"
Whoosh—!
Two strands of White webbing tore through the sky, heading straight for Eros.
The real fight to the death had only just begun.
Facing the incoming webbing.
Eros did not change his expression, only slightly tilted his head; the webbing flew past his ear and stuck to a rusty billboard behind him.
"It seems negotiations have broken down." Eros sighed. "You could have chosen an easier path, Peter."
Peter exerted force with both hands, using the recoil inertia of the webbing, straightened his body, and kicked towards Eros.
"Come on! Space Casanova!" Peter shouted in mid-air.
Eros did not show weakness either; the concrete beneath his feet shattered with a boom.
He launched himself like a cannonball, instantly crossing a dozen meters and appearing in front of Peter.
The Titan race's Super Strength erupted without reservation, a simple, unadorned straight punch prepared for a head-on collision.
In that instant, Peter's Spider-Sense warned him frantically.
He keenly perceived the terrifying power contained in that punch.
In mid-air, he forcibly twisted his waist, shot a strand of webbing from his left hand to stick to the side wall, pulled hard, and forcibly changed his flight trajectory.
Bang!
Eros's punch missed, smashing into the outer wall of the building that had been behind Peter just a moment ago.
The thick load-bearing wall collapsed like paper, instantly caving into a three-meter-wide hole, debris spraying like bullets.
"Is this how you usually greet your girlfriends? Their medical bills must be astronomical!" Peter said, still feeling lingering fear.
Eros brushed the dust off himself, floating in mid-air with a straight posture.
"Peter, you are very agile. But you can't dodge every attack. Give up; it's better for both of us."
"Give up? That word isn't in my dictionary. Of course, if you really have to look for it, maybe it's behind the page that says 'I beat you into the ground'."
Peter pushed off with his legs, like a nimble bird, swinging away between the buildings.
Eros shook his head, locked his gaze on Peter, and suddenly accelerated.
Two figures began a fierce chase in the high skies of the wasteland city.
Eros possessed the ability to fly, and his straight-line speed was extremely fast.
He was like a red and White meteor, clinging tightly to Peter.
Every close-quarters engagement displayed the oppressive feeling brought by the Titan race's powerful physique.
His movements carried not a trace of killing intent, yet every move was lethal, exuding a noble elegance in every gesture.
Peter relied entirely on the terrain and his webbing.
In mid-air, he constantly performed all sorts of anti-physical, extreme turns, jumps, and rolls.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Eros's fists smashed through billboards, rooftop Water tanks, and corner walls along the way.
And Peter was always able to dodge the attacks by a hair's breadth in the nick of time, relying on the warnings of his Spider-Sense.
Every missed strike left terrifying traces of destruction on the surrounding buildings.
Even if just the wind from his punch brushed past, Peter could feel that overwhelming, mountain-toppling power.
Even though his strength had been evolved by Compound V, it still seemed very thin in the face of the Mad Titan's power.
In front of the live broadcast screens on Earth, the hearts of countless viewers were in their throats.
In their eyes, this battle presented an extremely unequal sense of oppression.
Their friendly neighborhood boy was like a butterfly flying through a hail storm, every flight seemingly about to be shot down.
"God of Mankind bless him! Little Spider did a great job! He broke free from that alien bastard's brainwashing!"
"But that alien is too strong! Spider-Man has been running for his life, he doesn't even have a chance to fight back!"
"He's still just a kid! Why make a teenager bear this kind of pressure?"
"Hold on, Peter! The whole Earth is cheering for you!"
"Don't fight head-on, kid! Run!"
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