"Aren't you very talkative? Keep talking! Hehehe—"
Green Goblin sneered as he raised a sharp dagger, its tip gleaming coldly in the lamplight.
Peter Parker's spider-sense screamed frantic warnings, but his body remained paralyzed—even as his mouth kept moving:
"I think you've misunderstood me, buddy. I'm actually a quiet person—not very talkative—and I only get a little chatty when I meet the right people."
"If you think I could say that, then it proves our meeting was like Mars falling into a woodpile, a robber getting a police badge, or a thief being chased by a dog—it's fate!"
"To commemorate our hard-won friendship, how about I treat you to prison food? The NYPD's 13th Precinct isn't far away. I hear the grub there is pretty good—"
"Shut up!!!"
Green Goblin roared and thrust the dagger toward Peter's nape. Just as the cold steel was about to kiss the boy's skin—
Whoosh—BOOM!!
A black-and-red pillar of fire—like lava erupting from hell—crashed down from the dome of the banquet hall!
The Black Rock Slasher, spinning through the inferno, shrieked as it tore through the air, distorting space and seeming to swallow even the light around it.
Beneath the Green Goblin's mask, his pupils snapped shut. The glider's thrusters flared with blinding blue flame, jerking him half a foot sideways—just in time to avoid the blade.
Zheng—!
The sword embedded itself deep into the marble floor. Black-and-red flames slithered along the cracks like living things, melting every tile within a three-meter radius.
"Who?!"
Green Goblin's voice cracked like a whip. His finger was already on the glider's summoner.
Metal wing blades whistled in. He flipped onto them, hovering midair, eyes scanning the smoke-choked hall.
Tap. Tap. Tap…
Footsteps—steady, precise, measured.
From the swirling dust emerged a tall, slender figure.
His dark red coat billowed in the heat like a burning cloak.
Diluc stepped out of the shadows, wine-red eyes glinting with metallic coldness in the gloom.
"Compared to the troubles that will follow, dealing with you is actually the simplest step."
His voice wasn't loud—but it struck Green Goblin's eardrums like a hammer.
A twisted laugh rasped from beneath the mask:
"Night owl? Caw caw caw! When did New York get so many busybodies!"
Diluc gave no reply.
His gaze flicked to the Black Rock Slasher still lodged in the floor. Instantly, flames surged along the blade. With a sharp clang!, it leapt into his waiting hand.
"Final warning,"
Diluc raised the sword's tip, aiming it squarely at Green Goblin. His tone remained calm, unhurried:
"Surrender—or be burned to ashes."
"Arrogant!"
The glider's machine-gun array deployed with a mechanical snarl. Six-barreled rotary cannons clicked into place, chambering rounds with a metallic shink-shink-shink.
Da-da-da—!!
Bullets roared to life—but Diluc's form blurred. The rounds tore through empty air, riddling the Roman column behind him with holes.
In the next heartbeat, he appeared at Green Goblin's left flank. The Black Rock Slasher carved a perfect arc of flame.
Green Goblin twisted away—only for the blade to whip sideways, its fire stretching into a three-meter-long, whip-like extension that swept across the floor!
BOOM—!!
The glider's left thruster detonated in a fireball. Green Goblin tumbled to the ground in a heap.
Diluc landed with effortless grace, sheathing his sword as if concluding not a battle, but a final bow in an opera. His long, wine-red hair fluttered in the rising heat.
Green Goblin's tactical goggles flickered wildly, scrambling to analyze his opponent's combat data.
But before the system could lock on—Diluc struck again.
This time, he didn't use his blade.
He snapped his fingers.
"Despair."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!
The black-and-red flames on the ground erupted into twelve fire crows, shrieking as they dove at Green Goblin.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Each fiery dive left molten scars on his armor. Pure elemental fury given wing.
"Damn owl!"
Green Goblin hurled three pumpkin bombs—but before they could detonate, fire crows swallowed them whole.
BOOM!
Diluc flickered in and out of the inferno, each reappearance sharper, faster, deadlier than the last.
Suddenly—without warning—he launched skyward. The flames around his blade compressed into a dark red energy sheath.
CLANG—!!
Green Goblin barely raised his armored forearm in time—but the impact blasted him straight into the marble floor.
Crack… crack…
His reinforced alloy armor shattered like an eggshell. Blood welled beneath the fractures.
He spat a mouthful onto the floor—then grinned, teeth bared in malice.
"Looks like I should get serious!"
His speed spiked. Afterimages trailed behind him as he vanished—and reappeared right in front of Diluc.
BANG—!
Spiked gauntlets lunged for Diluc's throat. The Black Rock Slasher intercepted with a flash of crimson steel.
Splash—!
Using the momentum, Diluc slid backward, carving twin furrows into the marble. Simultaneously, his blade slashed a blazing cross in the air.
BOOM—!!
Flame met fist. The shockwave shattered every remaining pane of glass in the hall.
Diluc's expression turned grave. A fierce resolve flickered in his wine-red eyes.
BANG! BANG! BANG—!!
Their forms blurred across the banquet hall—each collision sparking a burst of flame or impact. Fire danced with brute force, turning the room into a deadly ballet of light and shadow.
Diluc moved like a waltz—every step elegant, aristocratic.
Green Goblin fought like a mad rock star—chaotic, brutal, rhythm-shattering.
"Mr. Night Owl! I'm here to help you!!"
Just as Diluc gained the upper hand, Peter Parker—now conscious—leapt into the fray.
"Don't cause trouble!"
But the warning came too late.
Peter's sudden move shattered the balance. Green Goblin's eyes gleamed with opportunity. He pivoted instantly, redirecting all his firepower at the web-slinger.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—!
Tiny darts spat from hidden launchers in his armor, raining down like poisoned hail.
Peter, guided by spider-sense, dodged effortlessly—and even caught a few midair, smirking.
"Hmph… You're too naive, buddy! Same trick won't work on me—"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—!
A spike of dread shot through him. He dropped the darts and rolled behind a toppled Lazy Susan.
Too late.
Sizzle… sizzle… sizzle…
Emerald-green fog bloomed instantly. Peter inhaled just a breath—and his vision swam. Consciousness fled. He collapsed, snoring softly.
Green Goblin didn't hesitate. He locked every remaining weapon system onto the unconscious teen.
"Farewell, noisy bug!"
Da-da-da-da—!
The bullet storm surged forward.
Diluc had no choice. He swung the Black Rock Slasher in a wide arc, deflecting the lethal hail.
"We'll meet again, Night Owl!"
Green Goblin cackled, hurling smoke grenades. By the time Diluc's flames burned away the fog, only spent shell casings and the fading trail of the glider remained—vanishing through the shattered window.
Diluc slowly sheathed his swo
rd. He turned to Peter, lying peacefully on the floor, snoring like a contented kitten.
His wine-red eyes narrowed, filled with something between exasperation… and unspeakable curses.
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