The azure singularity manifested once more, a terrifying vortex that hungered for the world around it.
The moment he unleashed the Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue, Su Mu felt the difference. His reserves of energy were being converted and consumed at a staggering rate. Previously, he could only condense a sphere the size of a pineapple; now, it had swelled to the size of a basketball.
The drain was immense, but the output of the Level 2 "Blue" did not disappoint. The singularity streaked toward the Lizard at more than twice its previous speed.
The Lizard instinctively sensed its impending doom. But the distance was too short, and the speed of the azure orb was too great. It had no hope of evasion.
Gwen watched, paralyzed, as the monster's massive body began to warp violently. Fascia, muscle, and bone were pulled toward the center of its chest, twisting like wet laundry. The blue singularity bored straight through the creature, devouring its mass until there was nothing left but a void.
The "Blue" didn't stop there. It continued its path of destruction, swallowing the pavement, the rusted streetlights, and the shattered brick walls.
To Gwen's horror, the orb was heading straight for her.
She was too broken to move. The gravitational pull was already tugging at her suit, threatening to drag her into that same oblivion. In the face of the Lizard, she had felt a fighting spirit; in the face of this absolute, blue erasure, she felt only the cold void of insignificance. Her mind went blank.
Just meters before it reached her, the vortex collapsed into nothingness.
Gwen gasped, air rushing back into her lungs. She had never been so close to death, never so utterly helpless. Is this... truly a power a human can control?
Su Mu looked at the empty space where the Lizard had been and smiled with satisfaction. The growth of "Blue" was exponential. At this rate, by Level 4 or 5, he would match Gojo Satoru's prime. Beyond that? He would become something the world had never seen.
He turned his attention to the "Good Neighbor" of New York. Spider-Woman had fainted.
Through the Six Eyes, Su Mu saw her condition with X-ray precision: multiple fractures, minor internal hemorrhaging, and ruptured organs. Her healing factor was already knitting her back together, but she was still vulnerable. Hell's Kitchen had eyes everywhere, and a battle this loud would draw vultures.
[Six Eyes Experience +1... +1... +1]
Su Mu wasn't a "hero," but he wasn't about to let a character he liked die in a gutter. He knelt beside her, using the precision of the Six Eyes to manually reset her dislocated bones, ensuring they would heal straight.
As he worked, curiosity got the better of him. He reached out and pulled back the white-and-pink hood, removing the mask.
Underneath was a delicate, striking face. Short blonde hair, a light dusting of freckles, and features more refined than any movie or comic could capture. Gwen Stacy.
Suddenly, Gwen's eyes snapped open.
Finding herself in the arms of the white-haired stranger, she froze for a split second before her instincts kicked in. She scrambled back, performing an awkward mid-air flip to put distance between them. Because of her injuries, she landed heavily, stumbling before finding her footing.
"You... you..."
Gwen's hand went to her face. Her heart sank. Her identity, the secret she had guarded so carefully, was gone.
"I didn't expect my neighborhood Spider-Woman to be a high school student," Su Mu said, dangling the mask from his finger. "Are you still in class, or is this your extracurricular activity?"
"Why... why did you take off my mask?" Gwen stammered, her face flushing with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
Su Mu tilted his head, giving her a dazzling, arrogant smile. "Was I not supposed to? My apologies. If you're that upset, feel free to try and hit me."
Gwen choked on her words. She had seen him erase a biological tank like the Lizard in seconds. She knew she wasn't his match.
"Why did you kill him?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Dr. Connors... he was a good man. The serum made him cruel, it changed his brain, but he could have been saved!"
Su Mu wasn't surprised by the question. Gwen was kind; it was her core. But he was a pragmatist.
"He tried to kill me," Su Mu said, his voice turning indifferent. "If you hunt a predator, you must be prepared to be the one who gets eaten. I don't care about his 'potential' for goodness. I care that he was a threat."
Gwen wanted to argue, but the logic was cold and ironclad. To Su Mu, it was simple self-defense. Still, the loss of a mentor hurt. She didn't want to look at his smiling face anymore.
"Maybe you're not 'wrong'..." she whispered, "but I can't stay here."
She turned to leave, firing a web-line, but Su Mu called out behind her. "Hey! Your mask!"
She hesitated, then swung back, snatched the mask from his hand with a frustrated glare, and vanished into the skyline.
I really wanted to punch that smug face, she thought, but I'm pretty sure I'd just break my hand.
Su Mu watched her go, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction. In his previous life, these were just images on a screen. Now, they were real people with heat and heartbeat.
He walked over to a nearby severed power line, the copper sparking against the wet pavement. He grabbed it, letting the high-voltage current flow into his system.
[Energy Absorption Experience +1... +1] [Six Eyes Experience +1... +1]
The Six Eyes allowed him to process the energy with god-like efficiency, further accelerating his growth. A few minutes later, a golden prompt appeared in his vision.
[Six Eyes Experience: Max!] [Congratulations! Your skill 'Six Eyes' has been upgraded to Lv. 2!]
Su Mu closed his eyes. The world became even clearer. He could feel the electromagnetic fields of the city, the heat signatures of people blocks away, and the very flow of the world's hidden currents.
He was no longer just a survivor. He was becoming a god.