Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

Chapter 73: The Unseen Enemy

Peter's body was sore. His muscles ached from the impact with the stone wall, and his head throbbed as he tried to shake off the dizziness. But there was no time to dwell on pain. The figure, the man in the shadows, was moving closer, his footsteps echoing in the silence of the abandoned facility.

Peter struggled to his feet, his breath ragged, but his mind was focused. The man—whoever he was—was powerful. Too powerful. Peter's spider-sense was still buzzing, but it wasn't the usual warning of an immediate threat. It was something deeper, more profound. This man wasn't just another villain. He was something else entirely.

Peter wiped a trickle of blood from his lip and tightened his grip on the web-shooters. There was no way he could take this guy on head-to-head. He needed a plan. He needed to buy time to figure out what the heck was going on.

The figure stepped forward, emerging fully from the shadows. The room seemed to grow darker around him, the very air thickening with a malevolent energy. His face was still obscured by the hood of his cloak, but the faintest hint of a grin could be seen from beneath. His eyes burned with a cold, piercing red, and Peter could feel the weight of his gaze even from across the room.

"You've made a mistake coming here, Spider-Man," the man said again, his voice a deep, resonating growl that seemed to echo in the chamber itself. "You cannot stop what is already in motion. The rift is only the beginning."

Peter's mind raced. A rift? That was what had caused the chaos at the docks. The same rift that had opened up and allowed those creatures to spill into the city. Was this man connected to that somehow?

"You're the one behind the rifts, aren't you?" Peter said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I don't know who you are, but I'll stop you."

The man's eyes flashed, and for a brief moment, Peter saw a flicker of something far older, more terrifying than he could comprehend. The figure stepped closer, and Peter instinctively fired a web at him, aiming for his legs. But before the web could even make contact, it disintegrated into thin air.

Peter's eyes widened. Whatever this man was, his presence was distorting reality itself.

"You think you can stop me with your little webs?" the man sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "I am not bound by your petty human limitations. I am something much greater, much older. I have seen the fabric of the universe tear apart, and I will watch it happen again."

The man raised his hand, and suddenly, the room trembled. The walls cracked, the floor beneath Peter's feet shifted like sand, and the air itself became charged with an unnatural energy. Peter's spider-sense screamed in warning, and he barely had time to react.

A force—like an invisible hand—struck Peter, sending him flying across the room again. He crashed into the ground with a grunt, pain radiating through his body, but he fought to push himself back up. His mind was spinning, trying to make sense of the man's words. The rift was only the beginning? What did that mean?

"Who are you?" Peter gasped, struggling to stand. "What do you want?"

The man's eyes glowed brighter, and his lips twisted into a dark smile. "I am… the one who has waited for centuries, Spider-Man. I am the one who will tear down the barriers between worlds and bring about a new era of darkness. My name is… Morlun."

Peter froze.

Morlun. The name echoed in his mind, and his heart skipped a beat. He'd heard whispers of Morlun before, in the darkest corners of the Spider-Verse. He was a creature of legend, a vampire-like being who hunted the Spider-Totems—beings who shared a connection to the web of life. And now, standing in front of Peter, Morlun was no longer just a name. He was real. And he was here.

"I've heard of you," Peter said, his voice barely a whisper. "You're… you're a Spider-Totem hunter."

Morlun's smile widened, his eyes glowing even brighter. "Yes. I have hunted your kind for ages. I've seen countless Spider-Men, Spider-Women, and Spider-Variants fall before me. And now, I've come for you, the one who is the center of the web."

Peter's pulse quickened. "I'm not some… totem. I'm just a guy with powers trying to make a difference."

"You think that matters?" Morlun sneered, stepping closer. "Your powers, your spirit, are nothing compared to the force I wield. You're nothing but a thread in a vast web, and your time has come."

Before Peter could react, Morlun raised his hand again, and the world around him seemed to collapse. Reality twisted, and Peter's body was jerked forward, slammed against an invisible barrier that shimmered with an eerie light. He gasped for air, the pressure against his chest suffocating, but he forced himself to focus. His spider-sense was going wild—this was unlike anything he had ever faced.

Morlun's voice dripped with malice. "Your spirit is strong, Spider-Man, but it will break. I will feed on you, and the web will unravel."

Peter struggled, feeling the grip of Morlun's power tightening around him. His mind raced for a way out, but it was clear that brute force wouldn't work. He was outmatched. Outclassed. Morlun was something else entirely, something ancient and powerful beyond his comprehension.

But Peter wasn't the kind of person to just give up. No matter how strong Morlun was, no matter how hopeless it seemed, he had to fight.

"I won't give up," Peter gritted out, his voice filled with defiance. "You might be stronger than me, but you're not gonna win. I've been through worse. And I'll keep fighting."

Morlun's eyes flickered with amusement. "Such defiance… it's almost… charming. But it will be your undoing."

Suddenly, the pressure around Peter eased, and he collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. He looked up, seeing Morlun's form blur again, like a shadow shifting in the darkness. For a moment, Peter thought he'd gotten away, but then he realized—this was just the beginning.

Morlun wasn't going to let up. He had been hunting Spider-Totems for centuries, and now, Peter was his prey.

And it seemed that the web of life had woven Peter's fate directly into Morlun's hands.

End of Chapter 73