"Thank goodness, he's finally quiet," one of the Spider-Men sighed, wiping cold sweat from his forehead.
Holland's Spider-Man also wiped drool from his face, muttering in relief.
"So even among the Peters, there are… strange ones," Gwen muttered, giving a wary glance at the unconscious man.
The rest of the Spider-Men shook their heads quickly, all eager to make it clear they weren't like the lunatic sprawled on the ground.
"Wait, is he… dead?" the older Spider-Man asked, rubbing his face as he looked at the motionless figure.
He froze in disbelief at Deadpool's twisted body. "Sure, this guy's enthusiastic and reckless, but killing him seems a bit much, don't you think?"
The other Spider-Men rushed over in a panic.
"His head's caved in!"
"There's blood everywhere!"
"Why is his thigh bleeding too?"
Little Peter, who was being carried in Malrick's arms, stared at Deadpool's body with wide eyes before tugging at Malrick's sleeve.
"Did you really kill him?"
"No," Malrick said calmly, patting the boy's head. "He's not Peter at all. He's…"
"He's Deadpool. He can't die. Don't waste your sympathy," another Spider-Man cut in firmly.
Everyone turned.
It was the Spider-Man in the tattered suit. His chest and thighs were riddled with holes, blood still seeping from the edges as if he had just walked away from a brutal fight.
"Deadpool?" the older Spider-Man muttered. "Never heard of that codename."
"Are you from the same universe?" he asked, noticing the ragged Spider's state. "Brother, you look like hell."
"Forget about me," the ragged Spider waved it off. "That Deadpool isn't from my world, but trust me, they're all the same. They can heal from anything, they can't die… and they're lunatics. The only difference is mine doesn't know I'm Peter Parker."
He slapped his own cheek in frustration.
"Every time I meet him, I want to sew his mouth shut just to stop that nonsense from spilling out of his brain." He pointed at Deadpool, whose crushed skull was already knitting itself back together.
"So ignore him—we don't have time to waste."
"Hold on," the older Spider-Man interjected. "You're badly hurt. Why don't we go to Aunt May's place first and patch you up?"
"No! My wounds came from fighting an enemy," the ragged Spider barked, shaking his head. "And he's tracking me. He won't stop."
Holland tilted his head. "Tracking you across universes? That doesn't make sense. Malrick said this was another multiverse altogether, so how would that be possible?"
"Oh, right. Malrick's a sorcerer from Kamar-Taj, he came here with the kid," Holland added quickly, gesturing at the man holding Little Peter.
The ragged Spider gave Malrick a brief nod. "I'm not sure how, but it's not impossible. This enemy… he's different. He can absorb life itself and weaken me mid-battle. His blood carries the shadow of every predator. My gut tells me he's hunting Spider-Men. He's our nemesis."
The other Spider-Men fell silent.
"We need to restart the temporal collider as soon as possible," the ragged Spider continued, his voice grim. "If we don't return to our own universes quickly, he'll find us."
The others didn't seem convinced. Spider-Man had his fair share of villains, but this sounded like something out of a nightmare.
Malrick, however, didn't dismiss it so easily. He stroked his chin, eyes narrowing.
"The way you described him… it sounds like one of the Inheritors."
"Inheritors?" the ragged Spider's eyes sharpened. "He mentioned family… Do you know them?"
"I know enough," Malrick said. His memory surfaced with old knowledge.
"They're a family of predators from Earth-001. They feed on animal totems. Their powers resemble vampires—devouring life and abilities, especially from those tied to animal spirits. Against them, people like you… Spider-Men… you're perfect prey."
Holland raised a hand nervously. "Wait, you mean us?"
"Do I count too?" Spider-Ham squeaked.
Malrick nodded gravely. "Yes. Your powers come from the Spider Totem. That makes you all targets."
"So they're after our powers?" Gwen asked, her expression tense.
"Yes, but it's worse than that," Malrick said. "There's an old prophecy that the Inheritors would be destroyed by Spider-Man. To prevent it, they hunt every Spider across the multiverse."
The younger Spiders gasped.
"Don't panic," Malrick added. "The Inheritors are from another multiverse. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't be able to reach here."
But then he glanced at the ragged Spider, his tone shifting. "Though, it looks like circumstances aren't normal anymore."
The tension thickened.
Breaking the silence, Malrick turned to Gwen and the ragged Spider. "We haven't properly introduced ourselves yet."
"We were interrupted by your Deadpool," Gwen said with a faint sigh. She pulled off her mask. "I'm Gwen Stacy, Spider-Woman. I used to play in a band. Like you, I've lost people I cared about." She smiled sadly. "Also… when I arrived here, it was about a week ago. So technically, I've been waiting for you guys for a week."
Her golden hair fell to her shoulders, with one side shaved short, giving her a unique look.
Everyone glanced at her curiously.
But Garfield's Spider-Man froze. Her face and her name dragged him back to his deepest wound.
Toby and Holland noticed immediately, resting their hands on his shoulder.
But as Holland comforted him, his own eyes watered, memories of Aunt May hitting him again. Toby had no choice but to comfort both at once.
Their grief spread through the group, a quiet heaviness hanging in the air.
Gwen blinked in confusion. "Did I say something wrong? Is it my haircut? Miles stuck to my hair with his fingers, and—well, it was an accident."
"It's fine. You look great," Toby reassured her with a small smile. He pulled his friends close. "It's just… your introduction reminded us of Uncle Ben and Aunt May."
Garfield quickly wiped his eyes and shook his head. "Sorry, you just reminded me of someone I knew. She'd be a bit older than you now."
"Really?" Gwen's expression softened. Their grief echoed her own. Not long ago, her best friend Peter had mutated into the Lizard… and died.
"I lost my Peter too," she whispered, her voice trembling.
The others joined in.
"I lost Uncle Ben," Noir Spider said quietly.
"My dad," Penny Parker added.
"My Uncle Ben and Aunt May," the older Spider said with a sigh.
Malrick and Little Peter exchanged looks, both unsure if they should add their voices too.
Before they could decide, Deadpool twitched on the ground.
"Me too," he groaned dramatically. "I lost my handsome face—pfft!"
Malrick promptly stomped him flat again.
"Ignore him," Malrick muttered, pulling out his phone to start recording. "Let's keep going."