Previously: Peter gained the Scarlet Witch's partial trust and absorbed some of her Chaos Magic. But as the multiverse unravels, a corrupted version of his clone, Ben Reilly (Scarlet Spider), emerges — and he's not here for a reunion.
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🏙️ Rooftop — Hell's Kitchen, 1:23 AM
Peter stood motionless, his upgraded mask folding back into the collar of his suit. Across from him, Ben Reilly, once his clone, now twisted by corruption, stared with glowing red eyes.
Ben's suit had changed. No longer the classic red hoodie. It was darker now — jagged black lines spider-webbing across deep crimson armor, like a spider caught in its own deathtrap.
"You're not my Ben," Peter said, voice steady.
The figure tilted his head.
"I'm every Ben," he said, his voice layered — like dozens of versions speaking in unison. "Every failure. Every forgotten echo. Every one of us who died so you could live."
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> 📘 SYSTEM ALERT:
⚠️ Multiversal Entity Detected
Identity: Ben Reilly (Scarlet Spider — Prime Fragment)
Status: Corrupted
Power Level: B+
Danger: HIGH
> 🧠 DUMAS: "Oof. Clone's got issues. And a kill streak."
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Ben leapt.
Faster than Peter expected. Shadows bent around his movement as if space itself helped him move. A single punch sent Peter flying into a rooftop HVAC unit, denting the metal like cardboard.
Peter winced, coughing. "Okay… he hits like an angry truck full of daddy issues."
Ben landed with a hiss of static.
"You don't deserve the thread," he growled. "You betrayed the Web. You let her die."
Peter's eyes widened. "You saw that vision too."
Ben's hands crackled — not with electricity, but multiversal venom, pure unraveling energy.
"I lived it," Ben said.
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⚔️ Combat Engaged
Peter activated Chaos Pulse, unleashing a red shockwave that distorted the air. Ben staggered, the corruption around his armor flickering — but only for a second.
Then Ben grabbed a piece of rooftop debris and hurled it like a missile.
Peter barely dodged. The building behind him exploded into flame.
> 🧬 SYSTEM BOOST ACTIVATED:
Perk Triggered: Reality-Tuned Reflexes
You predicted a Phase Shift Strike — +10 Agility (temp)
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Peter flipped midair, fired a webline, and slingshotted himself toward Ben — feet-first.
Their collision shattered a chimney stack.
Ben snarled. "Still pulling your punches."
Peter gritted his teeth. "I'm trying not to kill you."
"Then you'll die," Ben spat.
The corruption spread. His arms grew tendrils — like venom mixed with collapsing timelines — each swipe tearing holes in the rooftop, trailing sparks and ghostly echoes.
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🕷️ Then… a surge of red
Chaos magic burst between them, blasting Ben backward. He landed hard — cracking the concrete.
Wanda stood there, hands glowing.
"I told you," she said to Peter. "Reality doesn't like cracks in its reflection."
Peter got up slowly, wiping blood from his lip. "Didn't think you'd come."
"You're marked now," she replied. "Which means I have to."
Ben snarled from the rubble, his corrupted body already regenerating.
"You're both weak," he hissed. "Clinging to memories. To false hope. The Web doesn't care who dies."
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Peter's mask slid back into place. His eyes narrowed.
"I'm done running from ghosts."
He activated Multiversal Glimpse again — a risk mid-fight.
> 📘 GLIMPSE UNLOCKED:
Earth-1829 — Future Fragment
> Event: "The Clone Uprising"
Data Stored: Combat Strategy — Scarlet Spider (Rage Mode)
In a flash, Peter downloaded an entire alternate timeline's knowledge — and used it.
He dodged Ben's next strike before he threw it.
His counter-punch hit right between Ben's ribs, using a nerve strike from a universe where Peter trained with Shang-Chi.
Ben staggered. For the first time… he bled.
Black.
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Wanda unleashed a wave of Chaos energy that wrapped around Ben's limbs, locking them down in glowing bands of crimson power.
Peter approached slowly, breathing hard.
"Ben… fight it. You're not a monster. You were made to be me — but you're more than just my clone."
Ben twitched. The corruption hissed, shrinking. His eyes flickered blue… then red again.
"Too late," he whispered.
His body exploded in a burst of shadow-silk particles, vanishing.
Gone.
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> 📘 SYSTEM UPDATE:
✅ Corruption Sample Absorbed
Trait Gained: Spider-Shroud (Passive)
> Your presence is harder to detect by cosmic or magical scans
+15 Heroism
+1 Chaos Affinity
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🎭 Aftermath: Rooftop Silence
Peter collapsed to one knee.
Wanda looked down at her hands.
"He was… part of you?"
Peter nodded. "Part of us. This world is falling apart — and the pieces are fighting back."
Wanda's gaze turned distant.
"I've seen pieces of other realities in my dreams. Some… with you. Some with others. I don't know which ones are real."
Peter looked up at her.
"They all are. That's the problem."
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Suddenly, DUMAS chimed in again.
> 🧠 DUMAS: "Warning. New thread detected. Identity confirmed: America Chavez — Dimensional Traveler. Incoming in T-minus 4 minutes."
Peter looked toward the skyline.
A star-shaped rift was forming in the sky.