Jewel and Iron Fist had managed to break through the monks' defensive circle.
Jessica slammed a guard against the floor with a punch while Danny unleashed a burst of chi-infused strikes that sent three monks flying backward.
The air was saturated with some kind of energy flowing out of the bodies of the people in a trance, all of it streaming toward and wrapping around the altar, where a wand floated, pulsing with violet flashes.
The chants continued, though wavering.
An older monk, with glowing tattoos, kept reciting the prayer even as the others fell.
Jessica grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground with one hand while slapping him hard with the other.
"Tell me how we stop it!" she roared.
The man spat blood and shook his head, mumbling words in Japanese Jessica didn't understand.
Danny tried to intervene, wanting to translate for her, but Jessica had already lost patience.
"Speak, you son of the Great Wall! Say something, even if it's in Mandarin!"
With a single motion she twisted his arms behind his back, and the crack echoed through the air.
The monk screamed.
"Now what?" she growled, bringing her face close to his. "You gonna talk, or do I break something else?"
Between ragged breaths, the monk finally spoke, his voice broken:
"The… pillar…" He coughed blood. "The central pillar… holds the focus… Break the pillar… and take the object… only then… it will stop."
Jessica dropped him like a ragdoll, turned to Danny, and nodded.
"Alright. You break the pillar, I'll grab Harry Potter's wand."
Danny just stared at her, eyebrow raised.
"What? What's wrong with you?" she muttered, throwing both arms up in frustration.
"That… was very racist," Danny said, crossing his arms with disapproval.
Jewel rolled her eyes.
"It was the heat of the moment, Danny. You can scold me later."
After a brief reprimand, the two heroes took their positions.
Danny in front of the pillar, Jewel hovering a few feet above the ground.
Iron Fist let out a short exhale, settling into stance. Chi gathered in his right arm, coating his skin with a glowing incandescence.
"Here we go."
The strike was sharp.
His fist hit the center of the pillar, and the structure cracked with a thunderous noise.
The runes burst all at once, stone fragments blasting in every direction, and a wave of scorching air swept through the chamber.
Jessica raised an arm to shield herself from the dust, and as soon as she saw the strange energy dissipating, she darted forward and grabbed the slowly falling wand.
It vibrated with a dense energy, and a shiver ran up her arm.
Danny approached, his fist still faintly steaming, watching his friend descend while staring at the wand.
"You okay?"
"Yes… more or less." Jessica sighed, holding the wand cautiously. "If this thing starts talking to me or promising infinite power, I'm throwing it away."
=============================================================
A few meters away, standing among the ruins, Daredevil had his face tilted upward, taking deep breaths.
His arms were extended, his bandages dirty with blood and dust. For the first time in a long while, he enjoyed the brief silence.
Upgrade stopped the Sentinel in front of him.
"You good?"
Daredevil lowered his head with a tired smile.
"Yes… a little bruised, but in one piece. I've had worse nights."
The Sentinel nodded, servomotors humming softly.
"And the others?"
"Not sure," Matt answered, tilting his head as he tried to locate his companions. "My ears are ringing. Hard to hear anything far away."
Upgrade slowly turned his metal head.
"I saw Elektra around… though she didn't seem in the mood to talk."
"She rarely is," Daredevil said with dry humor, letting out a sigh.
Suddenly, a voice sounded from above.
"Hey! There you are!"
Spider-Man descended from a collapsed column, swinging on a web.
His suit was torn, the mask burned on one side, but he was still smiling through the exhaustion.
"In case you were wondering, ninjas are not fans of jokes," he said as he landed with a soft thud. "I saw Danny and Jessica heading to the center a few minutes ago."
The Sentinel turned his head toward the temple. A muffled rumble echoed through the air, as if something had imploded. The ground vibrated for a few seconds.
Everyone exchanged glances.
And then, through the smoke rising from the temple, Danny and Jessica emerged.
Danny, covered in dust, his chi still faintly glowing. Jessica, on the other hand, held a strange wand in her right hand.
Spider-Man crossed his arms.
"Please tell me you didn't bring a cursed relic with you."
Jessica glared at him.
"You wanted me to leave it so some crazy ninja could come back and grab it?"
Danny took a deep breath, turning to the Sentinel.
"The ritual's stopped. The runes went out, and the energy flow vanished."
Daredevil nodded, relaxing his shoulders.
"Then we did it."
Upgrade tilted his head.
"Not yet."
The others looked at him, confused.
The android pointed toward a half-collapsed side structure.
There, dozens of unconscious bodies—the kidnapped victims—lay in rows, breathing weakly.
"I already checked their vitals. They're stable, just unconscious. We need to move them before this collapses."
Jessica crossed her arms under her chest.
"We'll be here all night. Is there even a safe spot left after the mess we made?"
The Sentinel lifted an arm, projecting a holographic map.
"There's a cavity to the north, under the ruins of the outer wall. It's stable. I can reinforce it."
Spider-Man nodded, spreading his arms.
"Alright, emergency evacuation squad. Level: 'no pay and no health insurance.'"
Jessica rolled her eyes but didn't argue. Danny was already lifting two people at once.
For the next several minutes, the heroes worked in silence, carefully moving the unconscious victims and securing them in the improvised shelter while Upgrade reinforced the walls with metallic structures fused together by plasma.
Once the last civilian was safe, Daredevil slumped against a rock, exhaling.
"Now we can say we did it."
The Sentinel nodded—then the symbol on his chest began blinking red.
Upgrade detached from the robot's body just in time before the red flash appeared.
Now in his human form, Legion leaned against one of the Sentinel's legs, catching his breath and scanning the area.
"Anyone seen Kouki?"
"Here." The voice came from behind him.
The sudden voice made him jump nearly a meter. Legion let out a choked yelp, hand clutching his chest.
"Damn, man! Don't sneak up on me like that, I almost had another heart attack." He grumbled, hand still to his chest. "You okay?"
Kouki rolled his arms and neck.
"A bit stiff… but fine."
Elektra and Daredevil approached. Matt tapped the robot with his cane.
"This thing safe?"
"Yes," Legion assured. "I can't modify the exterior, but… I rewrote its programming."
He rested a hand on the metal hull.
"Sentinel: stealth mode. Go to the designated point and wait there."
The purple eyes brightened.
"AFFIRMATIVE."
The robot turned translucent and silently ascended, disappearing.
Spider-Man whistled.
"That's the coolest toy anyone on our side has ever kept. What are you gonna do with it?"
Legion smirked.
"I'm going to upgrade it. A lot. It'll be useful later."
Spider-Man nodded approvingly.
"Great. Always wanted to fight crime next to Optimus Prime."
A distant rumble began to approach. Engines. Several.
Legion lifted his head.
"What's that…?"
Armored trucks appeared at the complex entrance, all marked with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s emblem. Dozens of heavily armed agents jumped out.
Leading them, walking with firm steps, was Nick Fury.
At his side—bow on his back, eyes casually scanning the area—Hawkeye.
Fury stopped before the heroes, giving the place a quick once-over.
"Good work," he finally said in his usual rough voice. "Judging by how you look, it was a hell of a fight. You can rest now. We'll take it from here."
Spider-Man crossed his arms.
"How convenient! Arrive just when we're done. Would've been great twenty minutes ago."
Fury raised an eyebrow.
"We'd have loved to help earlier, spider. But moving resources, personnel, getting authorizations… not as fast as swinging across the city."
Clint nodded toward Danny.
"Long time no see, Danny. I'd say you look good, but that'd be a lie," he joked.
Danny returned his martial salute with a faint smile.
"It has indeed been a long time, Clint Barton. I apologize for my disheveled appearance. The enemies were formidable."
Ignoring his agent's conversation, Fury turned to Jewel.
"Good work, Jewel. I knew I could count on you for this."
Jessica blinked, surprised at the sudden praise.
"Thanks, sir… but I didn't do it alone."
Spider-Man leaned in theatrically, shoulder-bumping her.
"Oooooh," he teased.
Jessica jabbed his arm.
"Shut up."
Fury allowed himself a small smile.
=============================================================
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents began securing the area and moving the unconscious civilians. The atmosphere eased quickly.
Daredevil had noticed Elektra slip away the moment the engines roared—two taps on his hand in Morse as she passed:
"See you at your apartment."
Matt couldn't help but smile. Some things never changed.
"What's that smirk?" Spider-Man slid in beside him, throwing an arm around his shoulder, obviously teasing.
Matt, more relaxed now, smiled and tilted his head slightly.
"Well… I don't know about you, but for me, the night is just getting started." He gently removed Peter's arm. "I need to go. I have a case tomorrow, a mess waiting for me at home—and you should go too. You have class tomorrow. You can't be late. Your aunt will kill you."
"Relax, dad," Peter laughed. "You go ahead, we'll stay a bit longer to make sure everything's okay… and then we'll leave. Actually, I feel like I'm forgetting something."
Daredevil shook his head with a smile, patted Peter's shoulder, waved goodbye to the others, and headed out, already thinking of how to handle his uninvited guest.
============================================================
"They'll make sure everyone gets home safely. And they'll receive psychological support for two months, just to be certain," Fury assured as he watched unconscious civilians being loaded into vehicles.
Beside him, the remaining heroes—costumes still torn but now rested—made sure everything was under control.
Fury's eye landed on Legion.
"You seem pretty used to the hero life, kid. You adapt fast."
Legion shrugged.
"What can I say? I like helping. And I've had practice. Your undercover agents disguised as civilians in danger helped me learn fast."
Fury studied him for a second—neither confirming nor denying—just mentally adding notes for a future report.
Then he turned toward Jewel and the wand in her hands. He gestured, and two science agents approached with a reinforced case. They opened it: padded and shielded interior.
"You can place it here. We'll make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."
Jewel nodded, extending the wand… until another hand grabbed her wrist.
"Yeah, no. That's not happening," Legion said, pulling her hand away.
Fury's eyebrow rose slightly.
"Excuse me?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D. had no part in this," Legion said calmly. "Not officially, anyway. You showed up when everything was over. You can't just take it."
Fury's jaw tightened subtly.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. handles planetary security. We're authorized by the U.N. and dozens of organizations to secure dangerous artifacts. That object is delicate. Keeping it could be considered a criminal act."
"Maybe," Legion said. "But this isn't a normal case. Kun-Lun also has rights over it." He gestured to Danny. "You did nothing here. Danny risked his life. As Kun-Lun's representative, a recognized hero, and key in stopping all this, the object belongs with him. Not with people who got here after the job was done."
Around them, some agents tensed. No one raised a weapon yet, but several hands drifted toward holsters.
Fury noticed.
"Weapons down. All of you. We're talking."
The agents obeyed, though the tension lingered.
Fury stepped forward, arms crossed.
"I've been doing this for decades. I've seen what happens when powerful artifacts end up in isolated groups who think they can handle them. You expect me to trust a monastery more than a global defense network? No offense, Iron Fist."
Danny raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not saying you can't do your job," Legion replied. "I'm saying this time, it isn't your job."
One agent impulsively lifted his gun an inch. Fury shot him a look. The gun went down immediately.
Fury pointed at the wand.
"That thing could cause catastrophic damage. I'm not letting it vanish into a hidden mountain behind closed doors no one has access to."
Legion didn't budge.
"And I'm not letting it get thrown in a vault where God knows who can access it. This isn't alien tech or a fallen weapon from the sky. It belongs to Kun-Lun. Their people died protecting it."
Of course, he didn't actually know that—but in the heat of the moment, it slipped out.
Silence flooded the room. Agents exchanged uneasy looks.
Danny finally stepped forward.
"I wasn't sure how to handle this… but since Legion took the first step for me, I'll finish this."
Fury's expression twisted with frustration.
"As Kun-Lun's representative," Danny continued, "I'm taking it. And if S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to discuss it, I will organize a formal meeting between Kun-Lun and your organization. But today… the object comes with me."
Fury closed his eye for a moment. Breathed. Tensed his hands… then relaxed them.
He exhaled, frustrated, but conceding.
"Fine. But we'll be in touch. I'll speak with my superiors about arranging a meeting."
He raised his hand, and the agents scattered again.
The one-eyed super-agent glanced one last time at Legion before leaving.
Clint, still cleaning his bow, let out a low whistle.
"That was risky, kid. You'll be on Nick's radar for sure now."
"I already am. Don't think it'll make much difference," Legion answered calmly, returning to Jessica. "Sorry."
Jessica handed the artifact to Danny, waving off the issue.
"It's fine. I hadn't thought about it, but you're right. Danny's my friend, so I forgot—he actually is Kun-Lun's representative."
Danny tore a strip from his suit and wrapped the object.
"Thank you for your support, Legion. Even though my people didn't protect this treasure—the mages of the Sanctum Sanctorum did."
"It was the heat of the moment. Seemed like the best argument," Legion said with a shrug.
A friendly chat followed. Clint clearly had a lot of affection for Danny, so he fit right into the conversation.
"I just remembered what I forgot!" a sudden, half-panicked voice erupted.
Everyone turned.
"I had a date tonight!" Peter continued, clearly spiraling. "Oh God, today! What time is it!?"
Legion checked his watch.
"Eleven ten."
"NO!" Peter grabbed his head with both hands, letting out a strangled squeak. "I'm dead. Dead. Literally dead."
Jewel couldn't help the teasing smile.
"Seriously? You? A date? I thought your longest relationship was with a game console or a science textbook."
"Very funny," he muttered behind his hands.
"Don't tease him," Danny added. "Everyone finds their other half. Even if it's a very strange half."
"You're not helping!" Peter complained.
But he was already firing a web at a beam.
"See ya! Wish me luck! Or wish I don't die! Either works!"
He shot off so fast he left only a fading "fwip-fwip."
Danny, Jewel, Legion, and Clint watched him vanish into the cave's darkness.
Clint crossed his arms.
"So, what do you think? Real date? Or someone who just wanted free food?"
Jewel snorted.
"With him… fifty-fifty."
"Thirty-sixty," Danny said.
"Twenty-eighty," Clint concluded.
Legion glanced toward the exit, then tapped the Omnitrix.
"Well… I've got things to do too. Long day. See you around."
He hit the watch, a green flash burst, and in his place XLR8 tilted his head in farewell before zipping away in a blue blur.
Jewel looked around, frowning.
"Hold on… where's Kouki? Haven't seen him in a while."
Danny scanned the area.
"You're right. He was here a minute ago."
Clint shoved his hands into his pockets.
"If I know Fury—and I do—he already made him an offer he can't refuse. Same thing he did with me and Natasha a long, long time ago."
Jewel and Danny exchanged looks of curiosity and resignation.
===============================================================
PETER PARKER POV
Okay, okay, okay… breathe, Peter.
The cold night air cuts through the sweat from the express shower I took, but I still feel like I smell like "tired superhero with fresh trauma."
Great. Exactly the romantic vibe a guy wants to give off.
I'm swinging between buildings with my backup suit—the one that's always a bit tight around the waist—and a backpack over my shoulder. The clothes inside are still slightly damp from the steam. Perfect. Another point in my "perfect date" score.
"Gwen is going to kill me," I mutter as I skim past a TV antenna that nearly takes my mask off. "She's going to literally kill me. And then resurrect my corpse just to kill me again, just in case."
Thirty minutes late. Thirty. Thirty.
Why the hell do I decide to save the city today? Why not yesterday? Or tomorrow? Or never? That would be convenient.
Another jump, another web line pulling taut.
"Peter Parker, genius of apocalyptic excuses," I whisper. "'Sorry Gwen, I'm late because ninjas, a giant robot, a cult, and a guy who thinks he's a gorgon attacked me.' Yeah. That'll sound SO believable. She'll definitely think I wasn't playing video games."
I snort.
"How do I have such an amazing girl… and at the same time be the absolute worst at having a love life? Oh right—because I'm Spider-Man. If I'm not in class, I'm hanging off a building. And if I'm not hanging off a building, I'm getting kicked in the face by a ninja with no empathy."
I propel myself forward, a projectile between two balconies.
My heart is pounding. Part adrenaline… part fear of Gwen's upcoming lecture.
"Okay, Pete. Mission one: arrive in one piece. Mission two: explain without sounding like a complete idiot. Mission three… don't die. Easy. No pressure."
My phone vibrates inside the backpack. I don't take it out. I don't want to see how many "Where are you?" messages I've accumulated.
"Please, please, please… still be there."
I keep swinging, praying that—for once—my double life doesn't ruin the one normal good thing I have.
============================================================
Okay. There she is.
She's right where we agreed to meet.
I cling to the wall of the building across from the shop, stuck there like a spandex-covered cockroach, letting my heartbeat settle into something vaguely human before dropping down and changing into my civilian clothes.
Gwen is sitting on a bench outside the café, alone, holding a half-melted ice cream in one hand and her phone in the other. She has that expression… a perfect blend of worry and "If you're not dead, I'm killing you myself."
Exactly what I expected.
I drop down with as little awkwardness as possible.
"Gwen, I'm so sorry, I—"
She drops the ice cream and her phone on the bench and stands up abruptly. Before I can finish a sentence, she wraps her arms around me so tightly she knocks the air out of my lungs.
"Peter…" Her voice is shaky, on the brink of tears. "Where were you? I was so worried! I called your aunt and she said you left hours ago. I thought something happened. I was about to call the police."
I slowly raise my arms, afraid of breaking her, and hug her back. She smells like sweet perfume and vanilla ice cream.
Oh no. Now I feel like the worst person alive.
"Hey… hey, I'm fine," I murmur. "I swear I'm fine. I didn't mean to scare you. I just… had a problem. A few problems. Big ones. But I'm in one piece, see? Everything's where it should be. More or less."
She pulls back just enough to look at me, eyebrows positioned perfectly between total relief and absolute fury.
Ah. Here it comes.
"Thirty minutes late, Peter Parker?" she whispers—with the emotional force of a baseball bat. "Thirty? Without one message? Not a single one?"
Oh God have mercy.
"Yes… I know… I'm a disaster," I say, raising my hands like that'll help. "It's just… I had no signal. The subway. Well—not the subway, I wasn't on the subway. The tunnel. No—no tunnel. It's complicated. There was… work. School. And then… a guy threw up next to me. And then—"
"Peter." She interrupts. Not loud, but with a tone that could make the Hulk back up. "Tell me the truth. Did you forget the date?"
Ughhh. Direct hit.
"No! No, never! I wouldn't! Gwen, I spent all week thinking about this. I had everything ready: clothes, route, time. But… well… let's say the universe hates me. Passionately. With dedication. With admirable commitment, really."
She stares at me. Blinks. Sighs, eyes narrowing. She doesn't believe me. I can tell.
And just when I'm about to keep talking—
"Hey, Peter!" someone calls behind me.
I turn around.
A skinny kid, maybe sixteen, messy brown hair, huge brown eyes, waves at us like we're old friends.
My brain blue screens, but I wave back out of reflex.
"Hey, man, sorry about the subway thing," the kid says with a timid smile. "You know, the vomit. Still feel bad about that. But really, thanks for walking me home. Thought I'd faint right there. Who'd guess I'd run into you here?"
I blink.
Once.
Twice.
My brain desperately tries to process what just happened and fails miserably.
"Uh… yeah… sure… no problem…" I mumble, confused.
The kid turns to Gwen, smiling warmly.
"And you must be the girl Peter told me so much about!"
Gwen—seconds ago ready to murder me—goes utterly still.
Then she blushes. Hard.
She glances at me from the corner of her eye.
I give her a smile that means "Please don't kill me I'm begging you."
"Sorry for making him late," the kid continues, visibly embarrassed. "Really, it was my fault."
"No, no… don't worry…" Gwen mutters, still red.
"To make it up to you," he continues, "I'm buying you the café's Super Banana Split. It's the least I can do."
"No, seriously, you don't have to," I say quickly.
"No, really, it's fine," Gwen adds.
"I actually already ordered it," he replies.
And as if summoned, a server appears behind him, placing on the table the biggest banana split I've ever seen—loaded with cream, chocolate, strawberries, and even a tiny umbrella.
Gwen and I stare at it like it's some kind of mythical creature.
"Well…" I mutter with a smile. "That was… efficient."
The kid extends his hand again—first to Gwen.
"You're lucky to have such a great boyfriend," he tells her with such sincere sweetness it feels like a kindness-coated dagger. "There aren't many guys like him."
Gwen turns even redder, stammering.
"N-no… we're not… I'm not… he and I aren't—"
She doesn't finish. Her brain completely crashes.
The kid moves to me. Shakes my hand.
"I didn't believe you when you said the girl waiting for you was gorgeous," he says with a bold wink. "But now that I've seen her… yeah, I believe you completely."
The blood rushes to my face so fast I almost faint.
I look at Gwen.Gwen looks at me.We're both bright red.
And instantly, we turn our heads in opposite directions so the other won't see how hard we're blushing.When I look back, the guy is already walking away.He lifts a hand, waving energetically from the sidewalk.
Gwen watches him go too, just as lost as I am.
And all I can think is: WHO THE HELL WAS THAT?
But I keep that thought to myself.
Because for the first time tonight… Gwen laughs. Just a little.
===============================================================
From the top of the building, Legion watched the scene like he was observing some bizarre documentary about creatures he would never fully understand: human teenagers. Two of them, in this case, sharing a giant banana split with faces as red as tomatoes.
Peter and Gwen ate slowly, shy at first, murmuring short phrases that drowned in embarrassment. Every now and then, one of them let out a nervous giggle that made the other laugh too.
And just like that, little by little, as if their awkwardness melted along with the ice cream, they started talking more freely—joking, relaxing.The atmosphere around them was shifting—brighter, warmer.Nice.
Legion rested an elbow on the ledge and tilted his head, satisfied.
"Knowing you, Peter… I knew something was going to go wrong. It never fails. You're a magnet for disaster."
He sighed with the faintest smile.
"So, well… someone had to give you a hand. One that thousands of your readers have wanted to give you for decades. Consider yourself lucky."
From his place in the shadows, he watched Gwen laugh at something Peter said, how Peter made an exaggerated gesture with his hands, and how the two of them blushed again—like the blood was shooting straight from their souls to their faces.
Around them, other tables were full: couples sharing snacks, families with bouncing children, friends chatting without hurry.Light, noise, company.
And he, on the other hand, was alone on a dark rooftop.
It wasn't a thought he enjoyed.He didn't look for it, but it came anyway.Like always.
For a moment… he remembered something. A fragment, just an echo of something resembling a family. A blurry sensation, distant, like a forgotten dream.
But he didn't let it grow.
He shook his head, almost annoyed with himself.
"Alright. Enough. I'm not getting sentimental now."
He gave one last glance at the two kids below, laughing while fighting over who got the last piece of the banana split.
"Mission accomplished. I've earned myself a hot bath… and an even better nap."
And with that, he turned around and disappeared into the shadows of the building in a flash of green light, leaving behind Peter and Gwen's soft laughter blending with the night breeze.
===============================================================
THAT'S IT FOR NOW.Sorry for the delay—got hooked on Dispatch, the new Telltale Games title. Totally recommend it.
I hope you enjoyed this mini-arc. It's not fully finished yet; we'll continue with chapters showing daily life and the perspectives of other characters.
Whose POV would you like to see?How did Matt handle his unexpected "guest"?What's Fury thinking after Legion prevented them from confiscating the object?
We'll see some of these things in the next chapters.
Take care :)