As for how to handle the Taskmaster…
Tony Stark decided to keep her detained here for the time being.
He had discovered that the Taskmaster had undergone chemical conditioning similar to the Winter Soldier's. Under this kind of modification, her control over her own body no longer belonged to her conscious will.
To put it bluntly, the Taskmaster was essentially a robot wrapped in a human's flesh and bones.
And as for the real controller behind it all, it should be none other than General Dreykov, hidden in the shadows.
This realization stirred something unpleasant in Tony Stark.
After all, his parents had been killed by the Winter Soldier while under mind control.
And it was also the reason why he and his close friend Steve Rogers fell out so bitterly—If it had only been the Sokovia Accords, even if they argued, it wouldn't have escalated into the near-complete estrangement they had now.
It was the Winter Soldier incident that pushed their conflict to the extreme, leading to the state of things today.
And Tony Stark absolutely did not want to see something similar happen again to the junior he valued the most.
If one day, that junior's loved ones were killed by a mentally controlled person…What choice should he make?
Should he kill the culprit?Or forgive him simply because "it wasn't really him," because he had been under mind control?
No matter what he chose, it would torment him unbearably.
People say suffering makes heroes.
But if that suffering comes from losing the people you love most—then being a hero isn't worth it!
After learning the whole story and hearing how the Taskmaster would be dealt with, Peter finally felt relieved.
This way, he no longer had to worry about threats reaching Aunt May, Ned, or Betty.
He said his goodbyes to Tony Stark and headed out.
Once Peter entered the elevator—
Tony looked toward the corner of the room."Thanks for bringing the intel. You can leave now."
A graceful figure stepped out from the shadows."Didn't expect him to really be just a kid. He's so young, and you're already throwing him onto the battlefield?"
"Heh. Natasha, he's more reliable than you old-timers ever were." Tony snorted. "At least he knows right from wrong, and he has his own moral compass."
The woman hiding in Tony Stark's room inside Avengers Tower—was none other than the officially wanted "Black Widow," Natasha Romanoff!
"Hm. He's a good kid. I promised I'd teach him a few things," Natasha said.
Tony shot her a look."He's only fifteen. Save your tricks. And you're a fugitive right now—I won't let you drag danger to his doorstep."
"But the danger is already coming. General Dreykov won't let this go," Natasha replied.
Tony tossed her a set of keys."Weapons and gear. That place is your nightmare too, isn't it? I'll stall things on this end."
"Thanks." Natasha caught the keys, gave a small smile, and left crisply without hesitation.
After leaving Stark Tower, Peter originally planned to head straight home.But midway, he suddenly changed his mind and ran toward Bleecker Street.
Back in universe Earth-96283, the experience he had there made him think of a possibility.
If he could freely control this spell called "astral projection," and enter the astral state—didn't that mean he might be able to communicate face-to-face with other Spider-Men?
As for whether he could learn it…He remembered the Ancient One personally saying he had extremely high magical talent.If he became a sorcerer, his potential might even surpass Stephen's—Though honestly, he still wasn't sure what was so impressive about Stephen's talent.
The guy always seemed to be getting beaten up.
But hey… effort makes up for talent!
He had to try.
What if he actually learned it?
Besides, being in the astral state might have another meaning for him.
For example—when his soul left his body earlier, his physical form had automatically entered a self-protection mode because of his spider-sense.
In that state, his body could unleash strength even greater than when he consciously controlled it.
So if he entered the astral state during a battle, letting his body fight on its own—and he himself attacked from the astral side—
Wouldn't that mean he split himself into two fighting units?
Like a… clone technique?
Though normally a clone technique creates another body, whereas this would be separating spirit and flesh.
But one thing was certain:If he could actually do this, his combat ability would skyrocket.
Even though he hadn't yet faced an enemy requiring him to fight at full strength, that didn't mean such foes wouldn't appear.
He traveled across multiple parallel universes, after all.
With so many universes out there, running into something strong was practically guaranteed.
And his spider-sense had been faintly warning him—as if telling him that a great battle loomed in the near future.
If he didn't prepare, the price would be devastating.
Peter went through every clue he had, but still couldn't figure out where this possible "future war" would come from, or what it would be.
After thinking it over, all he could do was strengthen himself.
As long as he was strong enough, he could face any crisis!
177A Bleecker Street—the address Stephen Strange had given him in New York.
This was also one of the three great Sanctums the sorcerers had built on Earth.
Each Sanctum was wrapped in strong concealment spells.Unless someone had been granted permission like Peter, they wouldn't be able to see it.
To ordinary people, this place looked exactly as it had when Peter first visited—just an ordinary residential building.
And ordinary people would never question why the building had no residents or feel tempted to break in.
They would simply overlook it.
Only someone with extremely sharp senses like Peter could perceive that something wasn't right.
When Peter approached the door, it opened automatically.
He wasn't surprised.With their strange powers, the sorcerers likely knew he had arrived the moment he stepped up.
This was his first time truly entering the so-called Sanctum.
He looked around curiously.
A long staircase extended upward, splitting into two circular walkways on the second floor.The first-floor hall was furnished with old wooden pieces that looked centuries old.
Aside from the newer furniture, everything else seemed perfectly symmetrical, imbued with a certain aesthetic harmony.
Then—
A figure slowly descended from above, a scarlet cloak flowing behind him.His hair was neatly styled into a mohawk-like shape, making him look sharp and energized.
-----------------------
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