The Amazing Spider-Man 3

Chapter 31

Gwen and I, each from a different direction, charged at Mysterio. He smirked, then whipped a knife out of his right pocket. I shot a web at it, but he switched hands, whipping the knife around with his left hand. Was he ambidextrous? Gwen fired a web at his left hand, and I fired one at his right. He stepped back, tossing the knife in the air. I fired a web at the knife with the web shooter on my other wrist, only to see the knife disappear.

What?

Mysterio laughed, waving the knife around. But it was in the air...it couldn't have possibly had enough time to fall back down into his grasp. I shook my head with confusion, then returned my focus on Mysterio.

Mysterio tossed the knife at me, and I dodged it, firing a web at it, only to see it disappear again. This time, I knew I wasn't crazy.

Mysterio was holding the knife again. I looked over to Gwen to see her reaction. I couldn't see her face behind her mask, but her head was cocked.

He threw the knife for a third time, and this time it spawned, seven or eight knives flying through the air. He was creating some sort of an illusion. One of those knives was the real thing. The knives fell back down to Mysterio, and he caught one, causing the rest to disappear.

Seeming to forget Gwen, Mysterio threw the knife at me. This time I knew it was real. I prepared to dodge it, but then it spawned again, into almost fifty replicas, all flying in my direction. Time seemed to freeze. I tried to keep track of the real knife, but my head began to hurt. I couldn't dodge all of the knives; I had to take a chance.

I ran, preparing to fire a web of escape, when the knives reached me. I felt them go straight through me with a soft, cool tickle. Then, one of them buried itself into my flesh. The real one. I gasped, yanking the knife out of my left arm. At least he didn't have the knife anymore.

Gwen cried out when she realized I'd been hurt. That's when Mysterio was reminded of her presence. He reached into his pockets again, flinging something at her. It was some kind of round object, spinning and shooting sparks. Gwen rolled to the side as it flew past her. She hummed with satisfaction, but then the airborne object came to a stop, changing direction completely. It was heading back for her.

I was about to call her name, but I stopped myself for two reasons: one, because we were supposed to keep our identities a secret, and two, because she was already dodging it, a result of her spider senses.

The object changed direction again, and this time it was heading for me. I dodged it several times, it whizzing past me, but then it picked up speed. It shot sparks faster and farther, and then it latched onto my stomach.

At first, nothing happened. I stared at it, frozen in place. Then, sparks flew out of it again. The round object, some sort of a ball, cracked open, a black substance spilling out of it. I smacked it with my hands several times, only to get the black goo all over my fingers. The case fell to the ground in a shower of sparks, then it vanished.

The black liquid, on the other hand, was soaking into my suit. It spread like a plague, and soon my entire suit was black. And then I felt...good.

I felt stronger. I felt better. I had already forgotten about the stab wound on my arm. Maybe it was already healed.

Gwen, on the other hand, was watching me in horror. The area of her mask around her chin was longer, which meant that her mouth was hanging open.

"I'm okay," I said. "I think it's just some kind of ink." Gwen nodded, then we turned back to Mysterio, who was laughing.

He was holding the knife again. I looked around frantically, full of shock. Had I dropped it? I couldn't remember. All that mattered now, though, was that Mysterio had it again.

We fought again, for several more minutes. I enjoyed the fight, loving the fact that I was hurting my enemy. I was faster; I was stronger; I was better. Soon, Mysterio was on the ground, bleeding heavily. Gwen and I had used his trickery against him, confusing even him about which knife was real and which ones were just illusions. Then, Gwen and I managed to web the knife, flinging it back at Mysterio, sinking straight into his chest, where it was now.

I strided over to Mysterio, kneeling at his side. Gwen stood beside me. I could sense her unease. Mysterio's life began to fade away, and I had no guilt or regrets, unlike after our fight against Doctor Octopus.

Mysterio's bowl-head light flickered, then went out. He was gone.

"Peter, he's dead," she said quietly.

"Yeah, and?" I asked her.

"It's just...I thought you wouldn't want to hurt him...not this bad," she mumbled.

"Why is that? He would have outsmarted anyone...even at Ravencroft. He had to be eliminated."

"Peter, are you okay?"

"Of course I am."

"No you're not." Gwen's voice was strained. She souded like she was about to cry.

"I'm fine. Now let's see what's under this bowl-thing." I reached for the bowl on Mysterio's head.

"No," Gwen said. "You're coming with me."

"Fine," I said coldly. We both swung away into the direction of a tall building, leaving Mysterio on the street, lying in a deepening pool of his own blood.