Chapter 120 - 120

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….

And yes, I am doubling down on my previous thought, this particular guy was hands down the most dangerous of the bunch.

Not only can he drop anvils on people's heads out of nowhere with perfect accuracy, but by cartoon logic, he should also be able to tank a hit from that exact same anvil.

Not to mention surviving falls off cliffs, point-blank explosions, getting flattened by a steamroller with every bone broken and internal organ ruptured, acid showers, lightning strikes... oh, the sheer variety of ways characters in those "wholesome children's cartoons" entertained themselves.

In short, if things go south, I've already figured out exactly who to blast with Gungnir at maximum power first.

Worst case scenario, I'll freeze him with the Casket of Ancient Winters, that should at least buy me a chance to run.

Unfortunately, this crowd was battle-hardened, so they collectively arranged their faces into a "we see this every day, bo-o-oring" expression.

Or rather, the black kid stared with his mouth hanging open, the adult and clearly seen-some-shit Parker was still not entirely there and was looking at MJ much more than his surroundings, but Gwen, yeah, she played the tough girl very well.

The fact that it was an act was obvious to me, but her internal amazement didn't stop her from maintaining control, which said a lot.

The deviation from the script happened suddenly. Right in the middle of the Pig's rambling, all six of them simultaneously shivered, as if getting goosebumps, and seemed to listen to something.

Then they looked at each other... I don't know, the closest analogy is "recognizing old friends you haven't seen in ages."

Even their body language shifted, as if in a single moment they had become imbued with complete trust in one another, almost on the level of close relatives who have lived in the same house for years.

"You're like me..." the entire group blurted out in unison, driven by some unconscious reflex. I vaguely caught a note of mental energy.

Not magic, but psionics. It's usually very hard to detect when it's not directed at you, but here, it seemed no less than six intuitive psionics had just exchanged IFF signals.

"How interesting..." My hands practically itched with a researcher's curiosity; I had to twirl my cane to channel it.

Yes, Gungnir must Sparkle! When it does that, its projecting vibe of "I am Irresistibility Itself!" always sobers me up.

So, Gwen Stacy had popped up in various Spider-Man stories. I seem to recall she was a police captain's daughter and even Peter's first love in one of the core comic storylines, before she died in his arms.

Her costume was vaguely familiar too, though in my past life I had definitely seen pictures of her where she was, ahem, a bit more developed as a woman, let's call it that. But that's beside the point.

The point is, she is absolutely not an alternate version of Peter, and this black kid is definitely not a Parker either, yet they have the powers.

Where did they get a mutation so identical to the "Spiders" that they even perceive each other as "members of the pack"?

"I absolutely need samples from you three as well," I informed the newcomers with a satisfied, expectant smile.

"Uh..." my words seemed to throw off their rhythm, so much so that the whole group shook themselves out of it. "You're not like us," Gwen continued, shifting her gaze to me and frowning slightly.

"True… I have Power!" Driven by the anticipation of something wonderfully interesting, a playful mood washed over me. "But let's not talk about sad things."

"Having power is sad?" Mary Jane perked up, throwing me a weird look.

"You have no idea," I nodded, half-turning and painting an expression of absolute worldly sorrow on my face.

"Right..." the unshaven Peter in sweatpants forcefully tore his gaze away from the redhead and turned to the trio who had been in the basement before me. "How did you guys get here?"

"Well, it's a very long story..." Noir Peter began dramatically.

"Portals suddenly opened up right under us, we got sucked into a weird space, and thrown out against billboards!" Peni quickly recounted. "When we came to our senses, we looked around, realized it wasn't our world, and headed here."

"...Or maybe not that long," the previous speaker shrugged after a brief pause.

"Now we're all trying to get home," the anime girl sighed, while the robot behind her displayed a crying face on its screen.

"The only way is through the collider doohickey," Spider-Noir waved his hand stylishly in the air. "But there's one problem..."

"We gotta smash that thing to pieces!" the Pig continued the thought, cracking his knuckles belligerently. "Just to be on the safe side! Can't leave it in evil hands, otherwise who knows what'll happen!"

"But to send us back, it has to be working. If we break it, we'll be stuck here," Peni clarified.

"I'll do it," all the Web-Heads volunteered in unison, except for the black kid. But then another collective bout of the universe rejecting foreign elements struck, and Gwen and the battered Parker simultaneously dropped to the floor, gritting their teeth through a wave of pain.

"Huh? Are you guys okay?" asked the black kid in surprise.

He had just lost ten points in my book, he was perfectly capable of throwing jealous glares at a gentleman showing politeness and gallantry to a lady, but offering a hand to help up a girl who was literally curled into a ball of pain on the floor?

Nope. Instead, he managed to sound almost indignant that the rest of the Spiders were feeling perfectly fine.

"Yeah," the Pig nodded, "Loki did some magic mumbo-jumbo, so now we're considered locals in this universe. But why are you feeling perfectly fine?" The hog narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Uhhh, well, I'm... I'm actually from this universe..."

"Wait a minute, but there was already a Spider-Man here?!" Peni was both surprised and indignant.

"And you don't exactly look like a relative of his," I picked up the thread, extending a hand to Gwen and helping her up. "Allow me to take your hand, my dear... and a couple of hairs."

"Hey, hey," she actually took a step back, "the last time a guy touched my hair, I had to shave the entire right side of my head!"

"I already apologized for that!" Miles waved his hands frantically. "It was an accident!"

"You pulled a girl's hair?" I stared at him in shock. Look, I was ready for a lot of things, but this...

"No! I mean, yes, but... my Spider Powers had just awakened, and I was sticking to everything..."

"Alright, fine..." I closed my eyes, massaging the bridge of my nose with my free hand. "I... theoretically understand a situation where a man gets an unbearable urge to pat a cute girl on the head... Peni can attest to that," I gestured toward the anime girl, who instantly adopted an intensely independent look.

"But... it's one thing to pat an anime girl who pilots a personal combat mech on the head, and even then, I asked for permission first." Using the expressive gesticulation inherited from the former Loki, I elaborated on the thought.

"But how did youmanage it? I mean, handsy teenagers usually get kicked in the bells by strange girls for much less, don't they?"

"It happens," Gwen admitted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It was an accident! I put my hand on her shoulder, and when I tried to pull it away, my fingers got stuck!"

…

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