The afternoon sun poured its warmth over New York City, bright but not unbearable. A cool breeze swept through the streets, carrying with it the scent of roasted coffee and urban life.
At a small outdoor café on the corner, Kurogai sat with Rogue and Susan Storm, two stunning women whose presence drew envious glances from nearby pedestrians. After a long stroll through the city, Susan had complained of exhaustion, so they'd decided to take a break here.
"I didn't expect New York to feel this peaceful," Kurogai said, his tone relaxed but thoughtful.
The streets weren't crowded—just a few pedestrians walking under the golden light. It felt oddly serene, a contrast to the chaos that Kurogai remembered. In his mind, New York had always been a place of constant turmoil—heroes clashing with villains, buildings falling, and sirens wailing in the distance.
Susan tilted her head, smiling lightly. "Peaceful? It's just a normal afternoon. The world's moved past its wars, and now we're living in the information age. This kind of calm is normal."
"For ordinary people, sure," Kurogai replied, eyes half-lidded. "But for people like us, normal isn't really part of our world anymore."
He realized how long it had been since he'd blended in with the crowd, walking the streets like any regular citizen. Ever since he'd gained power beyond human limits, everyday life had slowly drifted away from him. The weight of battles, cosmic forces, and supernatural events had left little space for simple human moments.
For the first time in a while, though, he felt... almost human again.
Then—
Bang!
Bang! Bang!!
Gunshots shattered the tranquility. People screamed, scattering in panic. Kurogai's head turned instantly toward the commotion.
Down the street, outside a nearby bank, a man in a long coat and dark sunglasses emerged—four mechanical arms sprouting from his back, each gripping bags stuffed with cash.
"Of course," Kurogai muttered under his breath. "So much for peace."
Police cruisers had already arrived, forming a perimeter around the bank. Officers crouched behind cars, guns drawn.
The man with the robotic limbs seemed agitated but confident.
"I don't want to hurt anyone!" the man shouted. "I just need money to continue my research!"
Before the standoff could escalate, a voice rang out from above.
"Hey, tentacle guy! Robbing banks isn't exactly the best way to fund a science project. Surrender now—or I'll make calamari out of you!"
A blur of red and blue flipped through the air, landing effortlessly on a nearby streetlight. The crowd gasped as the figure crouched low, mask glinting in the sun.
"Spider-Man," Kurogai murmured, recognizing the familiar costume instantly.
He leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing in amusement. The spider emblem across the hero's chest confirmed it. This was Peter Parker, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man—one of the few heroes Kurogai actually respected.
"That's Spider-Man," Rogue said, turning to Kurogai. "He's been showing up all over the city lately—stopping robberies, saving people. He's fast, flexible, uses that web stuff to swing between buildings. Pretty popular among the locals."
Kurogai chuckled. "Spider-Man, huh? Fitting name."
He didn't move. Instead, he watched the scene unfold like a spectator at a show. But his sharp gaze didn't miss the details—the mechanical arms, the voice, the desperation in the man's eyes.
Doctor Otto Octavius.
Or, as the world would soon know him—Doctor Octopus.
"Hmm… so this is where it begins," Kurogai murmured under his breath.
Memories of the Marvel timeline flashed through his mind—experiments gone wrong, power struggles, mutations. His fingers tapped lightly on the table as he thought.
The radiation that created Spider-Man... Octavius' fusion technology... the Goblin serum... even the symbiote.
Each held potential—energies and mutations unlike any other. Perhaps, he mused, one of them could help him unlock the next stage of his power—another ring of his mystic eye.
His decision came quickly.
"Rogue, Susan," he said quietly, rising from his chair. "Head back to the manor. There's something I need to handle.*
Rogue looked at him knowingly, her tone soft. "I figured. Come back in one piece, okay?"
She clasped Susan's hand, muttered a brief incantation, and a glowing portal opened beside them. The two women stepped through, vanishing from sight.
Now alone, Kurogai turned his attention to the chaos unfolding near the bank. The police were shouting, Spider-Man was trading quips, and Doctor Octopus' metal arms clanged against the asphalt.
Kurogai's expression hardened, a faint glow flickering in his eyes.
"It's been a while since I've stretched my legs," he said to himself. "Let's see what New York's heroes are really made of."
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