"Which one of you was it last time? Why did you stop me?"
Peter Parker's voice was sharp as he glared at the figure standing before him.
When his eyes adjusted, recognition dawned on his face.
It was Kurogai, the mysterious man who appeared during his fight with Doctor Octopus not long ago.
But something didn't add up.
Why was Kurogai standing beside Doc Ock now?
Peter had never thought of him as a villain.
"I told you," Kurogai said calmly, his tone measured, "I'm interested in his experiment. Until it's complete, you're staying here."
He sat casually beside Spider-Man, his eyes fixed on Doctor Octopus, who was busy calibrating equipment, oblivious to their conversation.
"No! You don't understand what he's doing—it could cause catastrophic damage! I have to stop him!"
Peter tried to move, but his body refused to respond.
It felt like a mountain was pressing down on him, pinning him to the floor.
Kurogai didn't even glance at him.
He had already used the power of Space to immobilize the young hero.
Until the experiment reached its conclusion, Peter wouldn't be allowed to interfere.
"You can move when it's over," Kurogai said simply.
"For now, stay still."
Then he turned his attention back to the experiment.
With Kurogai watching, Doctor Octopus no longer worried about Spider-Man and focused entirely on his work.
Hours passed.
Finally, the setup was complete.
A blinding light began to form at the center of the lab, glowing like a miniature sun that pulsed and grew brighter every second.
"I did it! I finally succeeded!"Doctor Octopus's eyes gleamed with triumph.
He had done what few believed possible—harnessing fusion energy on his own.
But Kurogai's golden eyes were dull, filled not with awe but disappointment.
The Eternal Eye, his mysterious inner power, remained silent.
This experiment wasn't the key he was searching for.
He had suspected as much, but still, part of him had hoped.
His strategy was simple: cast a wide net, catch what you can.
The last time he'd taken such a chance, he'd stumbled across a vampire while chasing the Sandman.
Maybe, just maybe, this would've led to another discovery.
"Let me go! It's about to overload!" Peter shouted.
The orb of light was expanding rapidly, sucking in metal and debris as the walls began to groan.
Kurogai shook his head.
"No. it won't lose control."
He released the space binding around Peter anyway and began walking slowly toward the unstable sphere.
"What are you doing?!" Doctor Octopus demanded, his robotic arms snapping toward Kurogai.
The scientist didn't trust him—not one bit.
"If this isn't the key to another ring of the Ultimate eye," Kurogai murmured, "then it's useless."
The metal arms shot forward—but before they could touch him, they twisted violently, shrieking under an invisible force.
A moment later, they snapped like dry twigs.
Doc Ock hit the ground, helpless.
"This… is interesting," Kurogai said softly as he approached the glowing orb.
He could feel the gravitational pull tugging at him.
It was like standing beside a newborn sun.
If it kept growing, it would swallow everything around it.
A faint smile crossed his lips.
"Maybe I'll save this one. A gift for Thanos, perhaps."
The idea amused him.
Even the Mad Titan might hesitate if something like this was thrown at his feet.
His eyes flared gold, and the Clock of Time appeared behind him."Bullet of the Seven: Time stands still."
The air rippled.
The expanding sphere froze in place, suspended perfectly mid-growth.
With a wave of his hand, Kurogai drew intricate symbols into the air—magic circles that shimmered with ancient energy.
One by one, they locked into place, sealing the orb within a timeless prison.
When the last sigil dimmed, he opened a spatial rift and cast the frozen sun into his Kamui Space, locking it away from the world.
He turned back toward Peter and the unconscious scientist.
"Doctor Octopus is yours, Spider-Man," he said with a faint smile.
"You two have unfinished business."
And just like that, Kurogai vanished into a swirling distortion of space, his work complete.
Elsewhere — Asgard
Deep within the golden realm, guards of the Palace moved through the dungeon as usual, carrying food trays for the prisoners.
But when they reached one particular cell, they froze.
The cell was empty.
"Sound the alarm!" one of them shouted, his face pale."Loki's gone!"