I Became Spider-Man's Cousin in Anime Crossover

Chapter 431 [3 Chapters Combined into 1] Luring the Tiger Away from the Mountain

Those familiar with Marvel know that Max... or Electro's ability is to absorb and convert energy, but it's not as overpowered as Thor's; there's a threshold limit.

This has resulted in Max now possessing more energy than he currently controls after forcibly absorbing the massive energy from the Iron Monger reactor in a short period of time.

Even with Riley's help, Max, who had broken free from the magical control of the mastermind and regained his own will, still found it difficult to control his energy and restore his physical body.

If left unchecked, Max will eventually turn into a human nuclear bomb, turning all the citizens of New York City into "familiar faces"!

"You three, don't move around. Try to relax. I'll take care of the rest."

Riley spoke to Max inside the barrier, his voice still steady, yet carrying a power that compelled people to obey him instinctively.

At the same time, he retrieved the Tiger Talisman, a special magical power that balances Yin and Yang, from the system space at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

Although the three didn't understand why, their absolute trust in Riley led them to do as he said without hesitation.

The next second, a miraculous scene unfolded.

The immense energy that Max possessed, which was now overflowing and nearly out of control, rapidly split into two gentle and controllable streams under the influence of the Tiger Talisman magic activated by Riley's thought, flowing towards Peter and Tony respectively!

In an instant, Max felt the immense pressure inside his body, which was swollen and on the verge of bursting out of control, suddenly lessen! It was like a floodgate being opened, and he felt exceptionally refreshed.

Understanding the unspoken message and intentionally cooperating with Riley's actions, Max's massive electric form began to shrink at a faster and more stable pace. The blinding light gradually subsided, and the raging arcs of electricity became docile.

A dozen seconds later, the terrifying electric giant vanished completely. In its place stood Max, who had successfully regained his flesh and blood.

Although he still bore the charred marks of electric shock and the inevitable weakness resulting from the massive loss of energy, compared to the fate of "nuclearizing New York" or "exiling into space," this was something to celebrate.

Not to mention, the suit that Section 13 specially tailored for Max, just like Hulk's pants, remained fully covering him even after Max transformed back into human form. While concealing his true face, the built-in reactor continuously replenished his energy.

Even so, after regaining his human form, Max's legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground. Head bowed, hands covering his face, shoulders trembling slightly, he silently expressed his grief at surviving the ordeal and his endless regret.

Seeing this, Riley removed the golden magical barrier that had been trapping Max.

As she slowly descended and landed firmly on the ground, Riley carefully helped Peter, who was now able to stand on his own after recovering from his injuries, to the side. Then she walked over to Max and stood silently for a few seconds.

Then he reached out and gently placed his hand on Max's trembling shoulder, just as Max thought he was about to be scolded or beaten and couldn't help but curl up into a ball, and said in a soft voice to comfort him.

"It's over, Max. Let's get out of here."

After a slight pause, Riley's voice became low, carrying a hint of barely perceptible anger compared to his previous calm.

"Don't worry, I know this wasn't your intention, you're a victim too... So, I'll find out who's behind this and settle the score with them properly, I promise you."

As he spoke, Riley didn't forget to activate the Horse Charm, infusing Max with healing magic to counteract the damage to Max's body caused by the magical brainwashing and the excessive energy absorption during this period.

But instead of the expected scolding and scorn, Max's body stiffened as the gentle comfort swept away his physical pain.

She slowly raised her head, her eyes already red and her face streaked with tears, and looked at Riley. Her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a single word.

The imagined torrent of scolding, disappointed rejection, and even cold punishment did not come.

Instead, Max received assurances tinged with anger, a genuine healing and reassurance.

The pain that kept surging through my body was quickly dispelled as that warm light entered.

All of this proves that the idol he trusts and admires, even as his strength grows rapidly, has never looked down on his companions and remains as considerate and gentle as when they first met.

But this very fact intensified the torment of his conscience. More than the harshest reprimands, it made Max feel utterly ashamed!

Although the other party took advantage of... no, they desecrated his unwavering trust in Riley. Impersonating Riley's voice, weaving lies about saving the world, they turned him into a knife to stab his friends and the city.

But is he really without any fault at all?

Now, upon closer reflection, based on his understanding of Riley, Riley's various seductive statements were full of flaws and could not withstand scrutiny at all!

If he had been a little more cautious, if he hadn't been so eager to prove himself to Riley, to become the "hero" in the public eye...

How could I possibly fall into their trap so easily, becoming a foolish accomplice who was at their mercy and almost killed my partner!

Thinking of this, Peter's bloodied figure, Tony's tattered armor, the devastation of the square, and the citizens' cries filled with terror and despair... every scene flashed repeatedly in his clear mind.

Even as Max remained silent, the warm light of the Horse Talisman continued to flow in, rapidly healing the wounds on his body.

But the inner torment and questioning he suffered could not be healed by magic; Max still had to slowly process it himself.

Riley had clearly noticed Max's current state as well.

Any words of comfort seem so pale in the face of inner condemnation and guilt.

This is a hurdle unique to Max, and whether he can overcome it will determine whether he can continue his superhero career in the years to come.

So Riley didn't say anything more, but simply reached out and patted Max's slightly trembling shoulder twice, neither too hard nor too soft.

Then, Riley turned and walked back to Peter's side. Meeting Peter's guilty gaze, which seemed to sense something, Riley couldn't maintain his calm and composed demeanor. Instead, he reached out, grabbed Peter's head with one hand, and began to berate him through gritted teeth.

"What did I tell you before? I gave you the Crown Prince to ensure your safety, not for you to act recklessly! If you rush forward like this again, I'll lock the Crown Prince's functions and make you a regular version of Spider-Man! Also, you didn't even read a single word of the warning I left you, did you? You were almost in mortal danger, and you still forcibly interrupted the Crown Prince's medical functions to activate the 'Eight-Point Light Wheel' protocol? Do you know how dangerous that was? If I had been even a fraction slower, you would have…!"

Peter listened to the familiar, reproachful yet caring nagging. Apart from feeling guilty and not daring to meet Riley's eyes, he didn't feel annoyed or bothered by it. Instead, he felt a warm current and a sense of security.

A faint, satisfied smile appeared on her face, which was hidden by the mask.

For Peter, who had just survived a near-death experience, being able to hear his brother's words again, and feel his undisguised worry and lingering fear, was incredibly moving...

very nice.

"Yes! That's it! We need to talk to him more, make sure this kid learns his lesson!"

On the other side, Tony leaned against the cold brick wall, watching with schadenfreude as Riley reprimanded Peter.

After all, Peter's bold actions during this operation had really frightened Tony quite a bit.

Tony felt a sudden chill run down his spine when he saw Riley turn around and look at him with hostility. Despite not having spider-sense, he quickly changed the subject before Riley could speak.

"Ahem... Hey, seriously, Riley, you came back just in time! It's like you knew exactly what was going to happen and were hiding nearby, waiting for the perfect moment to make your grand entrance and steal the spotlight! You timed your appearance perfectly. If you had been a few seconds later, you probably wouldn't have even had to pay for the crematorium reservation. You could have just picked out a perfect spot for us and buried us together on the spot!"

"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about..."

Tony's words were half-joking and half-serious, with a touch of dark humor, intended to ease the tense atmosphere and express his gratitude.

However, these words acted like a key, instantly unlocking a lock in Riley's heart that he had always vaguely felt was not right.

He slowly straightened up, turned to Tony, and his gaze, sharp behind the white eye patch, focused on Tony's face, his tone filled with obvious surprise and inquiry:

"Tony, wasn't it you and Peter who called for help, asking me to come over immediately? And on the phone, you only said that Sitwell was being chased by the Iron Monger, but you didn't tell me it was that serious?"

Tony paused, his teasing expression vanishing instantly, replaced by a furrowed brow. "Making a call? Asking for help? No. Spider-Man and I both assumed you were still with Captain America, out on a mission, needing to maintain secrecy, so we had no intention of contacting you. Besides, you saw how chaotic the situation was just now, and Peter and I's suits were badly damaged. Even if we wanted to call you, we wouldn't have the time or the ability."

Upon hearing Tony's reply, Riley's breath caught in his throat for half a second.

He then subconsciously turned his head to look at Peter beside him, who also looked bewildered and nodded vigorously, indicating that Tony was right.

A sense of foreboding washed over Riley, who abandoned his joking mood and asked again, word by word.

"This is no joke... Tony, Peter, are you sure neither of you called me?"

"Absolutely not." Riley's change in tone made Tony realize the seriousness of the situation. He answered firmly and quickly presented Riley with further evidence. "Jarvis, check my communication records!"

"Sir, this has been confirmed repeatedly. In the past five hours and twenty-seven minutes, no communication requests have been made to Mr. Riley Parker through any encrypted or conventional means, nor have any proactive calls been received from Mr. Parker."

The next second, Jarvis's confirmation came from Mark 2, sounding exceptionally clear in the ears of everyone who had suddenly fallen silent.

Peter added, "I just had Justice check the communication logs, and we definitely didn't call you."

silence.

The air seemed to freeze instantly, filled with an unease even more suffocating than the previous perilous battle.

Riley stood there, his black and white suit appearing remarkably serene in the dim light. Yet, the aura surrounding him seemed to hold the silent brewing of a storm.

He slowly raised his right hand, looking at his palm as if recalling something.

Riley was certain that Tony and Peter had no reason to lie to him about something so life-or-death, something that could even determine the fate of the world.

But if it wasn't the two of them, then who would have suddenly called Riley at that critical moment?

The other party not only knew about the relationship between Riley and Peter and Tony, and knew Riley's private contact information, but also knew that Tony and Peter were in dire straits and desperately needed his help.

Judging from this, the person who made this call should be on Riley's side.

Can……

If the other party truly meant no harm and simply wanted Riley to hurry up and rescue the person...

Why bother imitating Peter and Tony's voices to deceive Riley on such matters?

unless……

The other side's goal wasn't whether Riley could save Tony and Peter...

Just to make sure that Riley would get to Times Square immediately after receiving the call!

Following this line of thought, what are the other party's true intentions...?

Is it District 13?!

Or worse...

Like the Sandman, is he planning to kill Ben and May, who are currently hiding in District 13, while Riley is away?

Thinking of this, Riley's pupils contracted, and he subconsciously raised his hand, wanting to open the dimensional barrier leading to the safe house inside District 13 and immediately return to his parents' side!

However, just as the dimensional barrier was being formed and the spatial coordinate locking was halfway complete, a powerful and strange sense of obstruction arose out of nowhere!

The other party's scheme was clearly more meticulous and insidious than Riley had anticipated.

They had a deep understanding and research of Riley's abilities, especially his spatial legend abilities, which he frequently displayed during his period of corruption and were no longer a secret.

So much so that when Riley came out, the teleportation from District 13 to the outskirts of Times Square was smooth and unimpeded, without the slightest obstruction or interference.

But at this very moment, when he was anxious to go back, he felt as if the area where District 13 was located was shrouded in a thick, viscous, and constantly twisting magical fog!

The spatial coordinates, which were originally as clear as the lines on a palm, have become blurred and disordered, like looking at distant lights through frosted glass, making it impossible to accurately locate and connect them!

If you ignore everything and force a spatial jump, you will most likely end up like Riley, who accidentally entered the timeline of "Demon Slayer" and ended up in a completely unfamiliar timeline and place!

Even more deadly is...

What if this unexpected situation happened before Riley encountered the Goddess of Death?

Riley could travel through time back to the point where he was about to leave District 13, thus indirectly bypassing the blockade and returning to District 13.

Now, knowing he has attracted the attention of the Goddess of Death, and that she might even be hiding somewhere, secretly observing Riley's every move, Riley dares not break his promise and rashly embark on time travel until he devises a solution!

Through a series of interconnected events, the mastermind successfully bought time to invade District 13!

This made Riley realize that this was an extremely clever and targeted countermeasure, and could not have been accomplished on a whim!

"Damn it, one bad news after another!"

Amidst a flurry of thoughts, Riley, who was usually the one scheming against others and rarely the one being schemed against, let alone being led by the nose like he was now, turned ashen-faced.

Riley took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He quickly gave instructions to everyone, then opened a dimensional barrier, connecting to a street as close as possible to District 13. At the same time, he retrieved the Rabbit Talisman from his system space and swiftly integrated it into his symbiote suit.

"The plan has changed, Tony. You take Peter, Max, and the Iron Monger's wreckage back to Stark Industries. I need to get back to Section 13 immediately. I'll come find you after I've confirmed Section 13 is safe!"

"Huh? Wait, Riley!"

Seeing that Riley was about to leave, Tony belatedly realized who had caused all this trouble. To prevent any further actions from causing Riley to misunderstand or interfere with his judgment, he quickly shouted before Riley could take a step.

"We need to find that old fox, Sitwell, as soon as possible! You might not know this, but while Sitwell is ostensibly a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, he's actually...!"

"Is he a member of Hydra?"

But to Tony's surprise, Riley, who had only just arrived at the scene, calmly picked up on Tony's words. His tone showed no surprise or astonishment whatsoever. It was as if he were casually remarking on the nice weather, making it sound remarkably natural.

"...Yes, that's right...Wait, you knew all along?!"

Tony's prepared revelation came to an abrupt halt, replaced by a look of utter astonishment. Peter's eyepatch, in a rather humane manner, widened slightly. Even Max, who had been standing there dumbfounded, lost in self-reproach, couldn't help but raise his head and stare at Riley in disbelief.

"Uh... cough cough, actually, I only found out today."

Seeing the surprised looks directed at him by the three men, Riley realized that he had accidentally let something slip.

Before "Project Insight" was exposed and Hydra was fully exposed, only a very small number of high-ranking Hydra officials and those involved in Project Insight knew that Sitwell was a Hydra agent.

Even if he is the "Spider-Man" with all his abilities, given his status and the information he has, he shouldn't be so certain about this matter at this moment.

Therefore, to prevent the "time traveler's" identity from being exposed, or to avoid causing unnecessary suspicion, Riley's brain worked at lightning speed. Behind the white blindfold, his eyes darted around almost imperceptibly, quickly weaving a half-true, half-false, yet logical explanation.

"Didn't I team up with the captain for a secret mission? During the mission, I accidentally stumbled into a secret Hydra base. After wiping out the Hydra members stationed there, we found some encrypted data and personnel lists in the core database of this secret base. Sitwell's name and some activity records were stored there. I was planning to share this intelligence with you guys when I got back and discuss how to deal with him. I didn't expect him to come to us first, which saved me a lot of trouble."

Upon hearing Riley's explanation, Peter and Max, who already trusted Riley implicitly, showed a slight relief from their surprise.

Even after the kidnapping incident, Tony, who outwardly appears to be as carefree and unrestrained as ever, still harbors a deep-seated suspicion.

With his arms crossed, even though he knew Riley would never harm them, Tony, instinctively curious about Riley's sources, couldn't help but glance at Riley a few more times, asking pointedly, "That's quite a coincidence. But with Captain and your abilities, wiping out a Hydra base isn't really that difficult... By the way, does Fury know about this?"

"Of course...! I don't know. If Fury had that ability, Hydra wouldn't have been able to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. for so many years."

Tony's subtle tone made Riley understand why the Ancient One always lamented that dealing with intelligent people was both easy and troublesome when they talked to her in the past.

Furthermore, to satisfy Tony's curiosity, and considering that Tony would eventually learn the truth about Bucky's parents' murder when Bucky returned, exposing Tony to Hydra's information sooner rather than later would be a way to prepare him mentally. After a brief moment of thought, Riley continued, adding to the conversation.

"To be honest, this is purely a case of the higher-ups being short-sighted and creating trouble for themselves. If it weren't for them absolving Hydra scientists of war crimes and then, under the guise of science without borders, coveting their research achievements and absorbing them, there wouldn't be so much trouble. Therefore, I have no intention of involving Fury. Let Section 13 handle the task of eliminating Hydra."

As he spoke, Riley's dimensional barrier had fully materialized.

To prevent Tony from pressing further and causing Riley, who hadn't prepared any further explanations, to eventually slip up, it was crucial to prevent him from doing so.

Before Tony could speak again, Riley waved to everyone and left a short message.

"Alright, the situation in District 13 is unclear right now, I need to get back immediately. I'll tell you about Hydra when I get back, that's all for now!"

Before he finished speaking, the speed magic of the Rabbit Talisman enveloped Riley's entire body.

Riley's speed was increased to its limit, turning him into a black afterimage as he plunged into the dimensional barrier!