Before coming, Peter had mentally prepared himself in every way he could, even imagining situations where he could not bring himself to strike.
But when he was discovered and faced the possibility of being surrounded by a swarm of guards at any moment, he suddenly realized that all his imagined scenarios had been a joke.
To keep himself from being overwhelmed by the guards, he snapped Ivan's neck without the slightest hesitation.
That turn of events left him briefly bewildered. He did not know whether he had done it without any qualms because Tony had forced him into it, or whether he had never been particularly opposed to killing in the first place.
His confusion did not last long. Once the sound of footsteps jolted him back to his senses, he shoved every thought aside and began fleeing.
Meanwhile, back at the villa, Tony looked rather taken aback.
He had not expected things to end so easily. He had been all set to watch a grand drama unfold as Peter wrestled with his conscience.
Instead, Peter had proved even more decisive than he had imagined.
"JARVIS, did this guy fool me? With how decisively he acted, he sure doesn't look like a first-time killer."
Tony was somewhat at a loss for words.
JARVIS's utterly emotionless voice immediately rang out.
"Sir, research indicates that a devil lives deep within every person. It is the embodiment of humanity's negative emotions."
"Some people keep that devil locked away, and ordinary people consider them good. Others release it, and ordinary people consider them bad."
"Based on my observations, the Peter in the footage is currently in the process of locking his devil away. Without your intervention, sir, he would likely have locked away the devil in his heart and become a good person."
"But you gave him a key, sir, allowing him to release that devil."
"So, sir, you were responsible for all of this."
After all that analysis, JARVIS had laid the blame squarely on Tony, making the corner of his mouth twitch.
Seriously, whose side are you on? Is that any way to talk about your creator?
Deciding not to talk to JARVIS for the time being, Tony prepared to go to bed.
It was over, and there was no need to keep watching. Hammer Industries' guards were decent, but they could not possibly trap Spider-Man, so he naturally could not be bothered to watch any further.
But just as he rose, JARVIS's voice suddenly sounded.
"Alert, alert. Unidentified flying object detected approaching."
Tony stopped in his tracks and immediately turned toward the large screen. The view had switched to the area outside his villa.
In the distance, a green figure was rapidly approaching his villa atop a skateboard-like flying device. Tony could even make out the demonic mask on the visitor's face.
Tony raised an eyebrow, and a smile curled across his lips.
"Interesting. Osborn, the Green Goblin. I haven't come looking for you yet, but you've come looking for me."
Who were the best candidates for the Dark Alliance? Naturally, Marvel's famous villains.
These people were drawn to darkness by nature, making them far easier to recruit than superheroes.
So after seeing Osborn at the military procurement meeting, Tony had made up his mind to bring him into the Dark Alliance.
But since the man had yet to transform, Tony had only planned to give him a little push to speed up the process.
He had not expected things to progress so quickly. He had only provoked the man that afternoon, yet by that evening, Osborn had become the Green Goblin and come looking for him.
Life really was full of surprises.
With a smile still on his lips, a cold glint appeared in Tony's eyes.
Recruiting villains was not the same as recruiting superheroes. Superheroes needed a little guidance. Villains just needed to be beaten into submission.
Just as Tony spotted Osborn, outside the villa, a crazed smile spread beneath Osborn's mask as he stared at Tony's home.
To save the Osborn Group, he had been forced to conduct human trials on himself.
The experiment had gone unexpectedly smoothly, enhancing his body perfectly. But the serum had also affected him, altering his personality.
He could even be said to have split into two people.
One was the calm Osborn, the man at the helm of the Osborn Group.
The other was the violent Osborn, the Green Goblin.
And right now, he was Osborn, the Green Goblin!
Osborn had plenty of enemies and plenty of people he hated. But if he were to make a list, Tony would undoubtedly stand at the top.
If not for him, the Osborn Group could have secured more military contracts, and the shareholders would not have withdrawn their investments early, driving the company into a corner.
If not for him, he would not have had to personally become a test subject for the Human Enhancement Serum.
Granted, the seeds of disaster had already been sown when he ordered the development of new equipment and the Human Enhancement Serum.
But Tony had been the fuse that set off the bomb.
So he had come. He had come as the Green Goblin, seeking revenge, determined to send the man who had driven the Osborn Group to the brink of ruin straight to hell.
His mind filled with the urge to slaughter, Osborn flung his arm, sending two Pumpkin Bombs hurtling toward Tony's villa.
As a new type of grenade developed at great expense by the Osborn Group, each Pumpkin Bomb packed a blast comparable to twenty kilograms of TNT.
Two Pumpkin Bombs would be enough to collapse Tony's villa and bury him alive.
But the instant he threw the Pumpkin Bombs, one Shadow Ninja after another stepped out of the darkness, their crimson eyes fixed on Osborn.
A moment later, one of the Shadow Ninja hurled two Cross-Shuriken, striking the Pumpkin Bombs with pinpoint accuracy.
Boom!
Two violent explosions rang out.
Flames flashed through the darkness, lighting up the night.
"What are those things?"
Osborn frowned at the thought.
But before he could think any further, the Shadow Ninja were already leaping toward him.
The keen edges of their katanas flashed in the night, blade after blade slashing straight at him.
Clad in his armor, Osborn made no move to dodge, intending to withstand the attacks of the many Shadow Ninja head-on.
Screech!
Sparks flared across his armor. Beneath the slashing katanas, fine cuts appeared in the seemingly sturdy suit.
The moment Osborn noticed, his expression changed.
This armor was made from special alloy.
What kind of blades are those? How can they be so sharp?
As he wondered, Osborn used the Goblin Glider's maneuverability to swiftly escape the Shadow Ninja's encirclement.
He had originally intended to charge straight into the villa, but seeing the dense mass of Shadow Ninja outside it, he began to consider retreating.
He realized things were not quite as he had imagined. These figures, who had appeared from who knew where, were actually protecting Tony.
Though none of them could match him individually, there were far too many of them.
After watching from midair for quite some time, Osborn finally piloted the Goblin Glider away, swiftly disappearing into the night sky.
Inside the villa, Tony watched Osborn retreat and gave an amused smile.
"Running away already? Interesting."
Before you continue