At that moment, the Green Goblin was patiently facing off against the others.
"Old man, you can't protect Peter Parker." He was still cackling.
Norman gritted his teeth, his gaze unwavering.
"Even if it costs me my life, I'll protect Peter. He's Richard's son."
"Uncle Norman." Standing behind him, Peter was deeply moved.
Beside them, Harry felt an inexplicable pang of bitterness.
It seemed Peter was more like his father's son than he was.
Just as the Green Goblin was about to say something else-
Mark stepped forward and abruptly asked, "Are we fighting or not?"
"What?" The Green Goblin froze.
"You're not afraid of me?" He flicked his arm, extending a blade.
Mark shrugged, then looked at Peter.
"You guys get out of here. I'll hold him off for a while. Spider-Man should be here soon."
His hint couldn't have been more obvious.
Whether Norman was the Green Goblin or not, Mark would hold the enemy off while Peter Parker hurried somewhere to change into his Suit.
That way, no one would discover that Peter was Spider-Man.
And Peter picked up on the message Mark was trying to convey.
He needed to take Harry and the others out of here so Mark could freely use his Spider-Man abilities.
That way, no one would discover that Mark was Spider-Man.
As for Harry and the others, they had no idea what he meant.
Why was he so sure Spider-Man would come?
Norman was equally bewildered.
He hadn't planned to bring Spider-Man into this.
The Green Goblin started scratching his head too.
"Spider-Man? No, my target is Peter Parker!"
He immediately let out another cackle, still making no move to actually attack.
But with a brief flash of holy light, Mark switched to the Demon Hunter Set.
Demon Hunter-Holy Light Fist!
Whooom!
Holy light blazed, and his fist tore through the air.
"Wait, I haven't finished-"
Boom!
Caught completely off guard, the Green Goblin was hurled backward by the holy light, flying straight out the window.
Only after the Green Goblin was driven back did the others notice Mark's new appearance.
"Wow, he changes clothes so fast." Cindy's eyes shone with admiration.
Felicia narrowed her eyes slightly, the corners of her lips lifting.
Interesting.
Gwen Stacy soothed the presence inside her, then shouted to Peter:
"What are you standing there for? Get out of here!"
As she spoke, she pulled the equally stunned Norman out of the room.
Harry and the others followed close behind.
As everyone hurried out, the Green Goblin's cackling rang through the room again.
"Hahaha! Is that all the strength you've got?"
Boom!
Amid the Green Goblin's cackling, a deafening explosion erupted in the room, followed by surging flames and a wave of scorching heat.
Boom...
The blast sent everyone tumbling to the floor in a violent wave of heat.
"Damn it, he brought bombs." Harry looked back at the flames.
At that moment, the flames reflected in his eyes seemed to carry him across time.
He was back on that day three years ago.
The green monster had destroyed everything.
Explosions had wrecked the street, and beneath the flames, it had become hell.
That day, Peter had lost his right hand.
Mark had been sent to the Mental Hospital.
Harry had decided to leave New York because of that disaster too.
Now, a similar scene was unfolding before his eyes again.
A nameless rage filled his heart.
"Damn monster, damn monster..."
Harry pushed himself up, cursing furiously at the figure amid the flames.
He smashed the glass of the fire extinguisher cabinet with his elbow, grabbed the extinguisher, and prepared to charge into the inferno.
Seeing this, Norman hurriedly grabbed Harry.
"Don't go. You'll die."
"Dad, take Peter and get out first. Mark's still in there."
Harry shook off Norman's hand. "Three years ago, I ran because I was a coward.
Today, I'm not running away again!"
"You'll die! Aren't you afraid of dying?" Norman blocked Harry again.
Whatever else might be true, Harry was his son.
He couldn't let Harry risk his life.
But Harry had already made up his mind.
"Dying?"
He looked at the raging inferno.
"Of course I'm afraid... How could I possibly... not be afraid of dying!"
He roared himself hoarse, charging recklessly toward the flames with the extinguisher.
This time, even Norman couldn't stop Harry.
Peter tried to stop him, but it was already too late.
He knew Mark would be fine.
But the same wasn't necessarily true of Harry.
Fortunately, before Harry could charge into the battlefield, a green demon mask tumbled out of the flames and landed at his feet.
That stopped Harry in his tracks.
A moment later, a scream came from the inferno.
"No..."
Boom!
The flames twisted as dazzling holy light burst forth.
Liana's Holy Light!
Whooom!
Struck by the holy light, the unmasked Green Goblin tumbled miserably to Harry's feet.
"Shit, what the hell was that? My head... it hurts..."
With the skin of his face badly burned, the demon rolled on the floor, screaming in agony.
Within the inferno, the hem of a black coat fluttered in the heat.
Ignoring the encroaching flames, the mysterious demon hunter slowly strolled out.
He held down the brim of his hat with one hand and gripped a golden badge in the other.
Every movement was utterly casual.
Magic defense gave the Demon Hunter Set the ability to ward off flames.
"You're too weak."
As Mark spoke, he put away Liana's Holy Light.
That last strike had already inflicted severe damage on his opponent's soul.
The Green Goblin had completely lost the ability to fight.
"Mark, kill him!"
Suddenly, Norman urged him on excitedly.
Hearing that, Mark merely cast Norman a brief glance.
He smiled.
"No rush. He's still useful."
Norman's expression shifted slightly.
I can't let this Green Goblin live!
His secret was at stake.
He slipped a hand into his pocket without drawing attention.
The next second, the Green Goblin, who had been wailing on the floor, suddenly went rigid. After a few twitches, he stopped moving.
"He's dead."
Harry frowned deeply and nudged the Green Goblin's corpse with his foot.
Mark, meanwhile, looked thoughtful.
That settles it. This guy wasn't the real Green Goblin.
He looked at Norman's peculiar expression.
This guy is!
During their brief fight, Mark had noticed that the Green Goblin's strength and speed were nothing special.
Apart from the Green Goblin Armor and Pumpkin Bombs, he had no other superpowers.
Let alone the superhuman physique needed to go toe-to-toe with Spider-Man.
Even the armor seemed like a stripped-down version.
His overall strength posed no threat to Mark whatsoever.
So Mark was certain: the Green Goblin who had suddenly appeared was a fake.
The real Green Goblin had been watching everything from the shadows.
Mark couldn't guess what the Green Goblin's true objective was.
But he was certain it had something to do with Peter.
He mulled it over.
With the Green Goblin dead, everyone grew curious about Mark's superpowers.
"Oh my God, Mark, you actually have superpowers!"
"Is your power transformation?"
"No, he can glow too..."
Harry and the others gathered around Mark to examine him, occasionally touching the unusual material of the Demon Hunter Set.
Gwen Stacy didn't join them.
She quietly watched it all.
The presence inside her had made her fully believe in Mark's other identity.
Peter wasn't surprised either.
After all, he knew perfectly well that these supposed superpowers were just another layer of disguise.
As for Norman, Mark's appearance meant he would have to revise his plans.
Soon, fire engines arrived at the apartment building, and the crews rushed to put out the fire.
Uninvited visitors then approached the group.
"Mark Parker, we meet again." Coulson arrived with a group of agents.
Nick Fury's orders had been to keep a close eye on the Mental Hospital's survivors.
And now, they finally had another lead.
But before Coulson could say anything else, Mark swept out a hand and declared:
"Back then, you couldn't be bothered with me. Now, I'm out of your league, so I won't be working with you."
Coulson: "????"
Who said anything about working together?