Chapter 697

Around the planet Klinta, several forces continuously collided.

Solus saw Helen crash onto Klinta and assumed she had exhausted herself and was trying to flee, so he prepared to press his advantage—but Frigg, sensing Helen's aura, had already erected a magical barrier to block his path.

Magneto simply wanted to eliminate everyone here because he had been disturbed at work; a magnetic storm swept through, constantly clashing with other forces, forming vortex after vortex that devoured anything in their path.

Amid these chaotic energy vortices, a tiny, unremarkable shadow suddenly appeared—and was instantly torn to shreds by the violent currents.

Then, inside Klinta, Peter saw Schiller thrown out again by someone unknown, then watched as Schiller flew out once more, only to return to his original position.

Peter had no idea what Schiller was doing; everything unfolding before him exceeded his comprehension.

After appearing and disappearing several times, Schiller finally stopped in front of Peter, hands on his hips, sighed, then turned to him and said: "This is how the world is, isn't it? Some things aren't decided by how hard you try."

Seeing Peter's dazed expression, Schiller walked up to him, patted his arm, and asked: "What's wrong, Peter? Was your multiverse journey smooth?"

"I…" Peter's mouth hung open but no sound came out; after standing frozen for several seconds, he suddenly leapt up and said anxiously to Schiller: "Doctor! I was just coming to find you—I have something very important to tell you!"

"Something important? What?" Schiller asked, observing Peter closely and noticing his poor condition—his body language revealed he was weak.

"It's…," Peter choked back his breath, shook his head hard, and said: "Someone… someone told me…"

Seeing Peter struggling to speak, Schiller sighed: "Don't rush. Take your time. What's the big deal?"

Peter took several deep breaths, clenched his fists, and said: "I met Spider-Men from other universes. They told me that anyone who ever told a Spider-Man 'With great power comes great responsibility' eventually dies."

"Of course, I know this sounds absurd—I don't believe it either—but I asked everyone. In their universes, the people who told them that phrase, who made them understand its meaning, are all dead."

"Ultimate Spider-Man told me this is a curse unique to Spider-Men. I… I don't understand—is this the kind of mystical curse Doctor Strange mentioned? But I don't think it's coincidence…"

As his mind cleared, Peter's voice grew more frantic; he looked at Schiller: "Doctor Schiller, I know you're powerful, but this is truly dangerous—if this is really a curse, you might… you might die…"

Peter's tone grew heavy; he seemed unwilling to utter the word—and when he finally spoke it aloud, a crushing weight settled over him.

After hearing this, Schiller froze.

When he had told Peter "With great power comes great responsibility," his intent had been to save Matt, who was still lying in the emergency room.

Having read the comics, Schiller understood Marvel's narrative logic: if he hadn't said those words to Peter, the next scene would have been—Matt's room, already out of danger, suddenly filled with the shrill alarm of medical equipment; doctors rushed in; one stepped out and told Peter: "His condition has worsened. You can see him one last time."

When Peter entered, Matt was barely alive—and finally, Matt, who had once been Peter's teacher and friend, would die weakly in Peter's arms.

Since Matt had already been rushed to the hospital, Schiller didn't want anything to go wrong at the last moment—he said those words to Peter to prevent Matt from being killed by plot armor.

At the time, Schiller didn't know whether this world still followed comic book logic, whether some characters were destined to die by narrative necessity.

The evidence proved his caution was right: after Peter entered the multiverse and met all other Spider-Men, he confirmed this fatal curse was real.

Peter hated things with no discernible cause or logic—but countless Spider-Men had shown him through their painful experiences that such senseless things did happen, so he urgently told Schiller.

He had imagined countless reactions Schiller might have: perhaps Schiller would comfort him, or himself—but Peter never expected that, upon hearing this, Schiller's expression wasn't grim—it was almost joyful.

He saw Schiller freeze for an instant, then smile—a smile Peter couldn't define, but his spider-sense told him someone was about to suffer terribly.

"I'm not joking, Doctor—you really might be in danger… Oh! Just now! That's exactly what happened!"

Peter suddenly remembered something; he clenched one fist and slammed it into his other palm: "That beam of light just now—it just happened to pierce you! Too coincidental! This must be the curse activating!"

"Wait! Doctor Schiller, you have to leave this place—I'll get you out!" Peter was frantic, grabbing Schiller's arm and pulling him away.

But Schiller calmly removed his hand and looked at Peter seriously: "Peter, are you just going to leave without doing anything?"

"I… but I have to make sure you're safe…"

"If you leave, the danger won't be just me—it could be every living thing in the universe," Schiller sighed, looking up into the interior of Klinta.

From a gap in the previously pitch-black space, a beam of light spread inward—the ancient prison, silently standing in the Andromeda galaxy, had finally been broken today.

Accompanying the prison's dissolution was N'al's mad laughter.

A cloud of black mist flew out from the gap; gazing at the endless starry expanse, its blood-red eyes grew brighter, all power condensing into the form of a white-haired figure—on this ancient planet, the weeping of countless symbiotes vanished into the silent universe.

As boundless chaotic energy radiated outward, even Solus felt suffocated—this immense power, born from the universe's most fundamental source, had become the deadliest weapon in the hands of an ancient being.

The oppressive darkness made it nearly impossible for Peter to breathe; Schiller was right—this universe was falling into the peril of chaos's invasion.

"Do you remember what I told you before?" Schiller turned to Peter; in Schiller's eyes, Peter saw infinite radiance.

Amid Peter's cries, Schiller's figure vanished.

The next instant, swirling gray mist appeared before N'al; facing the mist directly, even N'al's dim mind understood—Schiller was that hateful thief.

If the mist had been stolen at birth, it might have been bearable—but Schiller later used the system to mock N'al, an unforgivable humiliation, especially since he mocked him twice.

How could the God of Symbiotes endure such indignity? And now, this vile, disrespectful thief dared come before him, flaunting his insolence—in an instant, N'al's fury ignited completely.

The black mist slowly dispersed; the white-haired, red-eyed figure emerged in the cosmos. Though his form had shrunk countless times, his presence grew even more overwhelming.

This ancient being, older than the universe itself, possessed strength beyond any social creature's imagination—his very foundation for survival in the cosmos.

Chaotic energy was drawn, condensed, refined, until it took the shape of a longsword; Schiller held his umbrella, N'al raised his blade—the collision of gray and black figures shook the entire universe.

Using Venom and Red Maple's power as a path, Peter flew out from inside Klinta; sensing the terrifying chaotic energy, he knew he couldn't stand idle.

From the information Red Bee provided within him, no human could possibly stand against N'al—N'al was a true god, a creator, controller, and ruler of chaotic power.

Peter's unease grew stronger; he sped across space, finding the Spider-Men entangled with Solus.

But facing a multiversal-level Solus was a massive trial for the Spider-Men; though fewer heirs now opposed them, Solus, now desperate, had become even deadlier.

In midair, Solus's colossal shadow swung his arms endlessly; energy storms erupted around him in concentric waves; after mere exchanges, every Spider-Man who attacked was wounded.

Peter was torn—he wanted to help the Spider-Men, and he wanted to help Schiller—but he didn't know how to intervene in either battle.

Then, faintly, a voice reached his ears: "Peter… go help the one you want to help. We're here…"

Spider-Web's tone carried a softness: "We may not be able to undo your tragedy, but we're still willing to try. All Spider-Men are…"

Peter closed his eyes; when he finally gathered his courage, he saw all the Spider-Men surrounding Solus looking at him—including Chameleon Parker.

Around them, the universe echoed only with explosions of colliding energy; no one spoke—but Peter read their unspoken words in their demeanor.

In their universes, tragedy was already irreversible; when they recalled those long-dead loved ones, in the silence of midnight, none knew whether they had ever hoped—hoped someone would have warned them before the tragedy, given them a chance to fight for those they loved.

But faced with cruel reality, there was little room for fantasy; if there was even one chance to make their dream come true—even if it wasn't for themselves—they were willing to try.

Peter took a deep breath and turned, flying toward Schiller's direction.

On the other battlefield, Peter realized there was no room for him to intervene.

Schiller and N'al's battle was less a physical fight than a clash of forces—Schiller's own power, drawn from N'al and refined, was even purer than the chaotic energy N'al now wielded—and this only enraged N'al further.

Where Peter couldn't see, Schiller had been sending N'al constant text messages—their content was brief but lethal: just a few syllables: "Natalu."

N'al had lost all reason; he unleashed everything, drawing on the core of chaos, attacking recklessly; Peter saw Schiller, battered by the violent chaotic energy, barely holding his ground—defending alone was already a struggle.

Peter charged at N'al but was instantly thrown back; physical attacks had little effect on a being like N'al, and Peter's control over the magical energy within him was still too crude.

Just as he grew desperate, he saw N'al raise his blade and stab toward Schiller.

It looked like a simple attack—but from Peter's angle, he saw another mass of energy, compressed to its limit, hidden behind N'al's back; clearly, the frontal strike was a feint—N'al's real goal was to ambush Schiller with that hidden energy.

Peter shouted: "No! Get out of the way!"

!

But Schiller believed his energy barrier could withstand N'al's blade, so he stood still.

As Peter rushed toward Schiller in panic, the blade struck the barrier, sparking violently.

As Schiller predicted, N'al's blade didn't pierce his defense—but immediately after came a cataclysmic explosion that shattered the surrounding space.

Peter was flung backward; as he flew, he saw Schiller, instantly dispersing into gray mist, still unable to evade the devastating energy surge—the mist slowly dissolved within the explosion's light and shockwave.

When the mist cleared, Peter reached his destination—he saw a dark shadow slowly falling.

Schiller, like a leaf drifting from a tree in late autumn, was captured by a star's gravity within the swirling energy vortex—falling like a moth drawn to light, like a tiny insect sinking into water.

As he fell, his hair floated upward, as if trying to grasp something—but when Peter embraced him, Schiller's body began dissolving with the fading energy, swallowed by the star's endless inferno.

Peter heard a sigh, slowly fading into the cosmos:

"With great power comes great responsibility."