Chapter 159: Competition

More and more Leng Ji dropped down from the huge hole, forcing the two Spider-Men to briefly stop their endless aerial attacks.

Leng Ji, who had been floating in the air and was about to be pummeled into the ground, finally landed on solid ground. This was undoubtedly the moment he missed the earth the most in his life.

The other Leng Ji attacked with their tentacles one after another. However, the two Spider-Men quickly retreated, dodging every attack with agility and positioning themselves at the rear.

More Leng Ji continued to pour out of the hole, forming a barrier in front of the black Leng Ji, effectively blocking the Spider-Men from reaching the last Leng Ji.

"The style of those just now is different from the others. Let me guess," Chu Cheng said. "Is it similar to the relationship between the main body and an avatar?"

"That's a reasonable guess, but we don't have any evidence to support it, sir," Friday replied. "Additionally, with this many enemies, the chance of eliminating them all and taking down the main body is slim."

"Alright, alright, it's not a huge problem," Chu Cheng said, moving his fingers. "We just need to take them all out. There aren't too many, right?"

The Leng Ji formed a wall of flesh in front of them, like an invincible army.

Indeed, the power he had gained wasn't just the ability to smash concrete with a single punch or to specialize in tentacle attacks.

He had become an army unto himself.

Each Leng Ji had extraordinary abilities and was a warrior beyond human. They were created from him as a prototype by an ancient force, similar to phantoms, but each was an extension of himself.

This is the power he's after, so no one can overlook his decisive actions.

Standing behind all these "cold periods," he felt safer than ever.

In the end, only oneself and strength can be trusted.

Only they, these elements of his power, will never betray him. This is the only constant he's found in this fragile world amidst the flow of time.

Now, they're ready to tear the enemy apart.

"Wow, there are really a lot of them," Spider-Man said, glancing at Gwen. "Are you okay?"

"Me? What are you talking about?" Gwen replied eagerly. "As long as you don't slow me down, I'm fine."

"Hey! You stole my lines..."

Before he could finish, tentacles flew toward them like afterimages. They dodged, one left and one right, and continued talking without missing a beat.

Countless tentacles came fast and furious, weaving a giant web that was nearly impossible to avoid for most people. But for the two Spider-Men, dodging the attacks was no problem.

Spider-Man led the way, shooting a web at the chest of a Leng Ji. With a pull, Spider-Man flew at the opponent like a cannonball. He spun, kicked, and then wrapped the opponent in webbing, pinning him to the ground.

"First point goes to me. You better step it up~"

Meanwhile, Gwen flipped sideways to dodge two tentacles, flicked her hands, and shot two webs at a Leng Ji's face. She then slid under the opponent's feet, yanked the webs, and pulled the Leng Ji off balance, making him fall face-first to the ground.

"That's why I told you to practice. Don't want you crying later if you lose badly," Gwen laughed.

Spider-Man knocked one opponent down with a punch and then crouched to avoid a sneak attack from a Leng Ji behind him. He put his left palm on the ground, kicked backward without looking, and landed a precise kick to the chin of the approaching Leng Ji.

Leng Ji swung a punch but missed, unable to adjust in time. How could he withstand such a powerful kick from Spider-Man? He was launched into the air, flying out of the crowd.

Before he could reach the highest point, Gwen quickly shot out two webs that stuck to his body. With a tug from Gwen's arms, Leng Ji, who had been kicked into the air by Spider-Man, was yanked back down, crashing into the crowd like a human bomb. The impact sounded like a frying pan hitting the floor, knocking down a large group.

Spider-Man and Gwen each dodged the attacks around them and leaped up. They passed each other in mid-air, shooting out a massive web together that stuck Leng Ji to the ground.

After swapping positions, they each landed where the other had just been. Spider-Man sent one attacker flying with an uppercut, while Gwen took down another with a kick to the midsection.

"Just to be clear, those takedowns just now count as mine, right?" Spider-Man said, moving quickly to avoid attacks.

"You? Please, you might get credit for two assists... maybe three, no more," Gwen said, kicking another person away.

"You're so stingy..."

Chu Cheng's perspective switched rapidly between Spider-Man and Gwen. The two moved through the crowd like shadows. Wherever they went, Leng Ji's armored skin cracked, and his figure was sent flying, the sound of impacts echoing like a drumbeat.

What's even more frightening is that while these two were cutting through the crowd like it was nothing, they kept chatting and laughing. Sometimes they'd taunt Leng Ji for acting old, saying annoying things like, "My aunt could dodge this punch."

Other times, they'd bicker with each other, not seeming to care at all about the massive crowd of enemies they were fighting.

Leng Ji stood in the back, watching it all. His expression slowly changed from a confident, cruel smile to a confused frown, and now it was one of sheer disbelief.

"No, I know I'm not human," Leng Ji thought, "but what are you two?"

He watched as the two spider-themed heroes moved through his supposedly invincible army like they were strolling through an empty park. Almost every second, a few figures would fly out of the crowd with loud thuds.

Occasionally, they'd pull off a combo move: Spider-Man would throw a powerful uppercut to launch someone into the air, and then Gwen would swing by at just the right moment, using a web to yank the airborne person forward.

She'd smack them around a bit and then kick them back to Spider-Man like a soccer ball. Spider-Man would catch them with another web, swinging them around like a carnival ride, knocking away other enemies who dared to come close.

Leng Ji was almost petrified with shock.

His supposedly invincible army was being taken apart, and his proud warriors were falling at a pace he could see with his own eyes.

He almost started to question if everything he had chased after for most of his life had any meaning. What he thought of as strength was no different from his past, just a reflection in the mirror. And in the eyes of true power, it all looked so ridiculous.

The last Leng Ji fell quickly. He put up a fight until the end, throwing a punch at Gwen, who was standing in front of Lu.

But Gwen dodged it with a quick move, knocked him over with a sweeping kick, and followed up with a series of kicks, sending him flying toward Spider-Man.

Spider-Man had just finished off the second-to-last Leng Ji, who was still struggling to get up.

Spider-Man raised his hand, shot a web, and snagged Leng Ji in mid-air, pulling him into a graceful arc and smashing him into the Leng Ji who was trying to stand.

The Leng Ji, halfway up, was knocked back down by the impact, hitting the ground hard. Spider-Man quickly shot out more webs, sticking them both firmly to the ground.

Now only the main body remained.

Gwen leaped back to Spider-Man's side. "Your form was off during that last throw," she teased. "Ten points deducted."

"Hey, that's not fair."

As they bantered, the two walked toward the last Leng Ji standing—the only one left.

"This Leng Ji's defense is stronger, and he can heal himself," Friday noted, "but if you keep hitting him hard and fast, the damage will outpace his healing."

"Another infinite air combo should do the trick, right? No big deal," Chu Cheng grinned.

Leng Ji felt his confidence crumble. His belief in his invincibility shattered, along with his self-righteous strength, in just a few moments. Looking at these two spider-like devils, only one thought filled his mind—

Don't come any closer!