Chapter 96: The Most Improbable Patricide

"No! You're wrong. You and I are not the same, and we never have been."

Peter stared at the schizophrenic man before him with a cold gaze.

There might be a demon inside him, born from his schizophrenia. A twisted pursuit of success had pushed Norman's mind to the edge. His sanity had been gradually consumed. Yet Peter knew that he was fundamentally different from this man.

At least the alien within Peter wasn't born from his madness, nor was he losing himself to delusions. Peter was still far from being a madman.

"Ha ha."

Despite being punched by Peter, Norman grinned through the pain.

"I'm a devil, just like you, Peter! You're even worse than me, I can smell it!"

Peter ignored his ramblings, shaking his head with a sigh. "I think you're missing the point. This ends tonight."

Peter crouched and moved forward, delivering another punch to the Green Goblin.

Norman's strength surged again, and he dodged Peter's fist, but then Gwen's spider silk struck with precision.

"Hoo!"

With a loud roar, Gwen wrapped her spider silk around Norman's wrist, quickly closing the distance between them. She coordinated with Peter, landing a solid punch to the Goblin's jaw.

Norman, thick-skinned as ever, absorbed the blow and immediately grabbed Gwen with his other hand.

Peter reacted quickly, using his sharp claws to grab Norman's wrist, his left fist transforming into a palm that slammed into the Goblin's chest.

The force sent Norman crashing into the wall with a loud bang. The wall cracked under the impact, fractures spider-webbing from the point of contact.

Gwen was freed by Peter's intervention, but before she could catch her breath, she shot more spider silk to ensnare Norman's ankle.

The silk hit with a "bang bang bang," temporarily holding him in place, but he ripped through it with raw strength.

Norman roared again, enraged, as he ignored the black corrosive rainstorm Peter sprayed toward him. The Goblin protected his head with his arms, charging forward toward Gwen.

Gwen, calm in the face of his aggression, shot a web at the wall behind her and propelled herself away from the oncoming Green Goblin.

"Crash!"

The tables and chairs in the office were shattered as Norman barreled through them. Pieces of wood flew in every direction.

Norman's arm armor was corroded, the acid rain eating into his muscles, but the pain barely registered in his deranged mind. His movements became more chaotic, fueled by a complete disregard for his own survival.

"Whoosh!"

Peter appeared before Norman, throwing another punch that landed squarely on his cheek.

The Green Goblin's body lost balance, tumbling to the side.

Peter seized the opportunity and grabbed Norman by the throat, attempting to tear it open.

But Norman moved faster than anticipated. With a quick, desperate motion, he grabbed the nearby metal safe and hurled it toward Peter.

Peter dodged the heavy object, but Gwen followed up, kicking Norman's ankle and grabbing his wrist in an attempt to pin him down.

"Boom!"

Norman's massive frame slammed against the floor with a tremendous impact, causing the room to shake. Gwen quickly pinned his wrists to the ground, securing him momentarily.

"Gululu!"

Before Gwen could relax, she noticed a pumpkin bomb rolling toward her.

Peter reacted instantly, firing black spider silk to grab the bomb and hurl it out of the window with a loud "bang."

"Boom!"

The explosion was deafening as it detonated outside, sending a shockwave that shattered all the windows of the Osborne Industrial Building. Glass shards rained into the room.

Gwen shielded her eyes from the blast, and Harry, still unconscious from earlier, was startled awake by the explosion.

When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the chaotic scene before him.

As Gwen removed her hand from her eyes, she saw a massive boulder falling from the building. With no time to waste, she leapt toward it, shooting spider silk from her wrist to pull it back.

The force of the pull was enough to bring Gwen closer to the edge of the floor-to-ceiling window, and seeing her near the ledge, Peter moved to her side.

He grabbed her arm, preventing her from being dragged too far by the falling boulder.

When the Green Goblin saw Peter and Gwen standing so close to the window, his red eyes blazed with fury.

He grabbed the deformed metal safe again and stormed toward them, his fury reaching a new height.

"Peter, Gwen, you can't escape today!" he shouted.

On the other side, Harry, observing the situation, realized that his father was about to strike at his two closest friends.

Gwen's mask had been damaged during the explosion, and she had removed it completely.

Harry's mind was in turmoil. He knew from his father's words that the two Spider-People before him were his friends, and this realization hit him like a ton of bricks. How could this be possible?

He had always known Gwen and Peter, but never could he have imagined them being superheroes. The shock was overwhelming, but the greatest concern now was stopping his father before he could hurt them.

"No! Dad, there are people on the street below! Please, stop, you'll kill them!"

Harry cried out, desperate. "Please, stop! Stop this madness!"

The Green Goblin ignored Harry's pleas, focusing solely on his targets. He advanced behind Peter and Gwen, preparing to strike.

At that moment, Harry's mind raced as he watched his father readying the metal safe. He couldn't let his friends die like this.

In a burst of action, Harry lunged forward, the pain of his decision evident on his face. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he closed his eyes and plunged a metal rod with sharp spikes into his father's waist.

Blood oozed from the wound as the Green Goblin let out a scream of agony. His body faltered, the strength draining from him rapidly.

The Goblin's hands gripped his wound as he staggered backward, pulling the sharp rod from his body.

Rage contorted his face as he raised his arm, preparing to strike his son.

But Harry, knowing the consequences, closed his eyes again, unable to bear the thought of what he had done.

The Green Goblin's hand faltered. He paused, staggering to one side, and then collapsed to the ground with a dull "bang."

The sound was followed by weak, incomprehensible groans as the life left his body.

Gwen, with Peter's assistance, managed to stabilize the boulder and watched the scene unfold before her in stunned silence.

She could scarcely comprehend the painful choice Harry had made to stop his father, to prevent his father from causing any more harm.

Peter stood beside her, his expression softening in understanding. Though he hadn't valued their friendship before, he could see how much this moment meant to Harry.

"Plop!"

Harry collapsed to his knees in front of his father's lifeless form, his head hung low, tears staining his cheeks.

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