Chapter 7: “Kang’s Shadow”

[SYSTEM STATUS: ACTIVE]

Host: Peter Benjamin Parker (a.k.a. Ethan Grey)

Level: 6

EXP: 400/3000

New Ability Unlocked: Chrono Pulse – Releases a surge of temporal energy that disrupts time-based abilities within a 10-meter radius. (Cooldown: 20 minutes)

Current Quest: "The Puppet Master" (Phase 2: In Progress)

Objective: Discover Kang's Purpose

Abandoned Warehouse – Queens

The echoes of Glitch's last word—"Kang"—rattled in Ethan's mind like a never-ending loop. Kang the Conqueror wasn't just another villain; he was the villain—the architect of timelines, the warlord of multiverses, the man who could erase entire realities with a snap of his fingers.

But why him? Why Ethan?

Nova paced the dusty floor of the warehouse, her energy crackling faintly with every agitated step. "If Kang's involved, we're in deeper than I thought."

Ethan leaned against a metal crate, staring at his reflection in a broken shard of glass. Peter Parker's face stared back, but it didn't feel like his anymore.

"Why would someone like Kang care about me?" Ethan muttered. "I'm just a guy who got stuck in the wrong universe."

Nova stopped pacing, her eyes sharp. "You're not 'just a guy.' Kang doesn't waste time on accidents. If he put you here, it's because you're a piece in his game."

[SYSTEM ALERT: New Quest Unlocked – "Kang's Gambit"]

Objective: Uncover Kang's plan and your role in it.

Reward: +2000 EXP, System Evolution Potential

Failure Penalty: Timeline Collapse – Universal Threat Level

Ethan sighed, rubbing his temples. "Great. No pressure."

The Clue in the Data Chip

Nova handed him the cracked data chip they'd recovered from Glitch. "This might have the answers we need."

They connected it to an old projector Nova had salvaged. The hologram flickered to life, displaying fragmented files—schematics of timelines, data on anomalies, and encrypted files stamped with Kang's insignia.

But one file stood out: "Project: PARADOX."

Ethan selected it. The hologram shifted, revealing a distorted image of Kang himself—a tall, imposing figure with glowing blue eyes and armor etched with symbols of time.

Kang's recorded voice echoed through the room.

"Subject: Ethan Grey. An outlier. A variable introduced into the sacred timeline to trigger a controlled collapse. The anomaly's survival is critical to the multiversal reset."

Ethan's heart raced. Controlled collapse? Multiversal reset?

"Phase One: Reincarnation into the Parker Nexus.

Phase Two: Destabilization through emotional catalysts.

Phase Three: Activation of the Convergence Event.*"

The message cut out abruptly.

Nova's face was pale. "The Convergence Event… that's not just a reset. That's an annihilation protocol."

Ethan's mind spun. I'm not here to save the world… I'm here to destroy it.

Decision Time

Ethan stood in silence, the weight of the revelation crushing down on him. Every choice he'd made—every battle, every life saved—had been part of Kang's plan.

Nova approached cautiously. "We can fight this. You're more than just a pawn."

Ethan clenched his fists. "No. If Kang wants me to be a pawn… I'll be the one who flips the board."

[SYSTEM ALERT: Quest Update – "Kang's Gambit"]

New Objective: Prevent the activation of the Convergence Event.

Bonus Objective: Sabotage Kang's operations within this timeline.

Reward: +3000 EXP, Potential System Override Upgrade

The First Strike

Ethan and Nova tracked the next anomaly to an underground Continuum facility hidden beneath an old subway station in Brooklyn. The facility was guarded by temporal constructs—machines built from fragments of broken timelines, their forms shifting between past and future versions of themselves.

Ethan activated his Chrono Pulse.

A burst of temporal energy surged outward, destabilizing the constructs, freezing some mid-transformation and causing others to collapse entirely.

They fought their way through corridors bathed in flickering lights and echoes of distorted time, reaching the central control room—a massive chamber with a swirling vortex of raw temporal energy at its core.

There, standing like a shadow against the storm, was a new figure.

Tall. Armored. Kang's emissary.

"You've come far, anomaly," the figure said, his voice metallic and cold. "But this is where your story ends."

Ethan cracked his knuckles. "Funny. I was about to say the same thing."

Boss Battle: Kang's Emissary

The fight was brutal.

The emissary wielded a weapon forged from pure temporal energy—a spear that could slow Ethan's movements with each strike. Nova fought alongside him, her energy blasts colliding with temporal shields.

Ethan activated Temporal Anchor, stabilizing reality around him and negating the emissary's time manipulation. With a surge of adrenaline, he delivered a final, devastating punch enhanced by the system's override protocol.

The emissary fell, his armor shattering like glass.

But before dying, he whispered, "You can't stop the Convergence. Kang is already here."

Aftermath

As the facility collapsed around them, Ethan and Nova escaped, their hearts heavy with the knowledge that Kang wasn't some distant threat.

He was already in this timeline.

[QUEST COMPLETE: Sabotage Continuum Facility]

Reward: +3000 EXP

Level Up! (Level 7 Unlocked)

New Ability Unlocked: Temporal Rift – Opens a small rift to slow or accelerate time within a localized area. (Cooldown: 30 minutes)

Ethan stared at the wreckage from a nearby rooftop, his mind racing.

Kang's already here.

And the Convergence Event was coming.

[End of Chapter 7]