American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

170. Ashley Arrives.

The atmosphere between heaven and earth became eerie and deathly silent, with only the sound of the wind howling across the plains. Alex and the others all stood up, including the Blood Baron, who also got to his feet. His expression was gloomy as he looked toward the distant darkness, seemingly sensing something unpleasant.

In the pitch-black night, a faint and indistinct sound came from afar. It resembled the scurrying of rats in a sewer or the rapid flow of water, sending a shiver down the spine.

As the moonlight broke through the slowly drifting clouds and cast its glow on the ground, the group noticed an eerie figure silently standing not far away. The figure's eyes were locked on the four of them.

The person appeared to be a young girl, her skin dark, with short, wet black hair. She was wearing a somewhat worn-out set of clothes, looking like an ordinary girl. However, the fact that she appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the night clearly indicated she wasn't ordinary.

The girl's face was gaunt, her eyes radiating coldness and excitement as if she had found something she desperately craved.

"I'm almost scared out of my wits... Just kidding. Can anyone tell me who this person is? I know there are ghosts in this world, but I didn't expect to see one so soon," Pietro swallowed hard.

"She's human. I can smell the sweet scent of blood on her, but there's something else too... It's something sickening," the Blood Baron sneered.

Kara, however, was in no mood to humor the stranger. She raised her foot, ready to give the eerie intruder a harsh welcome. Whether human or ghost, no matter how terrifying she seemed, after experiencing Kara's Kryptonian greeting, she'd better hope to maintain her creepy demeanor.

"Wait," Alex quickly intercepted Kara.

Upon seeing the girl's face, Alex recognized her identity. She was none other than Ashley Barton, Hawkeye's precious daughter. However, Alex was curious why she was here instead of staying in Hammer City or battling wits with the new Kingpin. What brought her to this place?

If Alex hadn't acted quickly, this young girl would likely have been hurled away like a discus by Kara.

"Ashley, what are you doing here?"

"You remember me, that's good. I didn't want to have to introduce myself before killing you," Ashley said, her entire being radiating a chilling aura as she smiled directly at Alex.

"…"

With those words, everyone fell into silence.

After a long pause, Pietro, unable to bear the odd atmosphere any longer, finally asked Alex, "…Do you know this crazy girl?"

"Sort of… Yeah, I guess," Alex replied, unsure of how he should feel. He only knew it was awkward.

Ashley, however, seemed oblivious to the awkwardness. She coldly laughed and continued, "Raven, that's your codename, right? Don't get me wrong, I just wanted to confirm because I need to know what kind of tombstone to prepare for you."

"Okay, okay, hold on," Alex hastily interrupted her increasingly grim speech. "Is there some kind of misunderstanding here? Why do you suddenly want to kill me?"

Hearing this, Ashley's eyes grew even more murderous as she took a step closer to Alex, murmuring, "It's that look… that attitude… just like my mother, as if I'm some kind of failure, some worthless piece of trash. From childhood to now, it's always been like that. At least I have Spider-Man's powers, but what about her? She has nothing! Compared to me, she's the real piece of trash!"

Pietro and the Blood Baron exchanged bewildered glances. They genuinely didn't understand what this girl was rambling about. Meanwhile, Kara and Alex seemed to understand some of it but really couldn't empathize with the young girl.

"Everyone looks down on me. To my mother and those gangsters, I'm just some worthless garbage. And to everyone else, I'm a non-human freak. But that's fine… when I rip all of your heads off, I hope you keep thinking that."

"Ashley, first of all, I don't see you as trash. I just plain look down on you. If you truly take pride in the fact that Peter Parker's blood runs through your veins, then you'd better inherit your grandfather's virtues instead of becoming a foul-mouthed, uncultured brat."

Alex patted Kara on the shoulder, then walked toward Ashley, looking directly into her eyes as he continued, "I know that environment changes people's personalities. Maybe who you are now is better suited to the wasteland, but that's wrong. It's twisted, just like this world right now. I'm going to change this world, so you need to change your thinking. You're a good girl, and I don't want your future to become like the person I remember."

"Hmph, laughable lecturing."

Ashley ignored Alex's words and instead sneered disdainfully.

"Did you think a few nice words would make me spare you? I know you're a sorcerer. It's hard to believe that after Red Skull destroyed everything related to magic, someone like you still exists. I'll give you a chance. Do it willingly—hand over your sorcerer's legacy."

Alex raised an eyebrow, now understanding why this girl had come looking for him. It turned out she was after his identity as a sorcerer and his magical inheritance. See, it's exactly these young fools in the wasteland who fear nothing. After finding out he's a sorcerer, they didn't think about avoiding him; they were excitedly coming over to try and loot his gear.

Looking at Ashley's expression of certainty, Alex found it hard not to laugh.

"What if I refuse?"

"Refusing is even better; that way, I'll have a reason to kill you. Don't worry; I won't kill you right away. I know all you sorcerers have some sort of magical space. I'll make sure to torture you until you hand it over. I hope you last long enough to entertain me."

"You think you can?"

"Heh… You have no idea how powerful I've become!"

Ashley's eyes shone with a terrifying killing intent.

Alex sighed. He had long since noticed that something was affecting this foolish girl's mind.

"…Venom, is that you?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a black, sludge-like substance suddenly emerged from Ashley's body. Along with it came a blood-curdling shriek.

"Greeting, sir!"

-------— 

Ashley: ?

...…..

20 advanced chapters on p@treaon
For advance chapters: /Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
171. The Symbiote, Venom.
172. "Pietro?"
173. Submission.
174. Have You Heard of Eric?
175. The Alliance of Villains.