Chapter Thirty-Five: The Lich King Is Not the Filth King

Cindy Moon.

Codename: Silk.

During a science exhibition at Oscorp, she was accidentally bitten by a spider that had been exposed to a massive dose of radiation.

Not long after, she gained abilities similar to those of a spider.

She could cling to walls, possessed a precognitive spider-sense, perfect balance, and superhuman speed and agility.

At first, Cindy sensed the emergence of her powers, but she was unable to control them.

It wasn’t until she encountered a mysterious individual who guided her that she managed to develop her abilities.

Once she had mastered her powers, Cindy was overjoyed. She dashed out of her apartment building, eager to see a New York City she hadn’t truly experienced in so long.

She loved the feeling of soaring freely among the skyscrapers.

She wanted to be just like Spider-Man.

Swinging through the city brought her pure exhilaration.

And the more she swung, the more exhilarated she felt.

Following the explosions and flames caused by the Hulk, Cindy arrived at the scene, scaling to the top of a building, where she saw Roald standing.

It was late at night, the moon shone brightly, and with the tall buildings, the explosions, and that impossibly profound silhouette, the aura of a formidable boss was painted to perfection.

Thanks to her spider-sense, Cindy found this person gave her an especially peculiar feeling.

She thought for a moment.

If she had to describe it—

It was like the kind of villain who not only burns a little girl’s balloon with a cigarette, but then also steals her toffee, and proceeds to tell the little girl, in the most gentlemanly manner, that she needs to learn how cruel the world can be.

Terribly bad, terribly bad.

Even so, from his figure alone, she could tell he was very handsome.

But becoming a superhero had always been her dream!

Handsome or not, her dream was more important for now.

Cindy decided to test the results of her long training.

The first step to becoming a superhero: punish wrongdoers.

She placed her full trust in her spider-sense.

A sharp hiss—

Her danger precognition triggered, and as her target turned around, Cindy struck without hesitation!

She lowered her center of gravity, firing a strand of web straight out!

Aimed right for Roald’s face.

Going for a face shot.

Not only would this obscure his vision, but Cindy worried that if she saw such a handsome face in the heat of battle, she might not have the heart to hit him hard.

She had always been a good girl.

But the moment she raised her hand, she saw the man’s entire body instantly covered in a suit of black armor, a longsword materializing in his grip.

Her spider-sense flashed a warning.

Danger!

In a split second, Cindy twisted her wrist, redirecting her web, then reacted swiftly, swinging away. Dozens of meters away, she clung to the railing atop a signal tower, fully on guard.

She had just felt a tremendous threat.

Roald turned, raising Frostmourne in his hand.

Danger!!!

Her spider-sense screamed again, even more urgently.

Cindy flipped backward, then abruptly changed direction. Activating her superhuman speed and agility, she darted away even faster than before, launching a fresh web and swinging even farther.

She twisted and leapt between skyscrapers, and in the blink of an eye, she was a hundred meters away.

Looking at Roald on the other building, she instinctively patted her chest.

That was enough for today. After a few more days of training, she’d be back to deliver justice.

She turned, waving goodbye to Roald, making as if to leave.

Roald planted Frostmourne in the ground, then reached a hand toward the retreating Cindy, closing his fingers into a grasp.

Death’s Grasp.

Huh?

Just as Cindy leapt, twisting mid-air, her reflexes and agility allowed her to evade the first black energy line of Death’s Grasp that shot toward her.

But before she could celebrate dodging the attack, she saw that this time, five energy lines were chasing her, sealing off all routes of escape.

With the energy lines in pursuit, Cindy ran so hard her legs nearly left afterimages, swinging from building to building.

But no matter what she did, she couldn’t shake the five relentless lines of energy.

After several hundred meters, her speed faltered mid-air, and the lights around her seemed to rewind in her vision. When she opened her eyes, her neck was pressed into Roald’s palm.

“Who are you?” Roald asked, not bothering to care about Cindy, who had collapsed to her knees, as he placed Frostmourne gently on her shoulder.

The icy blade made Cindy’s spider-sense stand on end.

But she hadn’t yet recovered from her shock.

What on earth was happening?

Had she really run into the final boss in her very first outing?

This was just too much.

Gazing at the self-doubting Cindy before him, Roald frowned.

Seeing her shoot webs, he had thought she was Spider-Man.

But…

Her figure was definitely feminine.

Was there a female Spider-Man?

Could she be Gwen?

But something felt off.

Roald was momentarily perplexed.

She’d swung over, fired a web at him, then sped off—what exactly was this kid trying to do?

He didn’t know Cindy, and thus couldn’t guess her identity.

Thinking it over, Roald still couldn’t figure out her motives, so he simply raised his hand and cast Death Drain and Death Pact on her.

When in doubt, drain their energy, then seal a pact.

Death Pact.

Trait: Gain control over an enemy.

Description: Take another’s path, leaving them nowhere to go.

As he watched the frosty card materialize in his hand, Cindy’s spider-sense blared constant warnings of danger.

She finally realized what was happening, but it was already too late.

She watched helplessly as the card merged into her body.

A single Death Drain completely emptied the energy of this spider-woman who shared Spider-Man’s traits, leaving her collapsed on the ground. Roald calmly waited for her to awaken.

Since coming to the Marvel universe, he had accomplished five things.

First, he created Erica and others, thus gaining capital and confidence. Zazaira was the final trump card, hidden beneath the Hudson River in a vast base. It was rumored there were dragon bones beneath Hell’s Kitchen, and Roald had ordered her to search for them.

Second, he fabricated several nonexistent organizations, diverting the attention of SHIELD and the military, and had Vikan infiltrate Tony’s side. This laid the groundwork for future storylines, since Iron Man was central to so many Marvel events, and Roald needed an edge in both plot and intelligence.

Third, he constructed a fully realized, fictitious “Four Horsemen of Apocalypse” and had Grommash gain a foothold with the military, giving him certain political capital and an official trump card. Many issues could now be resolved through official channels, and collaborating with the military was not just about having a scapegoat.

Fourth, he successfully consolidated Oscorp, transferring all internal conflicts, and established the new company “Shinra” alongside the fictitious “Four Horsemen of Apocalypse.” These two identities would make future schemes far more convenient.

Fifth, he threw out the concepts of Hydra and the Eight-Legged Spider to muddy the waters, distracting SHIELD and Hydra alike and gaining even more intelligence.

As for whether the Ancient One could see through it all—well, none of these acts were directly Roald’s doing; all orders were relayed by Erica’s controlled mirror images. The Ancient One wouldn’t bother herself with such trivialities.

Besides, with so many beings in the Nine Realms, Odin wouldn’t waste his time watching him alone.

Still, it was always wise to have a few extra identities. As he pondered his next moves, Roald focused his attention on this spider-woman who had delivered herself right to his door.