Chapter 189: The Time Lord Escapes

[Third Person's PoV] 

Hearing the insults hurled at him, the Time Lord snapped his fingers, causing everyone around him to freeze in place.

He scoffed. "From what I've heard, it's nearly impossible to shut them up. But look at me... I did it with just a snap of my fingers." 

Smiling, the Time Lord raised his hand, and a magic circle formed in his palm. Slowly, a sword began materializing from temporal energy. "Sword of Decay," he muttered as the blade solidified.

He smirked and casually walked toward Spider-Man. "Look at you. So much for the world's most beloved hero..." He chuckled to himself before lunging the sword forward, aiming for Spider-Man's heart.

But, ever so slowly, Spider-Man's body shifted out of the way, leaving the Time Lord striking nothing but air, his face a mix of frustration and shock.

He swung again, only for Spider-Man to arch back, hands extended, dodging the strike by the narrowest of margins—though still moving in slow motion.

"How the hell is he still moving?! I didn't slow down time, I *stopped* it! There's no way he should still be able to move!" the Time Lord hissed in disbelief.

Frustrated, he began slashing faster, but Spider-Man moved effortlessly, as if taking a leisurely stroll, avoiding each attack with minimal effort.

"GOD DAMN IT!" the Time Lord roared, kicking out in a fit of rage. His foot connected with Spider-Man's torso, but it was as if he kicked a wall.

"AAAAH!" the Time Lord howled, hopping on one foot. "That tough bastard!"

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, the Time Lord smiled wickedly. "Fine... if I can't hurt you, I'll hurt someone you love."

He scanned the area, then pointed. "Eenie, meenie, miney, mo… I choose you," he said, his finger landing on Spider-Kat. 

"I'll hurt both Spider-Man and his little cub. Consider it payback... for old times' sake," the Time Lord grinned, glancing at the frozen White Fang.

He walked toward Spider-Kat and sneered. "It would be a shame if I killed you too quickly. It's so much more fun to watch them suffer slowly. And even more delightful to see the cub disappear."

With a sinister grin, the Time Lord plunged the sword into Spider-Kat's stomach. "HAHAHAHA! It appears you're not as fast as your husband!" He cackled as blood splattered, freezing mid-air with the rest of time.

Admiring his work, the Time Lord stepped back. "Now, to watch the chaos unfold. But first—safety." He waved his hand, forming a protective dome around himself. "Chrono-Stasis," he muttered, completing the spell.

Once at a safe distance, he snapped his fingers, and time resumed its natural flow. Even White Fang was freed from his control.

Spider-Kat suddenly gasped, coughing up blood, and collapsed to her knees, clutching her stomach in agony. 

Everyone turned toward her, their faces frozen in horror. Spider-Kat removed her hands from the wound, her expression mirroring the horror around her as blood continued to flow from her mouth and wound.

The gash in her stomach was grotesque—its edges decaying, revealing muscle tissue underneath, turning black as her insides rotted.

"MOM!!!" Felix screamed in anguish, rushing to her side.

"NOOOOOOO!!!" the others shouted, running to her aid—everyone except Spider-Man.

He stood there, panting, eyes wide. His breaths became shallow, panic overtaking him as he watched Gwen desperately try to cover Felicia's wound with ice to slow the bleeding.

Inside his suit, Peter's eyes changed, turning a shade of blue as lightning crackled around them. His breathing grew labored, sparks of static dancing between his fingers. He barely heard the screams of the panicked crowd fleeing for their lives or the voices of his team calling out to him. It was all a blur.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" the Time Lord laughed, holding his stomach. "You should see the looks on your faces! Priceless! What a shame, Spider-Man—you wear such a mask, I can't see your expression. But, I will admit, you have a much cooler suit in the future."

Spider-Man's gaze slowly shifted toward the Time Lord, his muscles tensing. The Time Lord noticed the shift and mockingly shook his hands. "Oooh, I'm so scared! You're all tense—relax, man, relax those muscles—"

But before he could finish, his taunt turned to shock as his eyes gained a green glow towards them. Spider-Man's shoulders slumped, his muscles relaxing as an explosion of lightning erupted from his body. Electricity crackled around him, surging across the ground, scorching it with raw power.

Suddenly, two large spikes shot out from Spider-Man's wrists, each crackling with energy. The arcs of lightning wrapped around the spikes, turning them a deep shade of blue, their bone-like appearance disappearing beneath the overwhelming power they held.

With a thunderous boom, the ground beneath Spider-Man exploded, sending debris flying as he disappeared from where he stood.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Spider-Man roared in fury as he slammed his electrified spikes into the Time Lord's shield. His attack seemed to slow as it made contact with the barrier, but Spider-Man's muscles tensed, his growl deepening with strain. The Time Lord's eyes widened in horror as the spikes began to carve deep gashes into his stasis shield, crackling with raw energy.

The ground beneath Spider-Man crumbled further, splitting under the sheer force he was exerting, as his bio-electricity surged, tearing through the fabric of time itself.

The Time Lord wasn't about to sit idly by. He summoned another temporal sword, thrusting it towards Spider-Man in a desperate attempt to retaliate. But almost like it was an instinct, four massive spider-like limbs, forged from pure bio-electricity, burst from Spider-Man's back. They moved with lightning speed, blocking the attack effortlessly, while Spider-Man drove his second spike into the shield, deepening the cut.

"Tch." The Time Lord grimaced, truly shaken for the first time. 'He's cutting through time itself... and he hasn't even reached his full potential yet. What a terrifying creature...'

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the Time Lord decided to escalate. Placing a hand on his chest, a glowing magic circle appeared as he muttered, "Temporal Duplicate."

Ten more magic circles materialized around him, each spawning a duplicate of the Time Lord. "They say the more, the merrier," he smirked. "And it seems we have all the time in the world."

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" With one final, earth-shattering roar, Spider-Man shattered the Chrono-Stasis Barrier. The sound of it breaking was like glass shattering, sending shockwaves across the battlefield.

The duplicates activated their magic simultaneously, using a technique called 'Blink'—a brief distortion of time that allowed them to appear as if they were teleporting. They blinked in rapid succession, surrounding Spider-Man, their Decay Swords poised for attack.

But before Spider-Man could react, a fierce roar echoed through the air—"ROOOOAAARRRR!!!"

In a flash of blue lightning, White Fang tore through the duplicates, ripping them apart with savage precision. But the temporal forms dissipated into nothingness, revealing they were mere energy constructs of the real Time Lord.

Spider-Man and White Fang moved in unison, honing in on the real Time Lord. Their claws and spikes aimed directly at his neck, their strikes deadly with intent.

However, the Time Lord had already anticipated their move. With a snap of his fingers, he halted time once again, retreating to a safer distance. But even in the frozen world, Spider-Man and White Fang were still moving, their eyes blazing with fury, their bodies driven by pure bloodlust.

In the Time Lord's perspective, they were moving at normal speed, slowly, yet inexorably, closing the gap. It was a disturbing sight—these two beings defying his command over time.

With a frustrated scowl, the Time Lord conjured another sword, now dual-wielding. But as he did, he felt a shift in his body. His face grew older, his energy waning slightly. He clicked his tongue in irritation—though he'd only aged by a year, it was clear that his overuse of temporal magic was taking its toll.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as he prepared for the inevitable clash. "I've spent too much power... I'll have to end this soon," he muttered grimly.

The Time Lord rushed forward, slashing with both of his temporal swords, his mind calculating their frenzy as a weakness. 'They should be sluggish in this state, unable to react as quickly,' he thought. But his assumption proved wrong. Even in their enraged state, White Fang's claws and Spider-Man's bio-electric spikes were far too swift, their movements instinctive and lethal.

White Fang's plasma claws clashed against one of the Time Lord's swords, while Spider-Man's electrified spike crashed against the other. Yet, a sharp bio-electric limb lashed across the Time Lord's chest, tearing a deep gash that sent him screaming in pain.

"Curses!!" he snarled, gritting his teeth as the pain coursed through his body. He teleported a distance away, conjuring a magic circle that accelerated his healing. But in doing so, he dipped into his temporal reserves once more, aging yet another year. His body weakened slightly, but there was no other choice.

Once stabilized, the Time Lord undid the time stop spell and created a swirling portal to the time stream behind him. "AS MUCH FUN AS THIS WAS! IT'S TIME I SAY GOODBYE! I'LL BE BACK, THAT I SWEAR IT!" he yelled. He leapt toward the portal, but before he could fully escape, arcs of electricity ripped through the air, slashing toward him with terrifying speed.

One electric slash caught him just before he entered the portal, severing one of his legs. His scream of agony echoed as he disappeared into the time stream.

Spider-Man stood still for a moment, watching the Time Lord escape. "ARGHHHHH DAMN IT!!!" he roared, slamming his fists into the ground. The force of his blow shattered the street, sending debris and vehicles flying. Peter's breath came in ragged gasps inside his mask, his teeth biting into his lip hard enough to draw blood. Tears blurred his vision.

Felix, similarly devastated, was on the verge of losing control, fists clenched in fury. But before he could act, Nightwing appeared in a blur beside Spider-Man, his voice quiet but urgent. "Felicia needs you. You might be the only one who can help her, but not if you don't hurry."

Nightwing's voice was strained, his own fists clenched so tightly they bled. Spider-Man and White Fang didn't hesitate, transforming into streaks of lightning as they sped toward Felicia.

They arrived to find Felicia collapsed on the ground, clutching her stomach and coughing blood. Her wound was covered in ice, but it wasn't enough to stop the bleeding. Ghost-Spider was kneeling beside her, sobbing. "Her bleeding isn't stopping... Her healing factor's fighting, but she's not getting better."

Scarlet-Spider was holding Felicia's hand, tears streaming down her face. "I can feel it... she's slowly dying..."

Felix's voice cracked as he sobbed, "I shouldn't have come here! It was a mistake! I'm sorry, Mommy!"

Spider-Man knelt beside Felicia, placing his hands over her wound, silent tears streaking down his face. His heart pounded in his chest as he prepared to use his bio-electricity, hoping against hope that he could save her. But just as he was about to begin, shards of glass started appearing before them, slowly obscuring any outsider from looking at them.

A cold voice interrupted. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. You'll kill her…"

Everyone turned sharply toward the voice. Standing behind them, a mysterious figure dressed in an orange cloak emerged from a portal, her expression solemn.

"If you want her to live," she continued, "you'll need my help." 

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