Chapter 277

Chapter 277:

–Layla–

I examined the Supreme King Piece in my hand once more. It was truly a marvel of both magic and technology.

But it was also an utterly terrifying creation.

This piece had the power to turn any devil into a Super Devil. If the other factions ever learned about the existence of even the regular King Pieces, it would spark a supernatural world war on Earth DxD. I couldn't begin to imagine the chaos if they found out about the Supreme King Piece.

[At least no one else knows about its existence besides you and Lady Death.]

The System was right. Not even Serafall knew what she had picked up yesterday. I hated lying to my girls, but some information was simply too dangerous to share.

I clenched my hand with all my strength. The tiny chess piece was surprisingly durable, but not enough. It shattered under the pressure, and I continued to squeeze until all that was left was powder. I would have liked to give it to Rias or Sona, but the risk of discovery was too great.

"And now I wait…" I sighed. I was in Queens, sitting on the edge of a rooftop with my feet dangling off the side. I didn't want to drag this kid into my endless schemes, but it seemed I had no choice this time—according to Lady Death, at least.

Hopefully, I could keep this interaction brief.

Right on cue, there he was, swinging down the street. The young Spider-Man was performing twists and flips as he patrolled, though there wasn't much crime in the middle of the day. The worst he might encounter was a purse snatcher.

He was in the middle of his third aerial backflip when he noticed me. His masked eyes widened as I gave him a small wave. Thankfully, I didn't startle him enough to make him fall out of the sky.

He shot out another web and swung over to the building I was on, landing on the ledge with perfect coordination.

"Wow! You're Layla of the Fallen!" he exclaimed, awe in his voice. "The greatest hero in the world!"

Is that what he thought of me? I liked it.

…Yes, praise me more!

[*Cough* Your narcissism is showing. *Cough*]

I nodded at the young superhero. "That's me, Spider-Man. Good to see you again. I haven't seen you since that grocery store fiasco."

If I could see his face, I imagined he'd be blushing. "I was hoping you'd forgotten about that…" he mumbled, scratching his cheek over his costume.

"It's fine. Every hero starts somewhere," I reassured him.

"So, what brings you to Queens?" Spider-Man asked me.

I reached into my inventory and pulled out my phone to check the time. It was 12:33 p.m. According to Lady Death, something very odd was supposed to happen to Spider-Man at exactly 12:35 p.m., something that could impact the fate of multiple worlds, possibly leading to their destruction.

I was here to prevent that, of course. I gave Spider-Man a brief explanation of why I was looking for him, though I left out where the information came from.

"Something weird is supposed to happen to me in exactly two minutes?" he asked, looking around nervously. "Are you sure?"

"My source is pretty reliable. I'm not sure what's going to happen, but I'm here to make sure you're alright."

"Thanks, Miss Layla!" he said, plopping himself down on the ledge next to me. "Soooo… Has anything crazy happened since those demons tried invading New York?"

"Not much," I said with a shrug. "Just a couple of old guys tried to conquer the world after selling their souls to a devil."

"…Okay…?" he replied, bewildered. "Your life is weird. I haven't even run into any supervillains yet, and you seem to have them pop up once a week."

"That's for the best, kid. You haven't faced anyone truly dangerous yet, but when you do, you'll be glad you had a couple of years of training under your belt."

He nodded, and we fell into a moment of silence as we waited out the final minute together.

"Are you sure something weird is supposed to happen—whoa!" he suddenly cried out in shock.

A kaleidoscope-like portal materialized right next to him, pulling him in with a powerful suction force! Spider-Man desperately tried to grab onto something for support, but the pull was too strong.

"I got you, kid!" Before he was completely dragged inside, I grabbed his arm and yanked him backward, tossing him across the roof to safety.

To my surprise, the suction force suddenly intensified to an enormous level. Before I could react, I was yanked inside. Shifting rainbow lights surrounded me on all sides as I was transported to another universe!

…

[That was trippy, but I didn't hate it…]

"Yeah, the fluctuating rainbow lights were a nice touch. Whoever designed that portal must be a fun fellow. Too bad I can't get drunk or high anymore—would've been a crazy experience if I could," I remarked as I touched down on solid ground again. 

[Where do you think we ended up?]

"Hmmm…" I surveyed my surroundings. The buildings were familiar, but there were a few notable absences. I was in a version of New York, but I didn't see the iconic Stark or Avengers Tower. I also couldn't sense any powerful super beings anywhere in the city. This world didn't have mutants—or if it did, they weren't nearby.

What I did sense, however, was a large gathering in Times Square. My wings manifested behind me as I flew over to investigate. The streets were packed with millions of people.

"Oh…" This wasn't what I expected. The entire crowd was decked out in Spider-Man merchandise and memorabilia. It was a massive funeral—one held for this world's Spider-Man.

"My son was a true hero, one who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect this city…"

"My husband was a good man, someone we all looked up to…"

This world's Mary Jane Watson and Aunt May were delivering a very public eulogy for Peter Parker. I guess his secret identity wasn't a concern anymore—now that he was dead. Things might get awkward once I bring him back to life.

[You're planning to?]

"I kind of have to. Entire universes are being erased, and even Lady Death has no idea why. All she knows is that each of these world's has a Spiderman. Then I arrive in this world, and Spider-Man is dead. That can't be a coincidence," I explained my reasoning to the system.

[So what's your plan? Are you just going to swoop down in front of a million people and resurrect Peter? Cause another global religious upheaval?]

I glanced at the casket behind Mary Jane and Aunt May. "I could definitely do that…" I muttered out loud. It would be an easy way to gain some Faith Energy too. On the other hand, staying incognito might be wiser for now. I'm in a new universe and completely in the dark. I suppose it was inevitable I'd eventually end up somewhere I didn't immediately recognize.

I hovered in the sky, unseen, and waited out the rest of the funeral. It was a deeply moving service, with numerous celebrities and even a few congressmen taking the stage to share kind words about this universe's Peter Parker. I couldn't help but notice who didn't show up, though—not a single other hero. No Iron Man, no Daredevil, no Captain America—no other heroes at all. I was beginning to suspect that Spider-Man might have been this world's only superhero.

It was a strange concept, but I supposed it wasn't impossible. It was unfortunate for the people of this world, losing their only hero—though it wouldn't matter for long, now that I was here to fix things.

Once the funeral concluded, the large crowd began to disperse. A hearse arrived to take Peter's coffin away, with Aunt May and Mary Jane clearly trusting that it would be taken to the nearest graveyard. But that wasn't the case. Midway through the drive across the city, a second hearse switched places with it, leaving an empty coffin inside the decoy vehicle. Someone had taken advantage of the situation to steal Spider-Man's body.

[That's not surprising. If he really was this world's only superhero. His body would be worth billions of dollars…]

It would be the score of the lifetime for these would be corpse thieves.

Unfortunately for them, I witnessed the switch from high in the sky. I followed the original hearse as it made its way to this world's Oscorp. What a shocker…

The funeral car entered the building's private underground parking complex. My wings disappeared as I landed on the ground and followed them inside. There was a noticeable lack of security, as expected of a cheap company like Oscorp.

"Hurry up, boys! Mr. Osborn wants Parker's body on ice as soon as possible. It's too dangerous to keep here, it's being shipped to one of his research facilities in California," said one of the goons as he opened the hearse's trunk.

"I can't believe Spider-Man is really dead. What a shame…" added the second goon.

"Meh! Good riddance, I say. This super asshole gave my brother a spinal fracture. He hasn't walked right since. Who cares if he caught my brother selling some useless women to the Triad? A man's gotta eat, after all…" the third goon said with a grin.

Hearing that, I didn't feel nearly as bad about what was about to happen to these three. I despise slavery.

I waited until they pulled the casket out of the hearse before making my move. "Hello, boys." I appeared directly next to them.

"Holy shit!" The first goon was so startled he jumped four feet in the air! That might've been a new record. Forget being a criminal—this guy should've joined the NBA.

"Whoa… Hello there, beautiful. I haven't seen you around before. Are you a new hire? I'd be more than happy to give you a very personal tour if that's the case," said the second goon with a wink that made me want to gag.

The third goon seemed more wary, eyeing me with distrust. "Osborn told us we were working alone. Who are you, and how did you get down here?"

"Hello, I'm Layla of the Fallen. I'm here to collect Peter Parker's body. Would you mind handing it over to me?" I asked, already knowing they wouldn't comply. That was what made it fun.

As expected, the third goon reached for his hip and pulled out a semi-auto pistol, pointing it at my head. "I don't think so, girly. You made a big mistake coming down here, especially unarmed and dressed like some kind of hooker!"

A hooker!? How dare he!

I glared at him. "You really shouldn't have said that. This dress was given to me by Lady Death herself. She won't like you insulting it…"

"I don't know who the fuck Lady Death is, and I don't give a fuck! I'll pop a cap in her—" That was all he managed to say before he suddenly froze. His skin turned a sickly black in an instant. A second later, he let out a single croak before collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud. Every cell in his body had died at the exact same moment.

And that's why you don't invoke Lady Death's name and then threaten to kill her in the same sentence. She tends to take offense to that…

"Jesus Christ! Derek, what happened?" The first goon rushed over to check on his friend. "Wake up, man! What the hell happened to your skin?" he yelled, shaking the lifeless corpse.

"It's pointless. Even I couldn't bring him back to life after Lady Death personally reaped his soul," I explained, drawing the two remaining goons' attention back to me.

Both of them quickly pulled out their pistols and aimed at me. "You killed Derek, you witch! You'll pay for that!" the second goon shouted, immediately opening fire. He pulled the trigger as fast as he could, but I didn't bother dodging—why would I?

The bullets flattened against my skin and dress as they struck me. A few seconds later, the second goon's gun clicked empty. He stared at me in shock. The first goon didn't even fire; he realized it was completely pointless. "What the hell are you?" he asked in despair.

I tilted my head and gave them both a sinister smile. "Didn't I already introduce myself? I am Layla of the Fallen," I declared, manifesting my wings behind me.

The first goon reached under his shirt and pulled out a crucifix, rapidly reciting prayers in Spanish as he held it up in front of him.

"God help us…" the second goon muttered, realizing his friend's prayers and crucifix had no effect on me. If this world did have a god, He clearly wasn't interested in tangling with me—especially not after Lady Death's small display of power.

I walked over to the casket, ripped the top off, and tossed it aside. This world's Peter Parker was much older than my own, appearing to be in his early 30s but clearly weathered by hard years. His body wasn't in the best shape—there was a reason for the closed casket. He was covered in bruises, and his torso was sunken in. It looked like he'd been beaten or crushed to death—not a pleasant way to go. I placed my fingertip on his forehead. "Your work in this world isn't done yet, Peter Parker. ARISE!"

I felt Lady Death release her hold over his soul, which reentered his damaged body. I quickly corrected that by manifesting my Sacred Gear: Purger of Darkness. Peter's eyes shot open as he gasped for air, his shattered rib cage and lungs now perfectly intact.

"What the fuck?" the second goon muttered, backing away in fear.

"She's the Antichrist! Run for it!" the first goon screamed, tossing aside his crucifix and bolting out of the parking garage. The other goon immediately followed his lead, fleeing in terror as well while screaming at the top of his lungs. 

Peter watched the two men run away in confusion before looking around. "Where am I? What happened? Why am I in a casket? Are you Death? Your wings are very pretty," he said quickly, still clearly disoriented from his sudden revival.

I smiled at him and answered each of his rapid questions. "Thank you for the compliment, I take very good care of my wings! To answer your other questions, you're currently directly underneath Oscorp in New York. You were in a casket because you were dead. I brought you back to life, but I am not Lady Death—though you could consider me her Angel," I said, not wanting to dive into the whole Goddess or Champion business at the moment. 

I doubted he'd be listening anyways, not after I just dropped the bomb on him that he had been dead.

"I died!?" he asked in shock. "What happened to the other Spider-Man? Did he make it out alright? He was just a kid!"

Another Spider-Man? Interesting, I wasn't aware there even were other spider people besides Peter–or his occasional sexy female clone that tended to pop up occasionally.

"I don't know anything about another Spider-Man, but we should probably get out of here first before I answer any more questions," I pointed out while gesturing to a few nearby cameras.

Peter grimaced. "You said we're underneath Oscorp? Why?"

"Your body was stolen right after your funeral. Your wife and aunt don't even know. Right now, they're probably burying an empty casket," I explained as he hopped out of the casket. "Nice suit, by the way," I added with a cheeky grin. For a formerly dead guy, Peter was looking pretty sharp in a nice tuxedo.

He glanced down at himself and let out an exasperated sigh. "If I ever bit the dust, I wanted to at least be buried with my web-shooters. Am I supposed to walk home now?" 

"That's probably not a great idea," I said, gesturing for him to follow me.

"Why's that?" he asked as we started walking towards the exit.

"You're kind of famous right now. Since you died, there was no point in keeping your identity a secret anymore. The whole world knows you're Spider-Man. If you randomly hop on a bus, everyone on board is going to freak out."

"My secret identity has been exposed to the whole world!? Well, isn't that just great?" he yelled sarcastically, throwing his arms up in the air. "Do people even know who killed me?"

I shrugged. "I'm honestly not sure. I only arrived during the funeral, and no one mentioned it if they knew how you died," I replied, holding out my hand to him once we made it back above ground. "I can fly us to wherever you want to go so we can temporarily avoid the whole world thinking you're the second coming of Jesus." Although, that was bound to happen at some point—people don't just randomly come back from the dead in most universes.

"Can you take me to my nearest safe house for now?" Peter asked me. "I need to suit up and find out everything that happened after the Kingpin killed me. Then I need to find the kid and make sure he's alright." He was talking about the other spider person of course.

"That sounds like a plan for now." I nodded at him. "After that, you can help me figure out why this Universe is about to be destroyed."

Peter blanched at me. "WHAT!?"

{Quest Initiated: Save the SpiderVerse from imminent destruction! Discover why Spider-Man universes are disappearing!}

XXX

Layla has entered the SpiderVerse and immediately destroyed "the canon" by resurrecting Peter Parker. What will happen next? She never got to see the movies in her past life.