"A dragon doesn't reside with snakes."
Upon hearing this, Coulson was first stunned, then his face turned grim. Suddenly, he seemed to recall something, and his expression became uncertain.
Finally, Coulson looked deeply at Lucas and asked, "Lucas, are you rejecting S.H.I.E.L.D., or… reminding S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Both."
Lucas nodded, then added, "Coulson, the duty of Kamar-Taj's sorcerers is to protect the world from extra-dimensional intrusion. We generally do not interfere with the operation of the real world."
The implication was, you, S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA, solve your own problems. Don't come looking for me.
Of course, I will act when I want to.
Generally do not interfere = I choose whether or not to interfere based on my mood.
"Alright, Lucas."
To get information on the Hank-Mephisto incident from Lucas as soon as possible, Coulson had been staying at Lucas Bookstore for the past few days.
Now it seemed, it was well worth it.
Coulson left with a solemn expression, he needed to report the news immediately.
Lucas's battle with Mephisto, and his hint that HYDRA members were lurking within S.H.I.E.L.D.
—
Lucas's hint, Hank's confession, Hope being ambushed during a mission, Howard's death...
Has HYDRA truly revived within S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Inside S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury frowned deeply.
Now, everyone he looked at seemed like a HYDRA agent.
"Who can be trusted?"
His gaze slowly moved, finally landing on a file named "Avengers."
—
After a moment of silence, Gwen, with a somewhat downcast expression, asked a question, "Is Helen in Hell too?"
Lucas shook his head, then explained, "There are many Hells. Helen is not in the Hell controlled by Mephisto. Or rather, the Hell corresponding to Earth-65 is not Mephisto's Hell."
Gwen's eyes brightened slightly. "So, her soul is in another Hell. Then… can we go to Earth-65's Hell and rescue her soul?"
Lucas nodded. "As long as we find the coordinates, it's certainly possible."
What would happen after rescuing Helen's soul, Lucas didn't tell Gwen.
Tony had no way, but he did.
At this moment, Erin, who had finished her homework and packed her books, was about to leave.
When she reached the front desk, she saw Lucas and asked, "Lucas, I haven't seen you at the bookstore for a long time. What have you been up to lately?"
Lucas replied perfunctorily, "Adult matters, children shouldn't ask."
What he had been doing these past few days was clearly not suitable to tell Erin. Making up an excuse would be too troublesome.
"Hmph!" Erin snorted unhappily.
"Don't think I don't know." Saying this, Erin lowered her voice.
"Lucas, you're a sorcerer too, right? Have you been saving the world recently?"
Lucas shook his head.
He went to scheme against Mephisto, not to save the world, there was no need to take credit for it.
"How boring." Erin mumbled.
Ever since she accidentally learned that Gwen was Ghost-Spider, she was convinced that Lucas was the strange masked person that day, and that he had a close relationship with the female sorcerer who appeared later.
Moreover, the mysterious situation of the bookstore had already spread throughout the neighborhood.
"By the way, Erin. Let me ask you a question."
Lucas wanted to "test" the girl.
"Between a sorcerer and Spider-Man, which one do you prefer? If I remember correctly, last year on Halloween, you dressed up as a sorcerer."
Ghost-Spider saved Erin from Vampires, and Ancient One removed Erin's Vampire flaw. Both were "superheroes" Erin liked very much.
Erin smiled slyly.
She had already thought this question through over the past half year.
She wanted them all!
"I like Sorcerer Spider-Man."
Whoosh!
Lucas felt a gaze fall on his face.
He coughed a few times and asked, "A sorcerer is a sorcerer, and Spider-Man is Spider-Man. How can you link these two together?"
"Why not?" Erin retorted, then glanced at the sky.
"Alright, no more chatting. I have things to do, so I'm leaving now. Goodbye Lucas, goodbye Gwen."
"Goodbye Erin." x2
Erin, with her backpack on, hurried away.
There was an abnormal bulge in her backpack, whether it was a racket or something else.
"I like Sorcerer Spider-Man~" Gwen's chilling voice rang in Lucas's ears.
Along with it, a small hand climbed onto Lucas's waist.
It grabbed and twisted hard.
"Hiss..."
Lucas cooperated by gasping in a breath of cold air, his expression slightly contorted, showing pain.
"Alright, stop acting, you drama queen." Gwen let go, grumbling at Lucas, but her eyes grew softer.
"Hehe." Lucas chuckled, dropping his overly exaggerated expression.
Pain? Non-existent.
After the playful banter, Lucas asked about Erin, "Gwen, has Erin had any abnormalities lately? The wear on her shoe soles is very strange, not like normal walking wear."
Gwen thought carefully, calculated the time difference between the two Universes, and then suggested, "I'm not sure, but it should have started a few days ago. How about we follow her tonight and see?"
"Good."
Erin Smith is more or less a super soldier now. If not guided properly, she might cause significant destruction. This was not what Lucas and Gwen wanted to see.
...
Night fell, and following Los Angeles, New York also welcomed the Sorcerer Spider-Man and Ghost-Spider duo.
Lucas and Gwen found a high vantage point, watching Erin from afar.
They saw her wearing a Ghost-Spider-style bodysuit, holding a stick that resembled a magic staff. Although it looked incongruous, she was indeed "Sorcerer Spider-Man."
After some wall-crawling, Erin landed on a building rooftop.
On the rooftop, Daredevil Matt Murdock had already been waiting for a long time.
"Erin, to become a hero, you need to bear a lot. Are you ready?"
Matt had waited here to train Erin. Before each training session began, he would ask this question.
A few days ago, when he went to Lucas for help as Daredevil, he happened to encounter Erin, who had transformed into Sorcerer Spider-Man, punishing evil and promoting good.
If Erin were an adult, he wouldn't meddle. But he heard clearly that she was only about sixteen years old. Her values were not yet fully formed, and she lacked understanding of the wickedness of bad people.
After several ineffectual warnings, he decided to stop Erin under the guise of training.
"I'm ready." Erin said seriously.
Becoming Sorcerer Spider-Man was not a whim, it was a decision made after more than half a year of thought.
She had been rained on, so she wanted to hold an umbrella for others.
Just like Gwen, Lucas, that mysterious sorcerer, and the Daredevil in front of her.
Lucas and Gwen, watching this scene from afar, exchanged glances, feeling both relieved and worried.
Relieved that Erin had not gone astray due to suddenly gaining power far beyond ordinary people.
Worried that she might get hurt or even die in the process of upholding justice.
"However…" Lucas stroked his chin.
"I'm Sorcerer Spider-Man."