Most of the heroes present couldn't accept what they were seeing on the holographic screen, especially the Fantastic Four, who had been the closest to Spider-Man.
The first to react violently were the Fantastic Four, followed by the various bearers of the Spider-Totem who were present.
The two aforementioned groups tried with all their might to attack the barrier immediately after reacting, only to be quickly stopped by the other heroes present.
"WHY ARE YOU STOPPING US? CAN'T YOU SEE WE'RE TRYING TO SAVE SPIDER-MAN?!" Susan's hysterical scream represented everyone who was desperately trying to break through the barrier.
"I know you're trying to save him, but we can't risk the entire city for this. It's not something the kid would want." Captain America spoke, and with just those words, he successfully stopped everyone who had been trying so violently to save Spider-Man.
Those trying to save Spider-Man stopped—not because they listened to the Captain, but because they knew he was right. Spider-Man would never prioritize his own life over innocent ones. That trait of his was something they deeply hated, yet it was precisely what set him apart from other heroes.
Having calmed the group's emotions, the Captain and the others continued watching the screen, waiting for more information. For a while now, the villain named Solus had only seemed to be absorbing something from Spider-Man.
At least, until this moment.
"You know, bug, when I first arrived in this world intending to strike a deal with you, I didn't expect the most important totem of the Web of Life and Destiny to be dead—with someone else occupying his body. It was truly a horrible surprise. At that moment, I considered leaving this place."—Solus
"Then... why... didn't you... go... Ock...?" —Spider-Man
"Wait a minute, what the hell? Then what was the point of checking his memories? Don't tell me your powers are so useless that you couldn't even detect a body-snatcher!" Tony's tone was obviously angry. When they first proposed examining Spider-Man's memories, he had hoped to find something wrong—something that could justify Spider-Man's behavior. Even if he didn't like Spider-Man, the guy was still a great ally in critical moments. At the very least, Tony would trust his life to Spider-Man over most of the people present.
"Tony, you don't understand our abilities, so don't speak. The person controlling Spider-Man likely had some power or device that blocked memories during the body's occupation." Slightly annoyed by Tony's insults, Emma explained her theory as to why they couldn't detect an intruder in Spider-Man's body.
"Quiet. We need to listen to what they're saying to gather information." Strange politely asked the two to stay silent so they could hear, as even they knew this wasn't the time to argue.
"Then... why... didn't you... go... Ock...?" Spider-Man spoke again.
"That's what I was about to explain, Mr. Bug. You see, just as I was about to leave, I detected your essence in several places. Apparently, you had descendants." —Solus
"Uncle Peter is suffering..." Valeria said to her brother, who clenched his fists tightly. Despite his incredible powers, he couldn't break a simple barrier, and that frustrated him deeply.
The heroes near the children stayed silent. They knew this wasn't the right time to speak—especially with the sensitive scene unfolding in the hologram.
"You know, bug, it was quite interesting to learn you had descendants. So, I tried to see if I could absorb their essence, but it seems the Web of Life and Destiny protects them closely." —Solus
The heroes simply couldn't believe that the last person they'd expect had children. Even Strange didn't know. But while they were shocked, they were even more curious about who Spider-Man had children with. Many of the heroes present tried to recall people Spider-Man had been close to, ignoring those who were married or had boyfriends.
The heroes were so lost in their speculations that they didn't notice Susan Storm's nervous and tense expression when Spider-Man's children were mentioned.
Nervous because she knew her children had been in danger. Tense because she still hadn't found a way to tell Spider-Man that the kids were his. Richards had known for a long time that they weren't his—he was impotent in that regard, likely due to irreversible damage from cosmic rays.
"Lea...ve... them... alone..." Spider-Man managed to say.
His attempt to move sent a strange pang of anguish through the heroes, especially when he was immediately immobilized again.
"An even more interesting thing I discovered while investigating was that I learned their names. Want to know? Don't worry, I won't leave you in suspense. Their names were Valeria and Franklin of the Baxter Tower. Then there were Rachel, Phoebe, Sophie, Esme, Celeste, and Irma from Krakoa Island. And last but not least—dun, dun—guess who? Bet you didn't expect this: the Scarlet Witch's children, manifested by their mother's desire. You know what I would've done if the Web of Life and Destiny hadn't protected them? Killed them—very slowly. And you know who would've been to blame for their deaths? You, you, you, and only you. Because you couldn't protect your children." —Solus
"YES, YES, YES! I KNEW WE WERE UNCLE PETER'S KIDS—I MEAN, DAD'S! HAHAHA, INCREDIBLE!" Franklin's voice was overflowing with excitement as he jumped around alongside an equally thrilled Valeria.
In contrast to the children's mood, the adults were at a loss for words—stunned in every sense of the word. But fate would never allow its protagonists to remain distracted for long.
A deafening explosion rang out where the heroes stood as a glider loaded with bombs continued raining fire on their location.
"DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, YOU DAMN SPIDER-VERMIN! YOU MUST ALL PERISH! THE ONLY SPIDER NEEDED IS MY UNBORN SON, SPIDER-MAN! ALL HIS DESCENDANTS MUST DIE! HE SHOULD ONLY HAVE TIME TO PLAY WITH ME! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Standing atop the glider was a goblin-like man, laughing maniacally as he hurled bombs left and right.