CHAPTER 17: CHAPTER 017: CHAOS MAGIC CRUSHES THE RAT SWARM! SPIDER-GWEN APPEARS!

With the Scarlet Witch taking the field, the situation instantly changed. Compared to rescuing people, using Chaos Magic for destruction was far easier—especially when the targets were mutant rats.

And with Lorien right behind her offering encouragement, Wanda’s confidence soared.

Scarlet energy surged around her as she moved her hands, the pressure in the air so strong it felt as if the wind had stilled. She clenched one hand in the air, and a sphere of crimson power immediately wrapped around a cluster of rats. Her other hand closed into a fist.

"Psshh!"

The entire group exploded into a fine red mist.

From there, Wanda began her hero’s work—catching and crushing rats one batch at a time. Under her magic, the creatures burst apart into drifting clouds of blood, and with each success, her confidence grew.

"Look! It’s the Scarlet Witch!"

"She saved us! The Scarlet Witch saved us!"

Her swift actions had already cleared out one section of the swarm, and the crowd, realizing she was the one responsible, began shouting in surprise and relief. This time, hearing their voices made Wanda feel far better.

She glanced back and gave Lorien a quick wink.

Lorien waved her off, signaling for her to keep working instead of looking at him.

But then—

Clang!

Another manhole cover shot up, knocked aside by a mass of rats.

A huge swarm poured out of the opening, rushing straight toward Wanda.

Buzz!

She quickly swept her hands through the air.

Psshh!

The fresh wave of mutant rats was crushed into mist—but now more manhole covers were rattling and rising all around, each one spilling out another pack of overgrown vermin.

"Lorien! What should I do?"

Her voice was tense; she couldn’t even turn around, speaking to him with her back still to him.

Lorien was lost in thought.

Should he step in quietly and put an end to this? He’d already worked out how—collapse the underground pipes in one move. That way, it would look like the sheer number of rats had caused the damage, and the swarm would be wiped out at the same time. Two problems solved at once.

But...

In his senses, someone was swinging between the skyscrapers. Extending his psychic perception, he identified the newcomer.

It was Gwen.

And she was wearing her very first Spider-Gwen suit.

Spider-Gwen was different from Spider-Man. When Spider-Man first debuted, his suit was just stitched from ordinary fabric. Gwen, on the other hand, was not only smarter, but also came from a better-off family—her father was the Chief of the NYPD.

Her very first suit was crafted from the same high-performance material used for international athletic gear. It fit her like a second skin, yet was tough and flexible. The design was distinctive: black from the waist down, white from the waist up, a white mask patterned with pink web lines, and a hood white on the outside but pink within. This was Gwen’s signature suit—no other Spider-person had one.

Now, she was clinging to the glass wall of a skyscraper, eyes scanning the chaos below. Mutant rats, panicked civilians, the Scarlet Witch, Lorien...

Wait—Lorien?

Her heart skipped a beat. Only now did she notice him standing right behind the Scarlet Witch, dangerously close to the manhole where the mutant rats were pouring out. And Wanda—overwhelmed by the sheer number of creatures—was starting to lose ground.

If she faltered, what would happen to Lorien?

No. She had to help.

Gwen fired a strand of white webbing forward, then swung off the building, arrowing straight toward Lorien’s position.

Meanwhile, Wanda was struggling to keep up, crushing the rats that emerged from the manholes one after another. She had already killed hundreds, but...

Clang!

Another manhole cover burst upward. More rats swarmed out from every direction.

"It’s over!"

"Run!"

The crowd saw the worsening situation and bolted. Wanda’s face tightened. She turned her head, ready to tell Lorien to get out of here.

"Lorien! Go, now!"

But Lorien only gestured toward a nearby building.

Wanda turned—and there was Gwen, swinging in from the middle of the street. She fired webbing from both hands.

Pssh! Pssh!

The strands stuck to two heavy manhole covers. With a sharp pull and a powerful swing, she sent them hurtling forward.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In an instant, the covers smashed into dozens of rats, sending them flying. Lorien spotted one that crashed perfectly into a trash can, two that splattered against a billboard, and the rest lying motionless on the ground.

Mutant rat: Guess today’s the day I die... squeak.

Wanda seized the moment. She swept her hands through the air, Chaos Magic wrapping around the remaining clusters of vermin. Her fingers clenched.

Pffft!

The swarm burst into a cloud of blood mist.

Spider-Gwen, landing lightly atop a car roof in her skintight suit, looked over at Wanda in astonishment.

"Your magic is incredible!" she said. "And you made it look so clean, even after all that!"