Spider-Man raced through building after building, heading toward the waterfront warehouse where the massive roar had originated. He couldn't pinpoint the exact location by sound alone, but with his Spidey-sense going wild, he could feel it drawing him in!
Down below, he spotted one of the criminals from earlier sprinting in the opposite direction. But Spider-Man had no time for him right now.
"I'm sure the police can mop them up before they cause any real damage," Spider-Man thought, swinging his head forward and continuing at full speed toward the waterfront.
Moments later, he arrived at a ramshackle warehouse that looked like it could collapse under a stiff breeze.
"Grrrrhh..."
He could hear something growling inside, something massive, and definitely in pain.
"Better set the field... just in case," Spider-Man thought.
He spent the next few minutes quickly webbing up traps and supports throughout the area, preparing for whatever was about to burst out.
Inside William's Mind
"System AI: User is undergoing a transformation he is not fully prepared for."
The system's smooth, robotic voice echoed into the void.
"System AI: User's consciousness has been placed in system space as a final protective measure."
William floated aimlessly in an endless void, surrounded by broken ruins drifting through a dark sky, with a swirling abyss below.
"What the hell is going on? Was it the water? It had to be the water..." he muttered.
He thought about moving, and surprisingly, his perspective shifted instantly in the direction he imagined.
"Well, I can move... that's something at least. Would be nice if I had legs though..."
Spotting a massive floating landmass in the distance, he willed himself toward it. As he approached, it expanded in size until it loomed like a blackened moon.
Will cautiously landed on the dark surface. Shadows shifted unnaturally around him, and the emptiness pressed in from all sides. Panic started to rise; he had no clue where he was or what had happened.
In the Outside World
William's unconscious body began to pulse ominously. Coarse, dark hair rapidly sprouted across his form, sparing only his chest. His muscles shook violently, expanding at an alarming, almost dangerous rate.
"RROOOAARRR!!!"
His ape-like mouth opened wide, unleashing a searing beam of energy that vaporized the shack he'd been lying in. The thin but powerful blast held its form until it reached about forty yards, before fizzling out.
From the rubble emerged a massive, hulking silhouette, one that immediately began smashing nearby buildings with reckless abandon!
Chunks of concrete and metal rained through the air. Spider-Man dodged with an acrobatic spin, barely slipping over a large slab of wall flying past.
"I can use this!" he thought.
Firing a webline at the debris, he spun himself midair, gathering momentum before hurling the chunk straight at the monster.
CRASH! SMASH! THUD!
The debris slammed directly into the creature's head, sending it crashing through an untouched building and slamming against a distant wall.
Spider-Man cautiously approached, each step echoing.
Step... Step...
A deep, primal sense of dread crawled up Spider-Man's spine. The monster, now clearly visible, was a gargantuan ape, far larger than any normal creature.
"That's impossible," he thought.
Three times the size of a gorilla, with claws sharp enough to tear him apart with a single swipe.
The ape's eyes snapped open and locked onto him.
A light began forming between its bared teeth.
"ROAAAARRR!!!"
Before he could fully react, a beam of energy shot out, catching Spider-Man squarely. He was hurled backward through the air, but thankfully, the webs he had set up earlier broke his fall.
The ape pounded its massive chest, roaring triumphantly.
Thump.Thump.Thump.
The beast cackled and charged forward, unleashing another series of wild energy blasts.
Spider-Man's heart raced as he twisted and flipped between the beams, only to see a clawed hand reaching for him!
With a yelp, he instinctively grabbed onto the massive forearm, planted his feet, and with a tremendous yell, heaved.
"HYYAAAAAAH!"
Spider-Man flipped the ape over his shoulder with a wild momentum, accidentally ripping out a few tufts of hair. The monster crashed through multiple floors of a nearby building, causing the ground to quake and spiderweb cracks to spread through the asphalt.
From the dust and debris, the ape rose again, grinning, almost mockingly.
"Well... I guess he's done monkeying around," Spider-Man quipped under his breath.
Meanwhile, in William's System Space
Unaware of the battle raging around his physical body, William sat cross-legged in a meditative position.
"System AI: User has completely digested 'Diluted Ultra Divine Water.'
"System AI: Initiating test."
Somehow, William now had a fully functional body again.
Shadows across the moon began writhing, morphing into grotesque creatures, all teeth, tentacles, and makeshift blades.
Without hesitation, William roared and leapt into the fray.
"These things aren't tough individually," he thought, landing a spinning heel kick that smashed one creature into mist, "but there sure are a lot of them!"
Before he could celebrate, a blade punched through his shoulder, pinning him to the ground. Another stabbed into his leg. Another into his stomach.
William gasped, pain flooding his senses. If his spirit body could bleed, he would have coughed up a river.
Darkness swallowed his vision.
"System AI: Test complete."
"System AI: Diluted Ultra Divine Water has increased bloodline from 10% to 30%."
"System AI: Ki energy unlocked. Initiating release from system space to protect user's main body."
Before William could ask anything, the world around him shifted, from dark void to blinding white... then deep, menacing red.
"What's happening? Why is everything red?!"
His newly awakened ape eyes snapped open, and immediately locked onto a slightly battered Spider-Man.
Somewhere deep inside, Will realized what was happening, but before he could react, Spider-Man webbed his face!
"Aaargh!" Will screamed.
By the time he tore off the webbing, Spider-Man was already long gone.
Will sighed heavily, exhausted.
"God... my body feels like it got steamrolled..." he muttered.
He was just about to leave when the screech of tearing metal and a shower of sparks caught his attention from the other end of the destroyed building.
A man, dressed in a devil-themed costume, calmly assembled his gear amid the wreckage.
Will's bloodshot red and gold eyes narrowed.
"Who the hell is this clown?" he thought grimly.