Kid Venom #4 (2025)

The ceiling of Abe no Seimei's subterranian lab under Kyoto caves in as a white-haired humanoid being wearing a red oni mask smashes through. Noting that all his enemies are in one place, the humanoid faces off against Abe no Seimei and introduces himself as Gedomaru, declaring himself the greatest as he attacks; a red symbiote engulfing him. Sakata Kintoki urges his own symbiote, Clinter, to wake up as Usui Sadamitsu groggily brandishes his magic scythe. Blocking Gedomaru's attack with onmyōdō, Seimei shouts for Kintoki and Sadamitsu to run while he holds Gedomaru off. Opening a portal to the forest outside, Seimei tells them to head north to the Dimension Portal and return the baby to his home universe. Taking the infant, Kintoki transforms into Kid Venom and dashes through the portal, Sadamitsu bickering with him for not showing proper respect as he follows. As Seimei's portal closes, Gedomaru shouts for Ashiya Doman to stop them before they can escape. Kid Venom and Sadamitsu find themselves confronted by Shuten Doji and a pair of other masked Oni, who step out of a portal opened by Doman. Addressing Clinter, Shuten Doji remarks that they suspected it had survived and smirks, observing that it found itself a cute new host. Suddenly attacking with spikes of red symbiote biomass that are narrowly blocked by Seimei's hitogata casting a shield spell, Shuten Doji states they can sense something unique about Kintoki. Speaking through it, Seimei orders them to get away from Gedomaru--revealed to be the name of the red symbiote. Grabbing the dumbstruck Sadamitsu, Kid Venom shifts to rabbit form for additional speed while fleeing before shifting to falcon form and soaring towards a portal that opens in front of them. Belatedly realizing it's a trap set by Domon, Kid Venom is unable to keep himself from flying through it and crashlands at Shuten Doji's feet. Stomping on Kid Venom's head, Shuten Doji mockingly asks Clinter if it thought it could escape them and asks if it remembers why the Vacant Oni sent them to Earth. Speaking through Kintoki, Clinter mockingly asks if Gedomaru still worships Knull. Coating the ground to immobilize the trio of oni, Clinter sneers that the King in Black is imprisoned at the heart of Klyntar and nothing that Gedomaru does will free him. Enraged, Shuten Doji kills their two attendants and absorbs their symbiotes to transform into a massive crimson monster. As Shuten Doji snarls for Clinter to shut up and die, Clinter tells Kintoki it's at its limit; Kintoki replying that all they can do is fight until they can't anymore. Shuten Doji's advance is stopped by a barrier, Kid Venom realizing that Seimei is responsible--buying time for Kid Venom to recover. Undaunted, Shuten Doji snarls that the onmyōji won't be able to keep him out forever. Seimei casts a powerful fire spell that incinerates Shuten Doji's horde of tsuchigumo, revealing that Kid Venom was acting as a diversion so that Sadamitsu could deliver the infant to the interdimensional portal and return him to his home universe. Addressing Gedomaru by its true name, Crimson, Clinter opines that they should both burn and spare Earth the ravages of their kind. Roaring, Crimson attempts to smash Kid Venom, who closes his eyes and accepts his impending death... only for Sadamitsu to arrive just in time and lop off Crimson's arms with his scythe. Scolding Kid Venom for trying to die on him when his mission was to protect Kintoki at all costs, Sadamitsu tells him to get up and run. Ignoring Kid Venom's protests, Sadamitsu tells Seimei to open a portal for them to escape. Crimson impales Sadamitsu with a bladed tendril, destroying his scythe, and he pushes Kid Venom towards Seimei's portal. Abruptly an octagonal portal opens between Kid Venom and Seimei's portal, a web-line snaring him and pulling him through. Kid Venom regains consciousness in a strange city, cocooned by webbing and hanging upside down. As he looks around in confusion, a young woman in a red and black spider-themed costume--holding up the webbing suspending him--demands to know who he is and why he kidnapped her baby brother.