One of the Nine Realms, Alfheim.
In the cosmos, a mysterious halo enveloped an irregular green continent.
Above the endless green forest, a black triangular spaceship slowly crushed thousand-meter-tall trees, disappearing into the canopy.
Darkness began to spread, an endless dark aura eroding this pure land bathed in light.
Skree!
Yaa~~
In an instant, the forest echoed with the cries of birds and beasts. Countless creatures fled in panic, but those too slow were engulfed by the dark aura, collapsing in convulsions before mutating into ferocious dark creatures under its control.
These dark creatures' eyes gleamed with cruel, blood-red light, locking onto the fleeing light creatures in the distance.
Skree!!
A dark reindeer with razor-sharp teeth pounced on a normal one, blood spraying as the screen turned red.
Inside the spaceship's command room, the pale-faced Dark Elf King Malekith calmly watched the brutal scene, silent.
A dark elf subordinate bowed. "Leader, our ships have surrounded Alfheim from multiple directions. They can't escape."
Malekith nodded slightly, then asked, "After all these years, is the Light Elf Queen still her?"
The subordinate shook his head. "No, the queen died in the war. The current king of Light Alfheim is Freyr, the God of Sunlight."
"Freyr, the God of Sunlight?"
Malekith frowned, recalling the past with a sneer.
"That kid's become king? Quite the achievement."
His lips curled, and he waved. "Tell them to move faster. We must take Alfheim and reclaim what's ours before Odin reacts."
"Yes."
As the subordinate left, Malekith leaned on the armrest of his dark throne, propping his chin and staring at the screen, where the green forest was consumed by darkness.
Soon, flames erupted as the Light Elves began to fight back. But the peace-loving Light Elves were no match for the savage Dark Elves.
Under the relentless advance of the Dark Elf army, the Light Elves retreated, losing vast swathes of land.
Dark energy claimed the area, turning it into a paradise for the Dark Elves.
The same scene unfolded across the green continent.
To conquer Alfheim quickly, Malekith had deployed all his Dark Elves, determined to crush the Light Elves and reclaim their supreme treasure.
Malekith watched calmly, unfazed.
Such slaughter was nothing to him.
Once, he worked in the Dark Elf mortuary, handling thousands of corpses daily.
He recorded their identities and incinerated them.
He could never get used to the smell of burning flesh.
Like now, as the forest burned, the consumed Light Elves gave off the same stench.
But this was child's play.
Back then, after every war, he burned at least three thousand bodies.
That was his most painful memory.
Now, that pain was inflicted on others—he didn't care who.
All he knew was that he was the king of the Dark Elves, a supreme being.
Odin's father, Bor, had defeated him.
But Bor's grandson, Thor, had unwittingly freed him.
He was back to resume his conquest of the Nine Realms, to become the sole ruler!
He would plunge the Nine Realms back into the Dark Ages.
His life was dark, so the universe should be too.
Darkness gave him security.
Yet Malekith felt a faint unease.
As if… he was being watched.
Frowning, he turned and saw a red-and-blue figure.
He jumped, startled.
"Who's there?!"
He shouted, grabbing his dark scepter. Dark magical energy formed a shield around him as sharp beams shot from the darkness, aiming to shred the intruder.
Clang clang clang~
Sparks flew as the dark blades clashed with the red-and-blue figure, only to be shattered by a single swipe of a massive hand.
"What?"
Malekith's heart skipped a beat.
The figure flickered, leaving afterimages.
The afterimages filled the command room, closing in on him in an instant.
"Super Saiyan."
Charlie chuckled, a crimson spider-thread ball in his hand erupting with intense heat.
Boom!!
In the forest, a red beam pierced the black spaceship.
The energy shot into the sky, smoke spreading.
Inside, Malekith's headless body collapsed. Charlie stretched lazily.
"Ugh~ Done and dusted. No challenge at all."
Before he could finish, darkness surged in the command room, and another Malekith appeared.
"A clone?"
Charlie blinked, then shrugged. "Almost forgot—mages love their clone tricks."
He formed a hand sign, and a shadow peeled from his body, solidifying into a clone that lunged at the figure in the darkness.
Boom!!
A loud crash, and the clone ended the fight in three seconds.
Then…
"Super Saiyan? Never heard of it."
In the darkness, more shadowy clones appeared as Charlie's clone dissipated.
As endless dark clones surrounded him, Charlie could only shrug.
"Fine, your clones aren't as good-looking as mine."
Malekith's clones circled, one speaking. "Tell me, why kill me?"
"Odin told me to. If you want revenge, go find him. This has nothing to do with me," Charlie said, selling Odin out without hesitation.
"Odin…" Malekith sneered. "Bor's kid too scared to face me?"
Bored, Charlie started jumping rope with his webbing.
"You seem to know each other. Go ask him yourself."
"I will, but not now."
"Oh, you're scared."
"Hmph, Super Saiyan, you should worry about yourself."
With that, Malekith's clones unleashed dense dark energy, forming a giant dragon that burst through the ship, its gaping maw lunging at Charlie.
Boom!!
Skree~~
A blood-red sword light flashed in the darkness.
The blade grew thousands of meters, slicing off the dragon's head, reducing it to darkness.
All clones were consumed by the blade, and Malekith's presence vanished.
The ship was reduced to wreckage, the explosion startling the beautiful elves on the Tree of Life at the continent's center.
"What happened?"
"The Dark Elves are under attack."
"Is it Asgard's reinforcements?"
"It must be!"
On the towering Tree of Life, the Light Elves fought fiercely against the Dark Elves' invasion.
At the ship's wreckage, Charlie swung his sword, ending the last Dark Elves' lives. Standing amid the ruins, he crossed his arms, deep in thought.
He wasn't sure if he'd eliminated Malekith.
But from the guy's abilities, this universe's Dark Elf King wasn't like the movie version.
His dark magic wasn't as terrifying as Dark Stephen's, but something felt off.
Snapping out of it, Charlie didn't dwell.
This mission wasn't just about wiping out the Dark Elves—he had other goals.
He waved, opening a portal, and appeared on the Tree of Life.
Tree branches, dozens of meters wide, held rows of treehouses, natural structures now engulfed in war.
The streets were littered with elf corpses. War's brutality wasn't exclusive to humans—gods faced it too.
"Found a weird red elf!"
"It's blue."
"Kill!"
Amid the smoke, several Dark Elves charged at Charlie with blades raised.
Charlie backhanded them, smashing their heads.
"You don't even know the invincible, handsome Spider-Man? How do you even survive out here?"
Grumbling, he stepped over the headless bodies. A cornered elf girl trembled, raising her hands.
"Invincible, handsome Spider-Man, I know you."
Charlie: "…"
"Then shout my name," he said.
Elf girl: "…"
Her face was full of fear and despair.
Who the hell knows this guy's name?!
Tears welled in her terrified eyes, unsure what to say or do.
Charlie burst into laughter, hands on hips.
"Nice! You've definitely heard Spider-Man's stories."
Elf girl: "?????"
What just happened?
In her stunned state, red-and-blue figures peeled from Charlie's body.
"I'm Charlie, Charlie Parker, the man who saves elf girls—Spider-Man!"
"Ugh, why're you copying Tōhai? That's gross."
"Stop fighting!"
"We're not fighting."
"I mean the elves."
One clone finished speaking, enveloped in dazzling magic, turning into a meteor to break up the fight.
"Whoa, peace-making meteor!"
"Check this out—cosmic good neighbor death scissor kick, version 2.0!!"
"Wait for me!"
Instantly, ten clones went wild with antics.
Clone magic depended on the number of spider totems.
With ten totems, Charlie could create ten clones, each lasting ten seconds.
Before the ten seconds ended, they could spawn weaker clones using the same magic.
As clone numbers grew, their strength dropped, but they were enough for these savage Dark Elves.
The towering Tree of Life was soon swarmed with red-and-blue figures.
The Dark Elves faced their darkest hour.
"Spider-Man's classic move—sprinkle dust in your eyes!!"
"Ah!! My eyes~~"
"Friction, friction, the devil's steps."
"My face!!"
"Your sword's mine now—hand it over."
"Hahaha, I'm chasing you. If I catch you, heh heh heh."
"Don't mess around—try a sky-dive move!"
Halfway through, that clone was pierced by a dark blade, collapsing into light particles.
Another clone blinked. "Sky-dive what?"
The Tree of Life was overrun by weird bugs, forcibly separating the Dark and Light Elves.
Surrounded by Light Elf soldiers, Freyr, wielding the Sword of Light, stared at the strange bugs as Odin's voice echoed.
"Earth's Spider-Man will help you defeat the Dark Elves. He takes soft approaches, not hard ones—be careful."
Odin stopped watching Alfheim.
Heeding Odin's advice, Freyr pondered.
Magic sparks appeared, and Charlie, led by the elf girl, found Alfheim's current king.
"Spider-Man?" Freyr waved off his soldiers, testing the waters.
Charlie nodded. "I want the Tear of Life," he said bluntly.
Freyr hadn't expected such a direct demand.
Mindful of Odin's warning, he said, "Sure, but I need to repel these filthy Dark Elves first—"
Before he finished, explosions rang from three directions, flames signaling the collapse of the Dark Elves' encirclement.
The Dark Elves on the battlefield, as if receiving orders, turned and fled, piloting ships to escape.
Charlie smirked. As expected.
They wouldn't flee without their king's command.
So Malekith wasn't dead.
He hated guys harder to kill than himself.
As the Dark Elves retreated, Freyr sighed in relief.
"Spider-Man, thank you for helping us repel the Dark Elves. The Tear of Life is our gift to you."
With a wave, his soldiers escorted Charlie along the Tree of Life's trunk, through war-torn streets, to a massive, nature-infused treehouse.
Along the way, Charlie shivered under the intense gazes of beautiful female elves.
He'd only seen that look from Ophelia.
They just want a strong kid.
What's wrong with them?!
Damn succubus vibes.
Cursing inwardly, he sensed a pure life force.
Looking up, a radiant glow on the treehouse ceiling caught his eye.
He ignored the goddess portrait above.
"Mr. Spider-Man, this is the Tear of Life, left by the previous Elf King," Freyr said, summoning the radiant gem to his hand and passing it to Charlie.
As Charlie took it, a warm current flowed into him.
Buzz~
Soft light enveloped him, like water nourishing a parched desert. His weakness faded, and discomfort vanished.
His body was purified, but the Black Death Sword's evil aura tainted it again.
The light stopped, and the Tear of Life in his hand dimmed.
Sensing the warmth, he recognized it as akin to stellar energy.
Stellar and magical energy boosted the body, but for restoring life force, the Tear of Life was superior.
The problem? Too little.
So…
"Got any more?" he asked Freyr.
Freyr's eyelid twitched as he saw the dimmed Tear.
"Uh, sadly, I'm a guy. I don't produce Tears of Life," he explained.
Charlie's face fell.
It worked well but only alleviated, not solved, the Black Death Sword's issue.
Unless he had enough Tears.
But thinking it over, he didn't need them.
Even if the sword drained him dry, a Resurrection Match could reset his state.
One match, and he'd be good as new.
The real issue: where was the sword sending the drained power?
Likely to Knull, the symbiote god!
Knull needed the sword's absorbed power for some purpose.
The weaker Charlie got, the stronger Knull became.
The stronger Knull, the more danger Charlie faced.
The more danger, the faster he'd die.
The faster he died, the more he'd revive, feeding more life force.
A vicious cycle.
Unless he sealed the Black Death Sword permanently.
Charlie wasn't about to ditch such a powerful weapon.
Since getting it, he hadn't died once.
No matter the foe, the sword handled them.
Sealing it now would mean giving up his greatest power—worse than death.
The more he thought, the more tangled and headache-inducing it became.
So…
"Argh! So annoying!"
Scratching his head, Charlie stomped, grabbed the Black Death Sword, and chased after the fleeing Dark Elves.
Freyr, baffled by Charlie's state, called out, "Mr. Spider-Man, where are you going?"
Without looking back, Charlie waved. "I'm in a bad mood today. I'm gonna go chop someone."
Freyr: "…"
So Spider-Man wasn't just soft-not-hard, but also a volatile, rage-prone guy.
Chopping people at the drop of a hat? Terrifying.
Unlike me, who only brings joy.
"Are you happy?" he suddenly asked a nearby soldier.
The soldier's lips twitched. Here we go.
"King, I'm very happy," he said, forcing a bright smile.
Pulling his butt injury, his smile got even brighter.
Freyr turned to other soldiers. "Are you all happy?"
"King, we're all very happy."
"Hahaha, I knew it! I'm a born leader—everyone's happy with me!"
Freyr laughed, hands on hips, oblivious to his soldiers' suffering.