New York, Queens.
A retro arcade tucked away in an alley.
Under dim lights, Malekith stared grimly at the figure ahead.
"You called for me?" As he spoke, the dark elves behind him aimed their weapons at the man engrossed in his game.
The Grandmaster, mid-game, didn't spare the dark elves a glance.
His hands moved relentlessly, guiding his character through jumps and attacks.
At the same time, he chuckled, "It's been ages since I played such a primitive gaming rig. Feels just like back then."
Malekith frowned. "I'm not here to talk about pointless things."
The Grandmaster tilted his head slightly. "Fine, you're as boring as ever."
He turned to face Malekith, maintaining a calm smile.
The faint glow of arcade screens cast an eerie light on his face.
"Though our goals differ, I can help you secure a Resurrection Match spot."
"And you?" Malekith asked.
The Grandmaster shrugged. "I just enjoy the game."
"This isn't a game."
Malekith's face was stern. "This thing called the Resurrection Match isn't something you could create, right?"
The Grandmaster nodded. "True, I couldn't make something like this, but it's gotta be fun."
Malekith took a deep breath. "Tell me how to win this round."
The Grandmaster studied him. "You trust me?" he asked with a smile.
"No reason not to."
Malekith slowly sat beside the Grandmaster, idly fiddling with a joystick.
"Back then, Bor trusted you, and you helped him win the game of light and darkness. I've regretted it ever since."
"Oh?"
The Grandmaster didn't look pleased. He glanced up, reminiscing.
"Yeah. Back then, you didn't trust anyone, and you had the upper hand—why would you trust me?
But Bor was different. He had to trust me, so that game was a blast."
He grew curious. "You were sent here by Spider-Man too?"
At the mention of Spider-Man, Malekith's face twisted with anger, then helplessness.
"Yeah, he used some weird power to bring me here."
"Same," the Grandmaster grinned. "He ended my winning streak. I'm rooting for him."
"You said you'd help me," Malekith said, frowning.
"Relax."
The Grandmaster waved dismissively. "If I don't help you, this game would be dull. You're no match for Spider-Man. A game's only fun when it's evenly matched."
As he spoke, a magical spark flashed in the dim arcade. The moment a red-and-blue figure appeared, Malekith's face filled with shock.
"Damn, he found us."
He moved to act but was stopped by the Grandmaster.
"Chill, he's not here to kill you."
Sure enough, Charlie stepped out of the portal and stunned Malekith with his opening line.
"Yeah, I'm here to ask for your help."
The words left the murderous dark elves whispering among themselves.
Malekith didn't buy it. "You filthy bug, do you know what you're saying?"
His face darkened. "You ruined my plans. I'd never help you."
"You're not important. The Grandmaster is." Charlie bluntly ignored Malekith, his gaze fixed on the Grandmaster.
Malekith gritted his teeth, wary of Spider-Man's power.
With the Grandmaster's allegiance unclear, he couldn't act rashly.
He'd known what kind of person the Grandmaster was back then.
This guy would promise help one second and backstab the next.
Not a good guy at all!
Malekith cursed inwardly, watching the Grandmaster's reaction.
The Grandmaster was mildly surprised by Charlie's arrival but not shocked.
He held no grudge against Spider-Man.
Though Spider-Man had killed him, he admired him.
So, their meeting was calm, without a hint of tension.
"How'd you find me?" he asked.
Charlie shrugged. "Wherever games are played, you're usually there."
"How'd you know it was this place?"
"No one's bored enough to book an arcade, and there's no Cinderella-obsessed CEO here."
"Your humor's lost on me."
"That's a good thing."
"Alright, I'll take the compliment."
The Grandmaster glanced at a nervous Malekith. "Don't worry, I won't change my promise even with him here."
Malekith relaxed slightly, but not entirely.
Before he could speak, Charlie added, "Grandmaster, you've gotta help me too."
"Why?" The Grandmaster was curious to hear Spider-Man's reasoning.
Charlie sat across from him. "In Antarctica, there's a group of crazy powerful guys eyeing Earth.
You said a game's only fun when it's balanced. If you don't side with me, I'm toast."
"Toast?"
The Grandmaster's lips curled into a confident smirk. "I don't follow."
Charlie: "…"
That sly grin was too much.
He explained patiently, "Any one of those guys could take me out—well, if I'm not prepared."
"What?"
Charlie's words shocked the Grandmaster, and Malekith couldn't believe it either.
"Bug, you know what you're saying?" Malekith sneered. "You're a terrible liar. No one's buying that."
"I do."
The Grandmaster's smile widened.
"If any one of them can give you trouble, I might have to rethink things."
Malekith's face changed. "Grandmaster, you said you'd help me!"
The Grandmaster glanced at him. "I'm not backing out."
"But you—"
"Helping you or him—it's not much different."
"What?"
Malekith blinked. "You mean…"
The Grandmaster nodded. "Exactly. We're all in."
"No way!"
Malekith gritted his teeth. "How could the noble Dark Elf King work with a bug…"
Mid-sentence, Charlie cut in.
"Grandmaster, he's not cooperating. Let's take him out first."
Malekith: "…"
Seeing the Grandmaster actually considering it, he panicked.
"Wait, before I was king, I was just a crematorium worker. Not that noble."
Charlie: "…"
He shook his head, disappointed. "I'm different. I'm Earth's king now, super noble, practically god-tier."
He turned to the Grandmaster. "We're both noble. This crematorium guy doesn't deserve to roll with us. Let's take him out."
Malekith: "…"
"Damn bug, what are you trying to do!!" he finally roared.
Charlie shrugged. "Nothing, just excluding you. Can't you tell?"
"You—"
"Enough."
The Grandmaster cut through the chaos, eyeing both with a smile. "Mr. Spider-Man and Mr. Dark Elf King, I know you're just livening things up, right?"
"I—"
Malekith glanced at the brazen Charlie, then noticed the Grandmaster's impatience, and admitted his humor.
"Yeah, exactly, we're just joking around," he said through gritted teeth.
The Grandmaster looked at Charlie, who shrugged nonchalantly.
"Yup, Spider-Man's great at it."
The Grandmaster was pleased.
"Great. Our alliance is official."
He tapped his virtual computer, pulling up a screen with the team lineup.
Earth's team showed three names.
"Alright, ceremony's over. Tell me about those guys," he said to Charlie.
Charlie summarized the situation, and the Grandmaster's face grew serious.
"Not only can they absorb stellar energy, but they've got physiques that crush spiders, and even the Necrosword can't break their defenses. How can such a terrifying race exist in the universe?"
His heart sank.
The Necrosword could kill nascent celestials, yet it couldn't fatally threaten these Kryptonians.
Was this really the multiverse?
The Grandmaster began to wonder.
Since being "revived," he'd lost his "guaranteed win" ability.
He couldn't sense the cursed game rules anymore, and with Charlie's talk of Kryptonians, he suspected this was an unknown universe beyond the multiverse.
The thought made him even more excited.
Seeing his expression, Charlie knew the Grandmaster was on board to face the Kryptonians.
He said, "Grandmaster, with our current strength, we can't threaten those Kryptonians. We need more teammates."
The Grandmaster nodded thoughtfully. "True, the game needs more players. Leave it to me."
He tapped his virtual computer, sketching complex mechanical models.
Clearly, he was planning to craft new tech gear.
With eons of experience, he was a master of various technologies.
He also considered the Resurrection Match contestants.
"That old guy and your Captain Carter don't need my help to find. I'll handle Deadpool and Peter Parker. As for Ares, the God of War, I don't know him. Sounds like a Greek pantheon god."
Charlie nodded. "Yeah, he's a native god of this universe. I came here once before and took him out."
The Grandmaster raised an eyebrow. "So, will he join your team like I did?"
Charlie shook his head. "Probably not. Just find him and take him out."
The Grandmaster thought it over. "Give me time. The name Ares, God of War, suggests he draws power from conflict. I'll find a way."
"Counting on you."
Charlie and the Grandmaster discussed details, then he slipped into a portal.
Malekith watched, then approached the Grandmaster. "You really trust that bug?"
The Grandmaster shrugged. "He's got no reason to lie."
"That bug's cunning. We should be cautious," Malekith insisted.
The Grandmaster nodded. "Sure, you handle it."
He agreed on the surface but didn't care.
Being tricked didn't matter—he only cared if the game was thrilling.
…
Soon, Charlie found elderly Steve and Carter waiting anxiously at the Empire State Building.
"Little Spider, you're finally here! I can finally—ow!"
Charlie pushed Steve's face away, then turned to Carter. "We need something—a key item for victory."
"What?" Carter asked.
Charlie said, "A Kryptonian substance: Kryptonite."
To deal with Superman, nothing was simpler or more brutal than Kryptonite.
"Where's Kryptonite?" Carter asked.
"Let me think."
Charlie tried his space-time spiderling but couldn't lock onto Krypton's location.
Zod had arrived on Earth early, and Krypton had already exploded, leaving no coordinates.
So, they'd have to rely on Carter, the professional agent.
"Infiltrate government systems and use their resources. You should find those green rocks."
"Kryptonite's on Earth?" Carter's eyes narrowed.
"Rare, but you should find some."
Charlie briefed them, then headed to Atlantis.
Using Atlanna's Aquaman status would make finding Kryptonite easier.
In the process, he reluctantly accepted Arthur as his… oversized kid.
Finally, he needed to make Zod and the others aware that Kryptonite was a far greater threat than Spider-Man.
Everyone searching for Kryptonite would be more efficient.
…
Beneath the Antarctic glacier, the Kryptonian ship.
"General, the Codex has appeared," Faora reported to Zod.
In his stasis pod, Zod slowly opened his eyes.
"We must capture them, extract the Codex, and restore Krypton's former glory!"
At his command, the Kryptonian soldiers poured out of the ship.
Boom!!
In the Antarctic, figures burst through glacial crevices, soaring into the sky, shattering clouds as they headed for New York.
By the time Charlie arrived, it was too late.
This time, Clark hadn't come to the Antarctic, so Zod didn't waste time telling him old stories.
Timing-wise, they were already on the move.
Seeing the Kryptonian soldiers create sonic booms and vanish into the horizon, Charlie felt a chill down his spine.
Without Kryptonite, even all the contestants plus Clark wouldn't stand a chance against these soldiers.
Not to mention the even stronger Zod and Faora.
That sneak attack in the Antarctic must've been Zod, freshly awakened.
Having been beaten by Faora and the soldiers, Charlie knew their touch was different.
Only Krypton's mightiest warrior, General Zod, had the strength to crush Spider-Man so thoroughly he couldn't even see his attacker.
The tables had turned—Zod was now the power ceiling of this match.
In the last Kryptonian battle, if Dark Strange hadn't been such a hassle, Charlie wouldn't have had to end the Resurrection Match early without taking out Zod.
At that thought, Charlie prepared to open a portal to leave.
Suddenly, an ultra-hot beam streaked across the endless glacier, aiming straight for his face.
"Damn! Spotted."
Charlie had no time to fire a web beam to counter. He dodged the terrifying ray, and the black-and-red spiderling already on his waist crawled onto his arm.
Yes, to avoid another ambush, he'd summoned the spiderling early, fully prepared.
Chirp chirp chirp~
Chomp!
The moment the spiderling bit his hand, destruction and evil surged. The clear sky darkened with endless energy, and a blood-red slash cleaved toward the icy ground.
Hum!!
Boom!!
The glacier quaked as a tiny figure, propelled by a sonic boom, soared against the crimson sword light. The Necrosword, capable of slaying nascent celestials, seemed powerless and fragile.
As Zod shot through the air, Charlie swung the Necrosword, thickening the dark clouds over the Antarctic, blotting out all sunlight.
Without stellar energy, Zod's speed visibly slowed.
Charlie was affected too.
This move hurt the enemy a thousand but cost him three hundred.
With Spider-Man's physique fused with an Eternal Titan's, Charlie was still Spider-Man even without stellar energy.
His strength dropped noticeably.
But for Zod, who relied entirely on sunlight for his power, the impact was far greater.