Suburban highway.
In the roadside bushes, Wade crouched, a leaf over his head.
"Little Spider, you pulled me out of a circle of hot dancers just to stake out a highway?" he asked.
Charlie glanced at the overcast sky. Instead of answering, he said curiously, "The sun's not strong today. You don't really need a leaf to block it."
Wade looked at Charlie seriously. "I'm just hiding myself properly, not trying to block sunlight."
Charlie paused, then said, "You should use a bigger leaf."
"This is the biggest leaf I've got."
"Is it?"
Charlie reached through a portal, pulling out a massive banana leaf.
"I respect your choice."
He placed the leaf over his head, then whispered to Wade, "Your mission is to stop the target vehicle, befriend a guy named Clark, then guide him to the Antarctic glacier to mix it up with some aliens."
"Whoa~"
Wade's eyes lit up at the plan. "You want me to go undercover?" he said excitedly.
Charlie nodded. "Yeah, but it's more than just undercover."
"I love a challenging mission."
"Here's the thing—this mission's only for you. I couldn't do it."
"You're too humble. I'm not that great."
"No, you're awesome. You're Spider-Man's best friend, bar none."
Sniff sniff~ "Little Spider, I'm touched again. I wanna cry, wanna jump into your arms and call you—"
"Shut up, you creep. They're coming."
Pointing at the approaching vehicle, Charlie watched as Wade prepared, then rolled onto the highway.
"Look at me—"
"Wait!"
Charlie hissed, "You didn't take off your suit!!"
The moment he spoke, the sudden figure made Jonathan, the driver, pale. Unable to brake in time, he ran over Wade.
Skrrrr~
"No!!"
The car screeched to a halt, tires smoking. Jonathan's family rushed out to check the accident.
Seeing the red figure with a flattened abdomen, Jonathan visibly panicked.
Martha gasped, "It's the Spider-Man from New York!"
"No, I'm the Death-Warden, not as handsome or charming as the invincible Spider-Man. Just a tiny bit less, that's all," Wade said, suddenly sitting up, half-dead.
"Oh my gosh, he's alive!"
Clark quickly shielded his parents, staring at Wade warily.
"Who are you?"
"I'm a front-line hero. You can call me Batman."
Wade mimed throwing a batarang, striking a cool pose. "Wade Wilson, your uncle."
"Uncle? I don't know you."
"Oh my gosh, you forgot."
Wade flashed to Clark's side, leaning in. "You remember the handprint on your butt? That was my gift to you as a kid, a mark of your identity."
"What? How do you know…"
Under Clark's shocked gaze, Wade's hand sneaked to his backside, giving a light pinch.
"Hm, nice feel."
Clark: "…"
Jonathan and Martha exchanged odd looks at this strange guy.
After a glance, Jonathan stepped forward.
"You know Clark's identity?" he asked.
"Of course."
Wade used the hand that pinched Clark to pick his nose. "Want the truth? Follow me."
He pulled a teleportation device from his waist.
…
Seeing Clark's family vanish into the portal, Charlie stood slowly.
This wasn't what he'd imagined.
But no matter. A front-line hero could handle any tough mission.
Only Wade could infiltrate Zod's camp for him.
Steve and Carter had met Zod, and Zod knew they were Spider-Man's friends.
The Grandmaster and Malekith, though new faces, could betray him any moment.
Only Wade, repeatedly forgotten, could approach Zod without suspicion.
Lost in thought, Charlie drew a circle with his hand, locking onto new coordinates.
New York, amusement park.
Third-Gen Peter sat by the roadside, staring blankly at the kids laughing on the carousel.
After a while, a familiar figure approached.
"You were there last time, but why didn't you come find me?" Charlie asked.
Third-Gen Peter looked up, his eyes flickering at the sight of Charlie, then turned back to the happy kids.
"Leave. I can't help you, and you can't help me."
His words carried a heavier gloom, the air around him growing colder.
Charlie frowned.
In the last Resurrection Match, he'd warned Peter not to seek Mephisto, but clearly, he hadn't listened.
Trading his love to save Aunt May's soul cost him not just that love but his future children.
For Third-Gen Peter, who dreamed of a bright future, it was a crushing blow.
A hopeless young man.
So, in the last match, while other Spider-Men showed up, Third-Gen Peter, unwilling to face his revived reality, chose to hide.
That was the last day of Spider-Man, when he lost everything.
"But you still have May waiting for you to come home, and Tony too," Charlie said softly, sitting beside him.
At the mention of May and Infinite Tony, a faint light sparked in Peter's numb eyes.
But it quickly dimmed.
He lowered his head. "Without me, they'll live better. You know what I mean."
Charlie leaned back, nonchalant. "Looks like you get it. Spider-Man's life is a tragedy.
Without Spider-Man, his family, friends, and lovers would all be better off."
Third-Gen Peter's young face grew darker.
"Yeah, my existence gets them killed. So I'm staying in this world forever."
This world—the Resurrection Match world.
Unable to change fate, he chose escape.
Charlie didn't keep persuading him.
"As expected of a kid, just running away."
He glanced at the kids on the carousel, smiling faintly. "It's your choice. I won't interfere. But even hiding here, the people around you aren't completely safe."
"What do you mean?" Third-Gen Peter jolted.
Charlie pointed at the kids. "They're your people too. Fate's gears keep turning."
As he spoke, the carousel slowed, and a familiar figure appeared atop it.
Wearing goggles and wielding a red trident—Karn, the Inheritor!
Even in the Resurrection Match, he hunted Spider-Men!
Seeing Karn, Third-Gen Peter's spider-sense screamed.
"Damn!"
Thinking Karn was after the kids, he lunged at the carousel. But a gray leech totem spread across the sky, and his legs weakened, nearly collapsing.
"What's that…"
He felt something being drained from his body.
He watched as Karn leaped off the carousel, approaching step by step.
No, Karn's target wasn't him.
Or rather, it had been, but seeing Charlie shifted his focus.
Step… step…
The footsteps grew clearer. The chilling aura made parents grab their kids and flee.
Security guards, sensing trouble, rushed over.
"Hey, who are you? Get out of here!"
A guard with a super-sized beer belly stepped forward, only to be flung back by an invisible force.
Boom~
The guard crashed into an ice cream shop. Charlie's raised hand froze midair.
"Hm, very dedicated," was all he could say.
Karn was faster than expected.
Charlie recalled the Kryptonian battle, where Karn absorbed nutrients from the "water grapes" in the Genesis Chamber to destroy Krypton's life source.
Those contained part of the Codex's power.
After absorbing it, Karn underwent some beneficial mutation.
So…
Karn lost the Resurrection Match but gained a power boost.
No status reset?
Charlie's eyes narrowed, uncovering a new secret of the Resurrection Match.
In those few seconds, the gray totem in the sky grew exponentially.
Thick clouds loomed over the city, a massive, menacing leech writhing in the air.
Charlie felt his body weaken but released his spider totem without hesitation.
Chirp chirp chirp~
Boom!!
Ten spider totems transformed into vibrant magical spiders, soaring to confront the monstrous leech.
The weakness faded, and the totem battle in the sky intensified.
Karn raised his red trident, its crimson glow growing brighter.
"Oh my gosh, run!"
"What in God's name…"
Onlookers fled as Charlie reached into the void.
Buzz~
The blood-red Necrosword was drawn, its aura of destruction and evil chilling.
The gloomy sky darkened further.
Whoosh whoosh~
A dark hurricane enveloped the amusement park like a tornado, making Karn's figure tremble.
Not from fear, but…
Boom!!
The leech totem in the black clouds abandoned its fight with the spider totems, diving out of the atmosphere like a falling dragon.
"Hm?"
Sensing the leech totem's odd behavior, Charlie had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, the leech totem opened its monstrous maw in space, absorbing sunlight rapidly.
Empowered by the sunlight, Karn roared, familiar power surging.
Boom!!!
In a flash, the red trident struck. Charlie blocked with the Necrosword, the terrifying force shocking him.
No way?
Inheritor Superman?
Charlie groaned inwardly. The collision of the Necrosword and trident sent a shockwave that obliterated the amusement park.
Boom!!
The violent blast swept through, and Karn pressed forward in the ruins, determined to devour the invincible Spider-Man.
Charlie increased his strength, calmly parrying with a swing, then formed seals to unleash spider magic.
Buzz~
In the dark clouds, ten magical spiders turned into totems, scattering vibrant magical energy. Duplicates burst forth, morphing into ferocious dimensional monsters charging at Karn.
"What?"
Karn was stunned by the dimensional creatures' appearance.
He felt a trace of threat from them.
How was that possible!
No time to think, he swung his trident against the creatures, the ruins exploding repeatedly.
Roar~
Boom!!
A massive blood-red tentacle slammed down, shaking the earth. Karn dodged frantically, only to be intercepted by a giant crab.
Crack crack~
Boom~
As he evaded the crab's pincers, jellyfish tendrils bound him.
"What are these?"
Karn swung his trident, barely fending off the creatures, unable to fathom why he was losing.
Charlie watched calmly. "Inheritor Superman, that's it?" he scoffed.
Swallowing magic wasn't just for boosting magical energy.
Devoured dimensional creatures could be resummoned as magical pets to aid in battle.
Sadly, these creatures weren't strong.
Against weak foes, a web shot would suffice.
Against strong ones, such flashy moves were useless.
This was Charlie's first time using this magic.
But Karn was different.
From his encounters with the Inheritors, Charlie was nearly certain of one thing.
The leech totem countered the spider totem, but the spider totem also countered the leech totem.
Though Inheritors were generally stronger than Spider-Men, at their core, the power balance between the Morlun family's Inheritors and Spider-Men was determined by totem strength.
Karn's Codex absorption boosted his power, but his totem strength grew only slightly.
Thus, spider magic, rooted in the spider totem, dealt far greater damage to Karn than expected.
With ten spider totems, Charlie completely outmatched Karn.
As Karn was suppressed, Charlie stepped through a portal, appearing before him.
Buzz~
A palm strike froze Karn in place, his soul floating in midair.
Watching Karn's struggling soul, Charlie sighed.
If Kryptonians' souls could be so easily extracted, he'd have it easy.
Sadly, soul magic wasn't a cure-all. It was hard to strip a soul unless the power gap was small.
Especially when being dominated.
Shaking his head, Charlie reached to seize Karn's soul.
He wanted to interrogate him about the Morlun family's base.
Boom boom boom
Just then, the black clouds were blasted apart by shockwaves. Zod, spotting Spider-Man, arrived with his Kryptonian warriors.
"Damn bug, you've finally shown up!"
Zod waved coldly, and one after another Kryptonian warrior—no, Kryptonian Supermen!
As they dove with sonic booms, Charlie felt the pressure multiply.
Boom!!
The air exploded repeatedly. Under a barrage of fist-sized punches, Charlie lowered his head, his body instinctively dodging the attacks.
The Kryptonian warriors were weaker, even as Supermen, and couldn't pose a fatal threat for now.
As long as Zod and Faora didn't join the beatdown.
From above, Zod's face darkened.
"That trick again."
Beside him, Faora clenched her fists coldly.
"Let me handle it."
As she prepared to strike, Charlie's figure scattered.
Seeing the dispersing light particles, Faora gritted her teeth. "A duplicate! Damn bug escaped."
Zod mused, "Grab the others first. That guy calling himself Batman will tell us how to deal with Spider-Man."
Thinking of the sleazy guy in red, Faora sighed.
Did he learn his mouthiness from Spider-Man?
He was good at it, but way too… crude.