In the end, Third-Gen Peter agreed to Charlie's plan.
Charlie now had his sacrificial pawn.
Yes, if a Spider-Man was fated to die by a Kryptonian's hand, why couldn't it be Peter Parker?
"Peter, my suit is your suit, my sword is your sword. From now on, you're Charlie Parker, the invincible Spider-Man, and I'm Peter Parker, a pure unlucky sap."
In a corner, as Charlie spoke and shed his gear, Third-Gen Peter listened with resignation.
Yes, Peter Parker was a total loser.
He hoped becoming Charlie Parker would bring better luck.
He didn't know Charlie's full plan, but he trusted the invincible Spider-Man.
After all, Spider-Man didn't lie to Spider-Man.
Three hours later.
"No!!"
Under Third-Gen Peter's horrified gaze, Clark's sandbag-sized fist, brimming with immense power, shattered the forty-meter blade of the Necrosword, obliterating his body.
Boom!!!
A sky-shaking explosion sent fragments of Third-Gen Peter's body scattering like fireworks.
Spider-Man's demise lit up the heavens.
Clark caught the falling Necrosword.
His smile grew eerier.
"Vile bug, I win this time."
His lips curled as he waited in place.
His first Resurrection Match—he didn't know what came next.
Soon, elderly Steve and the others arrived, seeing the wreckage and Spider-Man's suit fragments strewn about, their faces filled with disbelief.
"Little Spider was defeated."
"How? This guy…"
"One-punch knockout? That's insane."
Steve and the others couldn't fathom it.
Clark calmly scanned the group.
He didn't bother with these weaklings.
But then, spotting Diana arriving, a strange glint flickered in his eyes.
He was intrigued by Diana.
After all, she was his half-sister.
Diana felt Clark's odd gaze.
Glancing at the debris, she frowned.
Was he really dead?
Her heart reeled.
No one knew that guy's power better than her.
Even the invincible Spider-Man was one-shotted by this man—his strength was unimaginable.
In her mind, even Zeus, king of the gods, couldn't one-shot Spider-Man.
Now…
Diana instinctively shifted into a battle stance, gripping her divine sword and shield defensively.
A voice in her heart screamed that this guy was an enemy.
Sure enough, Clark spread his hands, smiling.
"Relax. You can feel it, right? The same blood flows in us—oh, wait, not anymore."
He patted his chest, twirling to show off his current self.
"I've got a stronger body, greater power. We're different now.
But I'll give you a chance."
Pointing at Diana, he said, "Submit to me. Join me to storm Olympus, kill Zeus, and I'll be the new god-king, ruling humanity. You, my favorite war goddess, I'll allow to be my queen."
Before he finished, a familiar voice cut in.
"Let's not. Dear Lord Ares, she's your sister—how could you? Is Zeus's bloodline all about this kind of thrill?"
"Who?"
"Clark" spun around, only to see the dead Spider-Man standing before him.
"How—"
Ares's face twisted. "You should be dead."
He stared suspiciously at the Necrosword, frowning.
Webs, Necrosword, motormouth…
He was sure the guy he killed was Spider-Man.
"Yes, I should be dead, but not now."
Charlie shrugged. "Ares, tell me, where's the real Clark?"
Ares paused, shoving aside other thoughts, glaring at Spider-Man with a cold smirk.
"I am Clark, the only Kryptonian in the universe, soon to be god-king."
"So you admit it." Charlie pointed at him. "I guessed right again."
Ares's expression soured, while Diana rushed to Charlie's side.
Her face lit up. "You're finally here. I'm looking forward to fighting alongside you."
Steve and the others crowded forward excitedly.
"Little Spider, I knew you weren't dead."
"The invincible Spider-Man can't die—how else could he be my idol?"
Wade finished, and Charlie waved humbly.
"Haha, don't get excited. I'm about to die."
Carter: "…"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Charlie spread his hands. "I can't beat him."
Diana: "…"
"What about with us?" She brandished her sword and shield.
Charlie shook his head. "Still can't. If you agree to be his queen, you might survive."
Diana's face darkened. "I know the war god Ares. He's sort of my brother."
Charlie shrugged. "Zeus doesn't care, neither does Ares—"
"Done chatting?"
Ares interrupted.
He was ready to act.
Last time taught him: reveal yourself, kill Spider-Man immediately, or you'll lose without knowing how.
He'd done so before, but Diana delayed him.
Time to kill Spider-Man.
He raised the Necrosword, planning to use Spider-Man's weapon against him.
But Charlie flicked his finger, and as magical energy surged, the Necrosword oozed eerie black liquid, rapidly engulfing Ares.
Splash~~
"Ah!! Damn bug, what's this—"
Ares's scream was cut short as his eyes blazed red, firing intense heat at his hands.
Boom~
Under the heat, the black liquid ignited, writhing and shrinking on Ares's body.
Seizing the moment, Charlie shot webs, launching himself from a web-slingshot.
Boom!!
The instant he reached Ares, Charlie slapped his chest.
Buzz~
Ares's soul was ripped from Clark's body.
In midair, Ares realized his predicament, his face grim.
"How? How do you have Hades's power?" he exclaimed.
"Hades?"
Charlie's mind raced. Did Hades, the underworld's "Zeus," help Ares possess Clark?
Before he could think further, a dark, chilling divine power erupted from Clark's body, dragging Ares's captured soul back inside.
It was Hades!
Charlie's expression shifted, but Ares, regaining Clark's body, gave Spider-Man no time to react, unleashing a ferocious assault.
"Die!"
Boom!!
…
[You have been eliminated and cannot obtain a Resurrection Match spot. Heat Vision +44.4°C.]
Cosmic Web. Charlie awoke, sighing.
Clearly, in connections, Ares outclassed the invincible Spider-Man.
Last time Apollo, now Hades.
Was Olympus that united?
Charlie shook his head, planning his next move.
In previous matches, he'd done a lot.
But for the key figure, Clark, he had no solution.
He could kill the real Clark, but for Hades, reviving someone was easy.
Even keeping Clark close couldn't stop his "blackening."
What baffled Charlie was how Ares noticed Clark.
All contestants started the mission simultaneously. How did Ares learn critical info to use Clark's body to dominate?
The war god's cunning was unreal, and his backer was a massive headache.
No matter. Charlie had a suspect.
With a thought, the void swallowed Spider-Man's body.
In a blink, he appeared at the Empire State Building.
Spider-Man's "birthplace."
Ignoring the dark elves in the city, Charlie portaled to Queens.
Malekith, in his first Resurrection Match, was a minor player.
Soon, an old arcade.
The Grandmaster arrived, eager to play outdated games.
And to chat with someone else.
But in the dim room, he saw someone who shouldn't be there.
Spider-Man!
Seeing Charlie, the Grandmaster was stunned but smiled.
"Meeting again so soon? This must be the secret to your immortality, right?"
He approached, elegantly brushing dust off a chair, plopping down to pick a game character.
Charlie, unhurried, started his machine.
They chose characters for a linked PK.
Bang bang bang~
Boom~
The arcade echoed with synthetic combat sounds.
No other noise filled the room.
Finally, the Grandmaster cheered, "I won!"
Charlie released the joystick. "You won."
He smiled faintly. "As expected of a gaming master. No one beats you."
"But I lost to you."
"That was a fluke. I admit I gambled."
Charlie glanced at the dark energy surging at the door.
"The Dark Elf King's here. Not gonna chat with him?" he asked.
The Grandmaster looked at the door, shaking his head.
"Let's chat first. You're the protagonist."
"I think so too."
Charlie smiled, selecting another character.
The Grandmaster followed, starting a new round.
The game's glow reflected on their faces.
This time, neither showed expression.
The game began, combat sounds resuming.
Not intense.
Both were distracted.
"If I asked for your help, would you agree?" Charlie asked suddenly.
The Grandmaster considered. "Depends."
"If I'm at a disadvantage?"
"Then I'd help."
Charlie smiled at the answer.
"You'd help, but you'd also activate a backup plan, right?"
The Grandmaster's hands paused. Charlie seized the moment, KO'ing his character.
"Game over."
Winning, Charlie let go.
He stood, smiling. "Sorry, I won this time."
The Grandmaster seemed to anticipate this, sighing deeply.
"You figured it out, you terrifying bug. I can't imagine how to beat you."
He met Charlie's eyes, full of defeat and resignation.
He'd lost.
Before starting, he'd lost.
Charlie patted his shoulder.
"You already won. But like you said, I'm the protagonist. Protagonists don't fail."
He reached into the void, drawing the blood-red Necrosword.
"There's no absolute fairness in reality or games. You know that better than me."
The Grandmaster ignored the sword's terrifying aura.
He turned back to his game.
"Of course I know. I lost, I accept it. I hope we can play such fun games again.
But like I said, an unfair game can still be exciting, but a balanced one is always more thrilling."
He closed his eyes.
The Necrosword sliced the void, leaving a headless body at the machine.
Done, Charlie turned and left.
Behind him, in dim light, the headless body mechanically worked the joystick, continuing the game.
Malekith had already fled the doorway.
Charlie had no interest in waiting for the other guy.
He left Queens, starting his own game.
…
Shortly after, as crimson divine power spread, Ares arrived at the arcade, seeing the Grandmaster's body.
He frowned, utterly confused.
He felt played.
"Called me here for this? What a waste."
Ares kicked over the Grandmaster's body and vanished.
His first Resurrection Match, and his opponent was Spider-Man.
Recalling the humiliation before his last death, he swore to make Spider-Man pay!
But he didn't know how.
A mysterious figure contacted him, making him think he'd been exposed.
Nervously, he came to the arcade, only to see this.
Ares cursed his bad luck.
If Spider-Man knew he was here, he'd be brutally killed again.
Super brutally.
He needed to boost his power.
War!
It was all he could think of.
Only war could make him stronger.
He couldn't think of another way to beat Spider-Man.
So, he targeted a continent across the ocean.
He'd create massive chaos to gain immense war power.
As he prepared to head to the chaos zone, he sensed a massive surge of war power from the other side of Earth.
"That's…"
Ares was thrilled. His power grew.
It had to be war fueling him.
Before heading to the Antarctic glacier, he saw a strange message.
[Mission failed. You've been eliminated and cannot obtain a Resurrection Match spot. Try harder next time.]
Ares: "?????"
"What happened?" He froze.
He hadn't even started!!
How was it over?
Was there no justice?
No law?
Motherf—!
He flipped off the sky, toward Olympus.
It had to be that old jerk Zeus!