I am Malekith, a humble dark elf.
Through relentless effort, I became the ultimate specimen of the dark elf race, the legendary Dark Elf King—me.
After becoming king, I grew weary of the universe's light. I planned to use the dark elves' greatest artifact to extinguish all light, returning the universe to darkness.
Only a dark universe could heal the trauma of my childhood.
Logically, it doesn't quite add up, but who cares? I'm a dark elf who walks an unconventional path.
I set my plan in motion, but a god named Bor stopped me.
He shouldn't have been my match, but a game player I once rejected turned vengeful and helped Bor.
So Bor won.
I lost, sealed away for countless years.
Bor's great-grandson accidentally freed me.
No, more accurately, Bor's other grandson—not blood-related.
A cunning, seemingly harmless grandson.
He wanted to kill his brother and claim Asgard's throne.
I didn't care about their drama. My goal remained: return the universe to darkness.
But this time, I failed again.
A bug called Spider-Man stopped me, dragging me to a strange world.
There, I met the game player I'd rejected.
Spider-Man killed him. Again.
I trembled at the doorway.
I couldn't beat Spider-Man, but no matter—this time, I'd win.
I joined Earth's side.
As expected, Spider-Man won, and so did I.
The joy of winning by doing nothing—no one could understand.
I did.
So this is what victory feels like.
That damn bug wouldn't guess I'd return this way.
I kept my childhood creed: stay low, don't brag, stay silent.
So, I watched as Spider-Man, revived, slaughtered the dark elf race and traded them to Asgard's Odin for a treasure.
The invincible Spider-Man saved the world again, saving the light elves' world.
I'm the last dark elf.
No big deal—I never liked them anyway.
I just love a dark world.
In darkness, no one sees my tears.
To return the universe to darkness, I'll fight until my last breath!
Malekith swore.
With that, he prepared to take the Reality Stone to Earth.
Earth would be Spider-Man's grave.
Wait—where's my Reality Stone?
In the dark void, Malekith stood dumbfounded, sensing no trace of the Reality Stone.
It was gone.
…
Meanwhile, Earth.
Above New York, a black cloud drifted high, while the surrounding sky was clear.
This odd sight went unnoticed.
Over the past three months, people had grown used to it.
Sky Island, SHIELD.
"The commander's back!"
At Coulson's shout, the meeting room buzzed as everyone stood.
At the door, Carter, in her battle suit, strode in, elderly Steve close behind.
"Everyone, I've got news. Spider-Man's returning soon. Leave the rest to us," Carter said flatly.
Agent Hill beamed. "Understood. Call us if you need anything."
Thanks to Tony's arrangements, they didn't know Carter had died and revived, only that she and elderly Steve were recovering from injuries caused by Mary Jane.
At Carter's glance, the others filed out.
Only Tony and a few remained.
Tony eyed Carter and Steve suspiciously. "You two won the Resurrection Match on your own?"
"Of course not."
Steve spoke first. "Little Spider won it for us."
Tony's mouth twitched. "That guy's death was awfully convenient."
"How'd he die?" Felicia asked curiously.
Carter shook her head. "He didn't say, and we didn't ask."
"Why didn't he come back with you?" Norman asked.
Steve checked the time. "He's off saving aliens. Should be soon."
"Aliens?"
Carol's eyes narrowed. "He's stealing my job?"
"Your job's picking cotton with Nick Fury," Carter shot back, glaring. "What were you doing then?"
"When?" Carol played dumb.
"When Mary Jane struck."
"I was having coffee with her."
"That wasn't Mary Jane—it was a Super Skrull."
"What? How?" Carol feigned shock.
"Stop pretending. You knew everything but did nothing."
Carter stared coldly. "If that's how it is, go back to space. There's no place for you here."
Carol's eyes narrowed, cosmic energy flickering across her body.
"Captain Carter, you're in that seat because of Spider-Man, not your own merit. You don't get to tell me what to do," she sneered.
Without Spider-Man around, she feared no one.
Well, except that other black Spider-Man.
But Gwen had perished with Mary Jane, so Carol feared no one present.
Carter caught her provocative signal.
Sizing up Carol, Carter's lips curled.
She stood slowly. Steve quickly handed her the shield.
"Go easy. If you break her, we might have to cover her medical bills."
Steve whispered, then scurried away.
Tony, watching, grew thoughtful.
Leaning toward Steve, he asked, "You sure Captain Carter can take Captain Marvel?"
Steve shrugged. "I'd say it's a fifty-fifty shot."
"Isn't that Little Spider's nickname for you?"
"I dropped it long ago. That nickname's for someone who needs it."
Steve looked at Carter, seeing his younger self.
"Iceblock's a lame name. I'm passing Fifty-Fifty Captain to her," he said generously.
Tony considered, then gave Steve a middle finger.
Steve calmly pressed it down, forcing up Tony's thumb.
"Next time you pick the wrong finger, I'll snap it," he said coolly.
Tony turned away. "We'll see."
Instantly, a massive explosion rocked the room.
Boom!!
Glass shattered as Carol, wrapped in cosmic energy, was blasted back.
The group stared at Carter, eyes wide.
"Your body…"
Felicia gaped at the golden energy radiating from Carter.
"Your powers… they've been enhanced?"
Tony was equally stunned.
They'd all been through one Resurrection Match, gaining some powers.
But compared to Carter, who'd survived multiple matches, they paled.
This time, her powers had undergone a qualitative leap.
One punch sending Carol flying proved it.
The next moment, Carol surged back, cosmic energy blazing. Carter raised her shield and charged.
"Peggy Carter, I was careless before. Now I won't—"
Carol's taunt was cut off as Carter hurled her shield.
Buzz~
Boom!!
The shield let out a faint hum, crossing the void to smash Carol's face.
"No~"
Bang!!
In the sky, a brilliant streak shot from Sky Island, crashing into the city's coast, kicking up massive waves.
Boom~~
A golden mini-sun twisted space, sinking into the sea. Waves erupted, cosmic rays sliced the ocean, and the shield's hum raised a massive disc-shaped wave, crushing down in a spectacle that left Tony and the others awestruck.
Splash~~
As the sea boiled, Tony clapped instinctively. "A fight between two women—truly spectacular."
"I love watching women fight," Steve said, tearing open a bag of chips.
Felicia glanced at him. "That's something Spider-Man loves."
"If Little Spider likes it, I like it."
"Me too."
Magic sparks flickered, and Charlie returned to SHIELD.
At the island's edge, he peered at the battle below, grabbing a stool.
"What's going on?"
Taking chips from Steve, he asked with interest.
Steve shrugged. "While you were gone, Carol forgot Spider-Man exists."
"Oh, got it."
Charlie munched, nodding at the flashy battle.
"Not bad, not bad. Dear Captain Carter's come a long way, holding her own against Marvel Ma'am. But she's just shy of the mark. This round's about fifty-fifty!" he critiqued.
Steve rolled up his sleeves.
"Only fifty-fifty? No way. That woman's gotta leave Earth, or her smug face will keep bugging me."
He leaped down, his body erupting in golden lightning.
Zzzzt~
Boom!!
A thunderous roar, and golden lightning shot into the sea, followed by Carol's furious bellow.
"We said one-on-one!"
"Right, you're one-on-one with us."
"Jerk—"
"Shut it!"
The chaotic sea battle soon calmed. Outmatched, Carol fled in disgrace.
As Carter and Steve returned to Sky Island, Charlie pointed at the black cloud in the sky.
"What's that?"
"We don't know."
Carter shook her head. "Gwen sealed Mary Jane inside, then vanished with her."
Tony added, "I scanned it. There's some dark energy-like substance with life signs. I think they're alive."
Charlie grew thoughtful.
"So that's their 'mutual destruction'? Better than I expected!"
He studied the cloud, catching glimpses of blood-red, silk-like material. On closer inspection, it looked familiar.
The dark elves' Reality Stone!
Charlie realized.
Mary Jane's rampage was tied to the Reality Stone.
But how did she get it?
Unable to figure it out, he pushed the question aside.
The priority was breaking the cloud.
He reached toward the sun, stellar energy surging into him, his body glowing with golden threads.
With the Resurrection Match's bonus, his stellar energy conversion spiked. Without the Necrosword, he could unleash comparable power, his strength multiplied several times over.
Buzz~
Charlie became a mini-sun, shooting skyward, distorting light around him. The city's sky was dominated by his radiance.
Citizens below gasped.
"What's that?"
"Oh my gosh, a second sun!"
"Look, the sun exploded!"
"My God, it turned into a spider web!"
"It's Spider-Man! It's gotta be him!"
"He hasn't shown up in ages."
Boom~~
Under countless shocked gazes, the golden sun exploded into a massive golden web, enveloping the black cloud. A tiny figure dragged the entire cloud toward SHIELD.
"No way? When did he learn that?" Carter's mouth twitched.
At the prison, Ophelia saw this through the glass, barely containing her excitement.
"He's even more perfect. I must have him!"
…
Tokyo ruins. A white-haired old man huddled in a corner.
Workers busied with rebuilding, but his gaze was fixed on New York.
He sensed a powerful energy—energy that could help him.
Without hesitation, he leaped into the sea.
In the water, the white-haired beast erupted with force, sending waves crashing.
Splash!!
"Ah!! Run, there's a monster in the sea!"
Onlookers fled in panic.
…
Meanwhile, Charlie returned to SHIELD with a basketball-sized web bundle.
He'd compressed the entire black cloud into it.
Thud~
He tossed the web onto the table, scanning the room.
"I want to break this black thing without harming those inside. Any ideas?"
Tony stroked his chin. "I'm good with tech, not mystical magic."
"Got it."
Charlie crossed a portal with the cloud.
Kamar-Taj.
In the attic, the Ancient One studied the web-bound cloud, frowning.
"The Reality Stone, a dark elf artifact. Where'd you get it?" she asked.
Charlie shrugged. "It just showed up."
Puzzled, he added, "It was in New York. You didn't notice?"
The Ancient One shook her head. "I was off studying magic. Just got back."
"Studying magic?"
Charlie's curiosity piqued. "What magic? Where? Who set it up?"
Still eyeing the Reality Stone, she replied without turning, "It's required for every Sorcerer Supreme."
Charlie nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Do you all meet at fixed times too?"
"How'd you know?" The Ancient One turned, surprised.
Charlie: "…"
The corrupt winds had reached the mystic arts.
No wonder she always wanted to retire.