Charlie returned to his web hammock once more, only to find it had been half-dissolved.
At the same time, parts of the surrounding ruins inexplicably vanished.
Elioth's "digestion" system worked in erratic bursts, like a malfunctioning engine.
Nothing could remain here forever.
Except for Charlie.
Glancing down at the glowing spider totem on his chest, Charlie rubbed his chin, eyes deep in thought.
Nova and Pharaoh Kang were dealt with, but escaping was the real issue.
Charlie pondered for a moment before a plan formed.
Call for help from the outside! Yes, the invincible Spider-Man wasn't defeated, just trapped—so no shame in that.
With a flicker of thought, Charlie focused, his hands forming a seal to unleash a spider totem.
Elioth could devour time and matter, but it couldn't consume totem power.
This showed Elioth's devouring ability had limits.
Though the magical energy borrowed through totem power would be consumed, the skills rewarded from the Resurrection Match didn't fully rely on the spider totem. It was worth a shot.
Buzz~
Sure enough, the spider totem flared with light, and a model of the ruins surged upward. From it, a figure rapidly took shape under Charlie's summons.
A reward skill from a past Resurrection Match: Spider-Man's Friendship, randomly summoning a Spider-Man!
Buzz~
Soon, the solidifying figure began striking poses.
"The man summoned to an unknown dimension, Spider-Man!"
"Stop posing, look to your left."
"Nani?"
Takuya Yamashiro jumped, startled. Seeing Charlie, he let out a relieved breath.
"Where've you been? Everyone's looking for you," he said.
Charlie shrugged. "Inside Elioth's body. I need your help."
"Inside that big guy's body?"
Takuya scratched his head. "It's all black mist in there. How'd you get in?"
"Got swallowed."
"But we went inside its body too and didn't find a world like this."
"That's not important. What matters is you listen to me. Go out and tell them—"
One minute later.
"And that's the plan. Got it?" Charlie concluded.
Takuya, half-understanding, scratched his head. "Really? You can use totem power like that?"
"Trust me, it'll work," Charlie said with absolute certainty.
Takuya nodded. "Alright, I'll remember. But how do I get ba—"
Before he could finish, Charlie abruptly dispelled the spider totem, and Takuya blinked back to the ruins outside.
"Takumi, where'd you just go?"
Wade asked curiously, the others looking thoughtful.
Takuya side-eyed Wade. "It's Takuya, not Takumi."
"But the invincible Spider-Man called you Takumi, so you must be Takumi."
"I don't race cars or sell tofu!"
Takuya glared, unwilling to waste time explaining to a comedic character like Wade.
He gathered the Spider-Men and relayed Charlie's words.
Soon, they turned to the massive creature in the distance, realization dawning.
"It turned into this because it swallowed Charlie?"
"It's not moving. Must be indigestion."
"Or something else."
"Either way, saving Charlie comes first."
"Agreed."
After some discussion, they joined hands, encircling the colossal Elioth.
Supreme Peter floated high above, hands forming seals to release a surge of magical energy.
The next moment, a spider totem peeled from his body.
Guided by the totem, every Spider-Man felt something stir within them.
Finally, Gwen's spider totem sparked with faint light, materializing before them.
One by one, more Spider-Men saw their own spider totems emerge.
"Oh my gosh, is this the spider totem hidden in our bodies?"
"First time I've seen something like this!"
"It's beautiful. Amazing!"
"Sh*t, this thing's the reason for our miserable fates. If I could, I'd give it to you, my friend."
"No thanks. One's bad enough."
"I heard Charlie has a bunch."
"He's got ten. I saw them."
"No, eleven. His spider totem's been upgraded."
"From what I've seen, he gets a new one every time he dies."
"Ugh, what a awful setup. That must suck."
"Not really. His Gwen and Mary Jane are still alive. One guy gets a whole Uncle Ben to himself. I'm so jealous."
"Maybe we shouldn't save him."
"Good idea."
"No way!"
Wade suddenly barged into the Spider-Men's group chat, wailing as he shook Thor Peter's shoulders. "You can't! You have to save him! He's my idol, my favorite! If you don't, I'll crawl into your bodies, so figure it out!"
Thor Peter: "…"
Under Wade's threat, he caved.
"I was just kidding," he said, forcing a strained smile.
Wade thanked him, playfully patting his backside. "I'll reward you tonight."
"No!"
Thor Peter's face darkened instantly.
Why did Deadpool treat them differently, even among Spider-Men?
Something was definitely up!
He was sure of it.
Thor Peter's mind raced with theories.
Meanwhile, the Spider-Men's totems glowed, forming a dazzling magical array in the sky.
Buzz~
Under Supreme Peter's control, the totem array spun clockwise, its power completely enveloping the massive Elioth.
Elioth remained rigid. Inside, Charlie saw faint, shimmering totems in the sky, signaling the outside was in motion.
Without hesitation, he unleashed all his spider totems, forming an array that spun counterclockwise.
Buzz~
Instantly, the opposing totem arrays churned the void, exploiting Elioth's inability to devour totems to pierce the dimensional barrier, opening a channel between Elioth's body and the void world.
It was Charlie's idea, and it worked well.
Boom~~
As everything around Charlie began to disintegrate, the world teetering on collapse, the two totem arrays slowly drilled a tiny, nearly invisible breach in the barrier.
As the void world connected with Elioth's interior, the disintegration around Charlie halted.
He saw a glimmer of escape.
But before he could act, his spider-sense screamed a frantic warning.
"Something's wrong!"
Charlie's heart jolted. His body grew heavy, weakness seeping in.
His spider totems flickered unstably, a familiar scene making him realize what was happening.
Along with Elioth came not just Spider-Men, but… parasites from the Web of Life and Destiny!
Clank clank clank~
As chains rattled, Charlie looked down to see his body bound by eerie restraints.
At the breach to the void world, strange chains morphed into an infinitely long leech, propping open the crumbling gap. Leech totems surged from the undissolved ruins, racing toward the breach.
"Hahaha, found you, pathetic bugs!"
"Hahaha, tonight's hunting night!"
"Our feast has arrived!"
"Go! Hunt the Spider-Men to your heart's content!"
In an instant, over a dozen figures shot through the breach, descending into the void world.
The Inheritors' aura spread, and every spider totem faced its fated predator, shrinking back into their Spider-Men's bodies, dormant.
The Spider-Men sensed the dangerous aura from these newcomers and launched fierce attacks without hesitation.
"It's the Morlun Family! They're finally here!"
"Take down these vampires and end Spider-Man's fate!"
"Charge!"
Superior Peter became a bolt of lightning, flashing behind an Inheritor.
"Oh~ A Spider-Man with built-in electricity."
The pale-faced man smirked, dodging the lightning with a slight tilt, as if he'd anticipated it.
Zzt zzt~
In a flash, Superior Peter and his foe passed each other, shock on his face.
"What?"
Besides Charlie, he couldn't imagine anyone reading his moves so easily.
Before he could react, the vampire's pale hand shot out, grabbing Superior Peter's ankle mid-arc with pinpoint precision.
Like a vice, the hand locked him in place, no matter how he struggled.
The man sneered. "Pathetic bugs. Your attack patterns are as predictable as ever. We've seen through you long ago."
He bared sharp fangs, an irresistible suction enveloping Superior Peter, draining his totem power.
"No!!"
Superior Peter cried out. The next moment, a shockwave from a massive blow sent the vampire flying. First-Gen Peter caught the free-falling Superior Peter.
"Hey, you okay?" First-Gen Peter asked.
Superior Peter, still shaken, said, "Not bad. Heart's racing a bit."
He glanced at their current position.
"Peter, you didn't have to princess-carry me."
"Sorry, I thought you all liked that."
"I take back what I said."
"What?"
"I wasn't actually flustered."
"I'm glad you weren't. That'd be gross."
"Agreed."
"Stop flirting and help!"
Nearby, Wade clung to an Inheritor's leg with all his might, refusing to let go even as the enemy's claws stabbed into his head repeatedly.
"Help me! I can't hold on much longer!!"
Blood-soaked and screaming, Wade was a mess. First-Gen Peter and the others rushed in.
Facing the charging Spider-Men, the vampire with Wade on his leg sneered. "Heh, pathetic bugs. You can't win like this!"
With that, he snapped Wade's neck and raised a hand, unleashing his leech totem.
Buzz~~
A gray totem surged, and the charging Spider-Men felt dread and overwhelming weakness. The vampire seized the moment.
"Die!!"
Grinning wickedly, he swung his claws, but a black blur dropped from the sky.
Roar!!
Splurch!!
Blood sprayed as the Black Death Sword pierced the vampire's body, pinning him to the ground. Gwen landed, grabbed the hilt, and swept the blade, slicing the frozen vampire in half.
Bang~
As the vampire's remains hit the ground, the other Inheritors hunting Spider-Men turned to Gwen.
"Wow, interesting one."
"She's the one."
"She must be the tastiest."
"Kill!"
Boom!!
Sonic booms erupted as the Inheritors surged toward Gwen.
But before they could reach her, an overwhelming drowsiness swept over them.
"No, why am I so sleepy~"
A fat vampire collapsed, fast asleep. His companions stumbled and passed out.
As the Inheritors fell, the surrounding Spider-Men also slipped into slumber.
Clearly, Mary Jane hadn't fully mastered her powers.
Soon, a "revived" Wade stood, scratching his head at the sleeping crowd.
"Performance art? Guess I'll join in."
With that, he rolled his eyes and collapsed, forcing himself into the Spider-Men's dreamscape.
…
Inside Elioth's body.
The breach to the void world was fully stabilized, the chains binding Charlie tightening.
Clank clank~
A cold man in a brown trench coat stepped from the ruins.
He looked at Charlie like an ant, his eyes full of disdain.
"I heard… they call you the invincible Spider-Man?"
The man approached slowly, showing no intent to join the outside battle.
Charlie glanced at his attire, smirking. "That outfit fits this place perfectly. Is your world some kind of wasteland?"
The man shook his head. "I don't know what a wasteland is, but I know you're a waste."
He stopped in front of Charlie, studying him.
"A bug with eleven spider totems. You're mine."
He reached out, leech totems crawling onto Charlie's body, recklessly draining his totem power.
Charlie stayed calm.
He let his totem power be siphoned, casually introducing himself.
"I'm Charlie, Charlie Parker. You seem like their leader. Got a name?"
"Jennix."
"Wow, you're cool!"
"You're about to die, so I won't stop you from talking."
Jennix's gaze remained cold. "Spider-Men are the chattiest bugs. I've hunted countless Spider-Men. I'm used to it."
Charlie grinned. "Good, that puts me at ease. You're different from the Inheritors I've killed. I like your tolerance, so I've decided not to kill you. It'd be a hassle for me anyway.
Don't look at me like that. You know the invincible Spider-Man keeps his word. But one question: is this all of you? Oh, you don't have to answer. I see it in your eyes.
That's bad news. If you vampires aren't all together, I can't take you out in one go. What a shame."
"Enough nonsense."
Jennix cut off Charlie's chatter, his face darkening. "Trash talks trash. I'm waiting for you to take us down."
Charlie's eyes lit up. "You said it. Here we go. Don't blink."
"Hmph, I won't—What is this?!"
"Spider-Man and the Inheritors' Death Game."
"No!!"