"Hey, Mr. Batman up there, stop posing all cool. I've got your delivery… ugh, I mean takeout. Come down and grab it!"
Below the tower, the exceptional delivery guy shouted up. Hearing the voice, Bruce Wayne froze for a moment.
He leaned out, eyeing the delivery guy below, his brow furrowing.
"I didn't order takeout."
"I know. It's a beef pizza, courtesy of Spider-Man."
"Spider-Man?"
Bruce Wayne paused again.
He pulled a bill from his pocket, attached it to a batarang, and flung it down, landing precisely at the delivery guy's feet.
"Keep the change. It's dangerous here. Drop the pizza and leave," Bruce said, turning back to admire the moonlight.
A pizza to win over Batman? What a joke.
"Whoa, so cool."
Wearing his helmet, Charlie picked up the batarang, pocketing the bill.
"Nice. Delivery job's done. Time to clock out."
He leisurely parked his motorcycle in a corner, then started counting the cash from his pocket.
"Ten, twenty, fifty, hundred, hundred twenty…"
Noticing Charlie's actions, Bruce Wayne looked down again.
"It's dangerous here. You need to leave now," he warned again.
Charlie looked up with a grin. "Sorry, gotta settle today's accounts."
"You can do that at home."
"Nope. Landlord's on my case for rent."
"I'll pay you."
"Really?"
Charlie reached toward the tower. "Alright, I'm in."
Bruce Wayne: "…"
He wasn't short on cash, but he'd never met someone this broke—and so shameless about it.
Just as he was about to "pay up," something felt off.
His expression shifted, and he fired a grapple, swinging down.
"Whoa, Mr. Batman, you're hand-delivering the cash? I'm flattered."
Charlie rubbed his hands, expecting a windfall, but Bruce Wayne's eyes narrowed. In a flash, he rushed forward, throwing Charlie over his shoulder onto the ground.
"Wait, what are you doing? I'll scream!"
Charlie yelped as Bruce tore open his delivery uniform, revealing a spider-web-patterned undersuit.
Bruce's lips curled slightly. "As expected, Spider-Man."
Caught, Charlie dropped the act.
He stood up. "Fine, I'm Spider-Man."
The moment he removed his helmet, nanometal coated his head.
Glowing blue triangular eyes lit up the darkness. Bruce Wayne stepped back, his gaze sharpening.
"Good. You're here. Let the duel begin!"
Meanwhile, the Grandmaster, observing from afar, sighed in relief as Spider-Man appeared.
"That's his style. He's here."
Nova's face remained cold. "What's the point of all this?"
"No point at all," Kang the Conqueror said. "We've studied plenty of Spider-Men. This guy's the most boring bug, bar none."
Jennix, listening, grew uneasy.
"If I consume him, will I end up as dull and awkward as him?"
"Absolutely. You'd be completely tainted."
"Then I'll still eat him. It's the price of power."
"That's the spirit."
As they chatted, Diana and the others focused their attention.
"He's here."
"That's Spider-Man?"
Clark looked puzzled. "Feels like the guy who delivered your takeout." He glanced at Diana.
Diana's face was blank. "Did you see his face?" She pointed toward the tower.
Clark shook his head. "No."
Normally, he wouldn't use his x-ray vision to spy on people.
Of course, had he known this was Spider-Man, he'd have done it.
But Spider-Man's bio-field made it hard to see through anyway.
As the duel began below, strange noises sent the reporters outside into a frenzy.
"I hear fighting!"
"It's Spider-Man!"
"Oh my gosh, we've got to get this on camera!"
The reporters shoved toward the tower, while the two below traded probing blows.
Bang bang bang!
BOOM!
A black iron fist smashed through the air, hitting a wall. As debris flew, Charlie dodged, shooting webbing to swing to a higher building.
Swish!
Clinging to the wall, Charlie looked down at Batman. "Shouldn't we bow to each other before a duel?"
"No need."
Bruce advanced coldly, hurling batarangs while his wrist armor clicked, deploying advanced laser devices.
Shing!
Zzzzt!
Instantly, black batarangs whirled, and lasers sliced through the wall Charlie clung to.
Charlie leaped, firing spatial webbing to climb higher.
"Whoa, it's Spider-Man!"
"My God, he's flying?"
"Is someone pulling his webbing?"
"Incredible. Never seen anything like it."
Reporters snapped photos, while Bruce, unable to hit Spider-Man, aimed his weapons at the bug in the sky.
"All you do is run?"
BOOM!
A micro-missile exploded in the night sky, fireworks blooming. Behind Bruce, magical sparks flared.
Buzz!
Bruce, as if expecting it, spun around.
BOOM!
His fist roared, kicking up a wave of dust and sand.
As the dust settled, both stood, fists raised, eyes locked, invisible sparks clashing in the void.
"Spider-Man, you're holding back," Bruce said, eyes narrowing.
Charlie grinned. "Of course. Unless you want me to kill you."
"Try it."
A glint flashed in Bruce's eyes as he activated his real weapons.
Click!
The tower trembled, countless gun barrels emerging from the walls.
Zzzzt!
BOOM!
Lasers swept wildly. Charlie stopped holding back, his eyes blazing with heat vision that tore through the night, shattering the tower's lasers and slicing the structure in half.
Crack crack!
CRASH!
As the tower collapsed, debris rained down, smashing the ground.
"Damn it!"
Facing Spider-Man's terrifying power for the first time, Bruce cursed under his breath, activating his armor to flee.
BOOM!
The tower crumbled into ruins. The invincible Spider-Man soared, landing on his spatial web.
Charlie looked down at the fleeing Bruce, arms crossed. "In the DC universe, there's a saying: don't pick a fight with Batman.
In the movies, Superman tried and died.
Now, Spider-Man's trying.
Not just trying—but doing it in style!"
With a thought, Charlie drew a portal and stepped through.
The next second, as Bruce reached the Batmobile, a chill ran down his spine. His vehicle was sliced into pieces by nearly invisible webbing.
"What?"
BOOM!
Under the web trap, the Batmobile shattered like tofu. The explosion threw Bruce into a low wall.
CRASH!
The wall crumbled, burying Bruce in rubble.
"Cough cough… too strong…"
Buried in debris, Bruce coughed, pain searing through him despite his armor.
Based on Spider-Man's past displays, this was less than a tenth of the power that destroyed a Kryptonian ship.
Struggling to his feet, Bruce staggered, then saw Spider-Man emerging from the flames.
The fire warped Bruce's vision, making Spider-Man's figure flicker.
In that moment, Bruce truly felt Spider-Man's overwhelming presence.
Like a mountain—or an intangible, primal fear.
He was like a god!
Yes, Spider-Man was a god. An invincible god.
Even Kryptonian warriors couldn't defeat him.
No one could beat Spider-Man, not even the Dark Knight.
Bruce's mind reeled.
Meanwhile, the Grandmaster, watching, smirked.
"What a predictable fight."
Kang shook his head. "Batman's just lucky. Otherwise, he's just a slightly smarter mortal."
"No, a rich mortal," Nova quipped.
Jennix frowned. "Something's off. If Batman's this weak, that bug wouldn't bother with the challenge."
The Grandmaster's eyes widened. "You're right. If Batman wasn't a worthy opponent, that bug wouldn't give him the time of day."
He slapped his forehead. "I get it. He's using Batman to bait us."
"Us?"
Kang started. "He's already figured out it's us?"
Nova rolled her eyes. "You're giving that bug too much credit."
"You don't get it."
The Grandmaster's face grew serious. "I've said it before: in this game, Spider-Man's invincible. Countless have died proving it."
"So what?" Nova crossed her arms. "We keep going?"
"No way."
The Grandmaster's expression hardened. "Let the others test that bug first."
"The others?"
"Yeah, the ones who hate Spider-Man more than we do."
"More than you, not me," Nova scoffed. "He beat me with dirty tricks. That bug doesn't deserve to be a superhero."
Kang glanced at her. "A win's a win, a loss is a loss. The how doesn't matter. Get that through your head."
Nova sneered. "You guys love deluding yourselves, don't you?"
"I'm not arguing with you. I've already lost once," Kang said, unbothered by Nova's disrespect. He was certain she'd never get a second chance at life.
…
On the other side, Diana and Gwen exchanged glances, then looked at Clark.
"Why're you looking at me?" Clark asked, confused.
"You didn't catch that?" Diana asked.
"I'm filming."
"Your lens cap's on."
"Oh, sorry."
Clark fumbled with his camera, then edged away. "I'll check the other side. Better view."
As Clark left, Gwen turned to Mary Jane. "Anything?"
Mary Jane closed her eyes, sensing with her dream powers. "I feel the Inheritors. They're grouped together."
Gwen frowned. "They're not our target."
Mary Jane opened her eyes. "Kryptonians have bio-fields. You know I can only do so much."
"Fine."
…
At the duel site, Charlie stepped toward the rubble-bound Batman, blue eyes igniting with fiery heat, ready to strike again.
"Mr. Batman, if you don't play your trump card, you might just die!"
"Damn it."
His plan exposed, Batman's face darkened.
He'd been prepared all along!
But no matter. He was confident he could take Spider-Man down.
Taking a deep breath, his eyes burned with resolve.
"I am justice, the embodiment of darkness.
I am the guardian of the night.
I am Batman.
Spider-Man, you make me fear. So now, I'll make you fear me as I fear you."
"Oh, that's awful dialogue."
As Charlie facepalmed, a hidden electromagnetic net shot out, weaving into a massive web in the air, leaving no gaps, determined to trap the bug.
Charlie glanced at the giant net. "Catching a spider with a net? Creative imagination."
He casually shot webbing, pulling a corner of the net to him.
Zzzzt!
Bang!
With a twist of his hands, Charlie crumpled the net into a ball and tossed it aside.
Bruce's expression didn't change. He retreated, activating more pre-set traps.
BOOM!
The ground collapsed, flames surging upward.
Yet in the sea of fire, Spider-Man stood unshaken.
The flames were nothing to Charlie.
BOOM!
With a clap of his hands, a shockwave extinguished the fire.
Whoosh!
The wind roared, fluttering Bruce's cape.
Shocked, he pressed on with his plan.
The reporters were losing it.
The violent spectacle thrilled them. Forgetting the veteran hero Batman, they aimed their lenses at Spider-Man, as if this wasn't a duel but his solo show.
As time ticked by, the ruins kept exploding. Batman exhausted every trap, yet none dealt real damage to Spider-Man.
Just when everyone thought Batman was out of options…
Click!
Charlie, closing in, stepped on something.
Instantly, a sharp pain shot through his foot. Weakness flooded him, his powers fading, his body trembling.
His breathing grew heavy, and he sank to one knee.
"This is…"
Charlie looked down, spotting a green glow beneath the rubble.
"Kryptonite!"
His eyes flickered as he clutched his forehead.
"Never fight Batman."
Now it was Bruce's turn to gloat.
He strode to Charlie, towering over his once-mighty foe, and swung a fist at his head.
Bang!
The ground trembled as Charlie barely blocked the iron fist, his arm shaking.
"Hm?"
Surprised his punch was caught, Bruce looked shocked.
"Not bad. Still fighting back after a kryptonite hit."
He pulled back, waiting for the kryptonite to finish Spider-Man.
The reporters, confused, whispered among themselves. Charlie seized the moment to ask, "How'd you do it?"
"You mean how you stepped right into my trap?"
Bruce said coldly, "All the earlier traps were decoys. I knew Spider-Man's strength, so everything led to this final step.
I planned it all."
His tone softened. "You're strong. Hopelessly strong.
The Kryptonian warriors are gone. The only one worthy of facing you now is that guy."
That guy—Superman.
Charlie listened quietly, then asked, "I can't even predict my own moves. How'd you?"
Bruce explained, "I have a sharp mind, the world's best computers, perfect planning, and a serious approach to enemies.
Unlike you, who got cocky with power and lost caution against weaker foes.
Spider-Man, your arrogance is why you failed."
Seeing Spider-Man weaken further, Bruce prepared to send the bug to meet Jesus.
As his massive fist swung, Charlie's lips curled.
The weakness was a ruse. The real players were about to show.
He wasn't even half-Kryptonian. Kryptonite barely fazed him.
Sure enough, before the fist landed, a red-and-blue blur flashed by, snatching the overconfident Batman.
BOOM!
A loud crash. The reporters gasped.
"Look, what's that?!"
"It's Superman!"
"Superman's here!"
"Superman's helping Spider-Man!"
In the crowd's excited gazes, a man in a red-and-blue mask stepped from the rubble, holding a battered Batman, his red cape fluttering, his chiseled muscles brimming with power.
"Hey, Spider-Man, you remember me," Clark said with a smile.
Seeing Clark, Charlie was dumbfounded.
"Wait, you? And what's with the mask?"
He was genuinely confused.
Clark wasn't the guy he'd expected.
And why the mask?
Superman shouldn't be like this!
Charlie slapped his forehead, realizing something.
He'd once urged Clark to mask up to save his dad.
So… he'd been like this ever since?
Realizing he'd led Clark astray, Charlie felt guilty.
But Clark's arrival didn't derail his plan.
Buzz!
A laser shot from the sky, striking the green glow in the rubble.
BOOM!
The kryptonite weapon shattered, twin beams of light bursting in the night.
"Damn bug, thanks for smashing the kryptonite. Now let's settle our score."
A commanding presence descended. Charlie grinned.
"Well, well, General Zod!"
His gaze swept over Zod, now a contestant, and landed on Fiora beside him.
"Perfect. I'll take you both out at once."
Charlie stood, clapping his hands.
One hand on his hip, he pointed at them.
"Alright, let's count your sins!"