"Ever since we arrived on Earth, we've stayed hidden from human sight. We haven't done anything wrong," Fiora began, trying to explain.
Zod's face darkened. "Fiora, why are you explaining yourself to this bug?"
Fiora thought for a moment. "My mistake."
Her expression hardened, and she shot toward Charlie like a cannonball.
BOOM!
Like a thunderclap, Charlie was hurled into the church by Fiora's explosive force.
CRASH!
The church shook, debris scattering everywhere.
Seeing Spider-Man attacked again, Clark barely had time to react. He started to set Bruce Wayne down to assist, but Bruce's specially designed cuffs snapped onto his wrists.
Click!
"Superman, you think you're a god?" Bruce sneered, breaking free from Clark's grip with a roll to the side.
He quickly summoned a new Batmobile, with no intention of sticking around.
Bruce's mind was in chaos.
The intelligence he'd spent a fortune on was wrong.
Spider-Man's enemies weren't dead.
The Kryptonian warriors weren't dead.
The two strongest Kryptonians weren't dead.
It was all a lie.
He'd been played.
No, he'd never touched the truth.
But he'd seen the Kryptonian ship explode…
No time to think. Bruce vanished into the darkness.
Neither Clark nor Zod paid attention to the fleeing Batman.
To them, Batman's power was insignificant.
Clark easily snapped the cuffs, his gaze on Zod complex.
The Kryptonian ship explosion years ago had drawn global attention.
As a "human" with superpowers, he'd explored the Antarctic crash site.
There, he found a suit and uncovered the truth in the wreckage.
He wasn't human—he was Kryptonian.
That explained his superhuman strength.
More importantly, he learned the Kryptonians' true purpose on Earth.
To terraform it for Kryptonian survival, wiping out humanity.
Clark was Kryptonian, so that was his duty too.
But raised by his adoptive parents, he identified more as human.
He couldn't destroy humanity.
Spider-Man had defeated every Kryptonian except him, sparing Clark the identity crisis.
But now, Kryptonians were back.
The man before him radiated power, stirring Clark's blood with a strange familiarity.
He knew this Kryptonian was connected to him.
Zod, meanwhile, studied Clark with satisfaction, ignoring Fiora's fight with Spider-Man.
Without kryptonite, Spider-Man stood no chance against Fiora.
He was confident.
Stepping forward, he clapped Clark's shoulder.
Clark didn't resist.
"Who are you?" Clark stared into Zod's eyes.
Zod smiled. "I'm Zod, your father's best friend."
"My father…"
Clark's expression grew complicated. He knew Zod meant Jor-El, not his adoptive father, Jonathan.
"How are you… alive?"
Clark asked, "You were supposed to be dead."
"It's complicated."
Zod didn't reveal the truth. He trusted no one—not Fiora, not Clark.
"Kal, I need your help."
His tone grew serious, eyes locked on Clark. "I need you. Krypton needs you. Together, we'll defeat Spider-Man and restore Krypton's glory!"
"I…"
Clark shook his head. "Krypton's gone. And I won't fight Spider-Man. He saved my father."
Zod's eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing. "You know?"
His smile faded, his gaze cold. "Fine. Since you've figured it out, you'll treat me as an enemy, right?"
Clark hesitated. "Actually…"
Before he could explain, Zod's next words ignited Clark's rage.
"Yes, that bug saved your father. Jor-El wanted to give you the Codex's power, sending you away from doomed Krypton. He had no intention of helping me save Krypton by seizing power. So I killed him."
"What?!"
Clark's eyes widened.
"You—"
"I'm not wrong!" Zod cut him off coldly. "That bug saved baby you and your father. But he left too soon, and I found my chance.
Jor-El died by my hand. He didn't deserve to be Kryptonian.
And you, Kal-El, are just like him. You don't see Krypton as home. You deserve to die.
If you want to stop me, then you should—"
"Die!!"
Zod's final word unleashed Clark's roar.
"You did it!!"
BOOM!
A furious shout sent shockwaves rippling. Clark's massive fist struck, blasting Zod through a skyscraper.
CRASH!
SHATTER!
Inside the building, Zod steadied himself with a stomp.
Clark soared in, and Zod snorted, blocking his enraged punch.
BOOM!
The collision shook the building again.
Debris rained from the ceiling, but neither cared.
Zod frowned at the furious Clark. "You didn't know?"
"Now I do."
Clark swung again, a red heat beam piercing the building.
BOOM!
Zod's heat vision blasted Clark back to the building's base.
Having easily repelled Clark, Zod's face darkened.
He'd been careless.
No, he'd been stupid.
Clark hadn't known the truth. Zod had spilled it all.
That one sentence had misled him.
Now, Clark was an enemy. That bug's luck was unreal.
As he thought, the ceiling collapsed, and Fiora crashed through, landing before Zod.
"What?"
Seeing Fiora, bloodied and battered, Zod was stunned.
Could it be…
"Hey, yep, that was me."
A red-and-blue figure dropped, stomping Fiora's head.
"Jerk!!"
Humiliated, Fiora struggled, but Charlie's strength left her no chance.
As she thrashed, Zod's expression grew grim.
"Spider-Man, you've gotten stronger," he said, clenching his fists.
Charlie shrugged. "Thanks to you guys."
His upgraded stellar energy absorption made him nearly as strong as Superman under enough starlight, easily outmatching Zod and crushing Fiora.
More importantly, the invincible Spider-Man didn't win by raw strength alone.
Beyond Superman's steel body, he was a sorcerer, Spider-Man, friendly neighborhood hero, healthy guy, top student, charming young man, Earth's king, the man Carter could never have, the perfect husband Ophelia drooled over, the boyfriend Gwen and Mary Jane fought for, Deadpool's unrequited love, the bug villains loved and hated, a knockoff Ultraman, the central universe's pillar, and a cheat code incarnate…
That's why he dared use Batman's challenge to draw out Zod and Fiora.
Dealing with the tough ones left fewer problems.
But fewer problems were still problems.
He pressed harder, burying Fiora's head deeper into the rubble.
Fiora cursed, and Zod's eyes glowed red.
Zzzzt!
Instantly, Zod and the invincible Spider-Man unleashed heat vision. The searing beams clashed, warping space. Nearby concrete glowed red, melting into molten slag.
Crack crack!
BOOM!
The building's supports gave way, and it collapsed.
"Oh my gosh!"
"Run!!"
Reporters fled in panic.
A sandstorm of dust swept the streets, engulfing the ruins.
From a distant skyscraper, the Grandmaster clapped, laughing. "Nice. Spider-Man's stronger. The game's getting fun."
Kang frowned. "Destroying a building's normal for that bug. How do you know he's stronger?"
"Gamer's intuition."
Nova sneered, arms crossed. "That's nothing. Without the Phoenix Force, I'd toy with him till he's dead."
Jennix puffed his chest. "Spider-Man's not the strong one. Without his friends, I'd have taken him out."
Seeing their arrogance, the Grandmaster shook his head.
"Have you ever faced that bug head-on?" he asked.
Jennix and Nova exchanged glances.
"No, he never had a chance."
"He set traps."
"So, never?"
The Grandmaster smiled. "Truth is, you didn't lose unfairly. If that bug gets serious, you wouldn't be here."
They stared at each other.
"You know what you're saying?" Nova scoffed.
Jennix trusted his leech totem.
Seeing their lack of caution, the Grandmaster sighed.
"Teammates like you are hopeless."
As he muttered, a massive explosion erupted from the dust-covered ruins.
BOOM!
A black shadow shot out—Fiora's body, pierced by heat vision.
Zod roared, flashing into the sky, but magical sparks followed, giving him no time to react.
Zzzzt!
BOOM!
Heat vision and web beams swept the night, their heat painting the clouds red.
Under the fiery sky, Zod, battered by punches, unleashed his rage, his red beams slashing the night.
Zzzzt!
Zzzzt zzzzt!
Eleven red-and-blue figures burst through the void, all firing heat vision. Surrounding Zod, they unleashed torrents of energy, their beams forming a miniature sun, warping space with unbearable heat as Zod's screams echoed.
"No!!"
"Impossible, you were hit by kryptonite…"
Before Zod could finish, light flashed. A thousand-meter-tall red-and-blue giant emerged from the fiery clouds, its massive hand descending.
"General, goodbye!"
"No—"
BOOM!!!
The giant hand erupted in flames, crushing Zod into oblivion.
Shatter!
Debris rained down. Clark, in the ruins, stared at the now-calm sky.
His expression was heavy.
The last of his kind was gone.
He was the only Kryptonian again.
He'd accepted this years ago.
Reliving it now, the sorrow was less.
The reporters, meanwhile, frantically filmed the giant, their eyes filled with awe, fear, and…
He was a god!
Spider-Man was a god!
Only a god could wield such power!
"My God, Spider-Man's invincible!"
"His title is 'Invincible.' The Invincible Spider-Man."
"No one can beat him."
"Weird, why's he posing with one hand on his hip and a raised fist?"
"Oh my gosh, that's his signature pose!"
"It's like Superman's."
"No, Superman raises both hands."
"Look, he's leaving!"
"He's flying away."
"Squeak? That's his sound?"
"What a unique Spider-Man. I love it!!"
"No!! They wrecked my house! I've got twenty years of mortgage left!!"
In the crowd, a poor soul knelt, sobbing.
Behind him, Bruce Wayne, back in his billionaire persona, returned.
He patted the man. "I'll cover the damages."
"Oh my gosh, Mr. Wayne! I'm saved!"
Bruce shook his head. "No, you still owe the mortgage. I'm rebuilding the exact same building. Your house is still there, so keep paying."
Off the Batman clock, he maintained his capitalist facade.
Except for charity.
Ignoring the man's resentful glare, Bruce eyed the ruins, then looked where Spider-Man had flown.
Eyes narrowed, he gritted his teeth. "Invincible Spider-Man, kryptonite didn't stop you, but something will. I swear it."
He turned and left.
Elsewhere, the Grandmaster waved. "Let's go. This farce was boring."
Kang followed. "We should've jumped him together. We could've taken him."
The Grandmaster dismissed it. "If it was that easy, would I need you?"
"Big talk," Nova sneered. "Don't forget, Spider-Man beat you too."
"I remember."
The Grandmaster paused, looking back. "I live by the game's fairness. That's why I chose you.
Spider-Man breaks the balance. You pathetic bugs need me.
So follow my lead, or you're done."
…
Meanwhile, Charlie, regrouping with Diana and the others, held up Bruce's pizza and took a big bite.
"Mmm, not bad. That was close, though. Good thing those guys didn't swarm me, or I'd be toast," he said, cheeks stuffed.
Diana: "…"
"What's next?" Gwen asked.
Charlie swallowed, grinning. "No need to worry. Someone will keep the game balanced for us."
______
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