"What?"
Crocodile Loki's slit pupils contracted slightly. "What kind of dirt?"
"Metal dirt!"
With that, Charlie tore a chunk of nanotech metal from his arm and viciously rubbed it into Crocodile Loki's eye.
"Oh no!! You damned insect, how dare you treat a great god like this…"
Crocodile Loki wailed, thrashing furiously.
Charlie grabbed its throat and slammed a fist into its head. Golden stars spun around the crocodile's swaying skull.
The vibe was definitely different!
Charlie noted to himself.
At that moment, the giant crocodile clone collapsed, dissolving into a sky of green light.
Though Crocodile Loki was dazed, Professor X's condition didn't improve.
"Ugh~"
Within seconds, Professor X's body shuddered, his head drooping lifelessly.
Dead.
Logan's face darkened, sinking back into grief.
"Hm?"
Professor X's death puzzled Charlie.
He scrutinized the Crocodile Loki in his grip, unsure how it had killed Professor X in this state.
Ancient One, seeing Crocodile Loki captured, felt a pang of disappointment.
She'd even prepared her last words, and now this?
But with the situation settled, she'd have to find another chance.
For her disciples, she needed a proper explanation.
Gazing at Crocodile Loki, limp like a dead fish, Ancient One's eyes fell on its horned crown.
"This is a divine artifact. It deflects mental attacks—the stronger the opponent's psychic power, the worse the backlash."
Charlie had a revelation.
So, Professor X wasn't killed by the crocodile's clone draining his mind but by the artifact.
Last time, Professor X used a dragon bone fossil to amplify his psychic power, leading to instant death.
This time, without the amplifier, he lasted half a minute longer.
He'd stopped Ancient One's suicidal plan, but Professor X was gone.
This plan wasn't perfect.
Next time, he'd do better.
Soon, Ancient One dispelled the dimensional space, and the collapsed buildings were swiftly restored with her magic.
For mages, buying property was the worst investment.
"Please, sit."
In the restored elegant pavilion, Ancient One invited everyone for tea.
She pulled out her cola again.
No need to hide—Wong was busy dealing with that damned crocodile.
Though a god, Crocodile Loki's magic was heavily skewed.
Beyond its giant clone, its true body's strength was limited, unable to break Wong's magical chains.
Old Steve, now aged again, observed Kamar-Taj closely before leaning toward Charlie.
"Strange isn't the Sorcerer Supreme yet. I think I could give it a shot."
"Give what a shot?" Charlie raised an eyebrow.
Old Steve straightened up. "Becoming Sorcerer Supreme Captain."
"But Master Ancient One isn't dead."
"How about… you take her out?"
"That's not funny at all."
"Sorry, I'll think of something else. I'm getting less humorous by the day."
Old Steve sighed, glancing at Wade in the corner.
Though only half his body remained, Wade was diligently sewing his tattered suit.
"Man, that guy's hilarious. I'm so jealous," Old Steve muttered enviously.
Peggy Carter shot him a side-eye. "That's not humor. That's resilience."
"No one's more resilient than a nearly 200-year-old man still fighting in these matches!"
Meanwhile, Charlie expressed his desire to learn more magic.
Ancient One agreed without hesitation.
"No problem. I'll teach you myself."
"Really?"
"Of course. You won't learn it anyway."
Charlie: "..."
"Why not?" he asked, face darkening.
Ancient One studied him, her smile playful.
Charlie instinctively covered his chest.
"Honestly, I think Thanos is pretty great. Strong body, commands hundreds of thousands of minions, a cosmic-level CEO. You should consider him instead of fixating on a poor little bug. I'm just a kid, after all."
Ancient One paused, thoughtful.
"You're not actually considering it, are you?" Charlie's lip twitched.
If he wasn't mistaken, this Ancient One was gender-neutral.
Snapping back, Ancient One shook her head.
"Speaking of Thanos, I think of Dark Strange.
Speaking of Strange, I think of my retirement.
And retirement makes me…"
"Stop!"
Charlie raised a hand to halt her, then turned and tossed Wade out of the pavilion.
"Oh my gosh, you treat me so cruelly, but I still love you~"
Bang!
A thud echoed below. Charlie turned back.
"Alright, no mysterious forces should affect you now. Go on."
Ancient One blinked. "Did I say a lot?"
"Average amount."
"Good. The Sorcerer Supreme should be sparing with words."
Ancient One grew serious, explaining.
"You can't learn my magic because my power comes from the ancient god Vishanti—and a few others.
After borrowing Vishanti's power, I can wield some of its abilities with practice. That's white magic.
As for black magic, I'll explain another time.
Your magic comes from an unknown ancient god. You should understand.
You've borrowed that god's power, so you can only use its abilities. You get what I'm saying."
Charlie nodded. "Of course, word-sparing Sorcerer Supreme. So I can only learn Spider-Man's exclusive magic."
"Exactly."
"What about portal magic?"
"All ancient gods have that ability. Yours is no exception. Portals are basic magic—no real skill involved."
Ancient One wasn't optimistic, but Charlie wouldn't give up.
"If my ancient god also knows dimensional space magic, could I learn something similar through your methods?" he asked.
"Possible, but unlikely."
Ancient One said, "Your magical energy is pure, likely tied to a specific totem. That makes learning advanced magic—let alone sensing dimensions—difficult.
Unless your ancient god gifts you more exclusive spells."
Charlie knew it was a long shot.
Becoming Sorcerer Supreme Spider-Man was a distant dream!
Ancient One's path was a dead end.
But Crocodile Loki? Maybe not.
He left the pavilion and headed to the pond.
Wong stood there, expressionless, his eyes occasionally twitching.
Somehow, half-bodied Wade had joined the interrogation of Crocodile Loki.
"Talk, are you gonna talk or not?"
"If you don't, I'll use the cruelest fish-killing method in the world."
"Speak, I'm losing patience."
"Heh heh heh, my grin's turning wicked. That's a dangerous sign."
By the pond, Crocodile Loki was pinned to a cutting board, its jaws bound by golden chains.
Facing this bizarre "judge," its eyes brimmed with despair and helplessness.
What does this guy want me to say?
Can you at least unbind my mouth first?
Then, true terror struck.
A demonic shadow loomed over Crocodile Loki.
It watched as Charlie drew a blade from Wade's back, pointing it at a sensitive spot.
"Chimichanga, you're slipping."
Charlie grinned. "I hear neutered pigs taste better. Crocodiles should too."
Crocodile Loki: "!!!!"
Wade clutched his face in agony. "No, why didn't I think of that? Why am I so useless? WHY!!" he wailed skyward.
Behind them, Wong couldn't take it anymore.
After hesitating, he said weakly, "What exactly do you want it to say?"
Crocodile Loki shed tears of gratitude.
There were good people!
But then Wong added, "If there's nothing urgent, I'm starting dinner." He pulled a boning knife from behind, ready to cook for his fellow mages.
Crocodile Loki: "..."
This world has no love!
"Give me a few minutes," Charlie said, unbinding Loki's mouth. "There are many kinds of fish in the world.
Beautiful fish, delicious fish. Which do you want to be?"
Crocodile Loki's eyes darted. "If possible, a fish that contributes to society."
Charlie: "...."
This guy's preaching values now?
"Wrong answer. One more chance to rephrase."
"Beautiful fish," Crocodile Loki muttered, aggrieved.
"Good. To be that kind, you need to provide emotional value. So, what can you do for me?"
"I can help you raise fish."
"Raise your sister!!" Charlie's face darkened.
"I only have a sister."
"Fine."
Charlie turned to Wong. "He's yours. Less oil, I like it light."
"Wait!"
Crocodile Loki squirmed uneasily. "I can swallow those artificial suns and help you take down Hydra."
"Nice."
Charlie smiled. "Can I trust you?"
"Of course, I never lie."
"Wong, add a dish—fried crocodile tail."
"Wait! I'll use my clone to handle the suns. Just control me."
"Oh, like that!"
Charlie nodded thoughtfully. "Good, you've earned my trust."
He checked the time and frowned. "Sorry, the artificial sun's already out of control. That trust is only good for dinner."
"Wong, Crocodile God shouldn't have parasites. Perfect for sashimi."
"Trust my culinary skills."
In Crocodile Loki's terrified eyes, Wong's grin turned sinister.
"What are you doing? Stay back…"
"Relax, pain's normal."
"No!!!"
After the all-fish feast, Charlie received a mission failure notification.
…
Eleventh Resurrection Match.
After dealing with Crocodile Loki, Charlie brought it to the skies above the Okinawa base.
Seeing Charlie's webbing hold steady in the void, Crocodile Loki was stunned.
"Is someone holding the web on the other end?"
"I'm not answering that."
Charlie pointed to the airbase below.
"Show off!"
Crocodile Loki nodded. "Got it. Treat me better from now on."
"Don't worry, everyone who's been Spider-Man's friend knows he's a good guy."
At Charlie's urging, Crocodile Loki's body glowed with radiant green light.
The light cascaded like auroras, enveloping the entire base.
"What's that?"
"Such beautiful light."
"Mom, I believe in light again."
"Idiots, secure the area, now!"
"Yes, sir!"
Soldiers sprang into action as the green light surged.
Roar~
In half a minute, the clone took shape, green light coalescing into a terrifying giant crocodile.
ROAR!!
Its bellow shook the heavens, its gaping maw sucking in everything around it.
Including the artificial sun!
"My God, what a huge fish."
"No!"
As the base's weapons were swallowed, flickers of fire in the crocodile's mouth dimmed instantly. The officer, face grim, detonated the sun without hesitation.
BOOM!!
Blinding light flared, and scorching heat swept the base.
The giant crocodile's eyes glinted greedily, its abyss-like maw absorbing the sun's escaping energy.
High above, Crocodile Loki's body shimmered with eerie green light.
"Mmm~ Not as tasty as magical energy, but it fills me up."
It burped contentedly.
Charlie's gut sank with foreboding.
"You're full?"
"Full."
Crocodile Loki froze.
A crocodile that could eat all the suns was a good fish.
One that could only eat one?
A dead fish.
Sure enough, Charlie silently opened a portal.
"Tell Wong I'm craving fish."
"Wait!"
Crocodile Loki forced a wide, friendly grin.
"I can eat other things, like…"
"Die!"
"Dung?"
Crocodile Loki blinked. If it meant survival, it wasn't impossible.
…
Twelfth Resurrection Match.
Stark Tower, Tony's lab.
The Time Tablet sat quietly on the workbench. Doctor Octopus handed Tony two energy-charged dragon bone fossils.
Tony didn't waste words. He placed one fossil in JARVIS's server and strapped the other to his head.
Instantly, JARVIS's server whirred, its virtual interface flashing with streams of computational data.
Tony's brain raced, his hands moving ceaselessly, scribbling complex formulas on a blackboard.
Doctor Octopus, also wearing a fossil, worked swiftly to refine the artificial sun's data.
Charlie watched silently, not interrupting.
This was his plan!
If he couldn't stop the sun's meltdown, he'd use the Time Tablet's amplification and the collision of genius minds to perfect it.
It wasn't foolproof, so he'd tested Ancient One and Crocodile Loki in later retries.
A backup plan.
But neither was reliable.
Charlie pinned his hopes back on this plan.
Even with the fossils' aid, 24 hours wasn't enough for the two to finalize the data.
So, in each retry, he saved their progress.
In the next retry, they'd build on it, avoiding a fresh start.
Progress was rapid, but outside the lab, Pepper couldn't smile.
Using the fossils overclocked Tony's brain, causing irreversible damage. Black blood seeped from his eyes and nose, his face ghastly, on the verge of sudden death.
Doctor Octopus, empowered by Hydra's strength, fared better, his black spine's healing letting him endure.
JARVIS, with top-tier servers, maintained strong computation but lacked the creative spark of Tony and Otto.
Seeing Tony near collapse, Charlie knocked Pepper out to avoid her wrath.
After all, he'd convinced Tony to join this mess.
Tony's death was on him.
Bang~
Tony collapsed, dead. Otto, lost in focus, didn't notice.
"It's close, so close. We're almost there, Ruth. Our dream's coming true, it will!"