"No!! Don't do this, believe me, I didn't kill that fat dead fish!"
At Lizard Parker's instigation, Connors was hunted by a swarm of enhanced soldiers.
Meanwhile, Lizard Parker joined the team besieging Spider-Man.
"Worthless… damned bug, I'll tear you apart!!"
Lizard Parker lunged. Charlie shot webbing, flinging him skyward.
"Vulture, catch me!!"
Lizard Parker shrieked. The green Vulture swooped down to grab him.
"Thanks, dead Vulture."
"What?"
Vulture's eyes widened as Lizard Parker tore off one of his wings.
"Shit, he's the fake—"
Before Vulture could expose him, Lizard Parker clamped his mouth shut, and they tumbled into the crowd.
"Oh no!!"
Lizard Parker knelt, wailing. "No, Spider-Man's too strong! Vulture's dead! I'll avenge him!!"
With that, he lunged at Charlie again.
Charlie's lip twitched. He repeated the trick, tossing him toward the human Scorpion.
"Oh no! Catch me!!"
Lizard Parker screamed midair, but another giant lizard caught him.
"Imposter, you're done."
"Uh, Professor Connors, can you let me explain?"
"I "
"That's it, I'll tear you apart!!"
The two lizards grappled fiercely.
BOOM~~
Meanwhile, a sandstorm swirled across the battlefield. A massive sandy foot stomped over them, charging at Charlie.
"Spider-Man, die!!"
In the duel arena, a hundred-meter-tall Sandman roared, shaking the heavens. The sand giant's foot crashed down, quaking the earth.
BOOM!!
A massive crater formed, spreading a sandstorm that shrouded the battlefield in gray haze.
Hum~
An electric arc shot skyward. Magical sparks flared, and endless seawater poured from the heavens, cleansing all sins.
"No!!"
Seawater flooded the arena, washing away chunks of Sandman's grit. The enhanced soldier army was thrown into chaos by the deluge.
As the portal's diameter expanded, more seawater surged in.
Whoosh~~
Mist rose, a rainbow arching across the sky.
From the inverted waterfall, marine life poured into the arena.
Splish splash
"Oh my gosh~ Spider-Man's also Aquaman?"
On a floating plank, Wade, with a newly grown head, leisurely rowed past an underwater "dune," saving a drowning lizard.
"Peter, you okay?" Wade asked.
The lizard's pupils shrank. Its tail whipped, sending Wade flying.
"I'm Connors, not Peter." The lizard grinned.
On the surface, Wade clutched his face, screaming.
"No~ You betrayed my feelings—blub blub blub…"
Wade sank, bubbles rising.
Pfft!
Steel claws sliced the plank, cleaving the lizard in two.
Crack crack crack
The arena's walls cracked under the strain, then collapsed, seawater gushing out.
At the breach, Old Steve surfed his shield, having a blast.
"Oh ho! Little Spider, how about we open a waterpark when I retire?" he shouted, thrilled.
"Old man, you're out of chances!"
Before Charlie could reply, blood-red tendrils erupted from the water.
Splash~~
The tendrils, like a mythical sea monster, enveloped Old Steve.
Facing Hydra Steve's frenzied attack, Old Steve stomped, riding a wave as he leaped, shield beneath his feet.
Under the rainbow, Old Steve spread his arms, savoring the "sea breeze" with a content smile.
Behind him, sprawling blood-red tendrils cast a shadow over him again.
But a shadow also loomed over Hydra Steve midair.
"What?"
Hydra Steve turned, eyes wide with terror.
"Shit…"
Pfft~
A true sea monster swallowed him, crashing into the water, raising a massive wave.
As the seawater drained, a monstrous whale beached on the arena's outskirts.
Charlie stared at the scaly, toothy beast, stunned.
"Where'd that come from?"
Wade stabbed his abdomen, letting seawater pour out.
"First, rule out it being Namor's girlfriend. I bet it's from Atlantis."
Charlie's face darkened. "Stop showing off your wall-phasing. Check for survivors and finish them off."
"Sweet, my favorite job."
Wade hefted his katanas and surveyed the scene.
Under Logan's claws, the Sinister Six were nearly wiped out, except Sandman, washed away by the flood.
Of the Black Order, only Ebony Maw survived, his telekinesis sealed by Professor X's psychic power, leaving him at Wade's mercy.
Madame Viper's toxin was a threat, but she hadn't joined the fight.
Six-Armed Spider-Man was beheaded by Logan after eating Wade's head.
Electro and the other two Peter Parkers never appeared.
Bucky self-destructed under Carter's pressure. Hydra Steve was swallowed by the sea monster.
Charlie only handled grunts in this battle.
The MVP for villains was Wolverine.
With Wolverine and Professor X on Spider-Man's team, the outcome was set from the start.
Pfft~
Blood wriggled in the beached monster's belly. A bloody figure crawled out.
"Damned bug…"
Hydra Steve's tendrils had collapsed, his blood-red mist thin. His spine, corroded by the monster's acid, could no longer channel Hydra's power.
Losing his healing, he staggered and fell, his flesh rotting further.
Charlie approached calmly. Hydra Steve grinned smugly.
"Hahaha, congrats on beating me again."
He struggled to his feet, rotting flesh falling off.
"Even if I die, Hydra will conquer the world with the artificial sun. I still win."
Charlie smiled faintly. "Yes, Hydra wins, but dead contestants don't get resurrection slots."
"So what?"
Hydra Steve sneered. "As long as I drag you to hell with me, it's worth it!"
"Who says I'm going to hell?"
Charlie crossed his arms as Old Steve and the others joined him.
Hum~
A portal opened, revealing a glowing artificial sun.
In its light, the Time Tablet was enveloped in gold, projecting mysterious energy.
The energy bathed Old Steve through the portal.
In Hydra Steve's horrified gaze, Old Steve's wrinkles visibly faded.
In seconds, Old Steve was young again, his handsome face identical to Hydra Steve's, no difference at all.
"Whoa~ Captain!" Wade hugged Logan, squealing.
Carter blinked. "You didn't know he was Steve?" she asked Wade.
Wade shook his head. "Thought he was cosplaying Human Torch."
Carter: "."
As the light faded, Young Steve touched his face.
"Now I can go all day!" He gripped his shield, thrilled.
Hydra Steve's face soured. It was his first time witnessing the Time Tablet's power.
"Heh, even if he's young, he'll still die," he scoffed.
Charlie shrugged. "The mission's done. We'll all live."
"What?" Hydra Steve frowned.
A bad feeling hit him.
Sure enough, Charlie and the others clapped and cheered.
"Yay! We helped Hydra conquer the world! We won!"
"Yeah, we won, but sadly, the leader's dead. No resurrection slot for him."
"And those cute teammates." Wade kissed Black Dwarf's severed head.
Hydra Steve: "???"
"What do you mean?" he demanded, face dark.
Young Steve grinned. "Simple. We all joined Hydra's team, including Spider-Man."
"Impossible! I don't accept you!" Hydra Steve roared.
"But someone did."
Charlie opened a portal. Doctor Octopus and Ruth stepped out.
"Leader, you know how Hydra recruits," Ruth said with a smile.
Hydra Steve's face twisted.
"Of course. Members above level six can recruit freely."
"I'm level nine."
Hydra Steve: "."
"No, you're cheating! It's not fair!!"
He cursed. "You bastards, I'll expel you!!"
Ruth laughed. "There's only one way out of Hydra—death.
Leader, can you kill Spider-Man?"
"Damn Spider-Man!!"
Hydra Steve glared at Charlie. "Even if you exploited a loophole, Hydra will kill you first once we conquer the world!"
Young Steve coughed, mimicking Hydra Steve's tone.
"I'm Steve Rogers. Halt all actions against Spider-Man. Follow my plan."
Hydra Steve finally understood.
Replace him with another Steve to control Hydra!
"No, you won't succeed. Hydra isn't just me." He clung to hope.
Charlie crushed it.
"If I'm right, your HQ is in Sokovia, Eastern Europe. If Steve's the only leader left, who's in charge?"
"You…"
Hydra Steve spat black blood, collapsing.
"No, you can't. Zola's a digital entity. As long as networks exist, he's eternal. He'll expose you."
He murmured, his pupils dimming.
"Don't let him die. He needs to live."
Charlie nodded. Doctor Octopus extended Hydra's power.
Blood-red mist stopped Hydra Steve's flesh from decaying.
Barely conscious, he lacked the strength to speak.
Charlie smiled, satisfied.
"Good. This way, he can't enter the Resurrection Match."
Carter moved to handle follow-up tasks.
Whether Norman or Hydra Steve, they had to be controlled the moment they revived.
Young Steve's smile faded. "Little Spider, will this really work?"
He looked worried. "If I leave, who controls this world's Hydra?"
"And Zola," Professor X added. "He's tricky. Destroy his server, and his consciousness survives in others."
"I know, but to survive, we have no choice."
Charlie stomped Hydra Steve's virtual computer, then stepped through a portal.
…
Kamar-Taj.
"Talk, are you gonna talk?"
By the pond, Crocodile Loki was bound tight. Felicia lashed her whip back and forth.
"No~ I'll talk, stop!"
"Then talk!"
"What do you want me to say?"
"You don't know?"
Felicia swung her whip. Crocodile Loki wailed again.
"I'll talk!!!"
"Then talk!"
"I don't know what to say…"
Charlie's cheek twitched, watching the battered crocodile.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
Felicia turned, seeing Charlie. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling.
"He tried to eat me. I want a sincere apology."
Crocodile Loki: "."
"I'm sorry! I was wrong! Forgive me! In the name of a god, I apologize to the beautiful lady! Please spare me!!" it howled.
Earth women were terrifying.
Not saying what they want and making me guess.
Charlie shook his head. "You don't mistreat prisoners like that."
He unbound Crocodile Loki. "Crocodile captive, your turn to shine."
"I already did."
"Not enough."
…
Sokovia.
Hydra HQ.
High above, a portal opened, green light cascading like auroras.
ROAR!!
A monstrous beast formed, its maw devouring everything.
"Doctor Zola, your server…"
In the pitch-black space, a computer screen flickered with static.
After a moment, Zola's face appeared.
"This strange space trapped my consciousness. I can't regenerate here." Zola panicked.
Red Skull, half-submerged in mysterious liquid, looked grim.
"How? We knew their plan through Steve's computer. We should've won."
Zola was full of regret. "I thought Spider-Man would use that bald mage against me, not a crocodile. I miscalculated.
What they told Steve was to mislead me. They never planned to join us."
Red Skull took a deep breath. "No matter. Steve can enter the Resurrection Match after death. So can we."
"Resurrection Match…"
Zola shook his head. "You might, but I… died long ago."
In the dark space, Zola sighed deeply.