To avoid being skewered like a porcupine spider, Charlie shot spatial webs to swing back, dodging the spiked assault while firing a barrage of synthetic webs.
Pfft pfft pfft~~
As the webs rained down, Ivan Vanko's eyes dripped with disdain.
"Scram!!"
With a roar, an invisible sonic wave spread out, blasting the airborne webs away with a surge of air.
"Die!!"
The next moment, an electric whip lashed through the air, cracking it apart. But Charlie caught the whip with a raised hand.
Zzzzt~
Boom!!
As arcs crackled, blood-red mist surged toward him.
Charlie barely flinched, steadying himself.
"Kinda weak."
He grinned, his inverted-triangular blue eyes widening.
"Bring it!"
His arm muscles bulged, and Ivan Vanko was yanked toward Spider-Man by an unimaginable force.
"Good Neighbor—wait, another hijacker?"
Before Charlie could act, the crowd gasped again.
Boom~~
A flaming war chariot tore through the sky. Johnny Blaze, now Ghost Rider, snatched Ivan Vanko in a blink, leaving a long fiery trail.
"It flies?" Charlie blinked.
"His bike skills are flashy," Tony praised.
Charlie's face darkened. "Flashy my ass, he'll kill that guy."
"So?"
"So I'm stopping him."
Magical sparks flared.
Buzz~
Charlie dove into a portal, instantly blocking the flaming chariot.
"Hellfire dude, you're causing me trouble."
"Spider-boy, don't cause me trouble."
Flames surged on Johnny Blaze's skull, and the chariot accelerated.
"No, no, no, you'll lose your license like this."
Charlie leaped to dodge the chariot's charge, then reached into a portal.
Buzz~
In an instant, a charred Ivan Vanko, burned by hellfire, landed in his hands.
"Spider-Man, why save me?" Ivan's eyes were complex.
Charlie scratched his head. "I feel like I've heard that line before."
Boom!!
Before he could think, the flaming chariot veered back, charging at full speed.
"Hand him over."
"No way."
"Then give me my money back."
"I already wired it."
"Then I'm good."
Johnny Blaze's skull grinned, the chariot speeding up, clearly going all out.
Charlie couldn't help but gripe.
"Damn! You'll have no friends like this."
He tossed Ivan aside, his spider biting his hand, magical energy coating his suit.
"Good Neighbor—"
Boom!!
The chariot roared past, cutting Charlie off as hellfire swept him toward the stands.
"Oh no!"
"Run!!"
Spectators fled as a massive boom reduced rows of seats to ash under the hellfire.
Boom!!
Debris exploded from the stands, the chariot hurled away by a massive force. Ghost Rider was lifted by the throat, held mid-air by a single hand.
Charlie, cloaked in magical energy, extinguished stray hellfire flickers with his magic.
"Killing doesn't solve problems. Not with me," he said.
"I'm a Ghost Rider, not a hero. Your spiel's useless."
Johnny snorted, yanking the chain off his back.
Clank clank clank~~
Hellfire spread along the chain, whipping down.
Boom!!
A fiery trench split the stands. The red-and-blue figure slipped into a portal, reappearing behind Johnny.
Swish~
Thick rope-like webs wrapped Johnny's throat. Charlie pulled tight, dimming Johnny's flames slightly.
"Thicker webs slow the burn. Your fire needs time."
Under Charlie's strength, Johnny's throat bones cracked, threatening to snap.
"Choking a skeleton? Who taught you that?"
Johnny's skull spun 180 degrees, his fiery eyes swirling like vortexes, pulling Charlie's soul into a hellish space.
"Whoa, a volcano!"
In soul form, Charlie's spider totem blazed.
Buzz~~
Boom!!
The totem's burst shoved Charlie's soul back to his body.
But Johnny Blaze was gone.
"Where'd he go?"
Charlie turned to see Ivan Vanko, half-dead, restrained by Happy and the others. He was puzzled.
"Felt guilty for cheating in the fight and left?"
He scratched his head, swinging over to Ivan.
Checking his state, Charlie relaxed.
Ivan's soul was damaged by hellfire, leaving him dazed. Even with Hydra's regeneration, he wouldn't lash out soon.
"Take him to S.H.I.E.L.D. That's his home," Charlie told Happy.
Happy glanced at Tony, then said seriously, "Sorry, Tony pays me."
Charlie shrugged. "Fine, but S.H.I.E.L.D.'s got hot agents. You sure?"
"Definitely. I'll deliver him myself."
Tony: "."
He removed his armor, wiping blood from his mouth.
"How many is that?" he asked, pointing at the black spine.
Charlie thought. "Fifth, I think."
"Four more for nine."
Tony grinned, his heart aching. He had Pepper fetch his special drink.
"Something's off with you," Charlie frowned, thinking of the palladium poisoning from the reactor.
Tony shook his head. "I'm fine."
Supported by Pepper, he took a deep breath. "That guy mentioned my dad. I think I know who he is."
Charlie eyed the wrecked scene. "That's your family drama. I'm not meddling. Gotta go."
He vanished into a portal.
Pepper's eyes narrowed. "He's worried about paying for the damage."
Tony smirked. "He doesn't know I bought this place."
"Again?"
"Just a little hobby."
Tony clutched his chest, a flicker of worry on his face.
"Ms. Pepper, I'm taking a break soon."
"You need it."
"No, I mean I'm handing my shares to you. You'll control Stark Industries."
"What?"
Pepper was alarmed, not thrilled.
"What's wrong? Don't scare me."
"Relax, I just want to try the bug's lifestyle—living off someone else."
…
Three days later, Gwen aced her rookie assessment.
At the site, Reed and the others watched Gwen pass effortlessly, their faces a mix of emotions.
"We're looking worse," Reed said to Susan.
Ben crossed his arms, grumbling, "And it's a little girl."
Johnny covered his face. "We're humiliated."
"That's on you."
Ben touched his rocky face. "No one knows what I look like anyway."
"Not funny, friend," Reed sighed.
"I need a plan. If I fail the next assessment, my research funding's gone."
"Ask Dr. Banner," Johnny whispered. "I heard Carter privately gave Banner tons of cash to speed his recovery.
Gamma ray experiments don't need that much. Borrow some. Banner won't say no."
Susan mused, "Your cosmic ray research overlaps with gamma rays. Could work."
Reed nodded. "Guess that's the move."
He glanced at Carter's office, sighing. "They say getting resources from S.H.I.E.L.D. is tough. It's true."
Ben grinned. "That was under Nick Fury."
"What's different?"
"Fury wouldn't give you two shots like Carter does."
Reed: "."
"I need Spider-Man. If he helps during the assessment, we're golden."
He scanned around, puzzled. "Where's Spider-Man?"
"Dunno."
"Was here earlier."
"Vanished."
"His portal magic."
"Didn't see it."
"You blind?"
"Jerk, watch your mouth."
"You guys—oh my God, look!" Johnny pointed at a fiery streak in the sky, his face pale, recalling that day's trauma.
Susan's expression darkened. "It's that guy again."
"Find Spider-Man!"
"Where'd he go?"
"No clue."
…
Movie Universe, Avengers Tower.
Charlie eyed Old Steve and the others.
"Got news?" he asked.
Old Steve's face was grim. "We asked Banner. After snapping his fingers, he entered a weird space and saw dead loved ones' souls."
Natasha said, "If I'm right, it's the Soul Stone."
"Soul Stone?"
Charlie pondered, glancing at Barton.
"You brought Natasha's body back to this universe?"
"That was me," Barton said, sighing at the memory.
Charlie turned to Natasha. "You were at Vormir's altar. Nothing weird happened?"
Natasha thought hard. "I felt like I was floating somewhere for a long time, but I don't remember where."
She looked at Charlie. "Until I regained consciousness and saw you and Steve."
Charlie nodded. "Alright, I've got bad news too."
He took a juice from Pepper. "Tony's soul was snatched by Mephisto, so he can't resurrect."
The group was stunned.
"Mephisto?"
"The hell demon's real?"
"We've met Thor. What do you think?"
"Fair."
Old Steve frowned. "So to save Tony, we need Mephisto?"
Peter raised a shaky hand. "For demon deals, Mr. Strange has experience. We could ask him."
Charlie smiled at their worried faces. "No need to stress."
To Old Steve, he said, "Mephisto nabbed Tony's soul just before his resurrection. I don't know how the Resurrection Match works, but if it were my game and someone messed with it, I'd act."
Old Steve's eyes lit up. "You mean—"
"Yeah, there'll be a chance."
"Then I'll die now—"
"Whoa, no rush."
Charlie stopped Old Steve's reckless plan. "Take it slow. Since Mephisto can snatch souls, we need soul-related artifacts or treasures."
Old Steve blinked. "Like?"
"Soul Stone," Natasha said, taking a deep breath. "Ideally, the Soul Stone."
Barton shook his head. "The Soul Stone's gone."
Old Steve sighed. "I returned it to Vormir. Met Johann there. He's had a rough time guarding the altar. I was happy for him."
Charlie's mouth twitched. "Your humor's not landing."
"Sorry."
Pepper said nervously, "Then we find Scott. His Pym Particles can time-travel to get the old Soul Stone."
"Haven't heard from Scott in ages," Barton said seriously. "I bet his whole family moved into an ant nest."
"You're funnier than me," Old Steve shot him a look.
Charlie checked the time. "Alright, I'm out. Next time you summon me, get fresh juice. This has additives."
He set down the glass, vanishing into the void.
With Charlie gone, Old Steve pondered, eyeing the group as if planning something.
"What are you thinking?" Natasha sensed something.
Old Steve said, "If I kill you all, can you enter the Resurrection Match?"
Everyone: "."
Peter shivered, hiding behind the couch.
The returned Captain was getting unhinged.
Crap, he knows I live in Queens!
Old Steve stood. "To Vormir. Red Skull's been there forever. He must know more."
"The Soul Stone's gone. He probably left," Natasha said.
"At least sketch the altar's magic circle."
Old Steve was certain. "Only magic beats magic. The little spider can use the altar's circle to turn the tables!"
Natasha frowned. "Is Mephisto a mage?"
"Probably!"
"Should we ask Strange to send us?"
"That's tough. Vormir's too far, even for the Sorcerer Supreme to open a portal."
"Let's ask first."
…
In the main world, Charlie got bad news the moment he returned.
"In the hour you were gone, Hellfire Guy broke into the prison and took Hydra Steve and Ivan Vanko's souls," Carter told him.
"What?"
Charlie rubbed his forehead. "He never gave up."
"No, his real target is the black spines!"
It hit him, and he opened a portal.
"Where you going?" Carter asked.
Charlie turned. "If he's after Hydra-powered guys, he's definitely going for Doc Ock."