Darkness surged, and amid the overwhelming hellfire, Charlie lost consciousness.
[You have been eliminated. No resurrection slot gained. Reward: Soul Strength +1%.]
[Remaining Retries: 32. Restart?]
In the cosmic web, Charlie woke and processed the info from Old Steve and the others.
His body glowed faintly, a tingling sensation from his soul plunging him into a strange state.
It was indescribable.
Like ascension, or touching an unknown, mystical realm.
A radiant cosmic web appeared in his mind.
The web linked countless world bubbles. At its center, a grotesque spider creature curled up, a massive leech totem entwining it, its eerie power spreading through the web.
In a flash, Charlie's eyes snapped open, his expression shifting.
"What was that?"
"The Web of Life and Destiny!"
He frowned. That must've been the Master Weaver, imprisoned by the Inheritors.
As the god of the spider totem, how could the Master Weaver be controlled?
Were the Inheritors that strong?
Regardless, the Web of Life and Destiny was the source of Spider-Man's power, and the leech totem seemed to be corrupting it.
If it succeeded, every Spider-Man in the multiverse would face doom.
As a Spider-Man, Charlie wouldn't escape.
So…
The Resurrection Match was more urgent.
Charlie stood, feeling lighter—likely from the soul strength boost.
It helped him control his power better, maybe with other perks.
With a thought, he clicked [Restart].
Buzz~
The void churned, and Charlie reappeared atop the dragon skull.
Yaya~
Two black birds eyed the sudden bug.
Charlie scanned his surroundings.
Barton's info pointed to a soul altar 300 meters left of the dragon remains.
It was the opposite direction from his last run.
Souls snatched by Mephisto from the multiverse entered this hell through the altar.
Its tight security kept Old Steve's group at bay.
While gathering intel, Old Steve had spotted Charlie.
Now, Charlie had no time to alert them.
Hell blocked electromagnetic communication, so he'd need to make noise to draw Old Steve.
As the countdown ended, Charlie didn't wait for the birds or spirits to swarm. He switched to electric arc form, vanishing from the skull.
Zzzzt~~
In seconds, the arc zipped past bone buildings.
It faded, and Charlie landed on a rooftop, facing a soul altar dozens of meters wide.
Hellfire pulsed around it, guarded by over a hundred fanged spirit soldiers.
Nearby, Charlie noticed rows of black stone huts.
The altar's hellfire dimmed periodically, and soldiers dragged souls from it, locking them in the huts.
Charlie faintly heard anguished screams from within.
It puzzled him.
Mephisto snatched multiversal souls just to torture them?
Something was off.
But the truth didn't matter—only whether Tony was here.
Before he could act, familiar figures appeared on the street.
The Black Order eyed the altar's spirits, whispering plans.
Charlie paused.
They were attacking the soul altar?
No time to care. He had to check inside.
Zzzzt~
The arc shot toward the huts.
"Who's there!!"
"Damn it, stop him!!"
"Oh~ He smells good."
"A living person!"
The hundred-plus soldiers surged toward the huts.
Charlie, in arc form, used his speed to burst into a hut. Spirits he met screamed under the arc's burn.
"Ah!!"
"It hurts~"
The dark hut lit up with electric light. Souls of various races cowered, screaming in corners.
Scanning them, Charlie frowned.
"Not here. Next."
Zzzzt~
The arc hit another hut, ignoring spirit soldiers.
Buzz~
Forming hand seals, seven clones split off as arcs, rushing into different huts to check souls.
Search efficiency soared.
Zzzzt~
The soldiers saw only flashing lights, unable to track the source, as their comrades fell, wailing, their souls burning in agony.
Then the altar's true guardian appeared.
Crack crack crack~
Ebony Maw floated in on a stone slab, waving to raise stone huts, which spun into rubble and formed a towering stone giant.
Zzzzt~
The arc dispersed. Charlie eyed Ebony Maw and the emerging Cull Obsidian and others, realizing the truth.
The Black Order guarded the soul altar!
But he had no interest in fighting defeated foes.
With his clones' time up, he needed another way.
"Come forth! The true Good Neighbor Spider-Man!!"
His eyes glowed red and blue, hands forming seals. A massive spider totem bloomed beneath him.
Buzz!
The totem's light painted the grim sky. In a neon city projection, a shadow swinging between skyscrapers solidified.
Swish~
Webs swung down, and the red-blue figure gawked at the surroundings.
"Where… am I?" he asked Charlie.
Before Charlie could answer, the stone giant's fist slammed down.
Boom!!
The ground cracked, and the summoned Spider-Man was crushed to pulp.
Buzz~~
His body shattered into red-blue light particles, returning to the projected city.
Seeing the Spider-Man projection look around, Charlie pondered, dismissing the totem array.
Summoned Spider-Men didn't truly die.
Good news.
But that Spider-Man was pathetic—no Spider-Sense.
Trash!
This summon was a luck draw.
Crack crack crack~
Ebony Maw's stone giant attacked again, Cull Obsidian and the others surrounding Charlie.
"Earth's hero, you'll die again."
Charlie shook his head. "For you, this'll do!"
He clasped his hands at his waist, blue light flaring.
Boom!!
A gale erupted, blue webs flooding out, binding the Black Order and nearby soldiers.
"Up!!"
Charlie roared, his 200-ton strength yanking the webbed crowd skyward, spinning them before hurling them toward the volcano.
"No!!"
Amid screams, the blue webs carried them over bone buildings toward the volcano.
On the street, Old Steve looked up, thrilled.
"It's the little spider—he's here!!"
He clapped, laughing, and ran toward the soul altar.
When he arrived, Charlie was gone, leaving only wreckage.
…
Zzzzt~
The arc entered a giant snake-bone building.
Bang bang bang!!
Zzzzt~
Boom!!
Red-blue magic energy exploded, flames spreading through the building as hell robots were blasted away by immense force.
Boom!
Crack!
In a hole from the explosion, Charlie crushed a hell robot's head.
Facing a green-skinned alien with antlers, he frowned deeper.
Not here either.
This was Bone City's only mech base. If Tony wasn't here, what did Mephisto want with him?
He checked the time—half an hour left.
He had to move faster.
Turning, spirit soldiers charged with weapons raised.
Charlie didn't flinch. He yanked a crystal web, and the soldiers behind him shattered in the trap.
Clap clap clap
A familiar figure emerged from the snake skull.
Hydra Steve clapped slowly, smirking.
"As expected of Spider-Man. Even in hell, you're as strong as ever—truly despair-inducing."
Seeing Hydra Steve, Charlie raised a brow.
"Looks like you're doing well here."
Hydra Steve, hands behind his back, glanced at the distant volcano.
"It's alright. Better than prison."
He eyed Charlie, pointing at the volcano. "No idea what you're after, but that's a good spot. Wanna try?"
A seemingly kind tip, hiding bad intentions.
Charlie knew this guy but was already planning to go.
"Of course, but first, when are you making your move?"
"Move?"
Hydra Steve shook his head. "I can't beat you. I'll pass."
Charlie shrugged. "Fair. I'm bored of killing you anyway—done it too many times."
Hydra Steve: "..."
"If that's the case, no need to meet again," he said, face darkening.
Charlie chuckled.
This guy had bad motives but seemed to give up.
If he could cause trouble, great. If not, he'd slack off.
The ever-losing Hydra Steve had accepted his fate.
As he turned to leave, Charlie called out.
"Wait, one question."
"Hm?"
Hydra Steve looked back, then smirked.
"We're not friends, so I won't spill about your parents. Kill me, same answer," he sneered.
"Nope."
Charlie shook his head. "I wanna know if Carter's got a mole on her thigh."
Hydra Steve: "!!!!"
"Bastard, I'll fight you!!"
Amid his roar, the snake-bone building shook.
Soon, Charlie walked out of the ruins, sighing.
"Killed him again. Why force my hand?"
He checked the time—ten minutes left.
Barton's info marked the volcano as the last suspicious spot.
Ten minutes should be enough.
Charlie turned into an arc and vanished.
Portals didn't work in hell—he had to travel the old-fashioned way.
Zzzzt~
The arc sped past the lava lake. Before reaching the volcano, guarding spirits erupted with hellfire.
Boom~
Flames formed a ring, trapping the arc. A familiar figure emerged.
Clop clop~~
Hooves thundered as Ghost Rider, on a flaming bone horse, burst from the fire. As the horse leaped, he whipped a hellfire lash.
Crack!!
Hellfire spread, and with a lash, the arc darted. The lava land exploded, magma pillars soaring, and a thousand-meter trench appeared before Charlie.
"No way? That's overkill."
Smoke and ash swirled. Charlie, at full power, surged with denser arcs.
Zzzzt~
In the hellfire circle, the arc exploded. Charlie leaped skyward.
Neighhh
The bone horse roared, Ghost Rider charging through the air. Slower than Charlie, his whip always locked onto him, relentless.
Bang!
Boom~
The whip unleashed hellfire across the sky.
As the sky filled with flames, the arc had nowhere to go.
"Trespass in hell's forbidden zone—die!!"
Ghost Rider's hoarse roar echoed, his eye sockets' hellfire swirling into a vortex.
Buzz~
The sky's hellfire twisted, and in this soul black hole, Charlie's consciousness faded.
…
[You have been eliminated. No resurrection slot gained. Reward: Soul Strength +1%.]
[Remaining Retries: 31. Restart?]
In the cosmic web, the soul's euphoria faded.
Charlie started his third Resurrection Match.
As the countdown ended, he eyed the volcano and chose to detour.
In another world, Ghost Rider on his pony wouldn't be this terrifying.
But this was his turf, with endless hellfire in the lava lake. Charlie stood no chance.
Zzzzt~
The arc shot out, avoiding the lake, mowing down stray greedy spirits without meeting strong foes.
Then he saw a dark forest in the wasteland.
Screams echoed from within, and black birds circled above.
Charlie detoured without hesitation.
It screamed trouble—only an idiot would enter.
He rolled his eyes.
Before he could decide which way to go, the ground shook, and an unimaginable force flipped the earth.
Like the world was collapsing, giant teeth split the sky, and darkness swallowed Charlie's world.
No way, gotta try!
In the darkness, a radiant spider totem glowed. A massive mech in the virtual projection solidified.
"Hm?"
Charlie blinked. Spider-Man in a mech?
Could it be…