The cosmic web granted Charlie a new round of soul enhancement.
Three Resurrection Matches had given him a basic understanding of Mephisto's Hell.
In the Resurrection Match, the Spider-Men he summoned were truly random.
Truly random!
Unfortunately, this time he couldn't rely on Four Hundred Aunt's invincible power to delve deeper into the altar space.
Next time, who knew what kind of Spider-Man he'd summon? The thought gave him a headache.
Thinking of the altar space, Charlie recalled Deadpool and baby Kingpin in the audience stands.
Were those two dead?
No, the audience wasn't necessarily all souls.
Mephisto's twisted humor lay in making contracts with humans to harvest their souls.
A crowd of souls as spectators would be boring.
If he were Mephisto, he'd make the game more interesting by selecting audiences from different universes.
But the majority would likely still be Hell's spectators.
So, Bone City must have similar projection venues.
He just didn't know where.
Without Four Hundred Aunt, going alone to the hellish volcano—let alone entering the altar space—would be tough.
He needed another way.
With that, Charlie activated his fourth Resurrection Match.
Buzz~
Above a giant dragon skull, the countdown ended.
Charlie immediately summoned a multiversal Spider-Man.
The Resurrection Match reset the time, saving him a lot of hassle.
Buzz~
A spider totem bloomed with radiant light under the gloomy sky. In a projection of a primal forest, a massive creature rampaged, crashing through the dimensional wall to take form.
Roar!!
A twenty-meter-long red-and-blue Tyrannosaurus rex roared skyward, its web-patterned body shimmering with crystalline light.
Boom!!
As the T-Rex landed, dragon bones were crushed to fragments under its weight.
At that moment, two black monstrous birds fled in terror, and nearby evil spirits trembled under the deafening roar, their souls dimming, on the verge of shattering.
"Whoa, Tyranno-Spider-Man?"
Charlie's eyes lit up.
The T-Rex in a Spider-Suit whipped its long tail, its claws shooting webs to pull Charlie close.
Roar!!
A hurricane blasted from its gaping maw, and Charlie was not okay.
"A dinosaur shooting webs?" His mouth twitched.
Grumble~
The T-Rex lowered its head to Charlie, its eyes showing human-like emotion.
"You are?" it asked, puzzled.
Charlie grinned. "Yep, we're both Spider-Men."
"Spider?"
The T-Rex's eyes gleamed, baring a cruel smile.
"Perfect, just my taste."
With that, it opened its massive jaws, slimy drool splattering. Charlie froze.
"What are you doing?"
"Eating you!"
"Eat your sister!!"
Charlie flipped multiple times to dodge the descending jaws, landing behind the T-Rex.
"You asked for this."
Charlie grabbed the red-and-blue tail, his muscles bulging.
As his frame grew, terrifying strength erupted.
"Off you go!!"
Under the T-Rex's horrified gaze, it felt like a toy in this terrifying guy's hands.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~
Amid howling winds, the T-Rex's body was spun and hurled toward a cluster of skull buildings.
"Oh! A dinosaur!" Passersby looked up, gasping at the T-Rex soaring overhead.
"A flying dinosaur!!"
"A clothed dinosaur."
"A roaring dinosaur."
Roar!!
Boom!!
As the beast crashed into the street, Old Steve and the others jumped in shock.
"Oh my gosh, this thing stole Little Spider's suit?"
Staring at the creature's head embedded in the ground, Natasha studied its parts, thoughtful.
"It's a male dinosaur."
"Pretty big."
"Yeah, the suit's stretched to bursting."
Zzt zzt~
An electric arc shot in, and Charlie swung to land before them.
"Little Spider, what a coincidence, you're here too!" Old Steve beamed.
Charlie waved calmly. "Hey, help me find something."
"What?"
"Something like a gladiator arena."
Old Steve's expression turned odd.
"Carter said you liked traveling. Guess it's true."
"Touring Hell?" Barton raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."
Behind him, Peter Parker timidly raised his hand.
"I know where that game is."
Charlie's eyes sharpened.
"Hell's arcade?" he probed.
Peter nodded, excited. "Yeah, super fun, but I'm broke, so I can only play the basic version."
"What can you play with money?" Charlie asked.
"I heard you can mess with Thanos."
"What?"
Old Steve and the others perked up.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Natasha frowned.
Peter shrank. "I… I was worried you'd think I'm immature."
He wanted to join the Avengers, to be a superhero, and Avengers couldn't be childish gamers.
So he hid it.
But now, he seemed to have done the right thing.
"Let's go play!" Charlie waved, grinning.
"You sure?"
Old Steve sniffed, eyeing the wolf-like evil spirits around.
Sniff~ Sniff~
"Little Spider, you smell good!"
"Smell your corpse head."
Charlie rolled his eyes, turning to kick the T-Rex's rear.
"Stop playing dead. Get up."
Roar~
"Alright."
Under Charlie's fist, Tyranno-Spider-Man rose with its tiny arms, its earlier ferocity gone.
Now a docile bunny, it hung its head, grinning sheepishly.
"Haha, we're all Spider-Men, no need for this, right?" It tried to look harmless.
Old Steve and the others were stunned.
"Spider-Man?"
"That thing?"
"A dinosaur?"
Peter Parker felt the sky collapse.
Charlie glanced at the T-Rex. "Go show them Spider-Man's power." He pointed at the evil spirits.
Instantly, the T-Rex's eyes lit up.
"Got it, I'm good at this."
Roar!!
It roared, scattering the evil spirits in a deafening scream.
Old Steve and the others paled, stumbling.
"What a stench. My soul's shaking," Natasha groaned, rubbing her forehead.
Charlie pondered.
This guy wasn't completely useless.
He leaped onto the T-Rex's back.
"Old man, hop on. Let's go play." He waved.
"Sweet!"
Old Steve jumped on excitedly, Natasha and the others following.
"First time riding a Spider-Man," Natasha said, delighted.
Charlie: "…"
"It's a dinosaur, you're riding a dinosaur!" he corrected.
"Uh, well…"
The T-Rex shifted, glancing back.
"Ride all you want, but no photos! I've got dignity."
Old Steve raised an eyebrow. "A prideful dinosaur? Awesome!" He laughed, hands on hips.
Peter Parker blinked. "What's that mean?"
Old Steve whispered mysteriously, "Now I can blackmail it with this."
Peter Parker: "…"
T-Rex: "…"
Charlie's face darkened. "Don't corrupt young Spider-Men."
He warned Old Steve, then smiled at Peter Parker. "Spider-Man should be pure, charming, and innocent like me. Don't listen to the old guy."
Peter nodded solemnly. "Got it. I'll be that kind of Spider-Man."
Behind him, Old Steve smirked, whispering to Barton, "Don't trust him. He corrupted me."
Barton replied coldly, "Pathetic. Old as dirt and still getting schooled by a kid."
"Hey, you mocking me?"
"Yeah, you heard me."
"I—"
Before Old Steve could snap, the T-Rex sped up.
"Hold tight, I'm a pro driver!!"
It wiggled its hips, charging wildly, crushing street obstacles.
"Wrong way!!" Peter Parker shouted.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
The T-Rex screeched to a halt, turned, and charged again, shooting webs with its tiny claws as reins for Charlie and the others to hold.
"Such a thoughtful Spider-Man," Natasha praised.
"It's a dinosaur!" Charlie corrected again.
The T-Rex grinned smugly.
Charging, it shouted, "Thanks for the lovely lady's praise! Don't forget the five-star review!"
Charlie's face darkened. "You sound like a cab driver."
"I am! Jurassic City's finest driver. You've got a good eye, bro."
"Jurassic City?"
"My home."
"They've got cabs there?"
"Of course! I'm the best driver in Queens' Little Grove, six years' experience. No detours, no overcharges, I carry luggage, provide emotional support, and only charge three seashells for a bath if you puke on my back."
The T-Rex rambled, and Charlie confirmed it was a true Spider-Man.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Peter. Peter Parker."
"Alright, Peter, why'd you try to eat me?" Charlie pressed.
If Tyranno-Spider-Man's Jurassic world had a civilization, it shouldn't eat "raw meat" casually.
Sure enough, T-Rex Peter squinted, chuckling nervously.
"Well… haha, couldn't resist. You smelled too good."
Charlie: "…"
"You're a soul too?"
"Nah, I just love eating spiders."
Under the gloomy sky, T-Rex Peter charged through the streets, scattering evil spirits and trampling Chitauri soldiers.
It didn't notice.
It was lost in memories of its youthful days.
"I miss running under the sunset. That was my lost youth."
Charlie: "???"
"What are you talking about?"
"Sorry, got off track."
T-Rex Peter said, "I grew up poor…"
"Get to the point," Charlie gritted.
"Alright. Too poor to afford meat, I ate spiders for protein. Big spiders, small spiders—bright-colored ones were the tastiest.
I swore to eat every spider in Queens' Little Grove. But one day, while hunting, a weird spider bit me…"
"You got superpowers," Peter Parker cut in.
"Yeah, web-shooting and spider-sense. Made me a great cab driver, never lost. I'm grateful to that spider. It gave my life purpose."
Charlie facepalmed. "Shouldn't it be fighting crime as a superhero?"
"That's my side gig."
T-Rex Peter grinned. "After becoming Spider-Man, I found a secret: eating spiders makes me stronger."
"Eating other meat would make you stronger," Peter Parker muttered.
Charlie eyed the T-Rex's head, wondering if he should knock it out now.
"So you saw me as a spider?" he asked.
Feeling a chill, T-Rex Peter shivered.
"Sorry, your colors are just like my favorite spiders."
"No worries, we're the same colors. Turn left."
"Got it."
T-Rex Peter drifted to a stop by a shop.
[Hell Arcade]
Charlie glanced at the sign and hopped off.
"Interesting," he grinned.
Old Steve and the others jumped down.
"A place to mess with Thanos? I'm pumped!" Old Steve rushed in.
Behind him, T-Rex Peter watched them enter, squinting with a smile.
"Have a nice day!"
"Wait outside."
Charlie's words froze T-Rex Peter.
Run?
Run?
Better not!
This place feels off. These guys might eat me.
So scary!!
The "live dinosaur" shivered under the evil spirits' gazes.
…
In the arcade, Charlie's arrival drew the odd-shaped evil spirits, lured by his delicious aura, abandoning their games.
Charlie coldly eyed the greedy spirits, then looked at their gaming machines.
Standard fighting games, no high-tech projections.
He turned to the cashier. "Got anything more fun?"
The cashier, dressed as a sultry witch in black stockings, winked at Charlie.
"Let me have a bite, and I'll let you play for free."
Charlie's gaze was icy. "You think we're broke?"
"Aren't you?"
The witch crossed her arms, smirking playfully.
"Living folks don't have Hell's currency. So, kid, meet my terms, and I'll give you anything."
In front of everyone, she bit her red lip, provocatively leaning close, her eyes dripping with suggestive charm.
Charlie frowned. "Sorry, I'm scared of pain. Got a painless option?"
"Like what?" The witch eyed Charlie's intriguing parts.
Charlie leaned in, whispering, "How about a drink?"
Witch: "…"