Three minutes later, Charlie emerged from the room, cradling a basket of fiery red Hell arcade tokens.
Old Steve covered his face, tears streaming.
"Wahh, Little Spider sacrificed so much to save Tony."
Barton's expression softened. "Wait… he actually did it?"
Natasha, curious, eyed Charlie oddly.
"The witch's stamina seems lacking. Three minutes and done? Or…"
Charlie rolled his eyes, handing the tokens to Peter Parker before heading to the VIP area.
"I just knocked her out and took the tokens. You guys are so impure," he sighed, shaking his head.
"Knocked her out?"
Old Steve followed. "And then?"
"Took the tokens. I already said that."
"No, I mean, what happened in the two-and-a-half minutes between knocking her out and taking the tokens?"
"That's not for you to know."
Charlie casually entered a private booth, spotting the projection equipment. He tried activating it.
Buzz~
The room darkened, and a familiar altar appeared in the projection.
Charlie's eyes narrowed. Just as he thought!
Old Steve curiously tapped the virtual interface, revealing a list of options.
[Challenger Mode]
[Spectator Mode]
"Little Spider, how do we play this?" he asked.
Charlie clicked Spectator Mode, and the screen shifted to the next phase.
[Today's Matches: 4]
[Hell Time 10:30 AM: Steve Rogers (Universe 199998) vs. Ultron (Universe 1999998)]
[Hell Time 11:20 AM: Tony Stark (Universe 199999) vs. Inheritor Karn (Universe 001)]
[Hell Time 1:10 PM: Wade Wilson (Universe 199999) vs. Logan Howlett (Universe 199998)]
[Hell Time 3:50 PM: Thanos (Universe 199999) vs. Peter Parker (Universe 939)]
Charlie's mouth twitched.
That jerk's fighting again? No wonder he looked exhausted all the time.
Old Steve and the others' faces shifted.
"What's this?"
"Mephisto's using Tony as a beast in his arena."
"There's really a Thanos."
"Wait, these universe numbers…"
Old Steve frowned. "Thanos and Tony have the same universe number."
Natasha glanced at him. "First, we can rule out Universe 1999998's Steve, since you're right here."
Peter Parker's eyes landed on his name, swallowing hard.
"Universe 939's Peter Parker is fighting Thanos? That doesn't seem fair."
Charlie mused, smiling slightly. "Looks like we can confirm it."
"What?"
Old Steve was puzzled. "Little Spider, you know our universe's number?"
Charlie nodded. "Yep, Universe 199999. Your universe."
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is numbered 199999, distinct from the main Marvel Universe 616, Ultimate Universe 1610, and Sony's Marvel Universe 688B.
As for Universe 199998…
From the number, it's likely close to the cinematic universe.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Charlie glanced at the Hell clock on the wall, frowning.
"1:08 PM. That jerk and the wolfdog's fight is about to start."
He had about forty minutes, not enough time to catch Thanos vs. Peter Parker.
Having already missed Tony vs. Inheritor Karn, he'd need a retry.
Still, the trip wasn't a total loss—he'd gained plenty.
Charlie fed tokens into the machine, selecting Deadpool vs. Wolverine.
Buzz~
The altar in the projection shifted, revealing Wade cradling baby Kingpin.
"Little Spider, that guy… he kidnapped your kid!!" Old Steve gasped.
Charlie's face darkened. "Don't talk nonsense. That baby's Kingpin, reverted to infancy by the Time Tablet."
"What?"
The group was stunned.
"Kingpin? I know him. He rules New York's underworld," Barton said.
Natasha frowned. "Is this a two-on-one?"
"Nah, the baby's combat power is zero," Peter Parker said.
Old Steve shook his head. "Might be negative."
Across from Wade, a muscular man unleashed steel claws, his eyes brimming with aggression.
He glared at Wade, his killing intent boiling.
"Die!!"
With a roar, Wolverine leaped, claws gleaming with chilling light.
Baby Kingpin's face filled with fear.
"Yah~"
No!!
I'm just a kid!!
"Oh my gosh, looks like using a cute baby to trick the enemy's sympathy failed. This wolf's got no mercy."
Facing Wolverine's swift attack, Wade shrugged helplessly.
"Guess we're doing this."
Strapping Kingpin to his chest, he dodged the claws, pulling two web-shooters from his crotch.
"Hey, Deadpool Spider-Man makes his dazzling debut!!"
Whoosh!!!
Amid cheers from multiversal Deadpools, Wade swung on webs, occasionally binding Wolverine's body.
"Argh!! Damn it!!"
Wolverine slashed the webs, while Wade drew dual guns, unloading.
Bang bang bang!!
Gunfire spread, bullets sinking into Wolverine, sparking blood.
As Wolverine's wounds healed instantly, Wade drew his baby katanas, closing in for melee.
Clang!!
Clank clank clank~~
Claws and katanas clashed, sparks flying.
In seconds, Wade's superior skills drove his blades and dagger into Wolverine, but he lost his weapons.
"Yah!!"
Under baby Kingpin's terrified gaze, claws grazed his cheek, piercing Wade's chest.
"Whoa~ Smooth!"
Wade yanked a katana from Wolverine's shoulder, slicing his throat.
Splurch!
Blood sprayed, and Wolverine's eyes grew fiercer.
Thus began a knife-stabbing game between two immortals.
The altar fight grew dull.
In the stands, Old Steve pointed at the betting interface.
"Their odds are close. Wanna bet?" he asked Charlie.
Charlie shook his head. "Boring."
He glanced at the Asgardians, locking eyes on Loki.
"Hey, you!" he called.
Sensing Charlie's gaze, Loki turned, eyeing Charlie and Peter Parker in matching nano-suits, confused.
"You guys…"
He wasn't sure which was the Spider-Man he knew.