"No!"
Boom!!
With a scream, a massive crash echoed from a nearby building. Karn's body smashed through the ceiling under immense force.
Before he could land, streaks of lightning-fast arcs zipped through the air, kicking his body around like a soccer ball.
"Uppercut!"
"Left hook!"
"Right hook!"
"Crotch kick!"
"Then I'll poke his eye—oh, damn, his diving visor's too hard. I broke my finger."
"Should've poked the other eye."
"No, why reward him?"
As Karn was pummeled by the clones, quinjets arrived at the scene.
Carter and the others, seeing this, sighed in relief.
"Spider-Man's about to win."
"No surprise there. Invincible Spider-Man—nobody beats him fresh off a Resurrection Match."
"But give it some time, and who knows."
"Yeah, we've noticed a pattern."
From a nearby skyscraper, Erik and Charles watched, reassured.
"We overthought it. Spider-Man's strong. Even Apocalypse isn't sure he can take him down. No one else stands a chance," Charles said.
Erik opened his mouth to reply, but the clones zipping through the air suddenly dissolved. Karn's body healed rapidly in the glow of the Leech Totem's scattered light.
"I will hunt you down—for the family's glory!!"
Karn erupted, floating midair, his blue tuxedo flapping in the gale.
His red trident blazed with even brighter crimson light.
A dangerous aura swept out. Charlie narrowed his eyes.
"Getting serious, huh?"
He chuckled, his muscles swelling.
Crack crack…
As he grew taller, his nanotech suit shimmered with eerie crimson. Blood-red tendrils extended from his back, stretching dozens of meters in a blink.
"Hydra's power!!" Coulson gasped. "Is Spider-Man… corrupted by Hydra?"
"You're overthinking it," Carter said, breathing deeply. "He's got Hydra's power, but that doesn't mean he's tainted."
As she spoke, something roared in the dark clouds.
Crack crack crack~
The giant leech burst through the clouds, merging as a totem into Karn's body. His red trident flared with endless light.
Boom!!
Amid flashing thunder, a hundred-meter-tall trident shadow materialized, its presence terrifying.
Charlie's eyes widened. "No way. Playing that game?"
The giant trident slammed down, slicing a skyscraper in half. Debris rained, and screams tore from the collapsing building.
"Oh no!!"
"Help…"
"Spider-Man!!"
On a tilting balcony, J. Jonah Jameson clung to a concrete pillar, screaming.
Then Betty slid past him.
"Betty!!" Jonah cried.
But just before falling, Betty grabbed a lifeline.
"Brother-in-law, I'm okay!"
"Damn it, call me boss in public!"
"Right, boss, I've got it. I'm not dead."
"I know you've got it."
Jonah's face flushed red, gritting his teeth through the pain, praying Spider-Man would save his soul and body.
And his poor, overburdened "old friend."
Betty was gripping too tight.
If he didn't get to a hospital soon, Betty wouldn't need to call him brother-in-law anymore.
She could call him sister.
As he faltered, a massive shadow enveloped him.
"That's…"
Jonah glanced back, pain turning to awe.
"My God! This… it's incredible."
"Spider-Man! It's Spider-Man!"
"A giant Spider-Man!!"
"Oh my gosh, is he a god?"
"No, he's the God. My God."
Everyone was floored by the colossal red-and-blue figure.
In the city, light and shadow danced as the giant rose.
Under countless disbelieving gazes, the massive Charlie extended a hand, propping up the collapsing building. His other hand caught the giant trident.
Zzzzt~
The trident's surface burned, red arcs crackling. Charlie's nanotech palm melted instantly.
Hiss~
Black smoke rose as purple skin scorched under the arcs.
Pain surged, but Charlie's palm pulsed with crimson. Blood-red tendrils, like a Hydra Serpent God, lashed the earth.
"No! Impossible!!"
In Karn's unwilling roar, the tendrils engulfed him.
Boom!!
Dust exploded from the giant's feet, spreading across the streets.
Crack crack crack~
The giant gently righted the building.
Outside the window, inverted triangular eyes gleamed. Jonah forgot his pain.
He stared at the giant Spider-Man, shouting excitedly.
"Amazing! Amazing! Hahaha, that's Spider-Man for you…"
Betty snapped out of her shock.
Seeing Jonah so thrilled, she shook her head. "Brother-in-law, are we still selling the paper?"
"Nope."
Jonah glanced at the sleazy publisher's office, sneering. "As the top Spider-Man expert, after this, my rates are gonna skyrocket. The paper's got cash now—why sell?"
He turned to the pale blue eyes outside, trembling with excitement. "Spider-Man's stronger post-resurrection. I'm staying up to write about his gigantification. From now on, there's only Spider-Man and the rest!"
The blue eyes shifted away.
Charlie's gaze locked on a familiar figure.
At a conference room's floor-to-ceiling window, Mary Jane met his eyes, her heart racing with a strange feeling.
Charlie, puzzled, wondered why she was there.
Without dwelling, he nodded to her, then turned.
He looked up at the dissipating clouds. Warm sunlight spilled down, reviving the city.
Under puzzled gazes, Charlie leaped, the giant Spider-Man shooting spatial webs, soaring into the clouds.
"Wash socks!"
The odd cry echoed. Carter and the others exchanged looks.
"Wash socks? What's that mean?"
"No idea."
"Agent Hill, seal the scene. Agent Coulson, get to that building—it won't hold long. Evacuate everyone."
"Understood."
Coulson took charge, while Carter reached the street's ruins.
Among the rubble, the red trident lay shattered. In the broken helmet fragments, a pile of sludge writhed.
"Still alive?" Carter gasped.
Before she could act, mystic sparks flared. Charlie, back to normal size, stepped out.
"Of course he's not dead."
He approached the sludge, casting a magical glow.
Buzz~
Karn's soul floated out, still wearing the metal helmet.
Charlie: "…"
What, can't show your face?
Before he could speak, Hellfire flared. Mephisto smiled at him.
"Annoying bug, thanks for the interesting soul."
Charlie frowned. "I didn't say I'd give him to you."
Mephisto kept smiling. "You stole several of my souls. This one's compensation. Fair, right?"
Charlie thought. "Fine, you can have him, but he better not show up again."
"Of course. Basic professional courtesy."
Mephisto pulled a black magic book from behind.
Flipping its pages, Karn's soul vanished into it.
"Bug, I'll let this slide. Next time you pull that, your troubles won't end here."
With a warning, Mephisto vanished into the Hellfire under Charlie's gaze.
As the flames faded, Carter stepped forward. "Who was that, acting so high and mighty? I think you could've beaten him."
Charlie side-eyed her. "Hell's lord, Mephisto. Think he'd just take a beating?"
Carter paused. "Forget I said that. But how'd you get so big?"
Her gaze drifted to a certain spot. "Can you control the size?"
Charlie's eyes narrowed. "What're you up to?"
"Relax, you're still a kid. I wouldn't do anything."
"Keep that up, and I'm quitting."
"Uh, sorry, I'll stop looking."
Carter looked at the sky's white clouds. "What's up there?"
"Nothing."
"Then why go there?"
"You wouldn't get it. It's called a tribute."
As Charlie spoke, Scott approached, holding the golden orb.
"Hey, Spider-Man, nice show back there."
Scott handed over the Time Tablet, then glanced at Carter, surprised. "Spider-Man's girlfriend?"
Carter stayed silent. Scott grinned. "She's got that mature woman charm. Thank me—without my Pym Particles, your future wouldn't be so happy."
"Shut it, you eggless bionic ant."
Charlie opened a golden portal, kicking Scott back to his universe.
He needed to extract those Pym Particles fast.
Next time, he might not activate the Time Tablet in time to find Scott.
Glancing at Karn's writhing body, Charlie noted Mephisto had his soul. He shouldn't return.
Still, he didn't destroy the body.
If it vanished, who knew if a Resurrection Match would snatch the soul from Mephisto?
Better to keep it intact.
Now for the cleanup.
"How much do I owe this time?" Charlie asked.
Carter eyed the damaged building. "Rough estimate? Work a few thousand years, and you're good."
Charlie lowered his head. "Captain Carter, you're the best."
"We're just friends. Keep that up, and I'll quit."
"No, please, keep your job. My get-rich plan depends on you."
"Depends on your performance."
They chatted as Erik and Charles, nearby, exchanged a glance and slipped away.
"Hellfire… Ghost Rider's power."
"That guy was Mephisto."
"Yeah, they really know each other."
"Spider-Man didn't lie."
…
Soon, reporters swarmed the battle site, but Charlie was gone.
Nearby, ambulances lined up.
Among the crowd, Mary Jane boarded one.
Later, in a hospital bed…
"Hey, Mary Jane, you okay?"
Gwen, hearing the news, visited. Mary Jane shook her head.
"I'm fine, don't worry."
Gwen poured her a glass of water, curious. "Why were you there?"
Mary Jane shook her head. "Just job hunting. Good thing Spider-Man saved me."
Gwen nodded, saying nothing.
Half an hour later, Gwen left.
Mary Jane checked herself out.
Under the night sky, she entered a dark alley.
Click~
Deep in the alley, a wall activated a mechanical device.
After entering a code, a hidden passage opened.
In an underground base styled like a bar, Mary Jane entered a meeting room.
"Jiaya, good thing you were there, or Spider-Man might've spotted us," the man at the bar said, handing her a cocktail.
Jiaya took a sip, silent.
The man raised a brow. "What's wrong? Not enjoying being Mary Jane?"
Jiaya shook her head. "It's not that."
She looked up. "I became Mary Jane, copied her memories. For some reason, I'm unhappy. No explanation."
She added, "Especially after seeing Spider-Man. It got worse."
The man chuckled. "Relax. First time posing as a human? Normal. Humans are complex. Copy their memories, and their emotions affect you. It'll pass."
"Really?"
Jiaya relaxed. "How's Mary Jane?"
The man shook his head. "Not good. She won't last long."
Jiaya's eyes dimmed. "She's such a good person. This world's unfair."
The man mixed a drink. "She saved you. You're posing as her to spare her family worry. You've done enough."
"Not enough."
Jiaya stared at her cocktail, voice low. "Her family doesn't care about her. Even if she dies, it's nothing. She's too pitiful."
He shook his metal shaker. "Any other family?"
"None."
"So Spider-Man's all she's got. With her memories, you know who he is."
"Yeah, but I respect Mary Jane. She didn't want anyone knowing Spider-Man's identity."
Mentioning Charlie Parker, Jiaya's heart raced.
"I…"
She clutched her aching chest, frowning. "It's happening again. Something's off with her memories."
The man set down the shaker, grabbing a device to scan her.
"Your body's fine," he said, relieved.
But Jiaya still felt off.
She touched the wetness at her eyes. "Why… why am I sad?"
Seeing her tears, the man grew thoughtful.
Jiaya stood. "I can't. I need to see Spider-Man. Now."
"Why?" The man blocked her.
"No reason. I just want to see him."
"Your condition's serious. Maybe the leader can help."