Charlie's gaze locked onto Mary Jane's soul within the twisted essence.
Before he could extract her soul, the black liquid spreading from the symbiote's body had already begun to crawl up Charlie's form.
Whooosh
The symbiote's tissue surged, attempting to invade Charlie's body, sending a shiver through him in an instant.
Even if he wasn't consumed by the symbiote, being parasitized by it was far from ideal.
Without hesitation, he abandoned the attempt to separate Mary Jane's soul for the moment, snapping his focus to confronting the symbiote monster.
Buzz~
BOOM!!
A burst of magical light erupted, reducing the encroaching symbiote tissue to ashes in a torrent of arcane energy.
Yet, an endless stream of black liquid continued to pour from the symbiote monster's body.
In response, Charlie flipped backward, the spider totem beneath his feet flaring to life. One after another, giants split off from his body.
"Whoa, you got bigger!"
"Nice, this is gonna be way more fun!"
"Stop playing around, this guy's tough to deal with."
"What's this tough guy got to do with us? Let the main body deal with the headache!"
"Exactly, my turn first!"
One of the giant clones launched a flying kick, shouting, "Ultraman Flying Kick!!"
"I'm in too!"
"Super Giant · Electro Poison Dragon Drill!"
"Super Tornado Destroys Giant Parking Lot!"
"Good Neighbor Mimics Chainsaw Man!"
A massive drill descended from the sky, a dazzling magical tornado swept across the horizon, and two clones fired magical webbing traps, slicing back and forth through the symbiote monster's colossal form. The night sky over the island was engulfed in arcs of lightning and magical energy.
Under satellite surveillance, the symbiote monster was momentarily overwhelmed by the "Spider-Men."
Rumble
With resounding booms, the island's ground cracked and collapsed.
"My God, so many giants!"
"Is this magic?"
In the awestruck gazes of onlookers, one clone infinitely amplified Pym particles, its form swelling to over a thousand meters tall. A terrifying giant foot slammed down, crushing both the symbiote monster and the surrounding clones.
BOOM!!!
Like a pillar of Optimus Prime, the massive foot plunged into the earth, splitting the island's surface in all directions. Endless seawater poured into the island's fissures, and brilliant magical energy erupted from the chasms, sending towering waves skyward.
The thousand-meter-tall clone, unable to withstand the horrific strain of the Pym particles, shattered in an explosion of red light.
Buzz~
BOOM!!
The giant clone exploded again, and the entire island succumbed to ruin.
ROAR!!
Yet, as seawater surged to cover the island, the symbiote monster's roar, wrapped in endless waves, formed a whirlpool hundreds of meters wide that shot into the sky. Terrifying octopus-like tendrils churned the waves, and a thunderous bolt of lightning, tens of meters thick, blasted forth.
Buzz~
Rumble!!
Under the onslaught of dazzling lightning, the night sky fractured endlessly. A kilometers-long arc of energy swept across the sea, the water roiling under its blue glow, marine life fleeing in panic, and whales diving deep.
Faced with this supernatural force beyond human comprehension, Charlie felt a sudden pang of dread. He grabbed his remaining clone.
"What are you doing?"
"Block it for me."
"You're really something."
Before the clone could finish, its body disintegrated into dust under the onslaught of the lightning energy pillar.
As the clone crumbled, red and blue light particles scattered across the sea. Charlie seized the moment to dive through a massive portal.
Buzz~
BOOM!!
Behind the symbiote beast, Charlie shot out of the portal, his eyes glowing blood-red. His spider network radiated a thick crimson hue, and blood-colored tendrils extended from his back, lashing down with tens of thousands of tons of force.
Bang bang bang
The sky-darkening tendrils slammed down repeatedly, smashing the symbiote monster's massive body back into the sea.
Seeing this, Charlie's tendrils churned the waves, his entire form transforming into a Kraven-like octopus, diving diagonally into the sea.
Whooosh
The sea surface erupted in massive waves, blue arcs and brilliant magical energy painting the waters in turns, the earth-shaking battle redefining everyone's imagination.
"My God, this is a battle between devils and gods! I have to record this—it'll be my greatest masterpiece!"
In a basement, a struggling artist frantically sketched, inspiration bursting forth.
J. Jonah Jameson and others were also closely monitoring this battle that would decide the world's fate.
The lightning in the sea stretched thousands of meters, followed closely by radiant magic.
BOOM!!
Soon, in a sea thousands of kilometers away, brilliant magic exploded, waves churning as a massive octopus tendril surged upward.
ROAR!!
The next moment, a giant scorpion tail broke through the surface, stretching a thousand meters high, twisting briefly before plunging back into the sea.
BOOM!!
Waves rose again as a red-and-blue giant, pierced through the shoulder, was hurled out of the sea by immense force.
"Oh no, Spider-Man's hurt!"
"Wait, it doesn't seem that bad."
Amid the crowd's gasps, Charlie yanked the scorpion tail's stinger from his shoulder and launched spatial webbing to swing into the sky.
Whoosh~
As the wind howled, Charlie clutched the bleeding gash in his shoulder, switching to an electric arc form.
Zzzzt~
BOOM!
A sonic boom erupted as Charlie became a dazzling arc streaking through thunderclouds.
Behind him, the monstrous beast flapped its wings, its severed octopus tendrils regrowing rapidly in writhing black liquid, its mangled body sprouting new flesh and scales.
BOOM!!
Zzzzt~
The beast's maw unleashed a torrent of lightning, but the flickering arc ahead dodged the attack.
Pfft
As the arc plunged into the dark thunderclouds, the dense clouds were blasted apart, revealing a thousand-meter-wide hole.
Dawn's light pierced the cloud gap, illuminating the sea. The red-and-blue figure in the holy glow sharply changed direction.
By now, Charlie's shoulder wound had healed, his third-level regeneration ability sufficient for the task.
ROAR!
Facing the charging red-and-blue giant, the symbiote's narrow eyes blazed with intense light.
It didn't retreat but advanced, ferocious tendrils lashing out, its scorpion tail striking, claws tearing through the sky, and another blinding arc of lightning bursting from its mouth.
Buzz~
BOOM!!
Under this lethal onslaught, Charlie, diving downward, drew a circle with his hand, and all the attacks vanished into it.
At the same time, a portal appeared above the symbiote beast. Tendrils and claws came crashing through, and dazzling lightning energy descended, shredding the beast's body into fragments with its own power, then pulverizing it into countless pieces.
"We won!"
Seeing this, the blood-red in Charlie's eyes faded, replaced by a pale blue glow.
After all that acting, the thing finally fell for it.
If he'd used the portal to redirect its attacks from the start, this borrowed-force tactic might not have worked.
After all, the symbiote beast had devoured so many, absorbing the combat experience of Penny Parker and Annie. Its battle awareness was far beyond an ordinary monster's.
If the first attempt didn't destroy it completely, the same trick would be far less effective later.
In a flash of thought, seeing the black fragments still writhing in the sea, Charlie hurriedly cast soul magic, attempting to extract Mary Jane's soul.
As for Penny Parker and the others consumed by the symbiote's core, he already had another plan.
As long as their souls remained, he was confident he could bring them back.
Buzz~
Across the sea, a radiant spider totem spanned the waters, and souls began to rise.
Among them, Charlie's gaze locked onto Mary Jane's soul.
He reached out slowly, but just as he was about to grasp her, Mary Jane's eyes snapped open, a eerie smile spreading across her face.
"Hm?"
Charlie paused, his movements halting.
A sense of foreboding gripped him, yet his spider-sense gave no warning.
No, the symbiote beast still had Mysterio's hallucinogenic gas!
Before he could separate his soul to trigger his body's deepest evasion instincts, Mary Jane's soul shattered.
Everything before him twisted, and the symbiote beast's gaping maw appeared in front of Charlie.
What a cunning creature—who did it learn this from?!
Charlie only had time to raise his arm to block. The maw clamped down on his arm device.
Crack~
Pfft!
Instantly, sparks flew from the arm device. The time machine, shrunken by Pym particles for portability, went haywire.
Buzz~
A golden portal rapidly expanded, and the two massive figures vanished into the golden light.
"They're gone."
The onlookers slowly came to their senses.
The giant entities disappeared, the sea's massive waves gradually calmed, the dark clouds dispersed, and the world seemed to return to its former peace.
Yet no one would forget that a Spider-Man from another universe had once saved their world.
…
Meanwhile, in the universe of Symbiote Tony.
"Superheroes need oversight. It's for world peace."
At an empty airport, Symbiote Tony and a young Steve stood in opposition.
Each represented their own stance, backed by a group of superheroes.
To Symbiote Tony's words, young Steve's gaze was resolute.
"I won't agree to sign such a ridiculous agreement. Heroes will just become their tools. True world peace doesn't come from them—or you, New York's new mayor, Tony Stark."
Hearing the title, Symbiote Tony flashed a smug smile.
"I'm glad you acknowledge my new role. My first act as mayor is to deal with disobedient superheroes. Don't make this hard for me."
Young Steve's expression grew heavy. "Looks like your condition's gotten worse. That alien thing will destroy you. Get rid of it while you can—that's my advice."
"No need for your concern. I feel great."
"Then there's nothing more to discuss."
"That's your choice. You'll regret it," Symbiote Tony said, unfazed.
Young Steve took a deep breath. "Without Spider-Man helping you, you're nothing."
"Let's find out."
The two stood at odds, their respective superhero factions exchanging glares that sparked with invisible tension.
Most of them had little interest in the so-called oversight agreement, merely using the opportunity to settle personal grudges.
The air grew heavy, the atmosphere reaching a freezing point.
The Mark Armor powered up, and young Steve crouched slightly, slowly raising his shield.
Behind them, Natasha and the others quickly assumed combat stances.
Before they could act, the cloudless sky suddenly filled with dense black clouds. A golden circle flared, and a familiar red-and-blue figure, colliding with a monster, plummeted like a meteor.
"That's…"
Symbiote Tony was startled at first, but upon seeing the familiar suit, he grinned.
"Old soldier, my backup's here. You know Spider-Man's strength. You're doomed to fail."
Seeing Symbiote Tony's growing arrogance, young Steve's face darkened.
With Spider-Man involved, they had no chance of winning.
As he considered how to retreat, Natasha beside him suddenly gasped.
"No, something's off with Spider-Man."
"His body… it's huge!"
Finally, as the red-and-blue figure plummeted rapidly, the others realized Spider-Man's size was unimaginably massive.
Scott, seeing this, instantly understood.
"It's Pym particles!!"
"Get out of the way!"
"He's falling toward us…"
In an instant, the superheroes abandoned their fight, using every means to flee the airport.
Rumble!!
Soon, the giant crashed down, shattering the airport. The terrifying explosion turned planes into scrap, and the impact obliterated the terminal.
"My God, that's a massive Spider-Man…"
In the swirling dust, the red-and-blue figure loomed faintly. Scott stared at the shocking scene, then glanced at the red particle tube embedded in his arm device, lowering his head guiltily.
But someone hit his sore spot dead-on.
"Ant-Girl, I think you can retire. Signing the agreement is the kindest thing for you. The facts prove the Ant-Man suit's wasted on you. You don't deserve Pym particles. You're just a little nobody," Symbiote Tony mocked without hesitation.
At those words, Scott's face darkened, but he had no rebuttal.
He'd heard of Spider-Man. The only way Spider-Man could grow so massive was with Pym particles.
Spider-Man used Pym particles to become a hundred-meter giant, while he could only manage a pathetic eighteen meters.
No comparison, no pain.
If this got out, he'd have no face left in the superhero community.
But soon, Bucky nearby offered consolation.
"Don't mind that guy. You don't need to feel embarrassed, because you never had any face to begin with. You've got nothing left to lose."
Scott: "…"
As he considered switching sides, a beastly roar echoed from the airport ruins, shaking the heavens.
ROAR!!
Buzz~
In an instant, a shockwave from the airport carried debris outward. The heroes clutched their ears in pain, wincing.
"What a terrifying monster. We have to help him."
Symbiote Tony's face grew serious. He looked at young Steve. "Let's put our issues aside and deal with this big guy first."
Young Steve frowned. "Spider-Man saved us all. I've no reason to refuse, but with our strength, it's hard to intervene."
"You can't, but I can."
Symbiote Tony turned to Scott. "Lend me your Pym particles," he said, extending his hand.
Scott shook his head. "No way. Without the Ant-Man suit, it's too—"
"Not hard. I'm confident."
Symbiote Tony cut him off, his gold-red armor gradually spreading with eerie black liquid.
"My partner can adapt to Pym particles."