Unknown Universe, Spider Society Headquarters.
In the vast tech hall, dazzling code wove into a web-like temporal tunnel. Charlie and Takuya Yamashiro's figures slowly emerged.
"Hey, Takuya-kun, long time no see! What've you been up to?"
A passing Garfield Spider, clad in red-and-blue, waved a paw at Takuya.
"We saw each other yesterday," Takuya replied casually, then turned to Charlie. "This is Spider—"
"I know, it's Spider-Man," Charlie cut in, scanning the tech corridors and floating geometric structures around the hall. The sheer number of Spider-Men everywhere sent a shiver down his spine.
"Oh, a newbie," Garfield Spider drawled, eyelids drooping. "Newbies gotta show off a talent. Can you sing?"
"Sure, I can meow like a cat," Charlie grinned.
Garfield Spider's forehead creased with annoyance. "You're mocking me."
"No, no misunderstanding here."
"You are! I can't even meow, so how could you?"
"I meant I can sing 'Learn to Meow.'"
"You're singing it?!"
Garfield Spider bared his claws, face darkening. "Never met a Spider-Man this rude to his seniors."
Charlie glanced at him. "It's just a song, you self-conscious, oversensitive furball. You don't deserve to be Spider-Man."
"What did you say?!"
Garfield Spider lunged, aiming for Charlie's knee, but Takuya grabbed him by the scruff.
"Cool it, you can't beat him. Just let it go," Takuya advised.
"Meow!"
Garfield Spider hissed, baring teeth. "Let me go! I'm gonna thrash this disrespectful new—"
Before he could finish, Charlie kicked him, sending him flying.
"Meow~~"
Thud!
Garfield Spider crashed into a ceiling walkway. Charlie shrugged. "How's there a Spider-Man this hotheaded?" he asked Takuya.
Takuya rubbed his forehead. "You're all violent."
Noticing the curious glances from nearby Spider-Men, he quickly pulled Charlie toward the upper offices.
"Let's find Miguel first. He'll be thrilled you're here."
"Miguel's off in another Spider-Man universe. Might be a while," a passing Spider-Man said, activating a device and vanishing into a temporal tunnel.
"Miguel's not here?" Takuya shook his head. "We came at a bad time."
But Charlie sensed something wrong.
"Wait, my stuff."
He raised an empty web—the symbiote meteorite wrapped in it was gone.
"What's going on?"
Charlie frowned, scanning the Spider-Men around, suspecting one with special abilities had stolen it.
Takuya thought for a moment, then shouted at a nearby shadow. "Peter, give it back!"
At that, most Spider-Men turned to Takuya.
"You calling me?"
"No, maybe me."
"Could be all of us."
"I think he means me. I'm the handsomest here."
"Hey, cotton-fluffer, get a grip on reality."
The Spider-Men erupted into chatter. Takuya massaged his temples.
"Here, I feel like I've lost my Spider-Man courage. They're too noisy."
Charlie patted his shoulder. "If they're annoying, just summon the Battle Soul Sword and send them packing!"
Takuya: "…"
"I can tolerate it."
"Fine, keep going."
"Alright."
Takuya glanced at the shadow by Charlie's feet. "Stop playing. That thing's dangerous."
Buzz~
Instantly, a pitch-black figure emerged from Charlie's shadow.
"But I think its color suits me."
Shadow Spider held the black meteorite, gently tucking it into their chest.
"I love black."
Charlie's eye twitched. "It loves you too."
"What?"
Shadow Spider looked at Charlie, then felt the unknown entity in the meteorite invading their body.
"Oh, yes, it loves me too! Awesome!!" Shadow Spider cheered.
Charlie: "…"
"Nutcase."
He moved to snatch the meteorite back.
"What are you doing?"
"Hand it over!"
"No!"
Facing Charlie's "claws," Shadow Spider screamed and melted into the shadow.
Bang!!
A fist imprint appeared on the smooth floor.
The shadow remained, but its occupant was gone.
The sudden commotion drew glances from the Spider-Men, but they quickly resumed chatting, unbothered by the newbie's property damage.
"Where'd they go?" Charlie asked, frowning.
Takuya shrugged. "No idea. Nobody knows where they'll pop up."
Charlie realized things were slipping out of control.
"Are all the Spider-Men here this unreliable?"
He took a deep breath, feeling this place wasn't what he'd imagined.
Takuya, unsure what would happen next, greeted passing Spider-Men casually. "Relax, with so many Spider-Men here, any problem can be solved."
Charlie's face darkened. Glancing at the nearby Spider-Men, he finally pinpointed what felt off.
Before embarking on his multiversal journey, Spider-Men fought alone in their universes, tackling tough foes and crises with full focus.
But here, it was different.
There were too many Spider-Men. If one didn't act, another would.
Frankly, a single spit from each could drown a villain, so no one cared about a potential threat.
They'd just gang up and win.
This mindset would severely weaken the Spider Society's combat strength.
In Charlie's view, one Captain America versus one Spider-Man? Spider-Man would likely win.
But ten Captains versus ten Spider-Men? The Captains would dominate.
With great power comes great responsibility.
The more Spider-Men, the more dangerous it gets.
This place was a powder keg!
Sure enough, under his spider-sense's warning, Spider-Men in the hall began vanishing into their shadows.
"Oh, sh*t, where's my chat buddy?!"
"My spider-sense says this place is getting dangerous."
"Get out of here!"
A Spider-Man shouted, only to be grabbed by a shadowy claw around his ankle.
Under immense force, he was dragged into his own shadow.
"My God, it's Shadow Spider! Have they lost it?"
"Turn off the lights!"
Click~
Instantly, the Spider-Men shut off the power, plunging the headquarters into darkness.
"No!"
"Ah~~"
Screams grew denser. A devil in the dark reaped lives, and Spider-Men's vaunted spider-sense couldn't predict the claws from the shadows.
"Damn it, which genius said to turn off the lights?"
"Now the shadow area's even bigger!!"
"Turn them back on!"
Shwick!!
Sparks flashed in the dark as the power switch was destroyed.
The Spider-Men wailed.
"No!!"
"We're done for! No way to tell where it'll appear…"
"Let me handle this!"
A radiant red-and-blue glow erupted in the darkness. A Spider-Man unleashed mysterious energy, illuminating the hall.
But before the Spider-Men could relax, a massive shadow swept from the corner, devouring them along the floor. The glowing Spider-Man's light couldn't dispel the terrifying darkness.
"Oh, we're really done now."
The glowing Spider-Man watched his body being consumed, flashing a grim smile.
"Anyone willing to tell Mary Jane goodbye for me? Her address is 108 Eisenhower Apartments, Queens."
With that, his body melted into the shadow, and the world sank back into darkness.
Meanwhile, the shadow, having devoured numerous Spider-Men, twisted and morphed into a spider-like silhouette dozens of meters long.
Buzz~
The shadowy spider sprouted terrifying fangs, six blood-red eyes glowing eerily in the dark.
In the pitch-black environment, the spider monster's shadow stood out, defying physics.
Nourished by the Spider-Men's flesh, the shadow spider evolved from a 2D entity to a 3D one.
Crack crack crack~
Hiss!!
The black monster rose from the ground, its six blood-red eyes blazing, unleashing a barrage of crimson beams across the headquarters.
Buzz~
Shwick shwick shwick
RUMBLE!
Crimson energy poured out from the building.
Bathed in the red glow, surviving Spider-Men reacted, swinging on webs and using their abilities to counter the sudden disaster.
Charlie stayed in the corner, quietly observing.
A petite figure nimbly dodged crimson beams, fingers flashing as she shot webs, forming a hundred-meter web to trap the shadow spider.
"I got it!"
The web enveloped the shadow spider, but before she could call for help, its inky tendrils turned the white web black.
"What?"
"No!!"
Too slow to react, the black liquid surged into her fingers, turning her into liquid and merging her into the shadow spider.
"Give me back Cindy!!"
A red-and-blue figure swung up, roaring in anguish. His body swelled with rage, tearing his suit as he transformed into a Hulk-like Spider-Man, charging the shadow spider.
Gagaga~ Shwick!
The shadow spider's maw opened, swallowing Hulk Spider-Man whole.
Burp~
The shadow belched, satisfied with the delivered meal.
Crack crack crack~
Red-and-blue mechanical tendrils erupted around the shadow spider, their clawed tips firing high-temperature beams.
Zzzzt~
Shwick shwick shwick
The beams sliced the smooth floor, cutting the massive shadow spider into fragments.
A Spider-Man with a "backpack" landed, his tendrils retracting into his mechanical device.
"Done. As expected, no challenge."
He strutted toward the Spider-Men smugly.
Too bad their masks hid their shock turning to horror.
"You—"
"I know, no need to worship me."
"No, run!"
"I never run. That's for weak—"
Mid-sentence, the reformed shadow swallowed him.
Spider-Men: "…"
Charlie sighed, brushing off his pants and standing.
These Spider-Men were too weak.
Saving the world was up to him.
"How boring."
Before he could step forward, a cold voice sounded by his ear.
Charlie turned to see a figure push through the crowd, standing alone before the shadow spider.
A dazzling spider-armor gleamed in the dark, clearly worth a fortune.
High-tech drones circled their head, locking onto the shadow spider.
A curvaceous female Spider-Man sauntered up, leaning into his arms.
"Peter, this thing looks tough. Be careful!"
Peter waved dismissively, voice calm. "No one can beat me with my BGM."
With that, his spider-armor lit up with marquee lights, and DJ music blared.
Boom tss~ Boom tss~
"Oh, everybody, get hyped!!"
In the dark, Spider-Man's soulful dance moves stunned everyone.
Charlie facepalmed. "What is this trash? I regret coming here."
Takuya swayed to the beat. "What'd you say? I~ can't~ hear~ you~"
Charlie: "…"
He decided to wait.
This guy was clearly a comedic character—his combat strength couldn't be—
ROAR!
Gagaga~
The shadow spider's maw swallowed the dazzling Spider-Man, then used his female companion as a toothpick.
The sudden scene caught Charlie off guard.
"He said no one could beat him with his BGM," Charlie said.
Takuya pondered. "But the BGM stopped. Dying seems reasonable."
"Then what are you waiting for? Summon Leopardon and take it down."
"This street's got a speed limit. My chariot needs time to get here."
"Your chariot can fly."
"I don't have a flight license."
"Fine, I get it. You think another Spider-Man will handle this."
"Yep, and that's you."
Under Takuya's encouraging gaze, Charlie stepped forward to reclaim his prize.
Seeing someone step up, the fleeing Spider-Men paused.
"Another one's taking on that thing."
"How long you think he'll last?"
"Three seconds."
"Looks average. I say two."
"Don't you know who he is?"
In the crowd, Scruffy Peter glanced at the others. "That's Charlie Parker. I know him—the strongest Spider-Man I've ever seen."
The crowd erupted.
"No way, stronger than Miguel?"
"My God, you sure? What's his best feat?"
"Gotta be at least beating Kingpin."
Scruffy Peter scoffed. "Kingpin? Charlie punched him out cold. No challenge at all."
"What?"
"One punch?"
The Spider-Men's eyes widened.