Unfortunately, they could only imagine how powerful the invincible Spider-Man was from Scruffy Peter's tales.
Before Charlie could act, a temporal tunnel bloomed above the shadow monster. A black-and-red Spider-Man burst forth, firing glowing webbing to entangle the massive shadow creature.
"Peter, stop this!"
The sudden Spider-Man crashed to the ground, his red particle cloak fading as the red spider emblem on his chest glowed brightly.
Spider Society, Miguel!
Buzz~
The suit's glow dimmed. Miguel tugged the glowing webbing, and the massive shadow spider roared and struggled.
Shwick shwick shwick
The glowing webs snapped under immense force. Miguel flung an unknown device.
Buzz~
BOOM!!
White gas exploded from the device, spreading rapidly. The shadow spider's piercing screams echoed through the headquarters.
ROAR!
Hiss~~
Soon, the shadow spider's roars weakened. The white gas rippled, and the massive shadow collapsed, dissolving into a pool of black sludge that seeped into the floor.
The black liquid dried up, and the devoured Spider-Men reappeared in view.
"Huh, what just happened?"
"We got swallowed by a monster."
"No, it was that damn guy—he went nuts."
"Miguel's back! He must've saved us."
"Worthy of the strongest Spider-Man."
The Spider-Men marveled, crowding around Miguel to thank him.
Charlie quietly picked up the black meteorite, curious.
"What was that thing?" he asked Takuya.
Takuya shook his head. "No clue. Probably his secret weapon."
"It's a special substance from another universe. It heavily counters symbiote abilities," Miguel said, pushing through the crowd toward Charlie.
Charlie's eyes narrowed at the explanation.
Counters symbiotes?
Sounds like someone's been secretly preparing weapons against Spider-Men.
Though unsure if Miguel's words were true, one thing was clear: this guy was dangerous.
As Charlie sized him up, Miguel did the same.
"I've heard of you, Charlie Parker. Peter says you're strong. I admire a Spider-Man who can one-punch Kingpin," Miguel said, extending a hand.
Charlie shook it. "Heard of you too. Cool suit."
Miguel paused, waiting for the follow-up.
But Charlie wasn't into mutual flattery.
"It's getting late. I've got laundry to pick up."
Charlie summoned his golden little spider, opening a portal, only to be stopped by Miguel.
"Wait, you're not joining us?" Miguel asked, puzzled.
He glanced at Takuya, who shrugged helplessly.
"Don't look at me. I don't know what's up."
Miguel was even more confused.
Charlie's explanation was blunt.
"This place isn't what I expected. I've lost interest, so sorry, I'm not joining."
He was honest.
The idea of a Spider-Man headquarters had intrigued him.
But seeing the place, he found its management shockingly lax.
From the movie scene of intercepting Miles to their pathetic response to danger just now, Charlie was disappointed.
Instead of joining Miguel's Spider Society, he'd rather form his own Spider team.
At least it'd be reliable friends, less likely to drop the ball in critical moments.
Most importantly, too many Spider-Men together led to too many accidents.
In a flash, Charlie's chest spider totem glowed.
Nearby, a female Spider-Man, drawn by the totem, instinctively lunged at him.
"No, Kelly, what are you doing? You just accepted my proposal!" a Spider-Man cried.
"I don't know, I can't control myself! He's too charming, I want~~"
"Stop her!"
Miguel quickly directed the others to restrain her.
Turning back, he saw Charlie's chest layered with spider totems, his eyes gleaming with shock.
"Your spider totems… so many! How is that possible?!" he exclaimed.
Charlie shrugged. "A lot, yeah. Paid for with my life."
"Alright, enough talk. I'm really leaving."
"Wait, I've found a strange family hunting Spider-Men. I need your help."
"Contact me when you find them."
"You—"
Under Miguel's helpless gaze, Charlie vanished into the golden portal.
"He seems hard to deal with," Miguel said to Takuya.
Takuya scratched his head. "Really? I don't think so. He's actually a great Spider-Man."
Miguel pondered. "Does his superpower let him sense weird stuff?" he asked suddenly.
"Weird stuff?"
Takuya shook his head. "I don't get it."
"Never mind, just something I heard," Miguel said, dismissing the thought.
He'd heard of Charlie Parker in another universe—an invincible Spider-Man with surprising powers.
Too bad he didn't want to join the Spider Society.
Miguel sighed. "Fine, there'll be other chances."
He tapped his wrist device, and a temporal tunnel spat out a web-bound figure.
"Jerk, let me go! Do you know who I am? I'm the invincible Spider-Man's best friend! Treat me like this, and you'll get beat!!"
Takuya stared, confused. "Who's this?"
Miguel explained, "Harry Osborn from some universe. In the original timeline, he and his father were dead, but somehow, he's alive now. So are his father and others.
To figure this out, I brought him here."
"What's your plan?"
"Once I understand this, I'll bring those guys here. Otherwise, their world will collapse from timeline changes."
Takuya blinked. "The Spider Society handles this stuff too?"
"Of course."
Miguel, dragging Harry toward the cosmic prison, said, "To protect the web of life and destiny, I gathered these Spider-Men to form the Spider Society.
A Spider-Man's fate is to be alone. Our loved ones, our friends, die in accidents because of us.
If we realize this and try to change it, altering fate, the web of life and destiny gets damaged, and our worlds collapse."
Behind him, Takuya thought of his own parents and friends.
A Spider-Man's fate was tragic.
Knowing this, he'd left his universe without hesitation to avoid harming those around him.
The Iron Cross Army's threat was gone, but others would come. He couldn't take the risk.
His parents were killed by the Iron Cross Army. He only had Shinko and Takuji left.
In Miguel's grip, Harry's cursing stopped.
He'd never heard this before.
A Spider-Man's fate was to be alone, their loved ones doomed to die.
He finally understood.
His best friend, after becoming Spider-Man, always subtly avoided him.
After every hangout, he'd leave quickly. They stopped sharing favorite games or talking about the prettiest girls at school.
Harry thought their bond had faded.
But every meeting felt like old times, no distance between them. They were still best friends.
The push-and-pull was strange and frustrating.
He'd wanted to confront his friend several times but chose to respect his space.
He'd guessed there was a reason he didn't know.
But Harry hadn't realized it was this serious.
No wonder his friend kept avoiding Mary Jane.
That was the real reason.
He said nothing, bearing it all silently.
Still my best friend?
Harry burst out cursing.
"That damn guy! If I see him, I'll beat the crap out of him, shove it back in, pee on his head, and pour his favorite juice down the drain in front of him!!"
His outburst startled both men.
"What's with him?" Takuya asked, baffled.
Miguel pondered. "Maybe a family genetic disease acting up."
"My disease was cured ages ago!!"
Harry glared at Miguel. "I said, let me go, or my friend will make you beg for mercy."
Miguel shook his head, ignoring the threat.
"I know your friend's Spider-Man, but sorry, few Spider-Men can match me."
Before he could finish, a golden portal flickered, signaling a Spider-Man who could beat him had arrived.
Buzz~
In Harry's delighted gaze, Charlie stepped out.
"I popped back and heard you visited that world and took my friend. That right?"
Charlie glanced at Harry in Miguel's grip. "To confirm you're my Harry, what's our code?"
Harry's face darkened. "There's no code!"
Miguel relaxed. "No code? Guess he's not your friend."
He'd overlooked checking who the Spider-Man of that world was.
But it didn't matter—it couldn't be Charlie Parker's universe.
Harry had confirmed it.
If he was Charlie's friend, this would've turned into a friend-snatching brawl.
But Charlie's next words stunned Miguel.
"Congrats, Harry, you nailed our code. You're my friend. I'm taking you home."
He reached out to Miguel. "Hand him over."
Miguel: "???"
"He didn't say a code. You got the wrong guy."
"He got it right. The code is no code."
"Nani?" Takuya gasped, covering his mouth. "Such a niche code."
Miguel's face darkened. "Fine, even if he's your friend, you know why I brought him here."
"Guessed it, don't care," Charlie shrugged.
Miguel took a deep breath, eyes blazing.
"Charlie Parker, to protect the web of life and destiny, I can't let you take Harry. It's for your own good."
Charlie cracked his knuckles, warming up.
He shot webs into a line, then started jumping rope.
"The web of life and destiny isn't protected like this. My universe was fine before you noticed anything—no signs of collapse."
He dropped the rope, stretching his neck.
Miguel's eyes narrowed, his chest's red spider emblem glowing. He wasn't handing Harry over.
"You don't get it. I tried fighting it too, but I couldn't save my daughter. I watched her die and caused many others' deaths.
Accept Spider-Man's fate. It's better for everyone—less collateral damage."
He tossed Harry to a Spider-Man behind him, laser claws extending from his hands.
Charlie chuckled, pulling a magical little spider from the void. "Your story's sad, but sorry, I can't sympathize. My efforts kept them safe… well, mostly."
He raised his right hand, and the little spider bit his hand.
Buzz~
Under the watching Spider-Men, Charlie's suit shimmered with radiant magical energy, a dangerous aura sweeping out, drawing gasps.
"My God, what's that?"
"Magic?"
"That suit's even cooler now."
"I sense his power—it's no weaker than Miguel's."
"Peter was right. Charlie Parker's seriously strong."
"I said that?"
"I didn't."
"Me neither."
"It was that Peter in flip-flops."
"Knew it wasn't me."
The Spider-Men gathered to watch. Charlie stepped forward.
"Friendly tip: the web of life and destiny isn't what you think. A bunch of vampires hijacked that web. Spider-Men's fate might be their doing. Focus on that."
"What?"
Miguel's heart jolted.
"No way. A bunch of Morbiuses couldn't hijack the web of life and destiny."
"Not Morbius. The Inheritor family—those hunting Spider-Men."
"I only trust what I see."
"Guess I can't convince you."
Charlie clenched his fists, his pale blue eyes turning blood-red.
"Group fight or one-on-one? I'm in a hurry."
"What?"
The Spider-Men whispered among themselves.
Miguel's response surprised Charlie.
"I'm not sure I can beat you, but you're not taking Harry."
The surrounding Spider-Men stepped forward.
Clearly, if Miguel lost, they'd pile on.
At least, that's how it looked.
Except for Takuya and Scruffy Peter.
"Go, for the man who'd defy the world to save a friend, Spider-Man!" Takuya cheered.
Harry, tears streaming, choked up. "So touching! But can you step back? You're on my fingers."
Takuya: "…"