[You have received an invitation to the Resurrection Match!]
[You have entered the Resurrection Match scenario.]
[Scenario: DC Universe—Krypton]
[Task 1: Defeat Superman Clark Kent (Kal-El), rewards 2 resurrection slots.]
[Task 2: Save Krypton, rewards 1 resurrection slot.]
[Task 3: Defeat Dru-Zod, rewards 1 resurrection slot.]
[Task 4: Defeat Faora, rewards 1 resurrection slot.]
[Task 5: Defeat Jor-El, rewards 1 resurrection slot.]
[Task 6: Destroy Krypton prematurely, rewards 1 resurrection slot.]
[Task 7: Help Dru-Zod seize control of Krypton, rewards 1 resurrection slot.]
[Task 8: Destroy Krypton's Genesis Chamber, rewards 1 resurrection slot.]
[Additional Reward: Superpower—Stellar Energy Absorption and Conversion.]
[Hint 1: After completing any task, subsequent tasks will no longer yield rewards.]
[Hint 2: Completing the first task allows the extra resurrection slot to be used for a freely chosen target.]
[Participants: Charlie Parker, Steve Rogers, Carter Page, Gwen Stacy, Tony Stark, Harry Osborn, Carol Danvers, Stephen Strange, Wade Winston Wilson, Gravik, Carnage.]
[Task Item: Gravity Field Protection (lasts 24 hours)]
[Retries Remaining: 59.]
[Time Until Task Begins: 30 seconds.]
[Time Until Task Ends: 24 hours.]
A resource-depleted planet stretched before them, blanketed in swirling yellow sand, with deserts and dunes dominating the landscape.
The sky was a dismal gray, the dying star's light unable to fully pierce the thick haze.
Yet, in this wasteland, a magnificent technological city stood unscathed, shielded by a protective dome impervious to the harsh weather.
Gloom-laden clouds were forcibly dispersed by advanced weaponry, allowing Kryptonians to bask in the red sunlight, drawing the stellar energy needed to sustain their bodies.
Atop a shell-shaped organic structure on the city's edge, a red-and-blue figure scratched his head, staring at the prompt before him.
Seriously?
Fighting Superman on his home turf?
Which DC reboot is this?
This feels like a championship match.
This Resurrection Match was, as expected, wildly different.
So many task options, each with high difficulty.
Superman, Zod, Faora, and Superman's father, Jor-El—these were no pushovers.
Not to mention destroying or saving Krypton.
If Krypton itself couldn't manage that, a bunch of Marvel outsiders had even less of a shot.
Krypton's gravity was at least ten times Earth's.
Without the task's gravity field protection, they'd have no chance.
Even with it, allowing them to use their powers on Krypton, the planet's technology was no joke. So-called superheroes could easily be taken out by a single shot from an ordinary weapon.
But Charlie noticed a key detail in the task information.
Completing the first task—defeating Superman—offered two resurrection slots, clearly tailored for him.
It was practically a participant perk.
This meant a chance to resurrect Mary Jane.
But knowing the Resurrection Match's twisted nature, the competition would be brutal.
Charlie scanned the participant list and spotted Stephen Strange.
Max and the others, killed by the Black Death Sword, weren't listed. Had they lost their eligibility after being "redeemed"?
As for Deadpool, Charlie suspected the guy was stalking him.
Then there were Super Skrull Gravik and Carnage.
Gravik's presence was expected.
But Carnage…
No doubt Mephisto's doing, stirring up trouble for Spider-Man just for kicks.
Charlie sighed, exasperated.
As the countdown ended, a transparent film enveloped his body.
Charlie tested his movements, finding that the gravity field protection made Krypton feel no different from Earth.
"Perfect. No issues. Time to find the old man."
He raised his hand to draw a circle, but the magical sparks flickered and died.
Charlie: "…"
Marvel's magic system relied on borrowing power from "gods."
Clearly, Marvel's ancient dimensional gods had no sway in the DC Universe, and mages couldn't channel their power through intermediaries.
Unless, like the Ancient One, you claimed borrowed magic as your own and refused to return it—then you might thrive in the DC Universe.
Truly, debtors were the real bosses, stealing the spotlight everywhere.
And speaking of spotlights…
A thousand meters away, near a massive dark-golden bone-like structure, thick darkness began to spread. A dark mage soared into the sky, the Darkhold above his head crumbling under DC's universal rules, yet the terrifying dark magic remained potent.
"Bzzz~"
As the dark array expanded, endless shadowy tendrils reached out, swallowing airborne vehicles.
"Tell me, where's Clark?" the dark mage demanded.
Under the shroud of darkness, Stephen Strange, eyes ringed with black, seized a Kryptonian soldier.
"!#*T!%…!" the soldier stammered in a strange tongue, trembling in the dark energy.
Strange frowned, then a ghostly light bloomed at his brow, activating telepathy.
"Where's Clark Kent? Tell me!"
"I-I don't know him."
"Kal-El, then?"
"I… don't know."
"Then you're useless."
Strange tossed the soldier aside, and the dark tendrils devoured him instantly.
He turned his gaze to the city's tallest building and flew toward the Kryptonian Council Chamber without hesitation.
His target was clear: Clark Kent.
Defeat him, secure two resurrection slots!
"Boom!!"
A black tornado swept across the city, its energy storm ravaging streets. But the expected collapse of buildings didn't happen.
Krypton's structures weren't made of metal or stone but organic materials like bone or shells.
In a sense, these buildings were "alive," absorbing energy to grow slowly—an eco-friendly marvel.
Earth's architecture was primitive and far less durable by comparison.
Yet, beneath this harmonious facade, Krypton remained a resource-drained planet.
Ironic, to say the least.
Seeing Strange fly toward the city center, causing chaos along the way, Charlie looked away, unconcerned.
The guy was clearly gunning for Superman.
Charlie didn't believe Strange could fully claim dark magic as his own.
Even if he could "pocket" some, without a fresh supply, Strange would burn out and lose his edge.
In that state, he had no chance.
Unlike me, Charlie thought. The Invincible Spider-Man never acts recklessly.
Where to stir things up first?
As he pondered, an energy pulse erupted nearby. A red-and-gold suit shot into the sky, only to be shot down by ground troops.
"Bang~"
"Aw, crap! What is this thing? It pierced my suit's defenses in a second!" Tony cursed, clutching his side as he crashed.
"Over here!" Kryptonian soldiers rushed to the scene.
The lead soldier waved, and the others aimed bizarre weapons at Tony, gesturing for him to remove his helmet.
Tony complied reluctantly, slowly taking it off.
"Identity unverified. Take him in," the soldiers said after scanning his face, moving to detain him.
"Wait, can I at least collect your language data? I should explain—"
"Hey, Iron Man, looks like you're in trouble."
A red-and-blue figure swung onto a nearby rooftop.
Seeing Charlie, Tony's face lit up. "Great! Save me, but watch out for their weapons—"
"What weapons?"
Charlie raised a hand, showing off a Kryptonian weapon wrapped in webbing, then tossed it aside.
The soldiers reacted. "Damn, what is he?"
"Grab him!"
Several soldiers drew baton-like weapons and charged Charlie.
He leaped down, cracking his knuckles. "I hear Kryptonians are all Supermen on Earth. Well, today, I'm taking on ten!"
With that, he sidestepped a baton swing and threw a punch, striking a soldier's chest armor.
"Bang!"
A muffled thud. The soldier stumbled back, armor dented, but Charlie's hand ached from the recoil.
"Crack~"
"My gosh, Kryptonian quality is no joke!" Charlie shook his stinging wrist, then tapped the spider emblem on his chest. Nano-vibranium swiftly coated his body.
On Krypton, the nano-vibranium suit finally had a chance to shine.
The downed soldier roared, "Get him!"
"Pfft!"
Blue particle beams fired in rapid succession, dropping the soldiers under their impact.
Charlie discarded the Kryptonian weapon, dusting off his hands. "What year is it, still fighting hand-to-hand?"
Tony: "…"
He stood, his damaged armor quickly repairing itself with nano-metal.
"Nano-suit?" Charlie asked, surprised. Why hadn't he noticed before?
Tony shook his head. "Full nano-suit's not ready. This is just nano-metal patching the armor."
"Fair enough. Let's get out of here. More soldiers will come."
Charlie pointed to the city's far end. "Krypton's class system is rigid. I scouted earlier—that area's like a slum. It's chaotic; they won't find us there."
Tony nodded, activated his suit, and flew toward the slum.
Charlie shot a web, latching onto the suit for a free ride.
They dove into the slum, and the pursuing soldiers, with looks of disgust, turned and left.
In a corner, Tony removed his armor, clutching a bloody gash at his waist.
Despite basic nano-treatment, it still hurt.
Seeing the soldiers leave, he frowned. "They just left?"
Charlie shrugged, shedding his nano-suit. "Who knows?"
Tony leaned against a wall, observing passing Kryptonians. They glanced at them but looked away, continuing their business, which piqued his curiosity.
"These people are weird. They're not arresting us."
"They're not soldiers or cops. It's not their job," Charlie said, crouching beside Tony. "Send a signal. Let them know we're here."
"Now?" Tony's eyes narrowed. "You sure that won't draw those guys back?"
Charlie shrugged. "Give it a shot."
"Alright."
Tony slipped on his gauntlet and fired an arc pulse into the sky.
"Bang!"
The energy exploded, forming the Stark Industries logo.
Tony glanced nervously. "You sure this is fine? Their basic weapons pierced my armor. Advanced ones might kill you."
"No big deal. Don't panic."
Charlie patted Tony's shoulder, calming the anxious Iron Man.
Every universe's Iron Man was a bundle of nerves.
As they waited, no soldiers entered the grimy slum.
"Looks like we're good," Tony said, relieved. "You seem to know this place well?" he asked curiously.
Charlie grinned, dead serious. "You've never played the Resurrection Match, so you see me as just a friend and teammate. But if you had, you'd see me as the True God of the Resurrection Match. As a god, I'm omniscient. I am with you always."
He spread his arms, smiling and closing his eyes as if bathing in holy light.
Tony's mouth twitched. "What are you doing?"
Though the palladium in his body had stopped poisoning him for some reason, he still felt awful.
The Invincible Spider-Man was making it worse.
Charlie opened his eyes, grinning wider. "Don't worry. You'll worship me soon."
Tony scoffed. "Now I believe you."
"Believe what?"
"That you're not immortal. Your resurrections come from winning matches."
"I told you I was competing."
"Too bad I didn't believe you then."
"But someone did."
Tony's emotions churned. "Who? Harry? Makes sense—you're best friends. No reason to tell a lonely, rich Iron Man your secret."
"Not Harry. Me."
From the crowd, Carter approached, carrying a scratched shield, exhaustion etched on her face.
"This planet's tech weapons are terrifying. Good thing the organizers gave me a vibranium shield."
She glanced at Tony. "Resurrection Match newbie, you call me 'senior' here."
Tony: "???"
"You've played the Resurrection Match?" he asked, incredulous.
Carter rolled her eyes. "Why do you think I'm Captain, not Ice-Box Hero?"
Tony exhaled. "Fine. Who else has played?"
"Me!"
A voice rang out, and Charlie and the others turned toward the street.
Among the bustling crowd, an elderly, slightly hunched figure in a uniform approached. His face was weathered with wrinkles, but his eyes were strikingly clear, unlike those of an ordinary old man.
Old Steve, carrying a pristine shield, walked slowly.
Step by step, his hunched back straightened, radiating vigor.
Unlike Carter's scratched gear, his shield was flawless, his uniform untouched.
Clearly, he'd dispatched Kryptonian soldiers with ease.
"Can you hurry up?" Carter snapped, and Old Steve's slow-motion stride quickened.
He jogged over, chuckling awkwardly. "Haha, don't get me wrong. Old age slows you down. Reasonable excuse, right?"
"Very reasonable," Charlie said. "Next time, have someone release doves behind you for extra flair."
Old Steve's eyes lit up. "Great idea!"
Noticing Old Steve's familiar features, Tony tensed. "Hydra Steve!" he whispered.
Charlie shook his head at Tony's reaction. "Why so shocked? You've met before."
"When?" Tony and Old Steve asked in unison.
Charlie thought for a moment. "In a dream."
In the main world's Resurrection Match, they'd crossed paths in earlier retries. But in the final retry, Charlie handled everything so smoothly they never met, leaving them without those memories.
His answer left Tony speechless.
Old Steve, used to it, brushed off the banter and hugged Charlie. "Hahaha, Little Spider! We're teaming up for the Resurrection Match again! I'm so happy, so excited, I could cry…"
Charlie handed him a crumpled tissue, unfazed. "Don't cry yet. Use your elite old-agent skills and gather some intel."
Given a task, Old Steve cleared his throat. "First—"
"Let me do it!" Carter interrupted, sensing a ramble coming. She dropped her shield and blended into the crowd.
"She didn't let me finish. So rude," Old Steve muttered, relieved. He turned to Charlie. "How'd you die this time? Mephisto mess with you?"
Charlie shook his head. "Bit of trouble, but it's handled."
"How'd you die, then?" Old Steve pressed.
Charlie scratched his head. "Uh, for justice and the ideal of saving the world, I fought a terrifying evil enemy to the death. He ambushed me, I got careless, didn't dodge, and—"
"He got stabbed in the back by his girlfriend," Tony cut in bluntly.
Charlie: "…"
"It was a sword, not a knife," he corrected.
Old Steve blinked, then leaned against the wall, bursting into laughter. "Hahaha! That's hilarious! A spicy little couples' game gone wrong? You're such a loser, Little Spider! You're killing me!"
He pounded the wall, red-faced, nearly out of breath.
"Easy there, old man. Watch your heart," Charlie said, rolling his eyes.
Old Steve rubbed his stiff, laughing face, catching his breath. "Sorry, that's just too funny… Wait, you have a girlfriend?" he realized.
Charlie turned away. "Nope. Just a regular friend."
"Oh, I get it."
"Get what?"
"Love turned to hate. Couldn't have her, so she destroyed you. Women are terrifying!"
"Shut up. There's movement over there. Go check it out."
"Why me?"
"You're old. They won't dare come near you."