The next day.
Under a gloomy sky, an ancient structure nestled among the mountains exuded a chilling aura.
This was the stronghold of the world's most secretive assassin organization, rumored to house an evil force that once ruled the globe.
The Ten Rings—an elite assassin network even S.H.I.E.L.D. dared not infiltrate.
No one could peer into its secrets.
Except Spider-Man.
Buzz~
As strange energy sparks flickered on the mountainside training ground, every assassin halted their drills.
Hailing from different nations, with varied skin tones, their cold weapons bore the weight of history.
Shurikens, throwing knives, wrist blades, blood-dripping guillotines, Roman short swords, Malay kris, ancient Egyptian sickle-swords—these tools of stealth and assassination were their trusted companions.
They were the Ten Rings' finest, far surpassing the rabble of the Hand.
Now, they saw the world's most popular superhero, their cold gazes flickering with surprise and wariness.
Spider-Man!
Accompanied by three women.
As everyone knew, Spider-Man's girlfriend wasn't a fixed role.
Charlie scanned the surrounding assassins and nodded.
"Good. This time, we've finally found the right place."
Nearby, Lady Deadpool patted her teleportation device and looked at Wanda.
"Hey, gorgeous, mind letting go of me now?"
Wanda gave her a cold stare, releasing her but snatching the device.
"If you'd cooperated from the start, I wouldn't have had to get rough," she said.
Lady Deadpool shrugged. "Oh my gosh, you stingy bunch. All I asked was one night with Spider-Man, and you all flipped out, even gave me a beating. Rude kids, but whatever, I'm generous. I'll roll with—"
"Shut it!"
Wanda waved a hand, scarlet energy sealing Lady Deadpool's mouth.
The world quieted for a moment.
But soon, as the assassins closed in, Jean's eyes flared with golden flames, ready to take down these "ordinary" humans.
Yes, even the world's top assassins were just ordinary in their eyes.
But Charlie wasn't here to fight.
After all, he was the peace-loving friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
Before he could state his purpose, a calm voice came from a nearby loft.
"Stand down."
With one command, the assassins retreated without hesitation.
Charlie looked toward the loft, locking eyes with a middle-aged man in a black samurai outfit.
One glance, and Charlie knew who he was.
"A friend from afar, please, come in!"
The man's Chinese was fluent. He smiled slightly, gesturing for Charlie and his group to enter the hall.
The building was sparse, filled only with cold training equipment and blood-stained weapons.
Under dim lighting, Charlie's group walked in, the man already waiting.
During this, Wanda and Jean exchanged a glance, sensing a strange energy flicker and vanish.
As for the man, he approached Charlie, hands behind his back.
He studied Charlie's suit, shaking his head. "Your disguise is clumsy before me."
As the leader of the world's top assassin organization, he clearly kept tabs on superheroes.
Charlie tapped the spider emblem on his chest, retracting the nano-suit to reveal his young face.
The man wasn't overly surprised.
Clearly, he'd learned Spider-Man's true identity through some means.
He smiled faintly. "You're about my son's age."
"But I'm better-looking," Charlie grinned.
The man blinked. "You speak Chinese?"
Charlie nodded. "Yup, and I'm better-looking."
The man: "..."
Truth be told, he was handsome in his youth and still was.
His wife was beautiful too.
Sadly, their son turned out… less so.
But that was fine. He was his flesh and blood.
Snapping out of it, the man strode to the hall's end, sitting grandly on a throne-like chair. "I'm Wenwu Xu. You've earned the right to my introduction.
Now, state your purpose."
Charlie crossed his arms. "I need to borrow your Ten Rings."
"You think that's possible?" Wenwu's face grew cold.
Charlie shrugged. "I think it's very possible."
"I'm telling you, it's not."
"Everything's possible."
"Opposing me has one outcome."
"You want to kill me? Funny, I might kill you too."
"Kid, watch your tone. I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice."
"I know. I've eaten less rice in two lifetimes than the salt you've had."
Their conversation turned sharp, and though Wanda and the others didn't understand the language, they sensed a fight brewing.
As they braced to act, Wenwu paused, his tone softening.
"What?"
His pupils shrank. "What did you say?" He needed to confirm Charlie's meaning.
Charlie said calmly, "I don't know who's got your wife's soul, but I'm tight with Mephisto. You get me."
"Mephisto…"
Wenwu muttered the name, his brow furrowing.
"That's no Eastern god, and I don't believe in such things or that you can redeem Ying Li's soul."
He already had another plan to save his long-dead wife.
Charlie wasn't surprised by Wenwu's words.
Meeting him, Charlie knew this world's history diverged from expectations.
Well, it was the Marvel universe.
A thousand years ago, Wenwu used the Ten Rings to rule the world, only to abandon them for love, retiring to raise a family—until his enemies killed his wife.
After her death, he reclaimed the Rings and trained his son for brutal revenge.
That logic was… unconventional.
Simply put, Wenwu was a variant of that figure from the multiverse.
As a thousand-year-old man, he wouldn't easily trust a friendly neighbor.
Charlie wouldn't either.
But if Charlie had the Ten Rings, conquered the world, then gave it up for love and family? That's not a binary choice.
It's the story of an ambitious youth who, with the Rings, fought from East to West, crushed all opposition, ruled the world, achieved greatness, married, and had kids—a total winner.
But his wife didn't support his ambitions, so he gave up his empire for family, only for rivals to seize the chance to destroy his life.
Tragic. What kind of villain is this?
It's the sad tale of a poor kid who rose to greatness, only to be ruined by his wife and son.
A thousand-year-old man shouldn't be so emotional.
So Charlie suspected the Ten Rings were the culprit!
They were bad news.
As the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, Charlie felt duty-bound to help Wenwu see life's truth.
He stepped back, gesturing. "We're not seeing eye to eye, so we'll have to fight."
Wenwu's eyes narrowed, his arms shaking as the ten golden rings on them glowed with blue energy.
Instantly, the hall's air hissed, a powerful aura sweeping through, making Wanda and the others' faces shift.
"Such strong energy."
"Strange power. Not a superpower."
"Are those rings artifacts?"
"Should we help him?"
"No, looks like he wants to handle this guy himself."
"Fine, we'll stand back."
"Mm."
Wanda and the others retreated. Charlie's mouth twitched.
What, you're actually backing off?
He was just trying to look cool.
But Wenwu wasn't giving him the chance.
Buzz~
Wenwu clenched his fists, the Ten Rings' power rippling through the void, distorting space. A mighty force surged toward Charlie's face.
Clang-clang-clang~
Boom!!
In an instant, the Rings collided, unleashing two energy beams that blasted the hall. With a deafening roar, the destructive energy wrecked everything, the building teetering as it engulfed Charlie's position.
Wenwu's expression remained grave.
He recalled the Rings' power and leaped, moving like lightning toward Charlie.
Confident in the Rings' might against Spider-Man, he didn't believe the invincible Spider-Man could be defeated in one hit.
The fight was just starting!
Zzt-zzt~
Before Wenwu could close in, golden lightning flared at the explosion's center. A gust cleared the dust, revealing a burly man wielding a golden trident, blocking Charlie's path and charging Wenwu.
"Don't hurt my father!!"
"What?"
Arthur's sudden appearance stunned Wenwu. He barely summoned the Rings to shield himself before the trident's lightning forced him back.
Boom!!
Golden thunder erupted, and Wenwu flew back to his chair, the Rings trembling.
Clearly, this stranger was a formidable foe.
Behind Arthur, Charlie patted his chest.
His powers weren't back, but his Resurrection Match summon skill was unrestricted.
He looked at Arthur's back, smiling.
"Good job, big son. Get him!"
Hearing Charlie finally acknowledge him, Arthur was thrilled.
"Haha, Mother, you hear that? Father finally accepts me!"
He raised his trident, charging Wenwu, his golden scale armor gleaming, oceanic power surging.
Facing this odd opponent, Wenwu stayed cautious, using the Rings defensively to counter the trident's fierce assault.
Zzt-zzt~
Clang-clang-clang!!
In the ruined hall, the Rings orbited Wenwu, clashing with the trident, sending waves of energy that soon reduced the building to rubble.
Rumble~~
As the structure collapsed, Charlie and the others had already fled.
Wanda reacted first.
"What did he call you?" Her eyes were odd. "You hid that well. Your son's that big?"
Jean, disappointed, stayed silent.
But she held a sliver of hope.
With such a rugged son, the mother couldn't be that pretty.
There was still a chance…
Lady Deadpool stared at Arthur's massive muscles, itching but knowing Spider-Man could flex his muscles too.
She decided she preferred Spider-Man's versatile size.
She leaned toward Charlie. "Don't worry, I won't judge you."
Charlie side-eyed her. "But I judge you."
He pushed her away, watching Arthur and Wenwu's fight.
Comparing Marvel and DC heroes' power levels is murky—only real combat reveals who's stronger.
Wenwu seemed overpowered by Arthur, but Charlie knew he was a cunning strategist, biding his time.
Sure enough, as Arthur, away from the ocean, unleashed his strength, he weakened without seawater.
Seizing the moment, Wenwu exploited the flaw, manipulating the Rings into a Tai Chi stance. With a borrowed-force strike, he unleashed devastating power, knocking the trident from Arthur's hands and sending him off a cliff.
"No!! Father!!"
Arthur's cry echoed from the cliff as he vanished into the void, returning to the DC universe, trident and all.
On the rubble, Wenwu slowly withdrew the Rings' power, a hundred-meter Tai Chi diagram beneath him.
Years ago, his wife taught him Tai Chi. Though he never mastered its essence, it worked for surprise victories.
After settling, Wenwu's gaze on Charlie grew colder.
"Spider-Man, know what this is?"
"I know. It's kung fu."
Charlie hopped rhythmically, touching his nose with a cocky grin.
"I strike~~ Bruce Lee, I can do it too."
Wenwu: "..."
"I'm not here to joke."
He flicked his wrist, the Rings blasting the ground near Charlie's feet, his tone threatening. "Don't think I won't act.
I could kill everyone around you if I wanted, but I don't, because I admire you. You protect those around you. I couldn't."
His eyes dimmed. "Someone once offered a fortune for your life. I refused. You should be grateful."
"Oh?"
Charlie rubbed his wrists. "Well, to repay your mercy, I'll go easy on you."
With that, he launched skyward with a web-slingshot, his eyes glowing with intense heat energy.
His powers were back!
Zzt-zzt!!
Extreme heat swept the mountains, slicing through rock and shaking the earth, splitting the gloomy sky in two.
Buzz~
As warm sunlight bathed Wenwu, his eyes widened.
Now, he understood the weight of "invincible."
He watched, stunned, as the invincible Spider-Man cleaved an entire mountain in half. The Ten Rings, his pride, seemed like toys before Spider-Man.
Spider-Man was a god!!