The clone dispersed, and Agent Carter scanned the crowd outside the villa, her lips curling slightly as she said, "That's his style, but it seems he forgot—we're not superheroes anymore."
With a wave of her hand, she added, "Hill, take these guys out. The invincible Spider-Man will show up eventually."
"What?"
As fully armed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents raised their weapons, Talos in the crowd paled.
"Damn it, what are they planning?"
"To take you out, obviously!"
Just as Hill was about to give the attack order, Harry stepped in to stop her.
"Hold on."
"Harry, you helping them?" Coulson gave him a cold stare.
Harry shook his head, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "No, I'm just saying—this is my kind of job."
"Wait a second."
Old Man Steve blocked the eager Harry, scanning the surroundings thoughtfully. "No one knows Spider-Man better than I do. Even if everyone here drops dead, if he doesn't want to show, he won't."
His words made Carter and the others' expressions darken.
"Damn, he knows my friend better than I do," Harry muttered through gritted teeth.
In the shadows, Charlie: "."
Damn, he knows me better than I know myself! He was losing it.
If this old man was this competent in the Resurrection Match, Charlie wouldn't even need to cheat!
Worthy of the Civil War King.
Just as he planned his next move, Old Man Steve's eyes glinted with a faint blue glow, locking onto the low wall where Charlie hid.
"There!"
With a roar, he hurled his shield, tearing through the air toward the wall.
BOOM!!
The wall shattered, debris flying.
Amid the dust, Charlie caught the edge of the spinning shield with a raised hand.
The high-speed shield sparked wildly in his grip, a testament to the terrifying force and the old man's mastery over it.
The past ten years hadn't dulled Old Man Steve.
Even without a hammer, he was still the Captain.
The moment Charlie revealed himself, Carter unleashed cosmic energy without hesitation.
HUM!
BOOM!!
Empowered by stellar energy, Carter became a blazing streak of light charging at Charlie, her overwhelming presence sending chills through the onlookers.
"What a terrifying woman. She's gotten stronger," G'iah said gravely, urging the others to clear the battlefield.
With a earth-shaking BOOM!!, a shockwave erupted.
The power of one punch was horrifying.
Charlie raised the shield to block Carter's fist, the ground beneath him cracking into a spiderweb pattern, nearby ruins trembling and collapsing.
Before Charlie could counter, Harry, from his glider, lobbed upgraded pumpkin bombs.
"Commander Carter, I've got your back!"
Harry shouted, but the bombs veered mid-air, targeting Hill and her agents.
"No!"
BOOM!!
Hill and her team were engulfed in flames as Norman swooped through the night sky on his glider, his newly developed Green Goblin lasers locking onto Carter below.
ZAP!
As the lasers swept across, Carter slid behind Charlie, using his shield to deflect the torrent of energy.
"Damn traitors, they're really doing this," Charlie muttered.
Behind him, Carter smirked coldly, activating her wrist communicator in front of him.
"They've started. Move."
"Understood!"
The moment the communicator shut off, Doctor Octopus, lurking in the lower world, tore through a shack with his tentacles, launching into the fray.
CLANK!
"Hahaha, green kid, your opponent is me."
Doc Ock flashed his familiar wicked grin, his four mechanical tentacles slithering like pythons, striking at Harry in the sky. Harry swerved his glider, barely dodging the assault.
"Father, save me!!"
Harry cried out. Norman, witnessing this, grinned even more ferociously.
"You were prepared, but we're not slouches either."
"What are you waiting for?!"
He shouted at Old Man Steve, who acted decisively, knocking out Coulson—who'd just escaped the explosion—with an elbow strike. With a roar, he unleashed the terrifying power within.
RIP!
In an instant, Old Man Steve's uniform tore apart, his swelling muscles transforming him into a Hulk-like beast. The old man swatted incoming agents aside and turned to Carter with a savage grin.
"Didn't expect we'd be on the same side, did you?"
He crouched and leaped, aiming to crush Carter into paste.
But a glider swooped by, and a giant green lizard dropped from the sky, tackling Old Man Steve.
"Your opponent is me."
"You're not worthy!"
Old Man Steve sent Connors flying with a single punch, then grabbed Felicia's incoming chain whip.
"Naughty kitty, I'm not your Spider-Man."
His eyes flashed with menace, but before he could finish Felicia, a blast of cosmic energy sent him flying.
BANG!!
A streak of light cut through the night, and Old Man Steve crashed into a building.
Carter hovered in the air, surveying the chaotic battlefield with a cold smirk.
"Knew you'd pull something like this. Why not all come at me?"
She beckoned to the Fantastic Four, who'd been watching, her gesture pure provocation.
Reed and the others dropped their act.
"Dear Commander, we won't hold back!"
At Reed's command, Johnny blazed into the Human Torch, soaring upward, while the Thing charged at Doc Ock, pounding his chest.
"The world is ours!!"
RUMBLE!
As Nick Fury arrived with reinforcements, the battlefield left Charlie dumbfounded.
Smoke filled the air.
Charlie stood frozen, utterly confused.
"Need any help?" he whispered to no one in particular.
Nope, no one needed help.
So, he slunk to a corner, observing from the shadows.
If things went as expected, the invincible Spider-Man would win by doing nothing.
"Hey, dear brother, you planning to stay there forever?"
Suddenly, Otto Parker appeared behind Charlie.
As Charlie turned, Otto's back gleamed with cold light, spider-legs shooting out, their tips sparking with fire—clearly up to no good.
"Whoa, you're a villain too?" Charlie sat cross-legged, propping his chin with both hands. "Not that I'm surprised."
He stood, brushing off his pants. "But you broke my heart, so, dear brother, I'm gonna beat you senseless."
He pointed, beckoning with a finger. "You first."
Otto Parker clenched his fists, eyes sharp.
"I've heard about the invincible Spider-Man's strength for years. I've been waiting for this."
With that, Otto shot webs from both hands, launching himself from a web-slingshot, rushing at Charlie with a gust of wind.
"Always someone trying to copy me."
Charlie casually threw a punch, the air quaking. The surrounding debris turned to dust under thousands of tons of force.
"What?!"
BANG!!
The overwhelming force shattered Otto's spider-legs, sending him flying hundreds of meters, crashing into the raging Old Man Steve. Both tumbled into the rubble.
BOOM~~
As the building collapsed, Old Man Steve roared, "Who's the jerk that ambushed me?!"
One punch took out Otto Parker, but before Charlie could start his victory speech, a wave of intense drowsiness hit his mind.
"Crap, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man got ambushed by another friendly neighbor!"
Charlie stumbled, gripping the wall as a blurry figure approached.
"Hey, Mary Jane, don't do this."
He shook his dizzy head. Without his mental resistance, he'd be down already.
Mary Jane closed in, a thick pink gas spreading outward.
Wherever the gas passed, allies on the battlefield dropped, trapped in Mary Jane's dreamscape.
Ten years had honed her nightmare powers.
But she couldn't escape their side effects.
HUM~
The pink gas dissipated, and Mary Jane rolled her eyes, collapsing.
A new player entered the battlefield.
CLANK!
At the battlefield's edge, Charles led a group of mutants forward.
"The power of dreams isn't so scary."
Charles smiled faintly, his immense psychic energy sweeping the field. Ordinary agents were instantly controlled, falling into a daze.
Though invisible psychic power was terrifying, there were always exceptions.
ZAP~
Wristwatches worn by Old Man Steve and others flickered, an invisible magnetic field repelling Charles's influence.
"Professor, you're too naive."
Carter paused her purge of "traitors," crossing her arms and glaring at the mutants with disdain.
"From now on, I declare mutants will be nothing but ants in the lower world."
Before Charles could respond, the hot-tempered Cyclops unleashed a crimson optic blast, aiming to knock Carter from the sky.
"Hmph, a bunch of clowns!"
Carter's eyes glowed gold, her tidal wave of energy beams overpowering Cyclops' blast, blinding him.
"My eyes!!"
Cyclops collapsed, screaming. Carter smirked, satisfied.
She'd absorbed the most of the Kryptonian Codex energy. After ten years, her abilities neared those of a true Kryptonian.
Otherwise, how could she have killed Sergei in front of Charlie?
Seeing this, Charles and Old Man Steve's expressions grew heavier.
Their commander hid her strength well.
Nick Fury and his team wisely retreated, waiting for their moment.
"Father, something's off with her. We're no match," Harry panted in a corner, shaken by Carter's counterattack.
Norman mused, "No matter. The stronger Carter is, the better our chances. Everyone will target the strongest first."
Harry nodded, seeing the logic.
And it was true.
Under Charles's telepathic coordination, Old Man Steve joined the mutants without hesitation.
Harry, the Fantastic Four, and others followed suit.
On the surface, Carter had no advantage.
Yet they showed no fear.
WHOOSH~~
In the silent battlefield, a breeze stirred the rising smoke.
As both sides faced off, Charlie felt time crawl.
Were they fighting or not?
Bored, he squatted in the corner, drawing circles.
Finally, a new arrival broke the stalemate.
BOOM~
From the lower world, a honeycomb energy barrier flickered, and a Stark ship warped into the battlefield.
"It's Carol! She's here!"
Nick Fury laughed, striding toward the fray.
With Carol, his odds skyrocketed.
But his smile froze.
CLANK~
The ship's hatch opened, and a beaten Carol was tossed to the ground. Tony, in nano-armor, stepped out.
"Impossible!!"
Nick Fury gaped. "How could Carol lose?"
Tony glanced at him. "Your friend showed her hand too soon. If she'd ambushed me, I'd be the one down. Too bad there's no 'what if.' You're out."
He scanned the area, locking onto Charlie, still drawing circles.
"Hey, buddy, I can tell you need me."
He approached with a smile, but Charlie stepped back.
"Hold up, don't come closer."
Tony: "???"
He stopped, confused. "Why not?"
Charlie sized him up. "They say a heel turn makes you ten times stronger. You took down Carol, so you're definitely a bad guy!" he declared.
Tony: "."
"I'm a good guy," he said helplessly.
Charlie shook his head. "No way, unless you prove it."
"How do I do that?" Tony rubbed his forehead.
Charlie thought for a moment. "Lend me a billion bucks!"
Tony considered. "No, I need my money."
"Perfect, you've proven you're a good guy." Charlie clapped, grinning.
Tony: "???"
"What did I even say?" he blinked.
Charlie pulled him close, grinning. "Talking money hurts friendships. You didn't, so you must care about me. Definitely a good guy."
Tony's mouth twitched. "That's your logic?"
"Isn't it yours?"
"Uh, sure."
"Good enough."
Charlie patted his shoulder, then pulled a bag of sunflower seeds from his pants, offering them to Tony.
"Let's watch the show."
Tony stared at the seeds, politely declining. "I'm good."
For years, he'd wondered if Spider-Man's pants were related to Doraemon's pocket.
With Tony's arrival, the battlefield's vibe grew weirder.
Whoever moved first would lose control of the chaos.
But the messier it got, the harder it was to kill anyone.
It was a Marvel law.
Everyone had their own schemes. Even if one side gained the upper hand, disunity led to slip-ups.
They all knew it, and retreat crossed their minds.
But retreating gave the invincible Spider-Man a chance to pick them off one by one.
So…
"Commander Carter, our goals align. Take out Spider-Man first, and the rest gets easier," Charles said, earning nods from the others.
All eyes turned to Charlie.
Charlie froze mid-seed-crunch.
"Oh crap, Tony, time to make a happy getaway," he said, backing away.
Tony, however, flashed a confident grin.
"Running's not my style, Spider-Man. Watch this."
As Tony's smile faded, the honeycomb barrier reappeared. A massive skull, the size of an asteroid, emerged.
Instantly, the sky churned, the ground roared, and thunder rolled as a terrifying presence appeared on Earth for the first time.
"Combine!"
Tony shouted, and the skull's abyss-like eye sockets blazed with light, enveloping him.
HUM~
The light faded, Tony vanished, and the skull trembled.
Under awestruck gazes, the skull split, mechanical parts whirring, extending into a body and limbs.
A colossal titan, thousands of meters tall, breached the lower world's barrier, like a mythic creator god—mysterious and mighty.
The design made Charlie scream.
"Holy cow, it's the Lightforce Avenger!!"
"No, it's the Godslayer Armor!"
Tony's voice echoed worldwide from within the skull.