Three days later, Seven Tower.
In the meeting room, Carter sat at the head. Old Steve, seated beside her, glanced at G'iah standing behind Carter.
G'iah's eyes signaled to the old man.
[Don't rush. I'll find a way to get you in that seat.]
[Thanks, but as punishment, you're wearing armor tonight.]
[Armor?]
[Yeah, I like armor.]
[You're such a freak.]
[Thanks for the compliment.]
The two exchanged knowing looks, their chemistry undeniable.
Homelander saw it all, silently weeping inside but not daring to act out.
In his entire life, he'd never met superhumans stronger than him. Now, facing three at once, his courage was shattered.
Anyone stronger than him? He didn't dare resist.
Carter ignored the scheming duo, scanning the so-called superheroes in the room. She casually tossed a silver suitcase onto the table.
"Inside is the Invisible Man's body. He was killed."
"Killed?"
Homelander was the first to panic. He'd been beaten relentlessly lately, always fearing some random guy would kill him.
Now, hearing that a former member of The Seven had been murdered, he jolted, staring at Carter and Old Steve.
Carter paid no mind to Homelander's fearful gaze.
She looked at Old Steve. "Could it be him?" she asked.
Old Steve knew who she meant by "him."
He shook his head firmly. "No way it's Spider-Man. If he wanted to take someone out, he'd have done it that day."
"Spider-Man?"
G'iah caught the detail, glancing at Old Steve, who offered no explanation.
She made a mental note to investigate quietly.
Maeve frowned. "The Invisible Man's skin is like carbon diamond—nearly indestructible. No ordinary person could kill him. Could it be another superhuman?"
A-Train and The Deep stayed silent. One was tangled in legal trouble, the other still haunted by his last encounter, neither daring nor interested in joining the discussion.
Carter waved a hand, signaling Homelander to open the suitcase.
Homelander: "???"
Under someone's roof, you bow your head.
So, under Maeve and the others' stunned gazes, Homelander hesitated for a second before obeying Carter's order and opening the suitcase.
Inside was a human body twisted into a spherical shape by some mysterious force, coated in blood, making the Invisible Man's outline visible.
"What is this…"
Everyone was shocked by the gruesome sight.
Carter grew thoughtful, glancing at Old Steve again.
Old Steve's eyes flashed blue as he studied the body for a few seconds, his expression turning grave.
"His body was corroded by dark magic. It's definitely that guy."
"Magic?"
The word stunned the room.
G'iah, curious, asked, "Steve, tell me, what's magic?"
"I can only tell you what's fun," Old Steve replied dismissively, standing to leave the meeting room.
That guy had shown up. He needed to find Spider-Man to strategize.
But before he could exit, the Invisible Man's body on the table twitched.
Click~
"No…"
Homelander watched as the bloodied crystalline corpse writhed, reverting to its original form, its head now glowing with blood-red eyes.
The eerie scene sent chills through everyone.
Carter's expression hardened. Without hesitation, she grabbed her shield and lunged at the thing.
Clang~~
Instantly, the sound of metal colliding echoed through the room. The terrifying shockwave shattered the glass, sending invisible sound waves and glass shards ripping through the entire floor.
BOOM!!!
The next moment, a massive quake erupted from the top of Seven Tower, drawing the attention of onlookers below.
"Oh my God, what's that?"
"Who dares cause trouble at Seven Tower?"
"Look, it's the new leader of The Seven—Carter!"
"What the hell is going on?"
As the crowd watched, Carter was blasted out of Seven Tower by sheer force.
In the meeting room, the red-eyed Invisible Man turned, locking onto a bewildered Homelander.
"No, don't do this, I'm just a… shit!"
Homelander cursed as the rogue Invisible Man slammed him out of Seven Tower.
"Asshole!"
Buzz~
Furious, Homelander's eyes shot crimson beams at the Invisible Man, but the figure raised a hand, unleashing eerie black mist. The mist surged, engulfing Homelander's heat vision and enveloping him.
"What is this~~"
Wrapped in dark energy, Homelander's face twisted in terror. As the Invisible Man clenched his fist, Homelander felt excruciating pain, like a hundred trucks crushing his body, forcing a scream.
"NO!!"
In mid-air outside Seven Tower, Homelander's screams echoed as onlookers gasped. He was violently smashed into the street below.
And so, Homelander lost his last shred of dignity.
Lying in a crater, he silently covered his face with his cape, hiding his tears.
This had to be the fourth beating.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted in the meeting room. A-Train vanished in a flash, aiming to use his speed to knock the eerie figure out of the building.
But in that fleeting moment of super speed, he felt something watching him.
Finally, his vision went black. The red-eyed Invisible Man grabbed his head, forcibly halting his high-speed charge.
"What!"
A-Train broke out in a cold sweat, trembling uncontrollably.
The resurrected Invisible Man filled him with dread.
And not just him—Maeve, rushing to help, was punched into a wall by the Invisible Man. The Deep, cowering in a corner, wet himself when hit by dark energy from the figure's eyes.
G'iah, pale with fear, hid behind Old Steve. "Old man, you have to protect me…"
"Relax," Old Steve said calmly. "His goal isn't to kill us."
"What?" G'iah didn't understand.
At that moment, Carter flew back into the wrecked meeting room.
Seeing the Invisible Man closing in, she said coldly, "He's just a puppet. The real mastermind is using the Invisible Man's body to teach us a lesson and ruin The Seven's public image."
"Who's this guy? Why do this?" Maeve panted, climbing out of the rubble.
Old Steve waved G'iah away from the scene.
Raising his shield, he grinned calmly. "Doesn't matter. What matters is, he's gonna regret this."
The one behind this was clearly a contestant wielding dark magic.
Killing the Invisible Man and using his body to tarnish The Seven's image was blatant malicious competition.
That guy would regret it.
Old Steve felt a thrill knowing another negative-popularity contestant had emerged.
Yes, another.
Since joining The Seven, his fan points had grown slowly and were still in the negative.
He couldn't figure out how fan points were calculated, but clearly, not many people liked an old-man hero.
He needed to switch tracks.
But regardless, taking down this creepy Invisible Man in front of the public, flexing his mighty biceps, would boost his popularity.
With a roar, Old Steve's muscles bulged, bursting his suit. G'iah, at the door, couldn't help but turn back.
Her eyes widened, and she muttered, covering her mouth, "Tonight, I really should wear armor."
Otherwise, she'd be done for.
The next second, Old Steve raised his shield, his body surging with the power of Thor.
Even without a hammer, I'm the strongest Captain!
BOOM!!
Outside Seven Tower, amid countless gasps, the washed-up old man crashed into the street under the impact of dark energy.
"Motherfucker, you bastard, you've got your day!" Homelander, hiding nearby, laughed at Old Steve's sorry state.
"No swearing."
From the crater, Old Steve glared at Homelander, then picked up his shield and charged back toward Seven Tower.
Soon, dark energy spread, crackling with thunder and golden cosmic energy raging freely.
As A-Train and the others were swallowed by the darkness, only Old Steve and Carter remained standing.
Beep-beep~
Finally, sirens blared as police cars arrived to evacuate the crowd. The sky was now shrouded in dark energy, casting a gloom over the city.
Reporters rushed to cover the battle at Seven Tower. Clark, in the crowd, debated whether to act.
Unless it was dire, he didn't want to use his powers.
He recalled that rainy night when he faced off with Batman.
"Superman, you shouldn't exist in this world. Your power will only destroy everyone."
"No, I'm saving people."
"You sure?"
"Of course."
"Fine. Let me show you whether you're saving people or killing them."
Batman pulled up a computer screen.
It showed Superman's battle with Ares, destroying islands and flooding coastal villages, leaving devastation in its wake.
Clark's eyes dimmed.
Batman sneered. "These are the people you saved?"
"I…"
"You're a monster!"
BOOM!!
A thunderclap snapped Clark back to reality.
In the dark-shrouded Seven Tower, Old Steve and Carter were blasted out of the fight one after another.
In the darkness, the red-eyed Invisible Man slowly revealed his form—a gaunt figure with sunken eye sockets, covered in dark runes.
An evil aura spread, chilling the crowd. Clark clenched his fists.
Fighting here, his powers could harm innocent bystanders.
Before meeting Batman, he wouldn't have hesitated.
But now, he did.
In that moment of hesitation, magical sparks emerged from the darkness, and he relaxed.
He's here!
"Oh my God, what's that?"
The crowd noticed the light in the darkness.
They stared, wide-eyed, at the figure emerging from it.
"It's Spider-Man! He's here!"
Old Steve was ecstatic. Carter facepalmed. "I knew it. He wouldn't miss this chance."
"Who is he?" G'iah, now beside Old Steve, grew even more curious.
Old Steve didn't answer. Looking around, he slipped into a nearby flower shop, ready to pose as Spider-Man's fan.
But then…
"What am I doing? I'm a villain now!"
Realizing this, he slammed the flowers to the ground, then thought better of it and bought an even bigger bouquet.
"I'm just pretending to be Spider-Man's fan. Villains are sneaky like that. Yup, that's it."
"Spider-Man, I'm here~~"
As Old Steve rushed out of the flower shop, a blinding light nearly seared his eyes.
Buzz~ Buzz~
In the darkness, the light flickered, faintly revealing a figure stepping forward.
Carter's mouth twitched. "What's this guy up to?"
The Invisible Man turned, his blood-red eyes showing a flicker of human-like confusion.
Until someone in the crowd shouted, "It's a superhuman who controls light!"
"Absolutely, I'd call him Flash-Man!"
"Flash-Man!"
"Flash-Man!"
In the light, Charlie stumbled, nearly turning back.
Goddamn Flash-Man?!
I'm Spider-Man!
Click!
In an instant, the light vanished. Red-and-blue nanometal covered his body, his inverted-triangular eyes glowing blue.
"Alright, time to list your crimes!"
He spun, throwing a hand out, then launched a flying kick. Magical light flared brilliantly, illuminating the dark world.
Buzz~
BOOM!!
In a flash, an explosion rocked the scene. Under the crowd's shocked gazes, a radiant spider totem enveloped the evil figure. With a flicker of magical sparks, the terrifying entity was "devoured" by the spider totem.
Just like that, the threat that nearly wiped out The Seven was effortlessly dispatched by a mysterious newcomer. The scene fell silent.
After an unknown time, the crowd erupted in deafening cheers.
"It's a spider! A spider! I saw it…"
"Oh my God, is that magic?"
"Magic Spider!!"
"My new idol!"
"Spider-Man!"
"Spider-Man!"
"I love you, so badass!!"
The crowd cheered wildly as reporters scrambled to capture the moment.
This mysterious superhero would dominate tomorrow's headlines.
Meanwhile, Carter and Old Steve saw Charlie's fan points skyrocketing above his head.
"So that's how it is."
Carter finally understood.
This was why Charlie had tricked them into joining The Seven.
Vought's wealth and influence could indeed hype up the most popular superhero.
But hype was just hype.
Humans are naturally drawn to mystery and the unknown.
Barring any surprises, after tonight, the enigmatic Spider-Man would be the talk of the town.
She and Steve had been played.
…
Meanwhile, in a suburban cabin.
A virtual computer replayed the scene of the spider totem devouring the Invisible Man.
The Invisible Man was right there in the cabin, standing quietly beside a bearded man. Nearby, Hughie looked puzzled.
"Weird. How did this guy in the spider suit do it?"
Teleporting the Invisible Man elsewhere in an instant—could he be a superhuman with spatial powers?
Butcher frowned. "The plan failed. It's all because of this guy."
He glared coldly at Spider-Man on the screen, standing. "We're going to see that lord. We need stronger dark magic."
"Wait."
Hughie quickly stopped Butcher. "That guy's too weird. He doesn't seem like a good person. We can't get too close to him."
Butcher shoved him aside unceremoniously. "I don't care who he is. I just want revenge."
"But this puppet didn't kill Homelander right away. That proves everything. That guy isn't truly helping us," Hughie pleaded.
"Sincerity doesn't matter. Results do."
With that, Butcher slammed the door and left.