Boom!
With a massive explosion at the party scene, two shields smashed through glass windows along their path, finally clashing together.
Clang~~
Zzzzt~~
In an instant, shards flew everywhere, the shields grinding against each other, sending invisible sonic waves rippling outward. The partygoers screamed and scattered in panic.
Amid the chaos, Carter, enveloped in cosmic energy, crashed onto the scene, cracking the ground beneath her. The residual energy surged like a tidal wave toward elderly Steve.
Boom!!
Rumble!!
The next moment, thunder erupted. The old man's eyes blazed with the power of Thor, shattering the incoming cosmic energy.
Both raised their hands, summoning their shields back.
"Old man, you're asking for it!" Carter scanned the crowd of fleeing partygoers, a glint of ferocity in her eyes.
Elderly Steve straightened his back and pointed at her. "No way! You're serious?" His face burned with anger.
Carter sneered, "What do you think?"
"I think, considering we're both villains, you owe me an apology."
"Go to hell!"
"Hey, don't think I won't fight you just because you're the Captain. I'll have you know, I used to be a Captain too!!"
Rumble!!
In an instant, explosions rocked the party venue. The power of Thor clashed with cosmic energy, leveling the party mansion in less than a minute.
Boom!!
As the power of Thor and cosmic energy soared into the sky, the night sparkled with dazzling fireworks.
Amid the ruins, Charlie lounged on the only intact sofa.
Sipping juice, he gazed at the super-villain showdown in the night sky, thoroughly satisfied.
"It's been a while since I've seen them fight… Wait, why are they fighting?"
Charlie raised an eyebrow, then suspiciously eyed the juice in his hand.
"This doesn't seem freshly squeezed."
He shook his head, tossed the juice aside, and stood to leave the ruined party.
With most of the Black Order team assembled, plus his help, finding evidence of Vought's human experiments wouldn't be hard.
The Seven were doomed to collapse, and Spider-Man would be the ultimate winner.
Once Grandmaster figured out the whereabouts of the other contestants, Charlie could move against them immediately.
As for Grandmaster's so-called thrilling game? He wasn't interested.
Unless it was a game of Trouble.
So for now, Charlie just needed to wait patiently.
Attending a costume party was supposed to be fun.
But Carter's arrival ruined the vibe.
Beep beep~
Suddenly, his phone buzzed. Charlie pulled it out from his pants.
"Hello, hello, it's me. Got it, I understand. I'm on my way."
Hanging up, Charlie raised his hand, drew a circle, and vanished through a portal.
…
The next day, in the Middle Eastern desert.
Inside a bunker in a canyon, Ares was planning his next raid.
Ever since arriving in this world, his first move was to steer clear of Spider-Man's home base in New York, rushing to this chaotic region to ignite an even bloodier war.
Under his influence, the desert's conflicts escalated, quickly spiraling out of control. Factions fought relentlessly, with a do-or-die mentality.
Even the powers backing these forces were getting heated, already considering the use of ultimate weapons.
The cunning Ares could feel his power growing rapidly.
At the same time, as a war leader for one of the factions, his popularity was skyrocketing.
On the TV, he saw Carter and elderly Steve, noticing their fan counts soaring above their heads.
But compared to Ares' own fan count, theirs were nothing.
The adoration of ordinary people paled in comparison to the faith of soldiers.
A regular person might provide one to ten fan points, but a soldier fanatically devoted to their leader could offer hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands.
By fueling war to gain power, he could also amass popularity—a win-win that kept him off that pesky bug's radar.
As a veteran of the Resurrection Match, though this one felt different, he was certain Spider-Man would show up.
But so what?
No violence was allowed against competitors, so the invincible Spider-Man was stripped of his greatest weapon.
Victory was his!
With that thought, he smirked and turned off the TV.
After the last Resurrection Match, Superman and Diana found him, planning to seal him away forever.
But knowing the secrets of the Resurrection Match, he'd rather die than be a prisoner.
Back in the Resurrection Match, he'd be the sole winner!
Ares looked down at the sand table, his smile growing wilder.
"What are you laughing at?"
Suddenly, magical sparks bloomed in the room. Ares' smile faded, his face darkening.
"You damn bug, you finally found me."
He coldly eyed Spider-Man, waving a hand to dismiss the soldiers, who silently left the room.
They weren't too shocked by Charlie's sudden appearance.
Ares had already shown them the power of a "god."
Ares, the God of War, was their lifelong faith!
As the soldiers left, Charlie glanced at the nine-digit fan count above Ares' head, astonished.
"Well, damn, you're quietly making bank!"
"It's called strategy."
Ares leisurely poured himself a glass of whiskey, savoring its rich aroma.
"Congrats on finding me, but too bad—you can't do anything to me." His tone dripped with mockery.
Charlie shrugged. "Got any juice around here?"
"Real men don't drink that stuff."
"Fine, real man, Grandmaster sent me to invite you to his game."
"Grandmaster? That guy?"
Ares recalled Grandmaster's invitation from the last Resurrection Match, his face darkening.
"That guy's unreliable. I'm not agreeing to it."
Charlie was pleased with the response.
"Great. In that case, Ares, God of War, this is an arrest warrant. From now on, you're under arrest for crimes against peace, war crimes, and endangering human safety. You don't have to speak, but anything you say will be used as evidence in court!"
Charlie pulled out handcuffs. "Lord of War, you wanna do this yourself, or should I help you?"
"You—"
Ares' face darkened instantly. "What's that supposed to mean? I don't agree, so what can you do?"
Charlie spread his hands. "Sorry, but the charges are serious. Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man's gonna have to rough you up a bit. That's not malicious competition, got it?"
"What?"
Ares hadn't anticipated this move. He gritted his teeth. "Don't try to trick me, I won't fall for it again!!! (voice cracks)"
Boom!!
The next moment, the bunker's ceiling was smashed open by an unknown force. Ares, blasted into the sky, roared loudly.
"No!! Impossible, how could this happen~~"
"That's how it works."
In a blur, the invincible Spider-Man appeared beside Ares, clapping his hands together like a hammer. With a burst of force, Ares shot down like a cannonball into the desert.
Whoosh~~Bang!!
The figure crashed, triggering an explosion in a hill. In the crater of sand and debris, Ares stared lifelessly at the blue sky and white clouds, a single tear of sorrow rolling down his cheek.
Damn it, he lost again.
Charlie landed, clapping his hands. "Alright, done. Next."
He tapped his virtual computer, pulling up a virtual map from Grandmaster marked with several red dots.
No idea how that guy tracked down the hidden contestants.
If Charlie had to do it himself, he'd probably be dog-tired.
Thankfully, the great Grandmaster was on his side.
Absolutely awesome.
But there were still plenty of targets. He needed backup.
Buzz~
A portal opened, and Charlie stepped into the workshop.
"Clark, put down your work. We're going to fight."
…
Three days later.
The small workshop was packed with all sorts of "prisoners."
Outside the glass door, Hughie and the others whispered among themselves.
"My God, that woman's so cool," Frenchie marveled.
Hughie glanced at Frenchie's target and rolled his eyes. "Just a bald woman. If you like her, I'll treat you to a shave."
His gaze landed on the golden-gleaming Pharaoh, eyes full of envy.
"He must be loaded."
Frenchie scoffed. "Big deal. Look over there—that guy's body is ripped, like a general."
"Pfft, the woman next to him is the coolest. I bet she could kill me with one punch."
"Stop arguing," Butcher said, glaring at the "vampire" in the crowd. "I think that guy's the most dangerous."
"What?"
Hughie and Frenchie turned to the Inheritor, Jennix, nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, he's the most dangerous."
"He's got way more webbing than the others."
"No, it's not that much. You can only see his head."
"He's like a cocoon."
"A super fat one."
Kimiko signed her desire to eat.
The group whispered outside, while inside the workshop, Grandmaster stared at the bound contestants, unable to snap out of his shock.
"Looks like we don't need the game. You've already won," he said to Charlie.
Charlie shrugged. "Yeah, they were no challenge. Too weak."
"Pfft!"
"Dodge!"
Charlie sidestepped a spit from Nova, then laughed with hands on hips. "Lady, you missed."
"But she hit me."
Behind him, General Zod, enduring the filthy spit, growled darkly, "Damn bug, I demand a duel!"
"I already beat you."
"It was Clark who beat me, not you!"
"I beat you last time."
"That doesn't count."
"Yo, yo, yo, getting mad, huh?"
Charlie stepped forward and slapped Zod's face, ignoring Fiora's rage.
On the other side, Nova sneered, "Damn bug, you wouldn't dare face me head-on. You rely on your friends."
Charlie turned to Nova, reaching out to pat her bald head.
"We're face-to-face now. What can you do?"
Nova: "…"
So infuriating!!
Despite their caution, they'd been found and taken down one by one by Spider-Man.
The silent Pharaoh Kang finally spoke. "Great Spider-Man, there are three spots for first place this time. Take me with you, and when we return, I can convince the Kang Dynasty to offer you rich rewards."
Hearing this, Charlie sighed regretfully.
"Sorry, Pharaoh, I already took out the Kang Dynasty. You've got nothing to offer."
"What?"
Pharaoh Kang was stunned. Charlie suddenly remembered something.
He turned to Grandmaster. "By the way, you sure there are no other contestants?"
Per the Resurrection Match's "recruitment" rules, the wiped-out Kang Dynasty should have representatives here too.
Grandmaster shook his head. "I'm certain. Besides Doctor Doom, there are no other contestants."
Mentioning the runaway Doctor Doom, Charlie frowned. "I feel like that guy's up to something bad. Can't you find him?" he asked.
Grandmaster smiled. "I could've, but you disrupted my game plan. You're not joining my game, are you?" he asked Charlie.
Charlie nodded. "Of course not. I've got the advantage. Your job's done."
Grandmaster looked disappointed. "I'll be more careful next time."
Though disappointed, not too disappointed.
He hadn't figured out what kind of game world to create anyway.
This was just a freebie for Spider-Man!
Next, Charlie scanned the fan counts above everyone's heads.
Due to the mission requirements, they'd all been secretly building their fanbases.
Some had higher counts, some lower, but all dwarfed Charlie's, who'd been coasting.
Charlie felt he should step up his game.
Half a month later, Vought Corporation imploded. The secrets of their human experiments were exposed by major newspapers, sparking global outrage.
Coupled with footage of Homelander from The Seven slaughtering civilians, public adoration for The Seven turned to fear and disgust.
Despite this trend, Vought made no moves to mitigate or salvage the situation.
Because before the secrets were exposed, Charlie had already taken control of them.
At the official press conference, Congresswoman Neuman thanked Charlie in front of all the reporters.
"Mr. Charlie, thanks to your help, we were able to take down Vought and the deplorable Seven. On behalf of the government, I formally invite you to serve as our superhero consultant. I hope you'll consider it carefully."
Neuman spoke earnestly, and Charlie kept a smile.
This Neuman was the hidden boss of the Black Order world, even running for office later. Without the Black Order, she'd be the ultimate winner.
The arrest warrant in Charlie's hand came from Neuman.
They'd been working together.
This time was no different.
Exposing Vought's darkness and capturing the troublesome Seven, Neuman's popularity hit its peak.
She became the frontrunner in the election.
And Charlie became the world's most talked-about superhero.
A perfect win-win.
One word: flawless!
Unfortunately, an uninvited guest interrupted Charlie's rise to top hero.
"Wait!"
Under the reporters' gazes, a white-haired old man held up a phone and stepped onto the stage.
Doctor Pym!
Doctor Doom!
Charlie's eyes narrowed, a bad feeling creeping in.
He glanced at Neuman, whose smile widened, showing no intention of stopping Pym.
His heart sank.
Sure enough, Doctor Pym launched into an accusation before the reporters.
"I'm here to expose Spider-Man's true face. He's no righteous superhero. I have evidence of him assaulting criminals, destroying public property, and colluding with members of The Seven!"
His words caused an uproar.
Charlie was stunned.
He never expected Doctor Doom to come at him like this.
Using his own tactics against him—classic Doctor Doom.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's with the handcuffs?"
"Hold on, let me explain! I need a mask—a black one."