Multiverse, Dark Abyss.
In a cavern filled with endless dark matter, black liquid dripped from the stone walls, jagged rocks protruding everywhere. A pair of pale, narrow eyes glowed in the darkness.
Hiss~
After a sharp screech, the monster in the dark seemed to sense prey, its eyes slowly closing.
Countless dark creatures, resembling Xenomorphs, crawled along the walls, soon slipping into a crevice at the cavern's ceiling.
Through a narrow passage, the monster emerged into a mysterious space above the darkness.
Under an endless void, a blood-red moon hung high, spinning as if alive. Closer inspection revealed it was a swirling, crimson energy mass.
Below the blood moon, on a towering cliff, the monster crouched, growling softly as if relaying a message.
Not far ahead, countless black broken swords were embedded in the slightly raised dark earth.
It looked like a graveyard.
At its center, dense black webbing bound a graceful figure.
"Go~"
"Run~"
"You can't win—there's no winning~"
Under the black webbing, G'iah hung her head, her consciousness in a deep slumber, yet she murmured faintly.
Hiss~
A loud roar from the monster jolted G'iah awake.
Her body trembled as she struggled to lift her head, gazing at the black creature nearby, her eyes filled with exhaustion.
She understood the monster's roar.
"He… he wants to see me."
G'iah whispered. The monster leaped over the field of broken swords, landing before her.
The black webbing binding her retracted, and G'iah collapsed to her knees, gasping heavily.
Head lowered, her long hair hid the worry in her eyes.
"It's finally time?"
She murmured, forcing her weary body onto the monster's thorny back.
Hiss~
The creature carried G'iah, plunging off the cliff and vanishing into the dark cavern.
Soon, it brought her to a sealed area beneath the cavern, enveloped in countless golden chains.
The power of light suppressed the absolute darkness, discomforting the black creature. Even the symbiote within G'iah grew restless.
"Yabi, what's wrong?" G'iah asked softly.
The black liquid writhed, Yabi's voice raspy.
"It's the light's power. I'm uncomfortable—really uncomfortable."
"Yabi, hang on. We'll leave soon."
G'iah soothed it as the creature carried her to the heart of the golden chains.
The chains bound a mass of black energy.
In the darkness, a gaunt, skeletal "corpse" knelt in the void, head bowed, white hair obscuring its face.
A dangerous aura spread, and the symbiote in G'iah instantly fell silent.
Clearly, this wasn't their first encounter with this "corpse."
The creature dropped G'iah off and fled, leaving her to face the sealed, dangerous figure alone.
Staring at it, G'iah took a deep breath. "I'm here."
"I… know."
The corpse spoke, raising a face more ghastly than a vampire's.
Its blood-red eyes gleamed, and a spiraling Symbiote Dragon totem faintly glowed on its chest.
The Symbiote Dragon radiated crimson light, and G'iah felt a dangerously overwhelming force surge toward her.
Buzz~
In a daze, G'iah stumbled, but the sensation vanished instantly.
Like an illusion.
But she knew it wasn't.
Steadying herself, she said, "I know you're terrifying. No need to threaten me. Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
In the decade since the central universe lost its Spider-Man, a strange figure had invaded her world, bringing her here and imprisoning her.
She knew its target was Spider-Man.
During her captivity, her consciousness blurred, but she kept sending danger signals to Spider-Man.
She didn't know if she succeeded.
But it didn't matter now.
This figure's willingness to see her meant her chance to leave had come.
And so it was.
The master of the Symbiote Dragon, the primal force of the Dark Abyss, the Symbiote God Null!
He loomed over the tiny G'iah, grinning cruelly.
"Find the Gene Lock and give it to me. It's your only chance."
The Gene Lock—a substance formed from symbiote-human fusion. G'iah didn't know the details, but she knew few in the multiverse possessed it.
And she knew exactly who did.
But she'd rather stay trapped forever than let Null get it.
If Null obtained the Gene Lock, he'd break the seal and return to the multiverse.
Then, the universe would fall into endless darkness, destroying all love and beauty, including her cherished family, friends, and lover. They'd be consumed by darkness.
Even the Invincible Spider-Man couldn't save a world devoured by darkness.
She knew this.
So, G'iah fell silent, then said, "I no longer have the strength to find what you want."
Null seemed to see through her. He maintained his cruel grin, as if it suited his persona.
"No matter. I'll give you power—greater power."
"But—"
Before G'iah could refuse, Null's dark energy shattered the golden chains, flooding into her body.
BOOM~~
As the dark energy surged, G'iah groaned, collapsing to her knees, trembling.
The overwhelming power nearly tore her apart, but the pain vanished, perfectly merging with her body.
Her black suit deepened, growing stronger.
Clenching her fist, dark energy formed a sphere, crackling with blood-red lightning filled with evil and destruction.
G'iah felt she could destroy a planet!
She fell silent.
Null spoke. "Remember, if I don't get what I want, the power in you will kill everyone around you, including that bug. In the darkness's grasp, he can't resurrect. You have one chance.
And so does he."
Null lowered his head, saying no more.
G'iah's heart trembled, recalling her first contact with the Necrosword.
Kill him again?
"No! I refuse, I won't—"
She cried out, a soul-deep summons pulling her into the abyss.
"No!!"
…
When G'iah awoke, she saw a gray sky.
"Where…"
Noisy voices reached her ears. Rubbing her temples, G'iah slowly stood.
"Hey, G'iah, you're awake."
Lizard Parker pushed through the "Spider-Man" crowd, grinning. "Get ready. The big battle's starting."
"Big battle?"
G'iah blinked. "What do you mean?"
Lizard Parker pointed to the street's other end. "See? Those vampires are the Inheritors. The final battle between Spider-Man and the Inheritors is about to begin."
"Inheritors?"
G'iah gasped, her gaze landing on a group of vampires, their Spider totems faintly visible.
"It's really them. Why are we…"
"Exactly what you're thinking."
Venom Parker approached. "Charlie Parker did this. He summoned all Spider-Men here to fight the Inheritors."
G'iah rubbed her brow. "I wasn't thinking anything."
Venom Parker shrugged. "I thought you knew."
He glanced at Lizard Parker. "You don't seem like a Spider-Man. How'd you get here?"
Lizard Parker grinned, ripping off his jacket to reveal a tight Spider suit.
"As long as I believe I'm Spider-Man, I am Spider-Man."
Venom Parker: "…"
That works?
Suddenly, nearby Spider-Men exclaimed as the legendary Spider-Man appeared in a shimmer.
"The man who gave up fighting kaiju for the Inheritor duel—Spider-Man!!"
Takuya Yamashiro's arrival thrilled the Spider-Men.
"It's Spider-Mom! His finisher is the Battle Soul Sword. The Invincible Charlie Parker said no enemy survives it."
"He really said that?"
"Of course, I don't lie."
"My God, we're gonna win!"
"We've got this!"
"Defeat the Inheritors, save the Web of Life and Destiny!!"
"Down with the Inheritors~"
Amid the uproar, Charlie shouted from the crowd.
"I never said that!"
But the excited Spider-Men ignored the unremarkable Spider-Man.
Charlie clutched his head, exasperated.
Opening champagne mid-game—those guys die fastest.
Countless Spider-Men filled the multiverse, and Charlie had no idea how many had come.
The area was packed with Spider-Men.
The Inheritors, though fewer—barely a hundred—were no joke.
Charlie stayed cautious.
The more Spider-Men, the weaker they were.
That's why he hadn't rashly opened the duel arena.
He'd planned to gather intel and summon reliable allies for a safer fight against the Morlun family.
But plans didn't survive reality. To peel Morlun's Leech totem from the Dragon totem, he had to do this.
Still, he wasn't empty-handed.
Delaying the duel arena got him what he needed.
This way, he could gain enough power to face Morlun.
As he prepared to speak, an accident struck.
BOOM!
The barrier separating Spider-Men and Inheritors was attacked. An angry Spider-Man extra pounded the invisible wall.
"Damn vampires, I'll kill you!!"
Crack~
As the barrier trembled, a countdown appeared above the arena.
[Duel Countdown Initiated!]
[3~2~1~]
CRASH!
The barrier shattered, and Morlun, abruptly appearing in the arena, snapped to attention.
He didn't have time to wonder why he was here.
He only knew countless Spider-Men were present—no need to hunt them across universes.
"Kill!"
At his command, the Inheritors unleashed their totem energies. Leech totems spread across the sky, lunging at the Spider-Men.
"No!"
Splat~
As the first Spider-Man's blood stained the street, soul-deep fear gripped the others.
In that moment, they forgot who they were.
The Spider totems, naturally suppressed by the Leech totem, trembled. Their Spider senses failed, leaving them unable to dodge the Inheritors' attacks.
Splat~~
"Ah!!"
"Run!"
"Terrifying bastards!"
In an instant, the front-line Spider-Men panicked and fled, causing a stampede.
"My God, you hit me!!"
"My foot—"
"Shit, our webs are tangled!"
"Move, I'm taking down these vampires!"
"You cowards, watch me—oh no, he's fast!"
"Save me~"
"For Aunt May~"
In the chaos, a brave Spider-Man swung upward, only to be pierced by an Inheritor's claws.
A pale-faced female vampire flicked her golden hair, sneering.
"A bunch of pathetic bugs. No matter how many, you're just scattered sand."
She tossed the Spider-Man's body and lunged at her next target.
"Your opponent is me!"
A massive mech landed on the battlefield. Wielding the Battle Soul Sword, Takuya Yamashiro swung. "The man who'll protect Spider-Man with all his might—Spider-Man!"
As he spoke, a sinister Leech totem slipped into the cockpit, paralyzing the mech. Takuya's scream echoed.
"Nani!"
"Too much talk!" Bora sneered, her kick exploding with force.
BOOM!!
The cockpit erupted, and a disheveled Takuya was flung out. The Battle Soul Sword fell from the mech's hand, embedding in the ground and crushing an unlucky Spider-Man.
"Oh no!!"
Takuya clutched his head, wailing. "The man who accidentally killed a teammate—Spider-Man!!!"
Bora eyed the comical figure, her fangs sharpening.
"Morlun's right. How could a clown like this end the Inheritors? Time to break the prophecy."
She raised her hand, claws glowing with gray energy, ready to finish Spider-Mom.
But a crimson sword-light split the world, slicing toward her.
In that moment, Bora, a top Inheritor warrior, felt her heart quake. Death's shadow loomed, her body frozen by the totem energy in the light.
She was done for.
Time slowed infinitely, and Spider-Men's cheers filled her ears.
It's the Invincible Spider-Man!
Charlie Parker, the Inheritors' nightmare!
But not Morlun's.
BOOM!!
In a flash, Bora snapped back. The crimson sword-light was torn apart, and a golden Leech totem, surrounding a towering figure, descended.
"Charlie Parker, your opponent is me!"
Morlun's wave killed dozens of Spider-Men, his aura overwhelming, unstoppable.
The dead Spider-Men offered ample totem energy, but he didn't need it.
His third-stage Leech totem didn't require first-stage Spider totems.
Those powers couldn't boost him.
The battlefield grew more chaotic as the golden Leech totem's terror spread.
Atop a skyscraper, Charlie stared at the All-Black the Necrosword frowning.
"As expected, it's not enough?" he murmured.
In the fated battle between Spider-Man and the Inheritors, only totem energy mattered.
Even the Symbiote God's power couldn't tip the scales.
If that's the case…
Charlie tossed the All-Black the Necrosword aside, his eyes resolute.
"Lend me your power!!"