The next morning.
Whoosh~
Charlie pulled open the curtains, letting warm sunlight flood the room.
Before he could admire the view, Gwen bolted upright in bed, startling him.
"Crap, I didn't go home last night. My dad's definitely gonna grill me about where I was. Damn, I should've left earlier."
Gwen hurriedly threw on her clothes, managing to slip on only one shoe before rushing to the door.
At the doorway, she froze, staring at the black puddle of goo.
"Venom, you… whatever, we gotta get home."
She scooped up Venom, stuffed it into her pocket, and called back to Charlie without turning around, "I'm job hunting for the next few days. I'll find you when I'm done."
As her voice faded into the distance, Charlie snapped out of his daze.
"What the hell?"
He stared bitterly at the trashed room, letting out a sigh.
"Pulls up her pants and bails. What a player!"
Who would've thought Gwen was that kind of woman?
She got what she wanted and didn't even care. If he'd known, Charlie would've played it cooler.
Without his Spider-Totem nearby, Spider-Man's fate was temporarily on hold.
Plus, after dragging it out this long, Charlie admitted he'd been a bit impulsive.
But what's done is done, and he could only grit his teeth and accept it.
He swore, if Gwen didn't contact him by tomorrow, he'd dump her!
Hmph, the invincible Spider-Man was in high demand.
Beep beep~
Suddenly, his phone buzzed on the table. Charlie checked it and saw that last night's chaos wasn't just him and Gwen—his Spider-Man crew thought he'd gone on another mission.
But that wasn't the big issue.
The real kicker was a bank notification demanding he repay a loan?
"What the—?"
Charlie's mouth twitched as he dialed Aunt May.
"Hey, Aunt May, what's this about a bank loan? How did I not know?"
"Oh, my little Charlie, your tuition came from a loan. You didn't know?"
"What? You said it was family money!"
"Sweetie, you were too naive. We didn't have a dime back then."
"Ugh, fine. If you'd told me sooner, I wouldn't have spent every last cent."
"There's still time to pay it off. You've graduated, after all."
"Graduated?"
Charlie blinked. "I saved the world again. The school wouldn't stiff me on a diploma, would they?"
"Dear little Charlie, no one knows you're Spider-Man," Aunt May said gently.
Charlie slapped his forehead. "Then I'm screwed. Finding a job… pfft!"
He hung up, tossing the phone onto the table and flopping onto the bed.
Too much had happened lately, and he'd nearly forgotten some things.
With the Morlun family finally done for and the Spider-Totem left in the Web of Life and Destiny, he didn't have to worry about Spider-Man's fate catching up to him for now.
But it was still a lingering threat.
To fully sever ties with the Web of Life and Destiny, he needed to find the Other, the Bride, and the Scion—three Spider-Totems.
Problem was, he had no leads.
Still, he'd become a god and picked up plenty of "god-tier skills" in the Web of Life and Destiny—Spider-Man-exclusive magic.
One of those spells let him sense every Spider-Man's universe.
There was someone who could help.
He stood, forming hand signs. A golden web bloomed above his head.
As he closed his eyes, Charlie's consciousness pierced the multiversal barrier, entering another world.
…
Meanwhile, in another multiverse.
In the legendary Spider-Magic Castle, an elderly witch reclined on a massive web.
She was a paralyzed woman, blind and immobile, yet her life wasn't one of hardship.
She possessed unique superpowers:
Precognition and telepathy!
These abilities made her the exclusive advisor to this world's superhero team, but she only intervened when absolutely necessary—each time cost her dearly.
Her blindness and paralysis were bloody lessons.
She was Madame Web, Sandra Witt.
Suddenly, her body trembled, her sunglasses glinting as mechanical spider legs extended behind her, twitching.
Her soul quivered.
She sensed the arrival of a god.
"Who's there?"
Madame Web jolted awake, sitting up and scanning her surroundings. Her sunglasses reflected a dazzling burst of magical light.
Within the light, the invincible Spider-Man stared at her.
Seeing his figure, Madame Web frowned.
"Peter… no, you're not Peter Parker. You're…"
She tried to probe this Spider-Man's identity with her precognition, but the moment her power activated, her soul shuddered as if touching an indescribable, mystic entity. A sudden magical shock stiffened her body, and unspoken terror flooded her heart.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead as excruciating pain tore through her mind, forcing an agonized scream.
"Ah!!"
Madame Web clutched her head, wailing. The next moment, a shadow flashed outside the window. A red-and-blue figure kicked through the glass, landing beside her.
"Are you okay—Spider-Man!!"
Peter Parker gaped at the Spider-Man in the light. He glanced at himself, then back at the figure, realizing Madame Web's distress came from this glowing Spider-Man.
His triangular eyes narrowed as he stepped in front of Madame Web.
"Imposter, who the hell are you? Make Madame Web normal again!" he demanded sternly.
But the Spider-Man in the light didn't budge, just silently watching Madame Web.
With no response and Madame Web still screaming, Peter Parker had no choice but to shoot a web and lunge at him.
"This is on you~~~ ah~~~ my foot~~"
With a muffled groan, Peter Parker hit the ground, clutching his foot and rubbing it frantically.
"My foot's gonna break…"
Peter Parker wailed, but Madame Web slowly regained her senses.
The pain faded, and she calmed, staring at the Spider-Man in the light with disbelief.
"A god… the Spider-God has descended!"
Madame Web's eyes brimmed with awe, then excitement.
"Oh my god, a new Spider-God is born!"
"What?"
Seeing Madame Web so worked up, Peter Parker froze.
"You're saying he's the Spider-God?"
Peter Parker put one hand on his hip, pointing at the glowing Spider-Man with the other, his face full of disbelief.
But he'd never seen the usually cryptic and composed Madame Web lose it like this, forcing him to accept the truth.
"Fine, being a god's not that big a deal. He couldn't even break my foot."
Peter Parker muttered, and the glowing Spider-Man finally spoke.
"I'm not really a god, just an ordinary guy who beat the Inheritors and wields the most powerful Spider-Totem. That's all. Make sure you remember that."
At Charlie's words, this world's Peter Parker felt his scalp tingle.
"What? The invincible Spider-Man who defeated the Inheritors? You're Charlie Parker! I've heard of you—you're a hero to Spider-Men!!"
Peter Parker buzzed around Charlie excitedly, occasionally pulling out his phone from his crotch for selfies.
"Hey, I'm Peter Parker, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. You won't believe who I just met!
Oh my god! Look, he's a Spider-Man too—the invincible Spider-Man, Charlie Parker, my idol.
Not just my idol, but the idol of all Spider-Men.
He took down Spider-Man's nemesis, Morlun. I wasn't there, but I heard about him from a Spider-Man wandering the multiverse. He's incredible.
My friends love him too, especially Felicia. She heard about the invincible Spider-Man and fell head over heels. Lately, she's been treating me like his stand-in, and she's super nice to me…"
Peter Parker rambled on, and Charlie's forehead sprouted black lines.
He was seeing his own chatty persona from a new angle.
Spider-Man shouldn't be like this!
Well, if not like this, then how?
Fine, this is Spider-Man.
He shoved Peter Parker's face away in disgust and turned to Madame Web.
"The Other, the Bride, the Scion—tell me where they are."
Hearing this, Madame Web grew thoughtful.
So this guy hadn't fully become the Spider-God, or he wouldn't need her to answer this.
Even so, Charlie Parker was the closest thing to a Spider-God.
She took a deep breath and said slowly, "Great Charlie Parker, may I ask why you need to know about them?"
Charlie frowned but didn't hide his intent.
"To sever Spider-Man's connection to the Web of Life and Destiny, stop new Spider-Men from emerging, and end Spider-Man's lonely fate."
"What?"
Madame Web and Peter Parker were stunned again.
The difference was, Madame Web's face darkened, while Peter Parker went full fanboy.
"Oh my god, is this for real?"
Peter Parker clutched his face, his eyes practically shooting hearts at Charlie.
"If you find them, I won't have to worry about the people around me getting hurt because of me. I could live a normal life, right?"
Charlie nodded. "Exactly. That's our ultimate goal."
"No way!"
Madame Web's body trembled. "Without new Spider-Men, the world will collapse."
Peter Parker tried to calm her. "That's a bit dramatic. People don't need Spider-Man. Any superhero would do. Spider-Man's not that important." He patted her shoulder.
Madame Web shot him a cold look. "You don't get it. Spider-Man is crucial. Without Spider-Man, the universe would descend into chaos. He's—"
"The Weaver told you that?"
Charlie cut her off, smirking. "If your powers told you that, sorry to say, they're lying. Spider-Man's not that important. We can choose any path, but we won't sacrifice everyone just to be superheroes."
"Exactly!"
Peter Parker planted his hands on his hips. "Madame Web, I admit your powers are mysterious, but compared to the invincible Spider-Man, I trust Charlie Parker. His powers can even sense poop. Can yours?"
Madame Web: "???"
Charlie: "???"
Madame Web fell silent, and Charlie's face went pitch black.
The room went dead quiet.
Finally, Charlie grabbed Peter Parker by the collar, growling, "Who. Told. You?"
Peter Parker: "???"
Staring at Charlie's gritted teeth, he shrank back.
"I heard it from another Spider-Man."
"Who?"
"Peter Parker."
"Which Peter Parker?"
"I don't know. I just know he started the multiversal Spider-Man chat group. We talk about web-slinging techniques, which pizza joint's the best, how to deliver food most efficiently, and whether Gwen or Mary Jane is hotter—"
Before he could finish, Charlie hurled Peter Parker into the corner.
"Jerk, don't let me find out who did this… wait, no, add me to the group. I need to have a word with them."
Charlie raised his hand, and the flung Peter Parker was yanked back into his palm by magical energy.
To appease Charlie's rage, Peter Parker complied.
Yup, appease Charlie's anger toward him and redirect it to the group admin.
He pulled out his phone and started tapping.
Charlie set aside Madame Web's objections for now.
Even if she didn't cooperate, he had a hundred ways to make her comply… wait, that sounded weird.
Shaking off the stray thought, Charlie joined the group under Peter Parker's invite.
[Restart, Invincible Spider-Man! (Fan Group)]
[Perfect Peter Parker: Yo, brothers, I just pulled in a solid bro. Everyone, give him a warm welcome.]
Perfect Peter?
Charlie shot a skeptical glance at the Peter Parker beside him.
What a narcissist.
With that, he tweaked his nickname.
[Great, Secretive, Ultra-Just, 99-Points-of-Looks-But-Keeping-It-Lowkey Spider-Man: What an awesome chat group! Group admin, can you tell this poor invincible Spider-Man fan who you really are? (adoring emoji)]
Peter Parker: "."
Shameless!
He lowered his head, watching the group's reactions.
As expected, the admin was toast.
But Charlie's message didn't get a reply from the admin. Instead, it sparked an uproar among the other members.
[LizardLegsStud: The audacity! Imitating that loser's tone to talk to us? Who do you think you are?]
[CuteLilVenom: Too spot-on. That ID style is way too similar. It's not actually that jerk, is it?]
[SupremeVIParker: Nah, can't be. He just got home. Got like five or six people waiting for him to eat. He's probably working, not chilling in the group.]
[BoomBangCrashParker: Heard he became Earth's god once. Bet he's got enough cash stashed to not need a job to feed the fam.]
[LizardLegsStud: Yup, his Uncle Ben and Aunt May are mob bosses. Family's loaded.]
[SpiderPigPigPigMan: No way, no way! He's richer than IronSpider?]
[UltimateT-rex: Stop guessing. It's definitely not him. I know the guy. If it was, his ID would just be "Invincible Spider-Man."]
[Great, Secretive, Ultra-Just, 99-Points-of-Looks-But-Keeping-It-Lowkey Spider-Man: The guy above gets it. No one knows Spider-Man better than you. Where's the admin? I'm risking my life chatting here while Green Goblin's on my tail. Before I get smoked, I want the truth. Admin, show yourself!]
[LizardLegsStud: Yo, brothers, we can't let a fan down. Admin, show yourself!]
[CuteLilVenom: Admin, show yourself!]
[SupremeVIParker: Admin, show yourself!]
[CosmicCaptain: Admin, show yourself!]
[Charlie'sBro: Yo, hold up, you're the admin.]
[CosmicCaptain: My bad, got caught up in the vibe. Yup, I'm the admin. @Great, Secretive, Ultra-Just, 99-Points-of-Looks-But-Keeping-It-Lowkey Spider-Man, from your typing speed and that fake-humble-but-totally-provocative tone, I can tell you're very interested in me.]
[Great, Secretive, Ultra-Just, 99-Points-of-Looks-But-Keeping-It-Lowkey Spider-Man: You saw right through me. One hour, Totem Universe, 1v1. Anyone who brings backup is a puppy.]
[CosmicCaptain: Drop the location! Now! Right now! Immediately!]