Asgard's Treasure Vault.
At Odin's invitation, Charlie once again stepped into this treasure-filled chamber.
This time, he noticed several new artifacts.
But he wasn't particularly interested.
Last time, he took a single drop of the Life Tear and ended up tasked with taking down the Dark Elves.
So he'd sworn never to touch a single blade of grass in Asgard's vault again!
"Mr. Odin, this Eternal Flame's pretty nice, huh?"
Charlie stood before the fiery pillar at the vault's center, grinning.
Odin smiled back.
"The Eternal Flame isn't much. Take it if you want."
"Whoa, that's generous of you."
Charlie rubbed his chin, eyeing the Eternal Flame.
It looked like ordinary fire, nothing special.
"Can this thing replace the sun?" he asked.
Odin shook his head. "The Eternal Flame alone can't replace the sun. Only when fused with the Fire Demon can it unleash its full power."
Charlie nodded. "What about Surtur? Can he replace the sun?"
"Of course."
Odin lifted a horned crown nearby. "Toss this in, and the Fire Demon will awaken. Want to try?"
Charlie thought for a moment. "You're joking, right?"
Odin shook his head. "No, I'm serious. I know what you're trying to do, and this is likely the only way."
Charlie glanced at Odin. "The Allfather's power could probably help me achieve my goal."
"Not anymore."
Odin's smile turned bitter. "My divine power is far from its peak. You've already sensed it."
Charlie nodded. "True."
With a wave, he opened a portal, and cosmic starlight flooded the vault.
Buzz~
The starlight coalesced into Captain Universe Spider-Man, who immediately grasped the plan upon seeing the Eternal Flame and the horned crown.
"Are we starting now?" he asked Charlie.
Charlie nodded. "Yup. You ready?"
Captain Universe Spider-Man thumped his chest. "Leave it to me."
"Alright."
With a thought, Charlie made the Eternal Flame and the horned crown vanish. Odin and Captain Universe Spider-Man followed him through the portal to another universe.
…
Lately, Symbiote Tony's life was pure bliss.
Ever since the Invincible Spider-Man collected all six Infinity Stones, no major alien invasions had hit Earth.
But that wasn't the highlight.
The real win was climbing to the peak of his life through elections.
Now, his portraits lined New York's streets, his statues filled its parks, and he was the people's perfect president.
Super perfect.
Boom~~
The Mark Armor streaked across the sky, met with cheers from the citizens below.
Because money was raining down.
"Oh yeah! Long live Tony!!"
"Don't grab it, I saw it first!!"
"That's mine!"
Seeing the citizens' unwavering support, Symbiote Tony grinned smugly.
This was how he'd beaten all the old-timers to become president.
Nobody understood elections better than him!
"Oh ho~"
After patrolling the city, Symbiote Tony returned to Stark Tower.
No, now it was the Stark Pentagon!
Clank clank~
On the landing platform, Symbiote Tony's armor retracted into his body as the symbiote receded.
"Pepper, get me a coffee—oh, Invincible Spider-Man, you finally came to visit!"
The moment he walked in, Symbiote Tony spotted his friend.
Spider-Man!
Charlie waved with a smile. "Hey, how's it going?"
Symbiote Tony nodded. "Not bad. Who're these two?" He glanced at Captain Universe Spider-Man and Odin, then chuckled.
"I get it. Another Spider-Man and Thor's dad. Welcome to this universe."
He knew this universe's Odin was dead.
After brief greetings, Charlie said, "Something's about to go down on Earth. You might want to prep."
"What's up?" Symbiote Tony took the coffee from Pepper, unbothered.
Charlie waved it off. "Small stuff. Just keep the peace."
"Easy enough."
Three minutes later—
Symbiote Tony's eyes widened as a massive fiery creature appeared in the sky. His coffee hit the floor.
"Oh, shit, that's small stuff?"
"You said it was no problem."
Charlie raised his hand, summoning the six Infinity Stones to form a dimensional barrier around the reviving Fire Giant.
Buzz~
The six Infinity Stones hung in the sky as the Fire Giant, cloaked in endless starlight, swung his Twilight Sword, slashing at the barrier.
Countless citizens gawked at the spectacle.
"Oh my God, is it an alien invasion?"
"No way, it's gotta be a surprise from our dear President Tony!"
BOOM!!
The dimensional barrier trembled, stray flames spilling out, turning the sky's clouds into a fiery inferno. The rising heat finally clued them in.
"Oh my God, run!!"
"President Tony, save us!!"
"Look, the president's here!"
"Damn it, stop throwing money and save us!"
As the city descended into chaos, Captain Universe Spider-Man transformed into a blazing light and entered the dimensional space.
The barrier shook violently, and the Fire Giant Surtur's enraged roars echoed.
"Damn insect, die—no, what is this power…?"
Within minutes, the Fire Giant began to weaken.
Charlie nodded approvingly.
"Not bad, Captain Universe. The Fire Giant's no match for him."
Odin's beard twitched, his tone helpless. "You've got the six Infinity Stones. You could've beaten him easier."
Charlie waved him off. "I've got other things to handle!"
He raised his right hand, now wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, and cosmic energy erupted.
"I am destiny!!"
BOOM!!
The dimensional barrier shattered, and the defeated Fire Giant was compressed into a blazing orb under the vast power of the cosmic rules.
A cosmic rift opened, revealing a restless, radiant star in the main universe on the other side.
"The Celestial in the sun senses danger!" Odin's face grew grave.
Captain Universe Spider-Man stepped up. "I've got this!"
He transformed into a surge of cosmic starlight, entering the main universe and enveloping the restless sun, trying to push it into this universe.
"No way!"
Symbiote Tony panicked. "What are you doing? You'll kill us all!!"
Charlie patted his shoulder. "Chill, don't panic. It's not a big deal."
With a hand seal, golden webbing spread through the cosmic void, wrapping the sun and dragging it into the Web of Life and Destiny. The compressed Fire Giant took its place, radiating intense light and heat.
Symbiote Tony froze.
"This…"
He looked at Charlie. "You…"
"You guessed it. I'm a god!"
Charlie raised the Infinity Stones again, but syncing the golden webbing with the stones' activation seemed tricky. He turned to Odin.
Odin stepped back. "Spare this old man."
Though Asgardian gods grew stronger with age, Ragnarök had weakened his divine power. He couldn't withstand the Infinity Stones' surge.
"Let me do it!"
Elderly Steve Rogers breached the barrier, arriving on the scene.
He took the Infinity Gauntlet, his eyes resolute.
"I want to walk the path Tony did."
His face was dead serious. "All this time, I owed Tony an apology.
I thought Tony was a playboy, a selfish jerk.
I thought he'd never sacrifice himself for others.
But I was wrong.
Meeting Tony again, I still couldn't say sorry.
Now, I'll prove to everyone that even without a hammer, I'm the perfect Captain!!"
Charlie: "???"
"Wait, you said all that, but the last part's the real point, isn't it?!"
"Doesn't matter."
Elderly Steve donned the Infinity Gauntlet without hesitation. The six Infinity Stones' power made his body tremble, cosmic energy and lightning lashing him, but he endured and snapped his fingers.
Snap!
The world fell silent.
Charlie's eyes widened.
What the hell?
"Damn it, why do you need so many hammers?!"
Charlie cursed as Elderly Steve tossed the gauntlet aside, diving gleefully into a pile of Mjolnirs summoned by the Infinity Stones.
Hahaha! "So many hammers! They're mine, all mine!!"
Charlie: "…"
Odin: "…"
They exchanged looks.
"Is he an idiot?" Odin's mouth twitched.
Charlie facepalmed, silently agreeing.
Suddenly, the sun in the cosmic rift began to expand. A massive Celestial head emerged, its light and heat threatening to consume this universe's Earth.
"Crap!"
Before Charlie could act, thunder exploded nearby.
BOOM!!
Blinding lightning surged as Elderly Steve, covered in Mjolnirs, roared and charged the Celestial in the sun.
"Little Spider, watch this!"
"My transformation!!"
Clank clank~
BOOM!!
Instantly, all the Mjolnirs shattered into countless fragments, reforming in Elderly Steve's hand as a massive Mjolnir.
RRRUMBLE!!
The cosmic rift was engulfed in endless lightning. The giant Mjolnir, wrapped in thunder, forced the Celestial's head back into the sun.
Clank clank~~
BOOM!
Charlie was stunned.
"This old guy… his setup's too over-the-top."
The more Mjolnirs, the stronger he gets?
Odin was equally shocked.
He hadn't thought that much when crafting Mjolnir!
The heavens shifted.
As the Celestial retreated, Carter swooped in, wielding cosmic energy, and snatched the Infinity Gauntlet.
Snap!
An invisible barrier formed, shielding the Earth from the sun's chaotic energy.
In the main universe, the massive Godslayer Armor streaked across the stars. Gwen and other heroes unleashed their full power to block the sun's energy from affecting Earth.
Dark red particles bloomed in the void, endless darkness aiding Gwen's efforts.
Without it, they couldn't counter the sun's terrifying energy.
Even so, black spots on the sun formed black holes, their shifting gravity threatening to devour everything.
Both universes' Earths began to crumble under endless darkness, followed by the searing heat of two blazing stars scorching the land.
Volcanoes erupted, tsunamis surged, and earthquakes threatened to swallow all life.
Charlie's preparations weren't enough.
But it was fine—Kamar-Taj stepped in.
Buzz~~
Golden mystic arrays bloomed across Earth's surface, and Tony and the others sighed in relief.
"Thank God, it's Master Ancient One! We're saved!"
"That's Spider-Man's line!"
"Sorry, I got excited."
"Who're you?"
"Me?"
A man in flip-flops grinned. "Just a passing superhero. Ever heard of Venom?" he asked the man beside him.
The man froze, then smirked eerily.
"Of course. I know you, master of the Gene Lock."
His mouth split open, black liquid oozing out as he grinned excitedly.
Gagaga! "Found you!"
Eddie: "???"
BANG!
Venom controlled Eddie's fist, flattening the man.
"Buddy, get outta here—that guy's onto us!"
Venom's tone was panicked.
At the same time, in the Godslayer Armor's cockpit, Gwen's face flickered with unease before being engulfed by eerie black liquid.
The Symbiote Dragon Totem awoke, and Knull's power surged into her body.
"Run, now!!"
Gwen's scream was cut short as she lost consciousness.
Gagaga! "I smell him!!"
"The Gene Lock is mine!!"
BOOM!!
Knull took control of Gwen's body. With one punch, ancient dark power pierced the Godslayer Armor.
Malekith's dark magic could never do this.
Boom~~
Beep beep beep~~ Warning: Hull breach detected. Repair immediately!
Tony's face paled at the alarm. "What's happening?" He activated the armor's diagnostics.
The monitor showed Gwen, unrecognizable.
"How…" Tony froze.
Even Doctor Doom couldn't damage the Godslayer Armor, yet Gwen did it effortlessly.
What was going on?
His heart raced as the Godslayer Armor shook. Endless darkness poured from its steel frame, coalescing in the cold void into Knull's form.
The white-haired "vampire" from the dark abyss gazed at the two suns in the cosmic rift, his smile widening.
Gagaga! "What a spectacle. Is this the power of you gods?
Too weak, too weak, hahaha…"
He became a stream of dark silk, surging toward the Celestial in the sun, carving a vast dark trench through space.
"Gods, delicious!!"
Knull's laughter echoed across both universes, making souls tremble.
Charlie felt the All-Black Necrosword stir restlessly.
"This is the true Ragnarök!"
This wasn't just a threat to the main universe's gods.
It was the nightmare of the multiversal gods!