"Alright, alright, only magic can fix magic."
Charlie's hands formed a seal, a golden Spider Totem shimmering across the vase's surface, meticulously carving its original patterns to restore it.
This scene caught Jade's eyes, and they sparkled with excitement.
"Charlie, I want to learn magic!!"
Jade dashed over, staring at Charlie with admiration. "If I learn this, I'll ace art class every time."
Charlie looked down at Jade, who barely reached his thigh. "Kids don't get to cheat, or else I—"
Before he could finish, Dragon Uncle suddenly took a phone call and hurriedly left the antique shop.
"Watch Jade, I've got work."
Charlie: "???"
"Does Dragon Uncle even have a job?" he asked Jade.
Jade shrugged. "He's an archaeologist, or so he says. Probably a decent gig, right?"
"By the way, Charlie, why do you call him Dragon Uncle? He's not that much older than you," she added, puzzled.
Charlie mimicked her shrug. "He just looks old."
Jade thought for a moment. "Oh, right. He's always saying he's only eighteen."
With that, she kept pestering Charlie to teach her magic.
"I want to learn magic!"
"Go ask your Old Man, he knows magic too."
"He doesn't know any magic. All he does is make me brew his coffee."
"Then go brew his coffee."
"No way."
"Yes way."
"No way!"
"Just get lost already."
…
Inside the antique shop, Old Man leisurely sipped his coffee.
Charlie, meanwhile, curiously toyed with the shop's antiques.
At the same time, the golden pistol at his waist quivered slightly, and Fin Fang Foom's voice echoed in his mind.
"What are you doing?"
"Me?"
Charlie casually placed a bronze mirror back on the display case. "I'm studying history."
"Spider-Man, have you forgotten why you're here?"
Fin Fang Foom warned, "Stop hanging around these mortals. We need to find the Book of Ages and save the universe!"
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Do you know where the Book of Ages is?"
"I… I don't know."
"If you don't know, where are we supposed to look?"
"I… I don't know."
"Exactly. I knew you didn't know."
Charlie chuckled, turning to pull a yellowed book from the shelf, flipping through it casually. "You know, every universe has its anchor, its pillar person. Stick with them, and finding the Book of Ages won't be hard."
"Anchor person?"
Fin Fang Foom pondered. "I get it. This Dragon Uncle is this universe's anchor!"
"Exactly."
Charlie grinned. "You get it. I'm an anchor myself, so I can't be wrong. Dragon Uncle is this universe's pillar. Stick with him, and we'll find the Book of Ages."
Fin Fang Foom didn't argue.
"So how long do we wait?"
"Hmm."
Charlie thought for a moment. "Maybe a few days, maybe a few months, maybe a few years…"
"Enough, I get it."
Fin Fang Foom grew irritable and fell silent, no longer pressing the issue.
Charlie glanced at the golden pistol at his waist, his expression unreadable.
He knew exactly where the Book of Ages was, but with a ticking time bomb like Fin Fang Foom around, he wasn't about to make a move.
From Fin Fang Foom's earlier behavior, Charlie was certain this guy's goal wasn't just the Book of Ages.
So… Bang!
Suddenly, a vase behind him shattered on the floor, drawing both Charlie and Old Man's attention.
Old Man glared at Charlie. "What did you do?"
Charlie looked innocent. "I didn't do anything."
"Then why did it fall?"
"You're asking me? Who should I ask?"
Charlie glanced at the ceiling. "Oh, I know who did it."
He pointed at Jade, floating near the ceiling. "If I'm not mistaken, it's her."
"Jade?"
Old Man followed his gaze, spotting Jade gleefully hovering beneath the ceiling, mimicking swimming motions.
"Hahaha, I can fly! I've got magic!!"
Old Man's eyes widened, then he glared at Jade. "Jade, get down here!"
"No way!"
"You stole my Rooster Talisman!"
"I did it, but it's not stealing—it's borrowing."
With that, Jade leaped over Old Man and bolted out the door. "I'm off to play. Don't call me for dinner!"
Old Man panicked.
"Watch Jade!!" he shouted, rushing out of the antique shop.
Charlie rubbed his temples. "Yeah, I figured. 'Watch Jade' is always the right call."
Muttering to himself, Charlie leisurely strolled out of the shop, locking the door behind him.
Soon, at a nearby playground.
Old Man collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. "Jade… stop, stop playing. Give the talisman back to Old Man…"
Jade gently landed on a swing, sticking her tongue out at him.
"No way, I'm not done playing!"
She started to float again, but sticky webbing appeared under her feet, anchoring her in place.
Seeing the webbing, Jade spun around to find Charlie approaching, yawning.
Swish!
With a flick of his wrist, Charlie shot out more webbing, snatching the Rooster Talisman from Jade's hand.
"My talisman!"
Jade yelped as she lost the talisman's power. The next moment, a large hand grabbed her by the collar.
"Hahaha, found you."
Valmont's goons had surrounded the area.
Afro, in a white suit, held Jade with a classic villainous smirk. "Hand over the talisman, or we won't play nice," he said to Charlie.
Beside him stood the sulky Rasu and the cold-eyed Chow.
The three were Valmont's most "capable" henchmen! Well, "capable" wasn't exactly a compliment here.
They closed in on Charlie, the tension rising.
Old Man played dead, muttering, "Can't see me, can't see me…"
Jade, meanwhile, looked ready to enjoy the show.
For a small scene like this, Charlie had no interest in fighting.
He tossed the talisman lightly. "Don't hurt Jade. Take me to your boss, and the talisman's yours."
The three froze.
"What did he say?"
"He's giving us the talisman."
"He wants to meet our boss."
"You heard right. He wants to waltz into our base and take us all down."
"Haha, this is too perfect."
Afro released Jade, flashing another villainous grin.
"Fine, we'll take you."
Charlie nodded, casually tossing the talisman to them.
"No!"
Jade and Old Man panicked, but the talisman was already in the Black Hand's possession. There was nothing they could do.
They could only watch as Charlie was "taken" away by the trio.
As they disappeared, Jade gritted her teeth. "No way, I'm getting Dragon Uncle. We're saving Charlie!"
…
Soon, led by Afro and the others, Charlie arrived at Valmont's company.
Top floor.
"Boss, we got the talisman."
The door swung open, and Afro's group entered the office, only to find Valmont's face darkening.
He'd seen everything on the security feed.
"You idiots! Why'd you bring Spider-Man here?" Valmont roared.
The trio blinked, then turned.
Charlie had already changed into his suit.
Afro gaped. "You change clothes that fast?!"
Charlie shrugged. "I'm even faster at taking them off."
With a wave of his hand, Rasu's pants dropped.
"Ah!!"
Rasu scrambled to pull them up as Chow drew a dagger and lunged at Charlie.
"Spider-Man, meeting me is your doom!"
Bang!
A fist the size of a sandbag smashed into Chow's face, caving his nose in.
Clang~
The dagger fell, and Chow's rigid body slid to the floor.
Valmont's eyes sharpened.
"What do you want?"
"Take me to see that dragon."
"Shendu?"
Valmont frowned but didn't hesitate. "Fine, follow me."
He turned, activating a mechanism that revealed a hidden chamber.
Charlie followed without a word.
In less than a minute, they reached a dimly lit room.
Inside, a massive stone tablet loomed, a coiled dragon with glowing red eyes etched upon it.
"Spider-Man…"
Shendu's voice rumbled. Charlie pulled off his mask. "That's me, the invincible Spider-Man."
At the same time, the golden pistol at his waist trembled, and Fin Fang Foom emerged, floating in the room.
"Old friend, long time no see."
Fin Fang Foom greeted Shendu, whose eyes glowed brighter.
"Long time no see. State your purpose."
"Of course, it's—"
Before Fin Fang Foom could finish, Charlie activated his Spider Totem.
Buzz~
Instantly, dazzling light enveloped Shendu, golden webbing wrapping the tablet, transforming the dragon into a golden form.
Shendu, alarmed, roared, "What did you do to me?"
Charlie gripped the webbing, sensing the power within the tablet.
"This is the magic of the Saint Seiya Mage Lope?"
He extracted a thread of magic, feeling its holy energy, and frowned slightly.
This tiny bit of magic barely hinted at the strength of the so-called Saint Seiya Mage.
This world's power system was intriguing.
As for Shendu, he was stunned to see Charlie extracting the seal's power.
"You're incredible!"
He exclaimed, "If you can extract the seal's power, you can free me. Name your terms!"
Fin Fang Foom was equally shocked.
He hadn't known Spider-Man could do that.
This wasn't good news for him.
He opened his mouth to dissuade Charlie, but Charlie was unfazed. "I can break your seal, but you'll take me to the other seven demons' seals. I need their power."
"What?"
Shendu sobered instantly.
He'd betrayed the other demons. If Charlie freed them, he'd be the one in trouble.
But no matter—agree for now.
"Fine, I agree!"
Shendu relented, and the golden webbing on the tablet blazed brighter.
The Spider Totem began devouring the seal's power, and Shendu laughed maniacally, sensing the seal weakening.
"Hahaha, I'm free!!"
Crack crack crack~
As the tablet fractured, fragments fell, and Shendu broke free with a deafening roar.
Boom!!
Amid swirling dust, a menacing dragon's head emerged, blood-red eyes glowing coldly.
A towering figure with a dragon's head and human body, clad only in shorts, stepped from the dust, grinning wickedly down at Charlie.
"Thanks for breaking my seal, Spider-Man."
Charlie ignored the grin. "You're welcome. Now, can you help me?"
"Gahaha, of course."
Shendu opened his mouth, a terrifying aura gathering.
"Everyone knows demons don't keep promises. Die!!"
"No!!"
As Shendu attacked, Valmont fled in a panic, and Fin Fang Foom backed away silently.
Charlie just watched calmly as Shendu gathered his power.
"Three seconds, and you still haven't charged your big move? I'm disappointed."
With that, a golden fist warped the air.
Boom!!
Under the night sky, the building shook with a massive explosion, and a figure rocketed out like a cannonball.
Dragon Uncle and Jade, just arriving below, gasped at the sight.
"Oh no, they're fighting!"
"Dragon Uncle, look! A giant lizard!"
"That's a dragon! No, an evil dragon!"
Boom!!
As they gawked, a golden streak shot from the building's hole.
Buzz~
Explosions ripped through the sky like thunder.
Shendu, blasted skyward, was pummeled by golden beams, unable to land, screaming in agony.
"Ah!! Stop it!"
"I was wrong! I'll take you to the other demons…"
"Don't hit my face!"
Boom!!
Moments later, a streak of light crashed back into Valmont's top floor.
Crash crash crash
The building's walls cracked, the top floor now a ruin.
In the rubble, Shendu lay buried, eyes vacant, staring at the night sky, a tear sliding down his face.
"I… I should've regained my full power before betraying him," he muttered.
Crack!
Charlie stepped over the rubble, approaching Shendu.
He looked down at the defeated demon, flashing a friendly grin.
"Lord Shendu, time to get in."
He pulled out the golden pistol. Fin Fang Foom, watching, couldn't help but protest.
"Wait, it'll be cramped!"
"No worries. He gets the barrel, you get the clip."
Fin Fang Foom: "…"
He could only watch as golden webbing sealed Shendu back into the pistol.
With that done, Charlie turned to leave.
Just then, the rubble shifted, and Dragon Uncle's head popped out. "Spider-Man, we're here to save you!!"
"And me!"
Jade and Dragon Uncle leaped into the scene, sleeves rolled up, ready for a fight—only to find no one else there. They blinked.
"You don't seem to need saving," Dragon Uncle said, scratching his head awkwardly.
Charlie rolled his eyes. "The police station needs you more."
"What do you mean?" Dragon Uncle asked, confused.
Jade whispered, "Because you're always late."
Dragon Uncle nodded. "Oh, I get it. That's not a compliment."
"You got that right."
At that moment, another group arrived.
Leading them was a bald man, none other than Chief Blake, head of the ultra-secure District 13.
Charlie couldn't help but think of a certain black commander.