Charlie's dark side was gone, and no one knew where he went.
Deep in the mountains of China, an ancient temple stood.
At night, darkness descended, and Corrupted Charlie slowly emerged from the shadows.
He gazed at an unremarkable box enshrined in the temple, his blood-red eyes flickering faintly.
The Pangu Box, also known as the Pandora Box, was the key to opening the Hell Gate, unleashing the demons trapped within.
Charlie might have forgotten about it, but he hadn't.
He knew his own memories better than Charlie did.
Approaching the box, he noticed the four trigrams on its top and bottom, each corresponding to one of the eight demons.
The box could be rotated like a Rubik's cube. Aligning it with a demon's trigram would reveal the location of their Hell Gate.
With a map, he could find the corresponding gate.
This was the key to the Hell Gate.
Long ago, the Eight Immortals crafted the Pangu Box and sealed the eight demons. They imbued the box with magic, so any evil force nearing it would be attacked.
As Corrupted Charlie drew closer, the box sparked with green electricity.
He felt a tremor in his soul.
This attack targeted the spirit!
Corrupted Charlie froze, not daring to act recklessly. But Fin Fang Foom, in his grasp, was expendable.
Whether Fin Fang Foom lived or died didn't concern him.
"Fin Fang Bro, bear with it."
"What?"
Before Fin Fang Foom could react, Corrupted Charlie tossed him toward the Pangu Box.
Zzzzt~
Green lightning struck Fin Fang Foom, who let out a scream as the night sky echoed with his curses and wails.
The next moment, his struggling ceased.
The dragon totem wilted, and Fin Fang Foom fell into a deep sleep, unharmed but out cold.
This power didn't kill—quite merciful.
In the brief window of the lightning's attack, Corrupted Charlie used his webbing to shift the box, rotating it to activate one of the trigrams.
Buzz~
A pillar of light appeared, revealing the Hell Gate of a sealed demon.
Tokyo!
Corrupted Charlie's lips curled slightly as he vanished into a dark portal.
Tokyo.
Boom!!
A eerie light gate appeared in the sky, drawing the gaze of every citizen.
A black shimmer darted into it, and the next second, the Hell Gate trembled violently.
Boom!!
"Hahaha, Demon Po Kong is finally free!!"
With a shrill, wicked laugh echoing through the city, the massive green demon Po Kong burst from the Hell Gate, descending upon the world.
Boom!!
The earth quaked as the mountain-sized Po Kong landed, taking a deep breath. Nearby buildings crumbled, their debris flying toward her gaping maw.
Instantly, terrified citizens collapsed in fear.
"Ahh!!"
"A monster!!"
"Run!!"
Boom!!
Po Kong's fist crushed a fleeing Tokyoite, her grin wide. "I'm no monster—I'm a demon!!"
Boom~~
Darkness shot from the Hell Gate, striking Po Kong's back like a black hole. The immense force made her tremble.
Thud thud thud~~
Po Kong stumbled, nearly falling, then spun to glare at the figure in the darkness, her roar shattering buildings.
"Who are you?"
Her voice sent shockwaves, pulverizing structures in its path.
Amid the devastation, Corrupted Charlie hovered in the sky, looking down at the colossal demon.
"Give me your power!!"
Greed flashed in his eyes as the dark Spider Totem roared, endless black webbing stretching across the sky, enveloping Po Kong's massive form.
Faced with this mysterious foe, Po Kong, imprisoned for millennia, charged without hesitation.
"Hahaha, fresh out and I meet an interesting guy. Let me eat you!!"
Her gaping mouth unleashed a vortex of suction, trying to swallow the webbing.
But, to her shock, the black webbing ignored the pull, wrapping her enormous body.
"How is this possible?!"
Po Kong gasped as Corrupted Charlie transformed into a kilometer-tall giant in a flash of light, his five fingers pressing down like mountains.
"Without your Chi, you're nothing but a weakling!!"
With a cold laugh, his shadow loomed over the city. Po Kong watched in terror as his hand descended.
"No!!!"
Boom!!
Under the stunned gazes of onlookers, the giant hand slammed down, black webbing devouring the massive demon.
A crater formed, deep as an abyss, surrounded by spiderweb-like cracks radiating terrifying power.
He was practically a god!
No, an evil god!
The Spider God of darkness!
Tokyo's catastrophe shocked the world.
At District 13, Blake watched footage of Spider-Man's battle with the demon, sweat beading on his forehead.
Beside him, Dragon Uncle swallowed hard, awestruck. "What a terrifying guy. He took down a demon that scary."
Jade looked at the relaxed Charlie. "That's your dark side, and he's that strong. You can do that too, right?" Her face brimmed with anticipation.
Charlie smirked. "Haven't you heard? Blackened versions are three times stronger."
"Three times stronger than you?" Dragon Uncle panicked. "How? That's not logical!"
"You're talking logic with me?"
Charlie side-eyed Dragon Uncle, who'd physically taken down Shendu—hardly logical.
He explained, "His goal is to absorb the Eight Demonic Chi to grow stronger."
The fact that Corrupted Charlie could touch the Pangu Box stunned him.
Charlie himself wasn't sure he could open it. Accessing the box required a just heart.
With all his scheming, he didn't exactly qualify as "just."
Touching the Pangu Box would zap him.
He'd planned to collect the Twelve Talismans before seeking the box, but his dark side beat him to it. Time to prepare.
As for Dragon Uncle and the others, they were intrigued by the Demonic Chi.
"The Chi boosts his power. It could boost yours too," Dragon Uncle said, clenching his fist. "Let's find the Chi!"
"No way."
Charlie shook his head. "Dark forces can harness the Chi, but I don't have that power."
The Necrosword was stolen by G'iah, and his devouring magic wasn't pure dark magic.
He couldn't collect or use the Chi.
"What do we do?" Jade asked nervously. "If he gets stronger, we can't beat him."
"Even I'm no match," the tiny eel in Charlie's hand spoke up.
Shendu's voice trembled. "If he absorbs the seven other Demonic Chi, he'll come for me, the last demon's Chi. I'm doomed."
He looked up at Charlie. "I know something that can stop him."
"The Tiger Talisman?" Dragon Uncle interjected.
Shendu shook his head. "No, the legendary artifact—the Book of Ages!"
The Twelve Talismans were a mystery even to him; he didn't know how to use half the Tiger Talisman to defeat Black Spider-Man.
At the mention of the Book of Ages, everyone was confused.
"What's that?" Blake frowned.
Shendu explained, "It's a powerful artifact. No one can resist its power.
Whatever's written in the Book of Ages becomes reality."
"What does that mean?" Dragon Uncle scratched his head.
Shendu rephrased, "It can rewrite history, change everything."
He looked at Charlie. "If I wrote in the Book of Ages that Spider-Man doesn't exist, you'd vanish. That's how it works."
The group was floored.
"Something like that exists?" Blake's eyes widened.
Dragon Uncle quickly asked, "Where do we find it?"
"I know."
Charlie spoke up. "I know where it is, but how to use it…"
He glanced at Shendu, his tone mocking. "You know the cost of using the Book of Ages, and so do I."
Shendu lowered his eel-like head guiltily.
Using it meant eternal damnation. He didn't know exactly what that entailed, but it was severe.
Unless desperate, he wouldn't dare touch the Book of Ages.
So he'd tried to trick Spider-Man into seeking it, hoping to kill him with it—a win-win.
But Spider-Man already knew.
His plan failed before it began.
No matter. Spider-Man might know everything, but so did his dark side.
Their true enemy was each other.
Good and evil were always foes.
Shendu saw a chance to play both sides.
As he schemed, District 13's alarms blared. Blake clicked the computer.
The screen showed Hollywood's skyline, where another Hell Gate opened. The lightning-wreathed demon Zhong Su was blasted out as a massive Black Spider-Man emerged.
Ignoring Zhong Su's frenzied attacks, he subdued the demon with one hand.
Boom!!
The film city crumbled into ruins, neon lights replaced by despair and darkness.
The screen went black, and Blake's face paled.
"He defeated another demon. How is his power…"
"It's Po Kong's Mountain Chi," Charlie said, eyes narrowing. "With it, his strength and defense are at their peak. But absorbing the Chi isn't his only goal."
Dragon Uncle finally showed fear. "He's got the Lightning Chi now. He'll get even stronger."
"What else is he after?" Jade asked.
Charlie shrugged. "You'll see soon enough."
"We have to stop him!" Blake said firmly. "It's our duty."
Charlie side-eyed him. "Go for it!"
Blake paused. "What about you?"
If Spider-Man didn't go, how could he? If Spider-Man didn't fight, how could he?
Charlie shrugged again. "Don't worry. That guy won't let me stay weak."
"What does that mean?"
Everyone looked confused.
Charlie grinned. "You'll see soon enough."
"Again with that line," Dragon Uncle groaned, covering his face. "Fine, I'll wait for your answer. Watch Jade, I'm going to—"
"Watch her yourself. I've got stuff to do."
Charlie cut him off, leaving quickly.
Watch Jade? That was an epic-level challenge.
After leaving District 13, Charlie perched atop the Empire State Building, quietly awaiting someone's arrival.
That night, Corrupted Charlie turned the world upside down.
Darkness consumed seven of the eight demons, leaving only Shendu, the Flame Demon, in Charlie's hands.
He was certain Corrupted Charlie would come for him.
Before dawn, in the deepest darkness, he arrived.
Darkness coalesced into Corrupted Charlie, wreathed in dense Demonic Chi, a power that even Charlie found astonishing.
"You're here," Charlie said calmly.
"I'm here."
Corrupted Charlie rolled his eyes. "Cut the cliché lines. Hand over Shendu."
Charlie shrugged. "Cold-blooded Spider-Man."
He tossed the tiny eel to him. Corrupted Charlie caught Shendu, ignoring his wails, and devoured him with webbing.
Boom!!
Absorbing all Eight Demonic Chi, his body erupted with even more terrifying dark power, surging into the surrounding void.
Dawn seemed like it would never come.
The evil Spider-Man, empowered by the Chi, was strong enough to make the other Spider-Man despair.
He looked down at Charlie, his eyes blazing with blood-red light.
"You really get me!"
Corrupted Charlie flashed a wicked grin, making Charlie shudder.
"No one's around. Drop the creepy smile."
"Fine."
Corrupted Charlie toned it down, pulling eight distinct artifacts from the void.
Zhang Guolao's drumstick.
Zhong Hanli's folding fan.
He Xiangu's lotus bud.
Cao Guojiu's clappers.
Lan Caihe's flower.
Han Xiangzi's flute.
Tieguai Li's gourd.
And Lü Dongbin's sword.
While absorbing the Chi, he'd collected the Eight Immortals' artifacts, tainted with demonic energy, and absorbed that too.
Now, he offered them to Charlie, his intent clear.
"They hold the Eight Immortals' power. I don't want a weak opponent. That'd be boring." Corrupted Charlie tilted his head arrogantly, gazing at the night sky at a 45-degree angle.
Charlie, as if expecting this, stored the artifacts and grinned. "Worthy of the invincible Spider-Man's dark side. Got personality!"
Compared to the laid-back Charlie, his dark side was a workaholic, scarily efficient.
For Charlie, this would've been a month's work.
Now, only the Book of Ages remained.
Before Charlie could speak, Corrupted Charlie asked, "How do we handle the Book of Ages?"
Good or evil, they both needed it.
Charlie thought for a moment. "If using the Book of Ages has bad consequences, it'll affect either of us. You willing to risk it?"
"Of course not."
Corrupted Charlie said, "Just let Jade do it."
Charlie shook his head. "In the cartoon, she restored the Book of Ages, not rewrote history. That's why she paid no price."
"Whether she lives or dies isn't my problem."
"You're awful, picking on kids."
Charlie jabbed, then added, "I've got a plan. Don't do anything reckless."
"I'll wait for you."
With that, Corrupted Charlie vanished.
Charlie stared thoughtfully in the direction he left.
Only he truly understood himself.
His dark side wasn't helping out of kindness.
Corrupted Charlie's goal was the stars of the Marvel universe. The Twelve Talismans' world was too small for his appetite.
But that didn't matter.
What mattered was that, for now, neither side was the other's enemy.
Corrupted Charlie's pursuit of power meant facing Marvel's mightier gods.
Charlie was the same.
What one couldn't do, two could.
But first, he needed to get stronger, fast.
The half-Tiger Talisman in his hand glowed faintly, but he ignored it.
For Shendu, even collecting all the talismans wouldn't transform his power.
So Charlie suspected the Twelve Talismans weren't originally Shendu's.
The story of "his power being split into talismans after being sealed" was a lie.
The talismans had another purpose!