"Wait, where are we?"
Old Man Stark, dazed, gazed at a world shrouded in webbing. Through the gaps in the webs, he glimpsed a pitch-black cosmos, its profound darkness instilling an unspoken fear.
Corrupted Charlie, wielding the power of the Spider Totem, shielded them from the cold and pressure of space. Yet even he felt a twinge of unease in this lifeless void.
"The Multiverse is gone," Corrupted Charlie said, brows furrowing as he looked at Charlie.
"Fin Fang Foom was telling the truth. The Multiverse has been destroyed, including our own universe."
Charlie's expression shifted subtly. He formed hand seals to open a Time Tablet portal, but he couldn't sense the main world's existence.
"We're too late."
His face darkened. "But I can still lock onto Old Man Stark and the others. They're not dead yet."
Corrupted Charlie mused, "We need to move."
Though he had no interest in saving the world, he wanted even less to see the Multiverse obliterated by the Beyonders.
If the world was gone, who would care how strong he was?
An invincible Spider-Man without an audience to dazzle was meaningless.
So, he appeared even more urgent than Charlie.
Buzz~
Without hesitation, he waved his hand, conjuring a dark portal and diving headfirst into it.
Seeing this, Charlie grabbed Uncle Dragon and the others, following close behind.
Throughout, Future Jade remained eerily calm, as if she had anticipated it all.
The next moment, a flash of light blinded them, and the scene before them left them stunned.
In this unknown universe, the warped Solar System no longer held other celestial bodies.
Only two Earths, on the verge of collision, were slowly "merging" under a mysterious force.
Their surfaces flickered with relentless bursts of firelight, war and smoke blanketing the planets, a testament to the ferocity of the conflict.
Corrupted Charlie froze in the void of space.
"What is this…"
"All the superpowered beings who escaped the universe's destruction are gathered here!" Charlie's expression grew grave.
He added, "Doctor Doom's Fire Seed Plan failed."
Had Charlie not followed Fin Fang Foom to the world of the Twelve Talismans, he'd likely be here now, caught in this chaos.
Hearing this, Corrupted Charlie snapped back to reality. Without hesitation, he transformed into a dark blade and shot toward one of the Earths.
"My fate is mine, not the heavens'! Time to shine before the masses!"
Corrupted Charlie shouted with excitement, his dark blade piercing the planet's atmosphere and descending into the smoky battlefield.
BOOM!!
The darkness, embodying fear and despair, crashed to the ground. The city's flames surged as a wave of dark energy radiated outward, kicking up a storm of debris that roared in all directions.
RUMBLE~~
Amid the quaking earth, a streak of firelight erupted from the dark energy.
"What the hell is that?" Tony exclaimed.
His Mark Armor was battered, its thrusters flickering, threatening to fail and send him plummeting.
It was clear he'd just endured a brutal fight.
Before he could make out the figure in the darkness, another streak of firelight shot upward.
BANG!!
A crimson Mark Armor unleashed a laser, knocking the figure down. Beneath the helmet, Tony's eyes were ringed with exhaustion.
"Steve, I've already taken out this Earth's Iron Man. Your turn."
In a crevice among the ruins, a dirt-covered Steve gasped for breath. He picked up the earpiece of "his" Steve and placed it in his own ear.
"Your Captain's already down. You're next."
Steve's declaration made Tony's face twist. "Damn it, I knew that big-headed soldier was useless. Looks like it's up to me."
Grumbling, Tony dove toward the ruins where Steve hid.
BOOM!!
BANG!!!
At that moment, superheroes and villains littered the globe. Terrifying warfare stretched from the South Pole to the North, with ocean waves churning violently. Two radiant beams of cosmic energy sliced through the waves as two Captains Universe, clad in identical suits, clashed brutally, their fist-to-fist combat chilling Uncle Dragon, who had just arrived on this Earth.
"My God, are they Supergirls?" Uncle Dragon instinctively hid behind Charlie.
On a small island, Charlie's gaze swept past the battling Captains Universe. His eyes caught a swarm of Iron Men streaking across the sky.
Yes, a swarm! Iron Men from different universes chased each other in a deadly aerial dogfight, each vowing to eliminate their counterparts.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
Explosions lit up the sky like a grand fireworks display. Old Man Stark and the others trembled, while Future Jade kept her eyes fixed on Charlie.
"What are you thinking?" she asked.
Charlie's face betrayed no emotion. He watched the Mark Armors plummet from the sky and shook his head.
"This is the true Marvel Civil War."
As he spoke, thunder cracked the heavens. Lightning streaked through the sky as a shadowy Thor, pursued by a mob of Thors, fled toward the island in a panic.
"Damn it, we're all Thors! Why are you chasing me?" Dark Thor roared.
Among the pursuing Thors, one accelerated, wielding a thunderous axe that cleaved downward.
"Because you're different. You're dark!"
"That's blatant discrimination!"
"Exactly, it's discrimination!"
"I'll hammer you all to death!"
Dark Thor turned to fight, but his Mjolnir was no match for the thunderous axe.
He hadn't fully awakened his Thunder God powers and stood no chance.
Just as he was about to be obliterated by his Multiversal counterparts, the surrounding void warped. The Mjolnirs in the Thors' hands trembled violently, then broke free with explosive force, soaring into the sky.
"What?"
In the disbelieving gazes of the Thors, an old man wielding a shield, surrounded by hundreds of hammers, transformed into a thunderstorm that crushed everything in its path.
"No!!"
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
In an instant, Old Steve, enveloped by Mjolnirs, tore through the Thors with sparks and lightning, saving Dark Thor.
BOOM
The two landed on the island. Dark Thor, still shaken, barely had time to thank Old Steve before the old man sprinted toward Charlie.
"Little~ Spi~der~"
Old Steve charged with reckless abandon. Uncle Dragon's eyes widened.
"Good heavens! What am I seeing?"
Jade gaped. "The space around that old man turned pink!"
"And it's bubbly," Old Man Stark added, his eyes brimming with curiosity.
As for Future Jade, she silently stepped back, turning away from the nauseating scene.
She seemed to foresee what came next, plugging her ears with her fingers.
Sure enough, a fist the size of a sandbag landed on Old Steve's face, sending him sprawling with a scream.
"Why'd you hit me?" Old Steve sat on the ground, aggrieved.
Charlie rubbed his wrist, calm. "If I didn't, people would get the wrong idea. I'm a proper Spider-Man."
"Fine, I forgive you."
Old Steve waved, summoning hundreds of Mjolnirs to land around him, embedding in the ground.
"Pick any one you like. I've got plenty."
Charlie: "…"
"The power of the Infinity Stones is gone, and you still have these hammers?" he asked, puzzled.
Old Steve shrugged. "I took them from the other Thors."
It was well-known: the more Mjolnirs, the stronger Old Steve's Thunder God powers. The shield was just for show.
Charlie took a deep breath. "Make sure to return them later."
"He won't," Dark Thor interjected, stepping forward. "You probably don't know yet, but the Multiverse is gone. Only this universe and these two Earths remain.
Doctor Doom told us that to save this universe, we must ensure no other Multiversal variants exist. Only by maintaining our uniqueness can this universe avoid destruction."
"Is that so…"
Charlie frowned, finally understanding why everyone was fighting to the death.
To maintain uniqueness meant only one Spider-Man could survive among countless.
The same went for Iron Man, Thor, Captain America—only one could live.
Only by eliminating their Multiversal variants could this universe survive.
It made no sense, and Charlie couldn't verify Doom's claims.
But with no other way to stop the universe's destruction, they had no choice but to fight.
This war wasn't about right or wrong, good or evil.
Only battle ensured survival!
Charlie felt the gravity of the situation.
Even an invincible Spider-Man couldn't save the world now.
In that moment, a distant land was engulfed in darkness. A dark Spider Totem rose into the sky, visible even to Charlie and the others on the island.
"It's Charlie's dark side!"
Uncle Dragon hadn't grasped Dark Thor's words, but he knew the power of the Dark Spider-Man.
"He's causing too much chaos. What's he up to?" he exclaimed.
Old Man Stark adjusted his glasses, eyes filled with worry.
"I can see the chaos of this world. This is the moment Dark Spider-Man craves most. He wants to be the only Spider-Man."
Future Jade held young Jade's hand, her gaze fixed on Charlie.
She said nothing, unconcerned by the universe's impending doom.
Because she knew the invincible Spider-Man would save the world again.
Having come from the future, she remembered everything.
Everything young Jade was experiencing now, she recalled vividly.
The next moment, the dark Spider Totem unleashed a terrifying pull, locking onto every Spider-Man across the globe.
Corrupted Charlie had made his move!
Buzz~
In an instant, the dark totem vanished. On the other side of the Earth, in a small town, a Spider-Man hiding in a bar was seized by the throat by a hand emerging from the void.
Urk~
The unfortunate Spider-Man couldn't even cry out before his Spider Totem was ripped away, his life signs fading completely.
Before the void could settle, golden webbing exploded.
"What are you doing?"
Amid the radiant gold, Corrupted Charlie casually tossed aside the Spider-Man's body, staring coldly at Charlie, who had come to stop him.
"You know Doom's words are true. All variants must vanish to save this universe."
Charlie shrugged. "You forgot. We have this."
He pulled out a massive tome. "The Book of Ages can stop this."
Corrupted Charlie rolled his eyes. "You write it."
"No, you write. I'm giving you the chance."
"You write."
"No, you."
"Don't be shy."
"I'm not."
"Are you writing or not?"
"My handwriting's ugly."
"Your handwriting's ugly? So's mine."
They bickered for a while before sitting in silence in the bar.
No matter who wrote in the Book of Ages to rewrite history, the "Irredeemable" cost would affect them both.
That cost was unknown, and Charlie wasn't willing to gamble.
"How about we trick—er, convince someone else to do it?" Corrupted Charlie suggested.
Charlie nodded. "That's a constructive idea. Let's go with it."
…
Meanwhile, on the island.
A horde of Thors rose from the sea, charging again. Dark Thor's face paled.
"Old man, protect me!"
He hid behind Old Steve, only to be shoved aside mercilessly.
"Sorry, I've got to take out my own variants. No time to help you. Good luck!"
With that, Old Steve shot into the sky, leaving Dark Thor despairing.
"Jerk! If you weren't going to save me, why bother in the first place?!"
Dark Thor roared skyward. "Fine, I'll hammer you all—wait, my hammer! Old man, give me back my hammer!"
He cursed in the direction Old Steve had gone.
Without his hammer, he was nothing, powerless against the Thor variants.
Desperate, he suddenly thought of Spider-Man's friends.
He turned to Uncle Dragon and the others, hopeful.
Spider-Man's friends had to be strong, right?
"You guys…"
"No, no, no, we're just spectators," Uncle Dragon said, backing away. He wasn't about to get involved in a war between "gods."
Thor, the God of Thunder—a legend.
And so many Thors? Terrifying.
As Uncle Dragon refused, the Thors descended with a BOOM.
Even without their hammers, they had fists and the power of thunder.
ZAP ZAP…
BOOM!
The barren island became a battlefield for the Thors. Uncle Dragon and the others dodged flying debris, but the shockwaves of thunder still hit them.
A massive boulder hurtled toward Jade. Uncle Dragon, without thinking, acted.
"Jade!"
He pulled out the Dragon Talisman Charlie had given him and unleashed a Dragon Blast.
BOOM!!
The boulder turned to dust in a flash of firelight.
Jade was safe, but the Thors noticed.
"He's got an artifact!"
One Thor's face lit up. Abandoning Dark Thor, he rushed Uncle Dragon.
Without his hammer, he craved a new artifact to win this war.
Facing the greedy Thunder God, Uncle Dragon waved his hands in panic.
"Don't come closer!"
As he waved, the Dragon Talisman erupted in firelight, blasting the Thor's armor apart.
BOOM
The Thor was sent flying, giving the others hope.
"It is an artifact!"
"Mortal, hand it over!"
The hammerless Thors, desperate for a new artifact, turned on the mortal.
Uncle Dragon panicked.
He looked around. "Jade, Old Man Stark, help me find some furniture nearby!"
Jade: "…"
Old Man Stark: "…"
Future Jade: "…"
But worse was yet to come.
BOOM!!
A cosmic streak crashed onto the island. A battered Captain Universe burst through the jungle, speeding toward Uncle Dragon.
"Lend me that thing."
Without warning, she reached for the Dragon Talisman. At the critical moment, Future Jade stepped in front of Uncle Dragon.
Young Jade tossed her Rabbit Talisman to Future Jade. "Catch!"
"Thanks."
The moment Future Jade caught the talisman, a glint flickered in her eyes.
It wasn't the talisman's power.
It was…
Buzz~
A wisp of green smoke flashed, and Future Jade vanished. Captain Universe's cosmic energy dimmed instantly.
BANG!
As Captain Universe collapsed, Future Jade reappeared in everyone's sight.
"Such speed!" Old Man Stark's cloudy eyes gleamed with surprise.
He was certain this wasn't just the Rabbit Talisman's speed.
This was demonic chi!