S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.
"Commander, a strange giant energy entity appeared in New York."
Coulson rushed to Carter, tapping a virtual screen. The image that appeared stunned her.
"What is that…?"
The screen showed countless light particles descending from outer space, coalescing in moments into a towering giant of light, dozens of meters tall.
Its appearance was bizarre, seemingly made of pure energy—something Carter had never seen.
But its pose? That was familiar.
Wasn't that the Invincible Spider-Man's favorite stance when enlarged?
So… Carter facepalmed. "What's that guy up to now?"
Coulson continued, "The giant appeared where a T-Rex was spotted. Uh, a bunch of Spider-Men defeated the creature, and then the giant showed up."
Carter waved him off. "It's fine. Spider-Man will handle it."
"Tony's already on his way to check it out."
"Tony?"
Carter frowned. "I didn't call him."
Coulson replied, "He said he wants to see who's bigger."
Carter: "…"
…
Meanwhile, among the city's skyscrapers.
Before everyone's eyes, the Giant of Light made a grand entrance.
Reflected in the sleek glass of towering buildings, its elliptical, glowing eyes and sharp, silver-masked face gave the giant a cold, imposing look.
Its slim frame, blending silver, red, and blue, radiated a warm, constant glow.
Especially striking was the azure gem on its chest, its pure, captivating light dispelling the crowd's fear and unease.
Their instincts screamed: this giant's arrival meant hope and a future.
"It's… light!!"
Among the crowd, Daredevil Matt Murdock, in a sharp suit, looked up. Though blind, he seemed to perceive the giant's outline.
His face was full of disbelief—he was seeing the color of light.
No, he was seeing hope.
Then, the giant moved.
Facing the struggling, fleeing T-Rex, the giant swiped its chest gem, and a dazzling beam shot forth like an arrow.
BOOM!!
The light struck the T-Rex, and the street erupted in blinding fireworks.
In an instant, the T-Rex turned to ash.
Charlie raised his hand, inspecting his current state, shaking his head slightly, dissatisfied.
The Rat Talisman granted new life to inanimate objects, from death to life.
The Spark Rod was no different. The Rat Talisman's power made it "real," its inherent light energy allowing Charlie to wield the power of light.
But the Twelve Talismans had limits. The Rat Talisman's life-giving power couldn't exceed the talisman's own boundaries.
The so-called Giant of Light couldn't reach planet-busting levels.
Still, it was way more fun than being Spider-Man! "Sweet!"
Charlie grinned, the giant's silver face twisting into a "sinister" smirk, looking a bit odd.
Inside, Corrupted Charlie lost it.
"Ah!! How can this be?! Quick, quick, quick—let me transform! Let me! I'm begging you!!"
Charlie shut him down. "Transform? Even if you could, you'd be a dark giant. I'm not letting you outshine me."
"Ah!! Jerk, I'll kill you!!"
"Pfft, no way."
"No~~ Please, I wanna transform! Let me!!"
As Corrupted Charlie begged, the giant's chest gem flashed red, its energy plummeting. Charlie froze.
"No way? That realistic? Not even three minutes!"
With no choice, Charlie willed it, and the radiant Giant of Light dissolved into countless light particles, vanishing from view.
As the giant faded, the idle Spider-Man models reverted to toys, clattering to the ground.
With the Rat Talisman's power gone, the Invincible Spider-Man swung to a nearby skyscraper.
BOOM~
A fiery streak zipped past, then doubled back.
Tony, in his Iron Man suit, hovered. "Hey, buddy, see where that giant went?"
Charlie shrugged. "Nope. Why're you looking for him?"
"Don't play dumb."
The suit landed, nanites retracting to reveal Tony's face. He rolled his eyes.
"I know it was you."
"Then why ask?"
"Just testing you."
"Fine, what's your game?"
"I wanna play."
Tony pointed at the Spark Rod in Charlie's hand, eyes gleaming. "I want to study that form for a new suit."
"Then study away."
Charlie tossed the Spark Rod to Tony and leaped off the building.
"Hey, hey, you're giving it to him? What about us?" Corrupted Charlie panicked.
Charlie smirked. "He doesn't have the Rat Talisman. I'll just make another Spark Rod."
Corrupted Charlie caught on. "Right… How'd you get that thing anyway?"
"Simple."
Charlie swung to a wall, tapped his wrist device, and a virtual model of the Spark Rod appeared.
Then, he pulled a Spider-Man model from his pants.
Buzz~
Nanites from his palm swiftly encased the model, transforming it into a colored Spark Rod in seconds.
Corrupted Charlie got it. "You're a genius. I'm impressed." He gave a mental thumbs-up.
Charlie glanced at his own thumb. "I know you're impressed, but can you use your own thumb?"
"I am you. We're one and the same."
"Not dealing with you. Let's check on that guy."
"Who?"
"The T-Rex."
Charlie looked down at the street. "He's probably not dead."
Corrupted Charlie mused, "True. If I had the Monkey Talisman, I'd use it to escape an unbeatable enemy too."
"He might've turned into a bug."
"Or maybe a slime."
…
"It's a Solar Bug!"
Beneath the rubble, a strange red bug wriggled deeper underground.
The searing heat from the Giant of Light's energy couldn't kill the Solar Bug he'd transformed into, making him smug about his cleverness.
After acquiring the Monkey Talisman, Anthony Masters had devised hundreds of contingency plans based on its power.
His target was the Invincible Spider-Man. He couldn't afford to be careless.
Posing as a S.H.I.E.L.D. senior agent, he'd accessed data on exotic creatures.
The Solar Bug, an alien creature that could survive the sun's surface, hence its name.
Mimicking it, he escaped the Giant of Light's grasp, already plotting his next move.
The Invincible Spider-Man's fame overshadowed him. No one remembered Anthony Masters.
He refused to be forgotten.
He'd carve his own hero's path.
He'd surpass Spider-Man! The Monkey and Dragon Talismans were his greatest tools.
But Spider-Man had other talismans, with powers completely different from his.
Clearly, there were more talismans out there.
Find them, defeat Spider-Man!
That was his new plan.
…
Night fell, and Charlie, unable to find the Monkey or Dragon Talismans, returned to his apartment.
Downstairs, a red sports car drew envious glances.
Mary Jane basked in the car's prestige, posing for photos with passersby.
Spotting Charlie, she waved excitedly. "Over here!"
"Hm?"
Charlie approached, eyeing the red sports car with a strange look.
"You… got a side hustle?"
Seeing his expression, Mary Jane crossed her arms and huffed. "What's that look? This is legit income."
Charlie spread his hands. "Alright, rich lady Mary Jane, what's up?"
"I quit S.H.I.E.L.D. Got a new job. I'll take care of you now," she said, patting her chest confidently.
Charlie scratched his head, confused.
"Uh… taking care of me is fine, but you'll have to get in line."
"What?" Mary Jane thought she misheard. "In line?"
"Yup."
Charlie gestured with his eyes. Mary Jane turned to see a black supercar roaring up.
"Hey, Mary Jane, you're here too? What a coincidence." Gwen stepped out, waving.
Mary Jane panicked. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Me?" Gwen blinked. "I sold my artificial webbing patent. Buying a supercar's reasonable, right?"
Before Mary Jane could respond, another supercar pulled up.
"Hey, Mary Jane, Gwen, you're here too? Small world." Felicia stepped out, tossing her white ponytail, her sleek black bodysuit making Mary Jane curse her own carelessness.
"You're joining the party too?" Mary Jane's face darkened.
Felicia glanced at the trio, understanding dawning.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I just haven't hung out with you guys in a while, so I came by."
Mary Jane sighed in relief.
But then, another engine roared. Her nerves spiked.
"There's more?"
She facepalmed, sighing. "Why is this happening?"
"What's what?"
A supercar parked, and a vibrant young woman stepped out.
"Hey, everyone!"
"Who… who are you?" Mary Jane was sure she didn't know her.
The girl grinned wickedly. "What, I take off my suit, and you don't recognize me?"
Mary Jane: "…"
No way, Lady Deadpool has a supercar too? She was done for.
But it wasn't over.
VROOM~
A sleek red supercar arrived. Carter, in a red evening gown, opened her window, spotting Gwen and the others. Her face darkened.
She glared at Charlie. "We had a date tonight. What's this?"
"Date?"
"Tonight?"
Instantly, Gwen and the others' eyes turned hostile.
They stared at Charlie, visibly displeased.
Charlie gave an awkward laugh. "How about… together?" he ventured.
"Get lost!"
"Scumbag!"
Half an hour later, Stark's Restaurant.
Carter, Gwen, Mary Jane, Felicia, Lady Deadpool, and Charlie were all gathered.
Charlie glanced at the women, lowering his head guiltily.
"What do I do? This is so awkward!" he roared inwardly.
Corrupted Charlie chuckled sleazily. "What to do? Need me to spell it out?"
"Don't make this worse."
"Haha, my fate's mine, not the heavens'. A true traveler doesn't settle for one woman!"
"You never seen a woman before? One's hard enough!"
"Relax, no big deal. Hey, look, another one!"
As Corrupted Charlie spoke, the restaurant's lights focused on the stage.
"Hey, everyone, want to hear a perfect song?"
Under the spotlight, Ophelia curtsied, blowing Charlie a kiss with a knife-sharp smile that sent chills.
Charlie: "…"
Why's this chick always haunting me?
Seeing Ophelia, Carter frowned. She wasn't worried about the others.
Ophelia was her real concern.
In beauty and ability, she was Carter's equal.
Worse, Ophelia had once used dirty tricks to get Spider-Man!
She always managed to threaten him and claim his body.
Carter saw her as her greatest rival! Gwen and the others felt the same.
The women glared, but Ophelia didn't care.
She didn't know why they were gathered, but it didn't matter. She was here, so she was the star.
The only female lead!
Charlie had no idea what he was doing or why they had to eat together.
Jumping into a war between women could get him killed.
Finally, a trusted ally came to his rescue.
"Hey, little Spidey, lively date tonight, huh?"
Old Steve's arrival broke the tense atmosphere, with Harry close behind.
Tony showed up too, with his personal entourage of women.
"Tonight's on me!!"
At his command, the women cheered, and the restaurant turned into a dazzling, boozy scene, waiters swapping steaks for cocktails.
"Let's party! Welcome our friend, Spider-Man!!"
On stage, Tony, in his Iron Man suit, raised a glass. "Next up, the charming Iron Man presents the first act: the Pee-Filter System!!"
"Oh! Iron Man, we love you!"
"Amazing!!"
The women, now in swimsuits, cheered wildly as Tony began his performance.
Below, Charlie watched, utterly lost, unsure what was happening.
But whatever. It'd been ages since he'd been to a party.
"Buddy, two juices! Oh, yeah~~"
Charlie leaped onto the stage, chugging a drink, his eyes glinting with dark light.
"Next, I'm performing—super thrilling Ludo!!" Corrupted Charlie took over, shouting.
"Damn it! Freaking Ludo? Stop embarrassing us!!" Charlie, out of control, groaned inwardly.
"Relax, it's a vacation."
"I'm not nervous, but can you not vibe with Tony? It's humiliating."
"Heh, I like this Iron Man."
"Stop it!!"
The restaurant descended into chaos.
Outside, shadows flitted across rooftops. A frantic man dove through the back door.
"Uncle Dragon, you can't escape."
The lead shadow muttered, as the others melted into the darkness behind him.