Apokolips.
ROAR!!
The heavens and earth were shrouded in blood-red light as golden webbing stretched across the sky. A crimson swordlight bloomed within, then swiftly converged into a massive blood-red beam.
RUMBLE!!
The blood-red beam swept across the barren planet, a chain of explosions shattering mountains. Countless Parademons turned to ash in an instant.
Vengeful flames spread everywhere, amplifying destruction and darkness to the extreme.
Darkseid gazed at the surrounding flames, forced to retract his Omega Beams. He redirected their power to revive the fallen Parademon army, forming portals to shunt the eerie flames into the depths of the cosmos.
As the vengeful flames faded, more Omega Beams shot toward Charlie in unison.
At the same time, the orb in Darkseid's hand expanded, its mysterious power surging into Charlie's mind—but it had no effect.
This piqued Darkseid's interest.
Meanwhile, Charlie's clone collapsed, and the real Spider-Man, hidden in the void, was precisely targeted by the Omega Beams.
PUFF PUFF PUFF
A barrage of Omega Beams pierced Charlie's body, determined to shred him. Darkseid's temper was clearly foul.
This time, Charlie didn't return to the Cosmic Web upon death. A sliver of consciousness remained, watching his shattered body reform under the Omega Beams' power.
Darkseid had revived him.
In a flash, the environment changed.
Charlie found himself in a dim grand hall.
On a throne radiating ancient, primal energy, the rock-like giant loomed over the tiny Spider-Man.
"Spider-Man, you're quite interesting." Darkseid's majestic voice echoed through the hall.
Charlie grinned.
"I'm here to negotiate terms." He stood unfazed by the oppressive aura filling the world.
Darkseid's eyes narrowed. "Are you qualified?"
"Of course."
Charlie spread his hands. "You've already tested it. You can't control me."
"That's not qualification. That's a threat." Darkseid's tone dripped with killing intent.
Charlie shifted gears. "I can help you get the Mother Boxes."
"My slaves can do that. I don't need you."
"Steppenwolf?"
Charlie scoffed. "He's doomed to fail. You know Earth's situation is out of your control."
Darkseid fell silent for a moment. "Should I trust you?"
"Of course."
Charlie smiled. "With my abilities, getting the Mother Boxes is easy."
"What do you want in return?" Darkseid asked.
"I'll tell you after I've helped you."
Charlie's words made Darkseid chuckle.
A betrayer's greed is the greatest surprise.
"You're an Earthling who once saved Earth. Why do this now?" he asked, curious.
Charlie thought for a moment. "There's a superhero on Earth named Bruce Wayne. He has an estate."
Darkseid frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Charlie said earnestly, "But I don't."
Darkseid: "…"
He might've overestimated this bug.
Before he could formally agree, a familiar voice rang out.
"Darkseid, I'm here to negotiate terms!!"
Hearing Doctor Doom's voice, Charlie's heart sank.
As expected, Darkseid, about to agree with Spider-Man, grinned wider.
"Spider-Man, your competition's here."
Charlie: "…"
"I know," he said, face darkening.
Darkseid couldn't control Spider-Man but could control Doctor Doom.
Between a controllable ally and an uncontrollable one, any fool would know the choice.
He was screwed.
Three minutes later, the Omega Beams pierced Spider-Man's body without hesitation.
…
Remaining 150 retries.
Restart!
Atop the Empire State Building.
The moment he arrived, Charlie's real body left, leaving a clone to deal with Doctor Doom.
"I was wrong."
The clone's first words stunned Doctor Doom.
"You—"
"Yes, I was wrong. I should've listened to you."
The clone looked at Doctor Doom sincerely. "To show my apology, let me buy you a drink."
Doctor Doom was suspicious. Something was off.
But his mission was to take out Spider-Man, so he couldn't pass up this chance.
He knew neither could defeat the other, so he needed to gain more of Spider-Man's trust, lulling the bug into complacency.
That would give him more opportunities.
So, he agreed without hesitation.
"Fine, I accept your apology."
"Great! I know a fancy estate in Gotham. You control its owner, and we'll enjoy his expensive wine."
"I want cigars."
"Deal."
With the clone keeping Doctor Doom busy, Charlie finally struck a deal with Darkseid without incident.
"Spider-Man, tell me your plan."
From his throne, Darkseid stared at Charlie with interest.
Charlie said, "I know where the three Mother Boxes are, but you know Superman's a problem. I'm not confident I can kill him, so…"
"You're lying."
Darkseid called out Spider-Man's bluff without mercy. "Your strength could easily defeat Superman. He even considers you a friend. You've had plenty of chances to take him out."
Charlie froze, then shrugged. "Alright, you caught me. He's a friend, but you get it—I could beat him, but only if I'm not his enemy."
The cryptic words made Darkseid ponder.
This simple test gave Charlie confidence.
He continued, "Superman has a strange power. If I become his enemy, no matter how strong I am, he'll defeat me."
Darkseid's hand on the throne's armrest trembled.
Clearly, the reason he hadn't descended to Earth before getting the Mother Boxes was Clark.
"The Source Wall. That's the power protecting him," Darkseid sighed helplessly.
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"A mysterious force. It protects those it deems heroes and seals my father's power."
Darkseid gave a brief explanation, then changed the subject. "You still haven't shared your plan."
Charlie didn't press further. "My plan is to trick Superman off Earth. That'll solve it. It'll take time."
A simple plan, but the most effective.
Darkseid considered. "How long?"
"One Earth month."
"I don't think that's necessary."
Darkseid's eyes blazed red, and Charlie stepped back.
"Wait, we can talk this out. Don't be so hot-headed—"
HUMM~
The Omega Beams shot through space, hitting Charlie's eyes.
"Argh!! I'm dead~~"
"Huh? I'm fine?"
The expected destruction didn't come. Instead, a slight burning sensation hit.
His eye structure changed, transforming his heat vision.
Charlie rubbed his red eyes and fired his heat vision.
ZZZT~
BOOM!!
A loud explosion, and the red beams burst into a crimson halo.
Omega Beams! Charlie gasped, looking at Darkseid. "This is…?"
Darkseid said, "I've granted you the Omega power. It can cross timelines, shortening your plan's execution. With your abilities, you'll master it quickly."
Charlie's face lit up, but he understood.
No wonder Doctor Doom could craft that anti-Spider-Man substance so fast—it was the Omega Beams.
Even after Charlie eliminated the Inheritors and Celestial, Doom still got the materials.
Crossing timelines made all Charlie's preparations a joke.
Thinking of Cyborg's sudden disappearance and the Flash's vanishing act, Charlie finally got it.
This was way better than the Speed Force.
No wonder Darkseid was the DC multiverse's sole New God. This power was despair-inducing.
Without the Source Wall's protection, Clark stood no chance against Darkseid.
Under Darkseid's gaze, Charlie vanished through a portal.
Back on Earth, he found Doctor Doom playing video games with his clone.
"Mr. Doom, your doom has arrived."
At the gaming console, Charlie's sudden appearance made Doctor Doom realize something was wrong.
He'd been tricked!
"You—"
ZZZT~
Before Doom could curse, the crimson beams shot out, death's shadow enveloping him.
"Sh*t!!"
Doctor Doom panicked, splitting into countless duplicates that scattered from the room.
RUMBLE!!
Diana's apartment exploded, flames bursting through the windows into the night sky.
Countless "Doctor Dooms" fled, but the crimson beams locked onto the real one, pursuing relentlessly.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH
BOOM!!
The beams chased Doom, piercing building after building. Unable to shake them, Doom's face grew grim.
"Damn it, what is that?!"
With a roar, the Omega Beams vanished into the void, reappearing before Doom.
"No!!"
PUFF!!
The crimson beams flashed, and Doctor Doom shattered under the Omega Effect, defeated by Spider-Man.
The Omega Beams returned to Charlie's eyes.
His clone, witnessing this, was thrilled. "Whoa, new superpower—no, why can't I do that?"
He glared at the sky, firing heat vision, but couldn't activate the real body's power.
As a clone, he should have the same abilities.
But this time was different.
Charlie, thoughtful, said, "Darkseid's Omega Beams are only lent to me, not a permanent upgrade. Stingy."
He pouted, recalled the clone, and used the Omega Beams to pierce the Kang Dynasty's dimensional space.
Then, after taking out the Corrupted Supermen, Inheritors, and mature Celestial, he hit his shining moment.
"This time, I'm definitely winning!!"
Atop the Empire State Building, Charlie raised his right hand, proclaiming Spider-Man's victory to the city.
WHOOSH~~
The high-altitude winds roared, and no one heard his victory speech.
Charlie scratched his head. "Alright, not important."
Time for leisure.
After slaving away so long, he deserved to enjoy himself.
"Hey~"
He called Clark. "It's me, your good pal Spider-Man. I've got tons of time. Get your girlfriend to bring her friends, and let's grab a drink.
What? You haven't been paid?
Fine, I'm broke too. Bye~"
"Hey, it's me, the invincible Spider-Man. Yes, Mr. Bruce Wayne, you heard right. I want a perfect vacation. Sponsor me—damn, he hung up!"
Finally, Charlie called Diana.
"It's me, your good friend… I didn't wreck your place. Gotta go, bye."
He hung up instantly, sat on the building's edge, and sighed.
"Ugh~ Spider-Man's life is so plain, boring, and full of drama."
The invincible Spider-Man had solved all his problems, with over twenty days left. He could only wander the streets in boredom.
Life was tough.
So he chose the cheapest entertainment.
Reading newspapers at a newsstand.
Picking up a paper, Charlie's heart calmed.
He told the owner, "I'm not taking it."
Owner: "…"
Can't even afford a paper, broke loser!
He looked disdainful but, kind at heart, didn't shoo the invincible bug away.
Charlie sat by the road, scanning the paper's headlines.
Still Batman vs. Joker news.
Since few knew about Batman vs. Superman, the timeline was likely scrambled by the Flash, but that didn't matter.
Seeing the Joker's death in the paper, Charlie felt an urge to use the Omega Beams to travel back and watch it live.
But he knew time travel could disrupt the current stability.
Having finally stabilized things, he decided to live his poor, unfulfilling life honestly.
As always: do more, mess up more; do nothing, no mistakes! Days passed until, half a month later, the Omega Beams shot from his eyes, forming Darkseid's figure.
"Spider-Man, you deceived me."
Darkseid's eyes blazed, and Charlie's scalp tingled.
Damn it! The Omega Beams were for spying on Spider-Man—he should've known!!
So.
This round was busted too.
As the Omega Beams pierced Spider-Man's body, Charlie returned to the Cosmic Web.
Remaining 149 retries.
Restart!
This time, after gaining the Omega Beams and returning to Earth, Charlie resolved everything and stuck close to Clark.
"Mr. Clark, let me treat you to a cosmic trip."
"No way, my farm needs me."
"Oh, that's bad news."
Charlie was secretly thrilled and followed Clark to the farm.
"Let me help."
HUMM~
With a sweep of the Omega Beams, Charlie instantly completed Clark's farm chores.
"Now we're good, right?"
Clark felt something off but said, "Lois invited me to dinner tonight, so I—"
WHOOSH~
Before he finished, the Omega Beams flashed, transporting Clark to nighttime New York.
Charlie pushed him into the restaurant and stood guard at the door.
"Hurry up, it's cold out here." He sat on the ground, placing a small bowl in front of him.
This was cosplay!
Clark: "…"
He finally noticed Spider-Man's new power.
But… This guy's nuts!