Chapter 181: Even the Inheritors Must Face the Pressure of a Sorcerer
"Hell, did you say Hell? Is that an adjective or a geographical noun?"
"You idiot, didn't you understand? That Du Wa actually killed Mephisto! I think most of us here have heard of that hell demon's name."
"Heard of him? In my universe, Mephisto committed countless sins. We've always wanted to deal with that demon, but we've never been able to."
"So, this being named Du Wa has many powerful gods under his command? And he attacked Hell and finished off Mephisto? So cool!"
"I've fought Mephisto before. At most, I could only banish him. I couldn't truly kill him."
The last sentence was spoken by Captain Universe Spider-Man. Bathed in divine light, his eyes repeatedly scrutinized the Alien Spider-Man, trying to discern some clue from this creature.
But for the moment, he found nothing particularly special, other than further confirming that this monster was born for battle, without a single wasted line in its form.
The Spider-Men present, who had been basking in the joy of killing two Inheritors, were suddenly struck by such outrageous news. Whether benevolent or evil, they all fell into silence, unsure of what to say.
Superior Spider-Man's worries were perhaps correct. Compared to a collective of gods, the Inheritors seemed to be nothing.
While they were at their wits' end dealing with the vampires of the Inheritors, losing teammates one after another, in the eyes of a very select few Spider-Men, this was all just child's play.
That's right. That was exactly it.
Although the Spider-Man from Universe 199999 was very young, only a teenager, the meaning conveyed in his words carried a natural calmness, even indifference.
It was the unruffled composure of someone who had seen it all and could look back on this supposedly thrilling disaster without being the slightest bit fazed.
"Let me translate for you all. What this kid means is that we're still worrying about this pathetic mess with the Inheritors, which is just incredibly lame."
Norman Spider-Man spoke sarcastically, "I have an idea that would let us beat the Inheritors without a scratch. How about we write a joint letter swearing allegiance to Du Wa? I think we could get some pretty good treatment from Du Wa. Since we can't beat him, we might as well join him—Captain Universe could even become one of the gods under Du Wa."
"Norman, I have been tolerating you, but if you continue to spout such conclusions without careful thought, I will make you pay the price."
Several Spider-Men immediately pinned Norman Spider-Man to the ground.
Everyone knew that Norman Spider-Man was a malicious fellow. His reason for joining this alliance wasn't voluntary; he had been forcibly brought to Universe 13 by a group of Spider-Men just to make up the numbers.
"Why does everyone hate him so much? He's actually right. If you're truly feeling despair about the progress of the battle, defecting to Du Wa is a pretty good idea. Joining the aliens, becoming an alien... in our universes, that's something many people dream of... I should emphasize first, I don't want to become an alien. That would be too terrifying for me."
The Spider-Man from Universe 199999 spoke, feeling that he was just telling the truth without exaggeration.
"How interesting. It seems Du Wa has already taken control of at least Earth-1543681 and Universe 199999. Perhaps, for all we know, he actually rules over an even greater number of universes? It seems Du Wa is a deity who leans towards being a Demon God, filled with enthusiasm for expanding his territory... But what happened to the Native God of these universes? Were they all recruited by Du Wa? Or perhaps..."
Superior Spider-Man's brain was working furiously. He repeatedly observed the alien, a faint sense of dread growing within him. He felt he should flee immediately, escape Du Wa's notice, but on second thought, it seemed too late to run now.
Since Du Wa was the God of all Xenomorphs, the worst-case scenario was that Du Wa was already watching all of them through this Alien Spider-Man.
"If I'm not mistaken, it was that powerful deity named Du Wa who sent you here, right? Right after killing Mephisto and conquering Hell?" Main Universe Spider-Man finally spoke. He had been through many major events and had witnessed that deity with his own eyes. Now he understood: that terrifying alien he'd caught a fleeting glimpse of was most likely just a vessel, not Du Wa's true form.
If a mere vessel was that terrifying, it was impossible to gauge Du Wa's true strength. If he were to act with his full power, what kind of horrifying might would he display?
The Spider-Man from Universe 199999 leaped onto Daemos's corpse and observed it carefully. "I came here because I received Du Wa's command. I haven't reached the level where he needs to personally send me… I had to find two Doctor Stranges just to successfully open a portal here."
After watching for a moment, a look of confusion appeared on his face. "A guy like this caused you so many casualties? Folks, what I'm about to say might hurt your feelings, but being at a level where you could be taken out by a creature like this... among Du Wa's forces, that's no higher than the Skyfather tier at best."
Skyfather…
In reality, in the perception of most people, a being near the Skyfather level was already terrifyingly powerful, able to destroy a planet at full strength.
And a Skyfather was completely on the level of a "Deity."
The Spider-Man from Universe 199999 had already realized that he was vastly different from the majority of Spider-Men in the Multiverse. With Du Wa backing him, his starting point had left the other versions of himself from across the Multiverse far behind.
In fact, among these guys, apart from a very small number of Spider-Men who had experienced cosmic-level events, the others couldn't even begin to imagine what he had been through.
He tried poking Daemos's corpse.
Just as the other Spider-Men were whispering amongst themselves about how to deal with the alien and him, a space-time tunnel abruptly appeared, and another Daemos charged back through. In a flash, he grabbed the unsuspecting Six-Armed Spider-Man, opened his mouth wide, and from dozens of centimeters away, began to absorb the Totem Power within him.
Another Spider-Man had died, just like that.
"Daemos???"
"How can this be? If this is Daemos, then who was the one the Alien Spider-Man just killed?!"
"Everyone, be careful! If Daemos is still alive, then so is Bora! And if we imagine a worse scenario, maybe the other Inheritors have the same means!"
The Spider-Men were in an uproar. Du Wa and all that seemed a distant problem for now, but the Inheritor right in front of them was a deadly threat.
"A parallel universe version of me died. No wonder Du Wa sent me here. It means there's something here of value that requires my presence. Even if Du Wa himself doesn't need it, he must think I could have a use for it… For instance, I could become a Skyfather, or even a Celestial?"
The Spider-Man from Universe 199999 wore a serious expression as he immediately joined several other Spider-Men in surrounding Daemos.
Every member of the Inheritors possessed stamina, strength, speed, and life force that crushed that of an ordinary Spider-Man.
"Hehehe, how interesting. To think I'd run into a Spider-Man with no Totem Power…"
Daemos grinned menacingly at the alien. He was incredibly interested in this creature. A being that didn't exist in the destiny woven by the Master Weaver?
Was that even possible?
The birth of all Spider-Men was thanks to the Master Weaver's manipulation of the Web of Life and Destiny. It was fate.
But why was this strange Spider-Man an exception?
The key was that he possessed no Spider-Totem power, yet his strength was so immense. This meant that this strange Spider-Man had another source of power.
It most likely also came from a deity-level being, perhaps even stronger than the Spider-Totem power.
As Daemos thought this, he engaged in a second round of battle with the group of Spider-Men and was quickly injured. He alone couldn't possibly withstand the assault of so many Spider-Men. Absorbing Six-Armed Spider-Man hadn't given him a surge in strength.
Especially since Captain Universe Spider-Man was enraged by the death of Six-Armed Spider-Man. If Daemos let his guard down for even a moment and took a hit from Captain Universe, he would be maimed, if not killed.
But Daemos wasn't panicked in the slightest. More of his kindred were on their way.
When the eldest son, Morlun, arrived in Universe 13, he looked at the sprawling ruins and felt the shockwaves of erupting energy.
"No wonder. This swarm of bugs ganged up to ambush you, which is why you blundered and were killed, forcing you to activate your clone bodies… But I'm curious, why hasn't Father arrived? He set out before I did."
Morlun's face was expressionless. As he stepped out of the space-time tunnel, the terrifying pressure from his body made the very air tremble. Countless tiny bits of gravel on the ground began to vibrate slightly, then slowly levitate.
At that moment, the most basic laws of physics seemed to fail for a brief instant.
Captain Universe Spider-Man charged at Morlun immediately, assuming he was the leader of the Inheritors.
The two figures clashed in an instant. Hundreds, if not thousands, of heavy punches flashed, creating countless black afterimages. The Totem Power and the cosmic power engaged in a fierce confrontation, producing visible shockwaves that annihilated all matter in their path.
At this time, aside from Daemos, none of the other Inheritors had any mind to pay attention to the Alien Spider-Man. With so much delicious food right here, the priority was naturally to feed and rapidly increase their strength.
If they ate a few bites less, allowing other family members to eat more and gain more strength, wouldn't that be a raw deal?
Only Daemos remained stubbornly focused on killing the Alien Spider-Man. His intuition told him this creature was an anomaly from outside the Totem. If left unchecked, it could lead to the emergence of a powerful enemy that surpassed the Spider-Totem.
A Spider-Man detached from the Spider-Totem was the biggest problem in itself, but the other guys had gone a little crazy at the sight of so many Spider-Men. Even his older brother, Morlun, was no exception, immediately seeking out the Main Universe Spider-Man who had defeated him many times.
Great, everyone has their own desired target, everyone has a bright future… not a chance!
Daemos roared, trying to call his kin to join forces, but no one paid him any attention. Instead, they were silently mocking him.
Morlun, the eldest brother, in particular, simultaneously handled Captain Universe Spider-Man and Main Universe Spider-Man. The calm smile on his face clearly revealed his disdain for Daemos.
"You were only killed once. Why are you so timid? Bora isn't like you," Morlun said indifferently after trading a punch with Captain Universe Spider-Man and steadying himself. "Besides, Father is also on his way. Although I don't know why he hasn't arrived yet, once he's here, this universe will become the perfect venue for our banquet. None of the Spider-Men will escape."
Daemos cursed inwardly. He sometimes really felt that this bastard Morlun didn't deserve their father's affection. At a critical juncture like this, since they weren't afraid of death anyway, shouldn't they first risk everything to eliminate an uncertain factor before calmly feeding?
"Hey, what's your deal? A parallel universe counterpart? A duplicate? Or a clone? Still, I admire your courage. You're the second vampire I've seen who dared to suck an alien's blood."
The Spider-Man from Universe 199999 quickly shot out a web line, yanked hard, and kicked both his feet into Daemos's back.
"The second?" Daemos blocked the attacks of two other Spider-Men. Just as he was about to grab one to drain his Totem Power, he was hit in the knee by a heavy cannon blast.
"I'm also curious, who was the first vampire to do that?" A cannon barrel, still smoking, extended from Mechanical Spider-Man's body.
Daemos was immediately ambushed by the alien again. A series of attacks left him completely unable to defend himself.
But what these Inheritors didn't know was that their father, the leader of the Inheritors, had also run into trouble.
…
"Why are you blocking my way? I don't recall having any enmity with you."
Solus, leader of the Inheritors, was in no hurry to get to Universe 13. Even if all his offspring died, it didn't matter. They would just switch to another body, respawning at full health from their prepared clone bodies in minutes.
The one blocking him now was the real trouble.
"There's no particular reason. It's mainly that this scene brings back memories."
"Brings back memories? That makes me even more curious. Does a powerful sorcerer like you, who roams the Multiverse, have any connection with our family, the Inheritors?"
"No, but I do have a connection with vampires. Seeing you all so frequently engaging in time travel, constantly hunting for Totem Power, I can't help but get lost in reminiscence…"
The sorcerer spoke in a gentle tone, "I know a guy who has an almost obsessive fondness for vampires. If he knew there was a vampire family like yours that enjoys traversing the universe, he would be absolutely ecstatic."
Solus looked impatient. "Since we are not enemies, then you should get out of my way. I don't have time to listen to you reminisce about the past here, nor am I interested in this person from whatever universe you're talking about."
"But I am interested in you. I've run into a little problem, and perhaps I need to find a breakthrough from you…"
The white-robed sorcerer, the soul form of the Ancient One from Earth-1543681, slowly raised a single finger. A terrifying magic, several times more powerful than in the past, condensed at her fingertip, already fully formed.
(end of chapter)