Chereads / The Guardian Of The Multiverse / Chapter 78 - What Awaits Me

Chapter 78 - What Awaits Me

(Marvel, DC, images, manhuas, and every anime that will be mentioned and used in this story are not mine. They all belong to their respective owners. The main character "Karito Josue Valdez" and the story are mine)

With the advent of a new day, the gentle embrace of sunlight seeped through the windows, casting its illuminating touch upon the two Guardians within the newly christened Universe V. Karito stirred from his restful repose, methodically engaging in his morning rituals, deliberately stretching his form. Simultaneously, Ace, in his leisurely manner, commenced his own morning routine, seemingly unperturbed by the cosmic intricacies that danced within the unstable framework of this universe.

The underlying instability of the cosmos now christened Universe V, loomed prominently in Karito's awareness. A metamorphosis, mirroring the essence of infinity, unfolded, creating a compilation that would undoubtedly induce formidable headaches, though Ace remained blissfully unaware of such profound cosmic themes.

Their collective task was clear: preparation.

Ace Pov

I feel strange. Ever since I woke up, my senses have been going haywire. I'm pretty sure this started occurring when I entered this world. It feels like my head is splitting into two. I felt the urge to scream, but I held it back and just crouched down in a corner of the bathroom until it alleviated. After it did, I heard a knock on my door, and Darius's voice came through.

(Darius) Knocks. "Ace, you were told to assist with a debriefing before you get sent to Khworez!"

(Ace) Grunts. "I know! I'll be right there!"

I stood up and walked towards the door, coming face to face with Darius.

(Ace) Groggily, "Good morning..."

(Darius) "You better wake up quickly and get rid of the morning hangover."

(Ace) "That's the thing, I don't have one..."

(Darius) "You look like you have one." His brow quirks up.

(Ace) "I don't know, man. It felt like my senses were cranked up to 100."

(Darius) "That's... strange." Starts leading Ace to the meeting. "Follow me."

(Ace) Follows. "I feel really strange..."

(Darius) "Ace, seriously. This is a bad time to get sick." Frowns.

(Ace) "Look, I swear I'm not sick. It feels like my entire being is expecting something. I feel... strange alterations across the entire planet, and it's making me go insane."

(Darius) "What?" Concerned.

(Ace) "Just... take me to the meeting."

The both of us continued walking. Darius's gaze would fall on me, as if checking if I was actually all right. I can't blame him. I just told him I could somehow sense the entire planet; if that wasn't believable. But this feeling. It's like I need to eliminate this... threat from existence. Why do I feel such an urge?

As I continued to ponder, I failed to notice that we were already in front of the meeting door. Darius once again looks at me, as if telling me that he's gonna open it, and I nod. He opens the doors, revealing Swain, Katarina, and Draven. The trio cast a gaze at us, and Swain speaks first.

(Swain) "What took you so long?" He frowns.

(Ace) "I feel a strange presence, and whatever I am feeling is overstimulating my senses to a degree that's giving me a migraine. That's why I took my time to get here," he says, a bit irritated.

(Darius) "You said that you could feel the entire planet. Why does it continue to develop?"

(Ace) "Because I'm trying to focus..." He pinches the bridge of his nose.

(Swain) "Does this mean that you know exactly where your target is?" He questions.

(Ace) "Just what the hell am I going to fight? And why does it feel like that 'thing' isn't the only one here?"

The room went quiet.

(Swain) "You're telling me that you can feel more of them here?"

(Ace) "Yes... it... feels like an army is building up, and they are just sending scouts."

(Draven) "That sounds oddly specific."

(Katarina) "How can you be so sure?"

(Ace) "I don't know, Kat! I have been seeing visions since I woke up!"

(Swain) "Ace, I suggest that you breathe."

(Ace) "I am." Sighs "Give me a physical description of the monster..."

(Swain) "The monster is currently in the deep waters. The only time it rose to the surface, we estimated it to be around 300 feet tall. Its body is that of a reptile, but it seems radioactive, severely so. It also goes through evolutions, as if adapting from its surroundings."

(Ace) Has another vision "...Oh fuck... No...."

(Katarina) "What's wrong?"

(Ace) "I... I saw it..."

(Draven) "How in the fuck did you see it?"

(Ace) "And it saw me..."

(Swain) "It seems we are going to end the meeting right now. Katarina, take Ace to Khworez. Immediately! Tell him the rest of the details on the way."

(Katarina) "Yes, sir!" Looks at Ace "Let's hurry."

(Ace) "Yeah..." Holds his head "If this is... what I think it is..."

Katarina led me outside, and we both mounted horses, immediately leaving the kingdom. We weren't going to waste time. I might just go ahead and run the rest of the way. This 'thing' cannot be left alive. If the visions I am seeing are actually true, this monster can destroy the entire planet by itself. And I'm not allowing that because I'm staying here, damn it!

...

...

...

Karito Pov

Huh, so it's slowly starting. Ace is gaining visions now. He's unlocking his Guardian abilities, so his Hax is going to be a pain in the ass for his brain to get used to. I remember the first time it happened to me. It was in the fight against Vulture. At least, he's controlling himself better than I did. I just went to the lion's den straight up because the migraine was too much for me, so I did what those visions told me and eliminated the target.

So, right now, I'm making breakfast for me and Lillia. She should be waking up anytime soon. But I'm also on edge. My senses are on overdrive just in case I need to fight some random Dark that spawns in the middle of nowhere.

But just before I could continue overthinking, I sensed Lillia suddenly jolt up from her sleep. Concerned, I went upstairs and knocked on her door.

(Karito) "Lillia? Are you okay?"

(Lillia) Opens the door in a panic and hugs Karito

(Karito) Thoughts: "What in the actual fuck?" Speaks "Lillia what's wrong?"

(Lillia) "Karito, Iona is being invaded!"

You have got to be kidding me...

(Karito) Calm "Where are they invading?" 

 (Lillia) "They're invading from the Epool River!" 

 (Karito) "I'll take care of it." Starts walking away until Lillia grabs his hand. "What?"

 (Lillia) "Let me come with you!" 

 (Karito) Thinks "..."

 (Lillia) "I can tell you where they are coming from!"

 (Karito) Thoughts: "I can already sense where the Darks are coming from, but I guess I can take her so she doesn't feel too useless." Speaks: "Fine. But when I tell you to run, you run."

 (Lillia) "Y-Yes!" Timid. 

 (Karito) "Go and get ready."

So, the Darks are finally making their move, as expected. It seems they are attacking only three places at the same time: the Epool River, Zhyun, and the Placidium of Navori. The Dark soldiers can be hurt by normal characters, but those that are stronger than the soldiers are immune to all characters from a verse, except the 'God' of said verse. And if there are even stronger ones, even Boundless characters run away from them. For now, the latter isn't the case. They will lose this fight if I don't hurry up.

From what I can tell, the Epool River has demons from Doom Eternal, Zhyun is being attacked by the Cabal from Destiny, and lastly, the Placidium is being attacked by HYDRA from Marvel. This is annoying, but I should be fine. I've got to keep an eye on the important characters here. I can sense a few of them already nearing the battlefield.

I hope Lillia listens to me and keeps her distance. I can't accept another mess-up like before. Ace is on his way to face that monster, and he's not going to be happy when he gets there. As of right now, he's going to have it harder than me. But knowing my luck, some massive bullshit is going to happen. These Darks love to mess me over in ways that another MC would've already been deleted conceptually.

As I continued to curse my luck, I heard Lillia open her door, all ready for battle.

(Lillia) "I'm ready!"

(Spider-Man) Toxin envelops him. "Let's go then."

With just a wave, I tore open space. Opening a portal the Epool River. Lillia looks admiringly at my power, but I just walked through it with Lillia quickly following. The first thing I noticed was the obvious display of gore all across the area. As expected, these are demons from Doom. I saw Cacodemons flying around, being the annoying flying meatballs that they are. Prowlers, teleporting left and right as they kept killing anything within their sight. Pinky's being the raging bulls they think they are. Archvile's summoning more demons, as if they need anymore. Revenant's making explosion left an right, as they fly around in jetpacks.

Wow, the entire enemy rooster is here, huh? Maybe I should stop staring and do something about this whole mess. This entire invasion has Iona going apeshit. Oh, look there's Rakan, Xayah, and Ahri. And they are certainly terrified. A Marauder is scaring them shitless. And they are definitely wondering why they can barely do shit against them. 

(Lillia) "K-Karito, what are those things?!"

(Spider-man) "Those are demons from another world. Relay this message to the surviving fighters, "Fall back and attack from a distance. Let Spider-Man take care of it". Did you get all that?"

(Lillia) "W-What?! You're going to fight an army by yourself?!"

(Spider-Man) "Not my first rodeo." Web swings away.

(Lillia) "W-Wait!" Panics "Ugh!! F-Fine!" Starts running towards the other champions.

...

...

...

The revolutionaries of the vastaya were facing a relentless onslaught. The day had started off as usual, with them returning to their headquarters. However, the sudden appearance of demons escalated the situation dramatically. Initially manageable, the demonic forces grew more powerful, leading to a violent overrunning of their entire base. Desperation set in as they attempted to escape, but the demons skillfully herded them to a specific location—the Epool River of Ionia.

In an unfortunate twist of fate, even Ahri, who was initially distant from the chaos, found herself caught in the crossfire. Forcefully teleported by a Marauder, she was now in the midst of a massacre where Vastaya were being devoured on sight. The three champions—Rakan, Xayah, and Ahri—found themselves struggling against the overwhelming tide of demons. Rakan, known for his lively demeanor, shifted into survival mode. Xayah, fueled by rage at the plight of her fellow Vastaya, went above and beyond to help them.

Yet, despite the champions' efforts, the Darks brought only despair and violence. Ahri, bewildered about her sudden involvement, could barely process the situation. Attempting to escape was futile, as demons continually threw her back into the chaotic battle. The champions, disoriented and unaware of the duration of their fight, felt their morale shattering in the face of a seemingly unwinnable battle.

Then, with panic evident in her voice, Lillia urged everyone to fall back, screaming hysterically. Perplexed but desperate, they followed her command. The mention of someone called "Spider-Man" raised disbelief among the champions. However, their skepticism was shattered by a powerful explosion that annihilated a significant portion of the demonic army. A figure clad in liquified red, yellow, and black armor crashed protectively in front of the revolutionaries.

Amid the chaos, the three champions, still grappling with the intensity of the situation, heeded Lillia's next shouted command—to attack from a distance. Ahri, surprised by Lillia's sudden shift from shyness to a commanding presence, vowed to seek an explanation after the ordeal. It seemed Lillia had knowledge of this enigmatic "Spider-Man" that Ahri had heard her mention.

(Spider-Man) Thoughts: "Shit, the narrator is being slowly corrupted... Gonna have to multitask" Continues killing demons left and right.

The hero swiftly launched into the attack, deftly evading the oncoming Pinky's ferocious charge. Seizing the demon by its tail, he effortlessly slammed it against a Mancubus. Methodically stacking the demonic adversaries, he unleashed a venomous blast that eradicated them from existence. With unparalleled agility, he engaged in a hit-and-run strategy, dispatching Imps, Revenants, Whiplashes, and zombies with single, precise strikes. His movements were reminiscent of an electric spark, navigating through the enemies with a practiced ease that suggested countless repetitions. A Hell Knight attempted a surprise attack, only to be swiftly bisected by the hero's stingers. The relentless onslaught continued until the entire field was cleared, a feat accomplished in under a minute. The once formidable army of demons lay completely annihilated, leaving only the solitary Marauder.

The surviving vastaya and champions, who had endured the onslaught, were left in a state of profound shock. Their grueling battle against the demonic forces came to an abrupt end when this enigmatic individual, seemingly brought along by Lillia, decimated the entire army single-handedly. His suit, an impervious barrier to the demons' assaults, rendered their attacks futile. Unfathomable speed coupled with masterful combat skills characterized his every move.

For the three champions, a singular question lingered in their minds: Who, indeed, was this Spider-Man?

...

...

...

Ace Pov

The journey to Khworez wasn't lengthy, and not even halfway there, I began to observe noticeable changes in nature. For some reason, I instinctively knew it was radiation—large amounts of it, to be precise. I also noticed that Katarina, before entering the radiation area, changed into what appeared to be a hazmat suit from this world.

(Katarina) "I have your haz-"

(Ace) "I'll be fine."

What?

(Katarina) "Are you immune to radiation?"

(Ace) "Yeah, I am."

How did I know that?

(Katarina) "Um... Okay. That's surprising. Well, let's keep going."

Then we continued.

(Katarina) "Well, quick info dumping. The more we go into the area, the radiation levels are going to increase. Heck, I'm not sure if I'll be able to assist you. Everyone that lived there died of radiation poisoning, including the ones that tried to fight the monster and fled. The monster also released the strange creatures. We don't know what they are, but all I can say is that they're humanoid but look disgusting as fuck."

(Ace) "This might be a fusion then..."

(Katarina) "What? What do you mean?"

(Ace) "I can feel that this monster is a fusion of two things."

Again, HOW do I know that? Where is this knowledge is coming from?

(Katarina) "I can tell you have been acting different since this morning. Are you sure you're in any condition to fight?"

(Ace) "I am. It's just... I am somehow gaining knowledge on the matter. How? I have no idea. It just... appears in my head. And the more you describe the monster, a more detailed description appears in my thoughts. It's so strange, I never had this ability."

(Katarina) "Whatever it is, it sounds extremely useful."

(Ace) "Tell me his appearance. If this new ability can make me know who I'm fighting with more details..." Spaces out

(Katarina) "Ace?" Concerned

(Ace) Snaps out of it "Huh? Y-Yeah... Tell me his appearance."

(Katarina) "Well... He is a giant bipedal reptilian creature with scaly gray skin and maple leaf-shaped dorsal plates on his back. Though, his appearance seemed to contort."

(Ace) "With that Swain said...and now this..." Stays silent

(Katarina) "Ace? You are spacing out a lot. Are you sure your okay?"

(Ace) Visibly panicked "Shit... please tell me it's not that guy..."

(Katarina) "Who?"

(Ace) "N-No. I'm overthinking it... Shit... Shit..." Sweating

(Katarina) "Ace, do you know something?"

(Ace) "Let's just go. Maybe my headache will leave when I'm there."

Katarina stepped on the gas, and the vehicle accelerated. We arrived at our destination in 30 minutes. I opened the door and exited the car, but Katarina remained inside. I assumed that the radiation levels in this place were already critical. No wonder this car is designed so strangely; it's meant to prevent any radiation from getting inside.

(Katarina) "Ace, I can't get out. The radiation levels here are too dangerous. In just minutes I could already be dying. And this car can only hold for so long..."

(Ace) Looks at his hand "It's strange, why don't I get infected?"

(Katarina) "Heck, you should've been dead 25 minutes ago. Looks like you actually can handle it."

(Ace) "Okay, you can leave. Thanks for the ride." Starts walking away

(Katarina) "Ace." Calls out

(Ace) "Yeah?"

(Katarina) "Come back alive, will ya? You're a very interesting man." 

(Ace) "Thanks, I guess?"

She quickly turned the car around and left the scene. I was left alone in this land full of radiation and death. It hadn't even been 3 minutes, and I could already hear demonic screams getting closer and closer. When I saw them, my suspicion on what this enemy I'm facing could be skyrocketed, and I grew more anxious. I don't even know where I'm getting this knowledge from, and it's creepy. I know things I didn't before, and it's overwhelming. These creatures have an eerily human shape, with dorsal plates running up their spines. They also lack eyes, despite that, and a large divide runs down their cranium. These humanoids aren't muscular and appear to be very emaciated, with a large hole present in their chests. It's honestly very disgusting to look at.

My fists lit up as I used my Devil Fruit. I'm going to scorch these monsters to oblivion. The first victim jumped in the air, attempting to assault me like a wild animal, but I raised my hand as flames enveloped it, burning it to ash. I quickly dashed, cracking the floor. One shot is what it took to turn these monsters into ash, but I have to know where they're coming from, so I continued to burn them. I crouched down and blasted into the sky, propelling myself with my powers as I shot balls of fire on the ground, creating large flaming explosions that enveloped them by the dozen.

This is at least starting easy.

Shit, shouldn't have said that so quickly.

The monsters then started to leap towards me, and others shot small atomic breaths. I just jinxed myself.

Wanting to end this, I enveloped my fist with large amounts of fire. I quickly did a sharp turn, a little away from all these monsters, making them fall in line as I was going to sweep them all in one attack.

I need to focus on the actual threat; these guys are just going to get in the way.

Reaching max potency, I opened my palm and unleashed a spiraling inferno, flames twisting like a fire tornado. The smaller monsters were obliterated, and the sea was split apart by the magnitude of such an attack.

I dashed towards the edge of the beach. I knew I had just agitated the monster. I could feel it. It was sleeping in the ocean, and now I had woken it up. But I seriously had a bad feeling about this.

And as if my bad omen couldn't get worse, I heard a monstrous scream. It echoed through the surroundings like a warning to nature itself. The ground shook violently, like an earthquake. The waters glowed a radiant blue. My Observation Haki activated in sheer panic. With all my strength, I moved out of the way as an atomic breath flew right beside me. But the sheer power of it was so much that it blew me away. It tore through everything like a meteor, and once it touched the ground, that's where true chaos happened. An explosion of atomic proportions occurred, a shockwave so powerful it blew away everything for miles as a mushroom cloud pierced the heavens like a symbol of Armageddon.

I slammed into this wrecked beach house, and before I could catch a breath, debris flew everywhere. Hiding under whatever I could find, I waited till things cooled down a bit. After a few seconds, I shoved boulders off me, I stood up and, damn, all I saw was total destruction. It's like Hiroshima just went down all over again.

Hold up...

Why the heck do I know about World War 2?

How do I even get what this powerhouse is?

The fallout for humanity is kinda sinking in.

Nature just threw its own version of a nuke.

And guess who's the star of this horror show?

Everyone's favorite giant lizard...

Yep, my opponent is good ol' Godzilla from the comics.

(Dark Godzilla) "ROAAAAAAR!!!!!" The heavens and Earth tremble by his mere scream.

...

...

...

Spider-Man Pov

His fight had kicked off. Honestly, I'm praying for his luck because having Godzilla, out of all the corrupted characters lurking in the vast expanse of fiction, is like rolling the unluckiest dice. Might as well throw in the towel. But he doesn't have that luxury. And neither do I. I just gotta believe he can pull it off, even if it takes him ages to take down the enemy. Being a Guardian means he won't kick the bucket from old age, so he can keep on fighting as long as it takes.

Speaking of fighting, I breezed through the first area. I should zip over to Zhyun and help out those folks too. But before I could rip space apart, three Vastayas got up close and personal, bombarding me with questions. Well, it sounded more like an interrogation, except for Rakan, who just seemed to be fanboying and showering me with compliments. He even dubbed me the John Wick with powers. How the heck does he know about John Wick?

(Rakan) "Holy shit, dude! You where like ZOOM, BAAM, BOOM and Zap! What the heck?!" Obvious amusement

(Xayah) "Rakan!"

(Rakan) "Yes ma'am." Composes himself

(Ahri) "Who the hell are you and... w- "Looks around "How the fuck are you so strong?"

(Lillia) "But I...-" Low tone

(Ahri) "I know Lilly! I just wanna hear it from him."

(Spider-Man) "Look, I would love to chat. But there's no time. There's 2 more areas that need saving and I'm the only one who can defeat them."

(Xayah) "What? What kind of bullshit is that?"

(Spider-Man) "Well, unless you want more people to die left and right."

(Lillia) "Guys, you can trust him! He's a hero!" She says shyly

(Spider-Man) "Lillia can tell you a bit about me. But if you wanna know me more, we can talk after this. Lillia, stay here and help the wounded. I'll go and clean up the mess that's going on in Zhyun."

(Xayah) "Zhyun is also under attack?" Surprised 

(Spider-Man) "And the Placidium. So I need to hurry up. So I can't talk right now." Opens a portal "I'll be back." Enters the portal and disappears 

(Ahri) "You've got some explaining to do, Lillia."

(Lillia) Shy "O-Okay..."

...

Location: Zhyun.

The portal swung open atop a mountain. I strolled out, enduring the non-stop "questioning" from Lillia. Poor woman, her social battery's gonna be zapped by the time I return. If my memory serves me right, this mountainous island region should have one or two champions.

Oh, yeah, Jhin, if he's still hanging around, and Xin Zhao, unless he's jetted off to Demacia. But this world is so messed up that I don't know what to expect. Heck, they might both be here. If that's the case, should I just take down Jhin? He's a psycho, so...

But that would mess with the storyline. Ugh. He's lucky...

But what if...?

I need to focus. I can already spot the Cabal wandering around. Ah, good times. I remember playing the first game when it dropped, before Destiny 2. Wiped out entire family trees of Hive, Vex, Cabal, and Fallen... Taken...

Anyway, I should deal with that Colossus. The thing is wreaking havoc on warriors.

I raised my finger and gathered Bio-Electricity at the tip. I fired, and the energy blast pierced the Colossus' head, sending it crashing to the ground. The ones in combat looked around in confusion, trying to figure out where the shot came from. But I was way too far for them to see unless some had binoculars. With a tired sigh, I continued to rain down accurate shots on Cabal after Cabal. Not a single miss. The battlefield transformed into a lightning storm targeting the corrupted characters.

In the span of a minute, I once again cleared the battlefield. I'm not heading down there for small talk. I've got one more place to tidy up before crashing at Lillia's home. Before I departed, I spotted Jhin, visibly bewildered.

I bet he's muttering, "Holy shit! That was beautiful!"

(Jhin) Amazed "Holy shit! That was beautiful!"

Yeah, thought so. Quite out of character, as expected in an alternate timeline.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Xin Zhao, desperately trying to pin down my location. His expression shifted from gratitude to departure. Probably because Jhin was in the vicinity and he wanted no part in that. Besides, there was already enough chaos wreaked in Jhin's territory. If things somehow manage to align with the Lore, which I highly doubt, perhaps with a few tweaks.

Now that's settled. I should go and clean up the Placidium. HYDRA must be wrecking the place, and Irelia must NOT be happy. All the champions in Iona are either fighting, which I should have taken care of most of the problems, or dealing with the wounded. I'm sure as hell that other champions are investigating what these "foreigners" are, especially the group Akali's part of.

Maybe taking down HYDRA won't be too hard; no one too dangerous has appeared with the demons and Cabal, so they shouldn't be too bad. But if there was, considering the Placidium is a place of interest, then I know who to expect.

I also gotta keep in mind that if one of those 5 bastards is around, then I should prepare for a hell of a fight. This world is now corrupted, and because of it, my powers are a bit destabilized. But thanks to my hacking skills, I am keeping myself in check.

But what about Ace? He's gonna have a tough time with Godzilla if this is the case. Unless I open a portal for them to fight somewhere else. But from what I know about this Godzilla, it changes its form depending on which world it's in. Or so I assume. Not sure.

Anyways, back to business. Let's go and pay the Placidium a visit and hope to God my shit luck doesn't kick me in the ass. With my hacking skills, I tore open space, and a portal was created to the Placidium. Looking back at Zhyun, I stared aimlessly and then went through.

...

Location: Placidium Of Navori.

As I crossed the portal, I was dropped right in front of the entrance where everyone was fighting. The difference this time was that all the HYDRA agents looked directly at me, and then soon followed the Placidium guards.

Just my luck—they won't care for the guards because I'm the only one who can actually threaten them.

And as if on cue, they all started firing their highly advanced laser guns towards me. Fortunately for me, it couldn't penetrate my suit. So, I just stood there, taking the onslaught.

Now, there seem to be around 50 enemies nearby. Enough Dark soldiers to wipe out an entire continent with no difficulty because of their hax. Luckily, I made it in time to stop it.

I lifted my hand and broke their weapons with my magnetism. For a moment, I thought that would stop them. But this is HYDRA, so they quickly switched their weapons for ones I couldn't break with my magnetism. They adapt quickly. Guess I'll just have to rip and tear every single one of them.

And like a lightning strike, I moved at blinding speeds. I ran past a duo of HYDRA agents, webbed them up, and slammed them to the floor with enough strength to break their bodies. I quickly went to eliminate more agents, but my spider-sense actually kicked in as I dodged a laser blast from other agents that shot from afar. Well, fuck, they pulled out their dark weapons. Just great. And here I thought only more relevant characters get to have those. Now I have to be in a constant state of evasion from weapons that can shoot lasers that travel at light speed.

Quickly activating my hypersense, I traveled at a much greater speed. I took down the agents quicker than they could react. As their number started to fall, they started pulling out giant robots to fight against, but a quick hack was enough to shut them down. I used the now immobile small Gundams as makeshift bulldozers to squash all the HYDRA agents down.

It was light work, harder than the past two encounters, but not hard enough to make me sweat. As I continued tearing them apart, once again, my spider-sense kicked in, and I dodged a large energy blast that tore the entire gate of the Placidium.

Of course, I recognized that power. Cytorrak's Avatar, Juggernaut. But before I could initiate any banter, I saw another portal open beside him and saw Absorbing Man come through it.

Well, this just got very annoying.

(Dark Juggernaut) "Now, now... Look who we have here. The fuckin' Guardian!"

(Spider-Man) Mocking tone "Juggy, I could've sworn I almost tore your skull open. Who's that fracture going? Still have a few lose braincells?"

(Dark Absorbing Man) "Personally... I wouldn't take that."

(Dark Juggernaut) "That mistake ain't happening again! You bastard!"

(Spider-Man) "Well, come on and show me!"

(Dark Absorbing Man) "Cocky, much?"

(Dark Juggernaut) "Let's get him..." 

To say that his power has increased is an understatement. He was at least three times stronger than before—heck, it might be more. I was able to block, but his punch was so heavy he sent me flying through the entire castle as I went through wall after wall. Absorbing Man was quick with his feet, probably thanks to this Dark Infested world, and reached me in no time at all, as if he teleported and slammed me down into a lake near the Placidium.

My senses warned me of incoming danger, and I shot a web to the castle walls and dodged a slam from Absorbing Man, which caused a huge explosion. I have to assume that his powers are enhanced because of the Dark energy inside him. Just as I said that, he touched the water of the lake, and his body turned liquid, shooting highly pressured water towards me, which I dodged as it pierced through the entire Placidium.

 I was not given any recovery as Juggernaut appeared above me, ready to pummel me to the ground, but I was able to teleport myself on top of him and slam him to the ground with a venom blast. But I did not expect him to recover so quickly that he was able to backhand me so hard I crashed through a boulder and inside the Placidium. I rolled across the floor and quickly dodged another attack from Absorbing Man, who seemed to attack from afar while Juggernaut got close. 

Quickly using evasive maneuvers, I was able to dodge his attacks and even react to Juggy's surprise attack. He threw heavy, wild punches filled with destructive energy; his mere swing caused shockwaves that shook the entire castle. My senses warned me of an incoming attack from behind as I saw a laser beam being shot by Absorbing Man; it looks like he touched the energy source of the HYDRA agent's guns. 

I dodged the blast, but I quickly noticed that it turned around and started following me. Great, homing lasers. I continued to parkour across the battlefield, looking for a way to stop the blast. As I saw Juggernaut, I had an idea. I used my hypersense and dodged the blast. The laser made a quick turn and pursued me. I quickly went on Juggernaut's back, surprising him as I kicked both his knees, Before he could fall, I quickly grabbed him and flipped him over with a judo throw, and the laser hit him instead, sending him flying outside the castle.

...

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No Pov

The Guardian engaged Absorbing Man with a strategic aim to swiftly conclude the confrontation. Unrelenting, he continued to channel an escalating torrent of power into the villain, leaving the antagonist in a state of perplexity. To the villain, it seemed the hero was inexplicably amplifying his power, exchanging a barrage of blows akin to an electric tempest. This tumultuous exchange reverberated through the castle, causing violent tremors as the hero unleashed formidable amounts of energy.

Yet, an epiphany struck the villain amidst the chaos. Spider-Man, it seemed, was orchestrating a deliberate plan to induce an overwhelming energy overload. Absorbing Man, enhanced by the encroaching darkness, found his powers elevated to unprecedented levels, thus explaining the hero's deliberate release of copious energy. The villain's corporeal form began exhibiting cracks, resembling the fragility of glass on the verge of shattering.

However, before Absorbing Man could attempt an escape, the Guardian seized his electrical essence and initiated a manipulation of the villain's very anatomy and abilities. With meticulous precision, he orchestrated a metamorphosis within the villain's energy structure, culminating in a cataclysmic explosion that obliterated Absorbing Man. The hero, through strategic finesse, had effectively ruptured the villain's energy capacity, consigning Absorbing Man to oblivion in an explosive crescendo.

(Spider-Man) "Who would've thought that absorption was your own weakness, how hilarious."

Spider-Man turned, his gaze fixated on Juggernaut, contemplating the extent of damage he could inflict for a subsequent decisive strike. Unexpectedly, the Spider-God materialized behind him, wielding arcane powers reminiscent of those harnessed by certain spider-totems. Employing this mystic prowess, the deity propelled the hero through the castle, sending Spider-Man crashing unceremoniously into the surrounding forest.

Recovering swiftly, the hero deftly evaded a charging Juggernaut, poised to ensnare the bulldozing villain in his webbing. However, a sudden interruption ensued as the Spider-God, with an intricacy that defied mortal comprehension, cast a spell that forced Spider-Man to evade his magical onslaught. In the fleeting moment when the hero contemplated utilizing lateral-repulsion to bridge the gap between himself and the deity, his spider powers were abruptly nullified. In the ensuing second, the Spider-God unleashed magic at point-blank range, resulting in a detonation that reverberated through the environment, causing the very ground to convulse beneath their feet.

Gritting his teeth in determination, Spider-Man, relying on his innate hacking prowess, swiftly dismantled the enchantment imposed by the Spider-God. The hero regained control of his formidable abilities, ensuring that such vulnerabilities wouldn't be exploited again. Braced to confront both Darks simultaneously, Spider-Man found himself on the cusp of a formidable battle when the Spider-God uttered a word that elicited widened eyes from the hero.

(Dark Spider-God) "He was hit with my spell twice. Trigger the prison."

(Spider-Man) "A fu-" No clips out of reality

 

...

...

...

(Dark Spider-God) "Juggernaut, I leave you in charge of supervising him inside The Backrooms."

(Dark Juggernaut) "What?! Why me?!"

(Dark Spider-God) "Because I have to keep watch over this verse and see through it's corruption. And also to block his ability to teleport through dimensions. Because where both Spider-Men, it's easier for me to counter his attack. But of course, one at a time. I can't repeat the one I just did, because it only stopped him for a second. Blocking his power is not an option anymore, so I just have to counter him. Every time he makes a portal to escape, I will stop it."

(Dark Juggernaut) "Tch... fine..." 

(Dark Spider-God) "Also, you're free to throw any fictional character you want too him. It's not like he can escape anyways. The dimensional barriers that surround this specific Backrooms are the Inaccessible Cardinal and as a second barrier the Mahlo Cardinal. There's just no possible way that the Guardian will break through infinity stacking upon infinitely and these two Cardinals are the top of the top, the Mahlo Cardinal being stronger than the inaccessible."

(Dark Juggernaut) "Don't talk math. It hurts my head."

(Dark Spider-God) "Maybe if you paid more attention you could also create your own Von Neumann Universe."

(Dark Juggernaut) "Fuck that, I have you to do that for me."

(Dark Spider-God) "Tch... Just get back to work. The Guardian is going to lose his mind in the level I threw him into." Smirks devilishly 

To Be continued...

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