Cosmic Web.
[Congratulations! You've received a Resurrection Match invitation!]
[Would you like to participate in the Resurrection Match?]
[Yes] [No]
The prompt appeared before him, but Charlie ignored it.
Standing on the web, he stretched his body and felt his powers were fully restored.
Reflecting on what had just happened, Charlie wondered what kind of material was used for the barbs on that spine.
Breaking through the nanometal wasn't hard, but his Spider-Man physique, strengthened by titan genetics, had better defenses than nanometal. That barb, however, had pierced right through his finger with ease.
It could very well be vibranium.
The explosive device inside Bucky also contained similar fragments, enough to completely obliterate and disintegrate his body.
If it had only been the Genetic Destroyer, it would have been hard to take him down.
Marvel's world is always full of bizarre tech—it's almost impossible to prepare for everything.
Charlie shook his head.
If Bucky had used that weapon on him from the start, he'd have had a better chance of avoiding it.
But with Charlie on guard, Bucky could no longer pose a threat.
So, Bucky used himself as bait, and it worked spectacularly. The supposedly invincible Spider-Man had fallen once again.
Villains, when they're cautious, are truly terrifying.
With his thoughts drifting for a moment, Charlie reset his body and activated the Resurrection Match.
[Ding! You have entered the Resurrection Match scenario.]
Night over New York. The top of the Empire State Building.
Charlie's figure slowly materialized out of thin air.
He glanced at the familiar antenna and went silent.
Was this intentional?
[Scenario: Marvel Multiverse, Eve of Chitauri Invasion.]
[Task 1: Eliminate Chitauri soldiers in this world. The participant with the most eliminations will receive a reward.]
[Task 2: Eliminate the Avengers in this world. The participant with the most eliminations will receive a reward.]
[Task 3: Eliminate fellow participants. The participant with the most eliminations will receive a reward.]
[Task 4: Eliminate Loki in this world to receive a reward.]
[Task 5: Eliminate Thanos in this world to receive a reward.]
[Task 6: Eliminate Odin in this world to receive a reward.]
[Reward 1: 1x Resurrection Slot]
[Reward 2: 100 Kill Points]
[Participants: Charlie Parker, Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Norman Osborn, Peter Parker, Loki, Stephen Strange, Max Dillon, Curt Connors.]
[Restart Attempts Left: 18]
[Time until task begins: 1 minute.]
[Time until task ends: 24 hours.]
Looking at the prompt, Charlie went silent again.
This Resurrection Match was pretty simple and straightforward—a mass free-for-all.
Taking down the other targets was one thing, but killing Odin? What were they thinking? The Allfather Odin—if he didn't want to die, all the participants combined couldn't take him down.
So Task 6 was out. Task 5 could also be skipped—who even knew where Thanos was hiding?
This match had a dark, bloodthirsty feel to it, and Charlie could already imagine the ensuing chaos.
Sure enough, as the one-minute countdown ended, a bright blue light erupted in the bustling downtown nearby.
Crackle-crackle
The lights in a large area of the city flickered erratically as visible arcs of electricity converged toward the blue light.
Electro, Max Dillon?
Charlie guessed and leaped off the skyscraper without hesitation.
Whoosh!
As the wind roared, he activated his glider wings, soaring in the direction of the blue light.
In his experience with Resurrection Matches, the best opening move was always bold!
Wherever he passed, people looked up, exclaiming at the figure swinging between the buildings.
"Oh, what is that?"
"A new superhero?"
"Never seen him before."
"He looks like a bug…"
Before long, Charlie approached the scene, diving into a dark alley where he quickly tapped the spider emblem on his chest.
Shlup-
The nanometal retracted rapidly, leaving him in a red-and-blue hoodie disguise as he strolled out of the alley looking like an ordinary citizen.
In the middle of the street, a figure wrapped in blue lightning gripped several cables, absorbing the city's power with frenzied intensity.
Zzzzzz!
Vibrant blue arcs filled the air, illuminating Max's skin in an eerie glow, with intricate veins visible beneath it as if his entire body was made of electricity—a dangerous and mysterious sight.
Nearby, some citizens were still hiding in the shadows, watching the spectacle.
"Oh my god, he's sucking up electricity!"
"Is he the god of electricity?"
"No, he should be called the God of Thunder."
"Oh my god, so that's what Thor looks like?"
In a world full of superheroes, there were always onlookers, no matter the danger.
Charlie slipped into the crowd, watching silently.
He didn't rush to confront Electro. After all, he didn't have Ultimate Spider-Man's lightning reflexes to match that level of electric power.
This guy had absorbed a ton of electricity and reached peak power. Getting entangled with him would just make it easy for other participants to take advantage.
"Hey, found you."
Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke behind him.
Charlie turned to see old Steve Rogers in plain clothes, his shield wrapped in a makeshift cover, evidently trying to avoid being recognized by other participants.
"Thank goodness, I get to do another Resurrection Match with you," old Steve said, genuinely pleased.
Charlie's expression turned sour. "I have a feeling you mean more by that than you're saying."
"Don't get me wrong, I'm just happy," old Steve replied with a wistful look. "At least in these 24 hours, there's someone familiar with me."
He looked like a lonely old man seeking companionship.
"Tough for you," Charlie patted his shoulder, reassuring him, "but don't lose hope. If there's a prize for extended life at the end of this Resurrection Match, you might not have to keep doing these."
"We'll see. Who knows if I'll even win this time."
Old Steve sighed. "I'm so envious of Stark. He's probably reading Morgan a bedtime story right now."
Charlie raised an eyebrow.
"You came back to life, so you should have some time before you're gone again. You didn't revive last time, but Natasha must have known about your situation—she'd probably have dug up your coffin. You've probably seen her by now, right?"
Old Steve nodded. "Yes, but it was only for less than a minute."
Before he could say more, the electric arcs in the street flickered and began spreading outward.
Zzzz~
Boom!!
Explosions burst from shops and cars as the lightning arced across them, finally sending the crowd scattering.
"Run! Thor's gone crazy!"
Within the crowd, old Steve instinctively raised his shield to protect people from the stray bolts.
Meanwhile, a roaring sound approached from the night sky as a Quinjet arrived on the scene.
Captain America, the younger Steve, descended to the ground with his shield at the ready.
"Hey, are you the Thunder God Nick Fury mentioned? Stop right there!"