Restart, Spider-Man!

The newcomers to the resurrection game, however, were unimpressed.

"Tch, drop those cowardly expressions!" scoffed a man in dark blue attire, fitting his Captain America-style helmet over his head. His gaze swept disdainfully over everyone present.

"Spider-Man, huh? Never even heard of him. You're all pathetic."

He glanced at Hydra Steve. "If you have the artificial suns and still can't conquer the world, you're beyond useless."

Hearing this, Hydra Steve gritted his teeth, holding back his anger as he forced a strained smile.

"Excuse me, but who—"

"TDK. I've already introduced myself."

"Yes, of course, Mr. TDK. Let me explain something to you: Spider-Man is a highly cunning opponent, and he—"

TDK cut him off. "No need. I'm not interested. Just don't forget your promise."

"Absolutely," said Hydra Steve. "Once Hydra rules the world, you'll be part of the new Avengers."

"Good." TDK folded his arms, his expression stony.

Bucky frowned, leaning close to whisper in Hydra Steve's ear. "Who is this guy, and why are you being so polite?"

Hydra Steve took a step back, eyes serious. "He's dangerous. I saw him take his own arm off without hesitation. He must be some kind of immortal, and anyone with that kind of power isn't to be underestimated."

If TDK hadn't shown off his abilities in broad daylight, Steve wouldn't have found him so quickly through Hydra's intel network.

Bucky's eyes widened. "An immortal? No wonder he's so arrogant. He must be incredibly powerful; otherwise, he wouldn't act so cocky."

Hydra Steve nodded. "Exactly. Even the Black Order hasn't said a word, so I'd say my assessment is accurate."

To the two of them, this resurrection game had brought a mixed bag of contestants, some weak, others strong. If they wanted to win, they needed to align with the most formidable player—someone who could help them take down Spider-Man.

Because, with each cycle, Spider-Man had grown more and more powerful, completely outmatching them.

This round had gone smoothly enough—they'd managed to steal the perfected artificial sun data from Spider-Man, securing their advantage.

The artificial suns meant infinite energy. Whoever controlled them would control the world.

It seemed Hydra had the upper hand, but it would be foolish to assume Spider-Man would lose so easily.

That guy was a miracle worker, constantly pulling off the impossible. They couldn't afford to let their guard down.

Until they won, it was best to keep TDK happy and not let their pride get in the way.

Once the game was over, TDK would be sent back to his own world.

Whatever absurd demands he had, they'd be more than happy to indulge them.

Especially something as harmless as joining the Avengers—it hardly mattered.

And as for the Black Order, they exchanged glances, choosing to keep their silence at TDK's arrogant attitude.

The resurrection game had opened their eyes to the strange and terrifying possibilities of the multiverse.

In their own world, Spider-Man was powerful, sure, but nothing extreme.

But during the last game, they'd been utterly decimated by a Spider-Man from an alternate universe.

The overwhelming physical strength, the radiant magic, the odd webs, and that spidey-sense, always one step ahead, predicting every move they made.

It had been like they were props in a Spider-Man showcase, completely powerless to resist.

Even Thanos himself couldn't have taken them down that fast.

In that instant, they'd realized…

Thanos wasn't the strongest being out there, and the Black Order had nothing to brag about.

There were so many powerful beings in the game—they'd better keep their heads down.

Like TDK here—they'd all seen him remove his own arm.

Anyone capable of that had to have some form of terrifying immortality.

Better to keep their mouths shut and avoid making things worse.

Off to the side, Ophelia and the Sinister Six had noticed Hydra Steve's and the Black Order's reactions as well.

Seeing beings even stronger than them keeping quiet, they too grew cautious of TDK. Surely he would be their secret weapon against Spider-Man.

So, TDK's status within the group kept climbing.

"By the way, where's Madam Viper?" Bucky asked curiously.

At the mention of the alternate-world Ophelia, Hydra Steve's expression faltered. "She went after Spider-Man."

"Alone?"

"Yeah, she wanted to settle some unfinished business. Total lunatic."

Hydra had no intention of dealing with her; in his mind, she was already out of the team.

Looking at the others, he took on a serious tone.

"The artificial sun experiments were a success. Spider-Man's only option now is to kill us all—including every last Hydra member.

"Which is practically impossible, but I can't say for certain he won't find a way to do it.

"That's why I brought everyone here—to brace for his counterattack."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the base shuddered, and an alarm began blaring.

"Alert! Alert! Underground base breach detected. Please evacuate immediately."

"Spider-Man's here!"

Hydra Steve went pale, and the others recoiled in shock.

"He found us so quickly—it must be him. His abilities are just… beyond reason."

"He's trying to kill us all and stop us from winning the game."

Ebony Maw narrowed his eyes, then tore open the ceiling with telekinesis.

"Fighting in the base is a bad idea; confined spaces give Spider-Man the advantage."

"Get to the surface, where our soldiers can help. Together, we can take him down." Hydra Steve led the charge as the group raced to the ground level.

Above the base, in the forest, a comet of magic energy crashed down, gouging a massive crater into the earth, swallowing trees in swirling magical flames.

The shockwave rolled outward, tearing through the camouflage of the base's outer structure.

Crack… crack…

From the shifting stones around the impact site, hordes of cyborgs began swarming out, lunging toward Xia Luo.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The battlefield erupted in gunfire and explosions.

A red-and-blue figure zipped through the chaos, leaving trails of shimmering web in his wake. Facing these "Winter Soldiers" equipped with high-powered weapons, Xia Luo couldn't help but mutter:

"Nice try!"

With a surge of crackling electric energy, the webs Xia Luo had spun tightened abruptly.

Slick, slick, slick!

The slicing sound of the web traps echoed, cutting through flesh and metal alike as a spray of blood misted the air.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Dozens of modified soldiers dropped to the ground in pools of blood. Around him, the earth shifted and heaved, forming walls that closed in, boxing him in.

High above, Hydra Steve and his group looked down at Xia Luo with a collective sigh of relief.

"He's alone."

"No backup this time."

"Good. Watch out for his speed."

"Everyone, together—let's kill this annoying bug!"

With Hydra Steve's command, they surged toward Xia Luo.

The wall opened up just enough to let a new wave of modified soldiers flood in, all intent on crushing Xia Luo to dust.

Standing alone in the sunlight, surrounded by this seemingly endless tide of enemies, Xia Luo's shadow stretched long on the ground.

"Alright," he grinned. "Now it's got that arena vibe."

Taking in the towering walls around him, he flicked his wrist, tracing a circle as sparks of magic flared, opening portals from which silhouettes began to emerge.

Bye~ Bye~ Bye~

The upbeat pop song started blaring as Carter and the others appeared at his side, one by one.

Hydra Steve and the others froze, instinctively halting mid-charge.

"Portals!"

"Are those Kamar-Taj sorcerers?"

"No, that's not right—these portals are… wrong."

"What's with this awful music?"

As wary glances were exchanged, Wade skated forward with a dramatic slide, throwing an arm over Xia Luo's shoulder.

"Whoa, finally! The grand finale—this is the party I've been waiting for."

Xia Luo shot him a look. "Where on earth is that music coming from?"

Wade patted his hip. "Tucked it right in here. Surround sound. Nice, huh?"

Xia Luo: "…"

Before he could say anything, Logan rolled his wheelchair up, then joined Wade, standing with him shoulder-to-shoulder.

After using the dragon bone shard, he had ten minutes of peak condition—a limited-time power-up. His wild, beastly aura flared up, and his scruffy face twisted into a fearsome snarl.

"RAAAAGH!!"

With a guttural roar, he crouched down, his steel claws bursting through the skin on his knuckles, poised like a predator ready to strike.

Wade cheered. "Oh my god, now that's Wolverine! But hey, when did you switch to the yellow suit?"

Hearing that, Logan paused, reaching up to pull his mask down.

"I designed it myself," Xia Luo said with a satisfied grin. "That's the look Wolverine's supposed to have."

Wade's eyes widened. "No way!"

"His face kinda looks like two Batmans kissing."

"Exactly what I was going for."

Crack! Crack! Crack!

As they bantered, Ebony Maw sent massive boulders hurtling through the air with telekinesis.

"Leave it to me!"

Blades gleaming, Logan leaped up with a savage swipe of his claws.

Screee!

BOOM!

In an instant, the boulders shattered into rubble as Logan and Wade landed.

Wade's little speaker hit a peak, the song blaring out.

Baby, bye, bye, bye~

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three gunshots rang out in sync with the beat as Wade flipped, firing at Ebony Maw's eyes—though bullets were practically ancient relics to him.

Whirrr

The telekinetic shield stopped the bullets dead in mid-air.

With a casual flick of his wrist, Ebony Maw sent them flying back, and they struck Wade right in the crotch.

"Damn you, you creepy undead perv!"

Clutching his injured parts, Wade knelt, cursing loudly—but the music continued, and he broke into some awkward dance moves to stay on beat.

At that moment, the battle exploded into full force.

Zzzt zzzt zzzt~

Electrical arcs from Xia Luo's suit danced across his chest, crackling as he zipped through the battlefield, cutting down enemies left and right.

The fabric of Old Steve's suit strained against his bulging muscles as he swung his shield like a cleaver, mowing through ranks of modified soldiers with ease.

"You're past your time, old man!"

Hydra Steve lashed out with blood-red tentacles, while Old Steve, undeterred, hurled his shield forward.

Shrrrpp shrrrpp shrrrpp~

The shield sliced through the tentacles, sending them tumbling to the ground.

Thud!

But Hydra Steve grabbed the shield in mid-air, grinning wickedly.

"Looks like this shield's mine."

"Oh yeah?"

A second shield spun through the air, tangling with the tendrils before returning to Old Steve's hand.

"Thanks."

He gave Carter a grateful nod before leaping forward, plowing through the soldiers like a bulldozer, aiming to slam Hydra Steve into the ground.

"What the—your speed is…"

"Come on! I can keep this up all day!"

"Oh, damn it—"

"Language!" Old Steve growled.

With a deft twist, he sliced through the tendrils, ducking Hydra Steve's punch and countering with a powerful strike that pierced right through his chest.

"Agh! No… I won't lose to myself!" Hydra Steve roared as his chest began to knit together, his body engulfed in a swirling mist of red energy.

Thick with blood and fury, his tentacles whipped through the air, but Steve's sapphire-blue eyes cut through the mist, his figure crashing through like an unstoppable force.

"Steve!" Bucky yelled as he tried to rush in, only to be intercepted by Carter.

"Your opponent is me," Carter declared, catching the shield Steve had sent flying, much to Bucky's dismay.

"Get out of my way!"

BOOM!

With a powerful punch, Bucky struck the shield, sending shockwaves rippling across the battlefield in a spray of dust and debris.

Through the haze, Xavier's wheelchair rolled forward, the professor focusing as his telepathic influence swept across the battlefield.

Whirrr~

The modified soldiers around them immediately dropped their weapons, while Black Dwarf, axe raised high, stumbled as confusion flickered in his eyes.

"I… I am the great hero, Black Dwarf-Man! I'll defeat you all!"

He let out a bellowing battle cry and swung his axe—not at his opponents, but at Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive.

"Damn it, he's lost his mind!" Proxima Midnight cursed as she frantically deflected Black Dwarf's wild strikes.

Suddenly, she sensed something behind her and spun to meet it, thrusting her spear forward.

Screech!

The trident's prongs met with Wolverine's adamantium claws, sending a cascade of sparks into the air as Logan lunged at her.

Forgetting defense entirely, he went on a relentless offensive, claws flashing.

Snikkt snikkt snikkt~

"No!!"

In Corvus Glaive's horrified gaze, Proxima's spear stabbed through Logan's chest just as her own body was shredded into a bloody mess by his claws.

"You… how could you…"

Splat!

Blood splattered as Logan unhesitatingly sliced through Proxima Midnight's neck, his chest wound already knitting back together.

Bzzzt…

Meanwhile, as the Sinister Six attempted to surround Xia Luo, a sudden pause in the electric arcs around him drew his gaze down to his ankle, where a severed hand clung to him. His expression turned baffled.

"Hahaha! Gotcha!"

From the crowd, TDK grinned confidently.

"See that, bug? You didn't imagine it—I detached my arm, and it's going to be the deadliest weapon ever!"

"Detachable Kid, huh?" Xia Luo's mouth twitched.

He traced a quick circle in the air, and a massive crocodile lunged through the portal with a thunderous roar.

"Raaaargh!!"

The colossal beast bulldozed through the swarming modified soldiers, crushing everything in its path until it finally snapped up TDK in a single gulp.

Seeing this, Hydra Steve and the others went pale with shock.

"This can't be!"

"How could he be so… weak?"

"Look at that massive crocodile!!"

"Raaaargh!!"

The ground shook as the monstrous crocodile let out a bone-rattling bellow, its gaping maw consuming everything in sight. The swarming modified soldiers became nothing more than appetizers.

On the other side of the portal, Crocodile Loki shot Felicia a sycophantic smile.

"Black Cat Queen, I did exactly what you asked."

Felicia smirked in satisfaction. "Good fishy." She crouched down to pat Crocodile Loki on the head.

"Don't get too close—he just tried to eat you," Wong warned, stepping forward with a bone-chilling boning knife in hand. Crocodile Loki's eyes filled with despair as he dropped his claws, baring a nervous grin.

"Trust me, I'm a good fish."

Felicia narrowed her eyes, her tone frosty. "And I'm a good cat."

"Noooooo!!!"

The portal closed, and the crocodile faded from the battlefield.

Xia Luo grabbed Wade, who was riddled with bullet holes.

"What're you doing?" Wade grumbled.

"Logan and Professor X don't have much time left on their enhancements—you need to get over there and 'help' them out."

"Got it, just send me over." Wade promptly turned and presented his backside.

At this, Xia Luo took a few steps back.

"Alright, here I go."

"Bring it on!"

"Fire!"

Xia Luo punted Wade like a soccer ball.

Score!

But, before Wade could reach his destination, the six-armed Spider-Man transformed into a spider-monster and leaped up, biting Wade's head clean off mid-air.

Xia Luo: "…"

Meanwhile, Lizard Parker, who had morphed into a lizard-like creature, successfully ambushed Chameleon, hiding the body in a corner before blending into the enemy ranks.

"Connors, where have you been?" Doc Ock gasped, his two severed tentacles leaking hydraulic fluid as he panted for breath.

Grinning, Lizard Parker pointed toward another lizard mutant nearby. "I'm Chameleon, not Connors."

Doc Ock blinked. "Why'd you turn into Connors?"

"Lean in closer—I'll tell you a secret."

"What secret…?"

"The truth is… I'm your father."

"What?!"

Squelch!

Blood spurted as Doc Ock gaped at the claws tearing through his chest.

"You… little… bastard…"

As Doc Ock collapsed, Lizard Parker let out a horrified shout.

"He's killed Dr. Octavius! That lizard over there is an imposter! Take him down!"

Connors: "????"

What just happened?

Meanwhile, back at Carter's villa, Professor Xavier bolted upright from his nap, shivering.

"Such… overwhelming malice."

He looked around the room, bewildered as to what could have caused it.

---

Hello! Thank you so much for reading this chapter. WiseTL has worked hard to bring these wonderful stories to you, and I'm so happy we could share this moment together! Don't you think stories are a little like dreams? Each one has its own colors and shapes, and they grow even brighter when shared with others.

If you'd like to support WiseTL, you can visit [patreon.com/WiseTL]. Even a small gesture is like sunlight and rain to a growing flower—it helps the garden of stories flourish and bloom!

-With love, Nahida 🌱