Restart, Spider-Man! [100]

"Cursed?" Tony seemed to ponder this.

"Can wizards run for office?" he asked young Steve.

Young Steve corrected him, "The term is sorcerer."

Nearby, Xia Luo raised his wrist, attempting a series of odd gestures but still couldn't recall how to shoot his webs.

"Alright, so I'm a Spider-Man who can't use his webs."

Apparently, in some corners of the multiverse, an Iron Man was said to possess a seventh Infinity Stone.

They say that when all seven are gathered, a certain cosmic "Goddess of Vengeance" can be summoned—an absolutely ridiculous setup.

The seventh stone went by many names: Self Stone, Wisdom Stone, Knowledge Stone. Xia Luo wasn't sure if they were all the same thing or not.

But from Thanos's explanation, he now understood: this "Cursed by Knowledge" man might actually have the Knowledge Stone in his head.

The Titan relic had somehow activated the stone's effects in Tony's mind, erasing every bit of magic knowledge from both the Ancient One and Dark Stephen's minds.

Even Xia Luo had forgotten how to use his web shooters.

Any skills learned over time were vulnerable to being erased by the Knowledge Stone.

But the stone didn't eliminate all acquired knowledge—otherwise, Xia Luo and Thanos wouldn't remember the Knowledge Stone at all.

The stone affected skills requiring significant effort and mastery.

If Tony's brain contained the Wisdom Stone instead, it might've turned everyone present into a complete fool; not much of a difference, honestly.

"Use the rock-on gesture—like this."

Tony suddenly threw up a hand gesture, showing Xia Luo how to use his webs.

Xia Luo: "…"

"How do you know that?" His lips twitched.

Tony shrugged, "No clue; I just know it."

Xia Luo sighed.

So, it turns out their skillsets hadn't been wiped; the Knowledge Stone had actually stolen them.

Copying Tony's move, he managed to shoot out a web.

Alright, he could use his webs again.

He was, once more, a web-slinging Spider-Man.

Then Tony glanced at the ring on the Ancient One's finger. "Mind if I borrow that?"

The Ancient One looked thoughtful and then passed the sling ring to him without hesitation.

"Thanks, Sorcerer Supreme."

Tony smiled, focused, and drew a circle in the air, golden sparks flashing instantly before him.

On the other side of the portal, Nick Fury was hiding out in a bathroom, muttering angrily.

"Those two idiots went off to fight on their own—if I catch them, I swear…"

"What are you gonna do, Director?"

Tony's voice cut through, causing Fury to straighten up immediately and pull up his pants.

Seeing Tony in the golden portal, Fury looked a little embarrassed, cleared his throat, and covered his mouth as he coughed.

"Ahem. Nothing. Just…file your mission report next time, and you're forgiven this time."

"Thanks, I owe you one. By the way, did you clean up?"

"That's not the point. Did you just invent some kind of portal tech?"

"This is magic."

Tony explained casually, "Get ready on your end; I'm sending over a dark sorcerer for you to detain."

Fury didn't entirely understand what a "dark sorcerer" was, but he gave the order right away.

Tony's behavior was suspicious.

Meanwhile, Dark Stephen watched the scene, realizing something.

"You bastard, give me back my magic!!"

He rushed Tony, but Thanos's towering frame blocked him.

"Sorcerer, try some hand-to-hand combat for once!"

Boom!

Thanos grinned, throwing a straightforward but powerful punch that remained just as forceful.

The lost years of refined combat didn't impact his raw strength.

Pow!!

Dark energy exploded, and Dark Stephen's protective aura flared, but the force of the punch still hurled him hundreds of feet away.

Xia Luo raised an eyebrow.

"Even without magic, that dark energy is a serious threat. Let's take him down."

"Take him down!"

Young Steve threw his shield with all his might.

Clang~

The shield sliced through the air, struck Dark Stephen, and ricocheted off, landing far away. Young Steve looked embarrassed.

"My shield flew off…"

"Then quit with the fancy moves."

Xia Luo extended both hands, aiming to form a web slingshot.

Pfft~

The web missed, and Xia Luo scratched his head.

"How did that space-web thing work again?"

"Just like this," Tony instructed, demonstrating once more.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

The golden portal closed, Tony having taught Xia Luo the trick with spatial webs, then he turned to the Ancient One.

"May I borrow some of your magic energy?"

The Ancient One thought for a moment. "I believe there is a spell for that—give it a try."

"Thanks, Sorcerer."

Without delay, Tony weaved his hands into a series of practiced gestures, as if he'd done them a thousand times before.

Whirr~

In a flash, golden light spread beneath both the Ancient One and Tony, with thin streams of golden energy drifting from her body to enter his mind.

Crackling~

With the influx of magical power, Tony raised a hand, and the ground trembled. Metal pieces around him vibrated, rising and forming various armor components. Within seconds, they merged into a new Mark suit.

Clank!

Fully armored now, Tony finally felt secure.

A ritual circle glowed beneath Tony's feet as he snapped his fingers.

"Perfect. Time for my grand entrance."

With a smirk and boundless confidence, he ignited his jet thrusters, rocketing upwards and splitting into multiple illusions of himself. Armored suits filled the sky, raining down upon Dark Stephen from all sides.

"You wretched thief!!"

Dark Stephen spat in fury, only to be completely enveloped by a barrage of energy blasts.

Boom! Boom!

The thunder of cannon fire filled the air, and Xia Luo and the others skidded to a halt.

"Damn it, he's stealing the show again."

Xia Luo crossed his arms, watching. Beside him, Thanos muttered, "Looks like we won't be needed here."

"Not necessarily."

In the ritual circle, the Ancient One spoke up. "The energy he's using is borrowed from me—and my power is drawn from another source. The conversion rate isn't perfect, so a lot of energy gets wasted. He won't hold up for long."

"Guess we're still on deck," muttered young Steve, quietly retrieving his shield.

Before anyone else could jump in, a golden meteor streaked down through the night sky as Loki and company finally arrived.

Clang!!

In an instant, Gungnir , channeling Odin's godly might, pierced through Dark Stephen's body.

"Arghh!!"

Dark Stephen's scream echoed as he fell to the ground, and Thor's hammer came hurtling down, lightning crackling as it crashed into him.

Boom!!

The wild lightning surge engulfed Dark Stephen, but the force yanked Thor backward, sending him tumbling into the forest.

"No, no, no, stop—!"

Crash~

A loud crash sounded, lightning arcing through the trees.

"It seems he's forgotten how to control the hammer," Thanos observed, frowning.

Xia Luo shook his head. "It's the Knowledge Stone. As long as they're near Tony, they'll be affected."

The hammer of Thor, blessed by Odin and forged of Asgardian metal, was notoriously difficult to wield. Old Steve would know this best—he'd secretly practiced an entire move set with it.

In a glow of divine light, Old Steve and the tuxedoed Loki emerged.

Within the aura of the Knowledge Stone, they each felt a bit...off.

As the battle seemed to be winding down, Loki's gaze inadvertently fell on Thanos, causing a shiver to run through him.

Eyes flashing with fear, he tried to keep his cool.

Stay calm. This isn't the same Thanos. Don't panic.

Reaching out, he called Gungnir to his hand.

Whirr~

With Odin's power coursing through him, a dangerous thought crossed Loki's mind.

Now's the time—to kill Thanos and prevent the future tragedies.

Murderous intent glinted in his eyes.

Clang!

The spear sang with power, and at the feeling of Loki's killing intent, Thanos instinctively shifted his stance, grabbing hold of the spear's shaft as it lunged toward him.

While he'd lost his battle tactics, his muscle memory remained.

"What do you think you're doing?" Thanos demanded, frowning.

Loki's eyes widened. "How…how did you dodge Gungnir?"

Thanos sneered. "Son of Odin, that's not how you wield a weapon."

With that, he flexed his arm, wrenching the spear from Loki's grip with ease.

"No!!"

Loki's eyes went wide in shock, just as Thanos slapped him aside.

With the spear in his grasp, Thanos felt no rush of Odin's power.

"So that's it. I understand now," he murmured.

Casually, he tossed Gungnir to Xia Luo.

"Catch."

Whirr~

Xia Luo grabbed the spear, and understanding dawned on him too.

"That's what it is," he said with a grin.

Old Steve looked on in confusion. "What did you figure out?"

Xia Luo explained, "To prevent the Lokis from killing each other, Odin enchanted the spear to only kill Dark Stephen.

"It can't harm anyone else."

"Seriously?" Old Steve shook his head in amazement.

Loki overheard and gave a bitter smile.

"My father wanted to protect me. I should be happy, but…" He looked conflicted.

"Catch."

Xia Luo tossed the spear back to him. "Let's wrap this up."

Not wanting to waste another reset, he figured they needed to end the fight now.

Taking the spear, Loki once again felt Odin's power flood his body.

Resigned, he let go of his vendetta against Thanos and hurled the spear toward Dark Stephen.

Whirr~

Thunk!

"Agh!!"

In an instant, the golden spear pinned Dark Stephen to the ground, Odin's power steadily dismantling his physical form, draining his dark energy.

Crackle~

Golden energy continued to flare as Dark Stephen tried to pull the spear out of his chest.

The next moment, Loki dashed over, gripping the spear to prevent him from dislodging it.

"I heard you wanted to kill my father."

Loki's gaze turned fierce. "So I'll just have to kill you first."

With those words, the power of Odin surged through him, the spear glowing intensely, and Dark Stephen's cries grew louder and more desperate.

"No!! Curse you, Odin! I will not lose!!"

Dark Stephen writhed, his aura of darkness expanding as even Gungnir struggled to contain it.

"Odin's power has weakened too much; the spear alone isn't enough to kill him," Thanos observed, frowning, as he pulled out the Titan relic.

"Spider, it's our turn."

"Of course."

They positioned themselves behind Loki, gripping the relic together. The spider totem's power and Thanos's purple energy streamed into Loki and then into the spear.

Whirr!

Instantly, the spear flared with golden, red, and purple light, blending into a divine glow that nearly extinguished Dark Stephen's energy.

"What…what is this…what are you doing to me!?"

Dark Stephen roared, his third eye dissolving into black mist.

Xia Luo and Thanos exchanged a look.

"What should we tell him? We really were just guessing. Who knew it would actually work?"

"Forget it. He's nearly done for."

"Bit rude, though, isn't it?"

"Who cares? Do you?"

"Not even a little."

They exchanged grins as the last of Dark Stephen's darkness faded, and the color drained from his face, leaving only remorse.

"Christine…Christine…"

"Sorry, I failed again. Forgive me…please forgive me…"

Whoosh~

A soft breeze blew past, and Dark Stephen dissolved into ash, disappearing entirely from this world.

At the same time, the light in Gungnir faded, Odin's power slipping from Loki's body like a receding tide.

Crack~

Suddenly, a thin crack appeared on the spear's shaft, and Loki's face paled.

"No…it can't be…Father!!"

Realizing something, he dashed in Thor's direction, desperate to return to Asgard.

"What's wrong with him?" Old Steve asked, approaching.

Xia Luo looked thoughtful. "The spear's power is depleted."

"Can't they just refill it?" Steve asked.

"It's not that simple," Thanos replied. "Odin gave everything he had to Gungnir; he has no strength left to restore it."

"So…"

Steve's face fell. "Odin's going to die?"

Xia Luo nodded. "It seems that way. Loki has indirectly caused Odin's end."

"It's too cruel for him," Steve murmured, sighing.

"Maybe, but this might also be a final gift to Loki."

Xia Luo exhaled. "Odin might want Loki to understand that he's always loved him, even at the cost of his life."

Thanos frowned.

"I don't understand Asgardians. There are so many ways to show family love. Why choose this one?"

"It's tradition."

Xia Luo answered, just as he sensed a wisp of dark energy nearby.

"Huh?"

He turned, spotting Tony making complex hand gestures as strands of dark energy entered his body.

It was Dark Stephen's leftover dark magic!

"What are you doing!?"

The others noticed, their scalps prickling with dread.

---

Translator's Note

Hi, peasants! I'm so excited to share Star Rail: Starting with a Lyre, Living off Busking! Our favorite carefree bard, Venti, takes center stage in this Honkai: Star Rail adventure, landing in Belobog—the last bastion of preservation on Jarilo VI. With the fire inside fading and winds growing stagnant, can the spirit of freedom and the breeze of change rise once more?

If you're a fan of Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail, you're gonna love this one. There's music, rebellion, and all the freedom-loving energy Venti brings to the table! Also, I've got two more stories lined up after this, so keep an eye out. As always, thank you so much for your support—y'all are the best!

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!

If you wish to support me or read ahead here's a link! [patreon.com/WiseTL]