Ch.48 The Totem of the Lizard Shall Be Protected by Me

Suddenly, something strange happened.

The spider totem on Charlie Parker's chest began to flicker erratically. As the red and blue lights shimmered, the once complete spider totem gradually became fragmented.

At the same time, a fragmented spider totem emerged on Lizard Parker's chest, which was being bathed in a beam of light. This totem began to repair itself rapidly, becoming whole once more.

Seeing this, Infinity Tony and the others were astonished.

"What is this?"

Old Steve pondered, "This must be the mark that represents Spider-Man. Perhaps this is the very thing that gave little Spider his superpowers."

Carter frowned, "But why does Peter Parker also have this mark, and it's incomplete?"

Infinity Tony immediately went into a brainstorming session.

He hypothesized, "Charlie Parker, along with the Peter I know, they are all Spider-Men. What we're seeing now with Peter Parker could be a similar situation."

Old Steve also remembered the last resurrection match.

"I understand now. During the last resurrection match, we encountered two Peter Parkers, one of whom was an evil Spider-Man. So, this current Peter Parker should also be a Spider-Man.

But because his spider totem is incomplete, he lost the chance to become Spider-Man!"

His tone grew from uncertain to confident.

Carter observed as the spider totem on Lizard Parker's chest became more complete, then glanced at Charlie, who still seemed puzzled.

"His totem became fragmented, but there's another identical totem inside. He originally had two identical totems."

Old Steve chuckled, "That must represent his other superpowers!"

"If the Lizard's totem becomes whole, he might transform into a Spider-Man, just like the little spider," Carter smiled slightly.

"He won't feel inferior for being a monster anymore."

"Too bad we can't call him the Lizard Hunk anymore."

The three quietly watched as the spider totem on Lizard Parker's chest grew more complete.

Lizard Parker heard their speculations about the totem and couldn't help but become excited.

"Spider-Man, I'm going to become Spider-Man! Hahaha, I won't have to live as a monster anymore, never again."

Lizard Parker howled toward the sky, tears of joy streaming down his face.

No one could understand how he felt at that moment.

He had been scorned his whole life due to his disability.

Bullied by classmates, treated differently by teachers.

He hated the sympathetic looks of others because he knew they were only pitying a weakling.

After becoming a monster, finally, no one looked at him with sympathy anymore.

He liked seeing the fear in others' eyes because it meant he had become powerful.

He used to be insecure, timid, weak, and isolated.

But after turning into a monster, these traits only became more deeply ingrained in him, worsening over time.

To hide his powerlessness, he became violent, using his grotesque body to terrorize others.

He was lonely.

Not even Gwen could fully save him.

But now, he had finally found redemption.

As long as he became Spider-Man, all his suffering would disappear!

Becoming a hero, the world would finally show him its beauty.

That's how he understood it.

But the next moment, the situation took a turn that plunged Lizard Parker into despair.

Charlie suddenly snapped back to reality, furrowing his brow. He leapt forward without hesitation, pushing Lizard Parker out of the beam of light.

The nanometal in his hand retracted, and he bit his finger, letting his blood drip into the groove.

Click~

Instantly, the altar reacted again. The starlight above surged, and an even more vivid spider totem appeared in the vast cosmos.

"What are you doing!!"

Lizard Parker roared in anger.

He was horrified to find that the spider totem on his chest was fading, on the verge of disappearing.

At this rate, he would never become Spider-Man.

Then, something even more despairing happened.

A red and blue beam of light descended from the starry sky, enveloping Charlie. The spider totem on Lizard Parker's chest was instantly pulled by an invisible force, peeling away like threads being unwound, only to merge with Charlie's spider totem.

"No!!"

Lizard Parker's pupils dilated in shock. He lunged at Charlie, extending his menacing claws in an attempt to reclaim the spider totem that was rightfully his.

But no matter how hard he tried to grasp it, the fragmented spider totem couldn't resist the pull of the two complete spider totems.

"Lizard!"

"Peter!"

Old Steve and the others tried to intervene, but it was too late.

Buzz~

As Lizard Parker dove into the beam of light, the spider totem in the starry sky trembled, then suddenly radiated a brilliant light.

Boom!

In an instant, a red and blue halo swept across the altar, shaking Infinity Tony and the others to their core. Their minds were suddenly filled with images of Spider-Man.

A lonely hero, destined to lose everything...

At the same time, Lizard Parker, who had plunged into the beam of light, also understood the true fate of Spider-Man.

Buzz~

Before long, the spider totem in the starry sky silently vanished.

The beam of light receded, and the spider totem on Charlie's chest was fully restored, while another fragmented spider totem faded into his chest.

He had taken Lizard Parker's fragmented spider totem.

But at that moment, Lizard Parker felt no anger.

He collapsed weakly on the altar, his reptilian eyes slowly widening, staring at Charlie in disbelief.

"Is that true?" he asked, his expression growing more complex.

"Is this the fate of Spider-Man?"

"After becoming Spider-Man, everyone—your parents, Uncle Ben, Aunt May—everyone around you dies."

"With great power comes great responsibility. Spider-Men who believe in this are destined to be lonely."

"Gwen will face this fate too."

"My totem was incomplete, so I didn't become Spider-Man and didn't have to bear the pain of losing loved ones. But I still lived alone until the moment of my death."

"No, because Gwen is Spider-Man. She treated me as a friend, which is why I..."

Tears fell uncontrollably onto the altar, and Lizard Parker slowly stood up, the hatred in his eyes completely gone.

He looked at Charlie in front of him, opened his mouth as if to speak, but didn't know where to start.

Finally, he took a deep breath.

"You knew all along."

Charlie nodded, "Of course."

"Why did you help me?"

"What?"

"You took my fragmented spider totem. My misfortune will leave me, and you will become even more unfortunate. You'll never escape this curse."

Faced with Lizard Parker's grateful gaze, Charlie couldn't help but shiver.

"Don't look at me like that. I already have two spider totems; your half doesn't matter—not right, two and a half."

As he spoke, he suddenly paused, then said seriously, "Consider it compensation for tricking you so many times."

Lizard Parker gazed deeply into Charlie's eyes.

After a long while, he grinned, though his smile was still terrifying.

"I forgive you."

"Thank you."

At that moment, the two shook hands in reconciliation.

Meanwhile, Infinity Tony and the others gradually regained their senses, deeply shaken by the fate of Spider-Man.

"Will Peter have to endure all of this too?"

Infinity Tony thought of the trouble-prone teenager and couldn't help but worry.

Rumble~

Suddenly, the altar shook again, and the surrounding stone tablets began to move.

A swarm of Titan Guards piloting aircraft arrived on the scene.

Their faces lit up with joy as they looked at Charlie and his group, as if they had found hope.

The scene was incredibly strange.

The purple figure leading them eagerly approached Charlie.

"Hello, I'm Thanos, the leader of Titan."

"What?"

Charlie was stunned.

Leader?

Wasn't he supposed to be the traitor of Titan?

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