Restart, Spider-Man! [104]
Could this guy actually know the password to disable the self-destruct?
But in the next second, he sneered, dismissing the thought.
"You're a sly one," Bucky scoffed. "The only 'third choice' here is your permanent death with no way to come back."
With a wave of his hand, he sent waves of modified soldiers charging toward Xia Luo and the others.
"Pajama-boy, I really shouldn't have come here," Tony muttered, his chest reactor blazing with intense heat. He unleashed the full power of his heat ray, sweeping across the horde, slicing through the modified soldiers.
Harry didn't waste a word. Riding his glider, he rained pumpkin bombs down on the crowd.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The scene descended into chaos. Carter deflected attackers with her shield, then moved back to stand beside Xia Luo.
She observed his hands moving in complex gestures, as if performing some kind of ancient ritual. Carter raised an eyebrow.
"So this is your third choice?" she asked.
Xia Luo's face remained calm. "That's right. Hold them off and don't let anyone interrupt me."
"How long do you need?" Carter asked.
"One minute."
"Consider it done."
Without further questions, Carter rallied the agents to form a protective circle around Xia Luo. She figured that perhaps Xia Luo had acquired some kind of magical reward after his victory in the revival tournament, one that could help them handle this situation. Carter decided to trust him.
Meanwhile, Xia Luo's gaze was fixed on the red-and-blue machine within the underground fortress. As he completed the hand signs, his eyes began to glow, one red and the other blue.
Perfect—summoning materials, delivered right to my doorstep!
Buzz!
In an instant, a massive spider totem materialized beneath him, its radiant magical array spreading to envelop the red-and-blue machine as well.
"What… what is that?"
Everyone was dumbfounded by the unexpected sight.
Bucky's face twisted in panic, and he ordered the modified soldiers to attack in a frenzy, only to be struck in the chest by an arrow that shot out from the darkness.
Splat!
"Aaargh!"
Bucky screamed, tumbling from the iron scaffolding to the ground, a frenzy overtaking his eyes.
"Attack those tubes!" he shrieked.
Boom!
Noticing the soldiers' movements, Tony ascended, his chest reactor blazing again. A red laser swept across, instantly cutting down anyone trying to approach the tubes.
Meanwhile, the magic array pulsed with light, as the ancient, otherworldly whispers filled the bunker.
"Through the power of the spider totem, I summon the charming, friendly Little Spider to appear before me!"
Buzz!
With Xia Luo's final chant, the red-and-blue machine in the center of the array began to spin rapidly. The cosmic web shimmered into view above them, with a network of spider silk connecting both Xia Luo and the machine.
Everyone watched as the magical array transformed, their expressions filled with awe.
"What is this? Magic?"
"Oh my god… a Spider-Man who does magic!"
"What's going to happen next? This is so exciting."
"I'm guessing he's going to transfer the machine somewhere else."
Amid their gasps, a powerful, ancient aura radiated from the cosmic web, filling the space with a pressure that froze everyone in place.
"Why… why is this happening?" Bucky bellowed furiously.
Seeing the situation unfold, Xia Luo watched the array with eager anticipation.
With all these special effects, the summoned spider's got to be terrifying.
Surely, it couldn't be a disappointment?
The ancient whispers faded as the red-and-blue machine glowed brilliantly within the web's embrace.
Buzz!
The intense light swallowed their vision, then instantly vanished.
The underground bunker returned to dim silence. The massive red-and-blue machine was gone, and the tubes connected to each Spider-Man vanished along with it.
"What… what just happened?"
"My body…"
Inside the cages, the captured Spider-Men began regaining their strength as the machine stopped draining their energy.
Carter wasted no time, signaling the agents to begin freeing them.
But clone Bucky, undeterred, prepared for one last attempt.
"Ha! Spider-Man, maybe you won't die, but they will! They'll be buried with me and Steve!"
Cackling madly, Bucky reached to his belt, pulling out a glass vial, and poured out a swarm of mutated spiders directly into his mouth.
"What the—!!"
Everyone's faces twisted in disgust and alarm.
They didn't know what effect it would have, but it couldn't be good.
Sure enough, as soon as he swallowed them, Bucky's body began mutating, expanding, with dense black fur and spiked limbs that gleamed with a sickening sheen. His limbs twisted grotesquely, and the sight alone was enough to make one's stomach turn.
Having ingested so many mutated spiders, Bucky transformed into a massive spider-monstrosity, the size of a bus.
From atop the giant spider's head, Bucky's face leered down at them, twisted in maniacal laughter.
"Hahaha! Die!"
He raised one massive spider leg, while the modified soldiers surged forward once more.
"Kill them all!"
Boom!
The energy pulse blasted into the crowd. The next second, Tony landed, his flight thrusters flickering.
"Sir, energy reserves are down to 15%."
"That's some awful timing."
Harry had also exhausted his supply of pumpkin bombs, leaving only Barton with three arrows as their last long-range firepower.
Meanwhile, Natasha and the others found that their electromagnetic guns were practically useless against the sheer number of modified soldiers.
Crack, crack, crack…
Surrounded by the modified soldiers, the giant spider continued its relentless advance.
Carter looked back to see Xia Luo's expression twist into an odd grimace, filling her with a sense of foreboding.
"Where's your magic?"
"I… I'm not sure." Xia Luo shrugged.
Carter sighed. "This is the first time you've made me feel utterly unsafe."
Just then, a startled cry escaped Bucky.
"What is that?"
Bucky froze mid-stride, spotting a small, red-and-blue spiderweb glimmering on his abdomen.
The web shone with vibrant energy and then, suddenly, pulsed.
Buzz!
BOOM!
In an instant, the web exploded, unleashing a burst of magical energy that engulfed Bucky's spider-form, knocking back dozens of modified soldiers.
"Who… WHO DID THIS?!"
Blinded by rage, Bucky bellowed into the darkness.
Thwap!
Another web shot out of the shadows, landing squarely on Bucky's forehead.
Boom!
The energy burst again, burning away patches of fur and spikes from Bucky's monstrous spider body.
"Aargh! Curse you! Come out here and face me!"
The attack hadn't caused him serious harm, but it had rattled his nerves and incensed him.
"There!" Xia Luo narrowed his eyes, catching a glint of red and blue flashing in the shadows.
"It's here."
A hint of a smile crossed his face.
Holding out his hand, he listened as faint chirping echoed from the darkness.
"Chirp, chirp…"
Swoosh!
A small figure leaped from the shadows and gently landed in Xia Luo's palm.
"It's a… spider?"
"A metallic spider?"
Carter and the others stared in fascination at the creature perched in Xia Luo's hand.
The small spider was entirely red and blue, with a metallic sheen, but not a single mechanical part exposed.
And unlike typical spiders, its little mandibles were almost cute, with two tiny white fangs poking out. When the little spider blinked its beady eyes, it could melt even the coldest of hearts.
Xia Luo fell silent.
As expected, all flash and no substance. Just a tiny little spider.
Despite feeling a bit underwhelmed, he reached out and patted the little spider's head.
"Haha, great. A summoned creature with ranged energy attacks—I'm satisfied," he said, more to reassure himself.
After getting Xia Luo's approval, the little spider relaxed, curling up on his hand and closing its eyes, visibly enjoying the attention.
"Whoa, what a cute little spider!" Harry reached out to pet it, only for the spider to bare its tiny fangs, sending him backing up quickly.
"Well, that wasn't very friendly…" Harry retracted his hand with an awkward smile.
Watching this, Bucky's anxiety eased.
For a moment, he'd thought Xia Luo had summoned something terrifying. But it turned out to be nothing more than a small nuisance.
"Cute, right? So cute, it kills!" Bucky sneered, turning to unleash a massive web from his abdomen, sending it cascading toward the group.
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
As the web neared, the little spider's eyes glowed, its abdomen contracting as it fired a flurry of red-and-blue webs.
Pop-pop-pop!
Boom!
The red-and-blue webs exploded overhead, tearing apart the massive web before it could ensnare anyone.
"Chirp chirp!"
The next second, the little spider scurried up to perch on Xia Luo's head, transforming into a machine gun as it fired webs toward Bucky's direction.
Pop-pop-pop!
BOOM!
Magical energy flared around Bucky as Carter and the others seized the opportunity to launch a final assault on the modified soldiers.
Having summoned the little spider, Xia Luo wasted no more time.
Buzz!
With his eyes flashing red, the red-and-blue nanometal covering his body shifted to an inky black.
Pop-pop-pop!
Xia Luo wove through the ranks of the modified soldiers, leaving trails of glimmering webs that ruthlessly slashed through them. His gaze sharpened as he watched the counter rising in his field of vision.
Kill Count +3
Kill Count +3
Each defeated soldier added another three points to his count.
The kill value scaled according to the target's strength, so ordinary thugs would have only yielded one point each.
On top of his head, the little spider ceased firing webs, its energy clearly running low. Still, it remained alert, as though waiting for something.
"Spider-Man, die!"
From amidst the chaos, the massive spider-monster roared, casting a dark shadow over Xia Luo as he propelled himself skyward on a web sling.
BOOM!
He crashed into Bucky's abdomen like a black cannonball, only to be swatted aside, with Bucky pinning him down in the end.
"Hahaha, is that all you've got?" Bucky gloated, his grotesque spider legs jabbing toward Xia Luo, intent on tearing him to pieces.
Pop-pop-pop!
Rolling away to dodge, Xia Luo noticed that each stabbing leg left a wrist-thick hole in the ground.
A single misstep could mean death.
In a flash, he extended his black spider lances, one of them piercing through Bucky's abdomen.
Squish!
Splat!
A torrent of mutant spiders poured out of the gaping wound, a sight that made Xia Luo shiver in revulsion.
"I hate spiders!"
Sliding out of Bucky's range, he patted the little spider on his head.
"Well, except for you."
"Chirp chirp!"
The little spider softened its gaze, content once more.
Meanwhile, the newly emerged swarm of mutant spiders swarmed around, devouring modified soldiers as they went, though Xia Luo hadn't quite reached a kill count of fifty.
Looks like I won't get the chance…
Xia Luo sighed, a bit disappointed.
Before long, the mass of mutant spiders forced Carter and the others to retreat toward him.
"There are too many spiders, and my armor's nearly out of power. We might be finished here," Tony said, removing his helmet with a resigned expression.
Harry looked equally defeated. "If I make it out alive, I'm definitely designing a system to carry more pumpkin bombs."
Barton nodded. "I'll need a bigger quiver."
"You won't get the chance."
With the modified soldiers entirely consumed by the mutant spiders, Bucky's form grew even larger. He gazed down at the group, his attention locking onto Xia Luo.
"Once I consume you, that will finally put an end to your rebirth cycle. I don't believe—"
Mid-sentence, Bucky's expression twisted.
"Stop whispering secrets!!" he bellowed.
"Oh? We can't?" Xia Luo looked at the little spider on his shoulder. "It seems someone's angry."
"Chirp chirp chirp."
The little spider glared at Bucky before hopping down to Xia Luo's hand.
With a dramatic leap, it opened a "gaping maw" and bit down on Xia Luo's hand, sending a vibrant, glowing web pattern spreading over his skin.
Buzz!
In an instant, red-and-blue light coursed across Xia Luo's body from the bite, and the lines on his suit began to glow. The crimson in his eyes was replaced by a mystical light, and he felt a surge of energy flow through him as the spider totem on his chest pulsed.
"What… what is that?"
Everyone watched in shock as the little spider transformed into red-and-blue magical light, covering Xia Luo's suit. His black suit morphed back into its red-and-blue form, the spider emblem on his chest glowing brilliantly.
Boom!
Before anyone could react, Xia Luo had already rocketed forward.
"Neighborhood Meteor Punch!"
BOOM!
His magic-infused fist crashed to the ground, sending vibrant energy cascading through the area. The mutant spiders disintegrated in its wake, unable to reassemble.
"What?!"
Bucky reeled in shock, firing webs to snare Xia Luo.
Swish!
Xia Luo shot out his own web, igniting the spider totem in mid-air before it exploded in a burst of light.
BOOM!
The massive web disintegrated in the explosion, as the red-and-blue figure shot out of his sling.
"Neighborhood Rising Uppercut!"
BAM!
With magic-infused power, Xia Luo's fist struck Bucky's abdomen, the spider totem flaring with light.
"No!!"
Bucky's face twisted in horror as the energy inside his abdomen roared to life.
As expected, the magic-infused spider totem detonated, ripping through Bucky's monstrous form.
Splat!
Another wave of mutant spiders spilled out, only to dissolve into a revolting slime under the magical onslaught.
Xia Luo darted through the battlefield, lashing his magic-infused web to encircle the remaining spiders.
"Neighborhood—I'm out of names."
BOOM!
With a tremor through the ground, Xia Luo leapt into the web's center, releasing a radiant red-and-blue glow that eradicated the remaining mutant spiders.
And once again, he landed in a perfect Widow's Landing pose.
---
T/N: I'm just imagining a Kamen-Rider transformation with the little spider! So cute!
Hi, trainers! I'm so excited to finally bring you Team Rocket's Second-in-Command! After translating over 300 chapters of this absolute gem, I can tell you it's everything—action, drama, and just the right amount of chaos. Luo Yuan isn't just a trainer; he's the trainer, slaying battles, running the underworld, and making us all swoon with his brilliance.
This is the last story I'll be posting this month, so let's go out with a bang! Thank you so much for all your love and support—you've made this journey so much fun to share. Now, let's dive in and cheer for our boy as he takes the Pokémon world by storm!
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
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