Restart, Spider-Man! [99]

Restart!

Tenth round of the Resurrection Battle.

Xia Luo swore—this would definitely be the last time he restarted!

No time to test out his new webbing; he shot his web to lock onto the void and launched himself like a cannonball straight toward Electro.

He quickly located the Elder Steve, wasting no time as he hoisted him onto a web slingshot.

"Kid, what are you doing?"

"Giving you a lift."

"Hold on, I need to brace—ahhhh—!"

The wind howled, forcing Steve's words right back into his throat, the gusts blowing his wrinkles around his face.

"Kid, your web's amazing! Is someone holding the other end?"

"What? Wind's too loud, can't hear you."

"Don't give me that—I know you can hear me."

En route to Hamlet Street, Xia Luo swiftly laid out their plan for Elder Steve.

"Haha, this is crazy—but I love it."

Hamlet Street.

"You were born to be ruled—"

Bang!

Two figures crashed down from the sky, shattering Loki's clone. Xia Luo casually tossed the Mind Scepter to Elder Steve.

"Stick to the plan."

"Yes, sir!"

"Good grief, you get sassier with age."

Xia Luo shook his head, firing his web slingshot and vanishing from the scene.

As for Steve, gripping the scepter, he looked out at the dazed citizens gathered below and raised his hand with a smile.

"Rise, my people!"

Everyone: "…"

What's with this old guy—does he have a screw loose?

When nobody responded, Steve gave an awkward chuckle.

Yep, only Loki would enjoy doing something this embarrassing.

The citizens dispersed, and soon enough, he saw Tuxedo Loki approaching.

"Is that… Steve?"

"It's me, Loki. We come from the same world. Want to know what happened after you died?"

"I can guess."

"Oh, but you'd never guess how much ale Thor downed over those years…"

Three minutes later, Steve managed to win Loki over. He pointed toward the direction Xia Luo had gone.

"Go on. Thor's waiting for you."

"What?"

Loki blinked, only to see Elder Steve adjusting his web-shooter.

"Wanna play 'Help, I'm falling'?" Steve asked, tugging on the slingshot.

Loki scowled, "No, thanks!"

Ignoring his protests, Elder Steve shot Loki into the sky, webbed in tightly.

"You should have let me prepare first!" Loki shouted.

"You should try yelling for help."

"No!"

"I mean it—I don't see the next landing point, and I'm not great with this thing."

"Wha—No! Help!"

"Haha, can't hear you over the wind."

The harrowing web ride finally came to an end.

At the cliff's edge, Thor stood stunned, staring at the wormhole that had just closed, completely bewildered.

"What hit me?"

"Looked like a bug."

"Right, a blasted bug."

Clenching his teeth, he yelled, "Loki, I will bring you back!"

"I'm right here."

Two figures swung down in front of him. Staring at the younger Thor, Tuxedo Loki sighed with nostalgia.

"Brother…"

"Wait—what did you call me?"

Thor's eyes went wide, questioning if he'd misheard.

"You must be Loki, which means that guy earlier was… Haha, I almost fell for your clone trick again."

With Thor's imagination already filling in the gaps, Loki's expression grew complicated.

So simple-minded, still…

"Let's go home."

"Really? You're actually coming back with me?"

Thor, thrilled, raised Mjolnir. "Heimdall!"

Boom!

Dark energy surged into Earth, and Elder Steve leapt into the transport field just before it closed.

"Who are you?"

In the transport tunnel, Thor finally noticed the unusual stranger.

Steve laughed. "A friend of Loki's."

"He wants to see my room," Loki said, deadpan.

Thor scratched his head. "Odd taste… though your friend's really old."

"I'm under two hundred," Elder Steve protested.

"Oh, so pretty young, then."

Seconds later, they arrived at the ruins of the palace.

Whirr—

Dark energy flooded the hall, and the three appeared inside the palace.

"This isn't the Bifrost?" Steve glanced around, surprised.

He'd heard Thor talk about Asgard's exclusive transport.

Loki explained, "The Bifrost was destroyed. This time we used dark energy."

"Destroyed?"

Steve frowned. "So how did you restore it later?"

"Using the Tesseract, of course."

Thor held out his hand. "Brother, hand me the Tesseract."

Tuxedo Loki: "…"

"Sorry, but I don't have it."

"What?"

Thor scowled, grabbing Loki by the collar. "You're lying to me again, Loki!"

"Calm down." Loki wiped away the spit on his face, looking disgusted.

Meanwhile, Steve glanced at the clock. "Time's almost up."

"I know."

Breaking free, Loki stepped into the palace's open space and called out.

"Father, if you'll let me call you that… I know you and Mother are aware of what's happening. Please, help us."

Thor noticed his unusual behavior, finally realizing something was off.

"Are you really Loki?" he asked, uncertain.

"Of course he is."

Divine light filled the throne, and Odin appeared, his aura glowing.

Frigga stood beside him, looking at Loki with a warm gaze.

"My child, I'm so glad to see you like this."

"Mother…"

Tears shone in Loki's eyes as he beheld their familiar faces.

"I'm sorry… I must have disappointed you." He bowed his head, regret hitting him in waves.

"Not at all."

Frigga approached, gently brushing his cheek.

"You must have been through so much, haven't you?"

Her gaze was full of compassion, and Loki could no longer hold back, hugging his mother tightly.

"I'm sorry. I truly am. I was wrong, but it's too late—I lost you both and everything else." He sobbed, voicing his regrets.

"Loki, what do you mean? We're all here. Our family's together."

Touched by the moment, Thor opened his arms to embrace them both—only to be stopped by Frigga with one hand.

"Just wait."

Thor: "…."

He stood in shock, then suddenly his face fell.

"Wait… am I the adopted one?"

"No!!"

Thor clutched his head, despairing, only to have Odin silence him with a flick of divine power.

"Enough."

Odin stepped forward, gently helping Loki up.

"Stand, Loki. You're my son. I won't allow you to be this weak."

Odin's voice rang with authority, his aged face softening briefly before turning stern again.

"I know why you're here."

"Father…" Loki rose, still uncertain.

"Will you help me?"

"Of course not. Handle it yourself. That's how a true man deals with things."

With a scoff, Odin turned and walked away.

Watching his father's retreating figure, Loki felt disappointed but strangely relieved.

"It's alright. Just seeing you both makes me happy."

Frigga patted his head. "You're starting to sound like Thor, my silly boy."

Thor looked devastated.

So she really has always thought of me as the fool in the family!

No!!!

Ignoring Thor's theatrics, Frigga pointed to the golden spear on the throne.

"Take it, and do what you must."

Looking at the gleaming spear, Loki hesitated.

It was Gungnir, the Spear of Eternity, containing Odin's divine power.

With it, he could certainly secure a resurrection slot.

But his plan had been to kill this world's Loki to prevent the tragedies that followed.

However, he didn't have the right to decide another's fate.

In Asgard, he had come to see how much this world's Loki meant to his family.

Sensing Loki's hesitation, Frigga kept her gentle smile.

"Go on, child. Everything has been set in motion—follow your heart."

"But Loki…"

"It's alright; he won't die. And you'll get what you desire."

"What?"

Loki paused, taking a deep breath. "I understand."

Though he didn't fully grasp what his mother meant, he had made up his mind.

"Steve, let's go."

Turning to Elder Steve, he strode to the throne and took hold of Gungnir.

Hummm!

Divine light erupted, and the entire kingdom seemed to cheer as Loki raised Gungnir high.

Thor's face fell, a shadow of envy passing over him.

"So… Father chose you as his successor." Though he was disappointed, he was ready to support his brother.

Anyone acknowledged by Gungnir was destined to be the future king of Asgard.

Thor would accept it.

Boom!

Moments later, Loki wielded the spear, summoning a dark-energy portal with its power.

"Let's go."

He and Elder Steve leaped in, and after a pause, Thor followed.

"Farewell, my children."

As the energy faded, Odin returned to the palace, holding Frigga's hand, a wistful smile on his face.

"I know you didn't want to let them go, but this is a path they must walk alone—it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"I understand."

Frigga leaned against Odin's shoulder, her gaze still fixed on the place where Loki had disappeared.

"This is the price of growth. We walked the same path back then… I understand it all."

Odin gave a slight nod, a look of relief softening his aged face.

"Come, you've worked hard all these years. It's time to retire."

"And so have you."

Earth, outskirts of New York.

Whirrr~

Within the dimension protected by the Ancient One, darkness retreated as Dark Stephen plummeted to the rocky island under Thanos's furious punch.

High above, Thanos, still encased in his glowing gems, became a comet falling to crush Dark Stephen once and for all.

Simultaneously, the Ancient One cast a golden shield, preparing to step through a golden portal.

"Wait."

Xia Luo stopped her. "Supreme Sorcerer, maybe you should kick this bad habit."

"What?"

The Ancient One frowned, just as a dragon exploded from Dark Stephen's chest.

Boom!

Hellfire erupted from its jaws, its inferno dissolving the dimension around it.

Roar!!

The dragon's cry echoed through the night as Thanos tumbled out of a blue wormhole, scorched and battered.

Seeing the damaged armor and burned skin on Thanos, Xia Luo quickly shot webs to cover his burns.

"How are you holding up?"

"I'll live."

Thanos knelt, breathing heavily.

"You were right; he was waiting for us to walk right into this."

The Ancient One took this in and finally understood Xia Luo's point.

Immediately, she abandoned close combat, focusing instead on reforming the mirror dimension.

"It's useless. I'm destined to win. Christine will live again!"

Dark Stephen's smile twisted into a grotesque sneer as he wove his hands together, summoning an onslaught of dark tendrils that surged toward everyone.

"Shit! They're coming for us too!"

Tony and Steve, barely recovered, were once again buried in a mass of dark tendrils.

"Great Thanos, sir…"

Amidst the tendrils, Ebony Maw and the others howled for help, leaving the Ancient One no time to reopen the dimensional field; she split herself into countless shield-bearing clones, hacking at the tendrils all around.

Whirr~

Nearby, wormholes flashed as Xia Luo rode on Thanos's back, dodging the tendrils in hot pursuit.

"Kid, this position is humiliating." Thanos's face darkened.

"Sorry, next time I'll ride, and you can, uh, 'climb on me.'"

"That sounds… odd, but you said it."

"I promise."

Just then, the night sky burst with golden comets; Odin's power descended upon Earth, sending a tremor through every living being.

"He's here!"

Xia Luo's eyes lit up as the golden comet crossed time and space, piercing the sky to strike Dark Stephen square in the chest.

"Argh!!"

With a shriek, Dark Stephen plummeted, and the dark tendrils around him scattered.

"Odin…"

Amidst the darkness, Dark Stephen clutched the golden wound in his chest, glaring at Loki and the others as they arrived.

"We got here just in time." Elder Steve raised his shield with a grin.

"Which one's the enemy?" Thor glanced between Dark Stephen and the battered Black Order. "They all look alike."

"No, he's the only enemy."

Xia Luo swung down and landed. "His goal is to kill everyone—including Odin."

This revelation left everyone stunned.

"It's fine; I'll take care of it."

Tuxedo Loki raised a hand as Gungnir flew to his grip, golden armor enveloping him in blinding light, exuding a fierce, divine energy.

Xia Luo: "…"

Damn, he really knows how to make an entrance.

A second later, dark tendrils burst from the ground, dragging Loki into the dirt.

Bam bam!!

As Loki's body hit the rubble, everyone froze.

"What did he just say?" Thor asked.

Elder Steve shrugged. "Said he'd be the first to die."

Xia Luo patted Steve's shoulder. "You poor, deaf old man. I'll get you a hearing aid next time."

"Thanks. Get me the most expensive one."

Meanwhile, Dark Stephen waved his hand, summoning a fresh swarm of horrific tendrils.

"Haha, Gungnir, is it? Interesting."

The ghastly tendrils spread wide, destroying everything they touched.

Dark Stephen sneered, "Even if Odin himself were here, he couldn't stop me."

As he spoke, the wound on his chest pulsed, black flesh knitting itself over Gungnir's injury.

"I don't believe I can't beat you."

Thor raised Mjolnir high, calling down a powerful lightning strike that crackled through the sky, crashing down on the tendrils.

Thanos took advantage of the chaos to open a massive wormhole, lining up the cannon of Sanctuary II on the battlefield.

"Fire!"

At Thanos's command, a hail of energy beams rained down through the wormhole.

Boom boom boom!!

Hummm!

Gungnir hummed again, the golden comet slicing through the air, shredding tendrils with divine power.

Whirr~

Golden portals flickered, and Xia Luo flashed through them, closing in on Dark Stephen.

"Right there."

The Ancient One drew a circle, and Xia Luo lunged out of the portal one last time.

Crack!

His crystalline webbing went taut as the trap closed around Dark Stephen, cutting toward him.

"Hmph, useless."

Dark Stephen waved his hand, sending a shudder through the web before black, purple notes pulsed outward from it.

"What kind of magic is that?"

Thor shouted, only to be struck by the soundwave a second later.

"Ugh!"

Boom!

As cries of pain echoed, Loki and the others fell one by one to the musical barrage, and the Ancient One quickly summoned golden portals to pull them to her side.

Dark hands stretched wide from the swarm of tendrils, and the dragon of the underworld roared as hellfire rose in a ring, trapping everyone within a fiery cage.

The intense heat warped the air; all around them, the darkness grew, suffocating.

"Damn, I'm roasting in here." Elder Steve yelped as his shield burned his hands, forcing him to drop it.

Xia Luo's nano-suit sparked, near the point of failure in the high heat.

Whirr~

The Ancient One raised her hands, forming a protective barrier around everyone to block out the searing temperatures.

"In my vision, Tony Stark is the one to stop all of this." She looked at a breathless Tony.

"Me?"

Wrapped in the symbiote, Tony's injuries healed as he stood up.

"Sorry, if a dead guy can solve this, I'll be the first to volunteer." He smirked bitterly.

Xia Luo frowned—Tony didn't exactly look like the one to turn the tide.

"Ancient One, what about the Time Stone? Can it stop him?" he asked.

The Ancient One shook her head. "The Time Stone was stolen."

Xia Luo rubbed his forehead. "So that's out."

He'd gathered Thanos, the Ancient One, and Odin's powers, yet still couldn't defeat Dark Strange.

This fight at the top was too much.

No, there was something he hadn't accounted for.

The Infinity Stones, the other contestants… and the Spider Totem!

"Ancient One, try using this."

Xia Luo pulled a Titan relic from Thanos's damaged armor.

Whirr~

Three and a half Spider Totems emerged from the relic, and the Ancient One's eyes widened.

"This is… such a strange power."

She took the relic, infusing it with magic.

Boom!!

In an instant, red and blue light surged into the night sky, the Spider Totems shining across the universe.

And then—

Nothing happened.

"How does this work?" The Ancient One looked at him in confusion.

"You're the sorcerer—you're asking me?"

"I'll try, too."

Thanos stepped forward, his touch on the relic sparking purple starlight, the Spider Totems glowing in response.

"Count me in." Thor confidently grabbed the relic.

Zap zap~

A tiny spark flickered, and nothing else happened.

Thor: "…."

"Let me try."

"I'm in, too."

Soon, younger Steve, Elder Steve, and Tuxedo Loki all took turns, but still, nothing happened.

"So, it's my turn?"

Seeing everyone staring, Tony shrugged and touched the relic.

Whirr~

"It's working."

As they watched, Tony's forehead began to glow.

Before the light could spread, the demon dragon roared, consuming him entirely.

Xia Luo: "…"

The Eleventh Resurrection Battle!

In the dark dimension, the Ancient One and Dark Stephen fought fiercely in the night sky.

Outside the dark circle, with Xia Luo's help, the Ancient One's clone finally managed to drag Tony out of the formation.

While Dark Stephen hadn't noticed, Xia Luo called out, "Thanos, it's time!"

"Understood."

Under Xia Luo's eager gaze, Thanos pulled out the relic.

Whirr~

The two of them each touched it, then looked at Tony.

"What are you two doing?"

Tony shot them a bewildered look but reached out anyway.

"Wait, Ancient One, try adding a bit of magic first."

At Xia Luo's prompting, the Ancient One skeptically poured some magic into the relic.

Boom!!

Red and blue Spider Totems and purple starlight flared up in the sky.

"Stop staring—get in here, Stark!" Xia Luo urged, and Tony finally snapped to attention.

Whirr

Finally, as Tony's hand brushed the relic, light shot from his forehead, quickly spreading across the entire dimension.

It was blinding, endless whiteness.

No one could see anything.

Who knows how long passed before Xia Luo opened his eyes to find the dark dimension vanished, the Ancient One and Dark Stephen's clones dissolved into dust.

"No!!"

A cry from high above—the real Ancient One and Dark Stephen tumbled down.

Xia Luo, unsure what had happened, reached for his webs to catch the falling Ancient One, only to find his wrist empty—no webs at all.

Xia Luo: "????"

Whoosh~

Suddenly, a gust of wind whistled by, as a purple beast charged forward, just barely catching the yellow-robed figure.

Boom~

As Thanos landed, the Ancient One blinked up at the giant purple figure in shock.

"You're…"

"I'm Thanos."

"Thank you, Thanos. You can put me down now; I appreciate the save."

"You're welcome. Next time we meet, I might kill you."

"You have quite the sense of humor."

Xia Luo caught sight of this unexpectedly amicable exchange, blinking in surprise.

Was this in the script?

On the other side, Dark Stephen crawled out of a crater, terror etched on his face.

"How… how can this be? My magic, it can't be gone… How?!"

He stared down at his hands in horror, unable to summon any of his magic.

Had the dark energy not shielded him during his fall, he'd have died on impact.

"My magic's gone, too."

The Ancient One, nearby, raised her hand to cast a spell but couldn't recall how.

Frowning deeply, she muttered, "More precisely, I've forgotten how to use it."

Hearing this, Thanos glanced back at Tony, his expression thoughtful.

"A man cursed by knowledge… You've cursed us all."

---

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