Restart, Spider-Man!

Dark Stephen certainly wouldn't believe Spider-Man's nonsense.

"Show me your sincerity," he said coldly.

Xia Luo thought for a moment. "I have another friend, her name is Carol. I can hand her over to you as a hostage."

Hearing this, Carter and the others lowered their heads even further.

If karma really exists, Spider-Man is going to suffer a terrible fate.

On the other side, Dark Stephen seemed to be pondering something.

"You cunning insect. I won't trust you so easily, but we can take another approach," he said, waving his hand to open a dark portal, through which Zod and his companions appeared.

"Hand Kal over to them. After we settle our battle, you'll have your prize."

Xia Luo: "…"

"Mr. Sorcerer, do you really think this is fair?" He looked thoroughly exasperated.

Dark Stephen shook his head. "But with Kal in your hands, it's equally unfair to me."

The negotiation reached a stalemate. At this moment, Xia Luo pulled a heavy, glowing book from his bundle.

"The Codex of Life!"

Instantly, Zod and the others' expressions shifted, and Dark Stephen suddenly had a bad premonition.

Xia Luo grinned and said, "Mr. Sorcerer, while this may be unfair, I accept your terms."

He turned to Zod. "Help me protect this child. If anyone tries to take him, kill him immediately. If you agree, I will hand over the Codex of Life to you afterward."

"What?!"

This statement made Jor-El's heart tremble.

"You can't kill him—he's just a child!" he cried out.

Dark Stephen, too, looked at Xia Luo with contempt. "Spider-Man, you so-called superhero, you're truly despicable, resorting to threatening us with a child."

"Oh? I've become the villain now?"

Xia Luo placed his hands on his hips and laughed. "Hahaha, this feels amazing."

Carter and the others exchanged glances.

"Little Spider has gone mad."

"No, I think he's been wanting to do something like this for a long time."

"Does it really feel that good? If I get the chance, I'd like to try it too."

"No, we're superheroes. We can't do such things."

Carter's face turned stern. "At least if we do, we can't let anyone find out."

Harry: "…"

"Captain, if we turn to the dark side, there's a good chance we'll lose."

The older Steve reassured him. "It's fine. They're evil too, so it's a fifty-fifty fight."

"I was talking to Captain, not you."

"I'm also a Captain."

Despite Xia Luo's suggestion, none of them found it particularly inappropriate.

They understood Xia Luo well—and they knew Spider-Man even better.

To threaten villains, sometimes you had to act like one.

Dark Stephen, however, fell uncharacteristically silent, seemingly deep in thought.

Soon, an agreement was reached. Xia Luo handed Superman over to Zod.

Spider-Man cared most about his friends.

Zod cared most about the Codex of Life in Spider-Man's hands.

And Dark Stephen cared most about the Superman in Zod's possession.

Thus, a delicate balance was formed among the three parties.

"So, insect, are you going to tell us your plan now?" Dark Stephen asked.

Xia Luo shrugged. "It's simple. I won't make things hard for you. Just have Zod, Faora, and Jor-El fight against my friends."

Hearing this, Dark Stephen narrowed his eyes.

"And what counts as victory?"

"You and I will fight one-on-one at the end. That's it," Xia Luo replied.

Dark Stephen frowned. "So the outcome between us will determine Superman's ownership. But as for them…"

Halfway through his sentence, he quickly realized the truth.

Spider-Man's real goal was to help his friends complete the resurrection mission.

As for Superman's ownership? Spider-Man probably didn't care much.

The other party had already gathered all his friends—otherwise, he wouldn't have started this seemingly hasty battle.

Spider-Man merely used him to summon Zod and the others, and then planned to use the simplest method to defeat his opponents and claim the resurrection slot.

He wasn't worried about Spider-Man and Zod teaming up. After all, without any rules to bind them, Dark Stephen had the power to kill everyone.

No one would dare break the balance and risk mutual destruction.

As this thought crossed his mind, Dark Stephen immediately felt confident.

The deciding factor of the outcome would be the duel between Spider-Man and the forces of dark magic.

To him, the others winning or losing was completely meaningless.

This time, victory is mine.

"Very well, I accept," he said with a smile.

Zod and the others didn't quite understand the significance of this arrangement, but for the Codex of Life, of course, they wouldn't refuse.

"No! This is unfair to Kal. No matter which one of you gets him, he'll lose his life—"

Before Jor-El could finish speaking, Dark Stephen waved his hand and sent him floating into the air-bound storage chamber.

"Relax. We have no interest in killing a child. Once we're done with him, we'll give him back."

With that, Dark Stephen turned to Xia Luo. "That guy goes first. Your friend can enter the ring now."

It seemed he had taken it upon himself to play the role of referee.

Xia Luo glanced at Old Man Steve. "Your turn, old-timer."

Dark Stephen opened the cage, and although reluctant, Old Man Steve walked out.

"He's middle-aged. Fighting me, an old man—it's really not fair…"

"Get going!"

Xia Luo raised his foot and booted Old Man Steve forward. "Stop whining. The sooner we're done, the sooner we clock out."

"Got it."

In the floating storage chamber, Old Man Steve faced the unfortunate-looking man ahead. He didn't underestimate his opponent just because the man looked easy to deal with.

Little Spider already said this guy is a scientist whose physique was enhanced by a serum—stronger even than Krypton's greatest warrior, General Zod.

I can't let my guard down.

As this thought crossed his mind, Old Man Steve let out a roar, his muscles swelling with an exaggerated bulk that ripped his uniform apart. His eyes began to glow with a faint blue light.

His "eagle eyes" were locked on the opponent's every movement.

After a few resurrection rounds, the benefits he gained weren't small.

Jor-El, seeing this, looked extremely grim.

Terrifying Earthlings.

Slowly, he adopted a combat stance.

Just as the two began to move, Xia Luo suddenly shouted.

"Wait! A fair duel can't allow weapons, battle suits, or armor. That means you. Don't think I didn't notice the little Kryptonian handgun you've got stashed back there."

Under Xia Luo's watchful gaze, Jor-El's face darkened as he removed his outer armor and set down his Kryptonian weapon.

Old Man Steve also discarded his shield.

From this moment on, the fight became even more unfair.

Due to Krypton's gravity, Kryptonian physiques were naturally stronger than Earthlings', but they were far inferior to superheroes' enhanced bodies.

Even for a scientist whose physique had been enhanced, without technological weapons, defeating an Earth superhero would be difficult.

Unless the battlefield shifted to Earth, where the golden sun would grant Kryptonians powerful super abilities.

In that case, ten Old Man Steves wouldn't stand a chance.

Of course, without a gravitational field to protect him, Old Man Steve would probably have been crushed flat by the gravity before the fight even began.

But here and now, without superpowers, the Kryptonian lasted only thirty seconds in Old Man Steve's hands before he was defeated.

"Haha, I won."

Old Man Steve beamed proudly at the notification message in front of him before swaggering back to Xia Luo's side.

"Kryptonians without armor or weapons are too weak," he said with mock helplessness.

Xia Luo glanced at him. "I'll let you see what a real Kryptonian is like someday."

"Oh? I'm looking forward to it."

Old Man Steve didn't take it to heart.

Next up was Tony versus Zod.

"Without my armor, I'm definitely going to lose," Tony grumbled in frustration.

Xia Luo patted him on the shoulder. "It's fine. You'll win."

"But you said that guy is Krypton's greatest warrior."

"Being the greatest doesn't mean he can't lose."

Before Tony could say more, Xia Luo shoved him forward and looked toward Zod.

"General Zod, winning or losing doesn't matter to you, right?" he said, playing with the Codex of Life in his hand.

Zod, seeing this, took a deep breath.

Despicable Spider-Man. Once I conquer Krypton, I'll go to Earth and crush this hateful insect.

With this thought in mind, he swallowed his anger and nodded.

"Correct. Winning or losing is irrelevant."

Hearing this, Tony visibly relaxed.

"Haha, I'll just throw one punch. Watch closely."

"Bring it on!"

"Iron Man's Invincible Punch!"

Bang!

The weak punch landed on Zod's chest. Zod gritted his teeth as he fell to the ground.

"You win," he said, glaring at Xia Luo.

"Well done, Tony!"

Xia Luo cheered loudly.

Carter: "…"

"Shamelessly throwing a rigged match. Have you no dignity?" She shook her head helplessly.

Old Man Steve grinned. "Winning is all that matters."

Harry looked excited. "Alright, my turn next!"

Just as he was about to step forward, Xia Luo raised a hand to stop him.

"No, you have a different task."

Xia Luo turned to Carter. "A battle between two women… this should be fun to watch."

Carter's mouth twitched. "I thought we were rigging the fights?"

"No, I believe you two need a fair environment."

"You're something else."

As Carter stepped into the arena, Faora had just finished removing her heavy armor.

"Ready… begin!"

Xia Luo shouted, and the two female warriors immediately charged at each other.

"Whoa, a shoulder throw! That's it, hit her!"

"Hahaha, this is great. Absolutely great!"

"Keep going!!"

Before long, the fight was over.

With her hair disheveled, Faora pushed herself up and shot a venomous glare at the troublemaker—Spider-Man.

"I'll remember this. Next time we meet, I'm going to crush you."

Leaving those harsh words, she slunk back to her team, defeated.

Xia Luo looked completely unfazed. "We'll see about that next time!"

As long as I don't run into Faora on Earth, there's no real threat.

But if I do meet her on Earth…

Winning this resurrection tournament meant Xia Luo would gain the ability to absorb solar energy.

Who's afraid of who?

At this point, Dark Stephen couldn't take it anymore.

"You childish superheroes. Hurry up and start the next round—I'm tired of waiting," he urged impatiently.

Xia Luo nodded. "Alright."

He handed the Codex of Life to Harry, whispered something in his ear, then stepped forward.

"The next fight is between you and me. Surprised?" he said to Dark Stephen.

Dark Stephen frowned.

Something's wrong. There's still one person who hasn't received a resurrection slot, so this guy's real plan must be…

Suddenly, he realized something.

"Damn it. That blasted insect!"

His face darkened instantly as he spun around and shot toward Zod, aiming directly for the baby in his arms.

At the same time, the Codex of Life in Harry's hands was blown apart by a pumpkin bomb. Endless streams of light erupted, and countless strands of Kryptonian genetic information shot out, surging into Harry and the others' bodies.

"No!!"

Seeing this, Zod and his people widened their eyes and charged toward Harry recklessly.

"Give me back the Codex of Life!!"

Zod dropped the baby and dove forward. Xia Luo, however, shot out a massive web to intercept them.

Meanwhile, Dark Stephen quickly examined the baby in his arms. But before he could react, the entire dark space began to distort. Outside, the Phantom Engine roared, its power breaking apart the dark dimension.

"Crack, crack—"

The next moment, the Phantom Engine's ghostly glow enveloped Dark Stephen. The baby in his arms vanished instantly into the black hole.

"Boom!"

The Beetle aircraft soared into the sky, with Jor-El rescuing Kal and disappearing swiftly into the city.

As Zod and his forces tore through the webbing, Xia Luo and his team were already nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it!!" Zod roared in frustration.

Dark Stephen was even more furious.

"That damned insect tricked me again!!"

---

[You have defeated Superman and successfully won this resurrection tournament!]

[Rewards obtained: Resurrection Slot x2.]

[Bonus Rewards: Superpower—Solar Energy Absorption and Conversion.]

[Bonus Reward: Spider Totem Power x1.]

[Remaining Reset Attempts: 55 (retained for the next resurrection tournament).]

[Remaining Resurrection Slot: 1 (freely selectable target).]

Staring at the notification message in front of him, Xia Luo rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Since the mission took place on Krypton, as long as he avoided direct confrontations with Kryptonian weapons, the unarmed Kryptonians weren't much of a threat.

Grav's abilities had been a hassle, but with the Pym Particles assisting him, Xia Luo had anticipated his presence ahead of time.

So the biggest obstacle this time was Dark Stephen.

With the Pym Particles reducing the difficulty, Xia Luo had technically already "defeated" Superman before even starting negotiations.

In fact, he'd smacked Clark's little backside red for good measure.

The so-called negotiation had been nothing but a ruse.

It was all to ensure his old teammates could secure their resurrection slots.

As for Harry destroying the Codex of Life—without the genetic information infused into Krypton's Genesis Chamber, it would no longer be able to produce Kryptonian infants.

In other words, the Genesis Chamber had become useless.

But whether that counted as destroying it was another question. Xia Luo still needed to reset and confirm it firsthand to be sure.

Most importantly, he still hadn't found Gwen!

Spider-Man doesn't abandon his friends.

Except Wade.

The fact that Wade had somehow joined the resurrection tournament was definitely suspicious.

Xia Luo had no intention of helping him.

With that thought, Xia Luo chose to reset again.

---

Sixth Resurrection Tournament.

Successfully destroyed the Codex of Life and completed the task of disabling the Genesis Chamber.

But still no sign of Gwen.

---

Seventh Resurrection Tournament. Xia Luo skipped the mission but was discovered by Kang while searching for Gwen.

---

Eighth Resurrection Tournament. Xia Luo skipped the mission again, and Dark Stephen successfully defeated Superman Kal.

---

Ninth Resurrection Tournament. Xia Luo skipped the mission...

---

Fifty-ninth Resurrection Tournament ends.

[You have been eliminated and failed to obtain a resurrection slot. Reward: Web-Line Laser +101°C.]

[Remaining Reset Attempt: 1. Reset now?]

[Web-Line Laser]

[Duration: 30 seconds.]

[Temperature: 5001°C.]

On the Cosmic Web, Xia Luo's eyes were full of exhaustion.

The constant resets had increased the Web-Line Laser's power to an astounding 5000 degrees Celsius.

The surface of the sun is only about 5500°C.

Even if it's not quite on par with Superman's heat vision, it's close.

But he still hadn't found Gwen.

Gwen was clearly a participant in the tournament, yet there were no traces of her anywhere.

Could her entry point have been somewhere other than Krypton?

Am I really that unlucky?

Xia Luo had no room left for trial and error.

For his final reset, he could only look out for himself.

The next resurrection tournament would have to wait.

With that thought, he reluctantly chose to reset.

Sixtieth Resurrection Tournament!

---

...

The resurrection tournament had ended. Staring at the notification in front of him, Xia Luo hesitated while choosing the resurrection target.

Gwen or Mary Jane?

Xia Luo fell into a long silence.

Anyone who's ever been Spider-Man's friend knows—Spider-Man always chooses wrong when it comes to saving people.

So…

Xia Luo's fingers hovered back and forth between the two options as he muttered under his breath, "Eenie, meenie, miney, mo, catch a tiger by the toe. If the tiger's not at home… then the resurrection target is her!"

"Alright, her it is."

Having made his choice, Xia Luo stopped overthinking it.

In the end, Spider-Man still couldn't save everyone.

Letting out a deep sigh, Xia Luo's figure disappeared into the dazzling expanse of the Cosmic Web.

---

Spider-Man Central Universe.

Underground Base, Ancient Pyramid.

Outside the pyramid's complex outer corridors, Felicia and the others were concealed in the shadows.

"Apocalypse is inside," Wanda said gravely as she looked toward the pyramid.

"Apocalypse has taken Spider-Man's body, but due to the power of the Necrosword, Spider-Man's wounds remain unhealed. That's why Apocalypse is still dealing with this issue and hasn't been able to fully possess Spider-Man's body."

Felicia let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that's something, at least."

"So are we charging in to reclaim Spider-Man's body?" Reed asked, having just emerged from the darkened room.

"Of course we are."

Agent Hill gritted her teeth. "We can't let that damned mutant desecrate our idol's body. He only belongs to us."

"'Damned mutant…'"

Wanda and Pietro exchanged glances and silently took a step back.

"That's harsh," Pietro muttered.

"It's fine. I don't think we're mutants," Wanda replied.

"Then what are we?"

"Uh… let's just pretend to be sorcerers from now on."

"Good idea!"

The siblings clapped their hands in secret agreement, while Johnny grew impatient.

"Let's just get started already. I can't wait any longer."

"Hold on," Aleksei stopped him. "You're being too impulsive. What if they destroy Spider-Man's body—" He paused mid-sentence, realization dawning.

"…Actually, I guess we don't need to worry about that."

"We should be worried about whether we can even handle Apocalypse," Natasha interjected.

Barton shot her a glance, silently signaling her to stop talking.

Sure enough, Agent Hill and the others turned back to glare at Natasha and Barton, their eyes full of disdain.

"Two cowards. You shouldn't have come with us," Felicia sneered.

Natasha and Barton exchanged glances and shook their heads helplessly.

"That day, we couldn't make it back in time. It's not like we were afraid of dying," Barton explained.

Natasha muttered softly, "And that chubby sorcerer didn't call us either."

"That's not on me."

At that moment, a golden portal slowly opened, and a visibly thinner Wong stepped through.

"My abilities are limited. Otherwise, Spider-Man wouldn't have died," he said with deep remorse.

That day, if it hadn't been for the Sorcerer Supreme intervening, Wong himself would have been killed by the terrifying God-Slaying Sword.

He had once questioned the Sorcerer Supreme, asking why Spider-Man hadn't been saved.

The answer had been a single sentence:

Spider-Man needed the power that would come from his death.

Wong had been helpless to argue.

But he trusted the Sorcerer Supreme—and Spider-Man.

Still, two months had passed, and Spider-Man had yet to be resurrected.

The "cooldown" period for Spider-Man's resurrection was growing longer and longer.

So long that they began to doubt whether Spider-Man could create another miracle.

Half of the Avengers were dead, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been thoroughly suppressed, and Coulson no longer had the ability to stabilize the situation.

In contrast, the mutants' power had grown exponentially.

The Skrulls had vanished again, but the direction of events had already deviated completely from what would have happened with Spider-Man's presence.

They desperately needed a hero strong enough to take charge.

And that hero could only be Spider-Man.

No one else could face the mutants.

In the corner, everyone exchanged glances before finally deciding to take action.

---

On an ornate metallic platform lay a shriveled corpse, unmoving. Numerous conduits were connected to the body, snaking across the floor.

"Can't you get rid of this damn black substance?"

Growing increasingly irritable, Apocalypse paced back and forth beside the body.

The technicians at the scene looked helpless.

"The black material has completely fused with the body's cells. That's probably the reason Spider-Man still hasn't been resurrected," one of them said.

Hearing this, Apocalypse took a deep breath.

"What is this cursed thing, to have so much power?"

He sighed. "It's a pity Carol's body has the same substance. Otherwise, I could try transferring into her body."

To create a world where mutants reigned supreme, Apocalypse didn't mind becoming a woman.

But the conditions wouldn't allow it right now.

Suddenly, the sounds coming from outside the pyramid made Apocalypse even more irritable.

"What's happening?" he demanded.

At the doorway, Erik responded, "It's S.H.I.E.L.D. They're here to take Spider-Man's body."

Apocalypse snorted coldly. "They can't even safeguard their comrade's body. Even if they recover it, they'll just lose it again."

Erik said nothing.

He knew the truth.

Even the Avengers' corpses stored at S.H.I.E.L.D. had been stolen.

And not just one.

Boom—

The pyramid trembled slightly. Apocalypse scowled.

"I haven't had time to deal with them, and now they're delivering themselves to me? Fine. Go deal with them."

As he spoke, a burly man with a thick beard appeared in the doorway.

In the dim light, the man's shadow shifted as blades slowly emerged from the back of his hands.

"Understood."

A younger Logan nodded coldly, then turned and left.

After a moment of hesitation, Erik followed suit.

The two of them soon leapt off the pyramid's external platform.

Boom—

A fierce wind whipped up countless blades of metal as Erik hovered in mid-air, looking down at the agents below him.

"You'd better leave now. If you don't, I won't be able to save you," he said, trying one last time to dissuade them.

On the ground, Logan let out a feral roar, his face twisted into a snarl as he tried to scare off the seemingly weak intruders.

However, the next moment, a surge of scarlet energy swept through the air, consuming Logan in an instant.

Elsewhere, a silver streak of light flashed rapidly. Pietro, his form a silver blur, raced across floating pieces of metal to get closer to Erik.

"Just like we discussed—pretend you can't beat us," Pietro whispered, but Erik showed no mercy, summoning shards of metal to slam Pietro into the rubble.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Erik replied coldly.

"You traitor—" Pietro cursed, his head the only part of him sticking out of the debris.

"You're the traitors," Erik retorted.

Raising his hand, he clenched the air. The ground beneath them trembled violently as countless steel bars erupted from the earth, forming a cage to trap everyone.

"Die!"

A trail of green flames streaked across the air as Norman, clad in his Green Goblin armor, dropped a barrage of pumpkin bombs.

But before the bombs could detonate, the expanding magnetic field slammed Norman—and his glider—straight into a stone wall.

"Is this all you've got?"

Erik's hands moved again. Aleksei's Rhino armor shattered, sending the rampaging brute charging forward. But Erik summoned massive pillars of metal that mercilessly pinned the Rhino to the ground.

"You like playing with metal, kid? Let me melt that smugness off your face!"

The next second, flames roared into the sky as Johnny blazed down like a fiery serpent, his flames illuminating the dark underground base.

Simultaneously, Reed slithered forward like a giant snake, stretching his rubber-like body to wrap around Erik and bind him tightly.

But Erik's face was full of disdain.

"To borrow Spider-Man's words, your power levels are laughably low."

With a slight twitch of his fingers, the ground shook once more, and icy groundwater surged upward, dousing Johnny's flames in an instant.

Then Erik's storm of metal blades swept out mercilessly. Reed's rubbery body was torn to shreds, and Susan, who had been hiding and waiting to strike, barely managed to put up a force field. The onslaught was so intense, however, that even she was forced to retreat in embarrassment.

Clang, clang, clang!

At the storm's edge, Ben Grimm—the Thing—pushed forward, step by grueling step, shielding himself from the torrent of blades. The stone surface of his body was being scraped away, layer by layer.

"I… I don't think I can hold out much longer!" Ben shouted.

"Hang in there!"

Agent Hill fired pulse blasts relentlessly, but they couldn't penetrate Erik's thick metal barriers.

Ben gritted his teeth. "I'll try my best, but do we even have backup?"

"We don't."

Ben: "…"

"Then what's the point of holding on?!"

"You're wearing him down."

"No! I don't want to do this anymore!"

Boom!

The storm intensified, and Ben was blasted backward, sent flying by the sheer force of the attack.

But before the storm could spread further, the pyramid behind Erik suddenly trembled violently.

Boom!!

The top of the pyramid erupted in an explosion, sending a shockwave rippling across the battlefield. A crimson beam of energy shot out, slashing across the sky.

Sizzle, crackle—

Wherever the crimson beam passed, the high-temperature energy sliced through the pyramid's structure like a hot knife through butter. The once-solid stone crumbled into molten chunks that tumbled to the ground. Even Erik's manipulated metal couldn't withstand the beam's scorching heat, melting into streams of glowing molten iron.

The beam continued, carving through the underground base itself. The stone walls cracked and collapsed under the intense heat.

On the coastline beneath the night sky, a nearby hilltop was flattened by the crimson laser, its peak vaporized.

Sizzle…

The crimson beam streaked across the night sky, flickering briefly before vanishing into the darkness.

Not far away, on a small island shore, Nick Fury watched the fading crimson beam with wide eyes, trembling with excitement.

"Carol's cosmic energy!"

"This is great—she's still alive!"

"Talos, let's move! Carol must be there!"

Overjoyed, Fury sprinted toward the boat waiting at the shoreline.

---

Carter Family.An Ancient European Castle.

Wrapped in a towel, Carter returned to her room and casually activated her virtual computer.

"How are Felicia and the others doing?" she asked.

The elderly butler at the door bowed slightly. "They are planning to raid the pyramid to retrieve Spider-Man's body. They've already taken action."

As he spoke, the butler tapped the virtual interface. The screen on Carter's handheld computer displayed the image of a coastal hilltop being sliced apart by a crimson beam.

"It looks like he's been resurrected."

Carter smiled faintly but quickly followed it up with a helpless expression.

"The moment that guy comes back, my vacation is officially over. Honestly, he's such a handful."

Noting the growing smile on Carter's face, the butler's eyes crinkled with amusement.

"Shall I notify Mr. Harry and the others?"

"Of course. Their vacations are over too. No way am I handling all the drudgery alone."

After some thought, Carter stood up and began putting on her combat suit.

"On second thought, I won't wait—I'll go there directly."

The butler took a step back and said, "A shipment of excellent perfumes arrived recently. Would you like to try one?"

Hearing this, Carter paused mid-step.

"I've never used… Oh, fine. I'll try it!"

She approached her dressing table.

Looking into the mirror, her expression suddenly turned to one of utter horror.

"No!!!"

"Oh my God!!"

"This can't be happening!!"

"Why—why did I get fat?!"

"I never should've taken a vacation!"

---

A corner of the pyramid had been sliced off by the crimson beam. Moments later, the group heard Apocalypse's panicked roar.

"No! How is this possible—you can't be resurrected—"

Boom!!

In an instant, the pyramid exploded again. A battered figure shot out like a cannonball, crashing through one giant stone after another.

A dazzling burst of magical energy spread across the battlefield as a red-and-blue figure swung out, soaring through the air.

Felicia and the others were elated.

"Spider-Man!"

"Spider-Man!"

Xia Luo shouted his name triumphantly and darted into a magical portal in a flash.

Buzz—

Boom!!

The debris pile burst apart as Apocalypse, still reeling from the red-and-blue figure's impact, skidded across molten iron pooled on the ground before smashing back into the pyramid.

At that moment, the sun rose. Rays of sunlight poured through the massive gap in the pyramid's ceiling, flooding the underground base and illuminating the red-and-blue figure's silhouette.

Crack…

In the ruins of a crater, a hand clamped tightly around Apocalypse's throat.

The suffocating sensation hit him instantly. Eyes wide in disbelief, Apocalypse stared at Spider-Man, his face filled with terror.

"No—you… how did you… become so strong…"

Xia Luo's eyes glimmered as the warm sunlight surged into his body, quickly converting into the energy he needed.

Threads of cosmic energy began to flow across the surface of his red-and-blue nano-suit. The energy amplified every aspect of his physical form, rapidly compensating for the massive drain caused by the Web-Line Laser.

Without this energy boost, unleashing the Web-Line Laser at full power again would have left Xia Luo needing three months of rest.

But with the ability to absorb and convert stellar energy, the laser's consumption wasn't as daunting anymore.

Feeling the growing torrent of power coursing through his body, Xia Luo tightened his grip. With a sharp crunch, Apocalypse's throat was crushed.

Before Apocalypse's healing factor could activate, Xia Luo slowly raised his other hand.

Under the horrified gazes of everyone around him, the crimson beam appeared once more.

Sizzle—

"No!!!"

---

T/N: 5k words but daaaamn I guess they respawned faster lmaooo and Carter is wearing perfume for spoderman :3c