Restart, Spider-Man!

"Uh… Abby, you're a bit much," Xia Luo muttered, struggling to process the symbiote's unsettling fixation.

He decided to leave.

Just as he prepared to move, Gwen's phone rang. Answering it, her expression tensed.

"George is hurt again. A pyrokinetic is behind it. I have to go."

With that, Gwen rushed off.

"You heading to a restroom to change into your suit?" Xia Luo called after her.

Without looking back, she replied, "No need. I bought a jet. It's faster than webs."

Xia Luo: "..."

He watched as Gwen climbed into a sleek silver aircraft and disappeared into the sky.

"Must be nice to have money," he muttered enviously.

All his funds had gone into "investments," leaving him utterly broke.

With no other option, he dialed Carter's number.

"Hey, I'm broke. Can you spare 300 bucks?"

"No time for you. I'm on a mission," Carter snapped, her voice hurried. In the background, explosions echoed.

Xia Luo raised an eyebrow. "Those explosions sound pretty serious. Everything okay over there?"

"MOTHER—GET OVER HERE! WE'RE GETTING SLAUGHTERED!" Carter's voice turned sharp, the chaos on her end intensifying.

Xia Luo smirked. "So all commanders curse like that, huh?"

"NO!!"

Boom!

The line abruptly cut out after a thunderous explosion.

Xia Luo stared at his phone. "This bad, huh?"

Carter's Avengers team was no slouch, yet they were struggling. Whatever they were up against must be formidable.

With the Spider-Verse exposed and the Time Stone shattered, strange figures were appearing more frequently.

But no matter the odds, Xia Luo reassured himself: the invincible Spider-Man could handle anything.

Tapping his wrist device, he located Carter's position. The electric arcs from his emblem buzzed to life.

Zzt-zzt!

Soon, lightning streaked between skyscrapers, and along the way, he caught up with Gwen's silver aircraft.

Thud-thud!

Clinging to the aircraft's exterior, Xia Luo called out, "Looks like we're headed the same way."

Gwen glanced at him. "Then hold on tight."

She abruptly accelerated, the rushing wind making Xia Luo cling tighter.

"Not inviting me inside? The symbiote's really brought out your rudeness," he teased.

"You want to come in?" she asked, her expression mischievous as the demonic face of her symbiote began to emerge.

Xia Luo quickly backtracked. "Actually, I like the fresh air."

---

The silver aircraft dived sharply.

"I'm here," Xia Luo announced.

Gwen, gazing at the battle-scarred streets below, nodded. "So am I."

Her aircraft streaked over the chaos, and she leapt out in her symbiote-enhanced form.

"Hey, are you alright?"

At the corner of the street, George sat slumped against a patrol car, his forehead bleeding, hair disheveled, and breathing labored.

The other officers fared no better, most nursing visible injuries.

Seeing Gwen land, George exhaled in relief.

"It's a pyrokinetic mutant. Dangerous. Thankfully, S.H.I.E.L.D. is here," he said, giving her a quick rundown.

Gwen frowned. "If it's a mutant, why not call S.H.I.E.L.D. earlier?"

"It was just a newly awakened Level 1 mutant—not much stronger than an ordinary person," George replied, shaking his head.

"Level 1?"

Her frown deepened.

Recently, a mysterious group called the Brotherhood of Mutants had emerged. They classified individuals with powers as mutants, creating a strict hierarchy.

Level 1 mutants were those who had just awakened their abilities, posing minimal threat.

"Your new equipment should've handled a Level 1 easily. Why are you all in such bad shape?" she asked.

"Because another pyrokinetic showed up—a stronger one."

"Is that so?"

Xia Luo landed lightly in front of George.

Without his nanotech suit, George didn't recognize him.

"And who are you supposed to be?"

"I'm the one and only invincible Spider-Man. Google me."

"There's only one invincible Spider-Man."

"That's me."

"Sure. Don't believe you."

"Check with the news networks."

"They verify Spider-Man identities?"

"No, but they could use a new host."

Xia Luo's attention shifted to the explosion site.

"Where's the Avengers team?"

George gestured toward a ruined building. "They're down there."

"That building's gone."

"They're underground. The pyrokinetic robbed a bank, and both we and S.H.I.E.L.D. were tracking him. Captain Carter led the strike team."

Hearing this, Gwen shook her head.

"George, you should've called me earlier. This is too dangerous."

George remained silent, unwilling to speak.

Gwen's symbiote-enhanced suit revealed her identity, and George didn't want his daughter tangled in mutant-related conflicts.

Xia Luo noticed George's hesitance but let it slide.

"You alerted Spider-Woman?" he asked.

"No. I did," George's portly partner admitted sheepishly, raising his hand.

Xia Luo shrugged. "Makes sense."

He turned back toward the trembling rubble, his gaze narrowing.

"Looks intense. I'm fired up—ow, ow, ow!"

Before he could finish, a strange flame licked out from the debris, attaching itself to his arm.

"Sh*t! What kind of fire is this?"

The searing pain burrowed into his very bones as Xia Luo desperately shook his arm, trying to extinguish the flame.

"I'll help!"

Gwen kicked open a fire hydrant, sending a torrent of water at him.

Whoosh!

Instead of dousing the flame, the water caused it to crawl up his entire arm.

"Damn it! It's clingier than Abby!"

With a surge of pain, Xia Luo's muscles swelled, his body unleashing a massive shockwave as his fist slammed into the ground.

The impact fractured the street, spiderweb cracks spreading outward.

Debris scattered as George and the officers retreated.

Finally, the strange flame dissipated from Xia Luo's arm.

"He really is Spider-Man!" one officer exclaimed.

"Why isn't he wearing his suit?"

"Bet he pawned it off after a gambling spree," another quipped.

Their astonishment turned to silence as the ruins collapsed further under Xia Luo's outburst.

Boom!

A massive cloud of dust billowed as Xia Luo launched into the air, diving into the debris with an electrified drill.

"Electro Spider Drill!"

Crash!

The drill burrowed deep underground, scattering rubble. Gwen prepared to follow.

"Wait! Don't go down there!" George pleaded, gripping her arm. "That thing is a demon. You could die!"

Gwen hesitated, then took a deep breath.

"Sorry. With great power comes great responsibility. You believed in that as Spider-Man. So do I."

"No, that was me. You're different."

"George, my father… we're the same. You taught me that."

"No!!"

Ignoring George's shout, Gwen leapt into the underground base.

---

The underground base was shrouded in darkness, its walls scarred with deep gouges and smeared with blood.

Scattered along the corridor were grotesque, pale corpses, their unsettling stillness hinting at something far worse.

Xia Luo crouched down, reaching out to touch one of the bodies. The moment his fingers brushed its surface, it disintegrated into ash.

"There's a burnt smell. Were they incinerated?" Gwen sniffed the air, her face contorted with confusion.

Xia Luo's gaze darkened. His thoughts lingered on the peculiar flames that had clung to his arm earlier.

"It's not just their bodies. Their souls were burned as well."

"S-Souls?"

Gwen's eyes widened in shock. "If that's the case, how did you escape unscathed?"

Xia Luo shrugged. "Beats me."

He rose and continued deeper into the passage.

As they progressed, the number of strange corpses increased, each more haunting than the last.

"Look! Over there—it's the Captain!" Gwen suddenly pointed at a figure buried under rubble, her voice trembling.

Xia Luo raised an eyebrow. "That's Johnny Storm."

He stepped forward, kicking away the debris to reveal Johnny, his body covered in scorch marks, his face blackened with soot. The Human Torch weakly lifted a hand, pointing further into the corridor.

"It's… it's a demon…"

With those strained words, his head slumped forward, seemingly lifeless.

Xia Luo sighed.

"Johnny, you're a hero," he said, gently closing Johnny's eyes.

The sound of faint snoring broke the silence.

Xia Luo: "..."

"He's not dead," Gwen whispered, leaning closer.

"I know. I just wanted to clean his face," Xia Luo replied flatly.

Before Gwen could respond, a thunderous crash echoed through the passage. Rubble flew as Ben Grimm, the Thing, was hurled at Xia Luo's feet.

"You bastard! I'll tear you apart!"

Ben roared furiously, pounding his chest before storming back into the depths of the corridor, completely ignoring the two Spider-People.

Xia Luo and Gwen exchanged a glance before hurrying after him.

The corridor opened into a massive underground fortress made of steel, littered with bodies.

Clang-clang-clang!

Metal shards gathered at the ceiling, forming an ominous cloud of floating steel.

Beneath this strange metallic storm stood Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) and Charles Xavier, encased in protective barriers of metal.

On the opposite side of the room, Peggy Carter and her team clustered together. They looked exhausted, their battle-worn suits tattered, bearing the marks of a grueling fight.

At the center of it all was a figure engulfed in terrifying flames.

The fire had consumed his flesh, leaving nothing but a skeletal frame. Strangely, the black leather jacket he wore remained intact, untouched by the inferno.

Boom!

The skeletal figure wielded a chain that ignited with eerie flames. The dangerous energy radiating from him kept all sides at bay, locked in a tense standoff.

With Ben Grimm's return, the stalemate remained unbroken.

"Is Spider-Man here?" Carter asked.

Ben scratched his head. "Didn't notice."

Hawkeye frowned. "You were shouting so loudly earlier. You should go first."

Ben shook his head vigorously. "No way. That was just for show—had to save face."

"Who were you trying to impress?"

"Uh… some guy and a girl."

"Not Spider-Man, then."

"Couldn't see properly. My eyes were full of dust."

Ben leaned toward Aleksei (Rhino), who stood nearby. "You go first."

Aleksei glared at him, his face dark. "My arm's busted. Can't you see that?"

Turning to Max (Electro), Ben tried again. "Alright, newbie. You're up. Gotta follow orders."

Max glanced at him, his electricity flickering faintly. "I only take orders from Captain Carter or Spider-Man."

Behind Carter, Harry Osborn clutched a vial of green serum, his expression conflicted.

"Captain, let me use this!"

"No," Carter said firmly. "The Goblin Serum hasn't been tested. It's too dangerous."

Reed Richards spoke up hesitantly. "Actually, we could give it a shot. I helped develop it."

Susan Storm shook her head. "That makes it even riskier."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Reed protested.

Susan sighed. "I know you too well. Your inventions are always… unpredictable."

"You don't know me at all!"

As tensions rose among the Avengers, Magneto and Xavier remained somber.

"They're fighting," Charles noted.

Magneto's gaze stayed fixed on the flaming skeleton. "Irrelevant. Our real problem is that thing."

Charles swallowed nervously. "He's immune to my psychic attacks. It's like his head is empty—no soul at all."

Magneto's expression darkened. "My powers don't work on him either. His flames warp my metal, turning it into his weapon."

"But he can't seem to kill us," Charles mused, recalling their earlier encounter.

The skeleton's fiery gaze had burned through Magneto's metal shields. When their eyes met, Charles had seen his entire life flash before him.

And then… nothing.

He was unharmed, while other mutants caught in the fire were reduced to hollow husks.

Why had he been spared?

The skeleton seemed to have achieved its goal.

Sure enough, the fiery figure swept his gaze across the room.

Without a word, he slung the chain over his shoulder, climbed onto a blazing Harley Davidson, and turned toward the exit.

"Enough for today. I've got work to do," he said.

With a deafening roar, the motorcycle ignited, leaving a trail of fire as it sped off into the distance.

All eyes followed the skeleton's departure, stunned by the sudden end of the fight.

As silence fell, attention shifted between the two opposing sides.

For a moment, both groups seemed to weigh whether to continue their battle.

---

Boom!

The corridor erupted as rubble scattered, and an electrified streak tore through the room, speeding toward the fiery trail.

"Spider-Man!" Max exclaimed, his face lighting up.

Carter frowned. "Charging in recklessly will get him killed."

"Follow him," she ordered, rallying her team.

---

T/N: released Genshin Impact: Strength Through Bonds

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