Restart, Spider-Man!

[You have been eliminated. No revival slot awarded. Strength +1 Ton.]

[44 resets remaining. Restart?]

Restart!

Third Revival Tournament.

On the roof of the Empire State Building, beneath the antenna tower—

As soon as the countdown ended, Xia Luo dialed Carter's communicator.

"Carter, it's me."

"Xia Luo, I was just about to tell you—"

"I already know," Xia Luo cut her off, getting straight to the point. "Keep the energy reserves in the dragon bone fossils. I'll need them."

On the other end, Carter frowned.

"If we don't use them, Old Man Steve and I won't be able to get to Bleeker Street in time. We can't save your friends."

"It doesn't matter."

Carter fell silent, but beside her, Old Man Steve looked thoughtful.

"Little Spider wants to have all his loved ones with him for the revival tournament," he joked to the communicator. "But remember, kid, elders first—you can't leave me behind."

Xia Luo sighed. "Just do as I say. Head to Hell's Kitchen and bring Harry with you."

"Understood."

With that, Carter and her group made their way toward Hell's Kitchen.

Meanwhile, Xia Luo leapt off the skyscraper and glided toward the same destination.

Wade's teleportation device was too unreliable; Professor X was his best bet.

As he passed the TV station, a streak of green light caught his eye.

"Norman?"

Changing course, Xia Luo used his webs to zip down instantly. This time, his timing was more flexible.

Inside the station, the Green Goblin was rampaging through the halls, leaving chaos in his wake and prompting panicked screams from the staff.

"No… it can't be!!"

"It's the Green Goblin! How can this be? He's supposed to be dead!"

"Oh, God, a demon has crawled out of hell!"

Green flames trailing from his hoverboard, Norman laughed maniacally as he sped down the corridor.

"Hahaha! This is my world! I'm back! The terrifying demon has returned!!"

Cackling wildly, he crashed through the studio doors.

"Oh, hell!"

J. Jonah Jameson, who had been rehearsing his speech, froze as the Green Goblin burst in. His eyes went wide with dread, a sense of impending doom settling over him.

BAM!

Norman steered his hoverboard into the wall, then leapt off, seizing a trembling technician by the collar.

"Spider-Man is Xia Luo Parker, a student at Empire University and a kid from Queens."

"W-what did you say?"

The terrified technician's legs were shaking too much for him to fully process the words.

Norman sneered, tilting his head. "I'll only say it once. Announce it to everyone. If you don't, I'll kill everyone here!"

"W-what?"

The words finally registered with the technician, and his face turned ghostly pale. He turned to the other employees and yelled, "Quick, do as he says!"

"No, you can't!"

Summoning her courage, Betty exclaimed, "If Spider-Man's identity is exposed, he'll be in danger!"

"Oh-ho, a superfan of Spider-Man, are we?"

Norman tossed the technician aside and eyed Betty with a wicked grin.

"Perfect. Since you're willing to stand up to a demon for Spider-Man, you'll be the first to die."

He raised his hand, a gleaming blade catching the light.

"Wait!"

Just as Norman prepared to strike, Jameson forced himself to step forward, standing protectively in front of Betty.

"Mr. Demon, I'm J. Jonah Jameson, editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle. You've probably heard of me. I'm no fan of Spider-Man either—I'd be glad to help you."

Jameson extended his hand warmly to Norman and even offered him a cigar.

"Relax, I'll handle everything."

Momentarily thrown off by the charm, Norman took the cigar and stuffed it into his mask's mouth slit.

"I guess you're a fan of mine." He smirked.

"Of course! Spider-Man's enemies are my heroes," Jameson replied, lighting Norman's cigar.

Then he spun around and barked orders at Betty.

"Well? Bring a chair over! We can't have Mr. Demon standing!"

Betty: "???"

When she didn't move and everyone else cowered in corners, Jameson huffed and grabbed a chair himself.

As he passed Betty, he muttered, "Relax, your brother-in-law can handle this."

Then he set the chair down for Norman and ordered the crew to start broadcasting.

"Good evening, dear viewers. I'm J. Jonah Jameson of the Daily Bugle, and I have some shocking news for you—"

In no time, the broadcast finished, and Spider-Man's unmasking rocked the entire city.

"Hahaha, excellent! Xia Luo Parker, your end is here!!"

Norman laughed maniacally and then, without warning, seized Jameson by the collar, yanking him close.

"Mr. Demon, we're allies! We both hate Spider-Man, so… what's this about?" Jameson's smile froze.

Norman tilted his head, his demonic golden eyes gleaming with evil.

"Editor-in-chief, I told you to reveal Xia Luo Parker's identity to everyone. I didn't tell you to warn Spider-Man to protect his loved ones. You betrayed me."

"What?"

The crew, who had looked down on Jameson's actions, now shifted their gazes, eyes filled with horror and sympathy.

Betty, feeling guilty, looked away.

"Sorry, brother-in-law. I misjudged you…"

"Oh, crap, don't let them know that!" Jameson exclaimed, but just as the blade swung toward his neck—

"NO!"

Boom!

Before Norman's blade could make contact, a red and blue figure zipped across the room, slamming into the Green Goblin and crashing him into the wall.

THUD

Norman vanished beneath the rubble as Xia Luo landed and clapped Jameson on the shoulder.

"Hey, so you're a fan, huh? I forgive you."

"Spider-Man!"

Everyone's faces lit up with joy as they saw him arrive just in time.

Even Jameson looked stunned, but quickly masked it with a sneer.

"I'm an adult and the editor-in-chief of the Bugle. There's no way I'm a fan of some punk from Queens—don't flatter yourself."

Xia Luo clasped his hands to his face, his mask's eyes widening in mock shock.

"Is that so? You're just so inspired by me, you don't even realize it! I'm touched. Next time, I'll let you have an exclusive interview."

"Really?"

Jameson's eyes brightened before he quickly coughed and forced a scowl.

"Fine, since you saved everyone, I suppose I could do the interview. Don't be late."

"No problem."

With that, Xia Luo tapped his chest, and his body was enveloped in blue electricity. With Norman in tow, he disappeared from the studio.

As the electric arc vanished, Jameson put his cigar back in his mouth, beaming with pride.

"Hahaha! You all saw that, right? Spider-Man begged for me to interview him. I only agreed as a favor."

Betty rolled her eyes. "Brother-in-law, you…"

"Hey, don't call me that!"

---

Stark Tower

"Zzzzt…!"

Bam!

A defeated Norman, stripped of his armor, was tossed to the ground. Humiliated, he glared up at Xia Luo with a mix of fury and desperation.

"Xia Luo Parker, you bastard! Give me back my underwear!!" He knelt there, hands covering his lower half, his face flushed with shame.

Xia Luo thought for a moment. "The wind was really strong—it blew it away."

"Need a bedsheet?" Pepper leaned in from the doorway, raising a brow. "Don't worry, older men aren't really my type," she added, as if to reassure Norman.

Norman's face went black as he turned away in silence.

Pepper just shrugged. She knew who Norman Osborn was; she'd heard he was Harry's father.

But… hadn't he died?

Keeping her expression calm, she buried her shock and addressed Xia Luo. "Tony's still not back yet. You might have to wait."

"No need. I won't be long."

Xia Luo's gaze scanned the lab, finally settling on a vial of green serum encased in a glass display.

It was the antidote to the genetic serum he'd asked Tony to prepare.

With a flick of his web, Xia Luo grabbed the vial, firmly injecting it into the back of Norman's neck.

"No!!"

As the syringe emptied, the antidote began swiftly neutralizing the mutated cells in Norman's body.

Within seconds, his muscles shrank back to normal, and the mania and confusion faded from his eyes, leaving only a dazed bewilderment.

"W-what happened…?"

He turned, seeing "Spider-Man" standing before him, and memories surged back like a flood.

"No!!"

His eyes went wide. "What have I done?!"

"No… I killed people… I did so many horrible things! My Harry, my company… Xia Luo, tell me this isn't real!!"

He collapsed to his knees, sobbing with regret, leaving Pepper watching in surprise.

"What exactly did he do?" she asked Xia Luo.

Xia Luo shrugged. "He cursed me out earlier. Guess he's feeling remorse now."

Pepper: "…"

Xia Luo didn't elaborate. Grabbing Norman, he vanished in another flash of blue electricity.

The antidote had worked, making things easier going forward.

Even if the Green Goblin was already outdated, it was worth removing one opponent from the revival tournament.

"Zzzzt…"

Moments later, on a rooftop, Xia Luo checked the time.

"This should be the place."

His gaze scanned the chaotic street below, then he swung off toward a nearby apartment building.

Soon, he found Logan and Professor X in an empty, long-abandoned room.

The moment Xia Luo materialized in a flash of electricity, Logan spun around, claws at the ready.

"Who's there?!"

"Just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."

The electricity faded as Xia Luo spread his hands. "You planning to join Team Spider?"

At the sight of Spider-Man, Logan finally relaxed.

"Of course… but Professor's not in good shape," he admitted.

Turning, he glanced at Professor X, asleep on a bed, his face tense. "He might end up causing you guys trouble."

"No problem. He already caused a bit of that," Xia Luo replied with a grin.

---

Hell's Kitchen—One Hour Later

Inside Kingpin's Villa

As Logan wheeled him into the room, the bald-headed old man in the chair was just barely conscious, his gaze flickering with recognition as he looked up at Xia Luo.

"While I still remember who you all are… tell me what it is I can help with." Professor X's back was bent, and he spoke in a faint, gravelly voice, his eyes barely able to focus on Xia Luo.

Xia Luo gestured for Carter to retrieve the dragon-bone fossil.

"This will temporarily restore your youth. Once you're younger, I need you to use your abilities to help me find Madame Gao," Xia Luo explained. He thought for a moment, then added, "And if there's any way to stop the artificial sun experiments from going haywire, that would be even better."

Professor X's brows furrowed at the request, while Carter and the others exchanged glances.

"One person can fix a global crisis?" Carter's voice was skeptical.

Lizard-Parker shook his head. "Unless he's, what, a god?"

Old Man Steve looked contemplative. "He's definitely not an Asgardian god. Those guys get stronger with age; getting younger for them just means losing strength."

Xia Luo didn't elaborate, keeping his gaze fixed on Professor X, waiting for an answer.

Finally, Professor X took a deep breath, his smile faint but bitter.

"Spider-Man… have you ever considered what would happen if mutants—no, I mean if superheroes—could really intervene in world wars? Do you understand what that would lead to?"

Xia Luo nodded. "They'd become the world's enemies. It would ignite a war between humans and superhumans. Humanity wouldn't allow beings that powerful to exist unchecked."

The room grew tense as everyone took in the implication.

Old Man Steve nodded, his face troubled. "It's true. Superheroes are uncontrollable. Laws barely affect us, and morality… morality is too weak a leash. After the Civil War, Wanda's breakdown began to show humans just how dangerous we are. I don't know exactly what happened after that, but I can imagine the divide only grew wider, until it eventually erupts."

"In my world, that war already came and went," Logan said, his face blank.

Professor X sighed, looking resigned. "I'd long wanted to create a world where mutants and humans could live in harmony. But as you can see… I failed." He glanced at Xia Luo, his expression grave. "So I'm sorry—I can't help with the artificial sun. If I intervene in something so huge, it could push humanity and superheroes past the point of no return. I can only help you find people."

Xia Luo didn't look disappointed; he nodded in understanding. "That's more than enough. Thank you."

Professor X's smile was faint but appreciative. "I have a feeling that even without me, you'd find a way to save the world, yet again."

"Oh, absolutely," Xia Luo replied with a grin. "I just wanted to let you feel involved. Age inclusivity and all that."

Professor X: "…"

Old Man Steve: "…"

Beside him, Carter stood up. "I'll go find some people and let them temporarily rejuvenate."

"No need. I have one right here." Xia Luo grinned and abruptly shot a web outside the window.

Thwip!

"Wow, so soft and smooth—uh, the webbing, I mean."

The web snapped taut and reeled in Wade, who tumbled into the room, looking around in confusion.

"Oh, hey… I think I know you guys from somewhere?"

"What are you doing here?" Logan asked, his face expressionless.

Wade gestured to a device strapped to his waist. "I got bored, so I fiddled with the teleporter—and boom! It worked this time!" He held up his right hand. "Only cost me one middle finger!"

Xia Luo: "…"

He couldn't help but recall their last… unpleasant experience with Wade's teleporter.

"Alright, let's get started," he announced, nodding to Carter, who handed out the dragon-bone fossils to Logan, Professor X, and Old Man Steve.

"You get ten minutes. Make it count," Xia Luo reminded them.

Old Man Steve looked thoughtful. "And what exactly am I supposed to do with my youth?" he asked.

Xia Luo gave him a side-eye. "Help me get pizza and juice."

"You could just order delivery," Old Man Steve muttered, his face dark.

"You're faster than delivery."

---

T/N: I guess he's not planning on saving everyone rn just trying to see if he can actually stop Hydra first

Oh, hey there, Traveler! 🍃 My friend here is the one bringing these stories to you—quite the talent, wouldn't you agree? If anything feels off, just give them a nudge—they're always happy to make things even better.

Now, don't forget to take a moment to rest! Grab a drink (perhaps something as refreshing as Mondstadt's finest), and let the stories whisk you away.

Oh, and if you're feeling generous, you could check out [patreon.com/WiseTL]. Supporting them is like throwing a coin to your favorite bard—it keeps the magic flowing!

Here's to more adventures and endless inspiration~ 🎵