Restart, Spider-Man!

Unfortunately, the Spider-Men could only imagine the invincible Xia Luo's strength through Scruffy Peter's descriptions.

Before Xia Luo could act, a temporal portal burst open above the shadowy monster. From the swirling void, a black-and-red Spider-Man shot out, firing luminous webbing that coiled tightly around the massive creature.

"Peter, stop this madness!"

The new arrival landed with a thunderous crash. The red particle cloak trailing behind him dissipated, revealing the glowing red spider emblem emblazoned on his chest.

It was Miguel O'Hara of the Spider Society!

Buzz.

In an instant, the light from Miguel's suit dimmed. He yanked on the luminous webbing, causing the shadowy monster to roar and thrash violently.

Snap! Snap!

The webs shattered under the immense force. Without missing a beat, Miguel hurled a strange device into the fray.

Buzz!

BOOM!

White gas erupted from the device, spreading rapidly throughout the hall. The monster's piercing screams echoed through the tower.

"Aaaghhh!"

Hrrghhh...

The monstrous shadow's cries grew weaker by the second. The gas rippled gently, and the enormous beast collapsed with a thunderous thud. It dissolved into a pool of black sludge that seeped into the floor.

As the dark liquid dried, the Spider-Men it had consumed reappeared.

"Huh? What just happened to us?"

"We got eaten by a monster."

"No, it was that lunatic! He went berserk!"

"It was Miguel who saved us! He's back!"

"Of course, only the strongest Spider-Man could handle this."

A wave of awe and gratitude swept through the crowd as the Spider-Men gathered around Miguel, showering him with thanks.

Meanwhile, Xia Luo quietly bent down and picked up the black meteorite. He examined it curiously.

"What was that thing?" he asked Takuya Yamashiro.

Takuya shrugged. "No idea. Probably one of his secret weapons."

"That's a special substance from another universe," Miguel explained as he pushed through the crowd toward Xia Luo. "It's highly effective against symbiotes."

Hearing this, Xia Luo's expression turned skeptical. A substance that suppresses symbiotes?

He couldn't help but wonder if Miguel had prepared this as a contingency plan against other Spider-Men.

Though Miguel's explanation seemed plausible, Xia Luo couldn't shake the feeling that Miguel was more dangerous than he let on.

As Xia Luo studied him, Miguel was also sizing up Xia Luo.

"I've heard about you, Xia Luo Parker. Peter said you're incredibly strong. I admire a Spider-Man who can take down Kingpin with a single punch."

Miguel extended his hand, and Xia Luo shook it briefly.

"I've heard of you too. Your suit is cool."

Miguel paused, waiting for Xia Luo to reciprocate the compliment.

But Xia Luo had no intention of engaging in mutual flattery.

"It's getting late. I need to head home and take in the laundry," Xia Luo said casually.

Summoning his golden mini-spider, Xia Luo opened a portal, only to be stopped by Miguel.

"Wait, you're not here to join us?" Miguel asked, clearly puzzled.

He glanced at Takuya, who threw up his hands in a gesture of helplessness.

"Don't look at me. I have no idea what's going on either," Takuya said.

Miguel's confusion deepened, but Xia Luo offered a simple explanation.

"This place isn't what I imagined. I've lost interest, so no, I'm not joining."

His tone was matter-of-fact.

When Xia Luo first heard about the Spider Society headquarters, he had been intrigued.

But after arriving, he found the organization's management shockingly lax.

Gathering so many Spider-Men in one place seemed pointless.

Whether it was the scene in the movies where Miles Morales was intercepted or the chaotic response to the shadow monster just now, the Spider-Men's collective performance had been disappointing.

Instead of joining Miguel's Spider Society, Xia Luo figured it'd be better to form his own team. At least with trusted allies, there would be less chance of someone messing things up at critical moments.

And more importantly, having so many Spider-Men together only increased the likelihood of unexpected disasters.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, the spider emblem on Xia Luo's chest began to glow.

From across the room, a female Spider-Man was inexplicably drawn to him. Her instincts overrode her reason, and she lunged toward Xia Luo.

"No, Kelly, what are you doing?! You just accepted my confession!" a nearby Spider-Man shouted.

"I can't help it! He's too attractive! I need to—"

"Stop her!"

Seeing this, Miguel immediately ordered the others to restrain her.

When Miguel turned back to Xia Luo, his gaze was fixed on the overlapping spider emblems glowing on Xia Luo's chest.

"Your spider totems... so many of them! How is that even possible?" Miguel exclaimed.

Xia Luo shrugged. "Yeah, it's a lot. I earned them with my life."

"Alright, enough talk. I'm leaving for real this time."

"Wait!" Miguel called out, his tone urgent. "I've discovered a strange family targeting Spider-Men. I need your help."

"Find them first, then contact me," Xia Luo replied flatly.

"You—"

Miguel could only watch helplessly as Xia Luo disappeared through the golden portal.

"He seems… difficult to deal with," Miguel remarked, turning to Takuya Yamashiro.

Takuya scratched his head. "Really? I don't think so. He's actually a great Spider-Man."

Miguel pondered for a moment. "Does he have some kind of power to sense unusual things?"

"Unusual things?"

Takuya shook his head. "I wouldn't know."

"It's nothing. Just something I heard," Miguel murmured, dismissing the thought.

Miguel had heard of Xia Luo Parker in another universe. An invincible Spider-Man with incredible strength and surprising abilities. Unfortunately, he didn't seem interested in joining the Spider Society.

Miguel sighed. "Never mind. There will be another chance someday."

With that, he tapped his wrist device, activating a portal that spat out a figure wrapped tightly in webs.

"Let me go, you idiot! Do you even know who I am? I'm the best friend of the invincible Spider-Man! Messing with me is a one-way ticket to a beating!"

Miguel glanced down at the man lying on the floor, shouting profanities, while Takuya looked on in confusion.

"Who's this?" Takuya asked.

"Harry Osborn from another universe," Miguel explained. "In his original timeline, both he and his father were supposed to be dead. But for some reason, he's still alive. So is his father. And it's not just them—there are others in the same situation.

"I brought him here to figure out why."

"What's your plan?"

"I'll investigate further and bring all of them here if necessary. Otherwise, that world might collapse due to the changes in its history."

Hearing this, Takuya was momentarily stunned.

"The Spider Society handles things like this too?"

"Of course," Miguel replied, carrying Harry toward the interdimensional prison. "The Spider Society exists to protect the Great Web of Life and Destiny from being destroyed.

"Spider-Men are destined for solitude. Our loved ones, our friends—they all die in accidents because of us.

"And when we try to change that fate, rewriting destiny, it damages the Web of Life and can cause entire worlds to collapse."

Following behind, Takuya couldn't help but think of his own parents and friends.

The fate of a Spider-Man was truly tragic.

It was why he had left his own universe without hesitation—to prevent harm from befalling the people he cared about.

The Iron Cross Army's threat was gone, but there would always be new dangers. He couldn't afford to gamble with their lives.

His parents had already been killed by the Iron Cross Army. Now, only Shinko and Takuji remained.

Meanwhile, Harry's tirade came to an abrupt halt in Miguel's grasp.

For the first time, Harry was hearing about this grim reality.

Spider-Men were destined to be alone. Everyone close to them would die.

And suddenly, it all made sense.

His best friend, after becoming Spider-Man, had always been distant.

Every gathering ended with his friend leaving in a rush. They no longer shared their favorite games or talked about the prettiest girls at school.

Harry had thought their bond was fading.

But every time they met, it felt like nothing had changed—they were still best friends.

The push-and-pull dynamic was strange, leaving Harry both frustrated and confused.

He had wanted to confront his friend about it many times but ultimately chose to respect his distance.

He had always suspected there was a deeper reason.

Now he understood how serious it was.

No wonder his friend had been avoiding Mary Jane.

This was the real reason.

He endured all of this alone, without saying a word.

And he still calls me his best friend?

The thought ignited a surge of anger in Harry.

"That bastard! If I ever see him again, I swear I'll beat the crap out of him! Then I'll shove it back in and pee on his head! And then, I'll pour his favorite juice down the drain right in front of him!"

Harry's outburst startled both Miguel and Takuya.

"What's wrong with him?" Takuya asked, baffled.

Miguel considered for a moment. "Maybe it's a hereditary condition acting up."

"My condition was cured ages ago!" Harry snapped, glaring at Miguel. "And I'm telling you, let me go, or my friend will beat you so badly you'll be begging for mercy!"

Miguel shook his head, unfazed by the threat.

"I know your friend is Spider-Man, but unfortunately, very few Spider-Men are a match for me—"

Before he could finish, a golden portal shimmered into existence.

Emerging from the light, Xia Luo stepped out, his expression unreadable.

"I went back for a moment and found out you'd been to my world and taken someone I know. Is that true?"

Xia Luo's gaze landed on Harry, restrained in Miguel's grasp. "To confirm whether you're the Harry I know, tell me our secret code."

Harry scowled. "There is no code!"

Hearing this, Miguel relaxed.

"If there's no code, then he's not your friend."

Miguel had overlooked one detail—he didn't know who the Spider-Man of that world was. But it didn't matter now. It clearly wasn't Xia Luo's universe.

After all, Harry had admitted as much himself.

If he truly was Xia Luo's friend, there would have been an inevitable fight for him.

But Miguel's relief was short-lived.

"Congratulations, Harry," Xia Luo said, a faint smile playing on his lips. "You've just said our secret code. You are my friend. I'm taking you home now."

Turning to Miguel, Xia Luo extended his hand. "Hand him over."

Miguel's face darkened. "He didn't say the code. You're mistaken."

"He didn't say it wrong," Xia Luo replied. "The code is 'there is no code.'"

Takuya gasped, covering his mouth in shock. "What an obscure code!"

Miguel frowned. "Fine, even if he's your friend, you must know why I brought him here."

"I can guess. But I don't care," Xia Luo said with a shrug.

Miguel took a deep breath, his piercing gaze locking onto Xia Luo.

"Xia Luo Parker, for the sake of the Web of Life and Destiny, I can't let you take Harry. It's for everyone's good."

Xia Luo smirked, stretching and cracking his knuckles in preparation for battle.

"That's not how you protect the Web of Life and Destiny. Besides, before you started meddling, my universe was doing just fine—no signs of collapse."

Miguel's eyes narrowed, his red spider emblem glowing ominously. He wasn't going to hand Harry over.

"You don't understand. I once tried to resist too. But in the end, I couldn't save my daughter. I could only watch her die in front of me, and I caused the deaths of countless others.

"Accepting a Spider-Man's fate is better for everyone—it spares innocent lives."

Miguel tossed Harry to a nearby Spider-Man, activating his laser claws.

Xia Luo chuckled, summoning a magical spider from thin air.

"Your story's tragic, sure. But I can't sympathize. Because, thanks to my efforts, everyone I care about is still okay. Well… mostly okay."

Raising his hand, Xia Luo allowed the magical spider to bite him.

Buzz.

Under the stunned gazes of the gathered Spider-Men, Xia Luo's suit was engulfed in dazzling magical energy, radiating a dangerous aura.

"Oh my God, what is that?"

"Is that… magic?"

"That suit just got even cooler!"

"I can feel his power—it's as strong as Miguel's!"

"Wait, Peter said he was strong, didn't he?"

"Did I say that?"

"I didn't."

"Neither did I."

"I think it was that Peter in flip-flops."

"Knew it wasn't me."

As the crowd buzzed with anticipation, Xia Luo stepped forward.

"Friendly advice: the Web of Life and Destiny isn't what you think it is. A bunch of vampires have hijacked it. Spider-Men's destinies? Probably their doing. You might want to focus on that."

"What?" Miguel's composure wavered for the first time.

"No way. A group of Morbiuses taking over the Web? Impossible."

"Not Morbius. The Inheritor family—the ones hunting Spider-Men."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"Looks like we can't talk this out," Xia Luo said, his blue-glowing eyes shifting to blood-red.

"All at once or one-on-one? I'm in a hurry."

"What?"

The gathered Spider-Men whispered among themselves, while Miguel's response caught Xia Luo off guard.

"I'm not sure if I can beat you. But you're not taking Harry."

At Miguel's words, the other Spider-Men stepped forward, clearly ready to back him up if necessary.

At least, that was the appearance.

Takuya and Scruffy Peter, however, remained firmly in Xia Luo's corner.

"Go get him, Spider-Man! A man who defies the world for his friend!" Takuya cheered.

Meanwhile, Harry, overwhelmed with emotion, burst into tears.

"This is so moving! But can you get off my hand? You're stepping on it."

Takuya: "..."

---

Ahem! Esteemed audience, gather closer! You stand in the presence of brilliance, the likes of which Fontaine has never seen! Truly, you're witnessing a masterpiece in motion, a living legend in the making, an—

Oh! But wait! Where was I? Right, me! As you all know, such brilliance doesn't manifest from nothing! It takes effort, dedication, and a sprinkling of your… oh, how shall I put it? Generosity! If you desire to be immortalized alongside my unparalleled splendor, do step forward here: [patreon.com/WiseTL].

And yet, I must ask: why do mortals so often hesitate to seize an opportunity like this? I mean, really, supporting me is tantamount to—oh! Imagine if I personally rewrote every law in Fontaine! The brilliance! The upheaval! The dramatic courtroom soliloquies! And naturally, I'd—

"Furina, enough. The audience is here for the translations, not your Fontaine fantasy chronicles."

Wait, Wise! I wasn't done captivating them!

"You've captivated them plenty. Now, mortals, if you wish to contribute to something truly extraordinary, the link is there. Support and bask in the glory of my—"

—our—

"my hard work."

Hmph! Fine! But I'm still the true star of this end note. Obviously.

— Furina ✨ (reluctantly sharing the stage with Wise 👑)