What happened next entirely subverted the expectations of Peter and Miguel—strictly speaking, things had already gone off script ever since Gwen showed up, but the subsequent events caught Peter even more off guard.
Having suffered a devastating blow, the Shathra Hive-Mother swiftly chose to fly away and retreat, attempting to leave this universe using a method that Peter couldn't quite fathom. However, the moment she made her move, Leopardon's sword flew across the sky, annihilating the Hive-Mother mid-air.
It was this very occurrence that caused Peter and Miguel to exchange a glance of sheer disbelief: a hitch had developed in their plans.
"Are you sure your previous method is going to work?"
"It absolutely works. We tried it once back in Limbo; repeatedly tearing through space is bound to draw the attention of the Spider-Deities. There's no way they would have zero interest in Shathra. Besides, you saw for yourself just how massive the portal used to transport Leopardon was."
Peter responded to Miguel in this manner, causing Miguel to knit his brows. By all accounts, the Spider-Deities should have arrived. Furthermore, as this place served as Shathra's temple and possessed the capability to create acolytes, Shathra herself ought to command immense power here, coupled with the fact that the Inheritors were capable of tracking Cindy's location.
In theory, what Miguel and Peter had been anticipating here was a grand, chaotic free-for-all involving the Spider-Deities vs. Shathra's Will vs. the Inheritor Family. Once those factions had weakened each other, they could rely on Leopardon to forge a temporary cooperation with the Spider-Deities. With the aid of Supreme Sorcerer Spider-Man's magic, they could permanently eliminate a few Inheritors—preventing their consciousness from transferring and reincarnating—and then suppress Shathra's will.
This plan could be described as high-risk, high-reward, as was always the case. But thanks to Peter's own exceptional ability to fight and flee, along with the sheer might of the Battle-Soul Divine Sword, Miguel had ultimately decided to take the gamble. Yet, absolutely nothing happened. The Inheritors did not show up, the Spider-Deities failed to appear, and even Shathra remained as silent as a corpse. Nothing happened at all.
Gwen looked at Peter and Miguel with a hint of bewilderment, asking somewhat uncertainly, "The trouble you guys are facing right now... it wouldn't happen to have something to do with me, would it?"
"No, no, no, it has nothing to do with you. It's just..."
For a moment, Peter didn't quite know how to articulate it, "It's just that something has clearly happened, but we are completely in the dark about it."
Earth-001, the world of the Inheritor Family.
A young lad with slicked-back hair, wearing sunglasses and a white, low-cut ruffled suit, was chewing on an unlit cigar. He had both of his legs resting casually on the steering wheel of a luxury convertible. If one ignored the fact that the spot where he parked his car happened to be the dining table of the Inheritor Family, perhaps Solus, the patriarch of the Inheritors, wouldn't be quite so tense.
But the reality was that this was precisely the dining hall of the Inheritor Family's castle. This spot was originally supposed to hold a banquet table laden with spider totems harvested from various universes, but all of a sudden, the entire table had vanished into thin air. It had been replaced by a young version of Elvis Presley sitting inside a convertible, with his own completely dazed son, Morlun, sitting in the back seat.
What made Solus even more nervous was the fact that Morlun had very nearly charged forward to challenge this young man.
Fortunately, Solus had held him back. Breaking out into a cold sweat, he looked at the interloper, "Respected... I am not entirely sure how I should address you?"
"Hmm... let me think. The place where I live is referred to by some as the Beyond-Realm, so I suppose that makes me the Beyonder... No, no, no, that makes me sound no different from those boring old fogies. I've got it! Since Earth-616 is known as the 'Prime Universe,' it is only natural that I should be the 'Prime Beyonder'!"
Solus did not comprehend the individual's terminology in the slightest, but an involuntary concept forced its way into his mind. It was said that beyond this multiverse, other dimensions existed, one of which was the Beyond-Dimension. Since the individual claimed to hail from the Beyond-Dimension, he naturally called himself the Beyonder.
"Respected 'Prime Beyonder'..."
"No, no, no, that name is still far too long. Just call me the Beyonder!" The Beyonder chewed on his unlit cigar. "I alone can represent my entire race."
"...Respected Lord Beyonder, may I ask what brings you to our world?"
Solus finally voiced the question, causing the Beyonder to look at him and break into a smile.
"Because an infant of our race chanced to be born within your multiverse, I decided to pay a visit to your multiverse along the way. After casually strolling through a few universes, I discovered that many things here are quite fascinating. For instance, practically every single universe I've visited features 'heroes' and 'villains.' They form a certain framework, or rather, they represent a balance of good and evil, wouldn't you say?"
As the Beyonder spoke, an introspective expression surfaced on his face, "Initially, I assumed that the vast majority of heroes and villains were merely characters born out of random chance. But later on, I realized that the roles of most superheroes and villains are actually fixed. Perhaps certain heroes might become villains in other universes, and perhaps the reverse is true as well. But taken as a whole, these characters, or rather these individuals themselves, do not undergo particularly drastic changes."
"They might belong to different eras, nationalities, races, or even species; their alignment might place them as villains or heroes, but under the vast majority of circumstances, they remain the corresponding counterparts of one another across different universes. Therefore, I am contemplating... what exactly are the so-called heroes and villains of your universe?"
Solus was somewhat dumbfounded. He had never once pondered this question. He had consumed many spider totems, the majority of whom were Peter Parkers, with the occasional Jessica Drew, Ben Reilly, Kaine Parker, or under rarer circumstances, individuals like Bruce Banner or Logan. But when faced with the Beyonder's query, he was utterly incapable of providing an answer.
"In that case..." Solus felt the sweat soaking his back even more heavily at this moment, "What conclusion have you arrived at?"
"I haven't arrived at any conclusion whatsoever. Therefore, I have decided to play a game. I shall host a tournament on a grand, omni-multiversal scale. Every universe that receives an invitation may organize a team of at least six individuals to participate. I wish to witness an ultimate showdown between heroes and villains. Perhaps through this, I will come to understand what heroes and villains truly are."
"You are in luck. I have decided to grant Earth-1—more accurately, to grant you—the authority to assemble a team. You may organize a roster of six participants to enter the contest. Needless to say, the ultimate victor of the tournament shall receive a reward: I can grant a single wish for the winner."
Having reached this point, the Beyonder stood up from within the convertible. Looking down at Solus, who was bowing before him, he withdrew his smile, "Therefore, before I officially commence this contest, could I trouble you all to halt your hunting? After all, your multiverse seems quite fond of utilizing various materials to create spiders."
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