Restart, Spider-Man!

The moment the robot shattered, the ghost engine above the conference hall activated instantly.

Vrrmm~

As space warped, the dark portal began to distort and collapse. Simultaneously, the dark magic array within the conference hall crumbled under the spatial distortion.

The dark tendrils dissipated, and seizing the moment of Dark Stephen's surprise, Jor-El slipped into the hidden door within the hall.

"You can't escape."

Losing a key target due to his negligence, Dark Stephen's expression darkened.

Because of the ghost engine's effects, he couldn't open a portal. Instead, he formed hand seals and unleashed a dark whirlwind, propelling himself in pursuit of Jor-El's path.

With Dark Stephen fixated on Jor-El, Zod felt reassured.

"He doesn't have time to activate the defense systems. Find the other elders. If they refuse, then we'll simply…"

He glanced at Faora, who nodded knowingly before leading a squad of soldiers toward the elders' quarters.

As Faora moved through the complex architecture, Xia Luo silently memorized the map.

Boom!!

Before Faora and her team could breach the elders' residence, a familiar commotion erupted from the floor above. A figure crashed through the ceiling and landed heavily before them.

"Jor-El?"

Glaring at the disheveled Jor-El, Faora's brow furrowed.

Meanwhile, Xia Luo fixed his gaze on the dark sorcerer descending through the hole in the ceiling, frowning slightly.

How long can this guy's dark magic sustain itself?

It was a critical piece of information.

After some thought, Xia Luo concluded that they had gathered enough intel for now.

This is a good chance to test Dark Stephen's limits. The next reset will be a lot easier.

As he weighed his options, Dark Stephen swept his hand, summoning dark tendrils. But due to the ghost engine's spatial interference, the summoned tendrils appeared irregular and deformed.

Seeing this, Xia Luo's mind churned.

So most of Dark Stephen's dark magic is space-based. The ghost engine really is the perfect counter to him.

As the dark tendrils extended and threatened to engulf Jor-El, Xia Luo deactivated the Pym Particle assistance without hesitation.

Vrrmm~

In a flash of light, Faora's eyes caught a glimpse of red and blue streaking past. An enormous creature, unlike anything she'd seen before, appeared before her in the blink of an eye.

"Is that…a bug?" She blinked in confusion.

Zzt zzt~

Electric arcs flickered across the spider-suit as Xia Luo transformed into a streak of lightning, weaving through the dark tendrils and pulling Jor-El out of their encroaching grasp.

Boom!!

The dark tendrils struck the ground with a heavy crash, cracking the golden floor beneath them. Xia Luo casually pushed the stunned Jor-El aside.

"Mr. Stephen, you should be thanking me. If I hadn't stepped in, you would've already defeated Mr. Jor-El."

At Xia Luo's words, Dark Stephen froze for a moment.

He's right. If he defeated Jor-El, he'd only secure one revival spot, which would cost him any chance at participating in the first mission.

Still, Dark Stephen had no intention of thanking the annoying bug in front of him.

"Damn bug. You've shown up after all."

Dark Stephen sneered and turned to Faora.

"Bring the outsiders from the prison here. I want to see what choice this bug will make."

Hearing this, Faora frowned.

"Using hostages to threaten your enemies isn't what a warrior should do."

"I'm a sorcerer, not a warrior," Dark Stephen retorted.

Faora: "…"

Xia Luo gave him a thumbs-up. "Looks like you finally learned how to play the revival game. Too bad you'll have to play with me first before your hostages arrive."

With that, lightning flickered once more. Dark Stephen summoned his dark tendrils again, thrashing them wildly in all directions.

Bang bang bang!!

Rumble~~

The tendrils whipped through the air, wreaking havoc and leaving chaos in their wake.

Amid the flying debris, Xia Luo—encased in flickering arcs—darted toward Dark Stephen.

Zzt zzt~

Boom!!

A dark shield erupted with a faint glow, shattering the incoming electric arc instantly.

"You can't escape," Dark Stephen sneered, forming hand seals to unleash the Mirror Dimension.

Crack crack~

Under the influence of mysterious forces, the surrounding space began twisting rapidly, threatening to absorb everything into a dimensional field.

But as the ghost engine continued its interference, the warped space exposed cracks and distortions.

Seeing this, Xia Luo swung on his web, darting out of the dimension through an opening that hadn't yet sealed shut.

"Oh dear, Mr. Sorcerer, your magic is getting rusty. Haven't been eating enough Voldemort lately, huh?"

Before Xia Luo could finish mocking him, nearby soldiers opened fire with plasma energy cannons.

"Damn!"

Vrrmm~~

Xia Luo swung through the air, weaving between the energy blasts using his webs.

However, the spatial interference from the ghost engine also disrupted his webbing accuracy.

So…

Misjudging the distance, Xia Luo was struck square in the chest by an energy blast, his body flung backward into the golden wall.

Boom!

"Ow! That hurts—I'm dying…wait, huh?"

As fragments of the wall crumbled around him, Xia Luo touched the singed spider emblem on his chest, scratching his head in confusion.

"Haha, almost forgot, I'm not who I used to be…"

Before he could finish, dark tendrils came whipping toward him again.

"Let me finish talking, will you?!"

Electric arcs erupted as Xia Luo dodged the tendrils. The red-and-blue vibranium suit glowed faintly, storing kinetic energy that he unleashed to forcefully break through the tendril encirclement. He shot toward Jor-El.

"The ghost engine can only warp space for a few seconds, right?" he asked.

Jor-El, adjusting the device in his hands, kept his eyes locked on the dark sorcerer.

"I stumbled upon this guy's weakness by accident, so I lowered the engine's power to maintain its initial spatial distortion and extended its range. By the way, what should I call you?"

Realizing his slip, Jor-El quickly teleported away in a flicker of lightning.

"Why don't you just open a space jump and get out of here?" Xia Luo muttered, pulling back his mask.

"I'm Spider-Man—your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."

"Neighborhood?"

Jor-El frowned. There are no habitable planets near Krypton.

"It's just a metaphor."

With that, Xia Luo tossed Jor-El aside. "Activate the space jump and get out of here!" he shouted.

"It can't lock onto moving targets, and it needs time to charge."

Flung through the air, Jor-El crashed into a golden pillar, sliding to the ground with his face scraping along its side.

Xia Luo facepalmed.

"Alright, that's on me for not asking earlier."

Dodging another wave of dark tendrils, Xia Luo could tell that Dark Stephen's magic reserves were clearly weakening.

By his estimate, Dark Stephen could only maintain high-intensity combat for about an hour.

With the ghost engine limiting his space-based magic, Xia Luo's odds of victory improved significantly.

Before he could exhaust Dark Stephen's energy further, soldiers finally brought Tony out of the prison.

"Xia Luo! You finally came to rescue me!" Tony exclaimed in delight.

Xia Luo's expression darkened. "Look around. Do I look like I want to rescue you?"

With that, he raised his hand and conjured a magical circle. Sparks of magic flashed as his form vanished instantly.

"He knows magic too?"

Watching Xia Luo disappear, Dark Stephen frowned.

This complicates things.

With his power limited and the slippery Spider-Man on the loose, it would be difficult to secure the two revival slots he needed.

But with Jor-El still in his grasp, he still had a chance.

Abandoning the chase for the elusive Spider-Man, Dark Stephen grabbed Jor-El by the collar.

"Tell me where Kal-El is. Take me to him."

"I won't—fine, I'll take you."

Jor-El, who had initially resolved to resist until death, suddenly changed his stance. Compliant, he led Dark Stephen toward the Gene Chamber where the Codex was stored.

Near his ear, Xia Luo's tiny voice whispered, "Perfect. As long as you lure him into a sealed space, I'll take care of the guy."

Just like before, Xia Luo managed to conjure sparks of magic, though full teleportation was impossible. Instead, he used Pym Particles to shrink himself, creating the illusion of teleporting away in the dimly lit space and quietly climbing onto Jor-El's body.

To Xia Luo's surprise, Jor-El actually agreed to his plan.

Looks like Spider-Man's charm really is something special.

As for Tony...

Dark Stephen, upon seeing him, was immediately filled with rage.

During the previous revival match, it was this guy's Knowledge Stone that caused Dark Stephen to momentarily forget his spells. What followed was a humiliating group beatdown by a bunch of dishonorable opponents—a blemish he could never live down.

Now that Tony was of no further use, Dark Stephen summoned dark tendrils and devoured him on the spot.

Xia Luo watched helplessly, pained to the core.

He had been pinched tightly by Jor-El's collar.

Pain. Too painful!

Not long after, they arrived at the Gene Chamber where the Codex was stored.

At that moment, the Codex was dispersing into radiant streams of light, flowing into the body of a swaddled infant.

The dark doors creaked open, and Dark Stephen's group entered just in time to witness the scene.

"The Codex!"

Faora gasped in shock. "Stop this immediately!"

The Codex was Krypton's only chance of survival. Without it, the planet had no future.

She prepared to rush forward to intervene, but Dark Stephen frowned, visibly annoyed.

"Annoying woman."

Summoning dark tendrils, he bound Faora in place before stepping forward, his eyes fixed on the strange scene unfolding before him.

"Where is Kal-El?"

Dark Stephen asked Jor-El, though his gaze lingered on the infant.

Jor-El let out a heavy sigh. He stepped forward, gently lifting the baby into his arms.

"This is Kal—my son. A naturally born child. If they discovered him, I would have no way to keep him safe, so I had to hide him."

At those words, Dark Stephen's face lit up with elation.

"Haha, Kal-El! So Superman—Clark—is still just a baby. No wonder even Zod couldn't find him.

"So this is how the revival match works? I'm starting to love these unexpected twists."

Dark Stephen laughed heartily, his dark magic surging outward uncontrollably.

He extended his hand toward Jor-El. "Give him to me. I won't kill him. I just need to touch him—just once."

The task was to defeat Superman, not kill him.

He had no intention of murdering a baby, nor did he want to risk failing the mission by overstepping the requirements.

Once again, it was Spider-Man who taught him how to approach these revival matches.

At the very least, he had learned to be cautious.

Just like now.

Vrrmm~

A burst of light erupted from his shoulder as a red-and-blue figure suddenly lunged forward.

A fist the size of a sandbag aimed squarely at Dark Stephen's temple. The sheer force caused his form to disperse into shadows.

At the same time, Dark Stephen's true form emerged from the darkness behind Jor-El.

"Pathetic bug, did you think I wouldn't be prepared for you?"

Xia Luo froze for a moment, stunned. Meanwhile, Dark Stephen smirked victoriously.

"It's over!"

He snatched the infant from Jor-El's hands—only to find that the baby didn't react at all.

No cries, no movement. Its tiny body was stiff and lifeless.

The baby was dead!

Dark Stephen's world shattered in an instant.

"Why? How could this happen? Who did this!!"

Overwhelmed by rage and confusion, Dark Stephen clutched his head and screamed, the blood vessels in his eyes growing darker and thicker.

The dark magic surrounding him burst forth uncontrollably, disregarding the consequences of depleting his already limited energy.

It didn't matter anymore. If there was no chance of victory, what use was conserving magic?

As the torrent of dark magic surged through the chamber, Xia Luo's gaze locked onto the baby in Dark Stephen's arms. He focused carefully, straining to hear—but there was no heartbeat.

So Superman died as an infant?

Who could have done this?

Who else could have gotten to baby Superman before Dark Stephen?

Before Xia Luo could think further, Dark Stephen had already turned his fury toward him.

His bloodshot eyes burned with rage as black veins crept from his darkened eye sockets, spreading like cracks across his face.

Like a demon unleashed, he roared with heart-wrenching fury, "Damn bug! This is all your fault! You wasted my time, and now someone else has completed the task first. I'll tear you apart!!"

In an instant, Dark Stephen unleashed everything. All the dark magic he had stored erupted at once.

"Wait, hold on! Let's talk about this—I can explain—"

"DIE!!!"

BOOM!!

An endless wave of darkness swallowed the entire room.

---

[You have been eliminated. You failed to obtain a revival slot. Reward: Web Line +500℃.]

[Remaining resets: 57. Would you like to restart?]

On the cosmic web, Xia Luo awoke, his face still blank with confusion.

Once again, he had failed to defeat the rampaging Dark Stephen.

But what truly puzzled him was: Who on earth killed Clark?

Suddenly, Xia Luo thought of Jor-El.

The guy had trusted him far too easily. Maybe he had warned his allies through some other means and arranged for the real Superman to be moved elsewhere.

But there was no need to replace him with a dead baby, right?

Could it have been an android?

No, that didn't make sense. Dark Stephen would've noticed something like that.

So the most likely conclusion was that the baby really was Superman.

It seemed someone had gotten to Clark before they did and snuffed him out while he was still in the cradle.

That left only three suspects.

Gwen, Karn, and Gravi—none of whom had appeared yet.

Everyone else was under Faora's watchful eye and wouldn't have had the opportunity to act.

But none of that mattered now.

Xia Luo already knew where Clark was. As long as he rushed straight to the Gene Chamber next time, he could lie in wait and catch the culprit in the act.

In the end, Superman belongs to me. Not even Jesus can take him away!

As always, nobody understands revival matches better than Spider-Man.

---

Oh, you're still here? Nice. While I'm out here juggling revival matches and reminding villains why they should reconsider their life choices, someone's behind the scenes making sure my story reaches you. Gotta admit, they're doing a pretty solid job.

If you want to help keep this whole thing running smoothly, here's the link: [patreon.com/WiseTL]. Think of it as… supporting your favorite underdog. Everyone loves an underdog, right?

Anyway, time to get back to saving the day. See you in the next chapter—don't forget to stay out of trouble (that's my job).

— Xia Luo 🕸️