At a coffee shop in an alley, Wanda and Pietro were bickering over who'd wash the cups.
"You're the little sister. You should let your big brother off," Pietro teased.
"Hah, dear brother, you looking to die?" Wanda shot back.
"You can't catch me."
"Then sleep on the street tonight!"
"Dear sister, you can't do this to me."
Pietro glanced out the window at the dazzling magic spreading wildly. "Look! Spider-Man won! I gotta check nearby for wrecked furniture. This shop's barely breaking even. Without a side hustle, we're eating dirt."
Wanda blocked him, eyes sharp. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't what it used to be. If you pull that sneaky stuff again, even I can't save you."
Pietro rolled his eyes. "It's not that serious. I'm just snapping some pics to sell."
"The invincible web-slinger will hit you with a copyright fee."
"He won't know."
"But it's embarrassing," Wanda said bluntly.
Pietro sighed, arms crossed. "Dear sister, you don't need powers to make money, but I do. I just got a girlfriend. I need lots of cash."
Noticing Wanda's expression shift, he instinctively turned.
Unnoticed, endless darkness had enveloped the sky. Even the demonic dragon's aura and Spider-Man's magic seemed insignificant against it.
"Something's wrong," Wanda exclaimed.
The terrifying darkness swept over the city, dimming skyscrapers. Power failed, lights went out in droves, soon reaching the coffee shop.
Oh, sht, what's happening?*
The shop's lights died, and phones and computers stopped working.
"It's this dark energy," Wanda said, leaping out of the shop. She stared at the sky's dark energy, her face grim. "It's eerie. It's altering the magnetic field, suppressing human tech."
Pietro, a silver blur, joined her. "Look, something's coming!"
He pointed at the swirling vortex of darkness.
Two glowing orbs stood out in the intensifying vortex, alongside a familiar blue gem flickering, its star-like glow faintly echoing the mysterious Orion constellation.
"Whoa, it's that Light Giant from last time," Pietro said, relieved. "Word is, that guy made it happen. I overheard Iron Man's wall-talk."
Wanda's face darkened again. "Stop doing embarrassing stuff like that!" she warned.
"Got it," Pietro said, but his eyes lingered on the dark giant, puzzled. "Weird. Last time it was a Light Giant, now it's a Dark Giant. What's that guy up to?"
Carter and the others shared the same confusion.
So did the battlefield's two main players.
As the Ten Rings returned to his arms, Xu Wenwu dispersed his demonic aura, panting heavily.
He glanced at the increasingly clear giant in the sky, then at the "Spider-Man" opposite him.
"Kid, you got lucky. Next time, you won't."
The Dark Giant's arrival made him shelve his plan to snatch the opponent's Talisman.
Anthony's face was grim.
That damn bug broke his word!
He could tell the Dark Giant was Charlie's doing.
He tried to open a magic portal to escape, but the overwhelming darkness sealed the surrounding space.
Boom!!
The dark vortex trembled, and the black giant landed forcefully, shattering the street. Debris and dirt shot hundreds of meters high.
"Damn it, you demolishing the place?!" Charlie yelled at his dark counterpart.
Corrupted Charlie, pleased with the visual impact, retorted, "This is the true light of the earth."
"Ugh, enough. My turn!"
"I'm not done. This is supposed to be a comedic, quippy vibe."
"Stop copying Wade and breaking the fourth wall! That's not funny!!"
"Don't interrupt. I'm about to flex."
With that, Corrupted Charlie rose from the dust, facing the rubble-strewn Anthony and Xu Wenwu at an angle.
Some cool guy once said facing enemies sideways looks badass.
Thud thud~
Stepping forward, Corrupted Charlie loomed over them, hooking a finger provocatively.
Anthony was the first to bite.
"Sh*t, you're asking for it!"
He raised the Monkey Talisman. "Light!!"
A shout echoed, but the wind passed, and nothing happened.
"What?"
Anthony froze. Gods are animals, right?
But the Light Giant wasn't?
He tried to mimic the Light Giant with the Monkey Talisman but failed.
So… the Light Giant was fictional!
It hit him.
"Damn it, you forced me!"
Embarrassed, he shouted again, the Monkey Talisman bursting with brilliant light.
Buzz~~
Blinding light enveloped him, and thousand-meter-long crimson octopus tentacles emerged.
Blood-red mist spread, fear rising.
"What's that?"
Carter and the others, securing the battle zone, paled.
"It's Hydra!"
"The evil god Hydra!!"
At a coastal villa, Doctor Octopus narrowed his eyes, uneasy.
He knew this power too well.
"No, it's much weaker."
He realized this dimensional demon Hydra was a fake.
The Monkey Talisman's power was limited, so Anthony's Hydra form was too.
The same went for Corrupted Charlie, animated by the Rat Talisman.
Their powers were roughly equal, but Xu Wenwu was awestruck.
"This is the Talismans' power!" Shendu spoke. Xu Wenwu snapped back, clenching his fists, eyes resolute.
"I must get the Twelve Talismans!"
"I'll help!"
As Shendu spoke, the dragon ring glowed, and a radiant Talisman shot into Xu Wenwu's hand.
"What's this?" he asked, stunned.
"The Dog Talisman, the power of immortality. With it, you're worthy of this fight."
Xu Wenwu gripped the Dog Talisman, a mysterious force surging through him before fading.
He didn't understand it, but he knew he was now unkillable.
As he prepared to join the fray, a dark shadow flashed overhead, and a crimson vial landed in his hand.
With it came scavenging gear.
"Pym Particles can enlarge your body."
The shadow vanished, unnoticed by the Dark Giant or Hydra.
Xu Wenwu hesitated.
He disliked this unknown feeling.
But he had to seize the Talismans!
Taking a deep breath, he equipped the gear. The Ten Rings roared, and the Pym Particles depleted instantly.
Buzz~
Boom!!
Light and shadow flickered. The demonic dragon expanded with Xu Wenwu's body.
Roar!!!
The dragon's cry echoed through the dark city, forming a tripod standoff with the Dark Giant and Hydra.
"Whoa, this is getting fun," Corrupted Charlie said, eyeing the massive Hydra and enlarged Xu Wenwu, cracking his neck.
Charlie sensed a conspiracy. "Something's off. We're being played."
Corrupted Charlie didn't care. "So what? We're the transmigrated protagonists. We can handle anything."
"You'll end up in the Resurrection Match."
"So what? We're transmigrators—"
"How many retries do we have left?"
"I know you've got plenty—"
Corrupted Charlie summoned the virtual interface, seeing a big "0" under retries, and freaked out.
"No way! Who did this?!" he clutched his head.
Charlie sighed. "Who else but a clone?"
"Drag that guy out and beat him!"
"I'm out of magic. Can't summon clones."
"Damn that guy, got lucky escaping."
With no retries left, Corrupted Charlie's bravado deflated.
"Ahem, I'm not feeling great. Your turn!"
He handed the body back to Charlie.
Charlie: "…"
You're not feeling great, so I am?
Idiot!
Cursing inwardly, Charlie looked at his Dark Giant body, clenching a fist.
"Not bad. Feels good."
As he nodded, Anthony's Hydra form struck.
Buzz~
Space warped, Hydra's thousand-meter tentacles wrapping the Dark Giant instantly.
Anthony glanced at the giant Xu Wenwu. "Take him out first, or neither of us gets a shot."
"Agreed."
Xu Wenwu didn't waste words. His fists shook, massive Ten Rings striking as the demonic dragon surged toward the Dark Giant.
Roar!
Boom!!
Amid the dragon's cry, darkness erupted.
Their combined assault hit the Dark Giant, but the devastating energy vanished like a stone in the sea, swallowed by the giant's warped spatial vortex.
"What?"
In the dark city, the Dark Giant stood firm. Hydra's tentacles writhed uneasily in the sky, and Xu Wenwu hesitated.
As they planned a second attack, the giant's gray aura shifted.
Buzz~
Blood-red patterns spread, overlaid by dark purple stripes.
In an instant, the giant took on new colors.
Anthony and Xu Wenwu were floored.
"That's… Hydra's power!"
"It's the Ten Rings and demonic energy!"
They gasped.
Carter and the others exchanged stunned looks.
"This is the power he brought from the future?"
"If this can't save the future, the enemy must be beyond imagination."
The mood was grim.
Charlie, feeling the surging power, nodded slightly.
The Dark Ultraman had no time limit.
So…
Swish!
He swiped his chest's energy lamp, a dark energy blade sweeping the sky, severing one of Anthony's tentacles.
"Damn it!!"
In pain, Anthony unleashed blood-red mist, trying to melt the Dark Giant.
But the giant leaped, the sky's darkness surging.
Buzz~
The giant shot out, its dark purple turning blood-red.
Chak!
Boom!!
A flying kick landed, blood-red energy exploding. The massive Hydra toppled into the ruins.
"What?"
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were baffled.
Harry mused, "Why not start with the red form?"
Old Steve thought. "Clearly, it's a form gained by absorbing Hydra's power."
"Makes sense."
They nodded, while Charlie crossed his arms to his forehead crystal, red shifting to dark purple.
Boom!!
The Dark Giant flung dark energy infused with demonic aura, forming massive dark rings.
Hum~~
The rings shuttled through the battlefield. Xu Wenwu, alarmed, countered with his Ten Rings.
Zzt zzt~~
Bang!!
The rings clashed, erupting dark demonic energy that corroded buildings into ruins.
As the demonic aura spread, Anthony's Hydra waved tentacles, condensing blood-red magic into a single point for a full-force strike, shattering space.
"No more stalling. Together!"
"Got it!"
Under pressure, Xu Wenwu retreated, his Ten Rings and demonic dragon roaring forward.
Roar!!
Their attacks fused, aiming to destroy the Dark Giant.
Charlie was ready.
Buzz~
Reverting to a dark composite form, he clenched his fists at his waist, endless darkness gathering from the cosmos into a line at his chest.
He crossed his arms, forming an L-shape.
Specium Ray!
Boom!!
Cosmic dark energy erupted, the giant's dark beam sweeping the battlefield, melting everything, clashing with the blood-red energy and demonic dragon.
Buzz~~
The city warped under their clash, space fracturing, black holes spreading. Everyone lost their hearing, seeing only three colossal figures locked in stalemate.
"Push harder! The Talismans' powers are equal, but we've got more!" Anthony roared, infusing the Dragon Talisman's power, making the dark beam falter.
Seeing defeat loom, Corrupted Charlie shrieked.
"We're done! The protagonists are gonna eat dirt!"
"Not necessarily!"
Charlie spotted the closest spectators—Fin Fang Foom and Jade.
"That's it!"
Maintaining his pose, he leaped in another direction.
"Since forever, the left side loses in a beam clash. I'm on the right, so I win!!"
Corrupted Charlie: "…"
Resorting to metaphysics when you can't win?
The next second, Charlie abandoned the beam clash, his body turning into a black hole, swallowing their energy.
Buzz~
The extreme darkness seemed to break a boundary. Anthony realized his mistake.
"Damn it, I forgot he can absorb our energy! We're screwed!!"
He shouted as the Dark Giant unleashed an even more terrifying darkness.
The Talismans' powers were equal, but the giant, absorbing multiple Talismans, surpassed their limits.
With the Twelve Talismans, it's all about the setup!
Boom!!!
"No~~~"
Anthony's scream drowned in the explosion. Dimmed rings were swept to Fin Fang Foom's feet by the shockwave.
"It's that guy's Ten Rings weapon," Jade blinked.
Fin Fang Foom looked around, saw no one, and pocketed them.
"Shh, Jade, don't tell anyone. I'll buy you ten pizzas."
"Deal!"
They high-fived, grinning, and kept hunting for fallen rings.