After being subjected to Robert's relentless combo attacks twice, Naxxi had reached his breaking point. Despite communicating with his true form, Naxxi couldn't regain his clarity. Robert couldn't understand why this dimensional being had such a fragile psyche—he hadn't even done anything particularly severe to warrant such a breakdown.
It was evident that Robert couldn't grasp the full extent of Naxxi's psychological turmoil. Naxxi had oscillated from a state of hopelessness, resigning to his fate, to suddenly seeing a glimmer of hope in defeating Robert and turning the tables. Yet, once more, he was plunged into a helpless state of paralysis by Robert's unyielding barrage. The emotional whiplash was immense.
"Die! Die! Die!" Naxxi screamed as he attacked Robert with newfound strength, trying to crush him with his overwhelming power and fulfill his obsessive desire for revenge.
However, Naxxi didn't realize that Robert thrived on close combat. The intense, visceral exchanges of punches and kicks only excited Robert more, boosting his combat strength. As Naxxi's frenzied attacks continued, Robert wasn't forced into a defenseless state as Naxxi had hoped. Instead, he began to exploit the flaws in Naxxi's frenzied onslaught and counterattacked.
Both Naxxi and Robert accumulated various injuries as their fight escalated. Yet, neither of them paid any attention to their wounds. Naxxi was lost in his madness, while Robert, fueled by the rising intensity of the battle, had also entered a state of combat-induced euphoria.
This time, there was a significant difference from their previous encounters. Before, Naxxi couldn't increase his strength continuously because the power his true form sent him had limits. He had planned to rely on his Spider-Men army for a power boost.
Now, after enduring Robert's relentless combos twice, Naxxi's mental state had shattered. His true form, also enraged, began pouring more and more power into him without restraint, hoping to finally overpower Robert. This allowed Naxxi to keep pace with Robert's ever-growing combat strength.
"He's really sending that much energy? Is this guy crazy? He was planning to retreat earlier…" The Ancient One watched the battle unfold and murmured in surprise. She had sensed earlier that Naxxi intended to withdraw, and it was to prevent him from causing future problems that she had urged Robert to draw out as much of Naxxi's power as possible.
She hadn't expected that Robert's normal fighting would drive Naxxi into such a frenzy. Now, Naxxi was channeling immense power, far beyond what the Ancient One had anticipated.
This, however, was undoubtedly advantageous for the Ancient One. Invoking such power from beyond the dimensions came at a significant cost. Even though Naxxi's initial manifestation adhered to the rules, it didn't mean his true form could endlessly and costlessly supply power.
If Robert could destroy this incarnation of Naxxi, it would deplete a significant portion of Naxxi's true power. This weakening would attract the attention of other entities in the multiverse, forcing Naxxi to fend off challengers and reducing his focus on Earth.
As the battle raged on, Naxxi's true form began to realize the risks. The main reason was the enormous energy expenditure that still wasn't enough to subdue Robert or lock him into a mid-air combo. This realization made Naxxi's true form suspect they were being baited—Robert's apparent weakening had been a ruse all along.
Realizing this, Naxxi's true form regained some composure. Assessing Robert's continually escalating combat strength, he understood that achieving his goal through this avatar was impossible.
Naxxi specialized in weaving intricate plans and wielding spatial powers, but capturing Robert and transporting him from Earth to his dimension or any other was nearly impossible.
On Earth, his chances of defeating Robert were slim to none. Consequently, Naxxi's true form decided to cut his losses and severed the energy connection with his avatar, adopting an "out of sight, out of mind" approach. After all, there were countless Earths in the multiverse; there was no need to focus on just this one. Even though this universe was unique—a composite universe—Naxxi had encountered similar universes before.
In this universe's special context, Naxxi's failure was even more pronounced, making him even less inclined to continue investing resources here.
"Huh?!" In his berserk state, Naxxi didn't notice the sudden shift in his power. He continued his frenzied assault on Robert, unaware that his situation had fundamentally changed.
"Bang!" On the other side, Robert also hadn't noticed Naxxi's power shift. When his fist collided with Naxxi's claw again, the impact shattered Naxxi's claw. Without the support of his true form's power, Naxxi couldn't match Robert's strength.
"What?!" Naxxi felt a searing pain and realized his true form had abandoned him. This realization was a bitter pill to swallow. He understood that this was a rational decision by his true form to minimize losses, but Naxxi's sense of failure was overwhelming.
"Bang!" While Naxxi was momentarily stunned, Robert landed another punch on his face. The familiar force and technique sent Naxxi flying again, his face contorting in shock. He was about to be caught in another of Robert's relentless aerial assaults.
The next moment, Naxxi's body was sent flying. Robert's figure blurred into motion, appearing all around Naxxi and pummeling him from every direction.
Despite having experienced this several times, Naxxi still couldn't find a way to break the cycle. With the energy link to his true form severed, he could only revert to the state of helplessness he had felt during the first combo, resigned to his fate.
Outside, the energy surges from Naxxi's true form had previously caused a violent reaction among the Spider-Men and nearly led to a catastrophe. If not for Clark's speed and strength, the Avengers would have struggled to contain the chaos.
The Avengers were once again confronted with their limitations. Previously, Naxxi had used them as leverage against Robert, and now, even after containing the Spider-Men, they had narrowly averted disaster. This left a heavy sense of inadequacy in their hearts.
This was especially true for the likes of Johnny Storm. They had trained together, often guided by Robert, and had never given up on becoming stronger. But once they started college, their lives became more than just training and superhero duties. They inevitably had other responsibilities, which detracted from their training time.
These successive crises rekindled a sense of urgency in Johnny and the others. With their powers, it was unlikely they could stay hidden forever. When extraordinary events unfolded, they would stand up to face them. But lacking the strength to make a difference meant they had to find a way to resolve their shortcomings.
"What the hell? Spidey? So many Spideys? Did I accidentally stumble into another universe?" At a bar entrance in the city, Wade (Deadpool) saw a Spider-Man scaling a wall in his view and was momentarily stunned. This person wasn't in a Spider-Man costume. Then, more Spider-Men appeared, causing Wade to blink in confusion and mutter to himself.
Wade felt that his universe was becoming increasingly chaotic and dangerous. The widespread Spider-Man infection, reminiscent of a zombie virus outbreak, made him wonder if one day there would actually be a zombie virus in this universe.
"A regular zombie virus wouldn't scare me. I'm more worried about who would be the protagonist in that zombie universe. If it's me, I can handle it—I have experience killing in a zombie universe. But given the mess this universe is in, who knows?" Wade sighed and spoke seriously, a rare moment of sincerity.
"If it's that guy in red underwear or the battle maniac who turns into zombies, then I doubt anyone could save this universe. They could destroy Earth with a flick of their finger. No amount of brains could stop that kind of destruction... Achoo!"
Just as Wade was seriously speaking, he suddenly yelped and jumped, as if bitten by something.
"Shit! I thought I had invincibility frames while ranting? How did I get hit? Wait! Did I get bitten by a spider? Am I gonna become Spider-Man now? Wait, that would bring me closer to Spidey. Our suits are similar enough; I could totally pass off as him," Wade muttered as he looked at the tiny spider scurrying away from his wrist and the bite mark on his arm. He felt a surge of power altering his body, realizing something significant was happening.
"Splort!"
"Splort!"
As Wade felt the transformative power within him, nearby passersby were bitten by Spider-Men, undergoing the same transformation and joining the Spider-Men ranks.
"This isn't right; it's turning into a zombie outbreak," Wade quipped, coming to his senses and noticing the carnage around him. Seeing people rise as Spider-Men and immediately hunt for victims, Wade scratched his head. "Why is this turning into a bloodfest? It's so gory, they'll definitely rate it R!"
"Why aren't you joining in?" As Wade scratched his head, a Spider-Man approached and muttered in passing.
"Huh? Join in what? You mean running around biting people like a rabid dog?" Wade retorted with a sneer, mocking the Spider-Man's question.
"Huh?" The Spider-Man's brain seemed to freeze at Wade's words. These infected Spider-Men, following Naxxi's orders, lacked much independent thought. Encountering an infected person who wasn't losing control, like Wade, left this Spider-Man confused
about what to do.
To the Spider-Men, the protocol was simple: bite and infect those who weren't yet transformed, and group up with those who were. Wade's unique reaction didn't fit into their programming, leaving the Spider-Man at a loss.
And it wasn't just one Spider-Man who was confused. The others nearby also gathered around Wade, encircling him, unsure of their next move. They seemed intent on dealing with Wade, but without explicit instructions, they just stood there, programs glitched and frozen.
"Whoosh!" Suddenly, a figure appeared behind the Spider-Men, moving with such speed that they were all knocked unconscious in an instant, including Wade.
The newcomer was none other than Clark, who was in the midst of managing the Spider-Men crisis. Given the urgency, Clark hadn't noticed much else. With the Spider-Men not attacking Wade, Clark assumed Wade was one of them and took him down as well.
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