Capítulo 56: Restart, Spider-Man! [56]
In an instant, lightning ravaged the sky, and Mjolnir came crashing down on the leviathan, pinning it in place.
"Go!"
"Boom!!"
The damaged Mjolnir flew toward the high cliff where the Mind Stone floated, dragging along a series of "grasshoppers" in its wake.
As the fierce wind howled, Old Steve shouted at the top of his lungs, "Spider-kid, why didn't they come with us?"
"What did you say? The wind's too strong, I can't hear you~~" Xia Luo replied.
Within seconds, just as they neared the cliff, Mjolnir vanished. The light of the Mind Stone flickered, and suddenly, everyone started acting chaotically.
"Summer, summer quietly passed, leaving little secrets~"
"Oh, Jack."
"Rose, I'm flying…"
"I'm gonna beat the crap out of you and shove it right back up your…"
"Hail Hydra!!"
This time, the unconscious Thanos showed no signs of violent outbursts, so Xia Luo's Spider Sense didn't trigger immediately.
Not long after, everyone began plummeting toward the cliff face like falling stars.
Thanks to his Spider Sense, Xia Luo was the first to regain his senses. Without hesitation, he switched to web mode.
"Thwip, thwip, thwip!"
As they fell, a flurry of webs shot out, securing the falling group. Xia Luo's muscles bulged as he grabbed the tangled mass of webs in his hands, tying them around his waist.
"Crack, crack, crack~"
Xia Luo used both his hands and feet to climb the cliff. Loose stones occasionally tumbled past him as his frail-looking body carried the weight of the entire team's hopes.
The wind howled like a demon, and Xia Luo's heart was as precarious as Tony and the others, dangling in the air.
Suspended people. Suspended hearts. Who knew when they might plummet to the ground.
"Crack!"
Sure enough, the cliff's rocks couldn't bear the weight of everyone, and Xia Luo suddenly felt the ground beneath him give way.
In a flash of lightning-fast reflexes, Xia Luo's eyes turned red, and his black spider legs pierced into the cliff, sending chunks of rock tumbling below. Only then did he stop their fall.
Over the next half hour, using his black spider legs to aid his climb, Xia Luo finally managed to haul the group to the top of the cliff.
"Phew~~"
After tossing everyone onto the flat ground, Xia Luo let out a deep breath.
If nothing went wrong, they shouldn't need to waste another restart chance.
He didn't approach the Mind Stone, which floated in midair, but instead waited patiently.
Ten minutes later, Tony was the first to wake up.
Staring at Carter, who had been swearing at him earlier, Tony blinked.
"Did I miss something?" he asked.
A moment later, Carter snapped out of it, looking confused as she glanced around.
"What just happened?" she asked.
"You were swearing."
"No, I never swear."
"Alright, I must've misheard then."
Soon after, Lizard Parker and Old Steve regained their senses.
The group gathered around the still-dreaming Thanos, looking at him with mixed expressions.
"What's this 'Eternals' he keeps talking about?"
"Isn't he a Titan?"
"He must be hiding something from us."
"Should we wake him up?"
"I'll give it a try."
"No, let me—I've got to pee anyway."
"Do you think you're funny?"
Xia Luo squatted down, raising his fist, ready to wake Thanos in the simplest, most straightforward way.
But before he could strike, Thanos suddenly shuddered and opened his eyes. The confusion in them quickly turned into rage.
"You damn fools, why did you—"
Halfway through his sentence, he paused, suddenly realizing something.
"Where is this place?"
"This is the Exile Grounds, on planet M78," Xia Luo replied.
"What?"
Thanos, wide-eyed, turned to see the Mind Stone floating in midair. Overjoyed, he burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! It's here! The Light of the Mind, as recorded in Titan lore! I knew it would be here in the Exile Grounds. Titan is saved! My efforts were not in vain."
"Ahem, Thanos, don't forget—it was my efforts that got you here," Xia Luo reminded him.
Hearing this, Thanos finally seemed to realize something.
"Why did you help me?"
"Because I want to help you."
"But you knocked me out."
"That was part of the plan. Otherwise, we wouldn't have made it here."
"What's your real motive?"
"To make sure you survive in the Exile Grounds."
"I find that hard to believe."
"Believe what you want."
With that, Xia Luo untied the webs binding Thanos and stepped back.
Thanos stood up, wiping the dried blood from his forehead. His gaze remained suspicious as he looked at the group.
But soon, his doubts were overshadowed by the glowing Mind Stone.
Excitement flooded Thanos' heart as he turned and began walking toward the Mind Stone.
"Wait."
Xia Luo's voice stopped Thanos in his tracks, and he immediately became defensive.
"What do you want?" Thanos asked warily.
Xia Luo shrugged. "I'm just reminding you—don't touch it. Otherwise, you'll fall back into another illusion."
"Illusion?" Thanos frowned.
"Yes. If it weren't for that, we wouldn't have had to knock you out earlier to prevent you from going berserk."
Xia Luo's words left not only Thanos, but Tony and the others, in disbelief.
"Spider-kid, your ability's getting scarier by the minute. You predicted all of this?" Old Steve gave him a thumbs up.
Lizard Parker, still shaken, muttered, "No wonder I lost the first two times. If it weren't for working with you this time, I'd have failed again."
"Wait a minute, I should hate you, shouldn't I?" he said, feigning anger.
"Imposter! I'll never—okay, I forgive you," Lizard Parker said, but he started to question himself.
Damn, what did this guy do to me?
He was losing his mind. Why was it so hard to dislike Xia Luo?
Could it be that he…
Suddenly, he had a terrifying thought.
"Nooooo!!!" Lizard Parker clutched his head in despair, causing everyone around him to be utterly confused.
"What's wrong with him?" Carter asked.
Old Steve shook his head. "No idea. Maybe he's still trapped in the illusion."
"Stuck in the memory of your romantic date?" Tony teased.
Old Steve's face froze. "Date? With who?"
"With you! You two were hugging, starring in a live soap opera," Tony said, grinning.
"What?"
Old Steve's expression stiffened before he turned away in silence.
"Nooooo!!!"
He suddenly dropped to his knees, clutching his head in agony.
Carter sighed, shaking her head. "Another man lost in the depths of love."
Tony nodded. "Yeah, I never knew he had that kind of… kink."
"Stark, you shouldn't judge them," Carter said seriously.
"Sorry, my bad," Tony replied, though his tone wasn't exactly sincere.
Meanwhile, Thanos had already approached the Mind Stone.
Following Xia Luo's advice, he didn't touch the stone but instead closed his eyes, recalling the Titan texts on the Light of the Mind.
After a while, he opened his eyes, sighing deeply.
"If I'm not mistaken, we'll need the sacred artifact to…"
"Here," Xia Luo said, tossing him the artifact.
He had seen Thanos bring it in on his previous attempt.
Thanos: "..."
"You seem to know everything."
"Of course. You still have time to admire me," Xia Luo replied with a grin.
"I'll think about it."
In Thanos' eyes, Xia Luo wasn't just wearing a Spider-Man mask anymore.
He was shrouded in mystery.
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