Zabrie POV
"So, do you think he actually has a chance to beat her?" Crystal asked, arms crossed as we watched the chaos unfold.
"Oh, absolutely not," I said flatly. "Complete zero. There's no way in any realm he's beating Thaldris."
"Yeah, I figured. Just had to ask since you've known her longer than I have," Crystal replied.
We were both observing Ed's "training" with Thaldris. And by training, I mean he was getting wrecked. They've been going at it for two straight years—well, time in here anyway—and he hasn't landed a single punch.
He's used every power, every weapon, every trick. Didn't matter. Thaldris dodged or countered them all like she was swatting flies.
To be fair, they took breaks. Mostly so Ed didn't die of exhaustion. Food. Sleep. Hygiene. The usual. But aside from that? Nonstop beatdown.
"You know…" I said, watching Ed get dropkicked through a ice pillar he made. "This brings back memories."
"Good ones or bad ones?" Crystal asked.
"Good, actually. Reminds me of the old days—me, Vaelthrya, Hope, and Thaldris training like lunatics. Especially me and Hope trying to land even a single hit on Vaelthrya or Thaldris. Spoiler: we didn't."
Crystal chuckled. "Now that sounds like something I'd pay to see. Especially Hope. I haven't seen her fight in forever."
"Yeah, she doesn't do much hand-to-hand anymore, but don't underestimate her. In terms of magic? She'll wreck your soul. She's the strongest magic user in the whole family—besides Mom, of course."
"Oh, I know," Crystal nodded. "Hope's the one who taught me all my spells. But now that we're talking about it, I'm curious. Who do you think is the strongest among you four—not counting Mom?"
I took a moment to think. "Tough call. Everyone has their specialty. Hope's magic is unbeatable. Thaldris is the undisputed queen of weapons and combat. And Vaelthrya? She's damn good at both. She's a real nightmare in a fight."
Crystal gave me a side glance. "You left yourself out of that list."
"Because I'm not a specialist. I'm more… versatile. I'm good with a sword, decent in all types of magic, decent in combat. I don't dominate any one area, but I don't suck in any of them either."
"Jack of all trades, huh?"
"Exactly."
BOOM!
Our focus snapped back to the battlefield just in time to see Ed using the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi, palms firing massive shockwaves in every direction. For a second, it looked promising.
Thaldris weaved through every blast like it was a light breeze, appeared in front of him midair, and—
WHAM!—punched him straight up through the sky.
"Aaand there he goes again," I said, sipping from my drink.
"Think he'll get a hit in this century?" Crystal asked.
"Eh. Maybe by year fifty-nine."
We both laughed.
Ruby POV
I'm in my room watching the interview Ed did—the one that's been playing all week. I already watched it live, but I wanted to see it again, this time with Frankie and Amora.
"If Ed is paying his teammates like that, it really makes me wanna be a hero," I said, my eyes fixed on the screen.
"If he has that much wealth and power, why doesn't he just rule this planet? He could easily take it over. I'm sure that Superman person wouldn't be too much trouble for him," Amora said casually.
Frankie turned to her with a confused frown. "What is with you and wanting to rule? Would that even make you happy?"
"Of course it would. Why wouldn't it?" Amora replied, almost offended at the question.
I paused the TV and turned to her. "What do you think ruling is all about?"
That seemed to catch her off guard. She blinked, but still answered, a bit more cautiously now.
"If my plan had worked back in Asgard, I would've become queen of a powerful kingdom. I would've been admired, desired by all, and praised just for my position. I could've had anything I ever wanted."
I shook my head. "I don't think that would've gone the way you think."
"What?" she asked, her voice sharp.
"The way you were trying to get the throne—by overthrowing Odin and Frigga—would've made you hated. They ruled Asgard for centuries, and they were loved for it. You stepped in and tried to take it by force. You mind-controlled their favorite son and made him kill his father. That's not something the people would've forgiven. You wouldn't have been admired—you'd have been feared and hated."
Amora didn't respond. Her lips pressed into a tight line, and for once, she didn't have a comeback.
But I wasn't done.
"And let's say you didn't use mind control. Let's say Thor actually loved you, truly and freely, and you did become queen. Do you even realize what that role really means? You'd have to have kids with him eventually—to ensure the royal line doesn't end with Thor. You'd have responsibilities, Amora. Helping him rule the realm, attending councils, managing disputes between the people, maintaining alliances, overseeing festivals, working. Being queen isn't just sitting on a throne, looking pretty, and being worshipped. It's not a fantasy—it's a job. A big one."
Still silence.
Amora looked away, maybe finally letting it sink in. And Frankie just gave me a small nod, as if to say "well said."
Ed POV
BOOM.
I slammed into the ground. Again.
I've been fighting Thaldris for twenty-five years now, and I still haven't landed a single damn punch on her. I can't track her movements with my eyes, I can't see her soul, and even my ability to see into the future is useless against her.
None of my martial arts work. None. Intangibility? Doesn't work. She still somehow punches me right through it like it's nothing. I even tried turning my body into metal and covering it in Armament Haki—still got wrecked. Every punch feels like it shatters every bone in my body....Okay, maybe some good came out of it—I'm pretty sure my Haki got stronger after every hit.
But today... Today is different.
Today, I will land a punch. Because I've been saving a trump card.
"Are you just going to lie there?" Thaldris called out, "or get back up?"
I groaned, cracking my neck as I rose to my feet.
"You should know by now, sis... I always get back up."
She smirked. "I know that look. You've got a new plan, don't you? I hope this one's better than the time you threw the Leviathan Axe at me thirty times hoping one would hit."
"Hey," I grinned, summoning the axe again, "that was just frustration. This? This is the real deal."
I hurled the axe at her again. She swatted it away like it was a fly and raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
"Seriously?"
"What? Had to try it one more time."
Then I activated my trump card.
I focused—deeply—and everything turned blue.
Time froze.
The world stilled.
I rushed in, faster than ever, my body gliding through the frozen moment. Thaldris was stuck mid-blink, unaware. I clenched my fist and—
BAM! One punch.BAM! Two punches.
I wound up for a third—when suddenly, her eyes darted to me, and her hand snapped up, catching my fist.
"Oh wow," she said casually. "You actually froze time. Gotta admit, that caught me off guard. Haven't dealt with a time-user in a while."
She wound up her fist, and just like that dumb dog meme, I closed my eyes and accepted my fate.
BOOOOM.
I flew backward like a rocket, skipped across the white void like a pebble on water, and smashed into the ground hard.
[System: Host has acquired 2 Gacha Points.]
"Cool," I groaned, face-first in the dirt.
Beth Chapel POV
I've been studying Peter and Cindy's routine all week.
They always have excuses for why they can't hang out with us on certain days, and I think I finally figured it out—they're in contact with the other Spiders. It makes sense the more I think about it. How else could they manage "normal" lives without help? They probably rotate shifts: some go heroing while others get to be regular teens.
Today's the day I follow them.
We're just out of school, and I've been carefully tailing them, keeping my distance but never letting them out of my sight. Looks like they're heading to Peter's place.
If that's the case—I know a shortcut.
I darted through the alleyways, cutting corners until I reached Peter's apartment building first. I climbed the fire escape—he always leaves his window unlocked (which is either very careless or very Spider-Man)—and slipped inside his room.
They weren't here yet. Good.
Figured I'd snoop a little. Aunt May was still at work, so I had the place to myself… kinda. His room was surprisingly neat, which was suspicious in itself. While looking around, something caught my eye—a diary.
Part of me screamed "Don't do it!"The other part? Way too curious.
I opened it.
Disappointment. It was filled with science formulas I couldn't even begin to understand. Seriously, it looked like someone spilled math all over every page. But then, near the back, I found something interesting: a design for some kind of small device. It looked like it strapped onto your wrist.
At the top of the page, in big, bold handwriting:
"Web Shooter."
Oh. So that's how they swing around the city. These web things aren't part of their powers—it's tech. That must be what all those formulas are about.
Man... Peter, if MJ wasn't into you, I might've shot my shot.
That's when I heard the front door open.
I panicked, shoved the diary back exactly where I found it, and dove into the closet just in time. A moment later, the bedroom door creaked open. Through the slits in the closet, I could see Peter and Cindy walk in.
"I'm telling you, she's acting weirder lately—don't you see it?" Peter said.
"Peter, it's Beth. She's always a little weird. That's what makes her so likeable. You're probably just imagining things," Cindy replied casually.
"I'm not imagining things," Peter insisted. "I think... I think she's figured out we're superheroes."
My eyes widened behind the closet door.
...Busted.
"Peter, I think you're just being paranoid. We've always been careful, and I don't think any of our friends suspect we're superheroes." Cindy's voice was calm, like she'd said this a hundred times already.
"I'm not talking about all our friends," Peter replied, pacing a little. "I mean Beth. I don't know... something about her lately—it feels like she's close to figuring us out."
"Peter, it's Beth. She's always a little weird, that's kinda her whole vibe. If she really was close to the truth, we'd know. Now come on, we're gonna be late. Let's head to the base."
Base?
Hold up. They have a base?!
That's when it happened. A portal opened right there in Peter's room—glowing and humming like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. Cindy walked through first like it was nothing. Peter followed right behind her. And just like that… they were gone.
My eyes widened.Well damn, that's all the proof I needed.
I waited a few more seconds, then slowly crept out of the closet, heart pounding but grinning like a maniac.
Okay, so Peter is Spider-Man. Cindy's definitely Silk. And they're not just out here doing solo hero stuff—they've got a whole base. Which means there's probably a team. Maybe even Arsenal.
That's a mystery for another day. Right now, I need to get home, process all this... and figure out the perfect time to let them know I'm onto them.
And maybe—just maybe—find a way to help.
Ed POV
"Hey Ed, I meant to ask you—what was that freezing time ability you used?" Zabrie asked.
I looked at him, half surprised."Seriously? You're asking me now? It's been six years since I pulled that move."
"When you're a god, six years is like the blink of an eye," he said with a shrug.
"Fair enough. Anyway, it was Esdeath's ability. I've been trying to master it for a long time—even before I came here. The trick is focusing my energy across the entire area and freezing only time, nothing else. No matter, no energy—just time itself."
"Pretty clever of you to figure out and pull off," Crystal said. "Too bad it doesn't work on Thaldris anymore. She's got her guard up now."
"Yeah, I know. The first time I used it, she didn't expect it. But after that? It's been practically useless. Still… that doesn't mean I haven't gotten more hits on her since then."
My Haki's at an advanced level now. I'm still trying to figure out how to do internal destruction, but I'll get there. In the meantime, I've been stacking and combining my powers to force openings.
I've been using Weather Report to make it rain on me, boosting my Sea King physiology. Then there's Burn, channeling Metal Bat's fighting spirit—the longer I fight and the more damage I take, the stronger I get.
On top of that, I've been combining my gravity powers with the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi—compressing gravity into the paw blasts makes them hit like collapsing stars. And I've been fusing my poison with airbending to spread toxins silently across the battlefield.
My sending clone ability isn't that strong on its own—it's more like a hard-light construct of me—but I've started enhancing them with elemental infusions. Fire makes them explode on contact, earth gives me little shields I can fall back behind. Basic stuff, but effective in the right situation.
Zabrie raised a brow. "So… you've got five Gacha points saved up. You ever gonna use them?"
His question snapped me out of my train of thought."I've been thinking about saving them—to go for more rare or stacked pulls."
Crystal rolled her eyes. "You realize Thaldris already seen most of your arsenal, right? Surprise is part of the game, and you're running out of tricks."
She had a point. Damn it.
"System, use all five points," I said.
"Activating Gacha..." the system confirmed.
Mahler Twin (Invincible) [Summon]
Food Creation (The Adventures of Food Boy)
Acnologia's Power (Fairy Tail)
Chizome Akaguro – Stain (My Hero Academia) [Summon]
Invisibility
I looked at the list and gave a half-smirk.
"Not the worst batch. Can't summon the Mahler Twin or Stain here yet. Food Creation... meh, I guess it's good for cookouts. But Acnologia's power? That's a win. I've got full-on dragonification now—plus magic immunity and the ability to devour magical attacks."
"And invisibility… not flashy, but paired with the right setup? Could be lethal."
Zabrie grinned. "Looks like you're finally starting to stack the deck in your favor."
"About time," I muttered, already feeling the dragon power starting to awaken inside me.
"Hey! Break time's over. Get over here," Thaldris said, standing in the middle of the white void with her arms crossed, her expression sharp enough to cut steel.
I groaned and pushed myself up from the ground, brushing off some of the imaginary dust even though there's no actual dirt in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
"Man, I just unlocked a dragon mode. Can't I at least enjoy the idea of it for five minutes?"
"Nope," she said flatly, cracking her knuckles. "Come test it in a real fight."
"Yay," I muttered sarcastically, stretching my neck. "Nothing screams progress like getting punched into another continent."
"You're welcome in advance," she said, smiling just a little—though I couldn't tell if it was pride or bloodlust.
Zabrie from the sidelines shouted, "Hey, remember! You land a punch, you get a point!"
Crystal added, "And if you survive, maybe we'll let you have a cookie."
I took a breath, lightning crackling at my fingertips, dragon scales crawling up my arms.
"Alright then. Round... whatever number this is. Let's go."