"Whoa!" Robert exhaled deeply as he sensed that Naxhi's life force had completely vanished. He reverted from his Great Ape Power: Wrath form to his normal state, a flicker of exhaustion in his eyes.
Frankly, if an ordinary Saiyan found themselves in this world, they might struggle to adapt to its unique combat rhythm. In the Dragon Ball universe, battles seemed to last forever, often spanning multiple episodes or chapters. However, in real-time, most fights wrapped up within mere minutes.
Typical Saiyans, unlike Broly, couldn't sustain a continuous power-up or rage indefinitely, especially against formidable foes.
In this world, Robert initially faced manageable opponents. But recently, he encountered enemies who were either interdimensional beings or powerful incarnations with immense vitality. Defeating them was as challenging as destroying someone like Majin Buu.
Robert's unique recovery ability, absent in traditional Saiyan lore, allowed him to endure these prolonged battles and ultimately defeat his formidable foes. Without this, he might have collapsed from exhaustion midway through a fight, much like Goku often did.
As Naxhi's death rippled through the fabric of normal space, all the Spider-Men convulsed simultaneously, including Wade, who was the only one still conscious.
"No!" Wade dramatically waved his hand at the sky, looking heartbroken. The Avengers, already familiar with Wade's eccentric personality after their brief interactions, couldn't help but look his way despite usually trying to ignore him.
"Wait a minute. The mutation within him has vanished. The spider's influence is completely gone! Which means... the Saiyan has won?" Clark observed Wade, noting the changes in his condition. A spark of hope flashed in his eyes as he surveyed the other Spider-Men.
In every instance Clark observed, the Spider-Men were returning to their original forms. The spider-induced abilities were fading, restoring them to their natural state. Thanks to the healing properties of the spider abilities, none of them bore significant injuries, appearing only disheveled rather than grievously wounded.
Wade's wailing stemmed from losing his spider powers. He had hoped to bond with Peter Parker, but now, without those abilities, he felt he had lost a connection with him.
"They've all returned to being normal people? That's a relief. So, the mutation was a temporary state, not a permanent transformation," Tony Stark breathed a sigh of relief upon learning this. He certainly didn't want the city swarming with countless Spider-Men swinging around.
Tony was puzzled as to why Naxhi hadn't permanently altered these people, instead leaving them in a temporary state.
The reason was simple: maintaining the Spider-Men in a temporary state required less micromanagement from Naxhi. They would follow orders without needing additional commands. Unlike Peter Parker, who required more power to be controlled, these temporary Spider-Men were easier to manage.
As long as Naxhi was on Earth, the temporary state made no difference to him. He didn't foresee his plans failing, given their meticulous execution and high chance of success. Unfortunately for him, he hadn't accounted for being unable to defeat Robert.
Even if the Spider-Men army had not been halted by Clark and the Avengers or disrupted by Wade's unique influence, Naxhi still would have struggled against Robert in the mirror dimension.
The power Naxhi received from his true self was as significant, if not more so, than what he could derive from the Spider-Men army. Since Naxhi couldn't best Robert with the former, relying on the latter for victory seemed futile.
"I can move? I'm back to normal? My powers are much weaker... No, this is my original strength," Peter Parker finally awakened. Feeling his control over his body restored, he was overcome with emotion.
Before this ordeal, Peter had never imagined he'd be so thrilled just to have control over his own body. The helplessness he experienced was something he never wanted to endure again.
"It looks like you didn't gain any new powers from this ordeal. But Peter... um, Spider-Man, you owe us a nice meal! Especially me!" Pietro approached Peter, grumbling. He felt Peter owed him for the trouble he went through during Peter's rescue.
"You could have just knocked me out! At the start, I was much slower than you. Who knew it would take you so long to find a chance to knock me out?" Peter replied, a bit exasperated. However, after venting, he sincerely thanked Pietro and the Avengers.
"Thank you all!" Peter said, addressing the Avengers. But before they could respond, Wade interjected, beaming with pride and grinning from ear to ear. "No need to thank us! We're like family. Helping each other is just what we do, right?"
"And you are?" Peter asked, confused. He assumed from Wade's tone that they were close, but Peter couldn't recall his name, making him question his memory and sanity.
"Who are you talking about?" Johnny Storm shoved Wade aside, annoyed. "Peter, don't pay attention to him. He's a temporary hire, not one of us."
"You can't say that after all our teamwork! How could you disappoint me like this?" Wade's expression turned sour, his voice trembling with mock tears. "And how can you say I'm not part of the team? I know all your names, including Peter Parker's!"
"That's only because we slipped up and mentioned them! Don't you dare leak this information, or you'll regret it!" Johnny Storm glared at Wade, issuing a stern warning.
"Fine! I won't say a word! But it's no big deal!" Wade's defiance was palpable, though his words betrayed a hint of reluctance. "I wouldn't be afraid of you if you didn't have such a powerful nephew!"
"What are you talking about?" Johnny Storm was once again baffled by Wade's erratic behavior.
"Isn't it mean to bully him like that? Who is he, really?" Peter Parker asked, hesitant as he saw Wade's pitiable demeanor.
"Don't worry about him. You'll see in time—he's a jerk. Don't be fooled by his act," Johnny Storm cautioned Peter, glaring at Wade, who was now pretending to be a victim.
"Huh? What's happening to me?" Meanwhile, Harry Osborn, lying next to Peter, awoke. As he assessed his now significantly stronger body, he stared at his hands in disbelief.
Before, Harry was frail, almost on par with a pre-serum Steve Rogers. But now, he felt a surge of strength, confident he could take on a bull.
Unlike the other Spider-Men, Harry had been injected with a serum by Richard Parker before receiving Naxhi's energy. While not turning him into someone of Peter Parker's caliber, it had given him a body comparable to a super soldier.
However, unlike the bulkiness of a young Steve Rogers, Harry's muscle definition was more subtle, akin to the lean build of the current Captain America.
"Seems like he did one good thing..." Peter mused with a wry smile after understanding Harry's condition.
Peter was referring to Richard Parker. He didn't know Richard's fate, but given how long Robert had been battling and that the crisis was over, Peter assumed Richard was likely dead.
Peter had initially planned to use his blood to help Harry overcome his hereditary disease. Now, through a twist of fate, Harry had become even stronger than Norman Osborn without any apparent side effects.
"Let's let the past go. At least we're alive, and we've got a long and exciting future ahead," Harry reassured Peter, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as they both reflected in silence.
During this period, both Peter and Harry experienced numerous emotional ups and downs, more significant than anything in their previous lives combined.
But now, those events were behind them. Peter and Harry had finally moved past their generational conflicts, or more precisely, past the grievances of the previous generation.
No matter who was right or wrong in the past, it no longer mattered. They remained best friends.
Especially now that Harry possessed some degree of superhuman strength, Peter could introduce him to the Avengers.
When Harry met Pietro, he understood why Peter had been reluctant for them to interact earlier. But it didn't matter; they would have many opportunities to connect in the future.
"Get ready. The others should be waking up soon. Jarvis, have the robots and medical staff examine them. If they're fine, they can go home," Tony Stark instructed Jarvis as Peter and Harry shared a silent moment, and Wade looked eager to join them.
"Hey, why hasn't Dad come back yet? Shouldn't he be resting after solving this crisis?" Wade suddenly remembered Robert, looking puzzled as he turned to Clark.
Earlier, Wade hadn't realized Robert was with the Avengers since he wasn't paying much attention to the team's details. The name "Saiyan" wasn't widely known.
However, Clark and Tony had mentioned "Saiyan" during their discussions, trying to keep Robert's identity secret. They hadn't expected Wade to recognize the significance of that name.
Wade quickly pieced together that the elusive Robert was about to return. Excited, Wade anticipated his future with a powerful "Dad" Saiyan and a "Godfather" Superman. He felt he could now strut through the world with unstoppable confidence!
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