Chapter 721: U: The Infinite Event (37)

In the Spider-Verse, above New York City, Spider-Gwen stuck a web line to a building's roof and swung down, shouting to the nearby web: "Got in touch with reinforcements yet? This isn't sustainable!"

As she spoke, she looked up at the sky, where the God-Form Sorus extended his massive arms, swinging them wildly, while two tiny black silhouettes beside him looked like grains of sand on a shore—insignificant.

But soon, Pain Schiller moved, hurling three sharp shurikens at the God-Form Sorus; after a probing strike, he swiftly retreated.

Meanwhile, 400-Mom Spider-Man followed close behind, swinging the mech's arms to attack the God-Form Sorus.

Though they had known each other only briefly, the two, having shared traumatic memories, moved in perfect sync: Pain's three shurikens were razor-sharp, and the mech's charge precisely blocked Sorus's arm swings.

The God-Form Sorus leaned back to dodge their attacks, swatting away the shurikens with his arms, while also knocking the mech back two steps with a single blow.

The first phase of close-range assault was merely reconnaissance; once confirmed that the God-Form Sorus still had a physical form and could be struck, Pain Schiller initiated a ninja technique.

He extended one arm, clenched his fist—and instantly, the fist detached from his arm, striking one of Sorus's limbs, erupting in violent sparks. Sorus winced and twisted his body sideways, but at that moment, 400-Mom Spider-Man's mech had already charged in.

The God-Form Sorus had indeed grown far stronger; his colossal size meant every movement caused massive destruction—but such a massive form also meant a larger target area and reduced agility, making it hard to evade high-speed attacks.

The Inheritor family had special advantage only over Spider-Man, not Schiller; 400-Mom Spider-Man, unlike ordinary Spider-Men, piloted a mech and never closed in on Sorus directly, yet still had Spider-Sense—he instantly dodged whenever Sorus swung his arms to grab him.

Under dual assault, Sorus grew increasingly desperate; as the probing attacks ended, both sides launched full-force assaults: Pain Schiller summoned Earth Grasp, while 400-Mom Spider-Man prepared his ultimate technique.

Seeing the tide turn, Sorus immediately changed tactics: the starry expanse behind his back began shrinking, energy converging intensely into his chest, forming a blinding light source.

As the energy field contracted, his body shrank too; after enduring one Earth Grasp and several punches from 400-Mom Spider-Man's mech, he finally reduced his size to a fraction of his original form.

Though still over five meters tall, he was far smaller than his previous godlike form; the reduced size meant denser energy and greater speed, allowing him to evade many area attacks.

Sorus was wise indeed: once compressed, the terrifying gravitational pull of Heavenly Pull and Earth Grasp had no control effect on him; 400-Mom Spider-Man's mech was too slow to land hits, and even if it grazed him, it only struck his energy shield.

The battlefield reached a stalemate; the most anxious were the female Spider-Men, who wanted to join—but ordinary Spider-Men without Cosmic Captain's energy boost were easily swept away by shockwaves; after being thrown several times, Spider-Gwen knew it was futile.

Web-Slinger rose from the ground, clutching his chest, coughed twice, then said: "Cosmic Captain Spider-Man's coming soon! Cough… If it's three-on-one, things should improve…"

Though Sorus wasn't as strong as other multiversal gods, even the bottom student of a prestigious school was still a top scholar; moreover, Sorus had special advantage over Spider-Men. 400-Mom Spider-Man sensed this and dared not close in; only Pain Schiller could withstand direct attacks, leaving little room for counteroffensive.

Sorus sneered twice, turning into a streak of white light, appearing behind the mech LeoBot, then reached out to grab one of its arms.

"Crack!" Sparks erupted from LeoBot's shoulder; the mech wobbled under the pull, nearly throwing 400-Mom Spider-Man off.

Fortunately, the previously appeared Car-Schiller arrived in time, blocking Sorus's arm and preventing 400-Mom Spider-Man from being snatched.

Sorus struck again—but suddenly, a white-glowing barrier appeared before the mech; Cosmic Captain Spider-Man descended from midair, eternal energy swirling around his body.

To everyone's shock, Cosmic Captain Spider-Man charged straight at Sorus; Spider-Gwen widened her eyes and screamed: "Cosmic Captain Spider-Man! What are you doing?! Get back!"

"Sorus will drain your soul!"

!

Web-Slinger urgently transmitted a message to Cosmic Captain Spider-Man, but the latter, in perfect condition and ready to deliver a decisive blow, heard nothing.

This universe's Spider-Man had gained the Eternal's immense power too early; thus, the justice he defended was mostly cosmic in scale—he lacked tactical acumen in single combat. Knowing Sorus specifically countered Spider-Men, he still insisted on hand-to-hand combat.

Sorus paused, stunned by the direct charge, then broke into ecstatic delight: perfect—he'd spent hours tangled with these fools, losing much power, and had planned to capture wounded Spider-Men to replenish himself—but now, dinner had walked right in.

He seized Cosmic Captain Spider-Man—but the Eternal energy surrounding him had no effect on Sorus; just as his soul began to be pulled out, Pain Schiller moved.

He flashed behind Cosmic Captain Spider-Man, pressed one hand to his back, and activated Soul Drain Technique.

This was one of the Rinnegan's abilities: normally, the target's soul would be instantly extracted and killed—but now, it became Cosmic Captain Spider-Man's lifeline.

Sorus was draining Cosmic Captain Spider-Man's soul; Pain Schiller was draining Sorus's soul—now it became a battle between the Inheritor family's vampire bloodline and the Rinnegan's power.

Thus, Cosmic Captain Spider-Man's soul was trapped inside his body, immobile; and Sorus, desperate to claim it, could not let go—giving the other Spider-Men their opening.

Seeing Sorus reduced to a stationary target, 400-Mom Spider-Man immediately ordered the mech to attack; the female Spider-Men followed close behind.

Facing so many attacks, Sorus finally chose to retreat; the moment he released his grip, Pain Schiller let go too—Cosmic Captain Spider-Man was flung violently, crashing hard onto New York's surface.

He struggled to rise, coughed twice, stood clutching his chest—and then noticed a portal opening above New York.

Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the portal, muttering: "My name is Schiller, 33 years old, lives near the East New York villa district… Doctors say I'm perfectly normal…"

Before Cosmic Captain Spider-Man could figure out who this man was, more figures emerged from the portal, their lines echoing across New York's skyline.

"Wherever resistance exists, Schiller Rodriguez shall force submission; wherever the Empire worships false gods, they shall bow to the Supreme Eagle…" A man in majestic armor stepped out.

"The Jedi use the Force for knowledge and defense, never for aggression… War does not make one great." Next stepped out a man holding a lightsaber.

"From the beginning, no one was in the heavens… Illusionary flowers, water-moon!" A man in traditional Japanese attire, a sword at his waist, emerged.

"The truth is always one!" A man in a blue suit and red tie followed.

Cosmic Captain stared, mouth agape—he realized all these newcomers had joined the battle against Sorus, each possessing extraordinary, seemingly powerful abilities.

If the earlier arrivals still looked human, those following were beyond explanation.

"Doo-doo! I'm Popeye! I love spinach, so I'm super strong! Spinach! Spinach! Spinach! Spinach!" A creature in sailor uniform, holding a can of spinach, sprinted out.

"One-Eye! Stop! Or I'll shoot!" Two gunshots rang out as a black cat leapt from the portal.

"Since you sincerely asked, I'll generously tell you!" A man holding a strange orb rushed out.

"I hate frying pans!"

!

"!" A gray wolf spun through the air as it flew out.

"With the Paw Patrol way, we resolve crises!" An orange English bulldog dashed out.

"Do you have fish balls and noodles?" A pig with a backpack followed.

"Jon, is the lasagna ready today?" A fat, chubby orange cat followed.

"Look! The Anywhere Door!" A blue-and-white cat walked out, rummaging in its pocket.

All the Spider-Men stared, dumbfounded, at the bizarre creatures tumbling out of the portal.

Gwen took a deep breath and said: "Are these our reinforcements? But aren't they a bit… I mean, okay, those people are fine—but these cats and dogs…?"

Not only the Spider-Men were stunned; Sorus, still fighting Pain Schiller and 400-Mom Spider-Man, froze too.

Watching the bizarre creatures charge toward him, his first reaction wasn't to dodge—but to examine them closely.

It wasn't his sluggishness; the battlefield had been set for a final showdown—everyone was grim, locked in fierce combat—then suddenly, a horde of pet-like cats and dogs stormed in. Anyone would pause.

Seeing the bizarre animals sprinting toward them, Sorus frowned, expression impatient, and waved his hand—a wave of force rippled outward.

Sorus expected these bizarre pets to be flung away like previous Spider-Men—but instead, they unleashed bizarre tactics.

Some ate spinach cans, others assembled mechs mid-air, some summoned reinforcements out of nowhere, some threw Poké Balls—and laughably, one leapt straight up, clearing the shockwave entirely.

Watching this absurd, comedy troupe of beings, Sorus erupted in fury: if he couldn't defeat those humans chanting strange lines, now he couldn't even defeat cats and dogs? Had the Inheritor family's leader walked the world this long to endure such humiliation?

He snorted, energy flaring around him, growing denser—under his deliberate control, it formed a colossal storm vortex; those beside him were forced to step back.

Like a gale sweeping fallen leaves, in the boundless void of space, wherever the energy storm passed, all were forced to evade.

Just as the Spider-Men thought they'd be wounded and forced to retreat again, the portal flashed once more—and a blue figure burst out.

With astonishing agility and speed, it reached the storm's edge, pulled out a ladder from nowhere, climbed up the vortex, and leapt into its center—then delivered a spinning kick—

Sorus flew off instantly.

When the energy storm dissipated, everyone saw the blue figure: a highly agile blue cat.

Though there was no ground in space, Sorus landed on an invisible air-wall that felt like solid ground.

When he stood up, everyone stared in shock: Sorus's head swelled with a massive bump, his right eye was a huge black eye, a cross-shaped bandage stuck to his left cheek, and a cat claw mark remained on his left face.

Sorus was in God-Form; though shrunken, his body was still energy-based—he didn't leave physical wounds like carbon-based life; even if damaged, he only lost energy, leaving no trace.

Yet now, he bore those ridiculous, cartoonish injuries—and no matter how he manipulated his energy, he couldn't erase them.

Beyond this, the attack's only effect was disrupting his energy storm—no real damage done. It was negligible harm, maximum humiliation.

True to form, Sorus rose, roaring in fury, eyes blazing, scanning the entire cosmic space to find the culprit—when suddenly, he noticed something floating toward him.

It was a pink, translucent bubble.

"Wait—where did this bubble come from?" The last Spider-Man to emerge stood atop the building, gazing upward, puzzled: "Why is this bubble drifting so oddly? Could it be trying to breach the atmosphere?"

Spider-Gwen walked toward the new Spider-Man and said: "Though my judgment isn't perfect, isn't this bubble moving a bit too fast?"

From Sorus's perspective, a tiny bubble suddenly appeared on Earth—and in an instant, it reached his face, far faster than any known rocket.

He couldn't identify it, dared not act rashly, and retreated swiftly—but the bubble, though drifting lazily, moved faster than he could.

In a blink, Sorus realized he was trapped inside the bubble.

The pink bubble looked fragile—but when Sorus struck it with full force, he realized it was one of the rare materials in the universe capable of trapping a God-Form being; his blow left it utterly unmoved.

"What the hell is this?!"

"Spider-Man!"

"You cowardly vermin, daring to use such treachery against me!"

!

"

Cosmic Captain Spider-Man, alongside the new Spider-Man and Spider-Gwen and others, flew before Sorus, hands on hips, glaring: "What is this? What is this bubble?"

The Spider-Men looked at each other, none knew what was happening—when suddenly, they saw a yellow figure dart past them at blinding speed.

Their superior motion vision revealed it was a square sponge, with thin limbs, holding a pink bubble wand.

The kind of toy sold in convenience stores—dip in bubble solution, then blow bubbles. Then a piercing scream echoed through space:

"Squidward!"

"Let's go blow bubbles together!"

!

"

Instantly, Sorus trapped in the bubble became a distant speck of light—and vanished completely before the Spider-Men's eyes.

Cosmic Captain Spider-Man sighed: "I almost had my soul drained, lost a lot of energy—we should return to base to regroup, then track Sorus."

"But… what about all these things? We just leave them here?" Spider-Gwen hesitated, glancing at the bizarre creatures scattered across space.

"Even if we need to clean up this mess, I need to restore my energy first," Cosmic Captain Spider-Man shook his head.

His voice carried exhaustion—having his soul pulled back and forth was excruciating; he'd nearly drained all his power. The other Spider-Men saw this and didn't press him; all Spider-Men left this universe.

Solus vanished in a dramatic fashion, and all the Shilers remaining in this universe suddenly found their greatest enemy gone.

But Shiler had one finest tradition: mental self-destruction, fighting himself—he was a professional.

Upon discovering that the great enemy Solus had disappeared, the Shilers left behind began fighting each other.

In the vast emptiness of space, a spinning lightsaber flew past, then a flag with a strange pattern drifted by, someone shouted "Bengyu!", another cried "The loser eats dust!"—before long, the entire universe was in complete chaos.

Captain Universe Spider-Man, who had returned to base to rest, immediately went to his room to meditate, linking with Eternity to replenish his energy.

As soon as he arrived at the temple, a flood of chaotic thoughts surged into his mind; Captain Universe Spider-Man shook his head hard, then saw Eternity's figure appear at the center of the hall.

At the same time, a voice on the verge of collapse sounded in Captain Universe Spider-Man's ear:

"The stability of the universe is deteriorating faster and faster—do you have any idea why???"