Chapter 10: “The Battle Beyond Time”

[SYSTEM STATUS: UNSTABLE]

Host: Peter Benjamin Parker (a.k.a. Ethan Grey)

Level: 7

EXP: 3000/4000

Current Status: Unanchored – No longer bound to a single timeline.

New Quest: "Paradox Ascendant" (In Progress)

Objective: Confront Kang the Conqueror and prevent the final Convergence.

Threat Level: CATASTROPHIC

The Threshold – Edge of Reality

The gateway shimmered like liquid glass, suspended between fragments of collapsing timelines. On one side, the chaotic remnants of Earth's reality—the skyline of Manhattan flickering between eras, colors bleeding unnaturally across the sky. On the other side: Kang's Realm—a place beyond comprehension where time spiraled like a living thing, coiling and uncoiling in endless loops.

Ethan stood at the precipice, his reflection fragmented across the portal's surface. His face—Peter Parker's face—felt like both a mask and a reminder of everything he'd lost and gained.

Nova adjusted her temporal stabilizer, her usual confident smirk replaced by something more serious. "This is it."

Ethan clenched his fists, feeling the unstable surge of power crackling beneath his skin. "Let's finish this."

Crossing Into the Timeless Citadel

As they stepped through the portal, the very laws of existence bent around them. The Timeless Citadel, Kang's stronghold, floated in an infinite void stitched together from countless realities—a fortress forged from broken timelines, each piece flickering with echoes of universes long erased.

Gravity was optional. Directions meaningless.

Every step felt like falling and rising at the same time.

Kang's voice greeted them before they saw him—calm, measured, inevitable.

"Welcome, Paradox."

They emerged into a throne room unlike any other—no walls, just endless space fractured by shards of history. Battles from every timeline played out like ghosts around them: Avengers fighting Ultron, X-Men clashing with Sentinels, even echoes of Thanos's snap, frozen in mid-collapse.

And at the center of it all, seated upon a throne woven from strands of pure time, was Kang the Conqueror.

The Final Confrontation Begins

Kang rose, his armor gleaming with a blue hue that pulsed like a heartbeat, etched with runes of universes he'd conquered. His eyes—glowing with cold intelligence—locked onto Ethan.

"You've exceeded my expectations," Kang said, descending the steps of his throne. "But that's what paradoxes do, isn't it? You defy logic. Defy fate. But you cannot defy me."

Ethan stepped forward, his body flickering between realities. "You brought me here, manipulated my life, turned me into this… thing."

Kang's smile was faint. "I didn't turn you into anything. I simply gave you the opportunity. You did the rest."

Rage flared within Ethan, but he held it back. He knew Kang wanted him angry—unstable.

"I'm done playing your game," Ethan growled.

Kang's expression hardened. "This isn't a game. This is destiny."

[SYSTEM ALERT: Final Battle Initiated]

Boss Fight: Kang the Conqueror

Objective: Prevent the Convergence. Defeat Kang.

Bonus Objective: Rewrite your fate.

Failure Penalty: Total Multiversal Collapse.

Phase One: The Clash of Titans

Kang moved first.

With a wave of his hand, he tore the very fabric of time, hurling Ethan and Nova into a chaotic battlefield where past, present, and future collided. Kang controlled time like it was an extension of his will—slowing it, accelerating it, even reversing attacks mid-flight.

Ethan fought back with everything he had, activating Temporal Rift to create zones where Kang's time manipulation was weakened. He weaved through collapsing timelines, his enhanced reflexes guided by Spidey-sense, dodging blasts of raw chronal energy.

Nova unleashed her full power, her energy blasts fracturing the distorted reality around them. But Kang was relentless—every hit they landed seemed to only make him stronger.

Phase Two: The Paradox Unleashed

As the battle raged, Ethan's system began to glitch violently.

His body flickered uncontrollably, slipping between versions of himself—Peter Parker, Ethan Grey, even glimpses of other versions: Spider-Men from alternate realities, some heroic, some monstrous.

Kang laughed, his voice booming across the shattered battlefield. "You see? You were never real. Just a fragment. A mistake."

Ethan collapsed to his knees, overwhelmed by the instability.

But then—clarity.

He wasn't Peter Parker. He wasn't just Ethan Grey. He was both.

A paradox.

A convergence of choices, not mistakes.

Ethan stood, his system interface stabilizing for the first time—not because it was fixed, but because he accepted it.

[SYSTEM OVERRIDE: ASCENSION PROTOCOL UNLOCKED]

New Ability: Singularity Core – Embrace your paradox. Become an anchor in the multiverse, immune to all temporal manipulations. (Cooldown: None – Passive Effect)

Ethan's body surged with newfound power, not from the system, but from himself. His presence stabilized the collapsing timelines around him.

He charged Kang again—but this time, Kang's powers had no effect.

No time loops. No reversals. No manipulations.

Kang's eyes widened for the first time—not with amusement, but with fear.

"You can't—" Kang tried to say.

Ethan punched him with everything he had, a blow powered not just by strength but by defiance.

"I just did."

Phase Three: The Fall of Kang

The final phase was brutal.

Stripped of his control over time, Kang fought like a cornered animal—desperate, ruthless. But Ethan was relentless. With Nova's help, they dismantled Kang's defenses piece by piece.

In the end, Ethan pinned Kang down, his fist glowing with unstable energy.

"This is for every life you manipulated."

And with one final strike, Kang's armor shattered—and so did he.

Kang dissolved into fragments of broken timelines, his reign of terror finally over.

Aftermath – The Choice

The battle was won, but the Convergence Catalyst remained—a ticking time bomb threatening to collapse all realities.

Ethan stood before it, his system flashing a final choice.

[SYSTEM ALERT: Final Decision Required]

Option 1: Anchor Yourself – Stabilize the multiverse but remain unanchored, drifting between realities forever.

Option 2: Sacrifice the System – Destroy the Catalyst and the system, anchoring yourself to one reality but losing all powers.

Nova's voice was soft. "Whatever you choose… you're not alone."

Ethan took a deep breath.

Then he made his choice.

[TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 11: "The Price of Freedom"]