— — — — — —

『Ghost Spider』: Wakanda's guardian and national hero—Black Panther.

『Ghost Spider』: And this generation's Panther is none other than the King of Wakanda himself: T'Chaka!

『Catwoman』: So… you kidnapped the king of Wakanda? Just casually??

『Catwoman』: Hold up... That's way better than stealing jewels.Why chase treasure when I can just steal the billionaire?

『Catwoman』: Hehe~ the wealthy playboy, Bruce Wayne. I'm sure he won't mind.

『Ghost-Spider』: ...…Are you serious right now? That's the second time I've told you I didn't attack Wakanda or Kidnap T'Chaka. (facepalm.jpg)

『Earth's Cancer』: Then what—T'Chaka realized he was outmatched, panicked when his identity got exposed, and offered you hush money?

『Ghost-Spider』: .....

『Earth's Cancer』: Or was it… a "friendship fee"?

『Earth's Cancer』: No? Still not it?

『Ghost Spider』: Actually… yeah, that's kinda what it turned out to be.

『Ghost Spider』: But the way you're emphasizing "friendship fee" is giving me a weird vibe.

『Earth's Cancer』: Just your imagination.

『Ghost Spider』: …Whatever.

『Ghost Spider』: You guys probably won't believe this, but after seeing my Spider suit, King T'Chaka said I matched the exact image described in a divine prophecy from their panther god. He called me Wakanda's eternal friend.

『Ghost Spider』: At first, I thought he was just improvising, trying to talk his way out of a bad situation. I figured hey, if he's that quick on his feet, I'll just use this 'friend' angle to buy the vibranium at market price and call it a day.

『Ghost Spider』: But then… he got really enthusiastic. He even invited me to visit Wakanda as an honored guest.

Now, Gwen wasn't exactly someone who got nervous over invitations like that.

Especially since, just days ago, she'd unlocked the early stage of Tier 4 in her Gene Lock—an insane power-up. If she got serious, stomping her foot could cause an earthquake strong enough to shake a country.

And in this world (Earth-∞), she could always call in the big guns—like the Sorcerer Supreme, the legendary Ancient One: male version.

Outside this world? She had Veyron and Merlin.

Worst case scenario? She could always bug out through a chat group exploit or a mission portal.

...

So, after leaving Natasha at a temporary outpost ten kilometers from Wakanda's border, Gwen followed T'Chaka into the nation itself.

And what do you know? Turned out T'Chaka hadn't been lying at all.

From the queen and royal family to ordinary citizens—everyone treated her with this warm, respectful friendliness.

When she finally asked someone what was up, she learned something wild: every tribe in Wakanda—whether they worshipped the panther god Bast, or other spirits like the white ape, crocodile, or hyena—had all received a divine vision a few months ago.

The vision showed a girl in a black-white-and-pink Spider suit. The prophecy declared she would be Wakanda's eternal ally.

『Lady Avalon』: Wait, months ago?

『Ghost Spider』: Yup. To be precise—

『Ghost Spider』: It was the same day my home world mysteriously shifted from Earth-65 to this new Earth.

『Snake Empress』: So you're saying… Bast, the panther god, actually exists in that world?

『Ghost-Spider』: I haven't seen a god myself, but based on everything so far? Yeah, I'm thinking Bast is real.

『Ghost-Spider』: And not just some minor local deity, either.

Gwen was sure that neither on Earth-65 nor Earth-∞ had she ever come into contact with any gods—or even ultra-powerful beings marked by divine traits.

Which made it all the more impressive—and slightly unnerving—that Bast had been able to pinpoint her arrival instantly and send out a prophetic message to the entire nation.

Yeah. That raised some serious questions.

The Sorcerer Supreme had once told her: beings on his level wouldn't even notice her anomaly unless they were planetary guardians like him. Anyone above that level—like the cosmic entities known as the Celestials, or that redacted being █ █ █ █—had already been made aware of her existence, and they'd agreed not to interfere.

So whichever way you looked at it, there was no way this Bast character was weak.

『Catwoman』: I mean, I know our world has its fair share of superheroes and villains, but your universe is just on a whole different level.

『Catwoman』: The Sorcerer Supreme, cosmic deities, the Panther God Bast… and whatever that █ █ █ █ thing is. Just those alone sound like a boss battle lineup.

『Ordinary Human』: Uh… yeah… about that...

『Lady Avalon』: (Thinking.jpg)

『Earth's Cancer』: Wait… no way. You don't mean—?

『Catwoman』: Don't you dare finish that thought, Veyron. You're scaring me!

『Ordinary Human』: Look, I get that Gwen's world is crazy powerful. But yours isn't exactly low-tier either.

『Catwoman』: WHAT.

『Ordinary Human』: Remember that girl you asked me to unlock the fourth tier Gene Lock for? The one with the plants? Yeah, well, turns out she's backed by this primordial nature force that calls itself 'The Green.'

『Ordinary Human』: After I brushed minds with it—just once—it said if I was interested, I could be its representative across the multiverse just like Poison Ivy.

『Lady Avalon』: Multiverse??

『Ordinary Human』: Yep. Full-blown multiverse.

『Catwoman』: ...…

『Catwoman』: Representative across the multiverse? Ivy?

『Catwoman』:  M-My world is like Gwen?

『Ordinary Human』: Actually, I'd say your world's even more dangerous than Gwen's. More powerful beings. Way more evil.

『Catwoman』: No. Nonono. WHY would you tell me that?!

『Catwoman』: Ughhh…

---

"PAMELA ISLEY!"

"YOU DAMN POISON IVY!"

Near Gotham, there was a certain lush island overflowing with out-of-season plants. Any half-decent superhero or villain would recognize it as someone's personal garden.

And right now, one very annoyed cat burglar came flying across it.

With perfect aim, Selina Kyle pounced on her friend—wrapping Ivy in a full-body lock. Then she freed one hand just long enough to squish her friend's cheek.

"You almost let someone else steal you away, and now I find out your backing is that stacked?!" she hissed.

Pamela Isley, better known as Poison Ivy, rolled her eyes and wiggled helplessly in the hold.

"I don't even know what you're talking about…" she muttered. "You're being ridiculous."

And Selina was—probably.

But when you find out your friend has cosmic nature entities offering her multiverse ambassador gigs?

Yeah...

.

.

.