CHAPTER 719: THE INFINITE EVENT (PART 35)

Three female Spider-Men screamed in unison, which actually caused the shadowy figure opposite them to freeze in surprise.

At that moment, Gwen, the Spider-Woman, took in her surroundings and realized that they had landed on the same rooftop as before, and it was now twilight. The figure before her, Schiller, seemed to be admiring the view.

Gwen took a step back and asked Spider-Girl, "Didn't you say we had a strong ally coming?"

"I'm calling him now," Spider-Web replied with a calm and composed voice. "Let's all stay put and not provoke him. Once our helper arrives, we'll move the injured to safety first..."

"You'd better hurry. I have a feeling he's about to make a move."

Just then, a thunderous explosion echoed from the sky, followed by the haunting strains of music and a distinctive accented English line: "Welcome, hell's guests! The Spider-Men have arrived!"

In that moment, a colossal Mech Armor descended upon the center of New York, with a red-and-blue Spider-Man perched on its apex.

With one hand supporting him on the ground and the other raised, he shouted, "Leopold Barton! Let's go! We are the youth's friends, the Spider-Men!"

The Spider-Men and Schiller atop the great Rooftop were stunned. The robot's form was indeed majestic, but the music playing from its built-in speaker was far from melodious, mixing rumbling tremors with shrieks.

This Spider-Man's dialogue carried a strange intonation. Gwen squinted and asked Spider-Girl beside her, "What is he shouting? What friend? And who is 'four hundred auntie'?"

Spider-Girl shook her head, but at that moment, she saw Schiller leap into the air and land on the edge of a rooftop very close to the Mech Armor. The self-proclaimed 'Four Hundred Auntie' Spider-Man squinted and said:

"I can smell it... the air is thick with the scent of a strong opponent! You are worthy of a battle! Declare your name, and let us have a splendid duel!"

"My name... is Pain!"

As his voice faded, the rain above New York grew heavier, and Pain's silhouette disappeared, only for several afterimages to appear beside the Mech Armor.

The 'Four Hundred Auntie' Spider-Man turned his head frantically, snorting coldly, "Could this be the legendary Shadow Clone technique? Indeed, I was not mistaken, for among those I have faced in the past, there was such a formidable one..."

Standing on the neighboring rooftop, Gwen nudged Spider-Girl with her shoulder and asked, "What's going on over there? Why aren't they fighting?"

"How should I know!" Spider-Girl grabbed a telescope to look across, saying, "Judging by his lip movements, it looks like he's reminiscing about past opponents..."

"Is now really the time for reminiscing?!

Gwen raised her voice, "That purple-eyed guy, we're just letting him reminisce like this??"

"It seems so," Spider-Girl confirmed, peering through the telescope carefully. "Oh, wait! The purple-eyed one has fallen into reminiscence too!"

"This... they're at a standstill, what should we do?" Spider-Web asked with a hint of difficulty. "During the transfer earlier, some of the wounded reopened their wounds; we need to stop the bleeding..."

Right then, the sound of metal tentacles touching the ground echoed, as Otto climbed up from below the building, bringing along several medical robots. Watching Spider-Man being led away by the medical robots, Otto said:

"Thank my experiences in another Space, where Stark of that dimension created these machines. I only needed one glance at the materials, and yet, I've managed to replicate them..."

SpiderGwen was still wary of Doctor Octopus, but with a formidable enemy before them, an extra hand was welcome.

She turned her head, whispering to Spider-Girl, "You go with him, make sure he doesn't cause any trouble. I'll stay here with Spider-Web, in case they start fighting, I need to lure them away from New York..."

Spider-Girl nodded and then followed Otto away.

SpiderGwen looked gravely towards the battlefield, knowing that if a fight broke out, New York could suffer significant damage, potentially harming many people. Thus, she was determined to draw these titans of destruction to a desolate place.

Half an hour later, Gwen had gone from standing to sitting. Spider-Web asked, "Have those two still not finished their trip down memory lane?"

SpiderGwen took a glance with the telescope and replied, "They had just finished, said a word to each other, and fell back into reminiscence."

"Do you think if they keep this up, we'll have a chance to capture that Schiller?" Spider-Web pondered.

Gwen gave her a look, "With our strength? Are you kidding?"

Spider-Web shrugged, "Yeah, I was just saying..."

The two Spider-Men sat on the rooftop, the heavy rain pelting them, waiting for a battle that might never begin..

Then... all was still once again.

"My goodness! How can it get stuck even here!"

SpiderGwen spread her hands in exasperation. "What are they doing? Why have they stopped moving again?!"

Silk took the telescope and peered through it, commenting, "Judging from their lip movements, it seems like they’ve fallen into reminiscence again. Let me see…"

"I'm not very familiar with Japanese, but it looks like they're recalling whom they've used this move on. The Spider-Man who pilots the Mech armor is recalling the third person now, and that one named Schiller is a bit faster, already reminiscing about the fifth..."

Observing the mechanical arms and Schiller's doppelgangers frozen in mid-air, SpiderGwen waved her hand dismissively. "I'm going to find a hotel. Maybe by the time I wake up, they'll have started fighting."

"Count me in," said Silk, following her.

The next morning, SpiderGwen awoke on the soft, large bed of the hotel. She walked to the window, yawned, drew back the curtains, and picked up the telescope.

Above New York's skyline, a giant robot and five Schillers, identical in appearance, were still poised mid-collision.

"Let me see... Silk! Come over and translate. What are they saying?" SpiderGwen shouted at Silk, who was still asleep.

After being roused, a bleary-eyed Silk came to the window, took the telescope, and said, "Oh, they're reminiscing about their childhood, something about a ramen shop. I don't really understand Eastern cuisine…"

"How about we suggest they go to a bar to chat? They're really causing a traffic jam standing there."

SpiderGwen looked down to see New York's streets below, filled with drivers getting out of their cars and cursing due to the traffic blockage.

After all, the Mech armor piloted by the Spider-Man was so large that just one leg could block an intersection. With such a massive robot standing there, even the most reckless driver wouldn't dare to proceed, and the five main thoroughfares of East New York were completely gridlocked with vehicles backed up from end to end.

SpiderGwen didn't just talk; she acted. She shot out a spider web and swung out to the battlefield, leaping along the buildings until she was close to the two figures, then she shouted at them: "Can't you two go to a bar to chat?! There's a bar right next door! Can't you see it? Why are you standing here, blocking traffic?!"

Suddenly, the Spider-Man atop the Mech armor, lost in reminiscence, snapped back to reality. He laughed loudly, exclaiming, "This is truly a battle for men! It's been ages since I've had such a hearty fight!"

"A bar? You mean a ramen shop?! Great! A true man should enjoy a bowl of steaming ramen after a duel! Pain, it's time we find another place for our decisive battle, hahaha!"

Watching the two figures disappear into the skyline, SpiderGwen folded her arms and said to Silk beside her, "How is that 'manly'? More importantly, how is that a duel?? They've only made two moves and haven't even decided a victor!"

Silk shook her head, clearly as confused as she was. It was then that Otto appeared on the rooftop, and Spider-Girl followed. Walking up to SpiderGwen, Spider-Girl reported, "The injured have been taken care of. Most of the Spider-Men have recovered and are ready to rejoin the fight. We need to go back and assist the others…"

The two female Spider-Men nodded in agreement, and as they were about to leave, suddenly, the skies above New York darkened as a field of stars appeared, heralding the arrival of the immense figure of Solus, who was in pursuit.

It was easier for Solus to hunt these injured, immobile Spider-Men than to chase the lively ones; and finding them meant a feast. With his predatory instincts awakened, his hunger urged him to act...

"Bad news! Solus is on our tail, quick! Silk! Call those two back from their ramen!" SpiderGwen urged in a panic.

But at that moment, Solus's giant hand reached towards them, and SpiderGwen, Silk, and Spider-Girl scattered in three directions.

With such a monstrous apparition over New York, all the citizens were in a panic. More importantly, with the Mech armor's departure, traffic began to flow again, but the appearance of another monster threw the drivers into disarray, steering wildly and causing several accidents.

Now, the roads were even more clogged until finally, a roar of frustration erupted, "How long do you plan to block the roads?!"

SpiderGwen clung to the side of a building, avoiding the grasp of Solus. She shot a web towards the direction in which the Spider-Man and Pain had disappeared, thinking, "I need to alert those two..."

[I didn't find any reference for 'Four Hundred Auntie', if you know, do tell me!]