"Spider-Women Alliance!"
The words slipped out with the flick of webbing.
Gwen's eyes lit up! That actually sounded pretty good. Even if it was just the two of them, they could still call it the Spider-Women Alliance. She and Wanda were only two people too, and they called themselves the Goddess Alliance.
Besides, the Spider-Women Alliance wasn't just for the two of them right now. It was meant for the future, in case more Spider-Women appeared! If more Spider-Women showed up later, they'd need to manage things together and keep each other in check.
Otherwise, if one of them turned out rotten, the entire Spider community could be dragged into a crisis.
In short: don't let one bad apple ruin the whole bunch. That's why the Spider-Women Alliance was necessary!
Gwen thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
"This is a great idea. I'll talk it over with Lorien when we get back and let him decide.
If he agrees, we won't need to worry about venues, gear, or identities—it's just a word from him!"
"Hm?"
Silk glanced at Gwen in surprise. She hadn't expected Gwen, even with her strength, to still value her partner this much, and to let him have the final say. Of course, it wasn't about one person always making the decisions. To Silk, it showed something else—something rare. It meant Gwen's absolute trust.
So Silk nodded.
"Alright, I'll wait for your news."
After chatting a bit more, the two continued on their way in perfect sync. Gwen instantly pulled up her hood, while Silk adjusted her mask. Together, they leapt off the skyscraper. With two quick swings of their webbing, their figures soared into the distance.
Soon after, Gwen dropped Silk off at her place. With a quick goodbye, she immediately headed home. She darted through streets and alleys, vaulted over towering buildings, and finally returned to the Northern Tower.
Slipping in through her private window, Gwen released her Symbiote suit, opened the door, changed her shoes, and walked inside to find Lorien and Wanda.
The moment she saw Lorien, Gwen waved eagerly, her voice full of excitement.
"Lorien! I've got a proposal! Silk and I came up with it together!"
As Gwen came over, Lorien patted his other thigh and asked casually,
"What kind of proposal?"
"The Spider-Women Alliance!"
Hearing this, Lorien and Wanda both froze. They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with amusement and curiosity.
Gwen noticed and tilted her head in confusion.
"What's up? Does that sound weird?"
Lorien couldn't help but chuckle.
"You know what I was just talking about with Wanda?"
"Talking about what?"
"The Spider Alliance."
"!!!"
At those words, Gwen's eyes widened. She looked at Lorien with delight, then cupped his face and smothered him with several quick kisses—mwah mwah mwah~!
"Lorien, we're on the same wavelength!"
They really were. Lorien hadn't expected Gwen's first thought upon returning to be the same as his. Both had arrived at the exact same idea. He found it rather amusing.
He exchanged a glance with Wanda before turning back to Gwen.
"Tell us your idea. Let's see how much it differs from ours."
Gwen nodded and began explaining the idea she and Silk had come up with.
"There are already two Spider-Women.
So just like Wanda and I formed the Goddess Alliance, I think we should establish a Spider Alliance too.
That way, if more Spider-Women appear in the future, we can manage and oversee each other.
And if a lot of Spiders really do show up later, it won't necessarily be the city that falls into chaos—but the Spiders themselves will definitely end up in disarray."
Hearing this, Lorien immediately understood the kind of alliance she meant. Gwen's version of the Spider Alliance was a little different from his.
The difference lay in form. Gwen envisioned an alliance where everyone gathered together, voluntarily following rules and supervising one another.
But that would never work. Self-discipline breeds cliques, which lead to cover-ups and small factions. Of course, most Spider-Men across the Multiverse wouldn't act that way. Still, relying only on self-discipline wasn't reliable.
Because once an emergency struck, everyone would have their own ideas.
You think your way saves the world. I think my way saves the world.
In the end, everyone wants to save the world, yet they split into factions instead. That would be a disaster.
So Lorien tilted his head toward Wanda, signaling her to share the plan they had discussed earlier.
Wanda nodded and began.
"Lorien's proposal is more rigorous than yours.
He wants you to form an independent alliance, not just a loose agreement.
And you, as the strongest Spider-Women, would serve as captain—deciding the alliance's affairs and direction. That way the Spiders can be properly guided.
Of course, there won't be a mess of complicated rules—just a few broad ones.
Lorien will provide housing, facilities, battle suits, equipment, and so on for Spider-Women who don't have a home.
But Gwen, you'll need to take the lead."
Wanda finished, and Gwen fell into thought.
The difference between the two plans was simple.
One was a loose alliance—no real constraints, everyone relying on self-discipline, with no official base or organization. It was like a band of freelancers.
The other was a more formal league. It had actual rules and broad guidelines. Spiders without homes could live at official facilities, and there would be some level of management.
Of course, this management wasn't about burdening anyone. It was simply about having someone who could make the final call during major events—and that person would be Gwen.
It was like the original Avengers. Everyone was part of a collective, led by Nick Fury. They operated independently most of the time, but when a major crisis arose, they could all rally together with a single cry:
"Avengers Assemble!"
That was the advantage of an official alliance—structured organization, concentrated strength.
Gwen thought it over seriously and decided Wanda and Lorien's plan was better.
Because with her plan, either nothing would ever go wrong, or when it did, it would be catastrophic.
But with Wanda and Lorien's plan, even if problems arose, they could respond quickly.
And when facing a major crisis, they could rally immediately.
All it would take was a single shout:
"Assemble!"
...
Thus, the Spider Alliance plan was finalized.
It would take the form of a private organization under the guise of an official alliance. If an example were needed, it would be like the Assassin Brotherhood from Assassin's Creed—a collective, yet also a secret society.
This group wouldn't be burdened with endless detailed rules. Instead, it would be bound by a handful of unbreakable principles. Because of Spider-Man's nature, there would be no petty thieves or schemers among them. But when it came to major events, anyone could make mistakes—that was why those core tenets existed.
It was much like the Creator's Edicts Lorien had once set for the Transformers civilization.
Gwen, however, asked curiously,
"So what about the venue you mentioned, and all those other details? How are we handling that?"
"Don't worry. The weekend's coming up, plenty of time to take care of it."
The timing worked out perfectly—it landed right on the weekend, when everyone had free time. But the day had already slipped away.
Lorien checked the clock. It was already 11:12 p.m. He wrapped his arms around the two women's waists.
"Come on, let's head inside."
At his words, Gwen suddenly remembered something and eagerly pulled Lorien by the hand into the house.
Meanwhile, Wanda leaned close to whisper in his ear.
"Lorien, our..."
Hearing this, Lorien let out a soft sigh of regret.
Why?
Because Wanda told him that she and Gwen weren't on their periods anymore. Which meant… Lorien couldn't take certain alternative paths tonight.
Of course, it wasn't that he only cared about that. It was just that he hadn't tried it before… ahem. So it still felt novel. Like a trial card you could only use three to five days a month.
When Wanda noticed his sigh, she rolled her eyes and gave him a light punch.
"Why are you always coming up with weird ideas to mess with us?"
"No way, ahem," Lorien tried to argue.
Then suddenly, a thought struck him.
Wait. Normally, shouldn't he be able to take whichever path he wanted?
Thinking it over... the road!
Lorien's eyes lit up with realization. He immediately hoisted Wanda onto his shoulder and carried her inside.
"???"
Wanda panicked instantly.
"Lorien, what are you planning now?"
Lorien just chuckled and slammed the door shut.
Did he even need to say it?
My grasslands, my horses—I'll do as I please. The land itself is mine, so of course I can take any road I choose.
Watch me charge through like a raging dragon!
...
Meanwhile, deep in the cosmos.
After a wave of slaughter, Thanos's Annihilation Wave quickly restored seventy to eighty percent of its total strength through devouring and reproduction.
Gazing at his endless insectoid army, Thanos nodded with satisfaction.
Before him stood one of the three great empires of the universe—the Skrull Empire. Renowned for its shape-shifting abilities and advanced technology, the entire empire was made up of Skrulls, with their green skin and large ears. Outsiders were almost nonexistent here, unlike in the Nova Empire.
But today, they would share the Nova Empire's fate… they too would be annihilated.
After one last glance at the empire, Thanos turned to look at his restless Annihilation Wave fleet. The swarm trembled with urgency, craving destruction, annihilation, slaughter!
Without hesitation, Thanos raised his hand and said calmly,
"Slaughter."
The next moment, the endless Annihilation Wave surged toward the Skrull Empire.
They darkened the skies, blotting out the Skrull sun. By the time the Skrulls realized what was happening, it was already too late.
An infinite tide of insects swallowed their empire.
Even when warships managed to take off, they were instantly overwhelmed by the swarm, torn apart and exploding midair. And even if some of the insects were killed in the blasts, what did it matter? At most, dozens or hundreds fell.
But Thanos's swarm attacked in the hundreds of thousands, even millions.
Even Thanos's own armies had never numbered more than a hundred thousand at their peak.
But these creatures—this was not just a swarm.
This was an ocean of insects.
Sitting aboard his craft, Thanos quietly watched as the insect tide engulfed the Skrull Empire, slaughtering and devouring all life.
And he didn't need to give a single command.
Because he had discovered something—the swarm needed no orders.
Just point them at a target, and they would consume it.
As long as their hides were thick enough, their numbers vast enough, no civilization could withstand the assault of the Annihilation Wave.
Thanos knew this was only the first step in his conquest of the universe.
As for the second step...
He lowered his gaze to the Infinity Gauntlet on his left hand. Five empty slots still waited for the other Infinity Stones.
Once the swarm collected them all, what did these insects matter? The entire universe would bend to Thanos's will.
Thus, the Annihilation Wave and Thanos worked together. Each had their own agenda.
The Insect King sought to use Thanos to conquer the universe, locate the annihilation core, and trigger an explosion that would destroy all. That way, the Negative Zone would expand further, birthing stronger insectoid units—not these ordinary drones.
Likewise, Thanos was using the swarm to conquer the universe.
First, to vent his fury.
Second, to strengthen his power.
With multiple Infinity Stones, everything would fall under his control. With two stones, he would have confidence. With three, he could stand up to the Insect King. With four, he could openly negotiate "cooperation." With five, he could force the Insect King's hand.
With six, the universe itself would obey him.
Of course, that was assuming he didn't know about Lorien.
If he did…
Thanos would probably just give up.
Thanos: Holy crap! He's cheating!!!
...
Meanwhile, within the Solar System.
Inside the Transformers' Elder Council, all members—including the Ballerina Twins and the Collector—had already learned the news.
What news?
The Nova Empire was gone.
Wiped out by Thanos, who led an entirely new species known as the Annihilation Wave.
During the surprise attack, not even one in ten managed to escape. Out of every hundred, perhaps only five were lucky enough to survive.
But even with less than half a percent of survivors, the entire universe now knew of the Annihilation Wave's existence.
Images and videos had already spread across the stars.
Inside the council chamber, the Elders were watching footage of the Annihilation Wave under Thanos's command, tearing through the Nova Empire.
The recordings revealed everything—the swarm's hideous forms, their grotesque and misshapen warships, their endless numbers, their thick, armored hides.
They had no main cannons, no conventional battle strategy. Their warfare was nothing more than pure swarm tactics, driven entirely by instinct.
At the Legion Commander's signal, they charged like lunatics.
They showed no thought, no fear of death. Even knowing that destroying an enemy warship would also mean their own deaths in the explosion, they still chose to ram and tear it apart—sacrificing themselves in the process.
After the footage ended, the Elders began their discussion almost instantly.
The exchange moved with lightning speed. No voices were needed—everything was conducted through the system.
Within moments, proposals appeared, and voting results followed just as quickly.
[Increase Transformer offspring count: 1000:0]
[Construct a Solar System-wide Defense System: 1000:0]
[Upgrade Legion Equipment and Heavy Weapons: 1000:0]
[Establish Starport Two and Transformers Base Two: 1000:0]
Almost every proposal focused on armament, defense, and strengthening military capabilities. And every single one passed unanimously.
The largest and most ambitious of them all was the Solar System Defense System.
Its contents were extensive. In short: "Beyond Mercury, Venus, and Earth, establish firepower outposts starting from Mars, extending across Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Eris, and throughout the Kuiper Belt."
Though Pluto had long since been reclassified, its size made it more than suitable for a firepower base.
Eris, like Pluto, was part of the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune. That belt contained over a thousand celestial bodies, and the Transformers had no intention of letting them go to waste.
The larger bodies would be transformed into colossal celestial weapons.
The smaller ones would be converted into self-destructing celestial bombs.
All preparations were to be made, awaiting the day the Annihilation Wave arrived.