"Dealing with a cosmic being without some special measures makes a clean victory nearly impossible."
Adam rose from his seat, ready for action.
Even with just a light extension of his senses, he could feel the overwhelming pressure pressing down from every corner of the cosmos, as if the entire universe beyond Earth had turned against him.
That was the terror of a cosmic being—they were practically part of the universe's fundamental rules.
Yet Adam's face showed no trace of fear, only the deep, black-hole calm of absolute confidence.
"Boss, the company phones are blowing up, and there's a massive crowd gathering outside. Everyone wants to know how you plan to handle this even bigger symbiote invasion… Rough estimates put their numbers at over a hundred million, possibly more." Gloria entered, sweating profusely.
Having only a regular xenomorph inside her, her enhanced but still relatively human physique made her keenly aware of the dreadful weight bearing down from beyond the planet. She felt like some mysterious, malevolent gaze had locked onto her.
"Just like last time," Adam replied.
"Last time? Last time we crushed the symbiote legion because their numbers were limited and you took out Knull early. This time is different…" Meeting Adam's eyes, Gloria took a deep breath and forced her tense body to relax.
Anyone else in her position wouldn't have been this nervous. They would simply wait for Adam's orders.
Everyone believed without question that Adam would do what he had always done in countless crises: find the one right path through the impossible.
But Gloria knew better. Lately, Adam had barely acted at all—just sat in his office, drinking water and reading the news.
She knew he could remotely control xenomorphs, but was this really fine? Sitting calmly in an office while orchestrating a strike against a cosmic being?
"Gloria, as my chief secretary you've handled a lot of classified material. You know more than most, but unlike Druid and the others, your mind isn't as… pure. This is your last chance to question me. Do it again, and you know exactly what happens."
Adam's tone was casual, like everyday conversation.
Gloria shuddered, face pale with fear. "I'm sorry, Boss. But I've read the files on the symbiotes. This time it's the real Knull, right? The complete version who's reclaimed his body. I never imagined I'd be dealing with a cosmic being, so I was worried about you…"
"Fear is normal. But your fear is worthless. In Knull's eyes, only fear that makes me concerned has any value."
Adam glanced at her. Under normal circumstances, as an old acquaintance of Peter Parker, this woman would have climbed the ranks at the Daily Bugle.
Instead, she had ended up working for him.
If she wanted power and wealth far beyond ordinary people, a body and lifespan rivaling superhumans, then she also had to face dangers and enemies far beyond normal imagination.
Facing gods as enemies was simply too much for someone who had been an ordinary person just a couple of years ago.
Adam didn't blame her harshly, but his patience had limits. Any further questioning would exhaust it completely.
He could tolerate betrayal from subordinates, but while they still acted in that role—before any actual rebellion—they had no right to waste his time and energy.
Questioning was the cheapest, most useless form of stupidity.
"Effective immediately, you're relieved of your position as chief secretary. Report to the front desk on the first floor. When the symbiotes come, you will hold that post and not move a single step." Adam's gaze had already drifted toward distant horizons. Gloria no longer existed in his field of vision.
A pleading look crossed her face, but she said nothing more. Head lowered, she left the office.
Not everyone was a zealous believer like Druid. Not everyone was like Mr. Blue, whose oversized brain was filled with schemes to betray Adam while still pretending perfect loyalty. And not everyone was like Reynolds—completely thoughtless, just looking for chances to show off, waiting for orders when real problems arose.
Speaking of which, Reynolds was still flying around carefree, shining like a golden beacon. He had deliberately expanded the range of his golden energy to make himself even more radiant, tilting his head to soak up the adoring praise from the ant-like mortals below.
Many people assumed Adam would reuse the same strategy he had employed against Dormammu.
The Sentry, Trinity of Power.
If they pushed Reynolds' body to the limit and stacked the power of a million stars repeatedly, he might be able to face a complete Knull head-on.
Adam had evaluated the plan. In a true last resort, squeezing every ounce of potential from the Sentry should allow them to fight Knull.
After all, this Knull no longer had the Necrosword.
But it still wasn't a guaranteed method.
So Adam had decided to act personally.
Before Knull could enter the solar system himself, Adam left the Vailant Building.
He slowly raised his head toward the deep sky. In his vision, the world was no longer just stars and planets. He saw the hidden structure—the World Tree.
Only those who had touched the power of the World Tree and mastered it to a profound level could perceive this magnificent giant tree, where even a single branch supported countless stars.
Adam's gaze swept across the colossal tree, searching for what he needed.
Thor had come to Earth specifically.
"Adam, my friend. Looks like we're fighting side by side again." Thor's expression was grave as he looked at Adam, hoping to hear a solution. "Knull has returned in his complete divine form… This one is unlike any enemy we've faced before."
"I do have a method, and it's already in motion," Adam said calmly.
Though Thor hadn't heard any details, the tension drained from his face. "Then what do you need from me? Don't worry—I'm strong enough now to truly support you."
With the Stormbreaker axe, Odin's power, and the Destroyer armor, Thor's confidence had never been higher.
Even against a dangerous evil god, the thought of defeating Knull and rescuing his brother Loki made Thor eager to find the enemy and end him on the spot.
"What are you looking at? Or have you already shifted your consciousness to another xenomorph?" Thor asked.
Anyone else might have suspected Adam was preparing an escape.
Because he could do exactly that.
Shifting his soul and consciousness, abandoning bodies at will—this ability was practically cheating. As long as xenomorphs existed in some remote corner of the universe, Adam possessed a form of conceptual immortality.
The only way to truly eliminate him would be to exterminate every xenomorph across the cosmos first.
Even Knull would find that nearly impossible. A reckless, universe-shaking purge would trigger chaos and draw interference from other gods.
"I'm simply observing the World Tree… You probably wouldn't understand right now," Adam replied.
Thor looked utterly baffled. What was so special about the World Tree? It just stood there, right?
What did that have to do with the incoming Knull? Was Adam planning to uproot the thing and smash it over the god's head?
Adam found nothing useful from Thor, but he hadn't expected much anyway.
He was watching for those others he couldn't yet see directly. He was certain they knew what he was looking for.
The gods in the shadows had indeed noticed Adam's actions.
Dark figures manifested at the crown of the World Tree—each one immense, the result of eons of accumulation.
"As expected, he has noticed us."
"Not exactly noticed. He doesn't even know what we are. At most, he suspects our existence."
"How pitiful. Faced with the pressure of a cosmic being, even the proudest human must bow his head and desperately beg true deities for power to survive the crisis."
"That said, if Knull actually conquers Midgard, that mad god will surely discover us. The entire World Tree would descend into chaos. Once exposed to the wider pantheons, we could no longer quietly trigger Ragnarok on schedule and harvest its energy."
"Knull is powerful and dangerous, but we don't need to act personally. We can cultivate an agent to fight for us. We simply wait and reap the rewards."
The shadowy ancient gods conferred and quickly reached consensus.
In any situation, self-preservation came first.
As for cultivating a servant champion… Thor seemed more suitable at first glance, being a proper god of the World Tree's lineage.
Adam, even viewed as a xenomorph, only had an indirect connection. Using xenomorphs to parasitize gods might forge a link, but...
Since Adam had discovered them first and was willing to confront Knull, the gods were not opposed to granting him power.
BOOM!
Darkness swallowed heaven and earth. All light was severed.
The shadow gods revealed themselves in a way only Adam could perceive—several colossal black silhouettes appearing in his vision.
"Finally decided to show yourselves," Adam said flatly.
"A human—or rather, a xenomorph—seeks our power to fight an invading god."
"You are not yet qualified."
"Sacrifice your eyes. Offer your soul. Hang yourself upon the branches of the World Tree, and we shall grant you the divine power to defeat the evil god Knull."
Ancient, obscure divine words echoed, heavy with primordial weight.
Thor probably would have agreed without hesitation, prioritizing the fight against Knull above all.
But for Adam, that was impossible.
"You've misunderstood one thing. I'm not begging you. You pathetic fools are begging me."
A chilling smile spread across Adam's face. "Rats hiding in the shadows, too afraid to face the horror under the sun. You scramble in panic for survival, squeaking and squealing in the only way you know how."
"What did you say?"
"Insolence! Arrogance!"
"You come seeking our aid yet dare adopt this superior attitude? Do you even understand what you are facing?"
The shadow gods were likely experiencing humiliation for the first time in their existence. This was probably their first conversation with a being from outside the shadows—and it had begun terribly.
They looked down, shocked by Adam's audacity.
So stubborn? Refusing to sacrifice body and soul, refusing to hang from the branches in prayer, wanting to take the divine power while standing tall and giving nothing?
Yes, the shadow gods could draw upon the World Tree's power and distribute it, but they would not do so for free.
Adam's cold laugh echoed.
Sacrifice? Don't make him laugh. Sacrificing his eyes here meant losing them permanently—even on a soul level. No amount of regeneration could restore them.
It was similar to how a xenomorph chestburster took genetic material from the host, leaving wounds that even powerful healing factors couldn't fully repair.
Like how Odin in the main universe had sacrificed an eye to the World Tree for wisdom and remained one-eyed forever.
Adam would not do that.
As for hanging himself from the World Tree's branches… that was the path of Rune King Thor, who had hung for nine days and nights to ascend.
Adam refused.
These shadow gods were strong, deeply entangled with the World Tree, and held vast reserves of power. But they were also creatures of darkness, hiding in its shadow, secretly triggering Ragnaroks to harvest apocalyptic energy.
"Right now, across the entire World Tree, I am the only one willing to step forward and face Knull head-on—just like the last two times. This time will be different. I will end him permanently, so he never gets a fourth chance. Your best option is the one who found you first."
"We refuse. We will kill you before Knull arrives."
"Feeling tough? Then I'll simply kill this body, abandon it, and tell Knull exactly where to find you. I'll let him tear through the entire World Tree hunting you down one by one. Do you think a slaughter-obsessed god who loves challenging and killing other deities won't be very interested in you?"
Adam's threat rang out: "Either I sacrifice some xenomorphs, leave the World Tree in a less-than-dignified way, and head elsewhere in the cosmos—leaving you to Knull—or you give me your power so I can fight him."
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