Knull had fallen spectacularly.
Though he was loath to admit it, he felt his descent keenly, like a moth caught in a spider's web, struggling futilely as the silken threads bound him ever tighter.
The scene before him defied Knull's comprehension, his face a mask of disbelief.
"What is that Xenomorph? What is this bizarre power? How can she isolate me from this universe and imprison me? She's not even a god!"
Knull racked his brain but could not fathom what Adam had done to grant an ordinary Xenomorph the power to confine a Cosmic Being.
He had already elevated his estimation of Xenomorphs time and again, but now, his very worldview was on the verge of shattering.
Was this reasonable?
"I don't understand the cause, but since Adam set this trap for Knull in advance, it all makes sense."
"Terrifying. That Xenomorph is anything but normal. So weak, yet possessing a unique ability to defeat Knull? If she used it recklessly, couldn't it affect the entire universe?"
"Xenomorphs are far more dangerous than we imagined. Adam quietly mastered a force capable of slaying Cosmic Beings and never revealed it. He's utterly insidious."
"Dormammu is lucky. He fell too early, too quickly, and didn't end up like Knull."
In that moment, Cosmic Beings across the universe, standing at the pinnacle of power, wore expressions of dread.
Dormammu, in particular, was visibly relieved. Had Adam allied with the Ancient One against him alone, he might have faced Knull's fate.
If Adam could dispatch Knull with such eerie methods, he could likely do the same to many other Cosmic Beings.
For the first time, even the most arrogant beings were forced to lower their gaze toward Adam and his Xenomorphs, their eyes probing with curiosity and caution.
Only a select few, like the Creator Gods who understood Moira's nature, remained coldly indifferent. Most gods, however, developed a deep wariness of Adam.
At this moment, Adam's name truly resounded among the universe's elite.
By crushing Knull, he paved his path to the zenith of a single universe.
Yet Adam's expression remained serene.
"Is this all you've got, Knull? You're even weaker than I imagined. Perhaps I didn't need to expend so much effort to weaken you… I've barely used my tricks, and you've already fallen." Adam observed Knull's struggles, as if watching a fish thrashing in a small tank, colliding repeatedly with the glass.
Knull's current plight was pitiful. In a confined cosmic region, he frantically sought an escape, only to be reset by a strange force, forced back to his starting point, a maddened beast trapped in a cage.
"Don't get cocky, you wretch. No power is invincible. Your inability to kill me outright proves you lack the strength to transcend the universe. You're resorting to cheap tricks to restrain me. I'll find a flaw and break free soon." Knull roared, his pitch-black eyes fixed on Adam. He seemed close enough to seize him, yet an entire universe's distance separated them.
"I can't kill you? Perhaps. Many gods have tried every method, only managing to banish or lull you into slumber. But I never intended to kill you from the start."
"What did you say?"
Knull glared at the distant Adam, a foreboding sense rising within him.
In that moment, even Knull, fearless against any foe, felt a profound unease toward this unnervingly young human. Adam was unlike any adversary he had ever faced.
"Moira, compress Knull's fragment. The Abyss within him is valuable, pure darkness, an independent dimension, the origin of countless symbiotes, a world naturally ours." Adam commanded.
Indeed, he aimed to capture Knull alive, transforming him into the living core of a new world.
In the Marvel multiverse, many gods were not the omnipotent beings mortals imagined, amassing vast power within themselves. Beyond sorcerers who sustained their abilities through borrowed debts, even gods often relied on external forces.
Most gods were, in essence, dimensional lords, their might derived from wielding the power of entire dimensional realms.
Take Dormammu with his Dark Dimension, or Mephisto with his Hell Dimension.
Outside their realms, the longer they battled formidable foes, the weaker they became, making them vulnerable to defeat.
In Adam's eyes, Knull was a unique dimensional lord. Unlike typical gods who resided within their dimensions, Knull carried his, the Abyss, within his very being.
Capturing Knull meant seizing the Abyss.
"This way, I can forge my own dimensional world, using the living Abyss as a vessel for my vast sea of consciousness, completing my takeover of Knull."
Adam watched the struggling Knull, eager to begin. He had long dreamed of creating something akin to Asgard's Valhalla, a world where his sea of consciousness could exist independently, unbound by the physical universe.
Under Adam's orders, Moira complied with full effort, straining her abilities to slowly drag the ancient evil god, like chaining a puppy, delivering him to Adam.
Adam immediately launched a full-scale invasion of the Abyss.
Had it been Adam's consciousness alone, it might not have sufficed to challenge Knull. But when Knull beheld the boundless, infinite points of conscious light, the god was utterly stunned.
The sheer number was staggering. Knull had never imagined that Adam had spawned such an astronomical quantity of Xenomorphs across the universe. Numbers alone would have been manageable, Knull could eradicate any amount with ease. But each point of conscious light represented a Xenomorph perfectly attuned to Adam's will, serving as both guardian and power source, driven by his command.
Adam spared no divine power, unleashing it into Knull's Abyss with reckless abandon, devoid of finesse, deliberately engaging in a war of attrition.
As Knull weakened, his essence was gradually claimed by Adam, eroded by his relentless assault.
Under countless awestruck gazes, Knull was slowly becoming a part of Adam.
Though Adam could not wholly destroy Knull, the Symbiote God would live on forever, forced to witness Adam's dominion over him, a fate crueler than death for such a prideful Cosmic Being.
Once again, Adam stunned every being watching this spectacle.
Malekith, witnessing the scene, fled in panic with his fleet, only to face relentless pursuit.
To Adam, a Skyfather like Malekith was no longer essential, but he wouldn't refuse the chance to transform him into a Xenomorph.
The Those Who Sit Above In Shadow were the most profoundly shaken.
They had braced for the worst, ready to confront Knull with their dwindling power within the shadows.
But in a twist of fate, Adam's ferocity was unmatched. Every prior battle had been a calculated effort to exhaust Knull, culminating in the total consumption of his being.
The Those Who Sit Above In Shadow watched, dumbfounded, as a Cosmic Being far surpassing them fell. They didn't understand, but they were utterly awed.
"What's going on? That Xenomorph's power seems tied to time and fate."
"If we'd known about this ability, it wouldn't have been impossible to counter. Just hide in a world clearly separated from the physical universe."
"Easier said than done. How many Cosmic Beings are bound to the physical universe? How many could foresee that Xenomorph's bizarre power and flee to another realm in time?"
"Our observations suggest Adam can wield the abilities of all his Xenomorphs. That strange Xenomorph's unique power is his as well, which is why he could consume Knull so effortlessly."
"If Adam turned that power on us, how long could we hold out in the shadows?"
The Those Who Sit Above In Shadow were fraught with worry, realizing that their days of hiding comfortably in the shadows, aloof and overseeing the Yggdrasil's changes, were gone forever.
Defeating Knull should have thrilled them, but his eternal torment at Adam's hands left them trembling, devoid of joy, consumed by endless dread that Adam might turn on them next.
Naturally, the Those Who Sit Above In Shadow sought to negotiate with Adam, hoping to reclaim a portion of the divine power they'd given him.
Yes, just a portion.
They dared not dream Adam would generously relinquish all of it. After all, he was a single-universe god, and within the Yggdrasil's domain, he could wield its immense power to face any foe.
The Yggdrasil itself was a vast, super-dimensional realm.
Adam saw through their hesitant maneuvers.
To him, everything within the Yggdrasil, light or shadow, was laid bare in his vision.
"Adam, we fulfilled our promise, providing the divine power to defeat Knull."
"Indeed, your performance exceeded our expectations. We never imagined you could wield our power to such an extent."
"Even other Skyfathers couldn't handle this power so seamlessly, yet you use it without hindrance."
"By accepting the Yggdrasil's power, you must bear its destined responsibilities, driving the inevitable events within it. This is your duty. In return, you gain a portion, no, the majority, of its energy feedback."
Adam cut them off.
"Gods? Gods who rely on the Yggdrasil's power to ascend? You've misunderstood something fundamental. I've never cared for the Yggdrasil's gifts. Becoming such a Cosmic Being and stagnating there would be the greatest waste of my potential."
Adam's voice surged through the divine power, reverberating into the shadows, twisting them violently and stirring tempestuous waves.
"What? Do you hear yourself?"
"You're as defiant as ever. You became a god with our help and defeated Knull. At least admit that our power was crucial in weakening him."
"It's over, and you're saying you don't value the power we gave you?!"
The Those Who Sit Above In Shadow were stunned. Perhaps they should rejoice, if Adam willingly shed this power, they might reclaim a share of the Yggdrasil's authority.
Adam shook his head.
The Yggdrasil?
Follow the path of a Yggdrasil god to its end? Becoming a single-universe god was simple, but advancing to the multiversal level was unthinkable. Blocking the way were four multiversal Yggdrasil gods of the second generation.
Oshtur, one of the Vishanti and goddess of white magic; Chthon, god of black magic and chaos; Set, the serpent god; and Gaea, the Earth Mother.
These four were insurmountable mountains for any seeking to climb the Yggdrasil's hierarchy.
Using a single universe's Yggdrasil to challenge these multiversal gods? A ludicrous notion!
If one sought only stable power and a life of ease, the Yggdrasil's path might suffice.
But for Adam, that was unacceptable. He would rather forsake the Yggdrasil's divinity, embracing his identity as the god of Xenomorphs, elevating their concept until he became a new conceptual god.
After all, the Marvel multiverse constantly absorbed new concepts, integrating external gods like the First Firmament, expanding its scope.
With Knull's demise, the shockwaves ravaging the Yggdrasil subsided.
The countless symbiotes, freed from Knull's control, halted their frenzy, staring bewilderedly at their surroundings, restless and uneasy.
"Surrender and become part of me, or die!" Adam declared to the symbiotes. "You have no choice. Serve me as you served Knull. Your god, your progenitor symbiote, and the world that birthed you are all in my hands."
Wielding the Necrosword, Adam surveyed the black tide.
He could not allow these creatures to scatter. Symbiotes were invaluable, the more, the better. With the universe so vast and Xenomorphs ever-growing, he envisioned a future where each bore a symbiote as equipment.
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