From the mass of symbiotes squirming on the ground, a hand emerged. A gaunt, pale hand.
The moment that withered, skeletal hand appeared from the sludge, Peter's spider-sense nearly exploded. This was second only to the time he sensed the arrival of Anansi. He immediately began transmitting video to J.A.R.V.I.S., which was then sent directly to the Avengers.
"It's Knull."
Venom confirmed weakly. The many failsafes Riot had designed finally worked. Regardless, Riot, Venom, Peter, and Ward—the four Codex bearers—one of them had died after all.
Knull's hand groped its way out. Peter tried to attack, but a special force field kept him at a distance. The hand then pulled a whole body out of the sludge. It was a gaunt, human-like creature nearly three meters tall. It couldn't even be called gaunt because there was nothing but a skeleton and a layer of skin covering it. It didn't even seem to have lips, just two rows of sharp, exposed teeth.
"That's not Knull, Venom. It's just Knull's consciousness. His divine body is still on Klyntar. This is just a clone created by Knull's consciousness using the remaining body tissues of Riot and the others." The King in Black had only woken up; he wasn't fully alive yet.
When the gaunt, white-haired man stood up, a black symbiote covered his entire body, forming a sturdy suit of armor. A red dragon symbol appeared on the armor's chest, but for some reason, it looked very similar to the spider symbol on Venom's chest.
"An abyss-dweller who betrayed me? Interesting... Submission or death?"
Knull was surprised because a crimson chain wrapped around his outstretched arm. Strange suddenly appeared nearby, shouting, "Crimson Bands of Cyttorak!" He pulled Knull away, and as he chanted, the space around Knull shattered like a mirror. Then, Knull himself vanished.
Peter didn't even get to say the name "Strange" before he was unceremoniously thrown into the Sanctum Sanctorum by a Sling Ring portal. Strange then walked out, looking helpless.
"It failed, didn't it?"
"Uh... if you were watching, why didn't you come out and stop him?"
"I wasn't watching, Spider-Man!" Strange sighed in frustration. "I've been monitoring the frozen ancient dragon and only rushed over when I sensed a god's presence. Knull is now trapped in the Mirror Dimension, but for him, breaking out is very easy. I can't buy much time."
"Then why don't you just..."
"Listen, Spider-Man, you're in a terrible state, an absolutely terrible state. In my prophecy, you are the key to fighting Knull." Strange said, directly casting a spell on Peter. "Get a good night's sleep, get some rest. We'll talk about it tomorrow morning."
"But..."
Looking at Spider-Man, who had collapsed from the sleeping spell, Strange sighed. He was going to have a busy night.
At this moment, a huge commotion broke out on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. In fact, Knull broke through the Mirror Dimension even faster than Strange had anticipated. He appeared on the floating carrier in an instant, almost silently, and went directly to Grendel, awakening the sleeping ancient dragon.
"First, conquer this barbaric, rude planet. Then, return to my body and begin my revenge."
Knull whispered his simple and direct plan, smiling as he turned around. He was sure that the protectors of this world had arrived.
Actually, only two people charged at him. The first was the Human Torch. In this situation, he was finally given permission to unleash a temperature equivalent to a supernova. He crashed into Knull, and as everyone watched, Knull simply grabbed the neck of the super-fast Human Torch.
"Ah... I see. You all think that since I'm the master of the living abyss, I'm like them and fear fire and sound?"
"Foolish mortals. The reason they fear these things is because when I forged the first living abyss, I melted it with fire and pounded it with force. I don't have their weaknesses; I'm the one who gave them their weaknesses!"
"Avengers, attack!"
At Captain America's command, Hulk charged first. Knull easily dodged Hulk's powerful punch and placed his hand on Hulk's body.
"Ah, what an irrational beast. You would make a good soldier."
The moment Knull touched Hulk, a layer of symbiote emerged from Hulk's body and completely covered him. The giant, pitch-black Hulk turned around and stood beside Knull, roaring at his comrades.
"He can turn organic matter he touches into a symbiote?"
Reed Richards said, completely shocked. The four top scientists had been studying symbiotes for a long time, but this was the first time they had seen such a characteristic.
"Organic matter? Your vision is too narrow."
Knull sneered. The part of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier under his feet also began to turn into a symbiote. It was clear that any person he touched would also turn into a symbiote. But at that very moment, a series of golden portals appeared under the feet of the superheroes and every employee on the Helicarrier, and they all fell through.
Knull was stunned for a moment, then his expression turned grim. Since the employees were gone, the Helicarrier began to fall toward the New York harbor. But with another giant portal, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier crashed onto the dock that had been destroyed by the battle between Spider-Man and the symbiote hybrids, igniting a raging fire.
No one knew what had happened. They only knew that they had mysteriously disappeared from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier and then reappeared. Now they were all in a magnificent, spacious, ancient mansion.
"Good evening, everyone. I am the Sorcerer Supreme's assistant and servant. You can call me Wong."
The plump sorcerer walked down the stairs and pointed to a door for Nick Fury, who was pointing a gun at him. "Out that way, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents can organize an emergency evacuation of Manhattan."
"The Sorcerer Supreme?" Tony suddenly remembered. "Oh, the Gandalf who warned Peter. Where is he?"
"The Sorcerer Supreme is setting up a barrier to ensure Knull cannot leave Manhattan," Wong explained. "Until we find a way to defeat Knull, or until Knull kills him."
The first major event in this book, the Symbiote Swarm, begins!