On Wednesday, October 31st, 2012, people in New York saw a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier suddenly appear off the coast. It immediately caught fire and exploded, tearing into pieces in mid-air before its falling wreckage abruptly vanished.
The debris then reappeared, strewn across the docks where Spider-Man had just fought his enemies, erupting into a raging inferno. Amidst the flames, Knull walked unharmed. He simply moved through the fire, and the flames went out. Even in the extinguished areas, the intense heat prevented new symbiotes from being born.
That sorcerer was clever, Knull thought. In an instant, the sorcerer had teleported everyone away—except for the corrupted Hulk and the unconscious Human Torch—to a place Knull couldn't yet sense. The commander of the warship was also decisive, choosing to self-destruct to buy time.
But it doesn't matter.
Knull held out his hand, feeling the Codex of the living abyss flowing through him. Unfortunately, Devour, Extreme, and Whiplash had left no Codices behind and were all dead. The only Codex that had awakened Knull was Riot's, and for that reason...
"So, rise, my child."
Amidst the silvery-gray metal beneath his feet, the dark gray living abyss was reborn with a shriek. What's more, just as it had when it bonded with its host, it took on a human form. Riot looked at himself in surprise, then at Knull standing beside him. He respectfully knelt down and lowered his head, a gesture of absolute obedience.
"My master."
"Do not be anxious, my child. I cannot sense where the Codex that killed you is, but trust me, he will not hide for long." Knull turned, and the wreckage of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier began to rise. It transformed into masses of screaming and howling symbiotes, suffering in the high temperatures. These symbiotes, dying from the heat, eventually became the building material for Knull's palace, forming pillars and a jet-black throne on the ground.
Knull sat on the throne, bored. A tall, symbiote-covered Hulk walked out from behind him, his tongue lolling. But Knull raised his hand. The surrounding temperature was still too high, and the symbiote on the Hulk would surely have problems if he went outside.
He would have to wait a few hours. In the meantime, Riot, who was not afraid of high temperatures, was the perfect pawn to use.
As for Knull himself, he chose to sit and wait. He looked out at the golden, transparent magical barrier that enveloped all of Manhattan, separating him from the outside world. If he were in his own body, he could have shattered a barrier like this with a single punch.
He thought for a moment, then handed a whole mass of symbiotes to Riot.
"I found some interesting things within your Codex. Go and find the special beings of this world and tell me where they are. As long as I can create a Codex within them, I will no longer need those traitors. Even here, I can still create a unique army. Also, find a way to break through this barrier."
"As you wish, my master."
The emergency evacuation of S.H.I.E.L.D. was underway. Several magic apprentices from Kamar-Taj opened up portals on the main bridges of Manhattan. Outside were S.H.I.E.L.D. emergency checkpoints where all evacuees underwent blood tests to ensure no one possessed by a symbiote left Manhattan. The NYPD officers were also forced to work overtime, preparing for everything.
"An emergency evacuation?!" J. Jonah Jameson demanded, staring at the NYPD officer in front of him who was in charge of the dispersal. "Are you telling me to leave New York now?"
"Yes, Mr. Jameson. New York is under a widespread alien invasion. Orders have been issued for us to escort citizens to safety."
"Have Fox and CNN left?"
"They've all evacuated, Mr. Jameson. Most of the media have left."
"I'm not leaving."
Jonah Jameson said with righteous indignation. "I will not leave. Almost every media outlet in New York has left. What about the remaining citizens? What about the ordinary people? I'm staying. The Daily Bugle is staying. Every person in Manhattan will know that J. Jonah Jameson is still here, until we get rid of these damned alien monsters!" Jonah Jameson refused to leave Manhattan. The city was chaotic and noisy, but nothing seemed to be happening.
Except for Riot.
Riot was happily carrying out his mission all over Manhattan. There was no more annoying Spider-Man or Venom to interfere. He threw the mass of symbiotes in his hand at innocent civilians who either hadn't been able to evacuate or were still sleeping. As soon as a person was touched, they would immediately become a mindless symbiote monster under Knull's control.
Knull's symbiotes were simply weapons with corrupting abilities. They no longer just intensified their hosts' emotions; they would completely turn them into brutal killing machines that only obeyed Knull. Knull sat on his throne, quietly feeling the new army Riot was building for him.
The numbers were increasing slowly, but it didn't matter. Knull wasn't interested in ordinary humans. He was more interested in the so-called superheroes. Only by having symbiotes bond with them and form Codices could his army gain all sorts of unique abilities. As for ordinary people, no matter how many there were, they were nothing more than cannon fodder. Cannon fodder was useless; S.H.I.E.L.D. could kill them all just by using a sonic gun.
But where were the heroes? Why weren't they showing up while Riot was running amok? And why were none of the numerous super-powered individuals in New York appearing?
In the underground prison of Avengers Tower, Doctor Octopus noticed something unusual. He asked the Ultron robot acting as a guard, "Why has the prison gone into alert mode?"
"Anomaly detected. Please do not be impatient, the Avengers are handling the situation..."
Doctor Octopus suddenly began to laugh. A specific melody emanated from his electronic voice. The Ultron robot immediately went offline, then walked over and opened the door for Otto Octavius. His electronic vocal cords could do more than just speak.