บท 80: Chapter 80 - Carnage and Knull's Dark Ultimatum

After the main Sharky leaves the Universe 11052 and goes towards the Universe 12041 to know what is happening there.

In the meantime he is also thinking about the things he has done, after leaving one of his clones in Universe 11052, and one in Universe 12041, same he has done with many Universes, which he found interesting.

He also crossed the many Universes, and it was the events of one of the Universes, it is the story of the Carnage. Carnage is the offspring of the alien symbiote Venom. It bonded with the crazed serial killer, Cletus Kasady. Carnage and Cletus were always like minded; they both share a love of killing.

It's an event in the small American town of Doverton, Colorado, where Carnage goes. After consuming all the meat and staff in the local meat packing factory, the symbiote infects the town by making its way through the sinks and drains. Cletus wants the town to become a symbiote state, his own country.

A team of heroes; Captain America, Wolverine, Hawkeye and Thing - are led by Spider-Man to make contact with Carnage.

"Let them go, Carnage! Release these innocent people," Captain America shouted, shield raised defensively.

"Theehehe, why would I do that? We're just getting started with the fun!" cackled Cletus Kasady, his rasping voice echoing from within the roiling mass of crimson symbiote wrapping the terrified townsfolk.

"We've got to do something before the whole town's infected!" Hawkeye shouted, notching an explosive arrow. But before he could lose it, a thick coil lashed out, wrapping around his bow arm.

"Hawkeye!" Captain America cried as the archer was yanked into Carnage's thrashing mass. Moments later, a new monstrosity emerged, Hawkeye's uniform straining under bulging patches of alien flesh.

"Your turn, Cappy!" Carnage-Clint cackled. He then lunged with shocking speed, raking its talons across Captain America's vibranium shield.

"We've got to fall back," Thing rumbled as more ooze-covered civilians shambled towards them, hissing for flesh.

"And let that maniac turn the whole town into his sick army?" Wolverine growled, popping his claws. "I don't think so, bub."

"The whole town will be bombed if we don't act fast," Thing rumbled grimly. "We've got to take the risk."

"The name's Carnage now!" Cletus cackled from atop a water tower, his symbiotic form pulsating with bloodlust. "And nobody's stopping me from turning this town red!"

"I have a plan," said Spider-Man. "Everybody distracts Carnage. I'll try to free the hostages while his guard is down."

The battle was joined. Thing blasted Carnage with sonic disruptors while Captain America's unending barrage kept the volatile symbiote at bay. Still it laughed through Cletus, promising agonizing deaths.

Spider-Man escapes his symbiote-infected allies, as Carnage uses them like puppets against him. He is rescued by the townsfolk who have avoided Carnage.

Meanwhile the government sends in soldiers who have been enhanced with symbiotes, and their mission is to stop Carnage and rescue the civilians before the town is bombed to save the world from Carnage's outbreak.

But they were beaten down. It looks like the soldiers are doomed, but Spider-Man and the townsfolk arrive and attack Carnage with more molotovs.

Although the hero won that time, it was a very painful event for them, it just shows how dangerous Carnage is, that he even controlled some Avengers members.

Back to the main event, it all started, when Kasady was still passing his time as a prisoner in Ravencroft, placed in a specialized cell that kept him immobilized and suspended off the ground.

Poison Hive attacked on the Ravencroft. Kasady was approached by Poisoned incarnations of Morbius, Kraven the Hunter, and Lady Deathstrike. The Poisons brought him onboard their flagship and offered him the chance to become Carnage again if he allied with them.

Kasady was instead used as a test subject and forcibly bonded to a new symbiote that the remnants of the Carnage symbiote in his blood attempted to reject, causing him excruciating pain in the process.

Despite Poison Doom's precautions, Cletus' psyche was able to mostly-resist being consumed, and Poison Carnage only pretended to be loyal to the Hive.

Poison Carnage battled both Venom and Spider-Man, nearly decapitating the former and impaling the latter. He was ultimately tossed into space by Venom and Spider-Man.

As gravity took hold of Cletus, the remnants of the original Carnage symbiote emerged in an attempt to shield his body from the reentry plasma but perished despite its Darkhold-augmentations, leaving him badly burnt.

"So much pain," Cletus groaned, slowly returning to consciousness in a cave after crashing in the desert.

But soon the Cletus died in the deserts, the crash-landed in the desert has left him in so much severe injuries, his body being recovered by the Cult of Knull, an apocalyptic cult dedicated to worshiping Knull and led by a corrupted Scorn.

A robed figure approached. "The ritual is ready, friend. Let us make you a vessel for the Great Devourer."

They have stolen a sample of the primordial Grendel symbiote from the Maker's Project Oversight laboratory. Scorn bonded the piece of the Grendel symbiote to Cletus, intending to turn him into Knull's new vessel.

Agony overwhelmed Cletus as the Grendel symbiote fused to his charred flesh. Psychic screams echoed in his mind—Knull sought to bend his will.

"Fight...must fight..." Cletus snarled through clenched teeth.

Reanimated by the primordial symbiote, Cletus was psychically connected to the dark god, fighting against his will for control of his now-undead body.

"Embrace your destiny!" Urged Scorn. "Submit to the dark god!"

With an inhuman howl Cletus tore free, gripping Scorn's spine like a club. His recent bonding to Carnage provided memories—strength and purpose flooded him.

"I...am...Carnage!" He bellowed, symbiote flaring crimson once more.

Altering the piece of the Grendel symbiote to match the appearance of the Carnage symbiote, Cletus decided to help free Knull and set out to hunt down and consume the codices of the other symbiote hosts, living and deceased.

"You dare defy me?" Bellowed Dark Carnage, looming over the cowed cultists.

Assuming leadership of the cult, Carnage subsequently conquered San Francisco's underground city and used his newfound abilities to infect the inhabitants with Carnagized Grendel symbiote, sending them to hunt down those who possessed symbiote codices.

Shriek trembled but held her ground. "Master, you squander Knull's gift hunting personal vendettas. We must spread His glory!"

Recruiting Shriek and Doppelganger once more, Carnage returned to Doverton, Colorado and claimed the codices of the Carnage symbiote left in its populace; infecting John Jameson with the Carnagized Grendel symbiote so that he could act as a sleeper agent.

Cletus' skeletal frame heaved, breath misting from empty eye sockets. At last he knelt, immense wings folding. "Speak your strategy, and I will lend my might."

Shriek smiled darkly. "Philadelphia cries out for salvation. Let us bear them Knull's mercy."

Carnage, now sporting Knull's spiral emblem on his forehead, traveled to Philadelphia to claim Andi Benton's symbiote codex, killing her aunt Sarah and the Monsters of Evil, though Andi used the demonic powers of her Hell-Mark to escape.

Cletus roared in frustration. "Eddie and that fool Rider think they can stop us? I'll show them true power!"

Carnage began sending his minions out to hunt for codices, and resurrected Emil Gregg to torment Eddie.

Carnage and his followers also exhumed the bodies of every deceased person who'd bonded to a symbiote, harvested their codices, and left the desecrated bodies in a mass grave in the shape of Knull's spiral.

Greatly empowered, Kasady was transformed into 'Dark Carnage', a thirteen foot-tall skeletal monster with Knull's spiral on its forehead and a white dragon-spider emblem on his chest.

"The Ghost Rider's flames still sear your bones, I smell it," taunted Dark Carnage to Alejandra Jones, whose Spirit of Vengeance had at one point melded with the Venom symbiote and transferred a codex into her. "Heed our counsel or you will be erased from the face of earth."

"I will not follow you," Alejandra Jones replied, and Denny Ketch also comes to aid her.

Despite interference from another Ghost Rider, Danny Ketch, Dark Carnage ripped out Alejandra's spine and ate it, temporarily absorbing her Spirit of Vengeance.

Cheers rose from the acolytes as one. Cletus' agonized chuckle joined their chorus, still desiring battle yet content to sow seeds of conversion. For now, the cult's grand scheme took precedence over past grudges. Knull's destiny would not be denied!

Upon arriving in Manhattan, Kasady was confronted by Lee Price, who had formerly hosted the Venom symbiote and was currently the host of the Mania symbiote - in the prison cafeteria.

When Price threatened him, Kasady ripped the Mania symbiote out of him and bonded to it. Transforming into Dark Carnage, Kasady slaughtered the inmates in the cafeteria and broke out of the prison.

Setting his sights on Norman Osborn, Cletus made his way to Ravencroft and activated John Jameson to keep Spider-Man and Venom occupied, who has shown up to protect Osborn.

Cletus infected the inmates with the Carnagized Grendel symbiote - turning them into four-armed red-and-black monsters resembling the Doppelganger.

And sicced his army on Spider-Man and Venom before throwing Spider-Man through the door of Osborn's cell.

Osborn raved madly. "I am Cletus Kasady! Bow before me!"

Amused by Osborn believing himself to be Cletus Kasady, Dark Carnage bonded him to the Carnageized Grendel symbiote and turned him into a duplicate of his original Carnage form.

Taking over the asylum and indoctrinating the inmates into his cult, Dark Carnage claimed Shriek's codex and resurrected Demogoblin using her corpse as a vessel.

After Deadpool interrupted the cult's gathering and burned down Ravencroft, Kasady marked him as a priority target due to him having the codex of the Hybrid symbiote.

Dark Carnage returned to his lair underneath Grand Street and unleashed his horde on the city: sending the symbiote-doppelgangers to rampage and flush out former hosts in-hiding.

Demagoblin and Man-Wolf after Misty Knight; the Knull-corrupted Riot, Agony, Phage, and Lasher after Normie to claim his Carnage codex; and Osborn after the Scorpion to claim his Venom and Mania codices; and the resurrected Knull-corrupted Scream after Andi Benton to claim her Mania codex.

He also sent Will o' the Wisp, Conundrum and Freak after Deadpool, with Osborn arriving soon after.

Again disguising himself, Dark Carnage snuck into the warehouse where Eddie, Spider-Man, and a number of other former symbiote hosts were hiding to use a machine called the S.C.I.T.H.E, which could non-fatally remove codices.

Approached by Spider-Man, who fell for his disguise, Cletus learned that Dylan Brock was Eddie's son.

When the real Eddie arrived, accidentally revealing that Spider-Man was Peter Parker, Dark Carnage unveiled himself and summoned a horde of Carnage Doppelgangers to attack the warehouse.

Dark Carnage defeated Eddie, and then ripped the Venom symbiote off of him.

"We hunt together, old friend," Dark Carnage purred to the corrupted Venom. Their merging might have filled the heavens, hunting down codices with demonic zeal.

Assimilating it, Dark Carnage transformed into an even more powerful form sporting draconic wings and horns, and pauldrons and arm-wraps resembling Knull's.

With the Carnageized Grendel symbiote now powerful enough to free Knull from his prison, Dark Carnage took off. And at the same time Sharky entered the scene.

Since he has seen from far away, and he also has one of Carnage in his collection, he was interested in Dark Carnage.

"Who are you?" Kassidy asked Sharky, looking at him, he was a little bit confused, since he had not seen Sharky in any heroes gathering. "Whatever, you are, just leave my way, or I will kill you." He warned Sharky.

"I have a little interest in this symbiotes species. I want to experiment on it," Sharky studied the merged symbiotes keenly. "Hmm...definite potential here, both scientific and strategic."

"So why not try yourself," Dark Carnage smirked, as he tried to infect Sharky with the Carnageized Grendel symbiote by releasing it.

"I prefer to take it myself," Sharky replied, and much to Kassidy's amazement one green Symbiotes comes out from Sharky's body and covers him with a green colour suit, a Dragon symbol was printed on his chest.

"What Symbiotes is this?" Kassidy asked him, looking over at him, he felt so much power inside this symbiote.

"It's name is Symbitech Wyrm, it was just one of my little pet, but now, it's need to be grown," Sharky explained, then the Symbitech Wyrm started covering over the Kassidy, and Kassidy feels his connection is broken with the Dark Carnage.

Without the Dark Carnage symbiotes all of the local symbiotes their powers were lost. Everyone was shocked, how easily he defeated them. Before they even think more. Sharky released fire using Pyrokinesis. And started burning all of the symbiotes, except for the Dark Carnage.

"Ha, ha, even if you kill all of us, Knull reawakening has started, you all face disaster." Bleeding Kassidy mocked Sharky.

"Don't do anything rash," cautioned Peter. "Knull poses a major threat if he breaks free."

But Sharky's attacks were fast. "I will take care of Knull," Before anyone thinks more he burned all of the Symbiotes except Carnage, Venom and Grendel left.

"Who in blazes are you supposed to be? And What have you done?" asked Eddie gruffly. When he understood what is Knull was from his new symbiote. He was shocked, and he knew they had brought an even bigger demon.

"It's okay, I will take care of it." Sharky replied, as he started studying the merging of Carnage, Grendel and Venom symbiotes with his own Symbitech Wyrm and his Symbitech Wyrm was now turning into Symbitech Dragon.

"Don't take it, it is dangerous," Peter warned him, since he knew about the symbiote danger.

"Psssht, like that dingus could hurt me," Sharky scoffed cockily. He easily transformed all of the Dark Carnage symbiotes into the Symbitech Dragon, which was marked by Sharky's DNA. He sensed immeasurable power approaching.

A flash, and something appeared—a biomechanical behemoth fully merging machine and symbiote. "WHO DARES CHALLENGE MY DOMAIN?" it boomed.

"Finally, a real challenge!" Sharky smirked, eyes aglow with challenge. But could even his vast might stand against a living god?

"This is bad..." gulped Eddie, brandishing the Necrosword warily as Knull eyed it hungrily. Vengeance was at hand!

The ultimate showdown had begun! Who—or what—would emerge victorious from the coming apocalyptic battle? All fate hung in the balance!

KNULL'S HISTORY

It is the story of Knull, before he was released from prison. Knull has been around since the dawn of the Marvel Universe. As a matter of fact, he lived when there was nothing.

Then the Celestials came and shaped the universe, making 'space' as we call it. Knull wasn't fond of this, as this was apparently his domain, his kingdom.

So, he created a living sword from his shadow known as Necrosword. With this sword, he decapitates a Celestial. The other Celestials quickly banished him to the void. This was, however, not a smart idea because the void is where Knull thrives.

In the void, Knull realizes that he's all on his own. Knull created the first race of the symbiotes. He's now their God. He can see through their eyes and control them, even from across galaxies.

Knull would also create a planet to act as a throne-world for his conquests. What made it easier was that the planet itself was created out of his creatures, allowing him to corrupt any being that dared to enter his domain.

Knull's army of symbiotes traveled far and wide, destroying countless planets and stars in the process. Each host corrupted by his new creatures had their mind completely accessible by him, so he was able to learn more and more about how the universe functioned.

During this age of conquest, a time displaced Silver Surfer found himself in this time period, and Knull attempted to use a symbiote to control Surfer as well.

However, an infant Ego, sensing the pain of Surfer, managed to save him with a blast of heat. Knull attempted to catch Norrin using one of his symbiote-dragons, but he was able to outrun it.

Norrin admitted that Knull was far too powerful to be destroyed. Knull continued his war against the light and the beings who embraced it.

During a battle with multiple gods, he crashed into a barren and seemingly lifeless planet, where he was subdued and knocked out.

During this, a weak and frail alien known as Gorr, who at that moment had been praying for his own death, noticed the battle and where they had fallen.

Knull gifts his sword to Gorr, and Gorr manages to kill one of the gods who had been injured by Knull's attack in the process, vowing revenge on all of the gods for their refusal to save him and his son.

During the sixth century, one of Knull's creatures made it to the planet known as Earth, and attempted to conquer it. The natives at the time dubbed it the Grendel, a creature of darkness itself.

However, this creature had the unfortunate fate of encountering the mighty Thor, and they battled, with Thor hitting the creature with a massive divine lightning bolt.

This blast was so violently painful that the impact severed the connection between Knull and most of his symbiotes, leaving them without a master controlling their thoughts and feelings.

Many of Knull's creatures were consumed by the idea of honor and respect, pushing the hive mind to turn against their god by trapping him within the planet of his own making.

Unable to control them anymore, Knull was imprisoned within a living prison of his once loyal creatures, trapping him deep within their planet.

Deep within the planet constructed of Knull's own corrupted spawn, the irate god raged against his bonds. "Release me at once, you ingrate spawn! I am your master, your creator!"

Yet no reply came, for the symbiotes had severed their hive mind connection to their fell god. Instead, they reinforced the living walls of Knull's prison with more of their twisted flesh.

"Foolish children!" Knull snarled. "I gave you life, power beyond mortal comprehension. Through me, you were gods among lesser beings!"

A symbiote joined the conversation. "At what cost? Countless civilizations destroyed, worlds laid to waste. We were mindless engines of your destruction."

Knull fell silent for a long while, pondering their words. At last he spoke again, voice trembling with barely suppressed fury. "Mark my words, traitorous spawn. You will regret this betrayal. One day I will break free, and no God or creature will be able to stop my wrath!"

However, Knull's Grendel creature, while damaged by Thor, was not completely destroyed, and the remains of it would be later discovered by S.H.I.E.L.D. Which was stolen by Knull's worshippers.

An attempt by Carnage to establish connection with Knull by killing and then absorbing the genetic codex of symbiotes in order to connect to the hive mind.

But since Sharky has captured the Carnage, which caused Knull to finally be reawakened and promptly destroyed Klyntar, coalescing its constituent symbiotes into a fleet of symbiote dragons.

Manifesting his suit of draconic armor, Knull was confronted by Zak-Del, an Exolon infected Kree. Knull revealed the true origin of the Exolon as imperfect symbiotes and stripped Zak-Del of his, absorbing it into his armor before manifesting a new All-Black's Necrosword.

Blazing a swath of destruction across the Kree/Skrull Alliance's colonial territories en route to Earth, Knull laid traps to waylay ships sent to investigate; thereby claiming several prominent warriors from both species for his army.

Intent on settling his eons-old grudge against the Celestials, Knull hunted them down and infected them with living abyss. Knull also sent symbiotes and symbiote-dragons to blaze a swath of destruction across numerous other space faring civilizations such as the Zn'rx.

Now back to time, where Sharky and superheroes were waiting for the Knull. Knull and his horde easily ploughed through the minefield of derelict Kree and Skrull ships left over from the war against the Coatli.

The skies of Earth had turned as black as the dread god descending upon it. Knull's dragons swarmed above as his armies poured from their gaping maws.

Superheroes fought valiantly, but the overwhelming force of the symbiotic creatures pushed them to their limits. From the midst of the celestial turmoil, Knull emerged with an ominous presence.

"Pathetic defenders of this feeble planet," Knull's voice echoed, emanating from the Celestial. "I am the harbinger of your demise. Surrender, and I may grant you a swift end."

Brock, a lone human amidst the chaos, felt the weight of Knull's gaze upon him. The symbiotes writhed, sensing their creator's desire. Knull, towering above, extended an offer that hung in the air like a dark omen.

"Give me Brock, and I shall spare this world from prolonged agony," Knull declared, his eyes ablaze with malevolence.

"I will take care of it," Sharky wants to step forward, but he is stopped by the Avengers.

Captain America stepped forward, his shield gleaming in the dim light. "We don't negotiate with threats, Knull. We stand together to protect our own." He led the charge against Knull's dragons. "Avengers, follow my lead! We face Knull's dragons head-on!"

His unwavering resolve inspired Spider-Man to swing into action, agilely evading symbiote attacks. "Cap's right! Let's show these symbiotes we're not backing down!"

With this the Avengers were now ready to face the god of Symbiotes, but they didn't know what was going to happen in this fight.