Tony Stark was sitting in his b, surrounded by holograms and maery. The soft whirring of servos and the hum of energy reactors filled the air as usual. His focus was on the new suit design - a cutting-edge iteration of his armor, using an upgraded version of his old liquid nanites.

  The A One had beehat Thanos would not be the only problem. Knull, god of the symbiotes, and Gactus, the Devourer of Worlds, would eventually make their appearaony was not going to sit idle and wait for them to e. Preparation was key, and he was not going to be caught off guard again.

  He hunched over the table, g a tiny po in the suit's chest piece. The nanites shimmered, responding to his ands as they flowed and shifted. His mind was rag with calcutions, improvements, and possible sarios. He he suit to be smarter, faster, aile enough to handle ic threats.

  A small red blob emerged from one of his older suits in the er of the boratory. The blob was silent and purposeful, slithering across the floor as it edged closer and closer with each passing sed.

  To down his tools and stepped back to survey what he had done. "Not bad, Stark," he muttered, admiring the fine lines of the suit. He reached for the coffee oable but froze in mid-movement. Something ran up his arm, a cold, slimy touch that made his skin prickle. He looked down and saw the red stuff attach itself to his wrist. And before he even had time to react again, the symbiote shot up his arm and up across his chest. He tried to pull it off, but it already took over, and his eyes blurred. His knees colpsed, and down he fell onto the floor.

  Darkness had ed Tony's mind. It was cold and oppressive, but within it stirred a presence, as if something was keeping him pany. Ses fshed before him...

  They were fragmented and endless.

  He saw a figure, t and sinister, ed in darkness. Its eyes glowed red, like embers out of Hell, and tendrils of bd crimson curled around it, snake-like, as if living. The a creature was holding a bck sword. Tony did not o guess any names. How he khis was Knull, god of the symbiote at the first gnce.

  The vision shifted. Ps burned, ed by writhing masses of symbiotes. Entire civilizatioo their onsught, their screams silenced as they became part of the hive. Tony's stomach ed, but the visions didn't stop.

  He saw Earth, covered in darkness...

  A deep, guttural voice echoed through his mind, "The symbiotes are ing. They are searg for something... Someone... A key to their dominance. A key that will remove their weakness and make them immuo every power ience. A hybrid Celestial."

  Suddenly, To Knull's eyes on him. It was suffog and he could hardly breathe. Knull pointed his fi Tony, "You will fail," He decred directly to Tony's mind. "Your toys ot stop me. I will cim this world and every soul on it. And when I do, my hunt will begin anew. Gods will fall, Celestials will fall. Do try to resist and make it more fun for me."

  Tony tried to push back, but couldn't; he owerless against the sheer force of will emanating from the being. The visions grew chaotic—cities colpsing, friends dropping one by one. And when it was done, one final shot remained: his own suit, corrupted and twisted, standing as a puppet for Knull.

  "That's a small glimpse of your future. Resist till the end," Knull's voice echoed in Tony's mind.

  With a gasp, Tony sat up straight, his chest heaving. He was in his b again, sprawled on the floor. His body ached and sweat-drenched his shirt. The red symbiote was gone, without a trace of its very existence. For a sed, he wondered if it'd all just been a dream, but the impending dread in his chest told him so much otherwise. His hands trembled as he reached for the holographitrol panel on his desk.

  "Friday, full-body diagnostiow."

  The AI assistant's calm, female voice responded instantly. "Of course, boss. Please remain still."

  A soft blue light emanated from the ceiling, sing his body from head to toe. He felt the familiar hum of the system calibrating as Friday analyzed every cell, an, and syony's mind raced, repying the visions over and over, the chilling voice of Knull eg in his thoughts.

  "S plete," Friday announced after what felt like ay. "Nn substances, parasites, or anomalies detected in your system, boss."

  Tony exhaled a shaky breath, but the knot of unease in his chest remained. "Double-check," he demanded. "Nanite-level iion. Look for anythiely symbiotic. I don't care how small."

  "Yes, boss. Beginning enhanced s."

  Tony stid, watg as the holographic dispy showed yers of his body being analyzed. Bloodwork, cellur structures, and even his brainwaves were scrutinized by Friday's unparalleled algorithms. The results began to popute on the s: . . .

  "Still no trace of any fn material," Friday said gently, as though sensing his unease. "You're pletely clear."

  Tony colpsed into his chair, rubbing his temples. The pounding in his head refused to subside. "Then what the hell just happened?" he muttered. His hands moved instinctively, pulling up the b's security footage. He scrubbed through the timeline, eyes narrowing as he searched for the red blob.

  Nothing.

  The footage showed him w on the suit, reag for his coffee… then bess. The cameras had recorded no blob, no attao fall. It was as if the i had never occurred.

  "Friday, check for system tampering. Did anything mess with the b's security feed?"

  "Perf iy check," Friday replied. Moments ter, she returned with a response. "No signs of tampering. All systems are funing normally."

  Tony leaned back, his eyes staring at the ceiling. If it wasn't real, why did it feel so real? And what about Knull? That hat presence—he couldn't have fabricated it. It wasn't like any nightmare he'd ever had.

  "Boss," Friday interrupted his thoughts, "your vitals indicate elevated stress levels. Should I call Dr. Banner or Dr. Strange?"

  Tony shook his head. "No. Not yet. Let's not go running to the Avengers or the wizards for this."

  He rubbed his hands over his face, trying to clear his thoughts. 'There was someone else other than Knull in that vision. A hybrid Celestial? A key?' It wasn't just his life at stake—it was the entire p. He couldn't ighis.

  ...

  Far across the vast emptiness of space, in a region cloaked iernal darkness, Knull stirred. His prison, fed by the Celestials in their arrogance, had weakened over millennia. The divine s that once bound him had frayed uhe stant strain of his will. Now, the a god of the symbiotes sat upon his throne of writhing bck, his crimson eyes glowing with a malevolent light.

  The prison was not silent. The void thrummed with the ceaseless whispers of his children—the symbiotes scattered across the gaxies. They cried out to him, their creator, their god. They awaited his and.

  A massive ripple of energy spread through the void, shattering what remained of the Celestial bindings. The darkness surrounding Knull ed violently as his will surged outward. He rose, his t form an amalgam of pure malevolend a power. The All-Bck, his cursed Necrosword, appeared in his hand, its edge gleaming with an unholy light that seemed to devour the surrounding shadows.

  The time had e.

  The prison's barrier gave way with a final, thunderous crack. Knull stepped forward, his presence radiating a suffog darkhat ed everything in its path. The celestial wardens had long since perished, their once-vibrant creations reduced to lifeless husks by Knull's corrosive influence.

  He gazed out into the endless expanse, his lip curling in a sneer. *Earth.* He had seen it in his visions. A small, insignifit p, yet it harbored what he sought—a hybrid Celestial. The key to removing the symbiotes' orue weakness: Enigma Force. A perfect being that could merge his symbiotic creations with Celestial energy, making them invulnerable, unstoppable.

  Knull stretched his arms outward, and the void responded. Symbiotidrils writhed and twisted, f a massive, writhing mass that surrounded him like a living tide. His voice, deep and guttural, resohrough the void.

  "My children," he intoned, his words carrying across the os, "the time has e to recim what is mihe Celestials thought they could imprison me, but their arrogance shall be their undoih shall fall. Its light will be extinguished, and from its ashes, I will fe a new darkness."

  The symbiotes surged in respoheir voices joining in a cacophony of screeches and hisses. Entire ps, already ed by his influence, began to stir. Symbiotic hives activated, their dormant inhabitants awakeo carry out their master's will.

  Knull extended a hand, and from the depths of his prison emerged a colossal vessel—a living, breathing fortress crafted from symbiotic material. It pulsated with energy, a monstrous entity capable of traversing the stars. As Knull stepped aboard, the ship groaned and shifted, its tendrils ing around him protectively.

  "Prepare the hive," he anded. "Earth will kneel before me, and its champions will fall. Their light will be devoured."

  The ship surged forward, propelled by tendrils of living darkness. Knull's gaze remained fixed ahead, unyielding and full of hatred. His thoughts drifted to the figures he had glimpsed—heroes who would attempt to stand against him. He s the idea. No armor, no sorcery, ance would matter. They would all succumb.

  As the ship tore through space, the symbiotes spread his message across the stars. Phey passed trembled in fear, their inhabitaher fleeing or succumbing to the darkness. The god of the symbiotes was free, and his hunger for destru was insatiable.

  His destinatioh.

  The hybrid Celestial awaited him, as did a certain mortal who dared to glimpse his presene Tony Stark. A small grin formed on Knull's face. The so-called genius would soon learn just how insignifit his creations truly were.

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