MARVEL: GAMER PATH - CHAPTER 286 (Patreon)

As my battle with Knull continued, I couldn’t help but let my mind focus on his little advice. Failing to understand what he was trying to convey, angry he had worded his so-called advice as a riddle, now of all moments.

“Enough!” Knull roared, blasting me away with a wave of cosmic disturbance.

I smiled, landing on an asteroid passing nearby, arms crossed, Serenity floating around me idly. “Why so angry?” I gibed at his reaction. Happy his inability to kill me was getting on his nerves.

Knull said nothing, his eyes piercing me with pure hate and amusement, a weird mix, his very soul quaking with abhor and admiration, a complicated contradiction. “I never thought dealing with you would be this… Hard. If things continue this way. We will be stuck in this empty space fighting for all eternity.”

“Not quite,” I replied, uncrossing my arms. “Unlike you, I continue to get stronger. Eventually, I will surpass you; it’s just a matter of time. And you know it.”

My stats were in a constant state of evolution, and so were my skills. It was simply a matter of time before Knull’s attack couldn’t reach me anymore. Granted, for my stats and skills to reach that state, it would take years of fighting him non-stop.

But if that was the only way to eventually win. I would happily keep Knull entertained for all of eternity, if that was what it took to keep my loved ones safe.

“I do,” Knull snarled, the veins of his neck throbbing, as he bared his fangs at me. “I’m fully aware of that fact, do you think me blind?”

Taken back by his acceptance of my eventual superiority, I found myself without words. I had expected to rile him up, to anger him more, to make his moves more predictable, not this.

“Since we started this fight. Your power hasn’t ceased to increase in small amounts, such talent it’s nothing short of infuriating. It took me eons to reach this level, and yet, here you are, clashing with me,” Knull sighed, his lips pressed together, as he took on a wide stance. “Your life, your existence, everything you are to the very nucleus of your being, represents too much a threat to everything I want.”

“Flattering,” I replied, remembering what The Beyonder had said for a brief moment.

“This is exactly why. I must stop you now before it’s too late,” Knull boomed at me, his voice hissing through the void of space like a blade cutting paper. “Your existence it’s an affront to the fabric of reality. One I will correct!”

I took a step back feeling his overall energy increase exponentially, as well as his power, immediately realizing he was absorbing the life of his creations to have enough power to end me without any further delay. Using the connection he had to them, like a funnel to absorb them.

If only I could disturb that connection, I would render him powerless. As he himself it’s not storing all that power, but All-Black. But unfortunately, I can’t… any direct attack at him would be absorbed by that damned blade.

Meaning I had no other option but to fight head-on. For now.

I cursed under my breath, tripling the flow of energy within my body preemptively. Seeing as the very space around Knull bent, distorting like a broken mirror under his power.

“This is the end. No more playing around, Alex!” Knull declared with a low growl, finishing whatever he had done a few moments earlier. His power now beyond previous limitations and simple comprehension.

Things were never easy for me, were they?

“You killed half of your children, for power. That’s cruel, even for you,” I replied, increasing the flow of my energy even more, beyond safe levels. I was no longer in a position where I could play safe, at all.

[WARNING! ENERGY FLOW REACHING DANGEROUS LEVELS! PLEASE CEASE ALL ENERGY-RELATED ACTIONS NOW!]

I dismissed the notification, activating the auto-potion system to keep my HP and MP at acceptable levels. Which should keep the side effects of increasing the flow of my energy ten times at bay, at least for a good while.

“You match my power, again…” Knull laughed, his eyes gleaming in pure hate, and anger. “Very well then, let’s see for how long you can keep this up.”

“Forever,” I replied, engaging him in combat once again. Pain coursing through my body, which on its own was surprising, considering the amount of pain tolerance I had, but be that as it may, I would not stop, I would not falter, I would not give up until Knull was nothing but a bad memory.

 —-----------------------------------

[Thor Odinson POV]

I had found a way to save them. To save the symbiotes and help my brother.

All it had taken was, Knull killing half of them from afar. I now knew what I had to do, I had one shot at this, one shot to cut his connection to the hive, permanently separating him from his army.

This would take all my power to achieve. I had to harm Knull’s essence with an energy disturbing attack, breaking the chain that connects him to them.

“Are you sure of this?” The Ancient One asked, her eyes gazing at waves of symbiotes crashing with our armies, her tone soft and full of doubts.

“I am,” I nodded, determined to help everyone. My brother, my family, my people, and those enslaved by the circumstances of their birth.

“If you miss, you will only give more power to Knull,” The Ancient One reminded me. Her tone gained an edge. “I have no doubts Alex is fully aware of this, which is why he hasn’t tried anything of the sort.”

I nodded, after all, if I had come up with this idea, there was no doubt in my mind my brother had already thought of it way beforehand, however, Knull had yet to face me.

Besides, I was absolutely certain that the moment I appeared on the battlefield, my brother would know what I was trying to do and would do his best to give me the opportunity to attack.

“Very well,” The Ancient One nodded, taking a deep breath. “I suppose there is some truth to the saying that wars are not won with caution, but by taking risks.”

“I am the embodiment of that saying!” I laughed, giving the Ancient one a reassuring look. I knew I wasn’t the smartest person in the room, ever, but I was confident my plan would work, but in the case it didn’t, I had a backup plan to help my brother.

I would let him consume me. If my plan didn’t work, I would become fuel for my brother to vanquish this foe.

“Then, good luck… Thor Odinson,” The Ancient One smiled, opening a portal a few light-years away to Alex’s location.

“I have no need for such things!” I boasted, jumping into the portal. Masking my energy to avoid detection.