Chapter 174

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He understood.

In an instant, Tony truly comprehended why Black Panther's goddess had been so terrified.

If Gorr the God Butcher was as terrifyingly powerful as described, then it was perfectly reasonable for the Black Panther goddess to seek refuge.

After understanding Gorr's horrifying strength, the disdain and contempt Iron Man previously had for the Black Panther goddess almost entirely vanished.

"Impossible!"

"Zeus is such a great god, a model for all gods. How could he be afraid of some God Butcher?"

Thor from Vanaheim couldn't help but protest to Zhou Cheng. As a fervent admirer of Zeus, how could he allow anyone to belittle his idol? Even if it was the owner of this magical diary! Slander! This must be slander against Zeus! Thor was indignant and, if possible, he would have loved to confront the person responsible.

"The All-Black Necrosword!"

But when Thor's gaze fell upon this term, he was instantly stunned, unable to accept it. The All-Black Necrosword actually existed? Wasn't that a ridiculous legend?

Indeed, Thor had heard of the All-Black Necrosword, as had many gods. But just as Earthlings consider Thor and Zeus to be myths, many gods also regarded this god-slaying sword as a legend. A sword that grants the power to slay gods to anyone who wields it, how could that exist?

Yet Thor couldn't fathom that such a sword truly did exist!

In an instant, Thor's expression became grave. This was undoubtedly terrible news for a god like him.

Why would such a sword exist in the universe?

Soon, Thor found the answer in the diary: the Symbiote God.

What kind of god is that? The name sounded peculiar! Thor tilted his head and fell into contemplation. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall any related information. He had never heard of this god before. Looks like he would have to return to Asgard and ask his father.

Regardless of who this Symbiote God was, the fact that he could kill Celestials and forge weapons with their blood made him a terrifyingly formidable figure.

After all, Celestials were incredibly powerful! Back then, his father had to use all his strength to kill a single heavily wounded Celestial. And when the Celestials returned, the prehistoric Avengers, including his father, suffered horrendous defeats!

Although Thor didn't participate in that battle, he could clearly sense the Celestials' immense power just from Odin's description. They were super strong beings far surpassing his father!

Yet, the Symbiote God had killed Celestials!

Was this Symbiote God, with the strange name, truly that powerful? Moreover, though Thor didn't fully understand the Symbiote God, it seemed he was an enemy of the Celestials. This gave Thor a somewhat favorable impression of him. Still, why did the All-Black Necrosword forged by the Symbiote God become a god-slaying sword?

Thor fell into deep contemplation.

[Speaking of symbiotes, they truly are fascinating beings.]

[Unable to survive independently, they must bond with a host to live, yet they grant the host extraordinary abilities as if born to enhance others.]

[This is like a "living armor."]

[I wonder if symbiotes will appear in this universe, especially the infamous Venom, one of Spider-Man's greatest foes.]

[I remember noticing that the Life Foundation exists here too.]

[In other universes, it was the Life Foundation's spaceship that brought the symbiotes from another planet.]

[Not sure if they will do the same in this universe.]

"Symbiotes, truly interesting beings."

Tony's interest was instantly piqued, his eyes gleaming with the excitement of a scientist encountering a fascinating research topic. For Iron Man, the symbiotes described in the diary, unable to exist independently and needing to bond with a host, were indeed intriguing.

From the description, weren't they similar to parasites? Yet, unlike parasites that drain their hosts, symbiotes enhanced them! Tony had never encountered anything like this.

Moreover, the term "living armor" vividly illustrated the form of the symbiotes for Tony. Was it like his Iron Man suit, covering a person completely? Could it grant immense power this way?

Considering symbiotes were not Earthly beings but came from elsewhere in the universe, they should be able to bond with other life forms besides humans.

Additionally, the diary mentioned a name: Venom. What was Venom? A poisonous liquid? Why would a symbiote be named that way? Was it because the symbiote was as deadly as venom, or because it resembled a toxic fluid?

No matter the reason, a name like Venom suggested something malevolent. The fact that Venom was one of Spider-Man's enemies further confirmed this.

So, what about other symbiotes besides Venom?

Furthermore, the diary mentioned that in another universe, the symbiotes "traveled" to Earth aboard a spaceship from the Life Foundation. Were they coming to Earth voluntarily or brought by accident? Had the Life Foundation discovered and brought them intentionally, or had the symbiotes invaded the ship?

The nature of these scenarios was completely different.

Instantly, numerous questions flooded Tony's mind, some of them quite significant. Tony was eager to find answers, but with limited information, he couldn't solve them immediately.

One thing Tony could do, though, was to keep an eye on the Life Foundation mentioned in the diary. Not only did the diary mention it, but Tony also recalled that the Life Foundation indeed existed in their world. They even invited him, Tony Stark, to their launch event when they first founded it.

"Jarvis, investigate this Life Foundation."

Tony didn't hesitate at all. After collecting his thoughts, he immediately issued the order to Jarvis.

Jarvis, without any hesitation, faithfully executed his boss's command instantaneously.

"Life Foundation, founded by Carlton Drake, is a non-profit organization," Jarvis began to introduce Tony to the Life Foundation. "Initially, their aim was to tackle diseases like cancer. However, recently, they seem to have taken a keen interest in space projects."

"Wait, Carlton Drake?" Tony interrupted Jarvis. Carlton, that guy! Of course, Tony knew him. When the diary first mentioned the Life Foundation, Tony didn't pay much attention. But as soon as Jarvis mentioned the name, he recognized it immediately.

"The same Carlton Drake?" Tony needed to confirm with Jarvis.

"Yes, sir, the very Carlton Drake who pioneered gene therapy at nineteen and doubled the life expectancy of pancreatic cancer patients," Jarvis confirmed. This Carlton Drake was certainly no ordinary person. Compared to the average person, he could even be considered a legendary genius. Otherwise, why would Tony know him?

"I knew it was him." Tony nodded, "I should've suspected it. When he made a big move back then, it was the Life Foundation, wasn't it?" But there was one thing that puzzled him. The "Life Foundation" sounded like a medical organization. Why would they suddenly get involved in space projects?

Tony frowned slightly as he pondered. Could it be that Carlton was engaging in the space project to find symbiotes, aiming to bring them back from outer space? Or perhaps Carlton had his own reasons for venturing into space, unrelated to symbiotes? 

These were all just Tony's speculations for now; he had no evidence to support them. Regardless, Tony had decided he needed to thoroughly investigate the Life Foundation. Whether or not their aim was symbiotes, there was a potential risk given their space exploration connection!

But how important is it really? Regardless of whether the Life Foundation from this universe brings back symbiotes, the existence of Venom seems unavoidable. Remember, there's that super annoying kid, Spider-Man!

I recall that after Spider-Man's identity was exposed by Mysterio, he sought Doctor Strange's help, asking him to cast a spell to make everyone forget he was Spider-Man. Things went wrong when Spider-Man kept interrupting the spell, causing Doctor Strange to accidentally tear open the multiverse. This brought over Spider-Man's enemies from other universes like Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, and Electro, as well as Venom.

Although Venom didn't cause chaos, only hanging out in a bar for a few hours before being sent back, he left a small piece of himself behind in this universe.

Spider-Man? You mean Venom's appearance has something to do with Spider-Man? When Tony saw Spider-Man mentioned again in the diary, he became very intrigued. Lately, Tony had taken quite an interest in Spider-Man. But seeing Spider-Man's actions, he couldn't help but feel speechless. Trying to use magic to make the whole world forget his exposed identity? What a ridiculous, absurd, and immature way to handle things. The diary wasn't wrong; this Spider-Man really is a super childish kid.

Tony assumed Peter might still be in elementary school. He found himself unable to comprehend why Spider-Man would want to hide his identity and be afraid of exposure. In Tony's view, his current public identity as Iron Man was great. After all, everyone knew he was the Destroyer, so what was the big deal?

Even if Tony was ten years younger, he would have countless ways to handle a similar situation. No matter what, he would never resort to such extreme measures. After griping about it, Tony was once again deeply impressed by Doctor Strange's power. He truly was one of the strongest Avenger members and a force that could destroy the entire universe when corrupted. Accidentally tearing open the multiverse was astounding!

So, this explains why Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, and those other villains appeared in this universe. It confirms Tony's earlier speculation: they indeed came from other universes. This also means that the other Spider-Man variants should be from different universes too.

But one thing puzzled Tony. If Doctor Strange cast a spell to make everyone forget Spider-Man, why did it bring Spider-Man's enemies over? They clearly remembered Spider-Man's existence!

Alright, even with Tony's intelligence and knowledge, magic was something he couldn't fully understand. After all, "magic" didn't follow scientific principles. Tony didn't dwell on this question but instead continued analyzing the information.

According to previous spoilers, Doctor Strange repaired the multiverse's rift, sending all Spider-Man's villains back. But one bit of Venom was left behind. It seemed symbiotes truly were in liquid form. The diary suggested that a small piece of Venom would survive alone in this universe, becoming a new Venom. So, symbiotes could split and replicate themselves? One Venom could become multiple Venoms!

Considering Venom's strength, at least comparable to Spider-Man's, and its ability to self-replicate, it was clear Venom was a significant threat. And this was just the Venom related to Spider-Man. Tony couldn't forget that the Life Foundation existed in their world too. Who knows if Carlton might bring other symbiotes from outer space?

The only consolation was that Earth's current technology was far from being able to venture deep into space. The Life Foundation hadn't developed a spaceship capable of such travel. So, even if they planned to bring symbiotes back, it would be many years before that happened.