CHAPTER 275

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[Alex Walker POV]

[Quest/Event = Nothing, nowhere, lifeless. The King is back, and he seeks his kingdom.

Description = Darkness arises, and the cosmos screams in dread, for something is about to be released. Something ancient. Something terrible. The ageless horror known as Knull, the seeker of nothingness, the butcher of gods, the end of every beginning. Wielding the Necroblade, he seeks to reap life itself from the cosmos, shattering the order of things, to bring back the void. Beware for the end has just started.

Fight, or die, the choice it's yours.

Objectives = Defeat Knull.

Optional Objectives = Kill Knull, Liberate the Symbiotes from his grasp.

Rewards = ?????, ?????, ?????, ?????.

Failure = The End.

Time before the event starts = 6 days, 6 hours, 6 minutes, and 6 seconds.

—----

For additional information about Knull and his lore /press/ (?)]

I had been in the middle of a dungeon, clearing my path towards the boss, when this message had appeared. Six days before everything starts, I finally had a date, yet, somehow, even though I had expected all of this to begin weeks ago, it still felt like it was happening much too soon.

"Six days," I muttered, my hands curling into fists as I let a deep sigh out, staring ahead. I was ready, I would be ready, I was preparing for him, and while I would be the first one to candidly admit I was anxious, I would not let that blind me.

I had a goal, and I would accomplish it, by any means necessary.

{Sir, I must apologize for the intrusion. But, we have just received notice of Knull's awakening, and I wanted to know if you wanted us to do something about it. I personally recommend informing the others, to ensure maximum efficiency.} Jarvis said through our link, snapping me out of my long reverie.

"Yes, do that," I replied.

{At last, alone. You have no idea how annoying he is. Anyways, preparations from my side are ready, the drones exceed even my own expectations, which is to say a lot. The question now is… are you ready for him?} Ultron asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied with a soft chuckle. "Then again, in six days I'll be stronger and more ready than I was before, so that statement it's never really accurate."

{Very well then. I will leave you be, but before that, I have one proposition to make, a last-minute thing.} Ultron replied.

"What?" I asked.

{I will command your drones, while Jarvis will command your golems, you have your two generals, but you lack someone to command those in flesh. I would offer to do it, but as much as it pains me to admit, if I take those two fronts, the results would be mediocre at best, as the splitting of my focus would lower my performance below acceptable levels. For optimal results, I suggest you get another general.} Ultron replied, his tone even as he went right to the point. {I took the liberty of making a list of the most optimal candidates for this position within your social circle, narrowing it down to three candidates.}

That would be a good idea, and it would take a big load off my shoulders.

"What are your suggestions?" I asked, curious about his list.

{The Ancient One, Hela, and Odin. They all have experience leading armies and people, one way or another, and are connected to you, one way or another. They are nominated based on data we have about them, and multiple simulations I ran to determine their possible performance.

The parameters I took into account for these analyses were powers, personality, military efficiency, adaptability, and loyalty. The Ancient One being the best candidate based on her unyielding loyalty to you, however, Hela and Odin have more military experience than her, making up for their glaring flaws.

Hela being more loyal to you than Odin, thanks to her infatuation.

All and all, all candidates bring something to the table, and all are acceptable options.}

The Ancient One, Hela, and Odin. I might take all of them, each one leading a different front.

"I think I will take them all," I replied. As Ultron had said, they all brought something to the table.

{....Not the result I was expecting. But I can see how you came to that conclusion. Very well then, in that case, allow me to analyze their data, adding this new turn of events to my forecasting calculations, so that I can offer you an efficiency forecasting report as to which parts of the living army they would lead most efficiently, based their individual experience, powers, and other miscellaneous factors.} Ultron replied after a brief moment of silence.

"Do it fast, we only have six days to finalize preparations," I replied, accepting his proposal.

{Don't worry, I will deliver my report to you before the day ends.} Ultron replied, closing our call, in a manner of speaking.

I chuckled, I was truly glad I had decided to use those two. They were really making my life remarkably easier.

"Six days…" I muttered, opening the quest/event notification again. This time, the last line of information, catching my attention.

[For additional information about Knull and his lore /press/ (?)]

Never before I had had a quest that offered additional information and or lore.

I am intrigued.

"Imma press it," I said, mentally tapping the (?) button, to see what it would show me.

[Lore Log - 314/7-AA.

Long, long ago, during the third iteration of the cosmos, the Anti-All, someone, something darker than a yawning, starless night came to be from the depths of oblivion, a terrifying being formed from living darkness, a draconic cosmic entity that embodied the realms of destruction, darkness, chaos, and non-existence.

He was darkness itself, and the end of everything.

But wherever there is darkness, there will always be light to be found as well.

The Lifebringer One, the first hero came to be, after all, darkness cannot exist without light. A being formed from the living light, a cosmic being that embodied the realms of creation, light, order, and existence.

He was life itself, and the beginning of everything.

The two beings battled for eons until eventually, their seemingly endless battle came to an end with the sacrifice of the Lifebringer One, who gave his life, his existence to destroy his antithesis, the Anti-All, once and for all, shattering the cosmic dragon into multiple pieces.

With this, the story of the first hero came to an end.

However, even in death, the darkness the Anti-All had embodied would forever haunt the cosmos, as his scattered fragments gave rise to various incarnations of what remained of him, such as Knull, and the Chaos King.

End of Log - 314/7-AA.]

The Lifebringer one…

"The item Gaia gave me," I muttered, at the realization.