Peter felt nothing.
He saw nothing. He heard nothing. It was as if the entire universe had been violently scrubbed from existence, leaving behind a blank, suffocating canvas. He couldn't even sense the physical weight of his own body, the hum of his spider-sense, or the heavy, shifting mass of the symbiote. The only thing he possessed in this absolute void was his own consciousness.
He remembered Venom unhinging his jaws. He remembered the sickening crunch of Grendel being devoured alive.
And then... this.
Knull's lack of physical resistance suddenly made terrifying sense. Looking back, Knull likely wanted Venom to consume the dragon. The King in Black was a primordial god; assuming control of a rogue symbiote from the inside out would be effortless for him. The only obstacle in his path was Peter Parker—the stubbornly resilient human mind anchoring Venom.
So, Peter thought, his consciousness echoing in the dark. This is how a god fights. A psychic war of attrition.
"And the Spider said, 'Let there be light,'" Peter echoed into the silence.
He raised a hand he couldn't physically feel, channeling the memory of his bio-electricity.
For a fraction of a second, a brilliant, blinding spark of white lightning illuminated the endless dark. But almost instantly, the light flickered, choked, and died.
The light died because light requires a source, and all sources eventually burn out. Everything, eventually, dissipates.
Peter realized exactly how Knull was attempting to crush him. This wasn't a battle of fists or magic; it was a battle of conceptual essence. Knull's essence was absolute, objective nothingness. Not the metaphorical darkness of human depression or the void of the Sentry, but the literal, physical state of the cosmos before the Big Bang. Knull was actively reducing Peter's spirit to zero.
To survive, Peter needed to summon concepts that could combat absolute nihilism on a spiritual level.
Existence, Peter thought.
He imagined the Big Bang. He visualized a vibrant, expanding, burning universe filled with nebulas, galaxies, and supernovas. A burst of objective creation pushing back the void.
But the universe wasn't eternal. Stars die. Galaxies experience heat death. Even the universe would eventually collapse back into the dark.
What about Eternity? Peter tried to conjure the cosmic entity of the Multiverse itself. Surely, Knull was no match for the abstract embodiment of all reality? But Peter's mortal brain couldn't grasp it. The concept of Eternity, Infinity, or the Living Tribunal was simply too vast, too abstract for him s to accurately visualize and weaponize.
He needed to settle for something slightly more tangible. Space gods.
This time, the mental manifestation worked perfectly. Towering, unfathomably massive, armored Celestials materialized in the void. They didn't just stand there; they began to actively forge planets, seeding life and light across the emptiness.
A cold, grating sneer echoed through the void.
The Celestials violently exploded, turning to cosmic dust and vanishing into thin air.
Why does it feel like I'm losing an argument with a black hole? Peter thought, completely baffled by Knull's silent laughter.
Peter raised his imaginary hand again. This time, a heavy, golden gauntlet materialized over his glove, glittering with six impossibly bright, multi-colored gems.
Hmm, a surprised, ancient voice echoed in the dark. Knull clearly hadn't anticipated the teenager pulling the Infinity Gauntlet out of his subconscious.
Peter snapped his fingers.
A wave of supreme cosmic energy washed away the void. But Knull's crushing presence immediately pushed back. Even the Infinity Stones were bound by the rules of the universe. They were powerful, but they were not indestructible. They could be shattered, reduced to atoms, and forgotten. As long as the possibility of destruction existed, Knull's logic reigned supreme: all things perish, and the end of all things is nothingness.
Peter realized he was playing Knull's game. Whatever he pulled out of his imagination—as long as it could theoretically be killed, broken, or replaced—it could not escape the definition of the void. He needed something conceptually indestructible.
The Cosmic Cube? The Ultimate Nullifier?
Peter paused. He looked out into the absolute nothingness and tried a different tactic: philosophy.
"Nothingness does not exist," Peter stated firmly.
Ah, the voice echoed, a hint of genuine surprise lacing the tone.
"All things perish, and the end of everything is nothingness," Peter continued, building the paradox. "But when absolutely everything comes to an end, there is nothing left to define the void against. Therefore, nothingness itself ceases to exist. Without existence, there can be no non-existence."
A slow, chilling clap echoed in the dark.
The King in Black finally manifested.
Knull stepped out of the shadows, illuminating the bounds of the void simply by giving it a shape. Clad in his jagged black armor, his long white hair flowing around his gaunt, pale face, the god smiled.
"Fascinating," Knull purred, walking slowly toward the young human. "You possess a wealth of cosmic knowledge, and you attempt to defeat a god with a logical paradox. I must admit, little spider, you are incredibly creative."
Knull stopped, looming over Peter. "But creativity is not enough. To defeat the Lord of the Abyss, you require... something else."
Knull grinned, waiting for Peter to connect the dots.
Peter stared at the pale god. The pieces finally clicked into place. Everything returns to the dark. Knull was the current King in Black, but nowhere in cosmic law did it state that Knull was the only entity capable of holding the title. By absorbing the dragon, Peter and Venom had just swallowed Knull's localized consciousness. Knull wasn't trying to destroy Peter; he was breaking him down to rebuild him.
He wants me to take the throne. He wants Peter Parker to become the new King in Black.
"Why do I even need to defeat you?" Peter suddenly asked, a smirk creeping onto his face.
Knull's smile faltered.
"I just realized something," Peter laughed, tapping his temple. "I don't need to out-debate you. Your consciousness is trapped inside Grendel's Codex, and Venom just digested it. Venom told me earlier today that he can 'communicate' with a consumed Codex, but he doesn't actually have to listen to it."
Knull's void-like eyes narrowed dangerously. The trap had been exposed.
"You can just sit in the dark until the end of time, Knull," Peter threatened, his confidence surging back. "Try to outlast me in here. I guarantee you're going to regret it. I know exactly who your cosmic opposite is. The God of Light. The Enigma Force. Captain Universe."
Peter raised an eyebrow. "Oh, speaking of which, I don't think I've tried visualizing the Uni-Power in here yet. Want to give it a test drive?"
Knull let out a sharp, bitter laugh.
"Foolish mortal," Knull spat, his pale form beginning to blur and fade into the shadows. "You believe you understand the cosmic scales? Fine. Enjoy your hollow victory, you stubborn mule. I offered you the chance to ascend as a god, and you rejected it."
The void began to physically dissolve, the sensation of gravity and sound rushing back toward Peter's consciousness.
"But you would do well to remember, Spider," Knull's disembodied voice echoed one final time, dripping with venom. "Everything ends in the dark. I will return. Far sooner than you think."
"Yeah, yeah," Peter muttered as the darkness shattered. "Everyone's got a podcast these days."