Chapter 723: The Strongest Armor and the Strongest Sword — Black vs. Superior Venom!
Venom wasn't the armor Kai had been thinking of when he said he was looking for an armor that could grow alongside him.
Instead, it was Yongpyo — the mystical garments and armor of the Monkey King from the Random World of the God of High School.
Anything less than such a divine, sentient, and ridiculous armor meant nothing to Kai anymore.
He had Biokinesis.
He was a Demon King.
His HP Regeneration Rate rivaled the Upper Moons of the Demon Slayer Random Worlds itself.
With these, only an instant kill could deal with him now.
In layman's terms, only Concepts like curses, luck, corrosion, etc., worried him; especially when they reached the level of becoming mysteries, like Zohakuten's Hatred after undergoing Resurrección.
That Hatred had been powerful enough to rival Kai's Calm; one of Nyarlathotep's mysteries.
So, Kai had no desire for Iron Man Armor, Black Panther's Armor, or any such external object, no matter how much of a buff they would give him in his Active Attributes.
Yongpyo was different, though.
Yes, it also boosted physical prowess.
But Yongpyo boosted physical prowess as the wearer grew stronger.
Unlike many over-the-top armors from the Multiverse, which awarded a set amount of Attribute Points, Yongpyo let a strong Contestant become stronger as he ascended the Tower.
This one effect, in itself, was worthy of being among the most sought-after Items in the Primordial Tower.
Some even considered it better than the Infinity Stones, as the stones brought unprecedented restrictions with them, unlike Yongpyo.
However, there was a catch, of course.
To get Yongpyo, one must defeat the Monkey King from the Ragnarok Arc — a nigh impossible feat, considering that Jin Mori was just short of being a Deep One at the height of that Arc.
OR…
… one must convince Jin Mori to lend the armor.
Kai had the Multiverse ID of The God of High School timeline.
However, it would still need time for the Jin Mori of that timeline to grow.
That's why Kai had decided to be on the good side in that world, becoming Jin Taejin's apprentice and Jin Mori's big brother.
So, Yongpyo became a long-term goal for Kai; a must-get Item, but not now.
Here came Venom into the picture.
As armor, Venom was among the best of the best when considering the sheer number of options available to the Contestants.
First, it was a Symbiote, meaning it would come under the category of magical creatures, not an Item.
… meaning, the Symbiote itself would have NO Requirements or Effects.
Just like the Three-Headed Devourer, the Symbiote would be a Growth-type Magical Creature with its own Stats.
Second, unlike Selene, Venom's Growth Chart was something well-known in the Primordial Tower.
Contestants were already half-crazed beings because of the constant slaughters they carried out from time to time, making them highly suitable for Symbiotes like Venom, Carnage, etc.
And in this Growth Chart, there was a branch known, but never achieved, by the Contestants —
— Venom devouring All-Black and becoming the Necrosword.
There was literally no other way to obtain the All-Black, the first Symbiote.
Nor was there any known or unknown way to get one's hands on the Necrosword.
Murasame and Sounga had spent over thirteen hundred years with Kai.
But they weren't Growth-type Items any longer.
There would come a time when the level of his enemies would become too ridiculous for One-Cut-Killer and the Evil Dragon.
To fight ridiculous enemies, Kai would need even more ridiculous weapons.
Necrosword and Yongpyo were Kai's answers; Weapons of a Conqueror.
Kai had a clear objective after dealing with the current Main Mission —
— Grow Venom. Make it devour All-Black, turning it into Necrosword. Use the Necrosword to kill the Monkey King, ambushing him in the Ragnarok Arc. Get Yongpyo.
All this needed time and subtle, but decisive manipulations.
…
Black looked at the Superior Venom, eying them from the top of a building, and brought his thoughts to rest.
Behind him were Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Dr. Strange, and, of course, Moraine the Elegant.
"You sure you don't need a hand, kid?" Captain America asked.
Black did look like a young man in his early twenties with a small smile on his face.
They had tried to talk it out with Peter, asking him to let go of the Symbiote, but that didn't work.
The only way left was to use force.
"No," Tony Stark said, killing the thrusters and landing by Moraine's side. "Let him handle it alone."
Black Widow rolled her eyes, knowing well that Tony wanted this man to lose in front of his daughter.
Black looked over his shoulder at Moraine. "A good luck kiss?"
Moraine's heart skipped a beat.
"Second strike." Tony's helmet collapsed, and he stared at Black menacingly.
Black walked forward and stood at the edge of the twenty-one-story building. "Watch closely… father-in-law."
Before Tony could snap, Black popped out of existence.
This?!
The next time Black appeared, he was already on top of the Superior Venom.
The massive form looked nothing like ordinary Venom, though.
It was huge and had four spider-like legs growing out of its back. Its limbs were longer than previous venoms, and its senses sharper.
No wonder, when Black appeared over its head, it was already looking at him.
"I said…" the Superior Venom growled, showing enormous fangs, "… leave me alone!"
It made a giant fist, muscles squirming on its arm.
Black's fist was like an ant in comparison.
Then the fists met.
BOOOMMMM!!!
…
Under the stunned gazes of the Avengers, the corner of the building under the Superior Venom shattered.
Mirrors exploded, throwing shards in all directions.
Magical Circles appeared everywhere, trying to minimize the damage.
Steve held Natasha and Tony and Moraine used their armors to stabilize themselves as the aftershock hit them, trying to rip them off their footing.
If that wasn't enough, then what they saw next dropped their jaws.
The blackness of Symbiote over the Superior Venom's arm rippled before exploding apart, revealing Peter's broken arm.
Black's arm shattered beyond recognition.
Then, with a bang, both Venom and Black's arms regenerated, and they punched again.
Booooooooooooooooooooom!!!
"I swear!" Dr. Strange cursed.
"You were giving him a hand?" Black Widow asked Steve.
"What did he say his name was?" Tony asked Morgan Stark.
The building in front of them had collapsed. The building under their feet had given in.
Now, they were hovering in the air, looking the sheer destruction caused by two punches alone.
On one side was the Superior Venom, hanging on a tower of another building.
On the other side was Black, casually standing midair with his hands in the pockets of his black jeans. His short, black hair shifted with the wind.
He took out his hands, straightened his black jacket, and looked at Moraine.
Black winked.
"I guess," Tony said, smiling, "the kid's not bad…"
"Something's wrong…" Captain America's voice entered their ears suddenly. "Peter's acting weird."
Hmm?!
Dr. Strange, Black Widow, Tony, and Moraine simultaneously looked at the Superior Venom.
It was holding its head, saliva dripping off its mouth. The four spider-arms on its back had disappeared. It kept throwing its head left and right as well.
It was as if there was something that had infiltrated his mind that it dearly wanted to go away.
Moraine shifted her gaze toward Black and saw the smile on his lips.
Why did the smile —
Moraine's face paled.
— looked so full of amusement?!
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