It was the first cry of panic and despair that started it all.
…
A squadron of multicolored beings, very scant in numbers, stared at the blackened planet of Klyntar that oozed with pure malice and deranged laughter that sent phantom feeling of chills down the spines of the present Celestials.
Of the gathered panel, four Celestials stood at the forefront of the others and brimmed with more power than any other gathered Celestial.
Standing in the middle of the void, with all of his focus on the small planet before him, was a Celestial covered entirely with dark red armor and golden blazing eyes that radiated his power and the coldness with which he showed it forth – Arishem the Judge.
Standing at his right and emitting resplendent gold stood a Celestial that most had not been aware of except for few that were aware of his conception. Unlike Arishem whose just his eyes radiated unshakeable might, the eye sockets of this Celestial glowed a dim golden – The Dreaming Celestial, Tiamut the Communicator. Unlike the other Celestials gathered here that had an enmity with the almost-freed-but-still-imprisoned demon of black that predated the universe, Tiamut was driven by the will and belief that all life was precious and while the loss of life was a necessity for the universe to continue, condemning one to the malice and madness of a Dark God didn't sit right with him. He was passionate, but naïve.
On the other side of Arishem, different from the two previously mentioned Celestials, this one's body, or what they considered their armor, was multicolored in black and gold. If Arishem could be described as strict and unfeeling, and Tiamut as compassionate but resolute, he stood without showing any intent. He didn't pulsate with power nor did his eyes glow with hatred or any other strong emotion, no. He just stared at Klyntar, completely unfeeling to anything around him. To him, there was only one thought that occupied his thought processes – Exitar the Executioner – the annihilation, or the reimprisonment of Knull was all that mattered and until it was done or he died, he fancied nothing else.
The last Celestial stood to the side of the Executioner. Donned in dark green cosmic armor with brown accents. His entire face was covered but his presence could be felt everywhere, even among this small group of powerful Celestials. Hargen the Measurer.
The four of them stood watch for the past cycles since it became apparent that they was nothing they could do to stop his re-emergence.
It could be seen how serious the Celestials took the case of Knull's rising but, though it was a valid cause of panic for the cosmic race, it wasn't the reason why they gathered like this.
The fact that Exitar, Arishem and the newly born Tiamut, stood at the forefront could be seen as a precaution against something more than Knull.
Knull was just the first step to the ensuing nightmares that the multiverse was about to wake up to.
"Kekekekekekeke!" His deranged laugh resonated against the cosmic armors of the Celestials and from it they felt his mockery and bone deep hatred for them and everything they birthed.
"Did you miss me? Kekekeke." Black writhing miasma spewed out in thick amounts that covered the tiny lights of the faraway stars. "I can feel it from these wretched shackles of mine. Brimming with life and cosmic energy. I wonder how it will feel to kill one of you again after so long?... I will savor every moment of it – that much I know."
His voice got louder and the intent it carried was strong enough that it caused the bright lights of the stars to dim considerably. There was nothing Knull hated more than the race of pioneers that had disturbed his once eternal reign in darkness.
"Trapped in my exile and with nothing to do, did I ponder: how will I finally get rid of you bright colored vermin? Eons passed!" Liquid black started floating out from the deep and wide crevice of the planet, each tendril carrying Knull's purest, or rather most corrupted, will.
"Eons uncountable passed, but not once did my pondering cease. It was my own past hubris that caused my downfall, but then I finally came across the spark of realization I slight when light seeped through the first crack. So you want to know what solution I arrived at? No?" Another bout of psychotic laughs screeched out, causing a few of the weak Celestials to tremble.
"How about I just show you?" Klyntar shattered at that instant as it was bombarded with a wave of cosmic energy the moment the seal finally cracked open.
"Heed my words, Celestials: He is currently weakened but do not let that naïve preconception lower the caution you should feel to the calamity he represents. He feeds off of the dark concepts and every of our deaths at his hands will only empower him." Arishem's crisp words echoed in the ears of all present Celestials with a tone of authority. He had judged the darkness again, and like every phenomenon that had heard his utterance of judgment, it would be so.
For Celestials, the epithet they were known by was not just a name that they could take upon themselves. The cognomen they each possessed was something assigned to them even before their conception by their creator. Sometimes the name could something simple while at most times it could be obscure in its meaning.
A prime example would be the four Celestials that heralded the few behind them:
Arishem – The Judge.
Exitar – The Executioner.
Hargen – The Measure.
Dreaming Celestial Tiamut – The Communicator.
To all Celestials, even to those who have been corrupted, it was widely known that Arishem's decisions were what propelled the direction they as a race should go. Arishem's judgement spread both to the near and far ends, to every unturned stone, of the multiverse. He was synonymous with their law.
As a Judge, it was completely in Arishem's power to give a verdict to anything that went against their designed agenda, and reminiscent to the judge he was, there was also a Celestial that, although not present, was tasked with the role of the Jury. With the name of Ashema he carried the epithet of the Listener.
It was also common for Celestials to have similar roles as even though Ashema was the Listener, Celestials like Oneg the Prober who was sent to Tiamut, and Ea The Wise, also absent, also had the similar roles as that of the Listener.
And then there was Exitar.
Bearing the appellation of the Executioner, he was one of the oldest and strongest Celestials in existence. If it could be said that Arishem represented the authority of the Celestials, Exitar would be said to represent their strength.
His only duty today was the put the Forgotten God back inside the abyss he crawled out from.
The other Celestials distanced themselves from the four Celestials who stood a few kilometers from the cursed firmament of what used to be Klyntar.
"Tiamut, this will be your first duty as a Celestial. I expect nothing but the resolve for your given duty." Arishem said without facing the shiniest beacon of light among them.
"Worry not, Arishem. I fully understand. His continued existence is a threat to the very order that holds the cosmos together." At the end of the day, Tiamut was as much as Celestial as any ever was. It was a very rare occurrence where a Celestial went against their assigned directives so even though he and Arishem weren't the most amicable sort towards each other, Tiamut wouldn't disobey Arishem's orders without a strong enough reason which in all honesty was a very hard thing to do as Arishem's decisions were mostly made with the most effective result in mind.
SHKREEEEEEL!
An ear-grating wail resounded from the rubble of Klyntar which was followed by the frenzied stampede of symbiotes that crawled out from Knull's shadow.
The symbiotes were erased the moment they came within a certain distance from the Celestials who had ignored their unsightly guise to focus all their attention on the slugging mass of black that reproduced Knull's form.
"Kekekekekeke. I've almost forgotten the sensation of how prickly pain was. I guess that's the prize I must pay for the banquet you all took the time to prepare for me. Kekekekekeke!" The first Celestial to engage was none other than the Executioner who immediately set himself upon the weary king.
Even in his inebriated and hungry form, Knull showed his eternal experience in combat by spewing huge mass of darkness that threatened to bind Exitar.
…
"Pitiful." Exitar smashed through the dense congregation of darkness that would have made a normal Celestial falter, showing Knull how different he was from the rest of the Celestials he'd killed, not that the Sleeping Lord of the Abyss needed the reminder.
Exitar's fists that were overflowing with cosmic energy erased every symbiote that tried to latch onto him as it smashed into Knull, sending him careening through the infinite black of space.
There shall be no rest for the wicked.
Knull groaned at the rather heavy hand of Exitar but the smile on his face didn't recede but widened to the disproportionate ends of his face.
His tall gigantic, pale and scrawny figure, alongside his maniacal smile and the pure malice that oozed out of him was enough to make this corner of the universe shrink back in submission. His very existence was the most fearful nightmare of every living being.
He looked up just in time for a planet-sized cosmic blast from all the other Celestials to impact him head-on, further sending this tiny unknown location into trembling from the cosmic might of the attackers.
A few Celestials couldn't help but subconsciously tremble in fright as even his dark blood formed symbiotes' abominations. He laughed more at their attempt to kill him while feeding on the sparse amount of fear some of them reeked.
His shadow stretched through immaterial space and birthed hordes of symbiotes vastly from the ones that had leaked from him at the start of the confrontation.
Though he was at a disadvantage, the full teeth mocking smile never left his face as he bid his time for the upheaval.
Unfortunately for him, the Celestials in front of him were not in the mood to find out whatever it was that amused him to no end as they pressed forth their attack, unrelenting.
The Celestials were cautious of Knull's abilities, rightly so, so it was agreed that only the four strongest present would endeavor to directly engage him in combat while the others were required to stop the slightest of his movements when he was not in range with f the attacking Celestials.
It was clearly visible to Arishem that Knull was very weakened but even that weakness was fading fast with every attack he gave and received. That was why Knull had kept a reasonable attacking distance than simply attacking in rabid frenzy like Arishem vividly remembered of him from the time of the first clash between the King in Black and the Celestials.
Even at a huge disadvantage, Knull didn't make any attempt at escaping them and only focused on dodging their attacks, which he was failing at.
'He's laying in wait.' Arishem's nigh-incomprehensible intellect and memory noticed something about Knull that was different than the first time they faced each other. Eons ago when the conception of the Seventh Cosmos birthed the multiversal space, the Celestials were tasked with the duty of creation and permeating the multiverse with sentience. During their initial clash with Knull at that time, Knull had once retreated when he was besieged by a vengeful group of Celestial, only to return when he was sure he could take them on with that accursed sword in hand.
!!
"KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKE! NOW THE TRUE FUN IS ABOUT TO START."
…
A Celestial had fallen.
...
Knull was no fool. Though practically unkillable, he wasn't by no means infallible. His imprisonment was a testimony to that grim fact.
He had had eons to ponder on every scenario he could come up with if he was ever to break out. He knew there was no way he wouldn't run into the boorish multicolored slave race if he were to emerge as he would take it upon himself to seek them out to settle pending scores if they didn't come for him first.
Besieged by Celestials? That had been the default setting ever since they made themselves ill acquainted.
Though they were many other darkly thought out scenarios he had expected, he was glad that the one he was met with was one that brought him a sense of nostalgia to his nonexistent heart.
And what other way of expressing this sentiment than enacting a scene they were all familiar with?
Unfortunately, he had to keep his patience running on fumes as he counted the infinitesimal units of time till he could actualize his plans.
Though he loathed to admit it, he was in no way near strong enough to take on this entourage of Celestials without facing an even more premature defeat than last time. So he bid his time.
He couldn't act rashly in the face of Arishem and Exitar, oh he definitely knew those two. There was no way he would forget their particular color scheme. Since his weakness was plain for all to see, all he had to do was give into that weakness and strive to survive under the steady barrage of attacks.
If he had acted by pretending to be weak, it would have been seen through by the Celestials in front of him so all he had to do was fight back as much as he could to keep his unlife from being taken… until he felt it.
His first ever creation.
His most trusted partner who never forsook him.
It was a blade that was drenched in everything he was and forged with the death of a Celestial. The ultimate weapon of darkness for the Lord of the Abyss.
A blade blacker than the void of night with sharp pristine edges that could cleave through the most sturdiest of armors. One that was a bane to every being, both living and nonliving, Gods and demons.
The blade that ends all.
All-Black the Necrosword.
What no one, not even the Celestials, knew was that rather than just a devious blade, All-Black was an extension of Knull himself. The blade was just as undying as he was, if not more. With the blade in his hands, he was resolved to finish the war they started.
All for his revenge, he didn't focus on running away from the Celestials even when it was very dangerous for him. He had felt the joyous thrumming of his blade after he had broken out of his seal so what he needed to do was buy enough time to draw the blade back to him.
He had been badly injured in this short bout, mainly by Arishem and Exitar, because different from the rest, while they understood first hand how dangerous he was, they had assurance in their strength to face him without much caution especially since he was in his weakened state. He wanted badly to drink the blood of a Celestial to rouse his dulled instincts and strength, thankfully that time came sooner before he was completely cornered.
Even though they were separated by quite the distance, the blade had come within a distance he could reach that he could even feel the phantom texture of the hilt he hadn't held since forever.
'Not yet.'
He pushed down the exhilaration that was bubbling inside him as the blade fully entered his senses. He wanted to capitalize on the most profitable opening, and like always the dark fates seemed to favor him.
He summoned a large legion of his stronger symbiotes and set them upon the Celestials with his red eyes squinting into dots as he watched everything for the most opportune moment.
From the way Arishem had his eyes on him, he wouldn't be surprised if the red one had figured him out, so he flashed him one of his best smiles.
'Thankfully, you haven't changed at all.'
The blade that had melded into the darkness screeched with renewed bloodlust as it finally laid its hilt in the cursed hands of its creator – the personification of the Abyss.
Knull's fingers wrapped around the hilt with a ferocious strength that would shatter any celestial body. Ignoring the exhilaration he felt at being finally reconnected with his treasured blade, his focused eyes pinned on a Celestial who had dodged and countered the attack of the symbiotes, giving Knull the moment he had been waiting for.
The moment his presence left the Celestial's senses for the duration of the tiniest split unit of time, with the violently thrumming and most bloodlusting blade in existence, he moved imperceptibly through the darkness and drove the entirety of the blade into the back of the Celestial.
Finally tasting the blood it had thirsted and craved for since time immemorial, its bloodlust froze the Celestial but didn't stop the slightly muffled groan of pain and fear he released as it greedily drank all it could from the dead Celestial.
Not losing himself yet in the euphoria, he twisted the blade and picked his next target. The unsurmountable feeling of pleasure he got from the fear that a particular Celestial doused himself with was all Knull needed to pick and confirm his next victim.
Exitar and Tiamut had already sprang into action the moment they saw the tip of the blade piercing the back of the first Celestial, alas, as like a starving wild beast, Knull had no intention of pulling out his fangs until he had ripped out flesh.
The Celestial in question had attacked the moment he felt Knull's vile focus on him with a galaxy-shattering blast in hopes of stopping the inebriated Void God who had finally gotten a taste of his most hated enemy's blood.
With hauntingly red eyes, Knull ran straight into the blast, his eyes only focused on his frightened prey as everything else became inconsequential. He growled at the incoming obstruction and without even thinking of the disadvantages his actions could bring him, he threw the writhing blackened blade that was constantly screaming for more death in his ears at the beam and followed the path it cleaved through and found himself smiling more and more as he came face to face with the Celestial.
'More.' He didn't know which of them was screaming for more, he or the blade, as the only thing truly important was killing this Celestial.
SHLICK!
It smoothly passed through the neck of the Celestial as it was beheaded with ruthless ease, another death that only strengthened the now laughing demon.
"KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKE! NOW THE TRUE FUN IS ABOUT TO START."
They were finally at a stalemate with the Celestials staring at Knull while he grinned at them.
Darkness billowed and wailed behind him before it formed the head of a symbiote, one that felt infinitely more dangerous than any of hinsother symbiotes. It wrapped around his form and coated his body in the darkest shade of apparel it could form.
Knull felt himself being invigorated as strength flowed into him. Though he was still at a disadvantage, it was nothing he couldn't cleave his way through.
All it had taken were a few moments in time for Knull to hold the Necrosword in his hands and fell two Celestials. So fast he was that Exitar and Tiamut who had seen the prelude to the first death still couldn't stop the second one despite reacting before the first deed was fully done.
Arishem had made a mistake, though not one that was fully his fault.
Knull's blade had evaded all their senses making them aware of it after he held it. None of them had sensed it coming.
It would only get progressively more dangerous from here on out as he had devoured two Celestials at once and although Arishem would prefer it if only a few of them attacked Knull, the demon was too much for any single Celestial to face. If it was just the four of them against Knull, it would only get more harder than it currently is once Knull killed one of them.
The four of them present were one of the strongest Celestials in existence and Knuil devouring one of them was a faster disaster waiting to happen so he had opted to face him with a small enough lineup so they could take the burden off the other if they became too pressed, and Knull just killed two of them in an instant.
'And it's not just Knull.'
Hargen shared a look with Arishem and together, the four of them rushed at him at once while the remaining Celestials gave them a wide berth and attacked Knull at every convenience they got.
Seeing them rushing at him like they did all those eons ago made Knull's smile grow sadistic as he finally shared his nostalgia and sentiments with them.
With his Necrosword in hand, death and darkness in each step, he lunged at the nearest Celestial, which just happened to be Arishem, and reenacted the chaos that once was the origin of this universe.
Wielding cosmic energy with the same familiarity as Knull wielded his darkness, Arishem's clash with Knull's sword sent a reverberation that made the space around them turbulent.
Hargen blindsided Knull who was already engaged with Arishem only for his advancement to slow down as a wide mouth with fangs that threatened to devour everything, even darkness itself, grew from Knull's back and butted heads with him.
Exitar and Tiamut were only a few steps behind and used their gigantic cosmic armored fist and punched at Knull who could only snarl in irritation as he found himself boxed in by the four Celestials.
He disengaged from Arishem but not before smashing Hargen father into space before dodging the combined fists. If he had woken up and had only found these four Celestials, he would have retreated since he knew for a fact that he wasn't a match for them, doubly so when he was in his weakened state.
But they had brought a small number of Celestials with them, making Knull improvise since he knew just how crucial it was that he quickly fed and regained his strength.
It was the best alternative he came up with since he knew that even when weakened, he still had a few tricks hat would injure one of them and secure his escape. It was a win-win outcome for him. And besides he shared the same sentiments as the Celestials as they would immediately try to kill the other every time their path crossed. What was wrong with him exercising his atrophied muscles and also killing some Celestials in the process?
His interval reverie was put to an abrupt stop as he found himself repeatedly bombarded with cosmic blasts that erased his symbiotes and darkness only for him to once more find himself in the rhythm of his four assailants.
He cackled even more madly as his shadow started stretching and spewing symbiotes through the perpetual darkness into the universe.
With his blade in hand, he struck out with deranged fervor causing the nearer Celestials to back away from his as even a nick from his blade could prove progressively fatal to them.
"Why do you resist so much, rebel of light? Everything will eventually return to darkness – its rightful place – so why try to fight futility? Why struggle in vain against perpetuity? It's only right I take back all what you've stolen form the void. Stolen from me!" Darkness threatened to engulf Tiamut but Exitar appeared and shielded the golden Celestial, giving him a chance to strike back at Knull.
Which he did.