"But don't celebrate too soon. The will of this universe will eventually notice you.
When that happens, it will slowly erode your power and make you as weak as everyone else.
Then, you'll regret your arrogance today," Knull said with a sneer.
Loren smiled at that.
It was neither a mocking nor a cold smile, but the smile of an adult watching a child boast.
"Perhaps. But that day won't come while you're still alive."
He raised his right hand and spread his fingers. Silver-white light gathered in his palm, forming an increasingly brilliant sphere like a tiny sun.
The heat of the sphere burst through the darkness, making the surrounding shadows hiss as though droplets of water were evaporating on red-hot iron.
Under the sphere's radiance, the outline of Knull's consciousness began to blur. Its edges lost their clarity, like an ink painting soaked in water and slowly dissolving.
"You can't erase me." The calm vanished from Knull's voice.
In its place was something like fear, yet not entirely fear.
"I am Knull. I am the ancestor of the Symbiotes, the embodiment of darkness. My consciousness is attached to this sword. You cannot erase me."
"I don't think so. How would we know without trying?" Loren said as he pushed the sphere forward.
The sphere did not explode or spread outward. Instead, it advanced slowly and inexorably toward Knull's consciousness.
Knull's form kept retreating before the sphere, but Loren's consciousness had already sealed every exit from this space.
Silver-white radiance surrounded Knull from every direction, forming a seamless cage that continued to contract.
The outline of Knull's consciousness began to split apart.
He had not been shattered. He was actively dividing his own consciousness.
He attempted to send fragments beyond the cage, attaching them to some corner of the