"So…"
"You symbiotes can actually sense each other to some degree?"
Bant asked.
A few minutes earlier, he and Venom had struck a deal to fight the Chitauri army together, and Venom had revealed a way to track down the locations of the other symbiotes.
"That's right. All you need to do is let me possess you, then wander around near where their ships landed, and you might just find them."
Venom said excitedly.
"Enough talking, let's do this!"
"Let me out, and we'll go find them together!"
The amorphous blob practically wriggled with eagerness, like it couldn't wait another second.
The problem was,
if symbiotes could sense one another, then Bant had no use for Venom at all, because he himself was a symbiote.
"Since when did I say I was letting you out?"
Bant shot back.
"You're going to tear up our agreement?"
Venom roared in disbelief, as if he'd just been betrayed.
"I never signed any agreement." Bant pressed his finger to the small Omnitrix, and in the next instant, the icons inside the watch began cycling.
Soon, he found Overkill in the parasite list.
"Without me, you'll never… what the hell?"
One second Venom was shouting, and the next, he stared in stunned shock as Bant, standing right in front of him, suddenly glowed green and began to shrink.
Then a head-sized, black symbiote appeared before him.
This symbiote looked almost exactly like Venom. The only differences were the Omnitrix symbol on its head and the torn white-green eyes.
"You're a symbiote too?"
Venom's face twisted.
"But why do you look so much like me? Could it be that my dad cheated?"
He blurted it out, then immediately slapped himself hard.
He didn't even have a biological father.
All symbiotes should originate from Knull.
Bant bared his teeth.
Anyone who regularly travels through American comics knows that most protagonists who end up in Marvel eventually find a way to make themselves a symbiote.
But Bant was different. He had simply become the symbiote directly.
"Right now, I've got a sudden urge to eat brains!"
Bant grinned, revealing a massive row of fangs.
Hearing this, Venom was delighted.
"See!"
"I just knew there had to be another symbiote in this world who understands me!"
"Brains, lungs, hearts… so much delicious food! But so little time!" Venom lamented. "My brother, let me out, and let's go feast on this planet's desserts together!"
Venom was practically vibrating with impatience.
But Bant glared at him, and Venom instantly went silent.
In truth, Bant had no bloodthirsty urges whatsoever. If he had any real instinct, it was the desire to find a host to bond with.
Spider-Man would be even better.
He thought.
Wait, I am Spider-Man!
Never mind then.
The upper part of Bant's head shifted, flowing until the Omnitrix core was moved right in front of his eyes. Then a tendril extended out from him and pressed against the watch.
As mentioned before, a symbiote could replicate the abilities of its host.
Venom, having bonded with Spider-Man for a very long time across many universes, meant that most symbiotes of Venom's lineage possessed spider-like superpowers.
And Bant was about to have Overkill bond with a certain alien hero form to obtain that hero's powers.
That hero was—
"Ditto!"
In a flash, Bant transformed into a creature no bigger than a penguin, with fins growing on either side of its cheeks and head.
Ditto was a Splixson, so weak that it barely had any combat strength at all, but it possessed one incredibly powerful ability.
Self-duplication.
The power Bant wanted Overkill to copy was exactly that: the ability to multiply.
Now, the moment Bant turned into Ditto, Overkill expanded outward at once, enveloping Ditto like a sphere. Then, right before Venom's eyes, a terrifying and monstrous Overkill Ditto emerged.
Witnessing all this, Venom grew even more frantic.
"What the hell even are you?"
He simply couldn't figure out what Bant was.
Why was this guy a human one moment, a symbiote the next, and then he could turn into some penguin-thing for his symbiote to bond with?
Hearing Venom's question, Bant looked at him. The symbiote on half his face tore away from the mouth region, revealing two different faces, and two voices overlapped as one:
"We are, Overkill Ditto."
"Whoa, cool!"
Venom's eyes lit up, completely blown away by Bant's self-introduction.
He figured that someday he, too, would find a host and introduce himself in exactly the same way.
He had it all planned out already. When the time came, he would say:
We are, Venom!
So awesome!
Venom practically ascended to heaven on the spot.
But Bant had far more important things to do.
Right now, he could feel two distinct consciousnesses existing inside him. One was Overkill, and the other was Ditto.
Both sides were him, just one influenced by symbiote instincts, and the other influenced by Ditto's nature.
Bant immediately activated the duplication ability.
In the next instant, his body split down the middle, and another Overkill Ditto appeared. Then four, eight, sixteen… until they packed the entire room.
Venom watched with growing astonishment.
He had no idea what Bant was doing, much less what Bant actually was.
But it was obvious the guy had no intention of paying him any attention.
So Venom shrank back, watching everything with fried-egg-wide eyes.
"Ability replication successful."
Suddenly, the part of Bant's mind that was Overkill spoke up.
At that, all of the Ditto clones widened their eyes in unison, a green flash bursting from them, and they instantly merged back into one, returning to Bant's original form.
Overkill, however, didn't revert. Instead, he clung onto the Omnitrix, dyeing half of Bant's hand black.
Bant said, "Let's give it a test then."
Right after, he shouted:
"Mask!"
In an instant, the Overkill symbiote enveloped his entire body. The symbiote suit clad him—
It was an even more ferocious and horrifying suit than his original black one. Liquid symbiote matter streamed outward like threads, reminiscent of a voracious toxin.
The patterns on his face and body were especially nightmarish, a true walking terror!
The Nightmare Hacker!
Bonded with Overkill, Bant didn't feel much of a boost in strength.
After all, this was the first time the Overkill symbiote had ever bonded with him, so the physical enhancement it provided was minuscule.
Fortunately, a slight strength boost wasn't what Bant was after.
"Let's test the duplication."
Instantly, another Bant, dressed exactly the same as he was now, appeared.
Except…
"The Omnitrix can't be duplicated."
That didn't surprise Bant.
Overkill's replication ability wasn't powerful enough to duplicate the Omnitrix.
But it was still usable.
Bant canceled the duplication ability, and Overkill slowly receded, gradually shrinking back toward the area around the Omnitrix, dyeing the entire watch black.
Then Bant said, "Soon, I'm going to transform into X Superman…"
"Hold on," Overkill immediately responded. "It's impossible for me to bond with X Superman, and then create a second X Superman."
X Superman's body transcended time, space, dimensions, and existence itself. He was both nothingness and infinity.
That was far beyond anything Overkill could influence.
"I know. I just want you to come with me into the mindscape," Bant said.
Overkill understood at once.
Of course he understood. He was Bant too.
"X Superman!"
Bant transformed into X Superman once more. At the same moment, Overkill instantly attempted to bond onto him, but in the next instant, he was repelled as if hitting an invisible barrier.
He splattered all over the floor like shattered droplets.
Then all the fragments converged again, assembling into a face:
"X Superman rejected me."
——
Inside the mindscape.
Endless starlight shone, as brilliant as the universe itself.
Amid the boundless starry space, two enormous female faces floated silently.
Enala still seemed upset. Seeing Bant appear, she immediately opened with a mocking tone:
"The nuisance is back again."
Oyana, on the other hand, showed no trace of anger anymore. She gently comforted, "Don't be angry, Enala. At least this time, he's not trying any little tricks."
"Sorry, I was in the wrong last time, so I've decided to go over all the motions with you properly, step by step," Bant said.
Hearing that, Oyana spoke with a gratified and loving voice:
"Bant, you've finally understood. You are one of the three giants. You are meant to represent the Voice of Balance."
"Then let us begin our motion discussion immediately."
"Wait a moment." Bant raised his hand.
Enala immediately frowned. "Bant Parker, what are you up to now?"
Bant said, "I really do want to discuss things with you, but in the real world, I have my own matters to deal with."
"You want to leave?"
Enala's volume spiked. "You want to leave?!"
"No, I want to bring another consciousness in here." Bant pointed to the watch.
When Overkill had not come into this world alongside him, Bant had already realized that X Superman had rejected Overkill.
Enala and Oyana exchanged a look.
Then both spoke simultaneously, "To allow the Overkill symbiote to enter the mindscape…"
After that, the two voices diverged.
Oyana: "Agreed."
Enala: "Vetoed."
"Motion denied."
After delivering the verdict, Oyana looked at Enala in surprise.
"Enala, why did you veto?" she said sadly. "I thought you would agree."
"Because he is not one of the three giants," Enala stated as if it were obvious.
"Of course he is." Oyana began to argue with Enala. "He shares a consciousness with Bant. Isn't that right, Bant?"
Bant nodded. "Oyana is right. Overkill belongs to the parasite sequence. He's a symbiote, but he's also me."
"That is precisely the problem," Enala said impatiently.
"He is not purely you."
"His mind is influenced by his symbiote biology, and that disqualifies him from participating in our rulings, much less representing balance."
Enala declared loudly:
"Bant, you will stay."
"Overkill will act as you and handle everything in your stead."
Hearing her words, Oyana seemed to find them reasonable as well. The white face nodded, then looked pleadingly at Bant.
"Bant, please just stay."
In response, Bant scratched his head and said, "I think there's been a misunderstanding."
"I never planned to have Overkill stay here in my place," he explained. "I'm planning to have Overkill come in, duplicate a version of me, and then leave one consciousness that belongs solely to me right here."
Upon hearing this, Enala and Oyana exchanged another glance.
Then they both said together, "To allow the Overkill symbiote to enter the mindscape, agreed."
"Motion passed."
Meanwhile, outside the mindscape.
Overkill was mulling over how to handle the current situation.
"If Uncle Ben and Aunt May find out I've turned into a sticky, gooey slug, that's not going to be good… Huh?"
In the next instant, he saw the X Superman, who had been standing there motionless, suddenly move.
He extended his palm and traced a circle in the void.
Immediately, a powerful suction force pulled Overkill along, sweeping him right into the mindscape.
Overkill felt like he'd been flushed down a toilet. After a dizzying spin, he found himself inside X Superman's mindscape.
Before he could figure out what was going on,
Bant said, "Alright then, let's get started. Overkill."
Hearing this, Overkill didn't hesitate. He immediately bonded onto Bant.
In an instant, two Bants appeared before Enala and Oyana's eyes.
Oyana spoke in a drawn-out, delighted tone:
"Two little Bants! If you count that way, we'd be four giants."
"Still three giants. We are the same consciousness." Both Bants pointed to their heads in unison.
Then they added, "So here's the plan: the one with the watch goes back, the other one stays."
"What a pity…"
Oyana said.
But this time, nobody objected.
The Bant without the watch took a step forward and said, "Then I'll stay here to discuss motions with you. But in exchange, if we have urgent matters, we discuss ours first, how about that?"
Enala: "Agreed."
Oyana: "I agree too, of course."
The two Bants exchanged a glance and smiled at the same time. "Then, motion passed."
"I'll be off now."
The Bant with the watch waved, pressed the button, and vanished.
Watchless Bant stayed behind with Overkill, occupying the mindscape together.
Overkill had no authority to participate in motions, but he needed to bond onto Watchless Bant to ensure the duplication ability could be activated when needed.
"Then let's begin. What's the first motion? Should we resurrect the dinosaurs?"
Enala shook her head. "Dinosaurs never went extinct to begin with. Why would they need resurrecting?"
"Let's start from something far, far more distant," Oyana said gently. "The motions we've accumulated are as numerous as the stars in the universe."
"The first motion is, should we resurrect the slain god of Knowhere. He's so pitiful…" Oyana said mournfully. "I feel so sorry for him."
"Veto!" Enala declared. "Trash is still trash even if it's revived."
Then both sides turned their gazes toward Bant.
"Veto." Bant sided with Enala.
"Knowhere is full of aliens living their lives. If that god is resurrected, all those people are doomed."
Oyana pondered this for a moment, then nodded.
"You make a fair point."
"Next motion…"
/-\
Enjoying the story? Want to read ahead?
Support the novel and unlock early access to unreleased chapters!
~ +20 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon! (+1 Chapter daily)
https://p-atreon.com/Its_Zack
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access Patreon normally)