172. "Pietro?"

Alex had many secrets in his heart, secrets he almost never shared with others. If there was anything that could make Venom so fearful, the most likely explanation would be that he once tore apart an entire timeline. One universe continued peacefully, while the other, corrupted one, was stored in his bottomless abyss.

But the issue was that this event took place in another universe, and those who could retain memories from that universe could be counted on one hand. Alex didn't believe that the Venom in this universe could comprehend the hidden truth.

Although symbiotes from parallel universes have a chance of influencing each other, the Deadpool who slaughtered the Marvel Universe was an exception. That universe was filled with cognitive pollution and distorted information. If anyone 'saw' these pollutants, they too would fall into deep contamination. This was probably why that universe had no "Watcher" or, if it did, the Watcher might have died before being contaminated, causing that world to gradually spiral into chaos.

So the question remained: since Venom didn't know about events in other worlds, why was it so afraid of Alex?

At this moment, Alex was just an ordinary dark wizard. Though he was skilled and powerful, he was still no match for those at higher levels. Someone like him should typically be part of Venom's prey, so what made him so different?

Additionally, after years of constantly changing hosts, Venom's original purity had long been tainted by the darkness and chaos of this era. The wastelands were filled with brutality and bloodlust, and Venom had been influenced for so long that it had probably lost its initial sanity.

Yet, despite being such a crazed entity, it suddenly 'woke up' upon seeing Alex. This, in itself, was a matter worth pondering.

Alex watched as Ashley and Venom continued their antics, then slowly spoke.

"Alright, stop it now. I have something I want to discuss with you."

Upon hearing this, Venom reacted the quickest, immediately halting its movements. For this, it even took a punch from Ashley—her only successful hit.

After landing the punch, Ashley also quieted down. At this point, even if she were foolish, she could see how deeply Venom feared this man. To be honest, when Venom first approached Ashley and promised her unparalleled power, she was thrilled because she knew all about Venom from the stories of her grandfather, Spider-Man.

Upon feeling the immense strength Venom brought her, Ashley was instantly captivated by her newfound abilities. She believed that if she could control Venom, she would accomplish what her grandfather couldn't. After all, Venom had left Spider-Man because it hated him, leaving without hesitation.

But Ashley wasn't entirely without brains. After obtaining Venom's suit, she became even more determined to kill Alex. She believed that if she wanted to fully control a symbiote like Venom, she had to learn magic; otherwise, it would be difficult to restrain it.

Ashley wasn't wrong in her thinking, but perhaps she had chosen the wrong person.

Seeing Venom betray her at the first encounter, Ashley naturally realized that she had no chance against this wizard in a one-on-one fight, and the man might be even stronger than she had imagined. After some inner conflict, Ashley gradually showed submission as well.

"Nice to meet you, Venom. Your reaction seems a bit extreme to me," Alex spoke calmly, enunciating each word slowly. However, both Venom and Ashley felt the increasing pressure.

"Is it? I thought these little gestures wouldn't be enough to express my utmost respect for you. If there's nothing else, I'd like to leave now. It's not safe out here," Venom curled into a ball, lying limp on Ashley's shoulder.

"No rush. I'm quite curious about you. In this universe, neither Count Nefaria nor the Orb could see through me, so how did you gauge my abilities?" Alex squinted slightly.

The Orb's Watcher's Eye was now stored in his magical space. Even such an item couldn't probe into him, so what made this little Venom capable of sensing his aura?

"Uh... well..." Venom stammered, its black goo churning.

Hearing Alex's question, even Ashley turned a curious gaze toward Venom. Without Venom's abilities, she naturally couldn't understand why it was so terrified.

After a long moment of nervousness, Venom finally muttered softly.

"I may not have much power, but as a symbiote, I can discern the aura of a host. There are remnants of at least six dimensions' energies on you. You might not feel it, but I can hear the wails of countless demons echoing around you... I humbly guess that you and your companions aren't from here. Their auras are complex, so complex that I can't even tell if they're real. The woman's hands are stained with the remnants of dead symbiotes, and the man..."

Listening to Venom's explanation, Alex nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that he hadn't hidden well enough. It wasn't that the Orb and Count Nefaria couldn't see through him; they simply weren't qualified to glimpse such a level of existence.

The Watcher's Eye did have the ability, but Alex could imagine the Orb's brain exploding from the overload of forbidden knowledge if he tried.

Thinking this, Alex raised his head again. "What about the man?"

Alex knew Venom was referring to Pietro.

"He has something else within him. I can't fully describe it... it feels like something from a world beyond this one, from a reality before reality... Just looking at him makes me feel like I'm back in the days of forging the All-Black the Necrosword... But the difference is, back then, I wasn't sentient. Now, I'm fully aware of the gut-wrenching pain."

As Venom spoke, its gooey body involuntarily trembled, causing Ashley's entire outfit to tighten and change color. Seeing this, Alex frowned and turned his gaze toward Pietro, his eyes full of suspicion.

Sensing Alex's stare, Pietro raised his hands in surprise, shrugging his shoulders, utterly clueless about what Venom was talking about.

...…..

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173. Submission.

174. Have You Heard of Eric?

175. The Alliance of Villains.

176. Battle of Ultimate Evil.

177. The Enchantress.