In the Meadhall Risen and Fallen knelt before his new master, Morgana. She adorned his head with a hood, “rise now, my Warpriest,” she said unto him and he did. “We wash our hands of this tournament for the time being and retire to the audience. This next event should be quite entertaining.”

“Are we really following her,” questioned Corrupt.

“Yes,” approved Holy, “Let us do her bidding. Luna and Solara tell me she is of perfect balance.”

“For the multiverse’s sake,” replied Risen and Fallen. “I hope you are right.”

*          *

Only now being able to hear the cheers of the audience who had been screaming his name, Edward took Zesrial by her hilt and held her up for them to see. His snow fell over all of New Valhalla as her lightning lit the skies in a display of brilliance. “Behold,” the Nekolich proclaimed. “To Life, a Fennec comes. To Life, a Wall is given who places not the government on his shoulders, but a promise. Let the Devourer come, Life is protected for he is ready.”

Then a slow clap echoed ending the cheers of the audience. “Well done! Edward Michael of House Dimir. First an Iron Ram Knight, then a Wyyvern Knight of Deceit, and now you are almighty God! Praise be unto you,” Anubis chuckled sarcastically leaning back upon the throne of New Valhalla where he now sat.

“Why does everyone insist upon calling me that?” Edward questioned with a voice that carried across the Realm.

“That is who you are now,” Anubis replied, “an unearned title in my opinion.”

“Funny you should mention,” his arm held out forward, Edward stabbed Zesrial, blade first, into the ground before him in his usual manner of challenge, “because that is not your throne.”

“Funny I should mention,” Anubis mocked with a chuckle. “Loki never claimed his brother’s throne,” then he muttered under his breath, “not that it was ever Thor’s, to begin with,” and then continued, “he is in the Meadhall having a drink with his new Vixen love. Besides, how can you call me out, when the throne you have claimed…”

Interrupted by Zesrial’s lightning Anubis stood up, walked up to the railing before his self-claimed throne, and bowed to her. “He has claimed nothing! I have given him my throne,” Zesrial stood between Edward and Anubis’s gaze. Anubis smiled and gestured with the Wyyvern Scythe of Death. Then Zesrial heard Edward grunt and moan with pain. She turned and saw the Wyyvern chainsaw sword of Wicked War’s blade protrude from Edward’s chest followed shortly after by the Wyyvern chainsaw sword of Righteous War. “No!”

“Go!” Edward shouted as he held the rotating blades in place so Bellona and Ares could not remove them. “Now!” he pleaded. “Hell must not claim you!” Though Bellona and Ares tried to remove their Wyyvern Swords from him, Edward would not let go. “If he does, he will never give you back.”

“I won’t leave you!” Zesrial shouted.

With a voice that thundered, “Go! Now!” Edward commanded.

Zesrial stood her ground when suddenly a flash of her own lightning came down carrying Leonidas who grabbed her and pulled her behind himself and his shield to Snow who comforted her by saying “My Lady, if you truly believe in him you know he will return to you.”

Zesrial hesitated, “you will return to me,” she commanded.

“I promise,” Edward replied and Heaven was taken to the safety of her city’s walls by her Warpriests.

Edward pulled the still revving blades protruding from his chest forward and headbutted backward, disarming Ares and Bellona of Sun and Tzu. The two ancient and restless Gods of War fell backward, but before Edward could remove their Wyyvern swords from his body the Wyyvern incense burners of Famine wrapped around him as Set held them taught pulling Edward to his knees. Oya aimed her Wyyvern artillery of Strife at Edward’s forehead, but with a headbutt to Magnus’s barrel, he disarmed her of him as he stood up and then broke free of Hubris. “Enough!” Anubis gestured with the Wyyvern Sythe of Life before jumping down as Bellona and Ares called their Wyyvern swords back removing them from Edward’s body. Edward shrugged all of this off as Anubis laughed, “my, my, aren’t you the toughest of customers.” Edward said nothing, only growling in response as Anubis held Chastity to his throat. Then he smiled at Anubis who took this as an insult and went for the decapitation which was only deflected by Edward’s, “nice scarf,” Anubis scoffed as he gestured for Set to remove the neckwear.

Try as he did, Set could not remove the chainmail scarf and then New Valhalla was suddenly filled with thickly deep coarse laughter, “Edward is dead,” the Fennec before them said with a grin as he burst into flames sending the Horsemen flying back across the arena. “Hell is here, or rather, I am?” Then Edward’s teal eyes disappeared and his snow could no longer be found. replaced by Hell’s fire “The New Horsemen. A pleasure. I have prepared a special place for you, Anubis, Set, Ares, Oya.” Bellona wondered why her name was not yet mentioned. “First things first, thanks to the Fennec God’s traditions I cannot simply take you down into me. I must beat you down into me!” he laughed a terrifying hearty laugh and everyone, everything within the whole of the multiverse could feel him speak directly to them, “I will beat you all down into me!”

*          *

“Congrats, God,” the Devil slow clapped, “shortest reign ever.”

“That is really being drawn out today,” said Edward.

“What is? The slow clap, or you being called God?” the Devil questioned.

“Both,” Edward was becoming irritated. “Alright, send me back.”

The Devil chuckled, “that’s not how this works and you can glare at me with that look of righteous anger all you want, but I will do nothing for anyone without a price. Even for you.”

“If they defeat Hell, they will come for you,” Edward attempted reason.

“They won’t,” the Devil sat back on the throne of Hell. “Hell is your concern now and if left unchecked he now has the power to siege even Heaven. He will claim her.”

“You can stop this,” Edward tried appealing to Satan’s better nature. This only made the Devil laugh loud and hard.

“Are you for real?” the Devil replied. “Of course I can, but as I spoke,” then he adorned a more serious face, “I will only ever do so for free,” he lied.

Edward now understood, because of Satan’s lie, that if he was to save Zesrial and the multiverse from Hell he would have to make a deal with the Wyyvern Knight of Hell, “what do you want, Devil?”

“Ooh I just love it, when you say my title like it is my name,” the Devil grinned. He knew what he wanted from Edward and he knew that it would shatter Edward’s heart and very soul. This brought him joy.

*          *

Unable to leave New Valhalla, the Living who could not aid watched as, “I don’t want to believe it, but all abled bodied Living including Hell’s own Warpriests,” Woodsmann announced. “The Nekolich and all of his Undead including my friend Mercedes Bernard fighting alongside every God and Goddess of New Valhalla and the Multiverse and Hell is simply immovable. This may be the dawn of a fate worse than the End himself. Effortlessly, Hell beat down all who opposed him laughing as he did so. It was far from a fair fight.

“Why are we not lending aid?” Risen and Fallen questioned.

“Hush, my love,” Morgana replied as she watched the fight play out. “The End arrives now.”

*          *

At Woodsmann’s final words, the End returned from his Dreadnautilus form to his Fennec self which was his true Wyyvern weapon from. “That is all I needed to hear,” he said and in doing so ended all that was, is, and ever shall be. Save for Heaven, Hell, and himself there was nothingness.