Written By: Epicstu Wyyvernwriter

“All is mine…?” Hell watched as all suddenly Ended before him. All was dark and then there was silence. “What? Where did my new toys go.”

“Hades!” the End taunted.

“You dare call me by the name of that worthless Greek miscreant ruler of that pitiful excuse of an Underrealm?!” Hell grunted at the last word of his sentence as Ajal shattered against his back, then he chuckled. He turned to face the End, “your ax could never have cut me down.”

“Worth a try,” Aleister replied disappointedly. He had spent his entire first life perfecting that ax into the ultimate assassin’s weapon. It was his most treasured possession.

“You realize I have no End” Hell scoffed. “You will never be a match for me.”

“True,” Aleister agreed, “but that would never have stopped Edward, nor shall it stop me.”

“Come forth, Omega,” Hell taunted. “You may have the alpha move.”

A bolt of Heaven’s lightning struck the ground between Hell and the End, “the sacrifice you and your brothers have made for the multiverses sake shall never be forgotten. I can not offer a weapon that can defeat him, but I can offer one he can not break.”

Aleister caressed the reforged Ajal as he pulled the ax from the ground and pointed its business end at Hell. It pulsed with Heaven’s lightning and was brilliantly decorated. He smiled and pulled a trigger.

*          *

“No, take me instead,” Edward demanded of Satan who caressed the armrest of his throne with a hidden smile. His time had an end date now and he would miss these dealings.

“You will not sit upon my throne when I am gone,” the Devil replied. “She will, she must.” He turned and walked back over to Edward, “I will accept no other successor.”

Edward grabbed the Devil by the throat, “absolutely out of the question. Pick someone else. Anyone Else!”

Chuckling under Edward’s grasp the Devil grinned, “consider this mercy.” Aleister had made him swear not to tell Edward what would happen to her if the cup was passed to another.

“Mercy?!” Edward growled unable to understand why what Satan said was true. There was never born a man who would not tear the Multiverse apart for his own Mother. “I will not condemn my own Mother to an eternity of servitude to this throne!”

“You have no choice,” the Devil would not cease his laughter. “Either your Mother becomes my successor or the Multiverse ends here and now.”

*          *

“He is growing weary,” Heaven had noticed. “I did not think the End could.”

His form perfect, his motions never wasted, Aleister fought harder than he ever had before, but Hell simply could not be made to fall. Sliding back he stabbed Ajal’s pummel into the ground and pulled a trigger releasing a volley of spiraling projectiles, propelled by Heaven’s lightning, that homed in on Hell. Their explosions knocked back and disoriented Hell, yet he retained his footing. Then Aleister pulled another trigger activating a spring that launched him into the air and released a smoke screen beneath him along his path so Hell could not see where he would land. As he landed, with great force and a heavy grunt, he anchored Ajal’s blade into Hell’s shoulder and flip him over himself onto the ground. Hell grabbed hold of Ajal’s shaft and threw it and Aleister violently across the empty and timeless void where they fought.

*          *

“Hell will be under your complete control again,” said the Devil. “Whenever you die you shall become Hell and three days later resurrect as your snowy self again. All you have to do is hand control of Hell over to your Mother upon my End.”  

Edward continued to growl angrily at the Devil, throwing him back as he cried out in his pain. What he was about to do would change him forever. Falling to his knees his snow melted into tears. He did not want to, but “alright, I agree to your terms.”

“Wonderful” the Devil replied with a coarseness in his voice as he returned to his feet rubbing his throat. He pulled a parchment as if from nowhere and held it up in front of Edward as it unfurled from his hand, “sign the dotted line, please.” Handing Edward a quill with a grin he waited until the contract was signed before taunting, “if it makes you feel worse, your own brother was the one who chose this fate for her.”

Edward’s sorrow returned to a growl, then he calmed himself, “now send me back.”

*          *

Hell assaulted the End with a primal leap. Aleister smiled as he knew how to take advantage of such an attack. Making a wide sweeping swing with Ajal, he pulled a trigger at the last second. A brilliant flash and bang knocked Hell off his trajectory and disoriented him. Aleister followed through with an uppercut, pulling another trigger for a second flashbang. Continuing his combo, Aleister pulled flashbang after flashbang with every impact forcing Hell back. Attempting a much heavier swing for the final blow, Aleister’s combo was stopped as Hell grabbed Ajal and pulled Aleister towards him. Refusing to let Ajal go, Hell kneed Aleister and swung him around to his back. Flipping Aleister over his shoulder to the ground Hell put a foot to his chest and unsheathed his six-inch retractable claws to hold the End down. Still holding Ajal by its blade he chuckled, “behold the betrayer of House Dimir,” he taunted. “The Murderer of the Iron Ram Order. In life, you were a pet assassin because you could not climb Mount Conquest and would have been executed otherwise. Now you have even failed to stop yourself, the End. Pathetic would be Fennec Fox of the Northlands and shame of your own House. What made you think you could win? I really must know.” Then Hell became confused, “why are you laughing?! You have lost!”

“I haven’t failed,” Aleister replied with a confident grin, “for my intention was never to win at all,” he laughed. “By the way,” he caught his breath and spoke normally again, “did someone snow on your pillow or something?”

“What?” Hell picked Aleister up by his throat and brought him close. “Did someone snow on my pillow?” the question was infuriatingly confusing to him.

“I only ask because,” Aleister replied with a coarseness in his throat as Hell squeezed his it tighter, “you have one serious case of teal-eye.”

“Teal? eye?…” Then Hell realized what was happening as he began to lose control of himself, “No, no! It’s not possible! Nnnahhho!!!”

Laughing under Edward’s chokehold Aleister sighed with relief, “finally.” Edward kept  choking him, “alright, brother, you can let go now.” Edward would not as he glared at his brother with wrath in his eyes. Aleister realized why “I am sorry. There was no other way.”

Edward let him go, he could not even look at his brother for the moment, “to your Dreadnautilus form with you, the End. I must clean up this mess and win you back your Horsemen.”

“I am sorry it had to be you who sentenced her. It should have been me,” Aleister replied before returning to his Dreadnautilus form.

Edward was alive again and his snow began to fall. He snapped his fingers and in a Blizzard that went as fast as it had come, the Multiverse and all within it; Living, Dead, or otherwise returned. With a gasp of air and a relieved shout, “and we are back New Valhalla!” Woodsmann shouted. “Woo! Yes! Not today baby!” he held his arms up in excitement.

“Yes indeed, folks,” Mercedes announced. “The Multiverse returned and Life restored. Edward Michael Dimir, though unwilling to claim the title, has yet again proven himself to be everyone’s God.”

Woodsmann hugged Mercedes randomly and then quickly let go, “it’s uh… good to see you again, man,” he coughed.

Zesrial flew down to her love’s side, “Edward, I am so glad to…”

“Did you know?” Edward interrupted.

Zesrial knew of what he spoke and although she could successfully lie to him, she would not. “Yes.” Then Edward left her and went to the Meadhall.