NOMINATION 1: Raganok War

NOMINATION 1: Raganok War
Nominated by: Finland SSR
Notes by Finland SSR:

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The universe was sick, corrupted, dying, and the forces that danced beyond it's quantum walls called for it's ultimate and untimely demise. Heralded by Darkstar, another version of Maxwell Morningstar, those forces destroyed the home of the Monitors and the Monitors themselves, taking residence in their Monitor Sphere, and began a systemic purge of any available universe within the Beyond Multiverse in search of the Prime Reality. Their aggression in the multiverse and the efforts undertaken by 'Mad' Max to prevent their arrival in the prime reality has been dubbed the "Darkstar Crisis", and Darkstar's arrival in our reality has triggered the Ragnarök War, pitting the Mad God Morningstar against the Dead God Darkstar, in an epic battle spanning reality and holding the fate of the universe, themselves, and their allies in the balance.


As the All-Mother left to aid Morningstar and Valentine, the two comrades jumped to attention in order to follow and join in the fight against Galactus and the Celestials. Rubbing their fists, weapons capable of smashing apart planets, Otto and Mir looked at one another like two brothers separated at birth, a sense of thrill and competition coming from just being in the other's presence, the feeling of simply wanting to not let the other down allowing both Daxamite and Asgardian to rise to whatever occasion demanded their action. They did what they needed to do under Max's order and through their own combined efforts achieved success, but a strange feeling took hold of the duo.

It was as if the universe contracted, repulsed at whatever action had been done, and a sense of both dread and wrongness washed over Mir and Otto like a crippling tsunami of nausea. The two swallowed to their guts to stop from vomiting, and looked to each other in confusion. "The hell is that I'm feeling..." Mir asked Godblessed, the Daxamite grabbing his midsection in pain. "Did the universe just get sucker punched?"

"I...I don't know." Otto said honestly, "Perhaps it's something to do with the Nexus." He then suggested, Mir nodding and accepting that as the truth. What they didn't know was that something was indeed wrong with the universe, and Mir was not too off by saying it was punched in the gut. A living disease of death and pestilence had transcended the Monitor Sphere and arrived in their reality, soaked with the blood of countless other universes and gods upon it's dark blade. Another had heralded it's arrival, but the Snake had already chosen a victim, while Nul Tyranis needed his own. "Let's get going." Otto said, Mir following in tow.

Formless shadows in the void of space were almost unseen and unrecognizable due to the depth of interstellar space and it's pitch black atmosphere, but a keen eye could spot the shadows as they passed over nearby stars and galaxies in the distance, temporarily clouding their vision. Mir shook his head for a moment, unsure of what he was seeing, but stopped following Otto as an organic shadow formed between them, dancing like a wild flame, it's shape slowly becoming more and more humanoid in appearance than the feral shadow that preceded it. "What the hell is that?!" Mir shouted, the shadow peeling back away to reveal the shape of a man, his face sullen and his eyes seemingly dead, a piece of shadow remaining around his right hand. Otto turned his head, or more accurately, began to turn his head, when the being struck from behind.

Otto gasped out and looked down at his abdomen, disturbingly watching as a pure black blade slide it's way out of his stomach and caused his back to arch against his will, the Asgardian screaming with primal fear and disgust, the blade ripping itself out the way it had came in an instant, Nul Tyranis flicking it to the side. As he flicked the shadowy sword, deep crimson blood spattered in the direction, the rest of the blood absorbing into the depths of All-Black. Tyranis grabbed Godblessed by his hair in that same moment, rearing back and stabbing the God's body once more, this slamming the blade in the middle of Otto's back and going through his chest, this time, the Asgardian wheezed as air left his lungs.

Mir acted after the first stab, but was unable to prevent the second as he wrapped his forearms around Nul's neck, screaming, "You dead motherfucker!", and ripping as hard as he could, and pulling Nul's head completely off. With his ring, Mir then sent a blast of yellow solar energy directly at the shadow, chasing the darkness away momentarily, getting a glimpse at the bastard's head. Mir gasped as he looked at it - recognizing it as a Kryptonian, but the identity escaping him. Still, the head evaporated away with the man's body, and Mir's concern now came to his comrade. "O-Otto..." He yelped, floating over to his friend and comrade, who drifted lazily in the vacuum of space.

Godblessed's body seized as it struggled to remain conscious, the half-Asgardian weakly reaching out to Mir, the wounds from Nul's vicious assault not bleeding, as All-Black drained him significantly of Godblood. "I...I don't have time, Mir." He said weakly, barely able to form the words due to loss of breath. In his agony, Otto reached into his chest pocket - the stab wound narrowly missing it - and produced a small syringe filled with yellow liquid. "Th...This...Is Max's version..." He coughed, a small amount of blood finding it's way out of his stab wounds. Otto's eyes were jammed closed as he continued, Mir grabbing onto his friend's hand. "Of the Sentry...Serum."

"Otto, please, I can get you out of here, I can -" He stopped, realizing that the All-Mother was battling Galactus and the Celestials, and he had no clue where else to go to help his brother. "I can...I can help." He muttered, his lips cowering as he tried form another word, but only a gasp escaping as he entire face shook, unable to deal with the sight before him. Otto was no friend, no ally, he was a brother first and foremost, and to see him so close to death rattled him to his very core. "I can't let you die..." Mir sobbed, tears streaming down his face as he put his head on Otto's chest, his chest moving up and down as he poured out his emotions. Otto weakly grasped the back of Mir's head, the Asgardian grunting in pain, but not letting Mir see it. Otto lifted the syringe to Mir's neck, and before he stabbed it in, he said his good bye to the Daxam's Native Son.

"I'll always be with you, Mir, even if you can't see me." Otto slipped his trusted ring, Draupnir, into Mir's pocket and jammed the vial containing the alternate version of the Sentry Serum deep into Czar-Mir's neck in a fluid motion, pushing down on the stopper until it emptied it's contents in only a few nanoseconds. Otto's hand limply fell backwards and to his side, his body growing cold, his breath finally slowing to a stop. Mir took a massive inhale of air, his eyes flying open as the power surged within him and binded to his molecules and cells. A low growl formed in his throat, but fully developed into a massive, planet erasing roar as Mir lifted his upper body from Otto's, feeling it's life force fade.

An explosion of incredible caliber, capable of single-handedly ending the entire battle - the one fought over the Nexus with the Green Lanterns and New Gods - in one fell swoop. Mir rose and screamed again, his voice box threatening to rip apart as the tears over a fallen comrade were turned into an unsettled, unfulfilled rage. The light and energy coursing through his body looked as if a new galaxy were forming, not a mere star, as Czar-Mir of Daxam was enhanced with the power of one million exploding suns. A rational soul was turn and run at such a sight, but Nul Tyranis was no rational being. He was only a servant of the Dead God, and he watched with little interest as the scene between Mir and Otto developed, and seemed to ascend to powers rivaling that of Gods.

Nul Tyranis took shape and form, making himself visible to Czar Mir, the cascade of light produced by the Daxamite almost clouded out by the Kryptonian and All-Black. Mir eyed the man with unknowable anger, raising his hand and forming it into a fist - a nearby star behind Mir exploding violently as he did so. Nul tightened his body and assumed a combat stance, All-Black positioned behind his leading hand, but the other worldy Kryptonian shot forward unexpectedly, Mir doing the same - his fist leading him, while Nul put All-Black at the head of his charge.

A collision that would spell doom for nearby star systems, their battle would play only second fiddle to the one between Darkstar and Morningstar.


Max and Val watched in awe as the All-Mother, who had just healed Max's lady to be, go toe and toe with a well-fed Galactus, crashing the World Eater to the planet below and still standing, though damaged, and motioning for them to continue. The Celestials made no motion against the trio, but cast their glances to each other. It was as if they made silent conversation between themselves, before declaring a single word in unison: "COMBINE." The three cosmic beings began to glow and irradiate a splendid light, cackles of electricity forming along their bodies and arcing from one Celestial to another, before a final light flashed, and where three once stood, a massive, singular Celestial stood in their place.

It raised a lone hand against the All-Mother, powerful energies beyond the cosmic realm drawing into it and readying to obliterate Valka. Max, instead of watching, heeded Valka's order and rushed toward the Nexus of All Realities, leaving the All-Mother to fend for herself, but a few Valkyries arriving at her side for support. Max had no time left to question them, if they were taking Valka to heal or joining in the fight - Max reasoned that he could close the Nexus and aid the All-Mother immediately after. As he neared the M'Kraan Crystal, a deep pink glow engulfed his body, and he reached the crystal itself, Max extend his hand to simply touch it. In an instant, he was transported to an alien city located within the Crystal, it's beauty and expansion far surprising his mortal mind.

At the city's center was a glowing sphere of energy, Max singling it out as it held the vibrant power that attracted him to the Nexus. Another source of immense energy was the White Hot Room, the point of operations for the Phoenix and the Phoenix Force, the be all and end all of life in the universe, but Max dare not stray into it's depths, as he was there for a singular purpose, and made his way to the energy sphere at the city center. Max gazed upon the sphere with transfixed eyes, the neutron galaxy hosting a single star that united all points of reality into a single point. He reached out to touch it, withdraw our own universal energy from the center mass, but recoiled his hand as another being phased into appearance before him. Towering above Max's form and extending two hands over the Mad God, the multi-faced being known as the Living Tribunal stood to challenge him as well.

"No way..." Max said under his breath, "The Living Tribunal..."

"Maxwell Morningstar..." It began, but was interrupted by Mad Max.

"Tribunal, please! You exist in all realities, you know what's going on within them! You've seen the devastation Darkstar has been creating. You too cannot deny me access to the Nexus knowing what you know." Max said, passionate emotion in his voice, "Tribunal, judge my prior actions and the ones I shall take to ensure this universe lives, see for yourself that I am not the demon Galactus believes me to be!" Max cried, throwing off his helmet in desparation, searching for any and all reasons to make the Tribunal yield, or even gain his assent. "You yourself can save our universe by closing the Nexus, right? There is still time!"

"No, Messiah." The Living Tribunal boomed, "I have not come to oppose you." The words confused Max, who twisted his face to show such strangeness. "I have come for you, and to tell you," He further said, extending his arms away from Max, a sudden rot and decay engulfing the alien city within the Crystal, all originating from the Nexus. "That you are out of time." As those words sank in, the Living Tribunal phased from in front of Max to behind him, allowing him to see the events unfold first hand. The blackened rot pulsated from the Nexus a few times, mimicking a rotten heart beating, and finally, it spewed forth the unspeakable horror that befell hundreds of thousands of universes before it. A lone chair emerged from the neutron galaxy by force - sending ripples across reality, the universe itself reacting to the perverse entrance of Darkstar.

Then, Maxwell saw his face. One he woke up and saw every morning, one exactly like his own, the enigmatic being known as Darkstar very clearly and understandably similar to Max in appearance because he was Max, in a different universe. Not only that, but Max recognized it before as well. This Darkstar...He was the very counter-part Max saw only in passing on the Ultimate Earth, where the Mad God had torched that planet's hopes of surviving The End. Darkstar has plotted for revenge since that moment, and when the two locked eyes, they were both taken back to that fateful hour, where one survived the collapse of the Multiverse, and the other died and was remade. Dread and fear took over the Celestial Messiah, as it all came full circle. He was the one who set these events in motion, by ensuring his own Ark survived, he doomed thousands of universes to death.

Darkstar sat forward in his chair, raising his palm towards Mad Max and the Living Tribunal, a sphere of condensed Anti-Energy forming within it, and he launched it at the Tribunal and Mad God. Max formed two of his own spheres of energy, preparing to counteract Darkstar's own, but before he could block the blow, the Living Tribunal waved his hand, and he and Max were far from the potential battlefield. "Morningstar, I bring you here as the Celestial Redeemer. This is my Star Chamber, where I pass judgement on all. Your sins will be absolved, but for that, you must engage Darkstar."

"I shall, without question." Maxwell said at the ready, clinching his fist together and looking straight at the Tribunal, his eyes true and determined. Maxwell took this time to look around the Star Chamber, finding it to be similar to the vacuum of space, but noting that it was akin to watching it through a one-way mirror. A barrier that separated the universe at large from the judgement quarters of the Living Tribunal - one that placed him outside of the timestream and the events of reality at large. The Mad God turned back to face the Tribunal, hearing his words intently.

"But...You are not powerful enough." The Tribunal explained, Maxwell undeterred at the words. "I am tasked with restoring the balance of this universe...And the Multiverse." LT further explained, "And to that end, I will gift to you an artifact of my will rendered physical. My blessing as the eternal judge, your sword to cleave apart Darkstar, and your bandage to heal his damage." The Living Tribunal put his hand outward and sent powerful electrical shocks against the floor of his Star Chamber, a circle of lightning-based energy forming, and suddenly giving rise to a hilt, followed by an entire blade. "The Infinity Gauntlet was a device not meant to wielded alone, Morningstar. It was meant to wield a weapon."

"Behold, the Infinity Sword." The Tribunal said, a full sword appearing, floating within the energy field created by the Living Tribunal. "I have carefully locked the weapon away, leaving the Infinity Gems and the Gauntlet within the universe as they are needed for reality to operate, whereas the Blade is but an expression, an abstract, and thus, unneeded by any mortal. On this day, however, you will wield it with my permission." Maxwell nodded, swallowing hard as he laid eyes upon a weapon no other mortal had yet seen, stepping forward to receive it from the Living Tribunal. He reached out and into the electrical field that kept it aloft, grabbing onto it's hilt and pulling it free without much effort, looking at the gleaming surface of the blade as Max held it up.

Suddenly, the Infinity Sword began to draw itself into Max's arm, the Mad God gasping out at the motion. "It's...it's absorbing into my being!" He yelled out, the blade suddenly becoming a white, formless energy, and slowly disappearing into Max's arm, distributing itself among his body. Maxwell breathed in and out, looking at his hands as he felt the massive, yet controllable power course within him - far surpassing the energy he absorbed from Alex long ago by leaps and bounds, a quick awareness of cosmic reality flooding his mind as his brain unlocked it's full potential to process it. "I...I can see everything. I can know everything." Max said, his eyes glowing a bright white-blue color, the Living Tribunal gazing on at what he had created.

"You are armed with the Infinity Blade and the Ragnarok Equation." The Tribunal said, Max gasping as he realized that of all the beings to know of his power origins, it would be the Living Tribunal. "You found the Equation long ago on Earth, did you not? The power to reverse entropy, expressed as energy absorption, the power you possess. It is why you call it's ultimate ability the Ragnarok Sanction. Your fathers' work made it possible to uncover, where others failed long ago, and you have used it to balance this universe. That is why I allow you to keep it, Morningstar, as this battle will be won with it, this Ragnarok War will be in your victory."




"Such a lovely day for obliteration."

Those were the first words out of the Dead God's mouth - the multiversal entity emerging from the M'Kraan Crystal on his floating power chair, the vehicle originally belonging to the New God, Metron, but stolen by Darkstar following Morningstar acquiring it for powering his Ark before the Secret Wars. "Hmm?" He hummed, looking at the scene before him as he made his appearance in the Prime Reality. The Super Celestial was preparing to unleash it's full fury against the defenseless Asgardian, whose energy Darkstar immediately recognized as Skyfather-level, making note that she was All-Mother of Asgard. "Such a pretty thing you are," Darkstar said, referring to Valka, "You deserve death at my hand, not some pretender-gods." Darkstar further declared, lifting his palm to the sky, forming his fingers together, touching his thumb to his middle finger and extending his index finger outward.

Darkstar moved his thumb and made his middle finger slap against his palm - snapping his fingers - and causing a wave of anti-energy to flood behind him and engulf the Super Celestial, who turned with a fuzzled scream of surprise and fear, it's energy instantly overpowered and simply destroyed by the onslaught of anti-energy unleashed by Darkstar. It's being was consumed by the wave, stopping short of the All-Mother and her Valkyries, and recoiling back to Darkstar. From his seat, he smiled in a grotesque, needless grin as he was party to the simple annihilation of the combined might of three Celestials. With the snap of his fingers. "All-Mother, do tell me your name, as I shall cast it heavenward in due time. Tell me - where do Asgardians go after I destroy both Asgard and Valhalla? Once Madworld falls, I shall pay you and your kind a visit."

As the Dead God spoke of death so casually and without remorse, his entourage began to spew forth from the M'Kraan Crystal, led by a sole woman of attractive appearance, behind her a massive series of space stations and battleships alien in design and motion, moving space around them instead of going through it. The woman took her place beside Darkstar, who stared at the All-Mother and her Asgardian companions. He wrapped one his arms around the girl who leaned against his arm rest, bringing her closer to him. "Rose, tell me, what do you see in those there?" Darkstar asked, the girl robotically turning to look at Darkstar, and then Valka.

"I see..." Rose began, "I see nothing." Darkstar smiled at this, squeezing the girl's hip roughly as he smirked.

"Good, good. You see, All-Mother, Rose can see realities past and present. She is the All-Seer, Stargazer." Darkstar explained, lifting his open hand so that his palm faced Valka and her Valkyries. "Take me on, then, All-Mother, I will taste your sword." Darkstar taunted, a powerful sphere of anti-energy forming in his palms, condensing and collapsing to produce a massive attack, "Allow Dead God Darkstar to savor it's flavor."

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-Part Two...¹/2


Dead God Darkstar has taken his inner circle and their respective combatants to a familiar place: Madworld, capital of Mad Max's empire, his current residence, former Ark to survive The End, and home to over one hundred million people. What Darkstar plans is anyone's guess, but the uncontrollable rage and bloodlust in Mir for his fallen brother Otto will not be sated until Nul is atomized, and armed with the Sentry Serum, he may yet prove to be the greatest hope for the Ragnarok War. No one knows what happened to Maxwell or where he is - leaving the protection of Madworld on Mir and Valerie's hands. All they can do is hope, and fight like absolute titans to stand a chance against Darkstar.


The Mobius Chair was a fitting throne for the Dead God, as it gave him information on every conceivable item or action within the universe it inhabits, giving Darkstar the ultimate edge in knowing one's opponent, and what they hold dearest to them. Rather than assault Earth, Darkstar would hold his judgement for the world Max created and inhabited, as it holds a different kind of feeling for Morningstar - the best analogy being that Earth would be like a parent to Max, whereas Madworld was his own, cherished child.

"My, my, Valentine." Darkstar said casually, "You and Morningstar have quite the affection for one another. Tell me - does Madworld reserve a place within your ever-loving heart?" The girl said nothing, refusing to speak to the alternate version of Max, whose smile quickly faded as he took on a more serious look. "Not gonna talk, huh? Well then, that settles it! We'll have our little playground here." He said, gesturing to his immediate surroundings. "But oh - the buildings and natural scenery is such a bother, and not very fit for the bloodshed that we will be inflicting."

As he spoke, Darkstar lowered his chair to the surface of the planet, keeping his trapped combatants enclosed and high in the sky to observe his actions below. A smile returned to the Dead God's face, his chair hovering only a few feet above the grassy plains below - a medium sized city visible in the distance, and a soft breeze tussling his hair. "Now, what this...heh, Madworld needs is a touch of pizzazz, something to set the tone. Allow me..." Darkstar cooed, bringing his hands together and intertwinning his fingers. He ensured Val and Mir watched intently, and in an abrupt motion, the Mobius Chair slammed into planet's crust rather lightly. Yet, the fall did not harm Madworld, the release of a planetary Anti-Energy Wave that circled the globe and back in just a second tore the surface to absolute shreds.

Val's face dropped quickly as the once grassy field was burned away, leaving black earth behind, and the cities in the distance were partially leveled and mostly destroyed. From space, viewed by Darkstar's Fleet, the planet suffered an Anti-Energy shockwave of sorts, boiling away all lakes and rivers, raising volcanoes and exploding lava to the surface as Madworld became a hellish reflection of it's true self. Madworld had become Deadworld, and the millions that lived there hardly suffered as their bodies just vanished under the crushing weight of Anti-Energy. But, Darkstar was cruel, and sparred some population centers, leaving them to deal with the aftermath and the battles that would further devastate Deadworld.

Darkstar smiled as his Chair rose back into the air, meeting his prisoners of war with outstretched arms and a sick grin. "Well? What do you think? I wanted some more lava lakes here and there, but I'd run the risk of disrupting the inner core. Still, Madworld is but a thing of the past, ladies and gentlemen! I am a miracle worker, Darkstar the Magnificent, and I have turned Madworld into a dead world." He nodded profusely at Mir and Val, who both looked on in just...shock at Darkstar's level of power and brutality. "Do you get it? I don't think you get it. You see, it's a play on words - mad and dead are switched, as self-anointed Gods, Max is called Mad, and I'm called Dead, and I just sorta..." Darkstar trailed off, focusing on Mir as the Daxamite's container began to glow a bright, blinding light.

In an explosion rivaling a small scale nuclear weapon, Czar-Mir destroyed the energy bubble that contained him with a raging scream. In the same action, he charged forward, throwing a massive punch mere inches from Darkstar, but he missed, the Dead God moving just slightly back to avoid Mir's right cross. Darkstar had no words or expressions as Mir glared at him like a rabid animal fighting for those lost and ensuring others won't be. Power flowed through him in troves, the Sentry Serum overloading his Daxamite solar absorption cells and producing a warrior unseen in the universe. Mir attempted to follow up in his assault, but before he could extend his next punch, he was blind sided by the God Butcher, Nul, who tackled the Daxamite and brought him down to the planet.

"Ohoho," Darkstar chuckled, "We've got a fighter. That just leaves Max's pretty little princess, doesn't it, Rose?" He said, turning to his assistant, "You should take care of her, I'm trying to lure a bigger fish, and if I know my literature correctly, it's that whenever the heroine is in trouble, the hero shows up!" Darkstar further declared, "So, do your thing, dispatch her, maim her, kill her, I don't care - just draw it out enough to get Morningstar back here." He ordered, setting loose the hound of war as Val's personal energy prison collapsed back into the Mobius Chair, the Mad Girl floating there as Rose - the emotionless eye-candy Darkstar kept at his side - left Darkstar's chair and floated towards Val.




Rose stopped a few feet from Val, the two women staring at each other and sizing up their opponent. Rose's eyes were glossy, almost tired looking, while Val's were sharp and precise, digging into every imperfection and subtle movement. The contrast was evident, and Darkstar looked on, pleased as ever, as he pitted his own beloved against Morningstar's. Val cocked her head to the side, pursing her lips together and squinting her eyes at Rose as she did so, blunting asking, "So, you're a machine pretending to be a human?" The question didn't seem to phase Rose, but it stirred a reaction from Darkstar.

"A keen eye you have! Rose is my own little project, developed shortly after the Final Incursion. She is but an android, yes, but she is in the shape of my dearly departed fiance, also named Rose." Darkstar quipped, Rose herself flexing out her fingers and rotating her neck a bit. "She's jam packed with strength and abilities, not to mention those All-Seeing Eyes that belonged to those Vokornians, making her the Stargazer. Nice name, right? Another favorite nickname of hers is Dead Girl, but that seems a bit more grim." Darkstar continued on as he rambled, Val growing incredibly sick and tired of his mouth. Val hunched low and prepared to launch a surprise attack against Rose as Darkstar blabbered, but widened her eyes in surprise suddenly.

Her attack had to immediately become a defense as Val registered Rose's fist preparing to collide with her stomach. The immediate fear empowered Val enough to jam out her fist, reasoning that the best defense was a greater offense, letting it smack beautifully with Rose's cheek as the android's hand buried itself in Val's stomach region. The two flew in opposing directions, but did not go far as they were ready to go right back against one another. But something kept eating away at Val as she traded blows and punches, dodging and the like while Rose did the same, that the android knew that Val was going to strike first...And based on Rose's movements, she's moving before Val even throws her strikes.

A sudden flurry of punches smashed into Val's face as her thoughts kept her away from the fight at hand. The strikes barely bruised the girl's face, and only seemed to piss her off, Val returning the combination tenfold with a stunning mixture of punches, elbows, low kicks, and any kind of logical strike she could throw at Rose, all the while, the android was catching and blocking those very same strikes. Despite that, Val noticed that some, an impossible few, got through Rose's foresight into the future. How or why was beyond Val at this point, and the pressing assault as Rose laid into the Mad Girl reminded Val that this wasn't just a fight for the remains of Madworld, or the amusement of Darkstar, it was to save the universe, to honor Otto, and above all at this point, survive.

Darkstar followed the fight between the ladies with a joyful expression, like watching a live pay-per-view event play out right before his eyes. But, he realized he was getting ahead of himself, and forgot to call in to his Fleet. Perhaps the excitement of finding the prime reality overshadowed the true need of the Fleet. Pressing a small button on his Mobius Chair, Darkstar issued a stern command. "This is your Dead God, and my order is simple. We will begin annihilation of nearby systems indiscriminately, be they barren rocks or inhabited interstellar empires. While Madworld burns, so too shall her entire neighborhood. Make it so." With those choice words, the massive vessels above the planet and in orbit began to phase in and out of sight, beginning their jump to close star systems and other planets and stars within a few lightyear radius of Madworld, now Deadworld, for now, avoiding Earth as the planet lies close to forty lightyears from Earth.

To his credit and attention span, though, Darkstar watched the ongoing fight between Rose and Val with excitement while thunderous claps and powerful shakes rocked Deadworld as two titans battled for their Gods without a slight hint of giving in, or even pushing the other back. Punches so powerful, that Deadworld would simply atomize at the strike were thrown around, caught like feathers by the tyrannical hands of Nul, or the ever-powerful ones Mir has. While Mad Girl and Dead Girl simply fought, Mir and Nul were enthralled in their own open, impressively brutal war.


The glowing yellow energy pouring from Mir's body was hot to the touch, scorchingly so, his eyes were entirely covered by yellow light as Mir himself acted like a walking star cluster, a counter balance to the impermeable, ever-consuming darkness that was All-Black the Necrosword, wielded by the fearsome Nul Tyranis, Butcher of Gods, Slayer of Universes. But in this battle between light and dark, a personal vendetta drives Mir to act rash, reckless in his assaults, preferring to dish out as much strength and power in a single second than to use those abilities intelligently. Mir and Nul each punched the other in the face to no effect, Nul jamming All-Black against Mir's chest, but the blade retreating as the energy burned it away.

Not only did they fight physically, but their auras fought for dominance - All-Black trying to contain the light while the Sentry Serum sought to annihilate the darkness. "You...You killed my brother. I don't care if we didn't come from the same parents, same planet, same plane of existence, or same goddamn species!" Mir yelled passionately, his voice almost quaking as his emotions bled through. "Otto was my brother and I was his, and no one could take him from me."

"But I did." Nul replied harshly, causing Mir to scream out, his voice threatening to tear about Deadworld's atmosphere and his power skyrocketing even higher, making Nul throw up a hand to shield himself from the bright light. While Nul wasn't looking, Mir launched the first devastating assault against Nul, driving several solid, planet-shattering punches into Nul's stomach back to back, only to then driving upward quickly and deliver a perfectly executed uppercut, Nul's lower jaw slamming against his upper teeth and chipping them. He finished the combo by rearing back and delivering an even more powerful strike right on Nul's nose from a downward angle, intending to plant the evil Kryptonian deep in Deadworld's crust.

The punch landed right on point, but Nul did not so much as budge as it impacted, as if Mir was a normal man and hit a brick wall. Mir reeled his fist back and stared at Nul, his infuriating glare being matched as Nul stood there and locked eyes with Mir - a small stream of blood slowly flowing from his left nostril. "You'll pay in so much more." Mir said, rushing forward, advancing toward the speed of light until he was almost upon it, smacking his forehead against the bridge of Nul's nose, making the Kryptonian finally budge and fly down onto the planet's surface - striking with enough force to be mistaken for a meteor crash. "I fucking promise."

Mir's forehead bleed for but a moment due to the impact before his own energy output cauterized the wound on the spot. His eyes glowed yellow for a moment, before turning to a deep, passionate red, signature of Kryptonians and Daxamites. Mir then poured more and more energy into charging his heat vision, shifting the color to a blinding, blistering white hot. The Daxamite Sentry shot his white heat beams at the smoldering crater Nul had formed, the supercharged vision creating a plasma trail ahead of it and in the beam's wake, converting the surrounding rock immediately into liquid and digging deep into the ground. After a solid minute of the super heated assault, Mir let up, breathing heavily and hovering over the lake of lava he had made, waiting for Nul to rise back up.

It was like thousands upon thousands of pure black swords and spears shot forth from the hot lake, all focused on Mir and striking at the same exact time, taking him from the skies and slamming him to the ground, dragging the Daxamite around, carving trenches that dwarfed the Grand Canyon in depth. The shadow swords twisted and moved like an organic life form, like a snake chasing it's prey. As Mir took a solid rock shower, Nul emerged from the lava pit as All-Black pulled him forward, dripping with molten rock, his face badly burned from the ordeal. He gripped tight on his own fist, strengthening the Annihiblade, and launched himself forward through the shadow swords and spears to gain incredible speed - surpassing light speed - in order to attack Mir.

Nul slashed upwards from Mir's kidney to his opposite collar bone, tearing the Daxamite's flesh apart like a hot knife through butter, spilling his blood across the battlefield in a violent spray. Mir's power surged even more, the wound sealing once more in the same way as his forehead, but the pain was very real and evident. Mir clutched his chest and felt the forming scar. Distracted by pain, Nul attacked once more with a stab to Mir's front, but the Daxamite was prepared, sliding his hand out and deflecting All-Black off to the side, leaving Nul's face wide open. The dark Kryptonian felt his face instantly freeze, surprising Nul for a moment, until Mir delivered an even more powerful punch than before - shattering the ice and taking several parts of Nul's face with it, sending him flying backwards.

"You...you are nothing to me." Nul said, clutching the side of his face, the skin once burned and now just gone as it shattered like glass with the ice. "I've gutted your kind across the Multiverse. I have destroyed the Eater of Worlds countless times, and you dare liken yourself my equal?" Nul asked, "Allow me to prove you so very wrong." Nul said in his gruff, hardy voice, stepping forward and stabbing All-Black through Mir's left shoulder, the Daxamite instinctively grabbing on it, cutting his hands in the process.

"No." Mir yelled, "No, Tyranis, I'm not your equal. I'm better, plain and simple, and I already showed you why." Mir lifted his feet from the ground and drop kicked them into Nul's chest heel-first, sending the Kryptonian stumbling back, pulling out the Necrosword of Mir's wound in the process. "I am no murderer, no lapdog for my God. You're just a mindless killing machine and I have the means to turn you off." Mir threatened, tightening his fists. "The death on your hands in my universe and every other universe out there will be answered for, Nul, and it will be answered now."

At that moment, Mir's powerful Sentry effect flickered on and off for a moment, causing the Daxamite to pause and look at his body. It kept going for a moment, but then did the same thing. Confused, Mir looked up at Nul, who despite his brutal nature and unemotive condition, wore a small, tiny smile. "What's wrong, Son of Daxam?" Nul taunted, extending his Necroblade and walking towards Mir - who walked backwards to avoid Nul. "You might not be a murderer, but you're not powerful anymore, either." He said, pointing out that Mir had completely reverted back to his normal state - the intense energy overload gone in just a few seconds. Mir swallowed hard, All-Blacks' shadows dancing all around Nul as he advanced toward Mir.

The Son of Daxam was now on the ropes and out of places to run and hide. Where Mir and Nul were both equals, with Mir slightly ahead due to his bloodlust, they were now horribly outmatched, to the point of unfair absurdity. Any reasonable man would surrender or meet death on his own terms, but not the brother of the late Otto Godblessed. Mir did the only thing he could do in that situation. He put his fists up, and got ready to keep fighting, no matter what.

---

Darkstar unleashed his Obliteration Absolute upon the surface of Madworld, destroying much of the planet's surface and millions of it's inhabitants by bombarding it with Anti-Energy Waves. All seems lost in the Ragnarok War as Val enters her fight with Rose, an android who can see future events and respond accordingly, and Mir looses his Sentry Serum boost and reverts back to his normal, Daxamite form. Only a miracle can save the duo, and an even greater miracle is needed to save the universe from the wrath of Dead God Darkstar.


She dodged left and to the side, but still met a punch right square in her nose. Val recoiled from the hit and stumbled back, clinching her nose and closing her eyes as they watered up and blinded her for a moment. She hadn't the time to think or react - and instead jammed her legs outward to hit Rose dead center. Instead of connecting, the android side-stepped the attack and grabbed one of Val's legs by the ankle, using it as a leverage point and flipping the Mad Girl over Rose's shoulder, slamming her face-first into the rockhard ground below. Val pushed up and spun - swinging her elbow to smash into Rose's temple, but the android just stepped backwards and dodged it effortlessly. Valentine used her momentum to throw a punch as well - Rose simply leaning to the side to dodge it.

"Holy fuck!" Val yelled, "Let me just hit you, damnit!" As soon as she said that, Val found that one her punches did indeed connect with Rose's face. A solid strike, too, nothing held at bay and twisting the android's facial features a bit as Val dug in and stepped in to the punch to give it more power. Despite that, the android didn't budge or even move from the moment of impact - her eyes remained locked on Val as the Mad Girl landed her punch. "How the..." Val muttered, before being kneed in the stomach by Rose, who then delivered a smacking punch to the side of Val's head.

"Useless, Valentine." Rose said plainly, lacking emotion or any real passion in her voice. "Your chance at victory is a near-zero number. Your world is dead, your friend is losing, and your lover," Rose continued, walked toward Val slowly and methodically, taking her time to lay on the verbal abuse, "Has abandoned you." Just like that, a switch flipped in Valentine, and acting almost faster than Rose could predict, a punch flew past her head. The android's eyes grew wide as she kept watching the future to predict Val's moves, only to just barely react in time. The Mad Girl slammed her fist deep into Rose's stomach, the upward force lifting Rose off of her feet and into the air, the Dead Girl getting a deep look into Val's wild, passionate eyes.

"Don't you EVER," Val hissed, jumping up and uppercutting Rose brutally, sending the android flying even higher in the sky, "Talk about Max!" She yelled, flying to meet Rose and throwing another punch, Rose grabbing hold of Val's fist this time, Rose narrowing her own eyes at Val, who threw her other hand to strike at Rose instead. Before Val connected, Rose had already punched her in the mouth, sending Val's neck twisting at an angle, but the Mad Girl turned back to face the android, her lip busted, still ready to fight. Val reared back and threw her off hand once more, Rose clamping down on that one as well - taking both of her arms out of the equation, but Val simply crunched her midsection, bringing her legs up, and extending them into Rose's chest.

The android ate the hit fairly well, only barely stumbling back, but remaining in control of Val's hands. The next hit, however, was aimed right for her face, and Rose hadn't the time to counter it even with her futuristic vision. The hit pushed Rose's neck back and smashed her nose into a bloody mess, finally letting go of Val's fists and tumbling away. Watching their fight, Darkstar went from pleased to rather impatient, and then loudly declared to Rose, "Darling, could you stop playing around with her? Go ahead and go ham, maybe Morningstar will get the message."

Val was confused - no way had Rose been holding back this entire time. Before she could finish her thought, the android's fist was already smashing it's way into her midsection. Val couldn't even blink before Rose's other hand was colliding with her jawline at a cross, the two successive hits sending Val flying against the surface of Deadworld and burying herself beneath it's crust. Rose followed the Mad Girl with the heels of her feet, striking Val with much more force than the two hits combined, unearthing Valentine and forming a massive crater as the stomp nearly crushed her rib cage. Val could barely move, much less react, as the android leapt from her body and stood watch at the edge of the crater.

Darkstar gave a smirk, enjoying the brutal stomp the fight suddenly turned into, and also admiring his own handiwork in creating Rose. "Quite the show, Rose. Now, don't you think it's time for curtains?" Darkstar asked, Rose blinking slightly and nodding once, pointing two fingers to the sky, Val weakly opening her eyes to watch. A small sphere of energy formed and swirled above her index and middle fingers, the characteristic decaying look of Anti-Energy apparent in it's manifolds. The sphere suddenly enlarged from the size of a tennis ball to at least that of a large house, Rose nonchalantly holding it aloft.

Weakly, Val extended her palm, whispering "No..." As she watched her certain death play out before her very eyes. She slammed her eyelids shut, tears rolling down her face, closing her palm as well, laying back and fighting through the pain she was already enduring. Her willpower was broken, her ribs pulverized, and all lost. In her final moments, she wondered where was Max, why didn't he save her, why didn't anyone save her. Darkstar laughed, clasping his hands together slowly, Val wincing with each clap, Rose raising the deadly sphere of Anti-Energy higher and rearing back, just moments before throwing the decaying mass onto Val's defenseless body.

And then, a miracle.


Daxam's Native Son faced the unimaginable horror that was an unrestricted Nul Tyranis, who wielded All-Black the Necrosword with stunning swordsmanship and impunity, yet he did not waver, not once, in the face of overwhelming defeat and hopelessness. As Mir stood there with his hands raised, ready to fight still, Nul could only give a slight chuckle at the sight. Mir took this as an invitation, rushing forward, slamming his superpowered fist into Nul's body like a charged bullet - but it did absolutely nothing, just making a smacking sound. Nul grabbed Mir by the neck and slammed him into the ground in one fluid motion, blasting his body with a charged shot of All-Black to complete the assault.

Nul lifted himself into the air and backed away slightly, the fiery dance of All-Black's dark tendrils forming an aura of pure evil around Nul. As if on cue, Mir shot forth from the ground, pieces of dirt flying off of his body as his eyes glowed red, firing his heat vision as Nul. The God Butcher raised All-Black to tank the blast, Mir colliding with Nul and throwing two punches back to back, Nul eating both of them like nothing, throwing his own weak punch against Mir's face, causing the Daxamite to stumble in the opposite direction. In the same second, Nul uppercutted Mir with devastating power, almost sending him skyward, but Nul slashed at the Daxamite with his Annihiblade before he flew - creating a gash across Mir's chest.

He flew high into the sky, almost into orbit, where the light of Madworld's yellow sun bathed his body in energy. The hit knocked him out, but the boost brought him back to the waking world, and Mir flew right back into the action with a revitalized spirit. But the result was the same - Nul brutally stomped Mir as soon as the Daxamite charged him, slamming a waiting fist into Mir's face as he shot toward Nul, shockwaves bouncing around the planet as the hit knocked him back for miles and miles. Nul flew after him lazily, as if he enjoyed toying with the Daxamite and his willpower. Mir laid against the warm dirt, hot from the friction of slowing his speed, and breathed heavily, thinking to himself.

"I can't...I can't let Max down. Val...I need to help Val." He thought, "My...My body. Move, damnit, move!"

"Your body is at it's limit, Mir." The dark, callous voice of Nul called out, the Kryptonian walking into view of the Daxamite. "Your body burned away the Sentry Serum - our metabolisms are too great for it's effects. But still, it will not do you good, this sun will do you no good. Sun dipping will not work - you could barely keep up with my with one million suns within your body." He further taunted, Mir's breathing becoming steady, glancing from Nul to where Val was - in her crater, the sphere Rose was creating growing larger. "You and your friends have lost."

Mir's body suddenly disappeared, rushing to where Val was in an effort to save her. Time moved still, as Mir blitzed as fast as he had ever gone before. Two choices were ahead: Take out Rose, or remove Val from the equation. Unknowing Rose's capabilities, he went with the Val option, and was just about to reach her crater, when the full force of Nul's heels slammed into his back and drove him to the ground. The God Butcher grabbed Mir by the neck and raised him up - facing Val and the entire scene. Mir struggled, but he couldn't free himself or reach Nul's body with his legs, so he was forced to watch. "No..." Mir said, "No, I can't let Max down..."

Frustrated, he relaxed his body, accepting his fate, just as Val did, lamenting as he did so. "I...I let him down. I couldn't save her, I couldn't save Otto." Mir blinked away droplets of tears as they welled in his eyes and clouded his vision. Nul gave a slight smile as Darkstar laughed and clapped, ushering in the death of Valentine with Mir as an unwilling witness, "I'm sorry, Max...I...I, I couldn't...I.,.You, trusted me...And...I let you down." Mir sobbed, the Anti-Energy Sphere swinging forth like a guillotine of total annihilation, Mir helpless to save the bride-to-be of Max, and helpless to stop Darkstar, or even Nul.

And then, a miracle.


"You never let me down, Mir."

Those few, softly spoken words brought Mir to stillness, a serene calm washing over him as he opened his eyes wide to watch as his God returned to the earthly plane. The armored body of Mad Max, save for his helmet, stood between Val and Rose for only a brief moment, the Mad God's palm raised toward Rose with a small sphere of energy swirling inside of it. At once, the energy sphere launched, and in a blinding flash of light, the body of the Android and her Anti-Energy Death Ball were consumed by the devastating power that Morningstar had at his disposal. Forming a trench two miles long, Max turned and kneeled next to Val, the heavily injured girl barely staying awake, but smiling nonetheless.

"You...you came back." She said weakly, Max frowning deeply as his unexplained absence caused his entire livelihood to go through their own Hell. Morningstar grabbed hold of Val's hand gently but firmly, letting her know that he was serious.

"I wouldn't leave for anything. Not the world, not the universe." Max said to Val, "You are my everything, and nothing and no one will ever change that. The Living Tribunal gave me a gift to fight Darkstar, and time moves differently in his dimension, but I'm here now. You don't have to cry anymore, my Valentine." Morningstar continued quietly, keeping the conversation between him and his love. Val reached her hand up and wiped away at Max's cheek, the Mad God curling his lip in as he bit down on it, trying not to whimper.

"S-silly, you're the one crying..." Val replied.

"You'll be safe somewhere else, my love, but remember, I'll always come back for you. I promise." Morningstar continued, waving his hand over Val's head and body, the girl becoming transparent and fading away to some other location, far from the battlefield Max was about to grace, where he would let his enemies know exactly why everyone else called him Mad. But still, Val's parting words stung the God in the deepest pit of his heart and soul, knowing better, but wished he could stay just a little bit longer.

"Max...please, don't leave me again..." Val softly cried, fading away from the remains of Madworld and finally giving Morningstar the mental break he needed to fight at his prime. The war was for reality, but Max knew better, because he was facing a different version of himself. This war was not just for the Multiverse, it was for Valentine, the Mad Girl, and to Darkstar, it was the ultimate way to Morningstar's defeat. Max rose to his feet but kept his head down low, the shocked expressions of Mir, Nul, and Darkstar watching on as the Mad God arrived late to the war.

Nul tossed Mir to the side like a rag doll, reasoning that he had just found a much, much better opponent to test his almighty powers with All-Black on. The Kryptonian stomped over to where Morningstar was, sliding down into the crater and locking his hate-filled eyes on Max's body. "Now that the skirts are gone, we can cut loose a bit more. Morningstar, you look well, I've managed to kill you in hundreds of universes, and I've killed many more Valentines, as well. What makes you think this time will be any different?" Null asked, stepping within a meter of Maxwell before stopping, a grim smirk on his murderous face. Morningstar looked up casually, his face blank and devoid of emotion, causing Nul to get a confused look on his face.

It happened so suddenly that Nul didn't even feel his jawline smacking against the back of his skull as Maxwell threw a straight punch right to the Kryptonian's bottom teeth. The hit sent several shockwaves around the world, blowing back incredible amounts of dust and debris as Nul's face contorted into an unnatural, pulverized look. Max didn't just punch him, though, the Mad God extended his fingers and literally grabbed the pure black energy that enveloped Nul Tyranis, pulling it back. putting forth actual effort, and separating All-Black the Necrosword from Nul's control in a violent scream of power. Nul's body limply slumped to the ground as the Annihiblade danced happily around Max's face, arms, and body, Nul crawling to Max's feet, reaching up at his torso. "Give it...back..."

"No." Max replied in a deep, commanding voice, "All-Black is not meant for mortals like yourself," Morningstar said insultingly, "It is meant to be wielded by Gods." And so, Maxwell Morningstar became Black Max, the Mad Butcher, and stared deep into the eyes of Nul as Max revealed the hidden powers of All-Black never accessible to Nul, it's true potential revealed in just a few moments. Max grabbed Nul by the hair and jerked him up high, nearly snapping his neck in the process. "The same blade that ran through Otto Godblessed will spill your own entrails. You do not deserve such an honor, Nul, but my time is thin, and you're in the way." With that, Maxwell plunged the blade deep into Nul's chest, exploding it outward at hundreds of spiny points to ensure that every organ in his chest cavity was thoroughly stabbed. Max retracted the blade mentally, Nul's eyes glossing over, and his head swiveling to the side.

The Mad Butcher tossed him aside like a wild animal carcass, his expressionless face a testament to his mental strength and resolve - revenge for Otto, but at the cost of yet another life at the machinations of Darkstar. Black Max turned to the Dead God on his throne, but looked down at the black tendrils that encircled his arm and chest, the mental willpower of Max able to finely control All-Black and force it all into Max's hand and into a neat little sphere. "I've taken away it's voice and influence, Mir, leaving just the raw power. You'll use it someday, but today, I won't." Max said to himself, leaving his transformed state with ease, and sending the sphere that contained All-Black over to the Daxamite's body, Max then giving his full attention to Darkstar.

The Dead God looked upon Max's face as if it were his own, because it was, and he smiled an excited glee. "You're quite the busy man, huh? Had to make sure your girlfriend was getting thoroughly pounded - pun intended - by Rose before showing up to be the big hero? Either way, you're here now and that's all that matters. Me and you, Us, I, We? Um." Darkstar said, thinking to himself for a moment, "Whatever, you're going to watch everything you love die and then I'm going to kill you." Darkstar yelled suddenly, scooting forward in his chair and producing severe bolts of electricity as the Mobius Chair struggled to keep him on. "Just a sec, hang on." Darkstar said, pulling himself free from the Mobius Chair and standing on it's platform defiantly, his arms outstretched, inviting Max for the first blow.

He hopped from the platform and onto the ground, lightly touching it and sparing the world of another Obliteration Absolute. "Well, what is it, then?" He asked quietly, taunting Morningstar, but a a sudden silver flash buzzed past Max's back - the Mad God leaning to the side to dodge the sneak attack with ease. A partially destroyed Rose stood next to Darkstar and Morningstar, ready to fight alongside her master. Darkstar rolled his eyes and sighed heavily as Rose put her hands up to engage, and grabbed Rose by the back of her head. "Your usefulness has been EXHAUSTED!" Darkstar shouted, picking the android up and slamming her face-first into the ground below, charged with Anti-Energy as well, exploding horrifically as Roses' final moments were being betrayed by her creator. Friction from the attack jolted across Darkstar's body as his wild eyes shifted to Morningstar, "And you're next."

Darkstar tightened his fist, Morningstar doing the same, powering their bodies with their respective energy outputs to produce even greater firepower, walking slowly before turning into a dead sprint as the two put their fists forward, read to just annihilate the other in the Ragnarok War, the final battle at hand, and the fate of the Multiverse hanging delicately in the balance. Time slowed as the first strikes in the final battle neared their mark, Darkstar taking Morningstar's punch on the chin, and Morningstar taking the exact same strike in the exact same way, both unaffected by the initial tap, but wincing in pain as the anti-energy violently reacted with the positive energy, annihilating it, and producing an explosion of untold proportions.

---

Or the Death of Maxwell Morningstar

And the Old Gods wept...


The chiseled, bloody face of the Mad God stood in firm resolve to see things through. It was to challenge destiny, but to fulfill it in it's entirety - Darkstar would meet his end at the tip of Morningstar's fists. Tightening his own hands as Maxwell confirmed his pledge, he looked over at his opponent. He seemed less calm, more panicked yet still deranged all the same - his ability to keep fighting was all those he had slain to get to where he was now. To fight the battle for his lost loved ones years ago, and most of all, to fight what he had become. Darkstar wasn't completely blinded by his thirst for revenge, he knew what he had done and the pain he caused throughout the Multiverse, yet he would remedy it and soothe that pain with Morningstar's death.

A punch filled with anti-energy slammed into Maxwell's jawline with tremendous force, exploding outward as it came into contact with energy and annihilated itself in a fiery death. Maxwell's head was thrown back and to the side from the hit, but he used that to his advantage, charging a small sphere of energy in his hands and launching at Darkstar's body as Maxwell's own body flew away through space. Darkstar shielded himself from that ensuing explosion, but it still charred his forearms. Mad Max smirked, knowing Darkstar seemed to be on his last legs of Anti-Energy. "You came with such force..." Maxwell noted, righting himself in space, floating on the same plane as Darkstar, "You killed a Super Celestial with the snap of your fingers, even. You destroyed a world with a simple touch."

Darkstar breathed deeply, staring daggers at Maxwell as he spoke in such a vile, grandiose manner. "But I realized it was all for show. Nothing but a fireworks display, something to make others think twice, three times even, of challenging you and your might. How many universes fell to such a ploy, I wonder, as Nul and All-Black slew their way across Gods and Man alike while you sat idly by. Tell me, Darkstar, are your hands even dirty?" Maxwell taunted, finally sending Darkstar over the edge.

"WELL, WHAT ABOUT YOUR HANDS YOU SELF-RIGHTEOUS PRICK?!" Darkstar demanded suddenly, catching Maxwell by surprise. "You...you..." He began, "You came to my world. We both wanted the same thing, and we both could have made it. But you came. You came to MY world, to MY home, to MY love....You came and played God. You wanted to decide who lived and who died, and you picked yourself." Darkstar was nearly in sobs at this point, Maxwell lowering his head to hide his emotions. "Why did your world get to live while mine died?! Why?!" He demanded, "Why did I have to lose her..."

"Because I didn't want to lose my love." Maxwell spat, "I didn't choose myself, I chose everyone else I knew. But...I can't explain...I was scared. I didn't know what was coming after the Incursion. I just...I just acted before you did." Maxwell finally admitted, "I was paranoid, I didn't know if you were coming to kill us, so I did the job first. I made sure you couldn't - because I know who I am...Who I was...And in that same situation, would you have done the same?" Maxwell asked, two tears rolling down his cheeks, genuine sympathy for Darkstar.

"Oh bull-fuckin'-shit." Darkstar spat, "I would have worked with my counterpart to achieve a lasting, better result. Maybe you wouldn't have lost...What was it, 80, 90 percent of your passengers on the Ark? Maybe if we collaborated, we could have saved them all. No, you're not taking the high road on this, what you did was unforgivable. What you took from me was irreplaceable. In exchange for forgiveness and replacement, I want your life." Darkstar howled, launching himself forward for a series of brutal attacks, each one more devastating than the last as each strike landed with explosive force, designed to wear down Max's energy reserves.

Maxwell blocked and dodged, but these attacks would land even before Darkstar threw them, and where only interrupted when Max returned one of punches given, a small window of time forming and allowing Maxwell to lay into Darkstar. But, the third kick Max threw was caught by the Dead God, whose hand glowed a sickening purple color and clamped down on Max's leg. "Matter is just...a condensed version of energy, no? Einstein and all that..." Darkstar commented, fully gripping down and tearing through Max's shin like wet paper. In place of a scream, Max's eyes grew wide with shock, blood spilling from the open wound rapidly. Both hands of Darkstar glowed with that purple light, anti-energy flowing through them like a surgeon's scalpel. "One limb down, three more to go."

Max thought quickly and jammed his hands forward expelling entire solar systems' worth of energy at Darkstar - the mad man simply sticking his own hands out and absorbing - or more like, annihilating - the attack with his condensed anti-energy scalpels. Though, that was merely to buy Maxwell more time - a resurgent, yellow glow encasing the stub where his ankle used to be. First, it sealed the blood supply from leaking further, next, it worked to rebuild tissues, though that would take a longer time to fully complete. Suddenly, Darkstar seemingly teleported from in front of the blast to Maxwell's side. "Not so fast." He said, throwing a weak jab at Max, whose only option to retreat and dodge - a block would just slice into his being even more. "Scared, Maxwell?"

"For you." Maxwell said slyly, dodging one by stepping back but immediately putting his foot forward - his open palm facing Darkstar's chest and avoiding both of the Dead God's hands as a small sphere of energy developed, compact, with enough force to power a red dwarf star. It exploded between the two violently, creating the star and ending it's life in fractions of a second, Maxwell absorbing the energy and re-directing at Darkstar - whose anti-energy reserves were continuously assaulted. "You come to a universe filled with energy, your very weakness, and expect me to just stand idly by?"

Darkstar's body was badly damaged, burned to almost a crisp, and his anti-energy reserves were simply not enough to continue regenerating. He had resort to drastic measures to achieve victory, and smiled weakly as he thought of the perfect solution. All he needed was a lure...Bingo. Darkstar raised his hand in front of Maxwell defiantly, or so it seemed, like he was still willing to fight. Maxwell lowered his shoulders, ready for whatever his evil counterpart could throw at him in this state. Instead of a ball of anti-energy appearing, the Mobius Chair materialized from an anti-energy portal, and floating off to the side in a nigh-inescapable bubble, was Val. Maxwell's heart sank immediately, having thought she was taken to a more secure location out of Darkstar's reach, but that clearly wasn't the case.

"With you, Morningstar, I can't really expect anything." Darkstar said sourly, phasing onto the Mobius Chair, the machine connecting him with tons of wires and connections to provide life support. Behind the Chair, a rip in space-time formed, spewing an ungoldy amount of sickly purplish miasma into the surrounding space. "My home awaits, and your love will accompany me there..." Darkstar said weakly, the Mobius Chair trying to keep him conscious, but eventually moving through the portal on it's own.

"Don't you fucking touch her..." Maxwell said, a blazing hot fury brewing in his belly, a passion ignited to the utmost extreme as the Ragnarok War brought love into the equation, Darkstar purposely toying with a man's heartstrings to get under his skin and hurt him in anyway possible. Maxwell ran forward after the Mobius Chair, crossing into that sickly portal, immediately realizing where they were. An entire universe, empty and devoid, except for one small aspect - it housed Anti-Energy instead of normal energy. Darkstar sat some ways away, wheezing as pieces of himself slowly reformed and regenerated.

"In here, I am the sower of life and death." Darkstar declared, holding his hand up, a swirling mass of anti-energy coalescing and suddenly becoming bright - a star forming, with small discs spinning together to form planets, moons, and the like. "Here, you intrude upon my home. Here, you are the outsider, and my anti-energy will consume you whole. Your death here is imminent." Darkstar said, with each word, his strength coming back fuller and in greater quantities. "Here, catch." He said sarcastically, flinging the bubble that housed Val forward toward Maxwell, but sadistically popping it before it reached him, exposing Val to the hellish environment.

"NO!" Maxwell screamed, catching Val, putting her under his own energy shield that kept out the anti-energy for now. She looked frail, weak, and gray as the anti-energy worked to assault her very cellular level. Her eyes peeked open, smiling as Max cradled her in his arms. "Val...I'm sorry." He said, gasping at what she had become in so short of a time. Maxwell began to feed her his own energy, but the anti-energy was too deeply entrenched. She was dying an agonizing death, but kept a smile on for Max. "I..."

"There's...not much, Max." Val said, incredible weak and pain-filled, "When it's...Over....Live." She pleaded, "Live...For both of us." Her words echoed around Max's mind, numbing him completely. He screamed and screamed at her, telling her to hold on, flooding her system with his own energy, trying to keep her alive for just one more second, but before Max knew it, he was sending energy to a dead body, the life gone, the soul already in paradise. A calm, collective silence overtook the Mad God as he lowered her body gently, the sheer indescribable pain and anger he felt unbearable.

Life itself was unbearable - Existence a struggle. Maxwell didn't even look up at Darkstar, refusing to look her murderer in the face. "I can't keep that promise, Val." He said quietly, tears streaming like a flowing river from each eye socket. Darkstar began to rise form his chair, eager to continue the fight, but stopped as he looked at Max. His energy shield became unstable, moving in and out erratically like a bubble ready to burst. "The only place I want to be is by your side." Maxwell said, speaking only to himself, not caring if Darkstar heard or not. "My life...I haven't been the best man that I could. Maybe...Maybe I can make up for it. Just a bit. Please, wait for me. I'll only be a minute."

"Wha..." Darkstar began, confused as Maxwell spoke in an irrational and emotional tone. "You can't be serious...No, stop!" Darkstar yelled, gathering a cloud of anti-energy back and around himself. Maxwell began to radiate a bright color, turning from yellow to white in mere seconds. "If even just a few anti-joules remain, I'll survive, Maxwell, and you can't get all of them! It's hopeless, accept it!" Darkstar cried out over the ever deafening noise Maxwell was emitting from his being. "She's gone!"

"If even just a little remains..." Max began, "Then I'll make sure to get it all." Before Darkstar could speak, the floodgates opened, and into the Anti-Energy Universe poured another universes' worth of energy and matter, straight from Maxwell's body like an open faucet. It rippled across space and time in that ghastly universe, moving faster than any speed imaginable, and annihilating the Anti-Energy Universe and all of it's inhabitants in mere moments. The cycle was both ended and complete - Morningstar having fulfilled his destiny, and with his death, no universe may suffer under Darkstar. Gone even from the Multiverse, the Anti-Energy Universe, and Darkstar, were no more.