Infinite Justice: Beyond (Marvel,DC,DBZ X/Over, IC, Open)

[New Neros]

Madworld
War of Worlds: Part 1

The Asgardian hybrid was rather cranky, for some reason, having been awoken from his deep afternoon nap by the bells and whistles of an alarm. In many times, Godblessed acted as the executive leader over Madworld, especially since the Mad God was busy in a training session with his former master. Regardless, Maxwell was supposed to running these operations, but the duty was delegated down to Otto instead. Shaking his head in an attempt to wake himself up further, he asked for an update on the situation. "What do we have? Talk to me, people." He said in a gruffy, sleepy accent. Rather than listen to whoever tried to fill him in, Otto looked at the large projection of another world plastered all over each and every screen in the palaces' command center.

"Warworld?" Otto asked casually, flipping a few switches and revealing more scans on the planetary body, size, weight, composition, things of that nature. "An artificial satellite? What's it doing here?"

"We're not particularly sure, sir." A senior technician said, handing Otto more accurate readings, "Our communications have been rebuffed, and if that's the case, it's intent may be all the more sinister." Otto nodded in agreement, the paper he was reading fascinating him immensely as it held surface pictures and even cross references of data from computer systems that were not their own. Otto narrowed his eyes at the additional information, though, cutting his eyes to the technician. As if he knew, the tech responded appropriately. "Information we gained from the Justice League's computer systems. We have E4 clearance for their servers."

Accepting the answer, Otto turned his full attention to the Warworld. "So, it does not come in peace. With a name like Warworld, I'm not very surprised. What are our options?"

"That's the tricky part, sir, Warworld is so vastly defended and armed that even powerhouse organizations like the Avengers, Justice League, X-Men, and the like can't damage it from afar. They need teams on the inside, someone to knock out that Control Chair and whoever's sitting on it." The tech said in return.

"You're telling me that heroes that can shatter planets can't so much as put a dent in Warworld?" Otto asked, folding his right arm behind his back and leaning his shoulder forward in a slightly awkward angle, which seemed comfortable for him.

"They would, if Warworld didn't have enough nuclear and anti-matter weapons to completely evaporate a planet. There is also reason to believe that there is a failsafe that prevents destruction, and if activated, has solar system destroying effects."

"Right...then what are our options?"

"We need to send in a strike team and remove whoever is in charge at the control chair. I have devised a list of-"

"CITIZENS OF MADWORLD! TURN YOUR EYES TO THE SKIES, AND WEEP WITH SORROW AS WARWORLD MAKES HER APPEARANCE!" A voice suddenly rang out in the command center of the Mad God's palace. A silhouetted figure was broadcasting himself from a massive seat of somesort, surely the one Otto and the unnamed technician spoke of on Warworld. "Ahem, now that introductions are out of the way," The figure spoke in a normal, unenhanced voice, "I can safely assume you have wet yourselves in fear. No? Well, I can change that in an instant! But first, I am vain, and would like for you to learn more about myself before I destroy this wretched planet."

"Is this broadcast globally?" Otto whispered to the technician, who calmly replied,

"No, we operate on a closed communication system. He's only speaking to us, whether he wanted to or not." Otto nodded at the information, and tuned in to whatever this mad man had to say.

"I am Mir!" The commander of Warworld said with hints of extravagance, "And I come to Madworld in a display of force! Warworld has been shaken by the death of Mongul, but I have taken the helm of her vast arsenal and shall lead her into her rightful place as leader of this galaxy. Your world will serve as a reminder to all others of Warworld's brutality, of her capability, and beyond all else, my own drive for success. Your death shall bring meaning and enlightenment - not to mention enjoyment - for my people as they watch me rip your continents asunder, boil away your oceans, and expel your atmosphere in but a few stray thoughts!"

"I will - hnnnnggg..." Mir began to say, only to be cut off by his own guttural, animalistic sound, like a dying deer who received a killing blow. Otto looked at the shadows of Mir, and slow saw them recede, revealing that the man had become assimilated into Warworld's mainframe and plugged directly in. His eyes flashed between yellow and brown, as if two beings were fighting for control of his body. "...Help...me..." Mir muttered weakly, before the bright yellow replaced his eye sockets for good. "Apologies for the interruption. Your extermination will resume after these messages from our sponsors." Mir spoke once more, his voice noticeably different, more monotone and digitized, as if some computer were working him like a puppet. From there, the broadcast ended, leaving the room quiet.

"Normally, I'd send a strike team into Warworld and dethrone this Mir, but nothing about this is normal." Otto said casually, "I'll be going in on my own, and with just minimal back up as a just-in-case." He said, not sure why, but feeling the need to rescue Mir from his imprisonment, the unjust machinations in Warworld putting the image of Mir as the villain, the man unable to break free, and whatever keeping him tied to the chair using him like a mouthpiece. Otto Godblessed left the command center for the armory in order to prepare for his one-man assault on the Control Chair.

[New Neros]

Madworld
War of Worlds: Part 2

It took no time at all for the esteemed Magistrate, Otto Godblessed, to relocate himself from the deep, protected womb in the underbelly of the Mad God's palace and into the hostile and unknown territory that was Warworld. The trip was made possible by his Odinring, which provided a quick and easy means of teleporting from one place to another without much hassle or side effects thanks to the Odin Force. Still though, the trick was locating the Control Chair and eliminating its stranglehold over Mir without harming the boy, and hopefully, he could do so without triggering alarms or alerting the automated systems of Warworld that he had already infiltrated the artificial planet.

A sudden, repetitive, and highly annoying sound gave Otto the idea that Warworld already knew there was an uninvited guest aboard. "So much for surprise..." He said to himself quietly, looking around his immediate area as it faded from dimly light to a deep, bright red as the alarm sounded. He concentrated deeply, holding on to his Odinring, and mentally began scanning the satellite for a route to the control chair. His eyes shot open quickly, a defensive sentry appearing behind him, lunging forward.

Acting quickly, Otto Godblessed ducked low and shot himself into the android like a spring, heavily denting the metal body of the defender and locking one of its arm joints from moving. Otto pressed his advantage simply punched a hole right into the robot's chest, the grinding sound and spray of oil and fuel spelling the would-be attackers end. Otto knew more would be on the way, so he had to act quickly, and with a general idea of where things were in Warworld, he raced down a few hallways and passages, dodging automated fire, more defense sentries, and a host of other defenses designed to weed out the lesser beings from the Control Chair. Along the way, Otto was able to realize that the defenders were not meant to stop him, they were meant to test him. Warworld is a savage, brutal place, and the C.C. is not a guaranteed position - you can lose it any time to a stronger opponent, and that's exactly what these "defenses" were for - not to protect Warworld, but to ensure it is led by the strong.

The Asgardian had yet to deploy his full arsenal when he arrived at a large, technologically enhanced door, the obvious entrance for the Control Chair. A small rectangle popped up, prompting him to place his hand onto it. Otto obliged, only for the technology to turn red and ominous. Stepping back for a brief moment, the Magistrate-turned-Mercenary glanced at both sides of the hallway he was at, and realized almost too late that Warworld had assembled an android force on either end, and the sudden thunder of their combined feet - all running at Otto - was enough to cause him slight panic, and in that stress, he launched forward with incredible speed, power, and durability, literally grabbing ahold of the massive door and ripping it from it's hinges in his primal urge for immediate survival. Tossing it to one end of the hallway and blocking it off from attack, he put a defiant hand up against the other invading army, and with a flash of his Odinring, dropped the temperatures in the hallway to nearly absolute zero, the metallic beings becoming too brittle to operate, and cracking under their own weight.

Otto Godblessed took a moment to breath deeply, his air visible in the frosted hallway as his rush of adrenaline began to calm down. Turning his full attention to what lay ahead of him, the agent of the Mad God's will strode readily into the darkness that concealed the room that housed the Control Chair, a small flight of steps separating the main room from the exit. As he walked in, the view was breathtaking, to say the least. The entire room was surrounded by orange circuitry embedded into the walls themselves, and save for the Control Chair in the dead center, the room held an unmolested view of the surface of Madworld from orbit.

"It almost steals your breath, doesn't it? The way this world and countless others look from this vantage point." The digitized, unmistakably non-human voice spoke from where the Control Chair sat, "I would say it stole Czar-Mir's breath, but I did a good job of doing that already." It continued with a slight pause, "But I have kept him alive for now. I need him to be alive, otherwise, I wouldn't be in charge of this instrument of death. Behold, Asgardian:" The voice said, raising Mir's hand and causing a small cylinder to rise from the floor, it's impressive yellow light a tale-tell sign of a Sinestro Corps Power Ring.

"You see, Mir is but a vessel for this raw power. Imagine, for a moment, all of the fear that Warworld creates and invokes across star systems. The terror of Warworld's citizens at my wrath, and the dread of all those that wielded the Control Chair before Mir. These emotions empower the Ring, and thus, it empowers myself. I was but an Artificial Intelligence at the behest of whoever sat in that wretched chair, but when Mir came along, dangling that beautiful piece of jewelry in my face, I decided to take it for myself." The voice spoke, now more of an echo across the room than from the body of Mir. "Even now, I'm almost done transferring my mainframe into the ring, and on a body like this Daxamite here? It will be more powerful than Warworld could ever be. Forget shattering planets, solar systems will fall by it's might alone."

"Then why Mir?" Otto protested, "I don't know this man or his life, but what you're doing is unjust. No matter what crimes he's committed, he doesn't deserve this punishment. And in standing against myself and Madworld, you are standing against the Mad God." He spat, the voice almost uncaring as to what he was saying. Otto stepped forward, teeth bared in a fit of rage over the treatment of Mir in this situation, a man he has never met before, but an injustice he cannot just allow to go on. He was stopped, however, by the body of Mir rising from it's seat, revealing the intense amount of machines, tubes, and other metallic objects stuck all over his upper body.

"You threaten me...Warworld...with a Mad God?" It said, brewing a sinister chuckle, "How pathetic of you, Asgardian, to turn to...false idols in your departure from Asgard. The High-Father would be so proud of you, I'm sure." It said, still hints of laughter peeking through it's digital voice. Mir's body turned to face Otto, the full extent of his modifications now realized, one of his eyes a red sensor of some kind, all parts of his head stuck with a tube or device from Warworld, his one good eye fully colored yellow and shining brightly. "I will show you a God's wrath, and end this Mad God of yours while I'm at it." Warworld said, snatching the Sinestro Corps Power Ring and slamming it onto his middle finger in a dramatic fashion.

"You dare speak of the Mad God in such a manner?" Otto replied, almost shocking the Warworld AI that he was not upset in the least about the comment about Odin, regardless, it was a standoff between two powerhouses, and Otto Godblessed knew he had to make the first move, or else Warworld, with Mir's body, would reign absolute destruction upon him and Madworld, and force the hand of Maxwell to intervene personally. A sense of pride prevented Otto from considering that possibility an option, and instead raised his own weapon, the Odinring, in his defense. "Freeze." He said softly, the temperature of the control room instantly plummeting to sub-zero temperatures, cracking and snapping many of the devices and tubes connecting Mir to the room. The AI clenched Mir's teeth and closed his fist, aiming it at Otto, forming a massive light construct in the shape of a wall.

To his utter shock and surprise, though, Otto rushed through it, the construct breaking apart like glass in the absolutely cold temperatures, but that was due to the power up Otto received from the cold atmosphere. He rushed past the impromptu defense and tackled the body of Mir to the wall, ignoring that as well, and piercing through the immense hull of Warworld with Otto's strength and speed. At ease for a moment, believing he had separated Mir from Warworld and thus freed him from control, Otto was rudely awoken to the fact that Mir was raining down a series of well-placed punches and attacks. "Fool! I told you, my mainframe is in the Ring, now!" Warworld AI yelled, throwing Otto some distance in the vacuum of space, and hitting him with a yellow light construct in the shape of a robotic fist for good measure. "Ahh...you feel that, Asgardian? This star system's yellow sun...it bathes Mir's body...augmenting his abilities even further!" It screamed, discharging a huge aura of energy in a display of power.

Otto needed not to brag, but his own power was supplemented past his regular abilities as well, the vacuum of space having a normal temperature of 2.7 degrees Kelvin, -455 degrees Fahrenheit. He contained his own power, and begin to think through his battle, trying to find weak points in Warworld's defenses, and only finding his hubris to be a major fault. Perhaps...perhaps he needed to bait Warworld into trying to confront Mad God, and strike him down. Otto knew Power Rings will leave the host when the host perishes, and that Daxamites have a weakness to lead - things he has learned in his centuries of travel - but he didn't feel right killing Mir...there had to be some way to win. There were decorative spears in the throneroom made of lead, perhaps Otto could - "Not going to fight me? Fine. I'll just begin my wholesale slaughter on Madworld...starting with your False God." Warworld declared, shooting towards the surface and leaving Otto in space.

"So much for baiting him to Max..." He said quietly to himself, shooting off after the AI, his brain working a thousands miles a minute to find some other solution...something else he can do to make sure Mir doesn't die a needless death from Warworld. He gasped midair, finally realizing his plan of action, and with just inches behind Warworld, time began to seemingly slow down for the two of them as Warworld crashed into the throne room of the Mad God, his wild flailing motion more like a rabid animal than a sophisticated artificial intelligence.

"MAD GOD!" It yelled, it's fingers but inches away from the faceless mask that made up Mad Max's outfit as he sat patiently on his throne, his demeanor almost unimpressed, bored even, as impending death loomed before him at thousands of miles per second. Just as his fingertips were about to touch the Mad God's helm, he stopped, his whole forward motion just coming to an immediate and sudden halt. Warworld glanced down, disbelief filling his data centers, the tip of a spear poking steadily through the body of Mir right in the center of his chest cavity. "Im...impossible..." Warworld stuttered, lightly grabbing onto the spear's blade, Mir's arm too weak to hold on to the tip, and sliding off limply. "I will....live on...in the...r...ring." Warworld declared, Otto stretched out behind him, delivering the fatal blow with impeccable accuracy, the lead-tipped spear inches away from Morningstar, who sat there, motionless, but finally spoke as Otto gently removed the spear.

"...No, you won't." Mir's natural eye glossed over, but his Power Ring glowed brightly and began to float off of his finger, Mad Max softly catching it in his hand. This ring was powerful, perhaps stronger than the one Sinestro himself wields, but it had no place in the armory of the Mad God. As he rolled it around in his fingers, Maxwell guided it into his palm before the dead face of Mir, and closed his fist tightly, crushing the Power Ring and sending yellow shards exploding everywhere, the miniscule pieces locking into orbit around Mad Max's forearm, and slowly absorbing into his skin. In another motion with his finger tips, Mad Max summoned a syringe, and stabbed it into Mir's neck, pressing down on the handle, and cradling the Daxamite's limp body in his arms.

The body gasped a lungful of air, eyes wide and frightened, but finding safety in the arms of Maxwell, Czar-Mir being reborn, and quietly sobbing into the armor of the Mad God. Maxwell placed a firm hand on his head, the machines of Warworld falling off as he did so, revealing Mir's hair. Max pulled him closer to him, and cooed like a father would to his newborn infant.

"Shhh...It'll be alright, Mir."

[New Neros]

Both Magneto and Val tuned in carefully to what this faceless stranger had to say, Val glancing towards her father now and again while Magneto did not move a single facial muscle. However, he turned away and chuckled for a second, returning and looking upon the Question. "I'll be frank, Vic, I can only guess and assume at her origin." He said, motioning to Lisa, "But she feels...different... from our world. If she is a Regent clone, then she was hand picked from another universe instead of being made. And according to what we saw of Val, this Lisa just popped out of nowhere, whereas the Regent would have liked to put her under lock, no?"

"All of it being a set-up in the realm of plausibility, but to my understanding, why would she go to these lengths? The Regent possesses powers and people to undo all of what we have worked towards in the blink of an eye. She wants to keep us around to give her boogeymen to paint her rule as legitimate, so why send us a sleeper agent, especially one that looks exactly like her?" Magneto asked, but finally, relented and accepted the Question's role in the rebel group's operations. "I'm not completely sure, but I'm positive about it. She isn't working for the Regent."

"But tell me, Question, what do you want to know about her?"

The Question sighed. "You all could stand to be a tad bit more suspicious. I have several theories as to how this could be a deadly trap, but in the interest of time I won't share them. I don't have much of that at the moment."

Lisa had to say she wasn't happy about being constantly questioned and examined. It was getting annoying when all she wanted to do was help these people.

"The point is that whatever tbis regent clone is-"

"I'm not the Regent. I'm Lisa" Lisa insistered.

"Right... Anyway, things have accelerated around here. Ever since her arrival people have been working constantly on something called project "Martyr". I'm not sure what it is, but it really doesn't sound good. Entire science divisions are being thrown at this. People are being given very recent deadlines to finish this project. She seems worried or concerned about Lisa, or perhaps this is just part of her scheme..."

"Like the scheme you told us about her plants pumping mind control gas into the air?" Spoke a voice.

"No... That still hasn't been disproved. And this plan seems much, much worse. I might have an inkling of what it may be and it does not loom pre-"

Suddenly the question was cut off. The face of the regent apeared on screen. Her usual commanding yet cold expression on today. Her distant nature. Lisa couldn't help but shiver at this picture of what she could become.

"Members of... the resistance... She spoke, disgust in her voice when she said the name of the group. "I want you to know despite what lies you propagate and believe about me, I am a fair ruler. I do not believe in unnecessary casualties. After this message is over, all those occupying the base you are within will be eliminated with extreme force and prejudice. You may now leave if you do not wish to be killed. I will not press charges and will attempt to integrate those willing back into the collective of Advanced Humankind. Those who stay will die, or if you're lucky you might be taken to the detention center for class 9 rehabilitation. It is your choice."

"I also emplore you Val to consider this offer once more. Join me and together we can continue to build this society even better. I need a human I can trust by my side. You could shape the world with me. We could end poverty, violence, iequality, human on mutant violence, corruption, war, death and loss. We could make a utopia. A true Utopia together. Make the worl- the universe a better place. Make it a place where the horrors of the cataclysm never happen again."

She paused, "Make it a place where no little girl is ever abused and sold like an animal." She implored. she knew about Val's past and was referring to it. "You of all people have to understand why I am doing this Val. Please. There are only so many times I can keep making this offer Val."

The room fell quiet as the Regent spoke her would-be propaganda, Val lowering her hair to hide her face almost entirely as this universes' Lisa dug deep into a wound Val didn't want brought up, especially from one of her friends and in front of her peers. Magneto casually walked over and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder, knowing the pain she had to go through because he hadn't known of her existence. Val threw his hand off of her shoulder and flipped her hair out of her face, a wild fire flaring in her eyes as she looked at the image of the Regent on the screen. "You fucking bitch..." She said, teeth clamped shut, jaw muscles throbbing. "You have no right telling me about slavery when you...when you make these people...make them your own damn puppets! Those damn loyalty chips...all of our friends and even our enemies! How dare you!"

Rocks and various objects began to levitate on their own as Val's passionate anger grew. "Send anyone you have, and I'll kill them. I'm not going to run anymore." She spat, turning to Lisa and then to Magneto, her eyes and face reflecting a wolverine ready to fight. "Come and get me, Regent." Magneto narrowed his eyes, considering his options for a moment, and relented in favor of his daughter. He walked over to one of his foot soldiers and grabbed him by the collar, intently whispering his demands.

"We'll fight for now. Escape with what we have, and resume communication with Question. He's our last hope at this point. Send whatever meta back up you can spare - mutant, human, it doesn't matter. Maybe with this...other Lisa on our side...we might stand some sort of chance. Anything goes wrong, I can pull a rabbit out of a hat." Magneto said sternly, the soldier nodding in acceptance, and quickly fleeing the scene. Magneto put his helmet squarely on his head and stand firmly next to his daughter, feeling just a small bit of juice flowing through him, but having a trick up his sleeve regardless. "I'm not going anywhere, either, Regent." He declared, causing the two of them to look squarely at Lisa that sat with them and not on the screen, the final test of her allegiance ready to be answered.

[New Neros]

Daud
The Trial of Daniel Carter

-Daniel Carter

The imposing man cupped his arms around the Kryptonian girl, delivering a kiss to her cheek in a firm smack, the woman holding on to the man's head as he did so. He was well dressed, and so was she, but the moment of intimacy was not to lead elsewhere, but to know that no matter what, either Daud or Sora will always have someone by their side, just like Daniel had his own family to support him. But above all, beyond all of that nonsense, it reminded Daud that sometimes a man just needs to hold the woman he loves, to hug his children with his own arms, and walk without chains. Sora sighed, though, knowing her husband all too well. "Do what you must..." She said softly, Daud cracking a smile.

Daud looked at Sora with michevious eyes, "I'll just ask him, first." Sora simply exhaled and rolled her eyes, Daud planting a few more kisses in rapid session as she pushed him away.

"C'mon, get to work." She said playfully, glancing over at Ray and Ellie, both dressed relatively well and sitting impatiently on one of the sofas in the law office. Daud tore himself away from Sora and walked over to his children, placing a fatherly hand on both of their heads. He promised himself that he'd make sure Daniel could the same when this is over, and that above all, this injustice will not stand to blemish the career of the best man Daud's ever known.

---

Going through the security checks and safety measures of Metropolis Prison was no cake walk, but Daud and Jen navigated them with ease and professionalism. They were his legal help and representation, Daud personally telling his state-appointed attorney to hit the bricks, while Jennifer Walters looked on indifferently. They arrived before Daniel and his family, though, something Daud hoped he didn't have to see, because that was the one thing that would get him misty eyed.

As Daniel spoke first, Jen seemed a bit taken aback, but Daud spoke up on her behalf. "Nice to see you too, bud, I just wish it was under better circumstances. But Ms. Walters here is one of the best attorney's in the country, er, well, countries, and was one of my first picks. She provided representation for the Ultra Corps back in the day, and has an excellent track record of dealing with cases involving superhumans and their ilk." He said calmly back to Daniel, but narrowed his eyes around the room, gaining a quick snapshot of what devices were at play.

"...But," He said quietly, knowing he's being recorded regardless on camera and perhaps on audio tapes as well, "You say the word, Daniel, and I can get you out of here. You and your family." He said, glancing back towards the door. "I've made people disappear before, not in the bad way, either, but like starting over somewhere else. I want you to know, though, a lot of us would have done the same when faced with that man. Heroes and civilians alike are up in arms, divided on the issue, Daniel." He said calmly, "But...my offer still stands." Daud continued, glancing toward Jennifer Walters, who casually looked away.

"A plea of ignorance on my part." She said boldly, noting her personal preference to look the other way.

[New Neros]

Madworld
Beginning of the End

---

-snip

The mighty arms that held Mir close began to relax, the Daxamite seemingly drifting off into a deep sleep of somesort, Mad Max supporting his entire weight. Standing before the Mad God was the executioner of his divine will, his Chancellor and head Magistrate, Otto Godblessed. He bowed in a steeping motion, casting the bloody spear to the side and pointing his head to the ground, a small aura of shame hanging over him. "My Lord, I could not stop him before he reached your chambers. I will take full responsibility for this, pass your judgement as you see-"

"It's fine, Otto." Max said, raising himself and holding the massive alien in his arms like a fallen comrade. "I do not blame you, rather, I commend you. His rampage would not have been ended so abruptly had it not been for your action on this world, and on Warworld." Max said, passing the slumbering body of Mir to Otto, who gave the alien a look of confusion. "I watched from the corner of my eyes, and you've done exceptionally well. You know Mir had no part to play in the battle, an innocent man made to do unspeakable things." Max explained, "Take him to the infirmary downstairs and stay at his side, tell him of where he is, and that he has a home now. I will send a team to contain Warworld." He said, Otto nodding in affirmation, flashing a look to whoever stood behind him, and nodded a quick 'hello' to them as well.

As Otto turned and left, Max remembered that his teacher stood over him with watchful eyes. Her words had been stuck in his mind since she poised those loaded questions, on whether he had chosen the correct course of action in creating Madworld. That he was merely avoiding death, the end, and other implications and assumptions. The questions were not meant to torment, tease, or belittle, but to make the Mad God think. "That man that was just here was Otto Godblessed. He is my steward of Madworld, an uncompromising man of justice born of Asgard. My actions are judged by him alone, and he carried another man who was but a victim of circumstance. His kindness knows no bounds."

"But," Max stated, turning to Corinna, "Mine does have limits. For what man can tell others with a kind heart that they are going to die? This path I've selected, this world I've created, it is done out of fear of the unknown. Of death. I've been beyond the veil of time and I was afraid. I've seen beyond the curtain and saw the true end of all creation. My options were limitless with the Cosmic Cube, and I could do anything at my leisure, but I have no regrets. Survival was not simple because all universes will perish, so I had to plan accordingly. I could save myself with ease, but the amount of people I was willing to save was far beyond my grasp even with ultimate power."

"So, I became a Mad God, whose wrath knew hardly any end, in order to harden my personality for the harshness of the end. I could not falter if thousands relied on me for basic survival, I could not be weak if they demanded protection. Madworld is but one of many paths, perhaps it is ego, but this is the one I've deemed the best possible choice. Not the only, mind you, but serving the interest of all. Just as two and two can equal four, three and one can as well." He said clearly, but stopped for a moment, becoming rigid and cold. "Our time is running thin. I felt the walls between our universe and another weaken for a moment." Max declared, whipping around and walking out of his throneroom, expecting his teacher to follow.

"I thought I had more time, but I have to set things in motion a bit early. Corinna, you have a spot within my Ark, that's assured, but I'm missing some pieces." The Mad God said flatly, "You can come help me gain one of them while Otto gets the other whenever Mir recovers or stay here on Madworld. The choice is yours. Madworld can run smoothly without me or Otto, as you probably guessed, the civilian life isn't too highly adapted. They are but extensions of the supercomputer that makes up Madworld." He continued, finding a small, sophisticated teleportation chamber, punching in coordinates, and firing it to life before their eyes. "Our first stop will be..."

"...New Genesis."

-Zephy

Before the Mad God could get an answer from his teacher, a bone-chilling scream echoed throughout his chambers. Shuddering, he removed himself from the room briefly and walked back into the throne room to determine the source of the ruckus, a familiar face quickly coming into view as the Mad God sighed with exasperation. He folded his arms and listened to Zephy jumble her rambling about a fish. Even as a fluent linguist in Allspeak, Max couldn't understand half of what she was saying, but he took the fish in her hands and held it lightly, examining it for a moment.

"Ambrose, a glass bowl and seawater, please." He commanded, a docile, lifeless servant appearing almost instantly with what Max requested, and surprisingly at a size large enough for the fish in question. Carefully, he dropped the rainbow wrasse into the salty water, Mr. Fishy darting around 'excitedly', though more like he was terrified. "See? He likes his new home." Max said, taking Zephy by the hand and leading her off to a side room where he and Corrina were a moment ago, handing Zephy the bowl as they went. "Max and his teacher are going to be going somewhere very important, okay Zephy?" He asked slowly, but not in a derogatory manner,

"You can come, but you have to stay hidden, okay?"

---

Val Valentine
City of Gotham

The grim city was hardly on anyone's vacation list, but how Val ended up here was anyone's guess. Some sort of fluctuation in the portal to Earth from Madworld, but she was glad to at least be somewhere where they spoke English. Though, she reckoned anywhere would have been better than Gotham, English or not, because here she felt unsafe, exposed, watched, and every other bad feeling one could have. She was cold and damp, the city somehow robbing her of warmth in the process.

She simply walked the streets, aimless and without a place in mind, her own brain on thoughts of Madworld and Max...that asshole, deciding to become his own God and abandoning Earth. But, it was that love she felt for him, and it pained her heart. She stopped somewhere, on some random sidewalk in the middle of Gotham, and almost started crying. Val simply sniffled, keeping her emotions down and trying to hide them as best as she could, but that was slowly starting to seem fruitless. She held her hands up to her face for a moment, waiting for Maxwell to grab her by the shoulder, and take her anywhere else but here.

[New Neros]

-snip

Madworld
Mad God and the Mobius Chair

The Mad God gently patted Zephy on the head as she counted, his full attention on the humming teleportation machine before them. Glancing cautiously to his teacher, Corinna, he wondered what thoughts assaulted her mind at the actions and explanation of Max had given her, she had simply nodded with a smirk but refrained from actually speaking. He wouldn't know for a while, and had no time to badger her for a proper answer. "Alright," He said quickly, "The item that needs to be grabbed is known as the Mobius Chair. It has capabilities of transcending space, time, and universes at will, and is in the hands of a New God known as Metron. I'll be taking it personally, and it will be used as a control center to guide Madworld past the End." He said, speaking directly to Corinna and Zephy as he hopped aboard the teleporter.

Oh, but why not just keep it for yourself? A voice asked in the Mad God's head, the man making no clearly identifiable action that would give him away. With that kind of power, you can give me a body, and then I can help you with your little project even more. It seemed to taunt, Mad Max narrowing his eyes slightly. The voice seemed feminine, slightly antagonistic, yet not particularly malevolent against Max. But...I'll give you enough respect to say that the Mobius Chair is your best option. You said it best before, though, that it isn't your only one.

For a being as old as you, I'd imagine patience is but a way of life. Regardless, your body will be made as soon as Otto returns from Asgard. Max thought back toward that voice within his head, stepping up into the teleportation platform and feeling the sensation of his body fluctuating across space as the process recreated a boom tube. If you hadn't noticed, I'm busy using the one part of your body that's left of you. You must marvel at the coincidence, though, of us coming together.

Stranger things have happened. The voice replied, Max shrugging his shoulders in pseudo-agreement.

Lightly, the feet of the Mad God touched down on the swaying grasses of a lush planet. Instantly, one would feel that they were not so much as part of the universe anymore, but somehow near it. But, the scenery of nature broke apart as one looked across the planet's surface, the ruins of cities and towns long lost and destroyed marking the true history of New Genesis - a participant in the never-ending war between Apokolips and her master, Darkseid. Maxwell knew better than ruffling feathers in this part of the multiverse, though, and quickly informed his companions.

"We are not fighting New Gods. In fact, Metron supports neither. The only reason we're here is because Metron is here - he discusses the death of the multiverse with Highfather as we speak." Max said flatly, "I have all that I need to take care of him." He said, lightly touching a pouch on his waist. "Stay hidden, fight if you must. I'll get all of us out with the Mobius Chair." He said finally, phasing out of existence by the look of it, but merely manipulating his own energy to place him someplace near Highfather and Metron in order to get into position. Maxwell found himself high on the ceiling, looking down at two New Gods, some of the most powerful of their number, talk so casually about the End.

"So then, Metron, there is no hope?"

"Aye."

"And of the Source?" Highfather asked, his hand on his chin tightly as he locked eyes with the ground.

Metron was stoic in his response, no upward emotion to be found. "Dead as well. The Incursions on Earth are to unravel this universe and all universes like it. I would normally not share my information with you, Highfather, but I have reason to believe that Darkseid knows of the End as well." He stated, a tense air hanging between Highfather and Metron as they both locked eyes and looked for just the slightest hint of trustworthiness in one another. "I come to ask to unit-"

"Out of the question." Highfather said abruptly, "I will not work with my brother, even in the face of the ultimate death of all creation." Highfather spat, "In fact, I am joyful to know that he will die as well, our war a stalemate eternally." Metron did not say anything in particular to this comment, but simply watched Highfather as he dealt with the death of everything on his own terms, ascribing a sense of victory to his numerous battles with Darkseid.

"Even the Life Question will not work." Metron said quietly, knowing that Highfather thought of it subliminally in his mind, that there was a way to escape. Highfather looked at Metron with a panicked look, but relented, shaking his head at the death sentence given to New Genesis and his people. Maxwell listened to their conversation solemnly, wondering himself if the Ark could work and prove the all-knowing Metron wrong. He tightened up suddenly though, Metron seeming to try and make his own exit. "I trust you will do with this as you will, Highfather. For me, time is short as well. I will take my-"

Between the two New Gods, Maxwell landed after he jumped from his hiding spot, causing both of them to be surprised and shocked. "Who dares!" Highfather bellowed, throwing an offensive, reflexive punch towards Mad Max, whose only defense was offering up an extended palm. Highfather's fist smashed against some unknown force as he poured more and more energy into the strike, baring his teeth menacingly as Maxwell seemed relaxed and at ease with blocking a punch from a New God with his powerful absorption ability. His other hand produced what appeared to be little more than a rudimentary pistol, whose barrel was trained right on Metron.

Metron's stoic face was without emotion or concern, the weapon of no consequence to him, but still, it was a staring contest like no other. Highfather began to pound and smash at the invisible wall of Max's absorption field, giving him more and more power at Highfather's expense. "Tell me, then," Metron asked Maxwell, breaking the silence between them that was offset by the struggle of Highfather, "Have you achieved divinity as well, son of the Fifth World?" Max knew instantly he refered to Earth, and with his All-Seeing Eyes, he searched ahead in time for Metron's would-be escape, but did not find it whatsoever.

"I have." Max said clearly, but offering a rebuttal, "Yet, I am only powerful and functionally immortal. That does not mean unkillable, much like you and other Gods." He continued, lowering his energy absorption field, dropping low, and kicking Highfather in his lower abdomen, causing him to step back and double over. Shocked from the hit, Highfather looked up, only to see the barrel of a gun to his face. He had no reason to fear it, so he gave the Mad God a smirk. "Observe." Max commanded Metron, the Mad God squeezing the trigger with force, causing a bullet to stream out of the barrel at incredible speeds no real handgun could realistically fire at. Highfather realized his fatal error all too late as the metallic bullet bored through his chest at point-blank range, lodging itself deep in the New God's chest cavity, sending his body several feet back.

Metron remained emotionless, watching, just as he had been told, as Maxwell Morningstar fatally wounded Highfather. Mad Max turned the weapon to face Metron himself now, whose eyes were trained upon Max instead of the gun. "Radion." Metron said clearly, Max offering no confirmation on that fact, despite it's truthfulness. "I have been to Madworld, Maxwell, and I have seen what you are trying to accomplish." He said solemnly, closing his eyes, Maxwell prepared to fire once more. "The way you fifth worlders flee from destruction is...amusing, to say the least."

"If you know that, then you know why I'm here." Maxwell replied, "I'm not here to kill Highfather. No, he will survive until the End, but otherwise, that wound would be fatal after some time."

"You are here to kill me." Metron responded, "Yet, you do not want to. Morningstar, you wish to kill me if I do not yield the Mobius Chair to you." He continued, knowing the Mad God's gambit, "I'm afraid that I would never do so under any circumstance, no threat of death or annihilation would prove great enough to allow me to leave this seat. That is before we learned of the End, though. Maxwell, my thoughts, actions, and sentience are all housed within this chair, this body is but a conduit for it to interact with reality. I have no means of surviving the End, but you have the slightest flicker of hope that you may."

"That's why..." Metron said, gripping down on his arm rests and pulling himself forward, standing up from his multiversal seat, "That is why I will give you the Mobius Chair. I want to learn what lies beyond the end, and you are providing me with that knowledge. An agreement we can both benefit from, no?" He asked, stepping back onto the solid ground of New Genesis for the first time in millennia. He stood aside and gestured to the chair, offering it to Maxwell, "I will stay here with Highfather while you take the chair back to Madworld. I place my trust in you, Maxwell, and offer you but one request..."

Maxwell lightly stepped upon toward the Mobius Chair, the power glowing within it almost beyond comprehension by even the Mad God. He lifted himself up in the air and turned around, lightning striking and energy bonding occurring between the body of the Mad God and the Mobius Chair. As soon as he made contact, he felt the fate of millions of realities being ended and created at once, the all-knowing device flooding him with the memories, thoughts, and actions of lifeforms perished and returned to the Source, and for once, the understanding that it was possible to survive the End.

"...Survive."

[New Neros]

Madworld
Czar-Mir

The Daxamite's eyes shot open as his lungs filled with air in a deep gasp, the only sensation the man feeling was the embrace death had on him just moments again. Echoing back to that moment, he found a savior that held Mir within his arms. Slowly, feeling began to return to his body, and the first thing he felt was the cold, metallic surface his body lay on top of. He looked around the room, the place seeming like an operating room, something medical surely, but he was too confused to truly know. In the corner, another man sat, one leg thrown over the other, reading some papers out of a folder.

"Welcome back, Mir." The man said, his voice causing the Daxamite to jump slightly at the mention of his name. "Or do you prefer Czar?"

Mir swung his legs over the metal table and sat upright, dazed and confused, rubbing his forehead slightly. "I...Uh, Mir is fine." He said quietly, looking at his surroundings once more, taking it all in. "What is this place, if you don't mind me asking?" He seemed to trail off, locking his eyes on the man in the corner, but shook his head when he realized that he was staring at him. "And uh, who are you?"

The man stood up from his seat and gently placed the paperwork and the folder on the chair, turning back to face Mir and answer his questions. "This place here? This is an operation room in our infirmary. You're on a planet known as Madworld, and you are safe now, Mir." He said, coming to the Daxamite and offering his hand, Mir looking at it for a moment, the man finally revealing himself. "My name is Otto Godblessed, and I'm going to show you around." Mir nodded, taking the man by his hand, and jumping down from the metal table.

"My clothing..." Mir said, looking down at his hospital garb-like outfit.

"Next room over. We refurbished it, touched it up a little. It was badly damaged in our battle."

"Our battle?" Mir asked, looking at Otto for a moment, before a sudden flood of memories washed over him, the man dropping his head down in shame at his actions while under control of Warworld.

"Seems like you remember it just a bit, no?" Otto asked, "It doesn't matter much anymore. You had no control over your actions. Me and Maxwell extracted the Yellow Power Ring, and with it, the Warworld AI. A...suitable replace will be found for you soon enough." Otto stated, walking from the room and into a hallway, Mir in tow. "As for the explanation of you being here in the infirmary, well, we needed to ensure you were all alright, and that the serum took effect."

"Wait, serum? What serum?" Mir asked, a bit panicked, realizing his body was at the mercy to these men while he was unconscious.

"It's known as the Anti-Lead Serum. As a Daxamite, your kind is pervious to lead. It is lethal and damaging to your well-being, and I stabbed you with a lead-tipped spear. In order to save your life, the Mad God injected you with the serum, and we've monitored your recovery sense." Otto explained, "As expected, you healed abnormally quickly, little time has passed between your supposed death and now." Walking to the next room over, the two men entered it and found Mir's clothing adorning a mannequin, Mir observing it and oogling at it's improved condition.

"It looks better than when I had it..." He commented, removing it from the mannequin and throwing off the hospital gown he currently wore, nudity not being much of a problem between Otto and Mir as the Daxamite threw on his old clothes. "So, you could say I was reborn here on Madworld, huh?" He said, sliding his pants on easily, working on his top now. "If that's the case, and from what I've seen of your peoples' generosity," Mir continued, "Then I suppose you want me to stay here with you."

"That's part of it, Mir." Otto replied, "We know that you...don't really have much elsewhere to go. Why not stay here with us?"

"Space is a big place, how do I know this is right for me?"

"Because the last world you went to tried to take over your mind and body." Otto answered plainly, Mir smirking, nodding in agreement.

"Fair enough." He slipped on his boots, gloves, belt and the finishing touches on his outfit, "I'll join you here in this...Madworld."

[New Neros]

Madworld
Assault on Asgard

Otto Godblessed stood side by side with Mir, the Daxamite grabbing onto the Asgardian's shoulder as Otto activated his Odinring and accessed the vast pool of the Odin Force in order to teleport both him and his compatriot to the roots of Yggdrasil, the mighty World Tree that supported the Nine Realms. The air was cool, the place slightly damp, and a soft ambient light illuminating the surroundings of the two men. Mir was in awe of the vastness of the root system, stretching far in all directions, and from what he could tell, as far upward and downward as he could see. The look on Otto's face was not of awe, though, his was of concern.

"My word...it appears that the End really is upon us." He said quietly, his voice carrying some distance in the vast space.

"What makes you say that?" Mir replied, touching one of the larger roots and trying to follow it up into the air with his eyes.

"Yggdrasil is decaying, deathly. Even in the annals of Ragnarok, the World Tree was supposed to seed new life in the universe after destruction. But this...this is not how it's supposed to be, even in destruction. The Tree knows that the cycle is over, and she is dying." Otto said solemnly, almost sad, touching one of the roots as well, patting it gently as shaking his head. "Come now, the Mímisbrunnr is not far from here." Otto said, pulling himself away from the grayish root and floating through the air, dodging other root-branches as he went.

"So, Otto," Mir asked, trailing the Asgardian, "This probably isn't the best of times, but, why did you and the Mad God save me? Why not just let me die with the Warworld AI?"

Otto was silent for a moment, but eventually yielded a response. "Because it wouldn't be right, Mir. We found a way to that worked and kept you alive. We knew you had no where else to go, a Daxamite outside of Daxam is unheard of, so we offered you sanctuary with us. The Multiverse is coming to a dramatic end, and Max wants to save as much people as he can. Warworld would have had you murdered by our hands, and we are no one's puppets." Otto affirmed, lifting his head up slightly, "We're here." He said once more, touching down near a stone well surrounded and covered by roots from the World Tree.

As Otto and Mir stood before the regular sized well, a plume of fire shot forth from it, swirling once, and then forming into a face of some sort. Shielding their faces, Mir and Otto stole glances at the flaming head before getting accustomed to the intense heat. "Who dares visit the Well of Mimir?" It bellowed, spewing fire and ash as it spoke, "For it is guarded by it's namesake, Mimir himself! You come to seek my wisdom, no?" It inquired, "If so, I require a hefty payment." The flaming face seemed to breath deeply, as if it were smelling the two, and exhaled with embers and smoke, "You there! Son of Vili," He said, speaking to Otto, "You smell of Midgard and Jötunn! Explain this rare occurrence."

Otto walked a bit closer to Mimir, unphased by the flames, but secretly concealing how weak it was making him due to his genes. "I will tell you...so long as that knowledge is my payment to the well."

"Fool - you must ask first for knowledge, then I shall decide a payment."

"I do not seek knowledge."

"Then why come to my Well?!" Mimir bellowed, his flames growing higher and appearing to scorch the highest roots of the World Tree.

"I seek what Odin left here millennia ago."

"You seek the payment of Odin Borson? It is not to be bargained for." Mimir said, but seemed to relent. "Unless you have something worth the very eye of Odin himself!" The flaming head cracked and splintered with flame, noticing that despite the hardiness of Otto, he was slightly rocking, almost trembling, and shaking a bit. "Should you best me in combat, then I will relinquish the eye to you, half-breed." It said with a slur, Otto closing his eyes and looking away in shame.

"I accept, Mimir!" Otto declared with all the pride and boastfulness of an Asgardian, lowering himself and preparing to fight the powerful God of Wisdom.

"Then burn." Mimir spoke, causing a whirlwind of flames to assault Otto instantly, engulfing him in scorching winds that assaulted every inch of his body and began to depower the Asgardian. The Daxamite, Mir, could only watch, but eventually, he felt the need to intervene. Moving forward, his mouth began to form ice crystals in his breath, Otto collapsed onto one knee and began to growl in pain, his link to the Odinforce weakening alongside his depowering. "So then, this is the fall of Vilison. Tell me, what name did they give you before they cast you from Asgard?"

"His name..." Mir said, a chilling air escaping from his breath, "Is...OTTO!" The Daxamite yelled, his mouth forming a counter-vortex to the flames of Mimir with chilling ice, pushing the God's flames back for only just a moment, assaulting Otto Godblessed with sub-zero temperatures and freezing the man's back as Mir pushed against Mimir's flames with all the intensity that his lungs would allow. Otto broke his encasement of ice and stood firmly, screaming with power, his eyes a pale blue color and his skin deathly white, veins pounding away at the surface as his Ice Giant heritage came forth to empower him. He lifted his right hand up and turned his palm to face Mimir, taking the ice breath of Mir and pushing further to well over hurricane forces with his Odinring, obliterating the flaming body of Mimir with a storm of ice. All that was left was the well itself.

Mir ceased his frost breath, and went over to Otto, who went forward to the well itself. He peered down at the crystal waters of the well, knowing Mimir would return soon. Leaning over, Otto plunged his hand and arm deep below the surface and felt around, noticing the well was quite shallow despite it's importance. Finally, he found a squishy, sphere-shaped object under water and brought it up to the surface, displaying it with some pride. A severed eye, complete with optical nerve, was what he produced - the one and only severed eye of Odin. He looked back down at the rippling surface of the water, casting a gaze to Mir for a moment, and then back to the liquid. "Do it." Mir encouraged, Otto nodding, and then plunging his own head in the well, taking in a deep gulp of liquid as he did so.

Otto pulled himself from the well gasping for air, his head, neck, shoulders, and hair all wet from the experience. He had stumbled backwards and landed right on his ass, but it didn't matter to him. The well water granted him one of the powers of the All-Father, Odin, who had drank from the well previously. It was like he knew everything that there was to know, an infinite amount of knowledge implanted deep in his brain. From that new and strange power, he jumped to his feet, and yelled for Mir to come close. "Mir! Mimir is returning, we have to get back to Madworld." As he spoke, the well water began to boil, steam erupting from the well like a cauldron, Mir wasting no time in grabbing ahold of Otto Godblessed' shoulder. The two teleported out from the roots of the World Tree, catching the faintest glimpse of a spark returning to the Mímisbrunnr as the duo returned to Madworld.

[New Neros]

-The Regent

Val and her father stood side by side for a moment, slackjawed at the sudden attack on their base, but their facial features contorting in the same manner - proof of their kinship, beyond any doubt at all. Val powered up her gravitation effect, pulling whoever she could down toward the ground as Magneto swallowed a pill-shaped object in a single gulp, a few moments passing before his eyes glowed with a bright, white intensity. "It feels good to be at this power once more..." Magneto said, raising himself off of the ground with his magnetism, singling out a particular opponent for him to face. "Spider-Man, it's been oh so long since I've seen you. How much you've grown is startling...and how much you can grow is subject to our battle!"

"Oh yeah?" Peter Parker retorted, "Let's see you try and hit the web slinging master!" Once he taunted Magneto, Spider-Man launched a string of web and swung around on it, darting from different positions around the battlefield and weaving in and out of on-going fights between the Headhunters and the Rebels, all the while saying, "Excuse me! Dodging flying metal objects, watch out, Spider-Man swinging by!" Magneto tossed and flung just about anything he could at Spider-Man, becoming more and more angry by the moment. Finally, he seemed to just snap.

"Enough of this tomfoolery!" He yelled, Spider-Man looking at Magneto for a moment, not paying attention as the man ripped out the very platform he had his web attached to. Magneto pulled the beam out and brought it down hard on Peter Parker, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man moaning on the floor from the impact. "I'm not trying to kill you, Peter, but you are beginning to force my hand. Stay put!" He yelled, curling the wrought iron beam and encasing Spider-Man in it tightly. Magneto looked over to see his own daughter enthralled in combat, but her opponent much, much more powerful than she. "Val!"

"Got it...covered!" Val yelled, her hands locked against an enraged Supergirl, the tremendous weight of several hundred times Earth gravity allowing Val the slightest chance to match the Kryptonian, if only for a moment. "Nothing...but a...lapdog!" She yelled, throwing Supergirl off to the side and blasting her with a thunderous blast of gravitational force. The girl slid for a moment and impacted a nearby wall, struggling for a moment to raise up on just one arm, firing her deadly optical blast at Val. Jumping out of the way at the last second, Val rolled and was ready to pounce back up - but found Supergirl barreling ontop of her.

The Kryptonian landed an assault of punches on the mutant girl, but Val managed to increase the density of her own body in order to tank the hits with relative ease. "Stupid bitch." Kara said with a cold, toxic demeanor, throwing a single massive punch, forcing Val's body to shatter the ground explosively. Now offended, Val reared her legs in and shot them out at Supergirl, hitting the Kryptonian in the abdomen with incredible, sound barrier shattering force. Kara's eyes rolled back in her head and spit flew from her mouth from the impact, and the girl was sent through the ceiling and flying elsewhere.

Val huffed and breathed, though, exhausted by the brief scuffle. "S-see? Got...got it...covered." She said, standing up and hunching over to catch her breath, Magneto floating beside her.

"The battle is not yet won, Val." He said cautiously, observing the ongoing fights of his comrades and the rest of the Headhunters, preparing to move in to attack them as well.

---

-Virgil

The skin on her neck crawled and her hairs stood on end as Val heard the sickening voice of someone behind her. Meekly, she turned, expecting to find a grotesque monster who recently escaped from the sewers, but instead found a scantily clad bitchcunt who looked even shorter than Val herself. Her face twisted into a laughing smirk at first as she turned to face Virgil, but slowly, this girl's words become more and more venomous, Val's smile fading fast and turning into an angered frown. "What the hell do you want with Max?" She asked callously, "You seem like his type of girl." She spat further, looking her up and down in a heavily judgemental manner.

"I don't think you have what it takes to kill a cockroach, slut." Val continued, trying to appear tough, but her facade fooling no one in particular. "If anyone's weak, it's you." For some reason that Val couldn't shake, this girl seemed familiar, like that Val has seen her face or something some time ago. She tried to remember, narrowing her eyes at the woman, prompting her to jog Val's memory. "What's your name, anyways?" Val reckoned if she could match a face to a name, she could remember how she knows this person, because the way it looks, Virgil definitely knows Max, and surely knows Val, too.

[New Neros]

Madworld
Ultimate End

All-Mother Valka

A quiet stillness hung in the air that populated the court of the Mad God, as if they too mourned the passing of the All-Father and the ruin that became of Asgard. But, they too mourned for their worlds and universe, for it too was dying a steadfast death. To Max's left was Czar-Mir, steward of Warworld and personal ally of the God-King, and to his right was the man Valka sought, the last son of Asgard, but a half-breed born of Ice Giant blood. In this bitter end, such things did not matter to most, and it certainly held no sway over the Mad God. He lifted his armored body from his throne, and slowly made his way down the steps to be on Valka Silverhand's level. He stood tall over her, but it meant little as well, for he dropped down to a single knee and spread himself out, bowing before the Last Asgardian.

"Valka Silverhand, it is a pleasure to have you within my court. I wish it were under better circumstances, but the time for wishing is long gone. We have met once before, and I snubbed you with the utmost disrespect, for which, I am eternally filled with regret." Max rose from his knee and stood tall once more, his armored form possessing a faceless helm to cover his features, allowing only his words to have effect. His height and build were different from before - standing at only 6'4 and a stocky, yet athletic build instead of his former gargantuan size. "You are welcome to my Ark. Many will arrive soon, of their own volition or mine, but the last Incursion is upon us." He said solemnly, "And our universe must survive if the Ark is hold us."

He walked over to the corpse of Odin, withholding his touch, but examining the fallen All-Father with prying eyes. "Odin and I..." He began, recalling a single event where the King of Asgard told the Mad King, at the time, to never return or face his wrath. It was for the teleportation arrays that Max had stolen, but now, their technology was to be used to transport millions of souls to Madworld in just a few short hours. Otto Godblessed had kept his word and fed Odin information on the Ark through his Odinring, and knew that his body would hold up the Ark. "...Saw very little of one another, but he and I confided in this world I created. His wisdom foresaw the End, and even his last moments." He turned to face Valka entirely, informing her of the situation. "Odin's body will be used to survive the collapse of the Multiverse. For only the mightiest of funeral pyres can ever hope to match the glory that Odin represented." He lightly placed a hand on the God's still chest, bowing his head in respect.

"Other devices and artefacts will be used for our safe voyage over," He continued, referring to the Mobius Chair, Warworld support systems, the Godkiller armor, and the severed eye of Odin himself, yet not informing Valka of the latter, "The Ark is the safest place to be in the event. I've heard of another Life Raft used by others from Earth, but not on the scale of Madworld. I plan for the planet itself to transverse the End, while they save who they can fit. I'm glad to have you with me, Valka, as the legend of Asgard must live on in the realm that lies beyond. In the meantime, you and Otto should become acquainted." Max said, raising his hand at his right-hand man, who casually strode over to the duo, kneeling before the All-Mother just as, if not more so, deep as the Mad Go.

"Myself and my other steward, Mir, shall go to Earth and deal with the final Incursion. Otto will guide you through the rest, I assure you. I will prior to our final moments. We have eight hours remaining." Max casually informed Valka, beckoning Mir to come to his side, walking away from the Asgardian and leaving Otto with her, who still knelt with grave respect, awaiting her order to rise to his feet and be recognized by the All-Mother.

[New Neros]

Earth
The Ultimates

The Mad God and his subordinate, Mir, went from Madworld to Earth through use of the teleportation array, arriving moments after the beginning of the final Incursion. Before they began, though, Max held his arm out to stop Mir from engaging. Curiously looking at his leader, the Mad God produced a small, golden ring from somewhere on his armored body. Max then floated in front of Mir, whose eyes traveled from the object to Max's faceless helmet. "This is my gift to you, Mir, a token of my trust, gratitude, and a symbol of your loyalty." He said in an authoritarian tone, "This ring contains the power of a yellow sequence star, and holds all of the energy it will ever have from beginning to end in a fiery supernova." As he spoke, he gently placed the ring in Mir's palm, opening the Daxamite's hand with his own. "We may never a yellow sun again, so this will be your power source."

Mir looked at, a bit awestruck, but could already feel the intense power radiating from it. He inspected it briefly, appearing to be but a simple golden band to be worn on the middle finger. He looked at Max for guidance, who nodded in acceptance at the unasked question Mir posed - can he put it on? Mir carefully picked it up with one hand and slid the powerful device onto the middle finger on his right hand, a flash of light bursting forth as Mir clenched down on it. It was...beyond comprehension for the Daxamite. Power beyond even that of a Sinestro Corps Ring, as if he right against a blazing hot, yellow sun, empowered to his fullest ability. He wanted to thank Max, but the moment was soon lost as the sky darkened overhead.

Whipping their heads upward, Mad God and Mir observed a massive fleet of helicarriers and other various airborne battleships - surely the weapons used by this world to destroy countless others. Looking closer, Mad Max realized that within their ranks where humanoids flying alongside the behemoths, and correctly assuming that they were superpowered foes trying to save their world. He motioned for Mir to come close to him, the Daxamite leaning in to listen, Max giving a ruthless order to fulfill. "Eliminate the vessels. I will eliminate the heroes." He said quietly.

Mir inquired quickly, though, "What about survivors?"

"There will not be any survivors, Mir."

"Ah...I suppose you're right." He replied, Mir's eyes glowing a vicious shade of red and his body surrounded by a yellow aura, further empowering the man. He shot off at incredible speeds, the carnage unfolding before the Mad God like a well-rehearsed orchestra, the explosions of the battleships and world-killer vessels becoming the energy Max would use to fight before his opponents even neared him. He focused on the denizens of the team who accompanied the ships, finding their likeness to another superhero team on Earth.

"The...Justice League?" Max pondered for a moment, but did not hesitate, extending his arm with his palm facing his opponents. Many stopped some distance away, expecting a powerful blast of energy to fly right at them, but all of them realized far too late what was really going to happen. Instead of being blown away by the lone man's assault, the Alternate Justice League was abruptly and harshly pulled toward him at high speed - regular humans and those without superhuman durability within their ranks dying from the change in force snapping their spines and turning their insides into a slurry. "I do this for my world...not against yours." He said in solitude, the very energy being ripped away from the electrons in the alternate heroes' atoms by the Mad God. His control over energy absorption was that acute, and his drive for survival pushing him to the edge of his abilities to produce victory.

What lay before him was nothing but a battlefield drained of all life and energy, destruction on a scale of untold horror and magnitude that would be dwarfed only by the impending disaster that will destroy the two universes. Max floated through this field of war quickly, approaching the Ultimate world, not fearing for a single surviving member of the Ultimate Justice League, as he knew if he did not extinguish them, then Mir will do so just as quickly. Under any normal circumstance, Max wouldn't use this level of power so readily, but nothing about the final end of the multiverse was normal. He flew down to the Ultimate planet's surface, and quickly located the building he needed to find - the Baxter Building.

Within it's innards, scientists and superheroes of all walks of life hurried about in desperation, trying to find the answer, wondering why the Justice League went off line suddenly and without explanation. It was bleak, on Max's world and on this one, as many simply chose to accept their death, others working feverishly to prevent it at all costs. Back to back with Reed Richards, a familiar face threw out equation after equation, throwing together parts and devices at a pace that would put Indy 500 racers to shame, in hyperbole of course. This was the brilliant son of Michael Morningstar, renowned technopath and one of the smartest men in the world, a close aide, advisor, and friend of Reed Richards.

"I ran the formula one more time. It's shaky, but it's the best chance we have." He spat quickly, Reed nodding his head quickly. "Everything else gave us nothing, but this one at least gave us something to work with." Ultimate Max said, almost shoving the calculations in Reed's hands, the older man going over them quickly, affirming their correctness. "Val, are you sure you can do this?" He asked, a small girl smiling back at the man as she was strapped in a massive machine, her limbs covered with metal devices to amplify powers. "There's no shame in backing out now."

"No, Maxie, I'm alright. I can do this. We can do this." She said with a smile, a slight tear on her eye, but the girl quickly wiped it away on her shoulder. Max walked over to her, but his shoulder was caught by Reed, who gave him a look of sincerity and emotion, the man clenching his teeth and every muscle in his body, cursing himself, wondering why he didn't have powers so that he could take Val's place, that way she didn't have to suffer. He walked over to the girl, hugging the connections that surrounded her body tightly, planting an experienced kiss on her lips. "Remember...March 15th," She said with a sly grin, giving him a small kiss back. "The day you asked me to marry you?"

"Val...don't talk like that."

"I do. It was the happiest day of my life." She said with a sweet, tearful smile.

"I can give you so many more happy days, Val, please -" Max stuttered, emotion cracking through his voice, stepping back away from his fiance.

"I know...but we're almost out of time." She protested weakly, her lip quivering, genuine sadness on her face, regret showing through as well. "And...and...just in case, I wanted you to know...To always remember..."

"Val..."

"I'll always love yo-" It wasn't even a sound that interrupted the girl's emotional breakthrough, but a violent flash of light and silence so powerful it drew all sound around it and virtually destroyed it. It was not hard to explain, really, but the aftermath left half of Manhattan utterly destroyed beyond all recognition, the red sky giving the destruction an even more eerie feel - the wave of obliteration starting at one point and fanning out in a cone. At it's apex, where the Baxter Building once stood, the steaming and still smoking hands of an armored God were stretched out before him - the being leveling the city with enough force to splinter the continental plate it rested on, sentencing millions of souls to death in an instant.

Mad Max stood in the wreckage with a calm, observant demeanor, the only recognizable thing to survive the blast some random person who lay just a few feet in front, the Mad God walking across the scorched and absolutely broken Earth to the body, which lied on it's belly, a strange kind of armor protecting it, but evidence of it being blown apart in several places evident. Maxwell turned the man over with his foot, raising his head at the amusing identity of his victim, fascinated at the sheer luck of the attack, but relenting to himself, knowing only he could conceive of it. "Interesting..." He said to himself, the man who lay before him shockingly similar to Mad Max - the Mad God's counterpart from another universe - and the only hope this world had at creating their own Life Raft.

His mission was accomplished, so Max left the scene of the crime, floating back towards his own home-world and leaving this planet to die in the end of everything. No survivors - no competition for survival in whatever was beyond the End. It was abhorrent, but necessary, for it gave the Life Raft and the Ark from Earth-Infinite the best possible chance at making it through the last Incursion intact. But, the Mad God left knowing one thing about his counterpart in the Ultimate world...

...He survived.

[New Neros]

-snip

The Mad God stopped his ascent towards Earth-Infinite and traced his eyes to the source of the voice, before him lying a Celestial Android, perhaps the very last of his kind. Max was surprised, though, when all of the Celestials left, he expected them to take their army with them, but for some reason, this one was left behind. No matter, time was of the essence, and it was best to cooperate rather than cause more problems to be had. "I'm from the Beyond Universe, not this world." He said clearly, "I have ensured the survival of our world from the Ultimates - the rest was, sadly, collateral damage."

"But, I'm afraid we do not have long at all, friend." Max continued on, approaching Frank in a non-threatening demeanor. "We can't stop this world or our own from colliding. Eradicating it is now off of the table. The End is upon us." He said grimly, but without remorse or regret. "But...I have a means to survive. I do not know your name, I will learn it in time, but I will ensure your survival. I am Maxwell Morningstar, God-King of Madworld, and welcome to the Ark." He said, pressing a button on his armored forearm, unleashing a powerful storm of teleportations across the Earth and the Universe itself, the systems of Madworld supporting a mass exodus into it's stasis chambers and habitation areas. Build from the teleporters used by Asgardians, no being could resist the pull across all of the cosmos.

Millions came, their destination right inside select pods, their consciousness fading before they even realized a change in their surroundings. He was a savior of the unwilling, the hopeless, but he watched as the Earth's began to interact with one another, strong storms of friction bridging the two together in the final moments. He felt so very alone...helpless even, as a primal urge to simply remain and accept fate flooded his mind. An automatic function activated based on a timer, the Mad God's body ending up back at the throne of Madworld, Mir in tow, a cast of characters within his throneroom, waiting to be placed in stasis.

-Valka

Otto Godblessed was a man of the law, and for that reason, humble beyond all measure. Despite that, he was a sire of Asgard, and thus, he could never have his fill of mead or wine. Drinking it with the All-Mother was a riveting experience, and he held his tongue as she explained the final moments of Asgard, Otto withholding himself in shame that he could not intervene despite the warning signs he had seen when he visited the World Tree. He looked at his Odinring as she spoke, feeling the energetic Odin Force within it, and feeling it's attraction to Valka, who now wielded the cosmic force.

"You have a story to tell for the rest of time." Otto said with a smile, the epic of Asgard's final stand not to die with the multiverse, "But my story is not one of such scale or epic in nature, All-Mother. I am the bastard son of Vili, my mother was Gerðr, a jötunn and wife of Freyr. They wished to hide their informal affair and union, and so cast me from Asgard as a babe. I am not one for bitter feelings, mind you, so I grew among mortals on alien planets near and far, my Asgardian and Jötunn blood ensuring my survival. I learned values, morals, and humility from races now long gone, but their teaching remains."

"And so I grew without guidance, and in it's place, I found my own, memorizing and reading the values held dear to mortals, my purpose in life destined to be a scholar. That changed, though, as a longing for my origin took me back into the bosom of Asgard. Vili was long dead by Sutur's hands, and Gerðr's other lovers had come to light, so I was welcome. My skills and wit earned me the favor of Odin, and as his nephew, he entrusted me with Draupnir. My spirits were lifted, but I was not suited to the court life of Asgard, the many machinations and plotting of other Gods, so I petitioned Odin to continue my only passion, which was learning of the law of mortals in Midgard."

Otto smiled, swishing the Elderberry wine in his goblet, gulping it down without ill effect, "So, I did so, and eventually was contracted into working with Maxwell in Madworld after some time. Everything was to die, so I took it upon myself to record the justice systems of countless worlds and provide for his administration beyond the End." He leaned back slightly, drinking another solid chug from the wine, and concluded, "That is the story of Otto Godblessed up until now, All-Mother. The surname 'Godblessed' came about before I knew of my lineage, and has stuck with me as a reminder of where I once was and where I am now."

A distant rumbling set Otto to his feet, looking back towards hallway that lead to the throne room. "My Queen, the fated hour is upon us. Mad Max returns, and with him, he brings the lives of millions to be saved."

[New Neros]

Madworld
The End

Where the Mad God sat was not his true throne, but one he had acquired and professed his Godhood nonetheless. It was the Mobius Chair, the very seat that the New God, Metron, yielded to Mad Max in order to power the Ark, whose technology surpassed even that of the New Gods themselves, and perhaps even predated the Source. Still, this epicenter contained many familiar faces, heroes and villains alike, from Earth and even further beyond. Branching out all around the Mobius Chair in several rows and columns were uniform pods designed for hypersleep and healing processes, stasis pods in other words. Max remained on his new seat, but spoke calmly to those gathered, his voice speaking as if it were the room - and planet - itself. He chose to say his speech in Allspeak, ensuring he was understood clearly by all in their native tongue.

"Welcome to Madworld." He said solemnly, ignoring the various machinations and other events going on between the gathered people. "The Multiverse is dying. It will die in the next thirty minutes. Many of you know this already, many do not, but despite knowledge of said event, you all will be saved. Not by hand, but the hands of many who worked to build this survival system. A station that inspires hope and continues the dream of sentient life - human and beyond. You will notice many of the pods are occupied already - my teleportation array placed many directly into the pods, but you lucky few will enter at your own free will." He remained expressionless on the Chair, the platform it was situated on raised slightly above the pods and connected to the floor at it's base, alongside tubes and large wires. "I do not know what lies beyond the End, but I know we will be there. Alive."

"Our defenses are composed of armor and tissue created before the Multiverse, and thus is capable of surviving a multiversal cataclysm. Our life support systems can run independently for nearly one trillion Earth years, and even further if suitable energy sources can be located beyond the End. The artificial intelligence system is known as A.M.B.R.O.S.E., the Algorithm Manufactured Before Rectifying Obliteration to Survive the End, and she will be our steward during these trying times." He motioned to the stasis pods, "Now, we do not have time to waste. Find a pod and enter, the rest will be automatic. Do not worry - you will be in suspended animation, and it will feel like you simply went to sleep and woke right back up."

"Got one big enough for a Titan?" A growling, horrendous voice declared, Mad God peering over at the interruption, finding dissatisfaction that the likes of this menace was necessary to his agenda and further plans yet to be made.

"Of course, Thanos." Max replied, nonchalantly pressing a button on his armrest, the floor beneath the Mad Titan's feet compressing slightly then shooting up, encasing him in a massive, stationary pod. The mega-pod then sank deep into the floor, metallic tile sliding where it disappeared, as if it never even happened. "You all will have questions, but for now, you need to trust me, I will answer them to the best of my ability when we all awake from hypersleep. I shall take the slumber with you all, worry not." He assured them, but further urging their action. "Time is of the essence, people."

[New Neros]

-Daniel Carter

Daud soaked in all of the words of Daniel as he was lead out of the counsel room, nodding along, a bit disturbed that he did not get the chance to respond. But, the man was a pariah at this point, any attempts at keeping the publicity down was for naught, so Daud and Ms. Walters had to win in two courts, the legal one and the one under the public eye. But still, Daud hallmarked back to his younger days, where he'd point and tell Daniel 'I told you so', and even go as far to commend him on the murder through subtle means. Daud had grown past that a long, long time ago, and all that remained was the friendship and trust the two had between each other. He and Jen gathered their things and began to exit the building as well, making some small talk and discussing the upcoming trial as well, a certain sign catching his attention.

"DAUD WAS RIGHT!", it read, the protester wearing some half-baked logo of the Ultra Corps he probably ordered online, the sign an obvious attempt to latch onto the 'Magneto Was Right' slogan, but still, it made the man's blood boil. No, Daud was not right, and it irked him that some still clung to the old methodology and dogma of the long-dead Ultra Corps. That was all far behind him, their betrayal and summary disbandment the cause for celebration, not nostalgic regret. He started to make a b-line for the protester in question, shouting some random sayings, but the big green woman quickly stepped in front of him. Daud looked up and narrowed his eyes at Jen Walters, who met his brash gaze.

"Don't do anything to jeopardize Daniel." She said quietly, Daud shifting his head to look off to the side and toward the ground, feeling a bit foolish. Still, the threat of harming Daniel's image and the trial was what made him yield almost instantly. Daud picked his head up and turned elsewhere for a moment, though, a flurry of news reporters and crews practically running at Jen and Daud. The two stood their guard, Jen leaning in and whispering to Daud quickly, "I'll handle this..."

At the Metropolis Court...

Matthew Murdock was seated facing forward, his fingers locked together as he silently brooded to himself, the surprise of the "Not Guilty" plea going against much of what he's read up on Daniel Carter. The truth of this trial was that Murdock had wanted to be on Daniel's side, but the state having hired him on first. Thus, sadly, a lawyer's job was not to fight for justice, but to fight so that your own side wins. Murdock had himself and some aides on the prosecution table, while the defense held Daniel and his legal counsel, Daud Andreas and Jennifer Walters. Still, the blind man rose from his seat and spoke clearly to the judge.

"You're honor, I'd like to call Daud Andreas to the stand." There was no surprise gasps, shocked faces, or anything of the sort. The court was mundane, by the books, and hardly any circuit act. Daud stood up and waited for the bailiff to escort him to the witness stand, facing the court, judge, and jury. Still standing, he gave his oath and promise to tell the entire truth to the best of his natural ability. "Mr. Andreas..." Murdock stated, pacing before the muscle-clad man in a suit, "My questions will only to be assert the character of Daniel Carter, do you understand?"

"I do." He replied with a quick nod.

"Tell me, then, how is Mr. Carter like as a father, being a father yourself?"

Daud cleared his throat in order to speak clearly, responding quickly. "No child...could ever ask for a better parent than Daniel Carter. He raises his children with a fair hand and a fair deal in life, because people him and I didn't get that chance growing up. Daniel is the godfather of my youngest daughter, because if anything ever happened to me or my wife, I can only trust Daniel with my children." Daud shifted in his seat, confident in his answer, Matt Murdock nodding in agreement.

"Thank you, Mr. Andreas, that is quite moving. But now let me ask, how does it feel like to be the father of two beautiful children, all the while having blood on your own hands?"

"I thought this was to establish Daniel Carter's char-"

"Answer the question, please."

Daud sighed and shook his head to the side. "I acted with legal proceeding, advice, and sanction from the United States Federal Government in the execution of death warrants against high profile, superpowered criminals. Do you ask those who get to flip the switch on the electric chair what it feels like to be a murderer? The two are not comparable." Daud said firmly, staring heavily at Daredevil. "The time frame between the disbandment of the Ultra Corps and when I first became a father is years. My worldview was altered, and ever since I held my son and daughter in my own two hands, I realized that I could never take the life of another person for fear of robbing that person's parents of that moment."

"...But," Daud continued, "Slade Wilson stole that serene moment from countless parents. He has lied, cheated, stolen, and attacked branches of our government, our citizens, and our people. He was one of the most wanted terrorists on the face of the planet and YOU DECIDED THA-"

"No further questions." Matt Murdock said abruptly, refraining from letting Daud use the witness stand to make a case against the victim, "No further witnesses, either, Your Honor." He said, limping his way back to his own table and sitting quietly, writing down his own notes and taking a drink of water, the defense having their opportunity to call their own witness, or cross-examine Daud to establish Daniel's character.

[New Neros]

-Lisa

The battle seemed to be won, and it was brief to boot, but the question of trusting Lisa was almost entirely answered. Until, however, that it seemed like she was prepared to kill the Yellow Lantern. Magneto stood idly by, awaiting for the final blow to be struck, not to judge, but to know that Lisa had what it takes to go past the edge - because unlike his daughter, Val, Magneto was ready to murder immediate threats. It was in his blood, his very being, a cutthroat personality with no nonsense. Val, however, did not stand by, rather, she ran to Lisa's side.

"Lisa!" Val said, holding her hands out in front of her in order to reason with the android, "Lisa...you don't have to kill her." She explained, using her hands to talk as well, "Maybe...maybe you can...I don't know, teleport her ring somewhere else? She can't do much without it, and if it gets too much, you can just teleport her into a prison or something." Val tried to say, hoping to describe alternative scenarios to end the fight without major bloodshed. Her father seemed to scoff, however, walking closer to where Val stood while looking at Lisa.

"Let her do what she must, Val. Lisa must decide on her own. Neither path is truly correct, because if she imprisons, then she is a torturer and no better than the Regent in that regard yet has no blood on her hands, and if she kills, then she gives the girl a short mercy but is forever doomed to the life of a murderer, and still, no better than the Regent. It is a lose-lose situation, but, it's her reasoning on the matter than makes the absolute difference, Val. She can do either for the sake of herself, or for others, and that's what will make her far above her counterpart here." Magneto explained, crossing his arms and observing which way the android was willing to go, already assured that she is on their side either way.

[New Neros]

Secret Wars
Brave New World

The Mad God finally relented and entered the blissful embrace of sleep as his Mobius Chair became it's own version of a stasis chamber, the entire populace he had saved already in their own pods and frozen in time. Mad Max retained his seat to ensure any malfunctions would have his immediate attention from the control center of the Ark, but still, he slept alongside the refugees he took with him. It was as if he just closed his eyes for a mere second, hardly enough to fall asleep, when he was jolted awake by the activation of several protocols to exit stasis. He felt rather rested, but brought up vital signs of the Ark, several alarms beginning to sound at the loss of entire divisions and quadrants, as well as the time frame for the journey.

Eight years had passed, and no one had aged a single day.

But, the more disheartening fact was that the Ark did not make it to whatever lied beyond the end of the Multiverse. Maxwell didn't concern himself with the fact that he survived the End, no, he was consumed that many did not when they were in his care. He ran system scans over and over, hoping for a malfunction to be the cause, but each one detailing the same exact result. He placed his elbow on the armrest of the Mobius Chair and slammed his forehead on his fist, cursing loudly to himself. Of the entire material present in Ark, which was the size a planet similar to Earth, only 10% survived the journey. Another ping caused Max to look up at his holograms, a smirk growing on his face. Plan A failed, millions could not be saved, but Plan B survived with the Mad God and several others under his care.

Maxwell Morningstar nodded with understanding, the failure of the Ark perhaps apparent to others, but not to Max, because technically, Plan B was always the mission. Plan A was the survival of a large breeding population of humans and aliens, which Max had realized would be unsustainable in the long term, but Plan B was the catalog of genetic material for the human race and several of it's offshoots, the true Ark, located right below his feet. Thus, he succeeded, and as an added bonus, a cherry on top, many began to awake from the pods around him as well. He rose from his command chair, the once vast room now cramped and limited, the walls a fusion of rock and lighting from the metallic ones that used to be in their place, and began to walk slowly toward the incredibly large door, ready to face whatever world awaited him and the others head first.

[New Neros]

Secret Wars
Brave New World

Flanking the Mad God were others who had awoken from their stasis chambers, Maxwell casting a look to them beneath his armored helmet. He sighed as he touched the large door, big enough to roll a tank through at least, knowing that the people needed to understand what happened. "I'm glad you all are awake. Regrettably, not all of us could do the same. During transit, the Ark was disrupted and ripped to shreds, only 10% of the one million expected survivors made it with us. We were ripped apart because pieces of the Ark were used to make some...planet of some sort. Scans and guesses can only do so much, I say we all see this with our own eyes." He said calmly, placing both hands on the door, a signal working it's way up from where Max held his hands, causing the door to slowly slide open, a small squeal of rust sounding as it moved.

What met them was almost like a dry, deserted plain of some sort, a soft wind picking up some sand and blowing it in one direction quickly. The Mad God walked out on the soil, the sand crunching beneath his feet as he ventured from the Ark's door, looking at the barren landscape. "The atmosphere is breathable, groundwater exists fifty meters down. What is this place?" He informed, then asked, his small group, quickly snapping his head to the side as he detected movement. Some alien lifeform, humanoid, dashing away from the Ark's doors, instantly recognized as not being a member onboard, Max preparing to go after him, but a blur beating him to it.

That blur was none other than the Mad Titan, Thanos, who grabbed the scrawny alien by his neck and lifted him high in the air, demanding answers. "Perhaps he can tell us, Morningstar." Thanos began, holding him high up in the air, "Pathetic worm, Tell me....Where are we?"

"Th-this is Doom's world! A place for the faithful and unforgiven to-"

"A name, you blibbering fool."

"The High born call it Latverion. Believer's call it God's Kingdom. But everyone else - us common folk - we call it something else...We call it..."

"Battleworld."

[New Neros]

Secret Wars
Battleworld

-snip

-snip

-snip

-snip

The Mad God had walked to where Thanos had interrogated the small creature, the Titan giving the alien a sinister grin. Maxwell thought to himself briefly, his brain working at thousands of miles an hour as a plan formulated between his ears. It took all but a few solid seconds, and then Mad Max turned back to the group, who had questions that needed to be answered. "We must tread lightly," He agreed, "Doom is not one to be trifled against. However, there is good in this world, so we can see that Doom has allowed many of these creatures to retain their free will. How many others did Victor save, though? We have more questions than answers..."

"So far, our only plan is to gain information and act on it accordingly. Doom remade the world - and the very multiverse - but he did not do in his own image." However, at that moment, he felt Battleworld tremor and shake violently, wiping his head to face the rocky outcrop that was named Magnus. "Your Majin friend...she's going to attract some attention." He stated clearly, smirking beneath his helmet. "Good. Maybe whoever Doom has policing this world can answer a few questions of ours." Max continued, Thanos of Titan clearing his throat readily.

"Why don't you ask them yourself?" He said, his head locked onto the sky overhead. Maxwell shifted his shoulders and looked to where Thanos was gazing, an entire division of Thors floating down from the skies. Words escaped him, and he tightened his fists, the oldest and wisest of the Thors bore a face of no quarter - this massive army sent in for a battle, not for an arrest or interrogation. Thanos and Mad Max stared on ahead at the numerous Thors, the two joined by Mir and Otto Godblessed, arriving a bit late to the party, but their jaws going slack at the sight of the Thor Corps.

[New Neros]

Secret Wars
Battle of Thors

Thanos and Mad Max stood side by side as a member of the Thor Corps descended and touched down right before the both of them, his aged look, eyepatch, and beard giving him a an image of authority and seniority, but above all, a look not unsimilar to the deceased All-Father, Odin. Thanos held a snarl upon his face while Max held himself amicably behind his faceless helmet, intent on hearing what the leader of this dispatch of Thors had to say. "We know not of your origins, but we have been sent here by God Doom to facilitate your arrest." The Thor Corpsman said loudly, a grip tightening on his trustworthy hammer.

"And if we refuse?" Thanos said menacingly, stepping forward to impose his size against the Odin-look-a-like.

"Then lethal force is authorized." Just as he spoke, the Titan was struck from behind and to the side of his body by some great force, cackling through the air and causing the rest of the Thor Corps to launch an assault against the members of the Ark. The Thor who blindsided Thanos reared back to strike the Titan once more with his Mjolnir, but in an act of pure strength, Thanos turned and stopped the mystical hammer from impacting him with his massive palm. Using his other hand to strike, Thanos smashed the Thor in the deadcenter of his chest, sending him flying across the ground for several hundred meters. With Thanos' back turned, the leader of the division was ready to smash his own hammer into the Mad Titan, but this would-be sneak attack was thwarted by a tackle from an unlikely ally.

Thanos looked over his shoulder at the commotion, noticing that he was not wrong to follow Maxwell into this new world, the man had tackled an Odin imposter to the ground to defend the Titan. Thanos gave Max a smirk, and turned to fight other Thors with his immense strength and durability, leaving Max to fight the Corpsmen. Grabbing onto the Thor's armor, Mad Max pulled himself forward quickly and collided his helmet with the Corpsman's face in a brutal manner, blood flying from his nose from the impact. As the Thor reared his head back against the ground, he brought his hammer up and swung it to the side, smashing Max right below the shoulder and throwing him off, sending him tumbling in the opposite direction for a moment.

Re-orienting himself from the strike, Maxwell turned over and dig his heels into the ground, still sliding, but standing upright as he did so. The Thor stood up with help from his hammer, the two men glaring at one another for a second, the Mad God suddenly launching himself forward to strike, the Thor readying to bring his hammer down once more. He did so right as Maxwell was upon him, but it seems like the Mad God had anticipated this development, and caught the Mjolnir with his off-hand. Not only did he catch it, but he pushed it back, up and over, against the natural movement of the Thor's shoulder, a clicking sound signalling the joint being dislocated. From this position, slightly in front and to the side of the Thor, Maxwell delivered a gruesome right hook, striking hard against the one piece of flesh not protected by the Thor's armor - his neck.

"It's simple leverage." Max said clearly, the Thor dropping to his knees as he held his through with the one good hand he had left. "Don't take it the wrong way, I'm not worthy by any stretch of the imagination." He loomed over the Corpsman, who choked and coughed something fierce, doubling over and putting his head on the ground. "But..." He continued, squatting down and getting right next to the Thor's ear, "I'm worthy enough to beat you." Steadily Mad Max rose back up, looking over the battlefield that developed in front of him, seeing the likes of Mir, Otto, Thanos, several of his former allies, and potential new allies, fighting valiantly against the might of the Thor Corps. In his mind, he formed the basic groupings of a team of individuals to aid him in his true mission here on Battleworld:

To overthrow and take the powers of Victor von Doom.

[New Neros]

Secret Wars
Noble Retreat

Within the shattered halls of the Ark, a lone pod remained in stasis among many who did the same. What made this one special, however, was that it was beginning to open - the haze and fog throwing itself into the air as the low temperature was made ambient. Within it's chambers, a small hand reached out and grabbed the side, the other hand following, and pulling up all at once, a girl of both beauty and innocence emerged from her delicate, restless sleep. She looked around, nervously, wondering just where she was, what was happening, where is everyone. She was scared, alone, and curled herself up into a ball, waiting. Waiting for her knight to come rescue her.

"Val Valentine, is it not?" A female voice declared, walking before the pod Val had been kept in, the girl jumping at the noise and whipping her head to face the stranger, her face narrowing and getting rather upset at who spoke to her. "Ah, it's good that you are awake. I'm sure Maxwell would like to see you. Follow me."

"What do you know about Max?" She spat quickly, jumping out of her pod, her knees wobbling after being asleep for eight years. She would have fallen, if the other woman hadn't been there to catch her, the other girl's armor quite the fashion statement.

"I should know a lot. I'm his teacher, after all." Corinna said, a sly smile snaking it's way onto her lips. "Now, enough chatter. A battle wages outside of the Ark."

"...Ark?" Val asked, walking behind Corinna, her eyes going from pod to pod, some open, some yet to do so.

"The Multiverse collapsed. Maxwell had provisions in place to survive just such an event." Corinna explained clearly, coming before a large, open door, the sound of carnage and warfare very apparent for the two of them. While Corinna remained calm and observant, Val had wild, frightened eyes at the scene, unable to handle or get a grasp on the situation. "That man prepares for many things. Perhaps not this battle, though. It is won regardless." Corinna commented, shifting to look at Val. "You should wear armor as well. It would...suit you." The Last Spartan smiled briefly, taking flight over the battlefield and leaving Val behind for a moment.

"Wait!" Val said, reaching her hand out, but being blocked suddenly by the mighty chest of a Thor, the girl's eyes growing wide, her jaw dropping. Val backed up two steps, falling on the last one right on her ass, her eyes still locked on the Thor in that scared look. The Thor seemed rather stoic at first, but then uneasy at the sight, twirling his hammer in his hand and glancing to the side. It took honor to be a member of the Thor Corps, and hitting a defenseless woman was not honorable in the slightest. He turned his head at the sound of a foghorn, dozens of his brothers doing the same, and many more flying straight into the air.

"Retreat!"

The Thor Corps had been dealt a swift and decisive defeat, yet it would not be the end. They would re-group and enact an formidable plan of action to re-engage the survivors on the Ark. THe man who stood before Val, however, looked to his brethren and then to Val, snatching the girl by the hair quickly, Val letting off a scream of pain for a moment, but then simply being carried by her arm. Another Thor grabbed the other, Val confused at the entire situation as the floated away. "M...Max..." She said quietly, trying to get a better look at the battlefield, trying to find Morningstar, accidentally thrashing about in order to do so. She caught sight of him, and their eyes locked. Time stood still for a single moment as their souls tried to reconnect. "Max!" She shouted, reaching out for him, until one Thor quickly and lightly tapped her on the head with his hammer. Val being unprepared for the hit, she fell unconscious quickly.

The Mad God had thrown a Thor off of himself, readying for a counterattack, but finding his opponent rising into the air. Maxwell had had his helmet knocked off in the fight, revealing his sturdy facial features and medium length blonde air, his stern look quite the appearance of a orderly nobleman, and the way he stood speaking volumes of confidence and power. All that image that was projected was quickly erased however, as he saw his one true love in the arms of the enemy. Meeting her eyes, his hairs stood on end, "Val..." He whispered, a calming hush falling over the battlefield, the man's shocked expression turning quickly into total and complete rage as she was knocked out.

He swirled the energy all around him and drew it close to his body, his eyes glowing a fierce orange as Mad Max empowered himself and prepared to charge the retreating Thor Corps to save Val, Max actually taking off after them at high speed, but barely moving more than a few feet, one of his legs caught by the Mad Titan, Thanos. "You....WHY?!" He screamed, whipping himself around and grabbing Thanos by his collar, struggling to lift the man up off the ground into Max's own face. Their respective beauty was apparent as the two men stared into each other, the Thor Corps making their escape as Max and Thanos shouted at one another. "Thanos, why did you stop me?!"

"Your anger has blinded you. That pathetic girl will lead us right to where the rest of those Thors are at. Where else would Doom keep those Thors escape close to himself? She will lead us right to their God." Thanos spoke clearly but with tremendous power, but most of all, he spoke with reason. Max set the massive man back on the ground, lowering himself as well, his expression still extremely pissed. Joining the Mad God and the Mad Titan were Max's own cronies, Mir and Otto, exhausted from their fights, and Corinna, the angelic Spartess, barely even scratched from the battle. She held her head down slightly, approaching Maxwell, and then looking him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, Maxwell. I left her side to join the fight." Corinna admitted, prepared for a verbal assault by the enraged King, or God as he prefers, yet none came. He held his tongue, and simply picked up his helmet from the ground. He lightly dusted it off, the members of his small circle awaiting his response to everything at this point, Mir looking upon him with a sense of wonder and excitement, Otto with an eye that judged every action, and Thanos with unparallelled strength and power.

"That doesn't matter right now, Corinna. Thanos...is right." Max said clearly, his eyes still narrowed at the Mad Titan. "We'll find her, and we do, we'll find Doom." The rest of the survivors on the Ark seemed to do their own things while the small circle chatted, but Max turned to face them, his clan at his back as he addressed them all at once. "You all fought well out there. I would be honored to have anyone of you at my side, but I only need a few of you for the next phase. Myself and those behind me will be tailing the Thors back to wherever they came from. They have one of our own taken prisoner, and we will get her back." Maxwell spat, grabbing his faceless helm, and lowering over his head. The headpiece clicked and hissed, internalizing the armor's systems once more.

"I need others to stay and guard the Ark itself, or go around this planet and cause chaos in order to throw Doom and the Thors off of our trail. Liberty, Frank," He said, singling the both of them out, somehow knowing their names, "You two alone can guard the Ark better than anyone, as well as you, Valka, but your services as All-Mother will be needed if we're to follow the Thor Corps....along with your own Corps." He said, mentioning the ten other Asgardians who joined her. "This world is brutal and may very well break us, but before that happens, we might as well as give them hell along the way." He continued, opening his arms, seeing if any would volunteer for a job protecting, following, or causing mayhem.

[New Neros]

Secret Wars
Pursuit

The chase was not one for excitement or thrills, but more like trailing and scouting. The band that followed Mad Max stayed out of sight of the Thors as they made the long journey back to Doomgard, an impressive feat for any, but eventually, the travelling Cabal had to stop and make camp and plan their next moves. At the head of the party was Maxwell, naturally, but his assorted companions were nothing to take lightly, either. The Mad Titan, the All-Mother of Asgard, and the Last Spartan were all within his ranks, along with Maxwell's own close associates, Otto Godblessed and Czar-Mir. They all sat idle by a fire, common chat taking them as they rested before a small campfire.

"How many miles have we travelled?" Mir asked, leaning his head back and resting his skull against a rocky outcrop, not asking anyone in particular but the group as a whole, Corinna answering him quite quickly.

"Close to three-hundred leagues. Over a thousand miles." She said abruptly, shifting around and looking at her group mates, "I can continue on, and by the looks of it, many of you can as well." She commented, noting the high levels of stamina present in the Cabal, all were hardly tired and simply sat upon instinct. "We still hold the element of surprise, and the quicker we can retrieve Val the better." Corinna continued, the ancient wisdom echoing through her advice, many nodding along with it, but the one man who did not agree faced away from the fires and stared off into the night sky.

"It will not serve us well to rush in." He stated clearly, understanding that while he had enough firepower with him to take on the Thor Corps, he still needed more information and time to plan for the assault on Doomgard and prepare for the arrival of Victor von Doom, should he take the matter into his own hands. "We need to gather as much information as we can, and that's why I brought this with us." The Mad God said, revealing a square box from his belt. It's quick Ping! was evident of it's origin: A Motherbox from New Genesis. "I acquired this Motherbox from the Mobius Chair, and now that we know were to go, we can slip into Doomgard Castle for some recon." Corinna smiled at the suggestion, glad to see that her pupil is just as smart as ever. See, she was testing him with her statements, wondering if he would agree to take the fools path and charge in for Val.

"Otto," Max said, stepping next to his Asgardian friend and putting the Motherbox in his hands, "You and Mir take this and head into Doomgard. It works by touch and voice activation, just say where you want to go, and it'll take you there. I want to know how many Thors they have and what kind of defenses and security measures exist. The works. Find where they're keeping Val, too." He said simply, Otto nodding as if he had done this time and time again, Max turning to face the rest of his Cabal. "While they are away, we should brainstorm on possible action plans in case the Thors discover our location, or even worse, if Doom himself does."

Otto walked over to Mir, the Daxamite pulling himself up from the ground and stretching himself out, his muscle fibers twitching as the short rest did him some good. Otto waited for him to get done with his small warm up, finally asking, "You ready to go?" Sternly, Mir nodding quickly as he cracked some of his fingers and neck to limber up even more. Otto paid him no mind and just sorta aimed the Motherbox at one direction and gave it a command. "Motherbox, take us into Doomgard Castle. Keep us hidden." Ping! was the response, followed by the cracking of a Boom Tube opening up before the Asgardian and Daxamite, the two trading looks, but reluctantly entering the vortex together.

With them gone, Max continued with his small session. "Anyways, currently, our biggest threat is Doom..."

"Wrong."

The Mad God felt his head and neck suddenly encased in a wrought iron vault, the intense pressure keeping him in place as he squirmed and struggled to free himself. From behind the Boom Tube, a monolithic tyrant had appeared, and with everyone's backs turned, he managed to get the jump on Mad Max. His fearsome size and build were matched by only one in the group, but his glowing eyes set him apart from all others. He was the end, the dreaded ruler of Apokolips, conqueror of universes both known and unknowable, the New God who held the Mad God by his neck was none other than Darkseid himself. "Tell me, boy, how did you acquire a Motherbox when my world and New Genesis were both destroyed?"

[New Neros]

Secret Wars
Darkseid vs Thanos
Part One

The Dark God tightened his grip on the head of Mad Max, the human reaching up to try and pry Darkseid's massive fingers from his helm, Max's systems flashing and sending him alerts of the titanic pressure nearing the limit for the protection. Max gritted his teeth and threw his legs back, slamming them into Darkseid to no effect, save for a laugh from the New God. "Surely you have more fight in you than you, Morningstar." Darkseid said in his powerful, booming voice, the remaining members of Maxwell's Cabal readying themselves to save the Mad God from the clutches of Darkseid, until a purple blur smashed into the New God's face like a roaring freight train.

Darkseid flew back several feet and collided with a rocky outcrop, dropping Mad Max while in flight and causing him to tumble and roll, ending up on his hands and knees and looking at whatever guardian angel had decided to aid him. It was without a doubt the ugliest, most powerful angel he could have asked for, none other than the Mad Titan, Thanos, himself had come to the aid of the God-King. "Consider us even from the fight with the Thors, Human." Thanos sounded in his equally powerful, trombone of a voice, rubbing the fist he has smacked Darkseid with.

"Surely you underestimate me, Titan." The cool, collected voice of Darkseid replied with, the New God grabbing onto a nearby rock and pulling himself from the decently sized crater he had created from his impact. "Surely you do not believe my fury escapes your being, that my retribution will be repaid one thousand fold." Darkseid continued, now on his feet and walking toward Thanos and Mad Max, "I have not forgotten our quarrels, our spats, fistfights, and the like. There was always an interloper to stop us before the killing blow." He spat, motioning toward Maxwell, now rising to his feet and standing beside Thanos. The Mad Titan glances to the side and looked at the God-King, quickly delivering a backhanded slap to his shoulder, Mad Max flying off to the side from the force.

"There is no one to stop us now, Darkseid." Thanos declared, flexing his muscles and revealing just how powerful the Mad Titan truly was, the ground cracking all around him as an aura of energy surrounded his body. Darkseid began to drop low, his heels digging deep into the hard rock as well, his stance now almost resembling that of a linebacker, before finally lunging forward at high speed despite his size, Thanos running at Darkseid as well. The ground cried out in pain, and it was as if heaven itself wept as the two powerhouses collided against one another in a fearsome, meaty CLACK, Thanos delivering another titanic hit to Darkseid's jaw, the New God uppercutting Thano's abdomen in return.

Thanos pushed the New God by the shoulders, making him stumble back. Rearing his fist for another incredibly powerful blow, Darkseid regained his footing and quickly lurched his body forward, colliding his skull with Thanos', the Mad Titan tumbling back as blood seeped from his nose. He was sent to one knee, but Darkseid was upon him soon after. Determined to use his head in the fight as well, Thanos pushed himself up and forward as Darkseid approached, digging his own head into the New God's sternum with a hearty thud. Their hits broke the sound barrier and sent shockwaves for miles, the two producing devastating effects on the local surroundings just by their physical exchange of blows.

It was two behemoths with the ability to withstand, and deliver, world-busting punches just slugging it out, Mad Max could not help but simply watch in amazement at the levels of ferocity and power at play between them both, going so far as to forget all about Thanos' sucker punch from before. "Why must we always begin with our fists like putrid animals?" Darkseid asked, punching Thanos square in the jaw, the Mad Titan's head rearing back, but quickly responding with a firm uppercut to Darkseid's chin. "I should put you down on the spot, Titan."

"You tell me, New God. Afraid?" Thanos inquired, clasping his hands together and bringing the power of both of his fists down on Darkseid's shoulder, the New God collapsing from the impact with a grunt. "Afraid of what will happen if you use those eyes against me?" He teased, clenching his own fist together and funneling large amounts of his own energy into it, causing it to glow dull orange. "Go on, then. Death awaits my presence, but before I go, I'll escort you to her." He continued to charge his own energy blast, Darkseid rising from Thanos' last attack with his eyes glowing fiercely, buzzing with their own power.

"Your hubris knows no bounds, Titan. No being can withstand my Omega Effect, not even your precious Death. Prepare your words, Thanos, for you shall utter your last ones to me. Grovel before my presence and beg for mercy, mercy that you shall not receive, as I make your desired death more painful than your entire living existence." Darkseid's eyes began to glow even brighter, the beams aching to be released. "I shall hurl you into an oblivion where even Death dares not to tread." With that, he unleashed his fearsome Omega Beams, aimed right for Thanos, primed and ready for the kill.

"Your talk amounts to the same value as your Omega Effect, Darkseid, absolutely nothing." Thanos responded to the Omega Beams, firing his powerful blast and putting his entire body forward to increase it's destructive capacity, Thanos aiming to not only destroy Darkseid, but half of Battleworld if he could. The two ultimate attacks neared the epicenter as time seemed to slow down, their fatal clash threatening to engulf not only the rest of the Cabal, but most of Doomgard with it. The two beings cared little for collateral damage, fallen allies, or anything like that. Their motivations drove them to this fated battle, both knowing that one must fall, and each one convinced that it cannot possibly be himself.

Empires collapsed. Kings fell. Men perished. Worlds ended.

Everything died.

All that remains is Battleworld.

[New Neros]

Secret Wars
Enemy Within

The immaculate halls of Doomgard were one to be held in high esteem, and their architecture was leagues above any either Mir or Otto had seen in their lifetimes. Even Otto Godblessed, who travelled the galaxy and has seen Asgard in it's golden ages before it's fall, could not withhold all of his awe at the sights that awaited him beyond the Boom Tube. Their only redemption was their adherence to the mission at hand, their slackjaws snapping shut as they ignored the beauty that was Doom's Asgard and focused on finding where Valerie was, and reporting all of their findings back to Mad Max. Both of them glanced back at where the Boom Tube once was, though, the soft thuds and booms shaking the walls from miles and miles away as a titanic battle was underway elsewhere, one that they had no idea was currently being waged.

"What the hell is that?" Mir asked in reference to the noise, Otto leaning his back against a wall and peeking around a corner. In a hushed whisper, the Asgardian responded.

"Something to distract the Thors, hopefully." As if by pure chance, a small three-man team of Thors arrived at the open doors of Doomgard, landing softly and running to meet their supervisors, who greeted them with the same amount of urgency and anticipation. Otto listened closely, hoping to hear some information on what was going on in Battleworld from the Thors. He glanced back at Mir quickly, who had followed Otto's example and aligned himself against the wall in order to stay hidden as well. "They're saying something..." He reported, Mir whispering back to him.

"It's Thanos. He and some other guy are duking it out." Otto turned to look at Mir with a confused look, Mir pointing at his ears. "Superhuman hearing."

"Ah," Otto replied, "But that 'other guy' you heard...Dear God..." He said, drifting off and a bit mesmerized at the prospect of their clash. "That other guy is Darkseid. One of the leaders of the New Gods, his power is almost beyond comprehension. There is literally no one else who would a better match against that Mad Titan. Or maybe a worse match for the rest of us. If they're fighting right now, we don't have long until this planet starts to feel it's adverse effects." Just as Otto explained that, the world shook and a distant BOOM was heard, the Thor Corps stumbling around and looking out of the large open door. They looked back towards one another, reluctantly moving out from their position and out of the Otto and Mir's way. "Coast is clear. Let's move out."

"Wait," Mir said, grabbing on Otto's arm quickly, looking through the walls, "A pair is walking down the hallway." Just as Mir spoke, they both appeared, Otto snaking back to his hiding spot. He seemed to have forgotten just how many powers Daxamites had in their possession. Eventually, those two Thors continued wherever they were heading, Mir confirming the coast was clear with a nod. "Alright, I don't see anyone else coming now. Let's move." The two remained low and began to sneak from pillar to pillar, working their way to the next room, completely empty and almost bare save for a dull green carpet and torches.

They were both about to move out once more, but Otto stopped suddenly, Mir looking back at his companion and silently gesturing to follow. Otto stood firm and motioned for Mir to return quickly. Mir scanned his surroundings, finding nothing, quickly hustled over to where Otto had stopped. Hissing low, Mir asked why, "There's no one coming or even near us, why are you stopping?" Otto responded by first pulling out the box Max had given the pair from a pouch on his side. He held it between himself and Mir and calmly explained the situation to him, figuring out something far easier than just sneaking around the immense castle.

"The Mother Box can take us right to wherever Val is."

"It'll create a sonic boom. They'll know as soon as we activate it." Mir countered.

"We activate it, grab her, and go. These Mother Boxes...they have almost limitless power. Watch." Otto said, Mir scanning the area once more, finding no Thors immediately near them. Nodding his consent, Otto pressed down on the box, the device responding with a Ping! "Mother Box...take us to Valerie Valentine." He commanded, the device humming for a moment, a massive vortex tearing itself open on one of the walls in a loud crash. Immediately, both Mir and Otto went through the portal as an alarm sounded within Doomgard. Mir had gone in first, Otto trailing behind for just a second. Expecting to enter a dungeon or basement of some sort, Otto's eyes widened as he found himself in a long, incredibly well-maintained dining room table. In front of him was Mir, the stocky man standing firm. He was perfectly still, causing Otto some concern. "Mir, what's the matter? Where is -"

He stopped suddenly as he stood beside the Daxamite. Otto's eyes bulged out, he almost stopped breathing. Facing away from the duo was unmistakably Val, her distinctive white hair and small frame seated before a large meal. She didn't even turn around as Otto and Mir appeared, and Otto trusted that the Mother Box was correct. It wasn't that cold shoulder, though, it was who was seated on the opposite side of the table from Val. Because all that separated Val from her keeper was a roasted duck with fixings, various vegetables and well-crafted foods. And that keeper, the man, nay, God, who imprisoned the poor girl?

"My, my, Ms. Valentine, It seems we have some guests..." Her captor said, his raspy, metallic voice assaulting the trio's ears. He motioned with his hand, covered in armored metal at the chairs next to Val politely. "Please, take a seat, for you two are now dining with..."

"...Victor von Doom."

[New Neros]

Secret Wars
Darkseid vs Thanos
Part Two

The gigantic shockwave from the collision of Thanos' energy attack and the full onslaught of the Omega Effect was unrivalled in it's brutality and destructive force. The Mad God himself had evacuated parts of his Cabal, namely Corinna as Valka followed, away from the scene as hundreds of miles of scorched earth and a crater replaced the battlefield were Darkseid and Thanos clashed. From the skies, a focal point could be seen with a devastating shockwave extending out for miles behind each small point. That was the representation of where the Dark God and the Mad Titan both stood in their assault. Thanos himself had his clothes and helmet ripped from his flesh, still steaming from the forces at play, breathing deeply as a smirk developed on his face.

Darkseid himself was in no better shape. The New God hauled himself up from one knee, exhausted and breathless as well, his fierce gaze showing both signs of anger and confusion. The durability of Thanos was to be admired by lesser beings than Darkseid, for he was able to withstand the might of the Omega Beams themselves. The fact that the Mad Titan still stood was evidence of that fact. "With that look on your face..." Darkseid began, "It seems like you are but a glutton for punishment." He said, only to shoot his arms and hands forward and catch a devastating, surprise kick from Thanos. The force rocked through Darkseid and sent tremors behind him at a furious pace, but it did not discourage the Dark God, who pulled Thanos' foot and slammed him deep into the Earth.

"But you can say I have an appetite for destruction." Darkseid continued, punching Thanos square in the jaw while he laid on the rock-solid ground, cratering part of the Mad Titan's face in the rock and creating fissures from the impact. The Lord of Apokolips grabbed Thanos' skull and lifted it up high, slamming it back down to the ground with incredible force, further cracking the surface of the planet and giving it the most violent tremor thus far. A killing blow to any being, even Gods, but not so much as a minor inconvenience to one such as Thanos. The Mad Titan grabbed the forearm of Darkseid and pulled him down sharply, raising his head quickly as well. "Impossi-" Darkseid managed, before the violent clack sent him reeling - the dense skull of Thanos smacking his face with lethal force.

Stumbling back and grabbing onto his face, the Dark God looked at the blood that pooled in his hands. He grew enraged at the very sight, and looked up to retaliate with fervor. Only, Darkseid only had time to see the purple fist of Thanos before it struck the side of his face, catapulting the Dark God across the barren and charred wasteland that they had made. "You talk a lot, but don't do too much." Thanos teased, "You may keep your words, Darkseid. Take them with you...to the grave!" Mirroring what the Dark God had done to him, Thanos grabbed Darkseid by the head, picked him up some ways, and launched him back down to the ground with incalculable force, the audible crack breaking the sound barrier and the shockwave clearing the battlefield of all debris. What's more, is the Mad Titan lifted the bloody head of Darkseid up once again, and slammed it to the ground a second time.

Thanos seemed a bit displeased with the victory, limping away as his broken and bruised body endured incredible amounts of torture from the fight, despite what he was displaying to Darkseid at the time. He wasn't quite sure where he was limping too, but it put distance between him and the shattered body of Darkseid. Despite those crippling blows, the Dark God endured, and slowly put out one hand to raise himself up. Blood poured from the side of his head that sustained the impacts, and the eye of that side was cracked and appeared to be 'leaking' the Omega Effect. His mouth remained open, Thanos looking over his shoulder and noticing the movement, turning completely to face Darkseid once more.

A single beam of the Omega Effect shot at Thanos, the hulking form of the Mad Titan not so much ad budging in the face of it. It collided with his chest with the BOOM and crackle of lightning itself, but from that smoke, Thanos remained, no worse for wear, Darkseid clenching his teeth in pure rage. "Do it again." Thanos demanded, Dark lifting himself even higher and sending yet another, even more powerful shot of the Omega Beams at Thanos, the BOOOOM even larger and incredible the second time around, but Thanos remained, slightly singed, a scowl on his face of almost indifference. "Is that all...or do you have something more?" The Mad Titan demanded, Darkseid staring him down with his one remaining eye.

"Thus?...Thus falls Darkseid?" The Dark God asked, struggling to rise, collapsing back down onto the ground with a thud, true concern in his face at the steps of Death. "No...no, What is pain to one such as I? I will shut it out! I am DARKSEID!" He yelled, smashing one of his fists into the ground. "When others, mortals and Gods alike, are faced with Death, they run into her awaiting arms. But not I! No...I refuse your embrace, Death, I DENY YOU!" Darkseid rose to one arm fully, his eyes trained upon Thanos, and in that internal struggle, In that moment, a smile cracked it's way onto the Dark God's face.

"Be...honored, Thanos of Titan, that I have to resort to the full force of this power...the Omega Effect...to put an end to this battle...nay, war...of ours." Darkseid began, his arm shaking to just hold up part of his upper body. "My all is put forth, and you shall reap the cataclysm that follows. My body once fell across the universe and split it into fifty-two realities, let's see if yours does the same." A buzz filled the surrounding air as Darkseid pushed himself into a kneeling position, his eyes completely aflame with the Omega Effect, "Now die, Mad Titan." Darkseid declared, his eyes exploding outward violently as the Dark God ripped his very retinas out with the force of the Omega Beams. They travelled in a straight, linear path, and Thanos did not move once more. The face of the Mad Titan narrowed as indifference gave way to a small smile. Perhaps...perhaps these beams can give him his fateful wish. He spread out his arms and allowed the full breadth of the Omega Beams to impact him, engulfing the body of Thanos with the orange-red light, but eventually, giving way to pure whiteness.

An emotionless being like Darkseid nearly wept at the sight, but the body of Thanos remained standing. But, fortune was in the favor of Darkseid on that day, as the Mad Titan's body buckled, his knees slammed into the ground, and then the rest of his body. Almost like a delayed effect, the scorched body of Thanos began to be carried away in wisps as if it were atomized done to the molecular level. Darkseid raised his hand up in a fist, declaring his victory over the greatest foe he would ever meet, but gritting his teeth at the sheer cost of beating Thanos to be Darkseid's eyes themselves. It would be natural to cry against such injustice, but at the end of the day, neither one of them was left standing, only one was left surviving.

Thus Falls Thanos.

[New Neros]

Secret Wars
Dining With God

The lamb was rather exquisite.

But the Mad God dared not touch a single ounce of food on the table. Hardly any other person followed suit, satisfying their bellies quickly and readily. Valka seemed to stand with him, though, which was nice, but the respectfulness of Otto and Mir to their host was absurd. At the head of this long table was the man they had all banded together to overthrow, a man who was no longer a man but a God. Victor von Doom. How he managed to sneak the morsels of food into his metal clad mouth was unknown to Maxwell, but he observed every movement like a hawk, waiting for it's time to strike. "Maxwell, you should eat. I harbor no ill will towards you or your comrades." Doom said slowly, wiping off part of his mask with a napkin, "Because I brought you here to discuss matters of state, not war."

Mad Max was stoic in his refusal, but casually spoke regardless. "I'm not very hungry." He lied, the face of the Mad God out in the open as his helmet rested casually on the floor next to him. "What matters of state do you want to discuss, Vic? My culling of the Thor Corps or your kidnapping of Val?" Max said, trying to lash out and sting at Doom, hoping to provoke him into a confrontation. Little did the Mad God know, however, was that the man who ate before him was not the same Victor von Doom he had known eight years prior. He was changed, and for the better by all accounts. He was not a tyrant, but a benevolent ruler over Battleworld. "All this power, and you still send lackeys in your place?"

"Certainly. One is speaking to Alex and Kilian right now. A bot, of course." Doom responded, slicing into another piece of steak gently, stabbing it with a fork and lifting it up to his mouth piece, the food simply disappearing before it. "They have settled down, but you, dear Maxwell, have decided against such measures. The Thor Corps would have brought you to my presence, and you would have been welcomed to Latverion."

Maxwell scoffed, "The peasants call it Battleworld." He said, narrowing his eyes, "But, is that what you want us to do? Settle here? Accept your gracious offer of peace by simply recognizing you as our Lord, God, and Savior?"

"More or less."

The casual tone seemed to shock, and mock, Maxwell. He wanted to jump up from his seat and throw his accusations at Doom, but a social force held him back, a sense of civility and such prevented an outburst despite the high tensions. No, the Mad God needed his wit and his mind to win this battle, yet, any man is but a fool before the intellect of Doom. While Max is no stranger to intelligence either, Doom and Reed Richards possess minds far above human understanding. Despite that, Max would play his game. "No."

"Excuse me?" Doom asked, setting down his knife and work, hands on the table, a slight gaze at Max.

"I refuse to settle on Battleworld." Max said with increasing fervor, Otto Godblessed and Mir looking at their leader for a sign of some sort, a plan, something to go off of. The one whose eyes were trained on him the most, however, was Val. Her eyes simply didn't leave his figure at all, the poor girl wanting nothing more than to just run and tackle him and never let go, but she sat directly at Doom's right hand side, the two heads of the table pitting Max against Doom. It was such a subtle arrangement, but it was very clear that she was a captive without chains. An insurance to prevent Mad Max from attacking.

Doom cast a look to the side of the room, avoiding the faces of the others and simply looking at the walls. He asked a simple, poignant question, wearily so. "Why?"

The question seemed to throw Max off slightly, but he shook it off and answered. "Because it is not the Multiverse as it should be. It is the remains of the Multiverse how you want it to be, Vic. Have you ever asked yourself why your people call it Battleworld? They must fight constantly for survival at every waking moment. You had the power to do away with such nonsense, but it helped keep you in power, so why fix it?" Max demanded, finally standing up out of his chair. "Because, von Doom, I can see very clearly." Just as the Mad God said that, his right eye seemed to take on a lighter shade of blue, small sparkles flying from it as he locked eyes with Doom.

The God King of Battleworld was about to drink from a cup, but gently set it back on the table at the sight. The others seemed a bit confused, but two members of the Cabal knew exactly what was going on. Both Otto and Valka shot up from the chairs, Otto staring intently at the Mad God while Valka held a face of disgust. "My word...Maxwell..." Otto said, tremors in his voice. "You used the Eye on yourself?! It was for the Ark! It was going to be our navigation protocol! This means...this means that all of those people...The people that didn't make the journey died for this?!"

"Silence, sit back down." Maxwell barked at Otto, but was interrupted by the All-Mother, Valka, who slowly began to approach him from the side of the table.

"You dare, Mad God..." She said with a quiet anger about her voice. "You dare disgrace the Eye of Odin?!" She was about to round the corner of the table, Gungnir in hand and a fire in her eye, when the Last Spartan rose from her seat and stood in front of the All-Mother herself. Corinna had a silent facial expression, but whatever it was, it sided with Maxwell instead of the rest of the group. Valka locked eyes with the Daughter of Sparta, the two standing almost chest to chest in their staredown. "Stand aside." Valka ordered, Corinna simply raising her chin up slightly.

"No."

The air was far too tense, the stillness about to give way into a massive seastorm of emotions and passion, all suddenly interrupted by a loud slurp from the center of the table. The people all turned their heads and saw Mir, one of the three who remained seated, drinking from his goblet a bit too loudly. It took a few seconds for him to finish, but as soon as he set down his cup and noticed everyone staring at him, he immediately became self-conscious. "What?" He demanded, "...Oh!" He hollered, suddenly realizing everyone was getting ready to fight. He hadn't been keeping up or listening at all, it seemed.

"You are a fool to bring that here, Maxwell." Doom said calmly, folding his hands before his face and obscuring his head in the shadows of his hood. "But...tell me," He continued, "What is it that you see?"

Maxwell drew a deep breath, the eyes of Otto Godblessed and Valka trained on him like attack dogs, Corinna steadfast at his side, "I see a world on the cusp of destruction. The wisdom of Odin tells us that there can only be one All-Father in the Universe, and standing before me, is two. Only one can remain, either Valka or Doom, among other things." He said quickly, the Mad God noticing Val shift slightly in her seat, but thinking nothing of it.

"And what other things do you see?"

"I see..." Maxwell began, narrowing his eyes, "That you have lost most of the power you took from the Beyonders." Doom nodded, not denying such an accusation, "But, I see hope." Mad Max closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed his face. "Hope remains, that we can put the Multiverse back they way it was before the cataclysm. Before the Incursions. Right before everything dies. The secret lies here, on Battleworld." Max said, placing both hands on the table, Otto and Valka slowly relaxing and listening to what he had to say. "The powers you invested on the last planet, Vic, are still present. And they can still be accessed."

"And they can save the Multiverse."