Chapter 57: The Final Game 7

"talking"

'thinking'

"Ghost Rider Voice"

"Mordru Voice"

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Chernobyl, in the fight

Mordru gave up his humanity in exchange for gaining more power. You would think that someone with a personality like Mordru's, where he was confident in his power, would never do something like this, but the reality was different. 

When Mordru felt that, for the first time in his life, was defeated, he felt fear. It must be said that Mordru never lost in his life. He was always the best. Even when Nabu locked him up long time ago, it was because he allowed it. He loved his brother and would never think of harming him. In the end he gave in to Nabu and allowed him to lock him up. 

However, years of confinement brought him only despair. Although he joked with Vandal and the others about being trapped as a mere spirit and made it seem not so special, in reality, for him, it was the worst torture of his life. 

And that's why Mordru made that pact in exchange for winning. He didn't want to go through that confinement again. And he didn't want to give up and lose either. 

His new body, an amalgamation of human and demon, was stronger, faster and more resilient. It was also a better vessel for all that power that a Lord of Chaos possesses. 

Now Mordru had regained his power. NO. Now, he was much more powerful than before.

Everyone felt it. If fighting an opponent like him was difficult before. Now, even if they got everyone in the League together, it would be impossible. 

Mordru looked at everyone out of the corner of his eye. The 5 opponents that were present stared at him, apprehensively. The 5 opponents he had to kill. 

And after doing so, it would be the army in the distance. And then... the world. 

A world where Chaos reigns. A world where HE reigns. 

Looking at everyone for a brief second. He moved. 

First, he came up with the strongest but least complicated opponent for a being like him. That is, Superman. Sensing his lack of magical power, Mordru considered him the least difficult threat to deal with.

Arriving in less than the blink of an eye, he activated his power and summoned a rather destructive fire similar to the one Edgar used, and attacked Superman's body. 

However, despite the physical enhancement, Superman was by far superior and he saw it as if in slow motion. Moving to dodge, he generated his heat vision and struck right at Mordru's body. 

Mordru received the heavy impact of these powerful ray. Many spirits that floated in his demonic body and covered him like a robe of darkness, came out screaming in pain. Superman did not stand idle and released his icy breath, which froze Mordru completely and turned him into a popsicle.

This did not last a second, however, as the ice melted and transfigured into thousands of frozen spikes that struck back at Superman. Diana, however, arrived just at that moment and with her shield, protected Superman. 

Diana flew and rammed that same shield into Mordru, who was unable to defend himself. Then, with her sword, she slashed diagonally across his neck, however, instead of decapitating or killing him, more spirits simply broke loose. These spirits, at this point, acted as an absolute defence. 

But this did not discourage our favourite Amazon, instead, she tied him with her lasso and threw him away to where Shazam was. Shazam intercepted him with a powerful punch imbued with his lightning power, which again destroyed several spirits. 

Right Fist

Left Fist 

Right Fist

Left Fist

Shazam was bringing all his power to bear on these blows, as every strike he made generated sounds of thunder. Finally, he summoned his power to full strength and threw powerful bolts of lightning at him, scorching Mordru body. More spirits were beginning to decay from this attack. 

The icing on the cake was that just then, several golden ropes wrapped around Mordru's body and limbs, completely immobilising him. 

Then, as if this wasn't bad enough, Edgar, who was currently sporting a PURPLE coloured fire, arrived at full speed with his motorcycle, which was also sporting the same fire, and positioning the bike's exhaust right in the warlock's face, he attacked....

"ROOOOAAAAMMMM!" 

The exhaust pipe let out powerful purple flames in Mordru's face that burned him completely. As this happened, hundreds of spirits floated away as they screamed in pain.

The purple fire that Edgar was wearing was because he was replicating what he did against Sabbac the other time. Before, he had to propel his angelic power with his demonic power, generating orange-brown flames. However, at this moment, he was doing the opposite. 

He was propelling his demonic power with his angelic power, because he had expended so much demonic power against Black Adam. And this caused his flames to be a light shade of purple.

Finally, to top off this combo of powerful coordinated attacks by the heroes, Doctor Fate summoned a gigantic magic seal that launched a powerful rain of light spears, which pierced Mordru's entire body, making mincemeat out of him.

When this happened. The coating of darkness that covered Mordru peeled away. And dark blood began to rain down from the numerous wounds on the wizard. The heroes had won....

Or so they thought, because just when they thought it was all over, that rain of blood began to stop and everything, as if by magic, began to rewind. 

The blood began to return to Mordru's body. The wounds began to heal at a visible rate and the spirits, those spirits that had gone crying in disgrace, returned to cover Mordru's body as if they had never been attacked. 

Mordru was intact. 

Everyone's mind was numbed by this sight. This was a powerful combo that even with Black Adam would have been fatal, but for Mordru, this caused him no discomfort. But what happened next was simply out of this world. 

"Sorry, I just wasn't used to my power yet, and I didn't move. I let you have your fun... now it's my turn"

Mordru looked at everyone with a predatory grin. And, to everyone's surprise, he let out a pressure from his body so overwhelming that it took everyone's breath away. 

Even the battlefield, which was oblivious to this legendary fight, stopped fighting because they felt this pressure. The weaker-minded ones even could not resist and fainted on the spot. 

(AN: To give you an idea, Mordru's fight is happening far away from the battlefield, out of the city)

"Now you feel it, don't you, this is what I was referring to before. Brother, this is TRUE POWER. With it, I AM INVINCIBLE" 

Nabu felt it. If before their power was almost on par, Mordru just being a Little more powerful, now the difference was abysmal. 

Worst of all, Nabu was physically exhausted from so many powerful spells he cast. Kent Nelson, his avatar, was no longer a young boy, and his body was begging him to stop. That, if he kept it up, he would succumb. Nabu, seeing no other odds, raised the white flag in surrender.

"Brother. You win. You have defeated me. You have defeated us all. We surrender. But enough is enough. I know your problem is with me, and not with them. Do what you will with me, but let them go" 

Mordru looked seriously at Nabu. His words certainly came as a surprise. He thought he would not go without a fight. He began to think about his proposal...

..

..

..

"Ha" 

"Ha, ha, ha" 

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" 

However, after some thought, he let out a laugh. Then another, and then another. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and started laughing like a maniac. 

"Oh, what a funny proposal brother... but I refuse. Besides, why did you think I needed your surrender to defeat you all?" 

It all happened so fast. Out of nowhere, Mordru was in the sky, and then, in less than an instant, he was already taking Superman's head. 

"SLEEP"

Superman's eyes went black. Superman fell to the ground, convulsing, as foam spurted from his mouth. Finally, he could resist no longer, and fell unconscious. His rhythmic breathing indicated that he was asleep. However, his eyes never closed, but remained open with that black pupil showing. 

There, everyone moved. They all launched powerful attacks against Mordru. Shazam with his lightning bolts, Wonder Woman lunged to cut him with her sword, Edgar threw his chain and Doctor Fate summoned several swords to skewer him. However, Mordru, unconcerned by this, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers. 

"SNAP" 

Everything stopped. Time stopped completely leaving everyone helpless to do anything to stop it. In reality, one would think that Mordru was so fast that he reached Superman at astonishing speed, but this was far from reality. Mordru would never match the strength and speed of the Man of Steel.

However, Mordru compensated with his power of time. His power grew so big that stopping time for a brief moment in ALL of Chernobyl was not unreasonable. It was even easy. 

Doctor Fate was the only one who sensed the disturbance in time and did a counter spell. However, even if he wasn't stopped, his actions were moving in slow motion. 

Mordru wandered around the place like a child in the park. He came to Shazam, grabbed him by the head, and told him the same thing.

"SLEEP" 

Then, he came with Diana and did the same action. 

"SLEEP" 

However, the problem was when he arrived with Edgar. 

'As I thought of a Rider. His mental defences are strong' 

This would not work on Edgar. Getting past the mental defences created by Zarathos, a multiversal being, would be like trying to break through a wall with a plastic spoon. He looked up, and there he saw a black hourglass that nearly released all the sand in the place. This hourglass indicated that, when the last speck of sand fell, time would return to normal.

As powerful as Mordru was, he could not stop time forever. It was against the laws of nature. It would only cause him problems with more powerful entities like The Spectre if he tried.

However, when he thought he would have to deal with Edgar in a traditional fight, he felt something that made him smile. 

'Interesting. And to think that someone dared to taint the power of an angel' 

Mordru found Trigon's curse. That curse that remained and would continue to lie dormant until Edgar destroyed the contract he had signed long ago. Now he no longer had to enter Edgar's mind. He only had to empower his own demons. 

Placing his hands on his skeletal head, even as it caused him pain like no other, Mordru began to summon powerful spirits that crept into Edgar's sockets, mouths and body. 

Each time a spirit entered, Edgar's purple fire faded and slowly changed to orange. However, its tips were quite dark. A sign that Trigon's curse was being boosted to an unprecedented degree. In the end, as if nothing had happened, the purple fire returned. But it was too late...

With that done, time returned to normal. The heroes who were attacking, stopped what they were doing, and fell like rags. Edgar was the only one who remained, however, he felt... different. 

There was something strange about his being....

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Edgar POV

'What's happening to me?' I thought. 

I felt my power different, but I couldn't figure out what. My instincts, those instincts that had warned me of many threats, were telling me, but my senses would not give me an explanation. 

My ears listened the same. My touch felt the same. And my fire remained the same. I left my thoughts, however, when I felt Diana convulsing on the floor. 

I reached her at a fiendish speed, and took her in my arms. Foam was coming out of her mouth. At the end, I felt her breathing become regular as if she was asleep. But I could feel her mind struggling. She was in a nightmare. 

"Diana, are you all right?, Diana, wake up!" 

"She won't do it, Rider. She's... let's say a test. A test that will bring her much misfortune"

"You... what did you do to her?"

"I told you. A test. If she passes, she'll wake up. If she doesn't..."

I didn't need to hear any more to act. With pure instinct, I jumped on my bike and flew to attack Mordru. How dare he do that to Diana. He would pay for that. 

I grabbed my chain and exerted all my strength on it. The purple fire empowered it. My chain flew and caught it.

"I WILL KILL YOU!"

However, even though his body was being melted by my chain, I felt that his behavior was an amusing one. As if it was mocking my actions. 

I used my power at full strength. The purple fire was burning him to the point that little by little his body was turning to dust.

"You should worry less about me, and worry more about your power, Rider", he said before crumbling into dust.

Finally, Mordru was dead...

..

..

..

However, at that, my chain moved without my permission and grabbed the sleeping Superman.

'What's it doing?' I thought. But contrary to my expectations, the chain ignited and began to burn Superman, melting his skin and bones.

Slowly, the Man of Steel's body began to disintegrate, leaving only an accumulation of ash in its wake. 

I...I... I had killed Superman.

..

..

..

'WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?' I asked myself. 

But my chain, again moved without my permission and grabbed Shazam now. 

"THAT'S ENOUGH" I demanded. But the chain didn't listen to me. The chain coiled up and with the purple fire again burned Shazam to dust. I had killed another superhero….

But the worst, was when it flew towards Diana. 

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" 

However, a hand stopped me from moving. It was a skeletal hand, in similar proportion to my own.

In fact... it was my hand. I could feel it. 

That's when I realised that my transformation had stopped, and the Rider who stopped me with his hand, was holding the chain and empowering it with his power.

"Who are you?" I demanded. However, I didn't need him to answer me as my instincts told me so.

It was me, in my Rider version. 

He didn't answer me. Instead, he continued to do his bidding and, to my utter heartbreak, he began to burn Diana to dust. 

"NOOOOOO. PLEASE, STOP!"

I wanted to move. I wanted to act and stop him. But his grip felt like an unbreakable wall. There was nothing I could do to stop it. When the last ash fell, that's when it hit me.

Diana...the love of my life...was dead....

Tears began to fall from my eyes. I couldn't believe what had happened. 

"Why...Just…Why" 

"Sinners" was what my version Rider answered me as he released me from his strong grip.

"Kill all the sinners" 

"THEY WERE NOT SINNERS!" I shouted in rage. "They were good people. They were not evil. Diana... she was not evil"

However, my version of Rider just turned around and started walking towards the battlefield. The last thing he said to me completely froze me in my tracks. 

"They all are"

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Diana POV

'Themyscira...' 

At this moment, my mind felt fuzzy as I try to remember how I had arrived here. I could recognise the main hall of my beloved island, where I, along with my sisters, had our official ceremonies. 

I was so engrossed in remembering that I did not see that I was sitting at that moment in the queen's seat, and that all my sisters were all kneeling before me. Every Amazon on the island, from the oldest to the youngest was kneeling in respect, as if I was their queen. 

"What's going on..." I muttered. However, my mother arrived just then. She lifted me from her seat and, in a surprise move, hugged me tightly. Smiling at me, she said. 

"I am so proud, my child. Finally, you have achieved your destiny" 

"I don't understand, mother. What's going on?" 

My mother gave me a worried look. However, as if she found the answer to my question, she smiled sweetly and stroked my cheek.

"Don't worry, my child. That happened to me, too. I couldn't believe it myself when I was crowned queen of the Amazons. Your aunt, Antiope, had to slap me that day to stop looking a face of disbelief at the ceremony with the gods. Sigh, good times" 

"My coronation... I'm the queen?"

"Yes, and well deserved, my child. You have fulfilled all my expectations and more. Not only did you manage to defeat all the other contenders to the throne, but you were the only one in history to meet the test of fire. The Golden Armour chose you. You are the chosen one, daughter. You will lead us into a new golden age of the gods!" 

"Armour?" there I realised that I was not in my armour that I always wore. Instead, I was wearing a completely golden armour with golden eagle wings. 

However, at that, I remembered where I was before this. 

!!!!!!!!!!

"Mother, what happened to Mordru?"

"Mordru?, he was defeated by your sword, daughter. Then, after the war, with your wisdom and our help, you brought order to the world of man and now they live in peace. You succeeded in fulfilling our purpose. In the eyes of the world, you are its heroine" 

This came as quite a surprise to me. I didn't remember this happening, but my mother said it with such conviction that I felt she was telling me the truth. These words brought joy to my heart.... 

'Heart.....EDGAR!'

"Mother, where is Edgar?"

..

..

..

"Daughter... don't you remember?" 

"No..." a compelling feeling arose in my heart. Horrible thoughts began to rise from my mind that I didn't want to believe. 

"Your test of fire...he was your test of fire. You had to kill him.... And you delivered without hesitation"

'NO. IMPOSSIBLE!' 

Yet there I saw him. Hanging on a wall, was Edgar totally dead. His blood was spilling down the wall and his head was barely holding on because of the great gash of my sword. I had killed my beloved....

'By Hades…. what the fuck did I do'

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Superman POV

"HEIL, SUPERMAN!"

"HEIL, SUPERMAN!"

"HEIL, SUPERMAN!" 

Millions of soldiers prostrated themselves at my feet, while chanting my name. Instead of pleasing me, this disgusted me. 

The Justice League was next to me, in VIP chairs, watching the spectacle, and next to me, was my beloved Lois, wearing a royal gown, and a large jewelled crown. Her eyes were filled with excitement, as she watched everyone chant my name. 

In the distance, there was a logo I had never seen before. A red circle with three yellow stripes. I didn't know where I'd seen it, but it looked familiar. 

"Clark, they love you!" Lois told me excitedly.

"That's what I see...but why?"

"For your power. For your strength. For bringing peace. You defeated Darkseid. You defeated Trigon. The world is safe because of you. A world united, in your name. Now, you are its king, and I am its queen" 

'A world united...a world at peace...worshipping my power' 

However, my parents taught me that Power came with a cost…. 

"At what cost, Lois?"

"I don't understand your question..." 

"What did I do to accomplish this. How many I killed..."

Lois stared at me. A compelling feeling welled up in my heart waiting for her response. I wanted to believe that I had made it without breaking my ideals, but what she answered me confirmed my sad suspicions.

..

..

..

"Many. But they were all evil, Clark. It was necessary. Now, there is no more crime. There is only peace" 

However, just at that moment, millions of dead hands began to emerge from the ground, clinging to my feet.

"MURDERER!"

"YOU ARE A MURDERER!" 

The worst, however, was one whose face was half rotten, but the half that wasn't rotten wore a face I'll never forget. It was my adoptive father, Jonathan Kent. 

"I'm disappointed, son. You are a MURDERER" 

"No. I DIDN'T WANT THAT!" 

"And yet, you did" my father replied. 

Hands began to grab me and pulled me into a ditch in the ground. I wanted to free myself, but my strength, the strength that I was known for, wasn't working. I felt like an ordinary human. 

'SOMEBODY GET ME OUT OF HERE. GET ME OUT OF THIS NIGHTMARE, PLEASE'

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General POV

Shazam was having a similar nightmare, where Polaris was berating him for killing him. They were each having their worst nightmare, as they lay there with black pupils. 

The only one different was Edgar, who was standing there, inert. Without his fire in his head. He looked like a simple lifeless skeleton, just in a biker outfit. However, he was not having a better time, as he was also going through a nightmare of losing control of his powers and giving in to his desires. 

The only one who had not suffered from this was Doctor Fate, who was flying around watching the whole spectacle. 

"What did you do to them, Mordru?" 

"I felt they had fought enough and gave them a brief rest. I just wanted to be nice. Though maybe, just maybe, they are fighting their worst fears in horrible nightmares. Well, I wanted to help" Mordru lifted his shoulders, and downplayed what he did.

"However, I saved the best for last, brother...YOU. I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER WHAT YOU DID TO ME"

Doctor Fate summoned a shield where a red lightning bolt had attacked him. However, this was a feint by Mordru, and, unable to prevent it, a spear was inserted right into his human body. 

Then another, another and another. Spears made of pure darkness began to insert him like toothpicks into cheese. Blood began to drip from those wounds. Then, Mordru summoned a bolt of lightning from the sky and it struck Fate who was in pain. This caused him to fall to the ground. 

He wanted to get up and summon his power to heal his wounds, but he felt he had very little magical power left. Not only did he not have enough to defeat Mordru, but healing his wounds would only delay the inevitable. Everything was over. Well, that's not true.

There was still a way to defeat Mordru....

'I guess there is no other option' he thought. 

Turning to look at Edgar who just stood there. Fate summoned all the remaining power he had left, and cast a powerful spell on Edgar. A golden aura covered Edgar's skeletal body, and from there the spirits that had previously entered, fled and were destroyed into thousands of pieces.

'I'll leave it to you, Edgar' was his last thought before more spears inserted, severely wounding him. With all this, Fate finally ran out of magical power and, removing his helmet, revealed the dying Kent, whose life hung in the balance. 

"So you are my brother's avatar. A mere old man. How low you have fallen, Nabu" 

Mordru wanted to hold the helmet that lay there on the ground. But, to his wrath, before he could grasp it, the helmet disintegrated into motes of golden dust. Kent's dying body did too just then. However, it was too late, Kent's life had been snuffed out. 

"Kent Nelson was dead"

However, his task had already been accomplished when Edgar, who was totally inert, reacted again. He lifted his head, and lit his fire....

"SHUUUUUUU"

However, these flames were not orange. These flames were not blue. These flames were not even purple or brown. 

These flames... were white. 

At this moment, Mordru felt it. The power this Rider was wielding was different. It was a raw, primordial power. It was a multiversal power. 

At this moment, Edgar, with the help of Doctor Fate, had managed to reach the divine phase...

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AN:

My P@treon 

TioIroh99 (11 chapters ahead)

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