There wasn't a single sound in the court.
Despite it being filled with more gods than it ever had in history, not a single sound was made as they awaited for the criminal to be led in, wearing chains.
Making his way to the judge's seat, the God of Justice- Elnir- slowly took the seat. Despite his calm face, his eyes burned with eternal rage. He had been waiting for this trial for a very long time, and it was finally time for them to put a close on this dark chapter in their multiverse's history.
"Bring in the accused," Elnir ordered.
Every single god turned their head nervously as the golden gates opened… And in he walked. Even bound by chains that restrained his divinity so strongly he felt like a mortal, every single god felt a collective shudder run down their spines. Even the most hardened of gods couldn't help but look at him with fear.
Messy red hair, lazy red eyes, clad in a black cloak and pants, with a white shirt and gloves… He was handsome, undeniably handsome, but their eyes could only see a monster… A monster who just looked amused, even as he was dragged towards what was to be certain doom.
"Ragnarökr," Elnir intoned lowly as the red head was forced to his knees on a floating platform, the chains holding him to the platform in order to prevent any kind of escape. Just the mere mention of his name made every god present shudder.
This man was a mortal who had dared divine the secrets of Godhood and ascended as a deity of the Multiverse. He had weaved his existence into the very tapestry of concepts…
Ragnarökr – Twilight of the Gods. The God of The End.
Red eyes burned with amusement as the owner grinned slowly. "Well, well, if it isn't old Elnir… How's your daughter?"
Every God in the room gulped as pressure began to bleed off of Elnir's body, cracking the podium he was using as his hand clenched his gavel so hard that it began to crack violently. That Gavel had been made from the most powerful wood in the multiverse, and a lesser God could only dream of being able to even chip it.
Elnir's blue eyes glared into Ragnarökr's. "The Trial of Ragnarökr – also known by his mortal name of Rain Beaux, from Remnant 626 – will now begin," even as his rage burned, the God of Justice maintained his composure as he did his duty and began the trial.
Ragnarökr- Rain- just smirked in amusement but held his silence.
"Ragnarökr," he continued, "you are charged with crimes against the multiverse, immeasurable counts. Crimes against the gods, immeasurable counts. Crimes against mortals, immeasurable counts…" And on the list went as Elnir continued to list out Ragnarökr's many crimes, of which there were an immeasurable number.
The gods continued to pale more and more with every single crime listed… Many knew that Ragnarökr was a twisted person… But the list of Ragnarökr's crimes… It was almost endless… Some of the weaker willed gods even found themselves throwing up at the sheer number of atrocities the mortal-turned-god had committed.
And the entire time his crimes were listed out, he just sat there, smirking as if he felt no shame, no guilt for all the evil he had wrought.
Elnir took a deep breath as he finished listing out Ragnarökr's crimes. "These are the charges laid against you, Ragnarökr," Elnir said, his gaze hard. "How do you plead to these charges?"
"Oh guilty," he nodded with a smirk. "I did all that shit, and probably more that you missed."
Everyone was taken aback, even Elnir… With such severe crimes, denying them was of course impossible… But he was so relaxed and carefree, he even confessed he probably committed more crimes than had been listed!
He was too carefree, too relaxed, too unafraid… Every God had their full focus on him, trying to feel even the tiniest spark of divinity but… There was nothing. He was essentially mortal at the moment.
So, why was he not crying and begging for forgiveness, to avoid the fate that was coming for him and give them all some closure? Why was he so calm, so collected, so amused by everything, as if it were all pointless?
Why was it that, despite the fact he was merely mortal with no power, all they could feel was dread?
Elnir took a moment to regain his composure, taking a deep breath, before he continued. "Ragnarökr, you have pled guilty to your crimes. Your punishment has already been decided. For your crimes against the multiverse, the gods, and mortals, you will be sentenced to Niflhel, the realm of non-existence. Your name and all records of you shall be struck from the Multiverse, your essence banished from the tapestry, and everything you have wrought shall be forgotten as if it never happened."
Many gods felt relief at Elnir's words, some of them even sobbed with relief as they learned just what Ragnarökr's sentencing would be. The dark shadow he had cast over them would definitely take a long time to heal… But, one day, they would no longer even remember his name. And that, to them, was a huge relief that they couldn't wait to come to pass.
"Though they will ultimately be irrelevant," Elnir continued. "We are the Gods, and we uphold a certain level of dignity. Despite you being a contemptuous, disgusting being, you are entitled to your final words. So, Ragnarökr, do you have any final words?"
Ragnarökr remained silent for a moment, looking at the ground as he had bowed his head at some point during Elnir's speech. The silence was deafening… Before his shoulders began to shake.
Some thought he was crying… Before they heard a sound that sent shudders down their spine, growing louder with each passing second…
Laughter.
Even knowing his fate, knowing that nobody would even remember him… The God of The End… Was laughing.
He threw his head back, his ruby eyes wide in delight as he laughed almost madly, his twisted joy echoing throughout the heavens themselves. The guards quickly aimed their weapons at him out of pure fear, and it showed on their faces… Everyone was afraid of this God, who seemingly had no limits, no fears, no regrets, no remorse.
"Ahh…" His laughter fell to chuckles as he took a deep breath. "Last words? Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do… I got something to say…" He grinned. "I hope you don't mind, given these are my last words, it might take a while to get everything off my chest."
Elnir's eyes hardened. "You are powerless, and your Fate is set," he said simply. "Speak your piece."
Ragnarökr merely grinned, as if Elnir had just offered him the world… It sent shudders down the spine of the God of Justice… And yet, his very nature would not permit him to fall to Ragnarökr's level. He would be permitted his last words.
"Once," the Wicked God spoke, "I was just an ordinary mortal… Yet, I desired to be more. From a young age, I knew I wanted to stand above all other beings. I wanted women, power, money, and I did whatever the fuck I had to in order to get it…" He grinned widely. "I honed my mind, I tempered my body, and I forged my spirit. I used the barest scraps of hints I could find to divine your secrets… And I ascended. I brought the only peace that mattered to me to my world… I brought them to heel, under my boots!"
The god laughed again, and many shuddered but listened… None would dare leave this trial, not with everything that had happened. They wanted to hear what he had to say before they sentenced him to oblivion.
"But you know, what little I had wasn't enough… I wanted more. I took more… I don't care if a woman is willing or not, I took her anyway. I took whatever I desired, used whoever I had to in order to get what I wanted," he grinned. "The more power, the better… And then… Then I learned about the Multiverse…" He chuckled wickedly. "Oh, I bet you were so proud that you managed to hide it from worlds like mine… But I found a way…"
He began to cast his gaze over the crowd. "Oh, I found a way… A way to obtain everything I desired, and more… I wasn't going to interfere with you gods, but you just couldn't seem to leave me alone. Was it that intimidating? That a mere mortal found a way to become stronger than you? That I killed whoever came my way, and raped the women without a fuckin care in the world?"
He chuckled in amusement. "Ohh, I can still hear their screams and moans before I broke them like toys… In fact, I can even see some of you in the crowd…" He smirked at one in particular. "Hey there, Otris. Did your pussy ever recover from what I did to you?"
A blue haired goddess blushed and then a look of fear came onto her face as she looked away, taking a deep breath and trembling. Around her, her friends gently comforted her and glared at him with anger and fear in their eyes.
He just smirked. "Regardless, for all I did, I'd say the only regret I have is that I acted too boldly way too soon… I should have consolidated my power, divined more of your secrets, become even stronger… And then used those to topple you bastards from your thrones, and become the strongest, unrivalled one…" He sighed. "Oh well, I suppose I've learned my lesson for next time."
Next time?
The gods frowned in confusion… What did he mean next time?
"Regardless, last words, huh…" He hummed in thought. "I could say any number of things, blame anyone, but the fact of the matter was that you bastards found out my weaknesses and used them against me. I can't deny that, and I won't deny that. I got sloppy, and you used it against me… I suppose if there were last words I'd like to say…"
He cast his gaze at Elnir and the smile that crawled onto his face was so sinister, the guards fearfully took a step back… That was a smile that spoke of madness, of how unhinged the God of The End truly was…
"You really shouldn't have given me any last words."
And suddenly, the heavens began to tremble.
The gods gasped and looked around, trying to find the source of the shaking… But it only became more violent the longer the shaking went on…
The two guards quickly moved to attack, believing Ragnarökr to be the source of the shaking… But their fear and haste cost them as he pulled back while ducking his head, causing them to fall from the platform, their divine powers malfunctioning in the face of this crisis.
Elnir stood up, a genuine look of fear on his usually expressionless face as the heavens began to fall apart. "WHAT DID YOU DO!?" He bellowed.
"With all the research I did, the bitches I broke, did you think none of them would let it slip?" Ragnarökr grinned slowly. "The Time Shredder."
Elnir paled in fear. "No… You couldn't…" His eyes widened in realisation. "You… Asked about my daughter… Does that mean… Ela…?"
"That's right," the ruby eyed God grinned wickedly. "Once I learned that one of the bitches that I raped was the Goddess of Purity, your daughter, I knew I had to set up a safeguard in case of something… Before I sent her back to you, I got a lot of information out of her, including about the Time Shredder… A safeguard in the case of multiverse emergencies, you use it to completely erase a timeline and send someone's mind back in time to prevent the issue. Of course, only one person's memories can go back as another safeguard… But in this case, that safeguard will be your downfall."
"But why!?" He roared. "Why would Ela help you?"
Ragnarökr just grinned. "Because she loves me, idiot… She's a Goddess of Purity, forever unable to be tainted… But I'm the God of The End. I can break rules like that thanks to my nature, and I ruined that Purity when I raped her and made her my bitch. I'd tested it before; you Gods aren't immune to Stockholm Syndrome… On top of that, her body craves me- the only man to have ever touched her. She came to visit me during my imprisonment in secret, and I just had to put on a little act and tell her what to do for my 'atonement.' She was so desperate to believe me, she just did what I told her without caring about the consequences…"
He laughed. "Thank you so much for raising such a great daughter, Father-In-Law!"
"You!" Elnir roared as he rose up, his hand glowing with light. "I judge you Guilty! I hereby send you to Niflhel, where you will reside for now and all time!"
A beam of light unleashed from his hand, heading straight for the wicked god…
But he only smirked and slammed his fist into the platform, causing it to shatter and crumble… The beam of light just narrowly missed him as he began to fall, fall, fall…
Ragnarökr laughed in amusement as the heavens began to become distant as he fell, Elnir's roar of pure rage and anger filling his mind and nourishing his soul as he closed his eyes. "Here we go…" He smiled as the world cracked and trembled.
"The long way around."
The world shattered into nothingness.
…
…
…
Ruby red eyes slowly fluttered open within the desert city of Vacuo late at night.
Slowly sitting up in bed, a young man looked at the broken mirror in his room… And a completely demented, mad grin formed on his face.
"Well then…" I- Rain Beaux- the one who would become the God of The End- spoke. "How about we give this one more shot, eh?"