II. Gods and Monsters

28.

KASHLUNK

Hades stopped in his tracks, his burning eyes growing slightly brighter before beginning to dull slightly. His arm quivered as both he and Ghost Rider looked down to find Metatron's sword wedged firmly in his chest. Out of reflex, Ghost Rider had raised the weapon, forgetting it was in its hand. Hades looked up, meeting Ghost Rider's eyes as his arm drooped lazily onto the sword. If a skull had been capable of emotion, The Ghost Rider would have sworn it had seen Hades look at it with... confusion? sadness? fear? It would never know. It simply watched as Hades' fire slowly dimmed. The exterior fire retracted into the towering skeleton as it collapsed to its knees. The last to die was his eyes. The burning balls of sapphire inferno slowly fading, until all that was left was darkness. Finally, after centuries of violence and murder, Hades' body slumped to the ground, dead.

The Rider slowly loosened its grip on the blade, allowing it to fall beside Hades' inanimate skeleton. It shoulders began to rise and fall with its breath, each movement becoming quicker and quicker as the euphoria of victory settled.

The Rider crossed its arms over its chest, holding them there before opening its arms to the sky and letting out a roar that echoed all the way to the Heavens themselves, before turning its head to Hell below to issue the same warning: Earth was its territory now, and there was no one left to question the matter.