Death pants mustering all his strength just to look up at Cole, “You! You! I have enough power for this. I’m taking you down if it's the last thing I do!”

Death's eyes begin to glow a strange combination of colors. The pupils turning bright red and the irises dark blue. Cole jumps back expecting to dodge a laser beam, but instead he finds a much stranger sensation. He’s weak and his joints hurt. He stumbles backwards hardly able to catch himself. He looks down at his hands wrinkling before his eyes. His skin is turning thin and frail. His hair now turned completely grey.

“I’ll see you in hell then.” says Death with a smirk.

Cole holds out his fist with a look of disappointment, “You really shouldn’t have done that.”

“Huh what is this?!”

Magically Cole begins to heal until there’s no trace of aging on his body. He drops a crystal from his hand.

“The last of the healing crystal you gave me. Goodbye, Ashtaroth.”

Death wanted to fight, to swear, to do anything, but it was too late. The spirit of Justice had already ensnared him. She steps forward touching her hand to his head. Her dark eyes consume his vision. Together they fall into Death’s psyche. In this land Justice can see everything. He’s exposed for what he truly is. A corpse. Nothing more than an evolution of a drone feeding off of black crystals to sustain himself. A leech stealing the powers of Ultrasapiens to survive. An evil so dark that it manifested itself back into existence just to spread like cancer.

Justice speaks, “You’re no Ultrasapien. You have no will to power you into existence. What are you?”

“So the spirit of death itself has manifested in front of me. It seems, you Justice, are now the master of Death.”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Are you scared?”

“I’ve watched so many receive your judgement... I’m terrified.”

“Good, you should be. I haven’t even begun my reading and I can tell you’re already eroding away. We don’t have much time. Who are you, Ashtaroth? What are you?”

With the question asked the answer rushes around them in full technicolor.

Death grumbles, “I’m just a business man that’s all. It was all just business.”

“I can already sense that you don’t believe that statement. You must really have a stubborn personality. And it seems Ashtaroth is not your real name. You had a different name before The Event?”

Death squints trying to fight Justice from walking through his memories.

“Ah. So your real name is Richard.”

With his name said he transforms into a child state of seven years old.

He speaks in a child's voice, “I just did what I had to do. The weak are always preyed upon by the strong. That’s the lesson I had to learn early. If you don’t mark your place in the world then everybody will walk over you.”

“Yes I see your childhood was quite harsh… Yet the weight of your soul doesn’t seem balanced against the guilt you’re harboring.”

Death changes back into adult form, “I know what you’re looking for. Fine, I’ll say it. I’m a murderer! There! Is that what you wanted to hear?!”

“Oh I already know that. Lets see here.”

Memories of his life flash forward as though Justice is fast forwarding a video tape.

“I see, yes you are quite the business man. A lifetime career of trafficking drugs, and children. Later you worked your way up to political blackmail, toture, and indiscriminate killings for sport. Very classy.”

“That’s the only way you’re going to get anything done in the world. I had ambitious goals. Nobody! Nothing! Could stop me from getting what I wanted. I had an empire! I had control of the world before that damned Event!”

“Indeed an empire...” Justice’s voice trails off as she dials into something, “I’m seeing some faces I think I recognize, but that’s not possible. I just can’t seem to put my finger on it. Ah! I see it now. The large pot bellies. The balding hair. The men from your cartel followed you into the afterlife. They are the ogres! How interesting. I had no idea that concentrated evil could manifest in this way.”

“I’m glad you find this all so amuuusing.”

“It's not amusing. Frankly I pity you. I pity your past and your future.”

“Bah! Don’t pity me! I did what I had to do, that's all.”

An emotion of disgust comes over Justice’s face, “The weight of your soul says differently. It has become such a black hole you’ll never climb out of it. I think you forget who you’re talking to. Only God and I can judge you, remember? You want eternal damnation? Granted.”

Cole watches Justice putting her gloves back on. He questions, “That’s it? You were only touching him for a few seconds? How could that be it?!”

Without warning Death’s body crashes to the ground. It shatters into thousands of black crystal shards. The only thing remaining is his old brown robe.