After an unknown period, the pair reached the end of the pathway and discovered a colossal golden gate. Enchanted with an abundance of defensive and other indecipherable runes, the gate radiated unequaled majesty. Legends dictate, not even a god king that snuck into the treasury could break in. Azrael brought out a silver key from his storage space.

"I always knew you were the favorite. How did you even get that key?" Raphael asked.

Azrael rolled his eyes, "it's a replica, a one-time use at that. You think mother would let me take the real thing? Idiot."

Azrael let go of the silver key. As he did the key shot out of his hands and into the keyhole and shoved itself in. The inner machinations within the door began clicking in place and unlocking the door. Walking up to the massive gateway, Azrael placed both hands on the door, pushing it fully open.

Once open, Raphael rushed in. but soon stopped and skid across the empty clearance. Looking to-and-fro across the area Raphael was stunned, "It's… empty?"

"The treasures you seek are indeed here outlander." A gravelly voice echoed in the hollow interior. Quickly, the brothers were put on guard by the voice, with Azrael trying to find where that voice came from. "I'm right here." An old man appeared before them as if he was always there, staring at them.

Narrowing his eyes Azrael thought to himself, what is that aura I'm feeling? Before tensions rose any higher Raphael interjected, "Hello? Are you perhaps the one guarding the treasure?"

"Quite perceptive of you! I am indeed the one guarding these treasures and have been for the past few billion years." While stroking his long beard the old man smiled.

"It's clear that we are here for the treasures. Is there any way we can talk this out?" Raphael bargained. As he did Azrael scoffed, in which his brother quickly backhanded his shoulder to shut him up.

"Just as you talked to those villagers?" The old man questioned.

Raphael's cornerstone smile faded as he replied, "They struck first."

"It was a child."

"It was an ant. That decided to bite me. Will you hand over the treasures or not." Raphael's gaze grew cold as he slowly released his aura towards the old man.

A cane teleported into the old man's hand as he tapped the floor with it. A shockwave soon followed easily dispersing the momentum that was built up. Azrael finally pieced together the small mystery in his head and commented, "Divinity."

Tugging the space beside him, Azrael pulls out an all-black sword. Lowering his center of gravity, he rocketed towards the old man. Azrael struck down, slashing at the elderly man yet the attack was blocked by the cane with ease. The shockwave of the collision blew apart the floor and created a foot and a half crater. "I guess not all the gods died during the civil war." Azrael chided the geezer.

While still clashing with Azrael, the old man questioned, "What are you suggesting?" Not a second later he nimbly dodged to the right as Raphael came from above slamming down with his glowing white-gold morning star.

"He's suggesting that you're nothing but a coward that has rotted here!" Azrael and Raphael then pincered the old man going from the left and right respectively.

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"You do realize I'm the spirit of this treasury? My only responsibility was to guide the rightful owners of this place to the items they seek." Jumping to dodge the pincer attack, the old man lightly swung his cane. "You boys are still too young; you will not get under my skin that easily." The driving force of that swing created massive winds. The winds were so strong that they lifted the remaining tiles and threw them around the room. "I do wonder though; how did you get past the golden gate?" Yet his question remained un-answered as he was ignored.

Azrael's eyes glowed fiercely. The moment after a ten-meter incarnation of fire engulfed his body like armor. Temperatures surrounding him turned sweltering hot. Clenching his left fist, he swung at the old man. The blow connected. The wind wall could not withstand such an attack and shattered. The fire punch launched the old man towards Raphael's position.

Seeing this opportunity, Raphael flew over, using his morning-star as a deadly bat he swatted the old man down. The already tattered, misshapen ground further cracked, leaving an even larger imprint than before.

Coughing up blood, the old man quickly sprung to his feet to avoid any further attacks. His clothes were messy, his breathing rugged, yet he still took the time to say, "I may have underestimated you brats. It's time to get serious."

Unfortunately, the spirt guardian wouldn't get the chance as Azrael appeared behind him and beheaded him. Raphael walked towards Azrael. Standing shoulder to shoulder they both looked down at the guardian. Before they could contemplate any further the corpse glowed softly, then piece by piece the body turned into white particles. What was left was a gold ring. Azrael picked it up, inspected it, then wore it.

In but an instant the room expanded infinitely; the four walls disappeared. The ceiling was replaced with a mountainous number of stars. Identical to an illusion, the ground that they stood on disappeared. In its stead was grassland. Looking further they noticed they were on a floating island that's suspended in space. Further ahead similar floating islands orbited the island that they stood on. Preserved using time alteration runes the duo saw gold, gems, and even ambrosia stacked into small mountains that occupied numerous islands.

"What a magical treasury!" Raphael in his excitement brushed past Azrael and flew to the nearest treasure island. Picking away at the piles of treasure, he suddenly stopped and turned around to face Azrael who quickly followed. "How are we going to split it?" He slowly asked as if he was afraid of the answer.

"fifty-fifty." Azrael said in a calm manner.

Raphael lost his fearful appearance. "Knowing you I would have thought you would want to take more." Raphael continued to peruse through the treasures before he stopped once more. "Wait a minute, why are you being so fair?"

Azrael ignores him and flies deeper into the treasury, passing the mound that his brother was on. Raphael jumped off and followed him. Soon they flew to the center. There, in the very heart of the fisc floats an elevated ceremonial platform. On it, a floating nebula purple prism is present.

"That's the reason. And don't bother, it's useless to you." Azrael offhandedly replied.

Raphael shrugs then turns around, "alright, I'll tally the gains and split it the way we agreed upon."

"Wait. Before you go you need to know this. The moment I use the item this body will disintegrate."

Stopping in his tracks, Raphael turns back around. "What type of item would disintegrate the body of a god?"

"A treasure called the shard of chaos. Which you are now looking at."

"Wait a minute that name sounds familiar. Didn't one of the shards fuse with you before?"

"Exactly, that's why it's important that I have this."

"Alright. So do you want me to drop off your half of the treasures at the house?"

"Yes, and don't touch my things." Azrael commanded as he looked dead in his brother's eyes.

"Yes-yes, I won't touch your stuff." Raphael then disappeared in a flash of light heading back towards the treasures. With Raphael gone, Azrael floats towards the prism meter by meter. When he was only a few meters away he stopped.

Azrael reaches out and grabs hold of the prism. The prism glowed fiercely as it was now in his grasp. Without a moment of hesitation, he crushes it. Immediately, purple starlight erupts from the crystal quickly enveloping Azrael within. He slowly hovers into the air as the tiny particles of starlight collide into him. Seconds turn to minutes as this process continues to happen. Suddenly bright purple cracks begin to appear on Azrael's skin.

At this point Azrael's armor had long shattered and his bare body scarred with bright purple ravines. As all of this was happening Azrael felt euphoric. The power coursing through him felt like nothing he ever experienced. He felt almost omnipotent. Yet, that feeling did not last forever as his body soon gave out. Bit by bit he crumbled to dust, disappearing into oblivion…