Beneath Asgard Brock toils before the forge with Frigga at his side. He has melted down Darkness, Lady Death's sword, countering the spells and then reforging it with spells of his own and some he took from an alchemist. Grim has his face swathed in bandages and helps his friend by fetching the unusual shaped mold for the sword. Brock tells him that Odin commissioned the mold but not the sword, that it was to wait until it was needed.
The new sword levitates and Brock warns them not to touch as it will bind to it wielder and he is not really sure what else as the spells he used were many and various. He takes hold of the blade only with heavy gauntleted hands and names it Nightmare.
Lady Death awakens in a circular chamber surrounded by the barely alive Valkyries. Organic vein-like structures form the chamber and bind them hand and torso to the walls. Lady Death wonders why they still live and asks why Odin created them all. One of the number recites the story of their creation. He family lived during the time of Christ and when her brother was born deformed they were cast out a witches. Her father died and she and her brother Rath were beaten by thieves and left to die, it was then that Odin came. It seems Odin choses those on the brink who refuse to die.
Genocide appears in the middle of the chamber and his tentacles wrap around each of them. The chambers sides split so each is laying face up on a spike of wall facing the chaos talisman. Directly in line from them through the talisman is the Nexus, with Bedlam trapped inside.
Vex leads an army up from the pit. She accuses her father of order and planned action, citing his measured attack and the Doom Magistrates hear her words and follow her to unmake her father. Antigone questions Genocide on his motives once more and is now certain he is a slave to order.
She teleports to Asgard and speaks with Frigga who informs her that Chaos underlies everything in the universe while Genocide merely wants to destroy it. She explains that Odin once told her that the universe expands and then contracts. during the last contraction some gods believed that was the normal state and Genocide has lied to them. He wants nothingness. If she wants to put an end to this plan she needs to deliver Nightmare to Lady Death. Antigone grabs Brock's hand and teleports.
Vex brings her fallen magistrates to the tower and sets them on Genocide, Antigone hurls Brock towards Lady Death just before Genocide destroys her. Brock hands over the weapon but a blast cuts his thumb off dropping the sword. Vex dives for it as Lady death tells her to give Nightmare to her. Vex is banished by Genocide and he mysteriously turns to solid stone. the towers base collapses freeing the Valkyrie. Lady Death survives the fall unscathed only for a spike to erupt out of her left shoulder and start moving her skyward. Brilliant energy flows from her wounds and Vulnavia orders the Valkyrie to give into battle lust, the reverse of her strategy before she met Lady Death, and kills the magistrates around the tower and lift Lady Death off the spike. As their Odin power grows in response to battle lust it fuels the machine, just as Genocide wanted.
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