Whether demon or angel.
Hell or Heaven.
No matter how they treated humanity, their goal had always been the same.
Human souls.
Power. Authority. Influence.
All of it stemmed from that.
That was why God and the Devil had gambled over human souls in the first place.
That was why Michael and Lucifer reacted so violently to Morin's demand.
Leave the mortal realm forever.
No more interference.
That meant complete separation.
Humanity would be out of their control.
Human souls would no longer belong to them.
Unacceptable.
The tension thickened.
A great battle was inevitable.
"I'm curious," Lucifer said calmly, not rushing to attack. "Why would the Sorcerer Supreme make such a demand? Unless..."
His eyes narrowed.
"You plan to build your own legend and harvest souls yourself."
"Don't lump me in with you," Morin replied coldly. "I have zero interest in souls. My duty is to protect humanity. Human souls belong to the natural order."
He paused.
"Unless... you claim to have mastered the laws of Death itself?"
"...Then there's nothing left to discuss." Lucifer glanced at Michael.
"Your power is great," Michael said, raising her holy sword. "But it is not enough to accomplish what you desire."
"Alone?" Morin smiled. "Maybe. But what if there's one more?"
"Them?" Lucifer glanced at Constantine and Tony. "John's annoying, sure. But real power? Please."
"No." Morin shook his head.
With a wave of his hand, he teleported the others away.
"I'm talking about another Sorcerer Supreme."
"What?!" Lucifer and Michael reacted at the same time.
"Time for a guest appearance," Morin said lightly, looking toward the sky.
Sparks flared in midair.
They expanded into a ring.
A figure stepped through.
The Ancient One.
Morin froze.
Female.
He instinctively glanced at Gabriel, then back at her.
...Damn it.
Did I just summon help?
Or turn this into a three-on-one?
Can I undo this?
Is it too late to post for help?
"The fact that another has already found a successor..." the Ancient One said slowly, a hint of envy in her voice.
Morin: "..."
She doesn't recognize me.
Good.
That makes things much easier.
"So," Morin said cautiously, "our goals align... right?"
"At first, no," the Ancient One replied. "I intended to keep Gabriel and Mammon here as deterrents. But to do that, I needed time."
She snapped her fingers.
The sky trembled.
A vast, impossibly complex magical circuit unfolded above the world, expanding until it covered the entire planet.
"The Great Warding Array," she said. "Prepared to prevent higher beings from descending in their true forms."
"Our approaches differed," Morin nodded.
"But results matter more than methods," the Ancient One said. "The future showed me a chance of success."
"Sometimes people do stupid things," Morin said.
"Some stupid things must be done," she replied.
"Did that old man tell you there were two Sorcerer Supremes here?" Lucifer asked sharply.
"Do not speak of the Great Lord so lightly-"
"Spare me," Lucifer cut in. "You knew who I meant. Answer me."
"...He gave no instructions," Michael admitted. "He trusts me."
"I knew it." Lucifer cursed under his breath. "Omniscient and omnipotent, my ass."
He glared at Michael.
"Fight properly. If things go bad, I'm abandoning this avatar. And tell that old hypocrite-if the restaurant burns down, I want to see how he plans to eat."
"A rare sight," Morin remarked. "A demon and an angel standing together, against humanity."
He raised his hand slightly.
"I'll record this. It deserves to become a legend."
"Only the victor writes history," Lucifer said. "You sound confident."
"It's not confidence," Morin replied quietly. "It's certainty."
He sighed.
"I'm just... reluctant."
"Reluctant?" Lucifer tilted his head.
"I never thought I'd do something this stupid," Morin said. "But this position comes with responsibility. Even if these souls aren't technically my jurisdiction."
He closed his eyes.
"Maybe this is what people mean by 'the big picture.'"
"I have a very bad feeling," Lucifer muttered.
"You just noticed?" Michael asked.
"Have you learned nothing in all these eons?" Lucifer snapped.
Morin raised his hand.
A card appeared.
[Copy Card · Hades, Lord of the Dead (Flawed)]
[Soul Reclaimer]: Sever the connection between a soul and this plane's laws.
[I Am Death]: Death is the weapon in your hand.
(Note: Grants authority equivalent to Hades for one hour. Copy incomplete. Use with caution.)
A trump card.
From Russell.
He'd planned to save it.
But now was the time.
It felt foolish.
But if humans only acted on pure self-interest...
Would they still be human?
Humans made irrational choices.
Driven by emotion.
By attachment.
That was what made them human.
"My own power is enough," Morin muttered. "External authority would only slow me down."
He crushed the card.
Time stopped.
Even the Time Stone could not react.
In the frozen world, the card dissolved into light and flowed into Morin.
At the same time, a brilliant radiance surged toward Earth from beyond the stars-
Only to be halted, briefly, by the Great Warding Array.
Just for a moment.
That moment was enough.
The array shattered instantly.
But the delay let the light fully merge into Morin.
Elsewhere-
A taxi driver paused mid-drive.
"Huh."
"What is it?" the passenger asked.
"Nothing," the driver smiled. "Just saw an old passenger."
"He's becoming quite the big shot."
Time resumed.
Morin raised his hand.
Ink-black darkness poured out, swallowing the advancing light.
"You were late," Morin said softly. "God."
Everything changed.
His senses.
His perception.
Threads filled his vision.
Soul threads.
Countless.
Connecting lives to destinations.
He grasped one.
A lifetime unfolded before him in an instant.
"So this is authority over death," Morin whispered.
Some threads led to Heaven.
Some to Hell.
Only a few led to the true void-the natural destination humanity was meant for.
Morin said nothing more.
He raised his hand.
And swept it down.
From this day onward-
Hell is Hell.
Heaven is Heaven.
The mortal world is the mortal world.
(Note: This is not the finale.)
...
"So that's it?" Tony asked. "It's over?"
"Yep," Morin replied lazily, sprawled on a lounge chair with a book. "Over."
"No epic battle?"
"You wouldn't survive watching it," Morin said. "Planets exploding and all that. Study harder if you want a ticket."
"...I'm leaving," Tony muttered.
Back at his villa, Tony fell into thought.
Being reduced to a bystander didn't sit well with him.
But the gap was undeniable.
So wide he hadn't even understood the ending.
That only fueled his resolve.
Magic would take time.
Technology?
That was his domain.
Why not combine them?
Magic and tech.
He cast a Mind Refresh spell and began designing a new Mark.
In Kamar-Taj, Morin lounged.
His godhood had lasted one hour.
That hour changed everything.
Even after the power faded, the insight remained.
A clear path lay ahead.
And he'd used the hour well.
Very well.
After mapping his future, Morin considered his next move.
Tony was stable income.
But a professional photographer shouldn't rely on one client.
Then a familiar mark pulsed.
General Ross.
Which meant-
Bruce Banner.
The Hulk.
Morin smiled.
Another genius.
Another monster.
Another perfect subject.
And plenty of footage waiting to be filmed.