Wakanda, Africa, Earth
An eerie silence befell the charred battlefield. Bucky Barnes turned, wind blowing his dark brown hair straight back. The Mad Titan, Thanos, emerged from a previously non-existent black void. He casually strode forward, swatting away Earth's most powerful defenses like house flies. Black widow and War Machine began to lay down a heavy barrage of covering fire, but their bullets began to disintegrate into ash, mid-air, as Thanos lifted his almighty gauntlet skyward. From across the battlefield Bruce Banner let out a horrific scream from inside the hulk-buster armor, and erupted from his bionic skin, suddenly transforming into the Hulk. He began to rampage in the wrong direction. Thoughts of betrayal and destruction filled his mind as he started to obliterate Avengers and Wakandan troops. Thanos had gained control of his mind and blinded the Hulk with unbridled rage.
With his mad dog now unleashed, Thanos continued towards Vision and Scarlett Witch to retrieve the final piece of his infinity stone-clad gauntlet. Wanda continued desperately to try to destroy the mind stone imbedded in Vision's forehead before the great conqueror could steal it, fulfilling his destiny as the universe's supreme ruler. Scarlet Witch then exploded into a crimson cloud of untethered energy completely destroying Vision's physical form, stone and all. However, this cloud of desecrated matter suddenly froze mid-air. A distraught Scarlett Witch turned around to find Thanos wielding the Eye of Agamoto. Wanda could feel his heavy footsteps striding forward, carrying the weight of near omnipotence. He let out a small laugh, paying no mind to Wanda as he passed.
"Hell of a thing killing the one you love. Such a shame you'll have to watch him die twice."
Thanos then began to roll back time, bringing vision back into being only to rub him out of existence once again. A reanimated Vision then appeared, but only for a moment as Thanos dug his powerful fingers into Vision's skull, extracting the stone from his cranium with shocking ease. Vision's lifeless corpse flopped to the ground. Thanos had finally assembled the complete infinity gauntlet.
He was overcome with an overwhelming sense of knowledge and power. He exhaled powerfully, and spun sporting a wickedly devious grin.
"Finally, I have the power I was always meant to wield. I am the Shepard of this new world and I will lead those wise enough to follow. I now have the power to summon the one true god. One God to replace all of these so-called mighty heroes, gallivanting as false idols. He will lead you on the path to righteousness and bring our universe into a new age of balance and order."
And at the moment Thanos snapped his metal-clad fingers. A blinding white light filled the body strewn Earth ultimately revealing Thanos' one true God. Winter soldier, Black Panther and a horde of Wakandan troops looked on in amazement at the angelic, white light. A slender, humanoid figure emerged carrying a small, black notebook.
"Behold, Kira. Earth's almighty God of death" bellowed Thanos with incredible volume befitting the arrival of a God.
Kira then approached Thanos, who had already begun to bow in reverence of the terrible God of death.
"Thank you, Mad Titan. You have been a most useful servant in my quest for ultimate power, and my rightful godhood. You shall commit yourself to my mission of a completely just society and serve as my right hand."
Kira then looked down towards his notebook and cracked open the cover, but just at that moment a black streak tore through the sky overhead. The Avengers Quinjet touched down not far from Thanos and Kira. Captain America emerged, furious, but not at all shocked by this unnatural scene set before him.
"You haven't won yet, Kira."
Bucky Barnes turned towards Cap in astonishment. "What the hell is going on? You know this guy, Steve?"
"I do, Bucky. This is the mass murderer, Kira. Japan's most notorious killer, responsible for thousands of deaths around the globe, just not this one. He is capable of killing whomever he wants simply by writing their name in that notebook. He has the ability to manipulate all factors of an individual's death, and only needs a name and face to do it. Thanos lifted him from his reality and brought him into ours to reign over this timeline, but he is no God…He's my son."
Captain America then removed his helmet but didn't stop there as he gripped the base of his neck and began to peel the skin from his face, revealing the square-jawed, stern expression of Soichiro Yagami, Tokyo's chief of police, and Kira's father. He threw his artificial skin- clearly camouflage acquired from a more advanced, modern society- to the ground.
"But if you're not really Cap then where's Steve?" Demanded Bucky as he stood by in disbelief.
"Regrettably, I had to dispose of the real Steven Rogers so that I may take up his mantle as Captain America. I figured the best way to disguise my deductive powers and unmistakable desire for justice, and law and order was to hide in plain sight as America's original symbol for justice and equality. I correctly assumed that the populace would not suspect any sort of foul play as their over-blown sense of patriotism, and 'America first' beliefs often cloud their judgement."
"What do you mean dispose of?" Bucky inquired frantically, obviously distraught by this unearthly series of events.
"Not now, Barnes. There are more pressing matters that need all of our attention."
Bucky fell to the ground in disbelief. "Tell me damn it! Where is Steve?"
"When I first encountered your timeline I discovered Captain America, and realized his status, intelligence contacts, and Avengers affiliation. If Kira ever landed in this reality, Rogers would hear about it. Then I decided to travel back in order to claim his mantle before they took him out of his deepfreeze. With the help of my partner, Ryuzaki, we were able to replicate his appearance with advanced face scanning technology. We sent Rogers' still frozen body to an alternate timeline, and I stepped in as his replacement. I saved you from Hydra. I'm sorry, but no one could know my true identity. It would have prevented Kira from traveling to this timeline. It was the only way I had a chance at catching him."
Bucky stood motionless amongst a sea of fallen bodies, unable to comprehend what he's just heard. How could he not detect an imposter living inside the skin of his dearest friend. Had Hydra scrambled the contents of his brain one too many times? Is this even real, a dream possibly? Am I even alive or did I die on the battlefield and this is some odd vision, part of the afterlife?
He had lost all grip on reality. He quickly drew his pistol from his right hip, cocked back the hammer, and fired one shot straight through his own temple.
"Look what you've done father" Kira sniggered. "You drove that lost soul mad. Is your justice worth spilling the blood of these warriors? I only wish to punish the wicked and those who may oppose my righteous path. Where is the heinous intent in that mission? Submit, father. You do not have the power to oppose myself and my omnipotent titan."
"I will not, my son."
"I cannot spare those who dare to oppose me. Not even you, father." Kira turned to Thanos, "take us from here, Titan."
A dark void began to manifest not far from the villainous duo when Chief Yagami suddenly erupted in command.
"Now Ryuzaki!"
"This is our final chance," the chief muttered to himself.
Suddenly, Ryuzaki, Chief Yagami's partner and the famous detective known as "L," leapt through a golden-ringed portal catapulting him from another dimension. He landed directly behind Thanos, just close enough to brush him with the cover of a nearly identical black notebook.
The dark void, which had been forming in the background suddenly vanished, and Thanos cried out in disbelief. The Mad Titan gazed upward in utter confusion at the terrifying, pale-faced beast floating above him, powerful, black wings outstretched, casting a dark shadow over Thanos and Kira. The beast's large, red eyes starring unrelentingly into Thanos' decrepit soul.
"What are you? How is this possible?" Thanos burst out in a stunned rage. "I am all-knowing, this cannot be so! I cannot be uncertain, I should know everything about our universe… I do know everything about this universe!"
At that moment Thanos erupted in frustration because of his reality-defying encounter. In an impressive display of power and rage Thanos exploded, emitting an impossible amount of energy. Then, without warning, his deeply ominous, god-like voice filled the air.
"I am everywhere, I am everything! I am the universe!"
All of Earth's heroes looked on as insignificant spectators, marvelling at this grand display of cosmic invulnerability. However, while everyone, even Thanos himself, was too distracted by this awesome display of intergalactic force, another small golden-ringed portal had formed around Thanos' gauntlet-clad fist for less than one second, nearly imperceptible. Just in that same moment it vanished severing the gauntlet from the Titan's body, half way up his forearm.
Thanos then unexpectedly returned to his Earth-bound body, shrieking in agony over the loss of his universal dominance. He stared down at his bloody stump of an arm in desperate rage as it dripped onto the trodden earth.
"I am Ryuk, a real god of death" muttered the towering beast in a highly mischievous tone. "I am not from your universe. I didn't know that would upset you so much. Too bad, you seemed rather interesting. So boring."
Earth's heroes needed no explanation for this logic-defying encounter. Thanos' humanizing defeat propelled every earthbound warrior into action, reamplifying their unbreakable will. King T'Challa let out a magnificent war cry as he, and a sea of Wakandan soldiers began to bear down on the enemy.
Ryuzaki then appeared, shouting for Ryuk, who had not ceased toying with the once almighty Thanos.
"Leave him, Ryuk! He is no longer a threat to us. You have handled him plenty. After Kira now! It's the only way you will get your precious notebook back!"
Kira had craftily dodged out of the reignited warfare after seeing the great fall of his once incredibly powerful and loyal servant. Ryuk gave two mighty flaps of his long, dark wings, and was immediately propelled skyward, hanging high over the battlefield. Unphased by the bloodshed which had once again ensued, he dove straight down with godly speed and precision. He landed in a shallow crater directly before Kira. His unnaturally long legs digging into the hard ground with ease upon his blinding arrival. Kira stood dead in his tracks before Ryuk, frantic and desperate for an escape- not typical of his character.
"This was fun, Light, but it's time to take you home." Ryuk let out a small laugh, and reached out towards Light, "and time for me to take back my notebook." At the same moment, Ryuk grabbed Light's arm with his opposite hand, and everything went dark inside Light's mind.
Dazed, Light opens his eyes to a seemingly abandoned warehouse. He looks down, no notebook. He is unsure why he recognizes this place, but he feels possessed to enter like he was planning to come here. He pauses, "I know this place, but how and why am I here?" He ignores this confusion and continues towards the door. He reaches for the handle and pulls, then he abruptly stops short in a moment of haunting realization. Eyes wide he stared straight ahead and thought "I die here." Everything about this reality- his failed godhood, L, Near, Chief Yagami, even his own death- suddenly come over him in an unbearable rush. He is walking towards his death like a head of cattle in a slaughterhouse, unable to change course despite what he can now plainly see before him.
…
Back on Earth, Thanos suffered a crippling defeat as he was unable to recover from his devasting loss of absolute knowledge and power. The remaining Avengers beat back the Mad Titan's tenacious army with renewed vigor. Doctor Strange arrived along with several of his cohorts to help cap off Earth's unlikely victory.
As Earth's heroes began to congregate following their victory, King T'Challa noticed Chief Yagami and his partner L slowly departing the battlefield in the distance. Unsatisfied with his little understanding of the day's events, the King motioned to Tony Stark to stop them before they may be gone forever. Iron Man then blasted into the air and cut across the battlefield with incredible speed to stop the two-time travelling saviors. His deep red armor piercing the earth as he landed just before them.
"Hey, I'm not really the type to enjoy watching the sausage get made, I'll just sit back and eat it in my ignorant bliss, but I think you're gonna have to explain some this. Saving our existence, and all, I think it's the least we could ask of you."
"If we must," then Chief Yagami turned, "there is no rush, Ryuzaki. We must await Ryuk's return…that is, if he ever plans to return."
Tony Stark led the day's heroes back to the group of Avengers who had gathered to celebrate their reality-saving victory. As the two approached, Doctor Strange gave Chief Yagami and Ryuzaki a slight nod to recognize their success. T'Challa noticed this moment of familiarity and began to question Strange.
"Why do I feel that you already know these two wayward travelers, Strange?"
"I encountered these two a few years back in New York. Part of my capacity as Sorcerer Supreme, and defender of Earth, is to track any unwarranted or unexpected comings-and-goings, and deal with them appropriately. When I first detected Chief Yagami we discussed at length his reason for visiting our Earth: putting an end to Kira's crimes. I assured him that I would be able to handle this inconvenience if it ever should arise. Yet, he was not satisfied as this manhunt had taken on a life of its own. He and his partner, L, needed to be the ones to take down Kira. Chief Yagami is an incredibly righteous man, one driven by his seemingly inherent duty to uphold law and order. I conceded to their involvement when I learned of the Mad Titan's desire to assemble his infinity gauntlet. I knew I would not have the resources to handle both situations simultaneously, so we aligned to stop Kira and Thanos in one fell-swoop."
Chief Yagami then began to chime in, adding why they needed to leave their reality. "When we were on the verge of taking down Kira in our home world he suddenly went dark. His judgements ceased, and ordinary crime began to ensue just as it had before his awful rein. We looked everywhere, but we couldn't even find a trace of his existence. However, we had recovered a second notebook before Kira went missing. We had it stored in a secure vault, not to be used, touched, or even looked upon. We changed our policy once our trail unexpectedly went cold. Ryuzaki was the one to extract the notebook from its dark chamber. We thought it may imbue Ryuzaki with the same powers as Kira, albeit we didn't know what those powers were. We thought there must be some connection between the two notebooks. A connection that could point us in the right direction, so we could finally catch Kira. What happened next was…unexpected to say the least."
Suddenly, Ryuzaki commandeered the story from the Chief to explain just exactly what he saw that day. "When I picked up the notebook, I did not notice any immediate change in myself or my surroundings. However, when I went to exit the vault with the notebook in tow, I felt a sinister presence in the back of the darkened cell. I turned to find a hauntingly pale, drawn-out face, bearing its sharp teeth, its red eyes staring straight through me. I was frozen in shock. This defied all logic, and laws of nature. 'Could it actually be?' I thought. It was a God of Death."
Chief Yagami picked up the story again. "Myself and the other remaining few investigators stared into the vault at Ryuzaki. He was unresponsive and wouldn't divert his attention from the back of wall of the vault. At that moment I ran in to see if the notebook had incapacitated him in anyway. However, when I grabbed his shoulder, and spun him around he simply held out the notebook, and softly uttered, "touch it."
"Hesitant at first, I reached out and took the notebook from his trembling hands. I couldn't help from screaming in shock and horror as I had just seen the same beast that had immobilized my partner. He spoke in a wickedly high-pitched voice. One filled with nonchalant malice from taking so many souls over so many lifetimes. Despite our collective horror, our colleagues outside the vault remained unmoved by the event. This is when we realized those who touch the notebook are the only ones able to bear witness to the God of Death, Ryuk."
"Once we realized he was not going to murder us we began to ask some questions about the notebook, and his role here on Earth."
"You see, Ryuk was at one time in possession of two notebooks," Ryuzaki inserted as the Chief began to stare off into the distance, "his own, and one he had acquired from a deceased God of Death. He dropped one copy on Earth, which was recovered by Light Yagami, also known as, Kira. However, he later lost control of his only remaining death note after he was deceived by Kira himself. We are unsure how Kira pulled this off as Ryuk was not willing to offer those details. Nonetheless, once we knew how Ryuk was connected to both notebooks we devised a plan to apprehend Kira and return him to his reality to face righteous punishment. We were able to transport from one reality to another with the help of Ryuk, and later Doctor Strange once he was privy to our existence and mission. However, it doesn't appear as if Ryuk plans to hold up his end of the bargain and return us to our reality."
"I'm not all that surprised," inserted the Chief. "Ryuk has no place among humans, he pledges no loyalty to anyone as he is a God of Death."
"Well there's no need to wait much longer." The Chief turned to find Doctor Strange floating behind him. "Fortunately, our plan worked out, but I wouldn't place much trust in a God of Death. I can return you and Ryuzaki to your reality, however if the day comes when we need your aid again, I hope you will answer the call."
And with that Doctor Strange summoned a golden-ringed portal to the Kanto region of Japan, many timelines away from their own. The Avengers looked on in admiration and gratitude as the duo stepped into another reality, maybe never to be seen or heard of again.