Chapter 43

I Won't Be Fooled By Them Anymore

The bindings painfully cut into Madoka's wrist as she was hung from the ceiling. Another pair of shadowy vines bound her feet, leaving her completely helpless before this stranger.

As she attempted fruitlessly to free herself, Gorr paced about, muttering to himself. Then he turned to her, gritting his yellowed teeth.

"W-what do you want with me?" Madoka asked.

"You… you are merely a curiosity, godling." Gorr said.

"I'm not a god!" Madoka shouted.

"Lie all you want. It makes no difference. Once my curiosity is sated, you will join these elves." Gorr gestured to the corpses strewn about the room, and Madoka's heart sank. "Then, with the Reality Stone, I shall enact justice upon this universe, first upon Odin and Asgard, then the rest of this universe. With the Convergence, I shall destroy divinity across all time and space."

"Why, why would you want to do this? Why kill Odin? The Asgardians are good people. They help and protect others."

At this, Gorr gave a grin that strangely seemed both savage and pitying.

"Because they are Gods. They are not the paragons you think they are. They never are."

"Have you seen them?!" Madoka asked.

"I would ask you the same question, godling." Gorr said. "Look at Asgard. All that wealth. All that power. All that gold and splendor. All that treasure had to come from somewhere. How do you think they came to own it?"

"I… I don't know." Madoka admitted.

"As I thought," Gorr sneered. He then turned around and began monologuing. "By now, you've probably noticed how beautiful and advanced Asgard is compared to the other realms. You were in Vanaheim. You saw their crude villages and shoddy weaponry. The Vanir's meager warriors were no match for those brutish Marauders, making them utterly dependant on Asgard to protect them. Why do you think that is? Or what about Muspelheim? Its fire giants nearly extinct, the few survivors squatting in caves like savages. Who do you was responsible for such a genocide? Or shall I tell you a story of Jotunheim. They were a proud and prosperous people before then they were led astray by their gods' folly. Now, they huddle together in the crumbling ruins of their once-thriving cities. What do you think caused that?"

Gorr snorted. " How do you think Odin established his empire? Through diplomacy and 'fighting for a better world'? Hah! Odin is a ruthless conqueror and tyrant. A man who would spill an ocean's worth of blood and then wade through it without a second thought. If there was a rebellion, he'd lay waste to entire kingdoms to serve as an example to others. Even now, he keeps others weak so he can pretend at being strong. He is a hypocrite and liar who bedecks himself in the plundered wealth of his victims. If you would've seen the real Odin, you'd never have fallen for his lies."

Gorr gestured wildly. "'We are protecting their freedoms!' 'We are making the world safe for peace!' Bah! All their kind are hypocrites."

"If you'd actually met Thor, you'd see what a hero he is. He's worth of Mjolnir!"

Gorr suddenly whipped around, and before Madoka could register, a cut appeared on her stomach. She shrieked in fear as Gorr appeared in front of her in a flash. "Worthy?! Do not speak to me of worthiness! What could spoiled prince possibly be worthy of?! He hasn't suffered like I have!"

"And you think that justifies killing all those innocent people?" Madoka asked.

Gorr struck again, drawing a cut across Madoka's leg, causing her to shriek in pain again. He continued the torment cutting her across the side, shoulder, and cheek.

"There are no innocents! Not among their kind!" Gorr howled as he slashed at her.

He then paused, staggering away to sit down on a crate, resting his chin on his hand.

Madoka gritted her teeth, wincing through the pain as her wounds bled. She wanted to cry for help, though she didn't think anyone was coming. She turned to Nagisa, who was still unconscious, though beginning to stir. Maybe if she could delay Gorr long enough, Nagisa might be able to help her.

Additionally, she felt a certain curiosity about Gorr, what he had said about suffering.

"What happened to you?"

Gorr looked up at her from his musings. At first she thought he might attack her again, but instead he sighed, and began to speak. "I was born into a harsh life on a desert world. A dying world. My people were nomadic, not by choice, but by necessity, wandering the wastes to gather what we could find. Food and water were scarce. Every day, the women futilely tried to gather what plants managed to cling to life in this world while the men risked their lives hunting the dangerous monsters in the hopes of having meat to fill our bellies. Throughout all of this, I was told to have faith. To pray to the gods for salvation. They would deliver us from our suffering."

Gorr snarled. "They never answered our prayers, but I was told to have faith. Illness took my father, but I was told to have faith. I watched my mother die to protect me from beasts, but I was told to have faith. I watched my wife plummet to her death while pregnant with our child, but I was told to have faith. I was forced to comfort my remaining children as their strength gave out and they died, one by one, but I was told to have faith.

"One day, I confronted the leaders of our tribe. I told them that the gods weren't going to answer our prayers. They weren't real. We needed to change our ways, or it would mean our doom. Instead, they rejected me! Stoned me! Cast me out!" Gorr shouted, his eyes glowing yellow.

"I don't know how long I wandered alone through that desert, simply begging for death, for a release into oblivion from my suffering. But fate had other plans for me. One night, I beheld something akin to a star falling from the sky. Curious, I approached it and at the site where it landed were two figures, one in golden armor, one in black armor. I recognized them from the stories that our elders told. These were the chief gods of our pantheon. They were real! The black figure was dead, but the golden one yet lived and demanded my help. After we had spent so long begging him for help, he had the gall to demand it of me!"

Gorr gestured to the cloak he was wearing. "The garment of the black god flowed into me at that moment, and I took my revenge upon the golden god, ending his lies for good. Then I realized that there must be more of their kind out there. Liars, hypocrites, tyrants. I would end them for good. And thus, here we are. You understand why I must do what I do. To free the World from their tyranny. There are no heroes come to deliver us from our sorrows. Only liars and hypocrites playacting at virtue. Like yourself.

"Which brings us to you. Despite your lies, I can still smell it, the stench of divinity on you. Which means that you are like all the others, a selfish monster hiding behind a thin veneer of heroism and virtue. But that power had to come from somewhere. Who did you sacrifice to acquire your throne? Who bled to give you your godhood, Madoka Kaname?"

Madoka was about to object. She wasn't a god. The very thought of someone like her being a goddess was ludicrous. However when she was about to speak, a strange and confused feeling of guilt washed over her. She thought about the world that she had lost, all the friends and family taken by the darkness. But that wasn't it. It was something else. She felt powerless, as if something important was just out of reach. But nothing came to her.

"Ah, I see that you struggle to even consider them. So let's put a face and a name to one of them: Frigga, Queen of Asgard."

"What?!" Madoka gasped.

"Ah, you haven't heard, have you?" Gorr smiled in sadistic delight. "After you failed to defeat that Kursed, she rushed in, trying to save you and that child, and was killed for her efforts."

Madoka went pale, her body shocking into numbness. Frigga was dead? Because of her? Someone so kind and supportive just gone, trying to help her. She… she didn't know what to feel, as her emotions ran wild. Her eyes stung, and she felt the familiar feeling of crying approaching. But that wouldn't help her here.

So she refocused on Gorr. Her heart sank as considered it. He had suffered so much, so cruelly. But then she remembered Sif's words. Her advice about suffering. And she examined his story.
"What about your own people? You had power now. Did you go back and help them? Become the god they deserved?"

"What they deserved was death!" Gorr spat. "They were fools who didn't see the truth! They believed in these gods, defended these gods, yet no god is deserving of that faith. I have killed many of these false heroes on my journey. Gods of fear. Gods of chaos. Gods of blood and wrath and jealousy and lies. Of plagues and earthquakes. Genocide and revenge. Of degradation and death. Very few gods of poetry and flowers, though I killed them all the same."

Gorr approached Madoka, drawing his sneering face to hers. He took his blade and ran the tip of it up her arm as he did so, eliciting a long cut.

"So I wonder, what are you? A goddess of joy? Of youth? Of purity? Of innocence? Perhaps something as insipid as love." Gorr approached Madoka, a blade emerging from his wrist to be held to the trembling Madoka's throat. It cut slightly, drawing a bead of blood. "Tell me, before all you are able to do is whimper and scream. What is Madoka Kaname the goddess of?"

Before she could even conceive of an answer, a sword emerged from Gorr's chest. He screamed in pain and stumbled aside to reveal Sayaka standing behind him "Stay away from her you psycho!" The blue-haired girl shouted as she heaved the sword deeper into him.

Despite being impaled, Gorr wasn't down yet. He spun and kicked Sayaka, sending her flying back while at the same time removing her sword from his chest. Sayaka landed on her hand, and then sprung into the air, as Kyoko charged in beneath her, rushing straight towards Gorr.

He was ready for her, however, and ducked beneath her thrust, before coming up with a hammer blow uppercut, knocking her into the air where he followed her up and kicked her to the ground hard.

"You fools! I mean to free you from the burden of this monster!" Gorr said as he landed.

"The only monster I see is you!" Sayaka shot back. She then hurled a sword at Gorr, who easily sidestepped the blow. However, it was soon clear that he wasn't the original target as it sailed past him to cut through the vines binding Madoka's hands, sending her to the ground. From there, still dazed, Madoka watched the fight unfold.

"If you stand in my way, I will cut you down like all the others who sought to 'save' their oppressor!" A sword formed in Gorr's hand, and he leapt towards Sayaka.

However, before he could connect, a pair of red ribbons emerged, and binding him, and yanking him to the ground. Mami rushed in, followed by Thor, and another man with black hair dressed in green. Thor unleashed a bolt of lightning at the bound Gorr, who grunted in pain, while the newcomer hurled daggers.

Gorr ignored the pain of their blows, and instead caused spikes to emerge from his cloak, tearing the ribbons binding him to shreds, where upon he proceeded to charge into the midst of his enemies.

Despite being outnumbered 5 to 1, Gorr held his own. He fought like a wild animal, snarling in a feral frenzy, moving erratically, nigh unpredictable, forming various weapons almost too fast to follow. Sword, pick, club, axe, pike, whip. Sometimes one at a time, sometimes multiple at once. His opponents struggled to keep up, and, to Madoka's horror, were eventually overwhelmed.

Gorr slammed into Thor with a club sending him flying into a wall, and then turned to slash Sayaka on the leg while at the same time kicking Kyoko in the head, sending her staggering away. He then blocked a shot from Mami and unleashed a barrage of spikes, piercing her in the shoulder, thigh, and hip. She crumpled to the ground.

No! Madoka summoned Crystal Clarity but struggled to move, still wounded and weak as she was. She realized in that moment that her legs were still bound. As she attempted to free herself, she desperately looked back at the fight.

The man in green attempted to attack Gorr in the back only for tendrils to emerge from Gorr's cloak, grabbing and hurling him away. As he was sent flying, Sayaka recovered and attempted to move towards the injured Mami, only for Gorr to turn and attempt to strike at her. She barely managed to raise her own cape in time, it going rigid to deflect the blow. She then formed a sword and began trading blows with the Butcher.

He matched her strike for strike, and kept up when Kyoko recovered and joined in, extending her spear into its segmented form to try and slip past his guard. Thor joined in as well, using Mjolnir to propel himself towards his foe, only for Gorr to leap up and kick him to the ground. Thor rolled with the blow, rising to his feet to hurl Mjolnir at Gorr's head.

Though the god-slayer dodged the initial strike, Thor quickly called the weapon back to his hand, catching Gorr off guard and striking him in the back of the head. Thor then slugged Gorr in the face, sending him careening head over heels to land in a heap.

Sayaka, Kyoko and Thor then leaped towards him as he rose. Their attacks didn't manage to land, instead, a red burst of energy exploded from Gorr, knocking everyone to the ground. Sayaka rose first, though that proved to be her undoing.

A cold chill ran through Madoka as she saw Gorr hold out his hand. A black lance shot out from his palm straight towards Sayaka and impaling her through the gut. She was knocked off her feet and as the lance embedded itself in the ground, leaving Sayaka suspended, her eyes wide in shock and pain.

"Sayaka!" Kyoko cried out in horror. "You bastard!"

Kyoko attempted to strike at him, though Gorr sidestepped her thrust and slashed her in the side, sending her to the ground.

Madoka struggled harder against the biting restraints, ignoring the pain and injuries it caused her.

Before Gorr could strike Kyoko again, the sound of gunshots rang out, and he was forced to raise his cloak in defense. Mami conjured a volley of muskets and opened fire from where she lay. He then dashed to the side, avoiding the bullets and then let lose another spike, striking Mami across the hand, and then another to strike her foot as she tried to rise.

As she fell back to the ground, Gorr formed one of his arms and the dark outfit formed around it, transforming his hand into an axe. Just at that moment, Madoka managed to free herself. Heedless of the pain she was under, her Flowmotion aura formed and she propelled herself forwards. Acting more on instinct than any coherent plan, Madoka slashed as hard as she could with her Keyblade.

The results were dramatic.

Blood splattered across her face as Crystal Clarity cleaved straight through the Butcher's forearm. Blue cracks spread across her foe's garment. Gorr screamed in shock, confusion, and pain. He staggered back, grasping the stump of his arm.

He looked about his surroundings, to the freed Madoka, along with Thor, who was rising to his feet, and the man in green, brandishing two daggers.

Gorr snarled. "Though I would have loved to celebrate the achievement of my goals by bathing in your blood, Thunderer, it appears you will have to die along with all the rest."

Gorr spread out his cloak. The garment glowed red, and unleashed red-black burst of light. When the spots cleared out of Madoka's eyes, she saw that her enemy was gone.

As he vanished, Madoka realized she was gripping her Keyblade incredibly hard. Her hands began to tremble, and she felt a rawness in her throat as the adrenaline began to wear off. She shuddered, only to give a shriek when she felt a large hand on her shoulder. She turned, only to thankfully see that it was only Thor.

"Stand firm, our task isn't finished yet." He said.

"Yes. Quite the mess." The man in green said. "So fragile, aren't they?"

She then heard a thump and turned to see Sayaka slumping to the ground as the impaling spear that had propped her up faded away into wisps of darkness.

"Sayaka!" Madoka rushed over to her, her blood running cold at the sight of the gaping hole in Sayaka's stomach. Her body was pale and limp, and the blue light that typically signified her healing was faint. "Nononono!"

She gripped Crystal Clarity tightly, and pointed it at her best friend. "Cure!"

The white light shone, mixing with the blue light, and Sayaka's wound began to heal, albeit slowly.

"Cure! Cure! Cure!" Madoka repeated again, and again, putting as much as she could into the spell. Eventually, the wound completely closed, and Sayaka's breathing returned to normal. Here eyes opened, and she sat up, wincing slightly as she did so.

"Madoka?" Sayaka looked up.

Madoka sighed in relief before collapsing to her knees. Her wounds and exhaustion were catching up to her.

"Madoka!"

"No… the others first…" Madoka managed to croak out, before she slumped over. Mercifully, she was caught by Thor.

Sayaka nodded and then rushed over to where Kyoko lay, casting her own healing magic on her. The color returned to Kyoko's cheeks and she took in a deep breath, managing to sit up. From there, Sayaka turned to heal Mami.

"It's over..." Madoka asked. "Isn't it?"

"For the time being." Thor said. "You did good."

Her father bleeding out on the floor as a monster stood over him.

Tatsuya impaled upon a burning spear.

Sayaka's burnt body.

Madoka then let Crystal Clarity clatter to the ground, leaned over, and cried.

If Gorr took up a job in a Meat Processing Plant, would he then be Gorr the Cow-Butcher?

Again, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!