Celestial Chains bound him. Stripped him of his Authority while he awaited his sentence.
Strife knelt at the center of the Pantheon's chamber, wrists anchored behind his back by bands of shimmering script in a language older than humanity itself. The language of the gods.
The chamber was vast and open. 10 thrones surrounded him on a raised platform. He knew this chamber well. The air trembled not with sound, but with presence.
With Authority.
Nine gods watched him from their respective thrones.
Order stood first.
He condensed his Authority into a longsword. He rested both hands on the hilt as the tip of the longsword hovered millimeters above the ground, as though too proud to touch anything unworthy.
"For the violation of Celestial Law," Order said, his voice carrying structure itself, "I sentence you to death."
The last word echoed.
Strife lifted his head slightly. He wanted to look his brothers in the eye when they condemned him. His gaze said more than words ever could.
Dominion rose next.
A crown of burning gold formed above his head and slowly formed into floating spears. The were aimed directly at Strife.
"For the violation of Celestial Law," Dominion declared, each syllable heavy with sovereignty, "I sentence you to death."
Judgment remained seated. He willed his Authority into a majestic warhammer. He tappped the ground once and the presence in the room intensified to the point where Strife struggled to maintain eye contact.
The Celestial Chains pulsed once and the presence receded.
Those chains contained something older than the gods themselves. They had one purpose: to restrain a god for execution.
They would not allow deviation from Celestial Law.
"For the violation of Celestial Law. I sentence you to death" Judgement said with a smirk. It was not often that he got to pass judgement over another god.
Mercy, Silence, Covenant, Threshold, and Ash all stood and manifested their weapons.
All sentenced him to death.
Nine Authorities. Nine sentencings.
Strife knelt beneath them all.
He never broke eye contact with whoever spoke. He had no regret in his heart.
Only one god had not yet moved.
Consequence.
He did not rise from his throne. He did not draw a weapon. Instead he had a look of pity on his face. An immortal god was about to be executed for a senseless act.
"Brother," Consequence said softly, "you knew the consequence… and you still violated the Law?"
Strife's lips curved.
"I had to. You may not understand now… but you will."
The Pantheon stiffened. Not too many gods smile before being executed.
That smile unsettled them more than rebellion ever could.
Consequence finally stood with no weapon manifested. He paused a moment, then said softly "For the violation of Celestial Law. I sentence you to death".
Strife looked at his brothers for what would be the last time.
All weapons lifted.
The air in the chamber became saturated with divinity.
Nine Authorities acting in unison for the first time in the Pantheon's long history.
Consequence's fist began to glow as he poured his will into it as his weapon. The air around that fist began to distort as the full power of a god was focused into a single fist.
Each god would deliver a fragment of judgment. They would each deliver a blow to their sibling.
There was a pause that seemed to stretch an eternity.
Order moved first. He approached Strife.
His blade descended in a perfect arc, it ripped Strife open from shoulder across to the opposite hip.
Dominion's spears followed, piercing through his torso.
Judgment's hammer slammed into the side of Strife's head. Almost as if it were a gavel being brought down by a judge after the verdict from the jury.
As Strife's body broke, he never broke eye contact. He still had his smile.
The other gods all attacked and delivered their blows.
Only Consequence remained.
Strife struggled to keep his one remaining eye open. He wanted them to know his body may have been broken, but he himself was not.
The others withdrew their weapons. The air trembled from their combined Authority.
Consequence finally approached.
He stepped down from his throne and approached the broken body of his brother. He stepped in the divine blood that pooled around Strife.
The glow around his fist intensified until even the other gods struggled to see clearly.
The air near his fist vibrated so violently it nearly erased sound.
They used this moment to speak privately.
"You understand what happens next?" Consequence asked.
Strife's smile widened.
"Yes."
The other gods were seated on their thrones to watch the final strike.
None were able to clearly see or hear.
Consequence stood before Strife.
The final strike was not violent.
It was precise.
He placed his fist against Strife's chest — where Authority condensed into a divine core.
The same spot that mortals carried their heart.
"Goodbye, brother..." Strife said weakly.
Then he muttered something that even Consequence could not hear.
The light passed through Strife.
His body hit the floor.
Strife exhaled slowly.
As his form began to disintegrate into fractured crimson light, he looked past Consequence and the thrones, toward a place the Pantheon could not see.
His smile remained.
Then he was gone. The divine spark faded from his eye.
For the first time in existence, a god had died.
And heaven did not yet understand what it had unleashed.