Tough As Dirt #27

Tough As Dirt decided to get information from Middalah and Sharrok before engaging them in a fight, and while Sharrok viewed Tough as Dirt as potential allies, Middalah had no such inclinations

• Sharrok explained the death of Enoch, who had given the group their now inert dragon stones, was necessary to stop the cycle of godhood. It became clear he and Middalah were part of a clandestine cabal who secretly wanted to awaken Doomblade so he could kill off the rest of the gods of creation AND the multiverse. Then, once he was finished, they could destroy him with the Divinaxiom and the world could be free of divine oppression.

• Ricco questioned how they were able to do this in the temple to Thrax, to which Sharrok explained he was keeping their intentions hidden

Tough as Dirt decided they wanted no part in this plan and set about killing Sharrok and wounding Middalah

Tragically, Middalah was able to land a mortal blow on Brother Moor, at which time Thrax descended upon the battle and halted it, allowing Brother Moor to battle with crossing death's door without interference

• Brother Moor lost that battle and passed on, seeing the Benefactor of Ology transform into an iridescent woman, Calypso, and beckon him to her scholarly embrace

Back in the temple, with Brother Moor's death, Middalah was outed by the group as a follower of Doomblade and not Thrax, so she took the opportunity to reveal the Divinaxiom embedded in her chest, and began draining Thrax's divine energy, an act even the most powerful god on Vault was powerless to stop

• The group attacked with their full might and felled Middalah before the Divinaxiom could do its work, and the device dropped from her chest as she died

Thrax was hesitant to touch it, and compelled the group to remove it and keep it out of anyone's hands, and to never use it. He left, promising swift retribution should the Divinaxiom ever be used against any god

Gideon took the device and heard its voice in his head, urging him to leave the temple, as they had work to do.