Merlin had his reasons for speaking as he did.
Ultimately, it all came down to that nameless entity known as "The Doctor."
The existence of a Time Lord is not merely that of a manipulator of time, but the very incarnation of temporal law. He can traverse the rivers of time, doing whatever he pleases.
However, there is one absolute condition: the moment a Time Lord witnesses the future, cause and effect are locked in place, immutable.
It is like a story with a determined beginning and end; though there may be a thousand twists and turns within, everything must inevitably march toward that final destination.
Nimue was precisely such an existence—locked by time.
Her end had already been witnessed by "The Doctor." No matter what transpired in the interim, nothing could alter her trajectory toward that destined conclusion.
"I do not believe it," The Ancient One whispered.
She had once believed she controlled everything, relying on her ability to observe the flow of the river of time. But after Bul-Kathos disrupted the timeline, she no longer held onto that stubborn, laughable arrogance.
Time is something no one can truly describe, nor easily manipulate.
The Ancient One would not abandon her plan simply because of Merlin's words!
A surge of power from the Dark Dimension began to expand. Had she been facing the true Merlin, she might have been powerless to break this time-stop.
But this illusion of Merlin possessed no such absolute authority!
"When paradoxes appear in time, evil fruit will inevitably be born!"
Merlin's voice, originally fading away, let out one final cry that resonated like a great bell, and the frozen time began to flow once more!
"Disturbing time will only birth tributaries in the river!"
The Ancient One stated her view based on her own understanding. Then, a massive quantity of Dark Dimension energy crushed the Blood Queen, Nimue, into a formless mass of flesh.
"I will no longer abide by meaningless rules! I no longer claim to be the guardian of time! Nor will I sit idly by and watch everything proceed along a set track!"
The Ancient One's eyes went wide—a rare sight—as she looked upon Nimue, whose soul was being ground away bit by bit by the power of the Dark Dimension. She let out a sigh of lamentation.
"I have not transcended time!"
The Ancient One's low whisper echoed atop the mountain peak, accompanied by Nimue's screams.
"But time has never been a plaything!"
With a furious shout, Nimue's consciousness began to scatter!
Amidst the unconscious cries of pain, several indistinct calls rang out.
In this crisis, the soul of Andariel was finally forcibly awakened!
"Ah~"
An alluring, melodic chant shrouded the city, bringing agony to every living being within it!
As the song spread, people fell to the ground, clutching their heads tightly. They felt a pain born from the depths of their souls, plunging them into torment!
This was the last shred of Andariel's power.
Even the Ancient One felt an unbearable, torturous pain under this influence!
"ANDARIEL!"
Bul-Kathos's roar shattered the beautiful yet evil song. The bellow resounded through the city like a thunderclap, allowing the innocent to regain their composure.
That colossal body fell from the high heavens like a meteor!
"You will not rise again before I draw my last breath! I decree it!"
Bul-Kathos's body was already adorned with the Might of the Earth set. As he descended from the sky, furious flames wrapped around him, making him resemble a falling star.
enveloped in fire, Bul-Kathos could no longer restrain his rage. His frantic gaze and wild, flying hair made him look like a demon.
Wrath of the Berserker · Insanity!
He had fully ignited the power of his bloodline, choosing the rune that amplified pure strength.
Bul-Kathos's reason was fading!
Behind him, a battle standard materialized, snapping violently in the wind!
On his back, wings of light representing Valor unfurled, scattering majestic radiance!
Ferocity, rage, hatred, confusion, alongside unwavering courage and justice—these elements constituted the current Bul-Kathos!
On his forehead, obscured by his messy hair, a shattered stone emitting a dark, arcane glow broke through the cover of his locks, revealing that crimson, bloody light for the first time!
The Black Soulstone!
Bul-Kathos could no longer clearly remember the person he used to be. Those incredibly precious memories had turned into scenes that merely felt déjà vu.
Even regarding the Black Soulstone on his forehead, he only remembered that it was the reason why no one but him could deal with the Seven Evils!
The Dark Wanderer, Aidan, had once done exactly this!
To seal the Seven Evils of Hell, Aidan chose to use his own body as the Demon Lord's cage. He used his own will to resist the corruption of Hell!
When Bul-Kathos met Leoric—after smashing the Skeleton King's bones—the briefest shimmer of sanity had returned to the Mad King of Khanduras, Leoric!
He told Bul-Kathos the only way to solve the problem of the Demon Lords: to become the next Aidan!
To offer himself as an empty cage, prepared to seal the Seven Evils of Hell once again within the Black Soulstone!
Bul-Kathos made the hero's choice. Tyrael, knowing the truth, remained silent. Imperius offered the Wings of Valor. Auriel bestowed her blessings, fighting for a sliver of hope for Bul-Kathos!
And Bul-Kathos—no! At that time, he was still just a man, shirtless and wearing a necktie. He took the small shard of the Black Soulstone from the collection of the King of Khanduras and embedded it into his own forehead!
And this empty Black Soulstone imprisoned his original consciousness.
His original self became the caretaker of the cage in the silence, accompanied only by endless loneliness.
It was precisely because of this that the true potential of the Nephalem bloodline was unleashed!
It was from that moment that Bul-Kathos, the strongest Barbarian, was born into the world.
But it was also because of the incompleteness of his soul that he ultimately stopped at the threshold of the next stage, forever wandering outside the door!
He could only continue down the path within the scope of a "Barbarian," constantly becoming stronger as a human.
He was just a Barbarian; he could never touch the threshold of the Creator Gods!
He could only stand outside the gate that controlled the rules, watching from afar. The memories belonging to an ordinary person turned into insignificant fragments!
The zenith of heroes, the absolute strongest beneath the Gods!
This is the current Bul-Kathos!
He could not defeat the Death bestowed by Malthael, and could only allow time to leave its marks upon him.
Fire would scorch his body; swords would pierce his flesh.
Suffocation would bring him pain, and poison would leave hideous scars upon his skin!
Even though he could defeat the Seven Evils, who represented rules themselves, he could not ignore the harm brought by all rules.
He simply wanted to give a world a chance when the Seven Evils eventually broke their seals again.
To give that dim world—a world represented by the word "Sanctuary"—a chance to see the sun, the moon, the stars, and the clouds once more!
Bul-Kathos did everything he could, yet in the end, when facing Death, he was defeated by the rules.
He is a lifeform, and thus destined to have a beginning and an end!
Because he is only a hero, he can only look up at the chasm he has already trampled underfoot but cannot cross!
Johanna, Kharazim, Valla, Li-Ming, Nazeebo, and even Sonya, who could only watch his back—they all have the chance to become Gods.
Only Bul-Kathos, because of his fragmented soul, can only ever be the pinnacle beneath the Divine.
If power were a mountain, the peak named Bul-Kathos had already surpassed the Gods.
But a God is not a mountain; a God is a world!
(Author's Note)
OK, we finally reached the moment where the memories, the Black Soulstone, and the foreshadowing regarding Leoric are revealed!
This also explains why Bul-Kathos, as the strongest Barbarian, swallowed defeat before Malthael.
Why Valor (Imperius) acknowledged him, and why Tyrael was at odds with him because of Rorschach.
How could a human hero become a high and mighty God?
I'll place a marker here: I want to ask everyone if you want to see a side story about the contact between Bul-Kathos and Leoric.
Actually, if you want me to write a prequel—the story of the shirtless guy in a tie becoming Bul-Kathos—I feel I could write that pretty well...
(End of Chapter)
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