High atop the sacred peak of Harrogath, Bul-Kathos was locked in a mental shouting match with Andariel.
Neither side was particularly concerned with decorum. A torrent of profanities and words that would be censored in any polite society spilled from their minds like scattered beans.
However, Bul-Kathos had business to attend to.
He sensed a disturbance at St. Paul's Cathedral—an aura he cared about deeply.
It contained the distinct signatures of two Archangels: Imperius and Auriel. Under these circumstances, Bul-Kathos could no longer sit idly on the mountain.
Through his connection to the fighting Rorschach and Jessica, he could clearly feel the fanatic courage of Imperius and the compassionate hope of Auriel.
The manifestation of two Archangels was never a simple matter to resolve.
"Vorusk! Guard the Temple of the Elders!"
Bul-Kathos drew the Oathkeeper, bellowing the command at the top of his lungs. He had to leave some insurance on the Sacred Mountain; leaving it unguarded made him uneasy.
With a wave of his hand, he tore open a brilliant azure portal and stepped directly to Rorschach's side.
The first thing to fill his vision was Hellboy, who was spiraling into madness.
"If this kid keeps going, there's no turning back," Bul-Kathos muttered.
Without hesitation, he slammed the flat of the Oathkeeper against Hellboy's sawed-off horns. The immense force jarred Hellboy, restoring a glimmer of reason to the demon-blooded hero who had been thoroughly consumed by demonic power. But in the next instant, the newly arrived Ghost Rider ignited the spirit of Zarathos within him.
Hellfire erupted, completely engulfing Hellboy. In that moment, he finally grasped his first true authority over Hell.
It was a choice made by Zarathos—he had temporarily granted the Authority of Hellfire to Hellboy!
A vortex of flame spun away from the Ghost Rider's skull, and in a flash, the Spirit of Vengeance reverted to his human form.
Zarathos, as one of the most ancient elemental demons, had always had his power entangled with the Spirit of Vengeance. But now, to spite Mephisto, this insane Lord of Hell had willingly discarded his most potent authority.
Simultaneously, the magic Constantine had unleashed against the Cybermen finally took effect.
An overwhelming wave of Hellfire crashed into the vanguard of the Cybermen. The infernal flames, forged of high heat and sin, melted their bodies into puddles of metallic liquid instantly.
Yet, the Cybermen emerging from the rift did not halt. Lights began to flicker across their bodies as they initiated a new stage of evolution. How long this adaptation would take remained unknown, but for the moment, the heroes were spared from facing those emotionless machines of war.
"Demon!"
Bul-Kathos roared, bringing the Oathkeeper down. Wrapped in thunder and gale-force winds, the blade struck the Sword in the Stone.
When two weapons worthy of the title "Legendary" collided, the victor was decided solely by the wielder.
A visible crack appeared on the Sword in the Stone, followed by a sharp snap as it broke in two.
But this only caused the situation to collapse completely.
Hellboy held the hilt of the broken sword. He was the King of Britain. He was unilaterally constructing the bridge between Hell and the Mortal Realm.
The situation had shifted irrevocably.
The proof of kingship was damaged, but the authority of Hell and his bloodline could not be stripped away. Even holding only half the sword, Hellboy remained the beacon.
The broken tip of the blade, however, tumbled down a fissure in the earth, falling straight into Hell.
The channel was completely formed!
No matter what anyone did now, this fact would not change. It was the most stable passage between humanity and demons ever created.
And the one laughing maniacally at this development was Andariel, imprisoned within the Black Soulstone.
As a Lesser Evil, her perception of her brethren far exceeded that of Bul-Kathos. Through this stabilized channel, Andariel could already sense the presence of Baal.
As the avatar of Destruction, Baal represented the most terrifying destructive force among the Seven Evils. Even Diablo, the Lord of Terror, could not rival Baal in raw power.
For now, Andariel's only task was to suppress her own emotions. She had to ensure Bul-Kathos did not detect Baal before the Lord of Destruction had fully recovered his strength and hidden himself.
If any of the Seven Evils faced Bul-Kathos alone, the only outcome would be being sealed once more. That was not even a matter of debate.
Vaguely, Andariel also sensed the aura of Azmodan lurking nearby. And so, the Maiden of Anguish began to cackle madly. Her laughter wouldn't alert Bul-Kathos to anything suspicious; she had spent the entire time trying to affect his sanity with such antics anyway.
"Wasn't that sword the only weapon capable of killing Nimue?"
Constantine turned to watch Bul-Kathos's action, shouting in sheer panic.
He didn't understand the laws of time, but he knew the lore: without the Sword in the Stone, Nimue could not die.
"Did you see those pterodactyl-like Time Reapers?"
Bul-Kathos looked up at Constantine, his tone strange.
"Merlin said only a 'Sword of Kings' could do the deed. His exact words didn't specify this particular broken stone sword."
Bul-Kathos scoffed. If a Sword of Kings was all that was needed, he could produce them by the bundle!
The sword of the Skeleton King of Khanduras was also known as a Sword of Kings! That primal legendary weapon was sitting in Bul-Kathos's inventory right now—a parting gift from Leoric.
Killing Nimue was never Bul-Kathos's primary goal. The reason he had stepped away earlier, heeding the advice of Merlin and Agamotto, was to observe a rule that mortals should never grasp.
Time.
The rule of Time is Fate.
aside from Itherael, the Archangel of Fate, one could scour the High Heavens and find no tomes describing the mechanics of Time.
Besides, Barbarians had little interest in books. They craved knowledge, but they lacked the patience for dry text.
"Time hasn't been disrupted?"
Constantine stared at Bul-Kathos, his voice filled with disbelief.
But it was the Doctor who was truly stunned. He had heard a name he couldn't ignore.
"Excuse me, did you say Nimue? As in... Vivian Nimue?"
The Doctor's expression turned peculiar.
It was another beautiful mistake. A story from the last time Merlin had summoned him to this world.
It was his first visit to this universe. When he stepped out of the TARDIS, he saw a girl filled with curiosity. He did what he always did.
Whether it was Rose Tyler or Amy Pond later on, all his stories began because he appeared at the right time in the right place.
The Doctor had intended to do as he always did—to take the girl named Vivian Nimue to see the wonders of the universe under the power of Time.
But that became the only time he ever broke a promise.
This world was not the one he knew. Even with the power of the TARDIS, he could not bypass Merlin's existence to return.
A single error in judgment led a poor girl down the path of "immortality" just to wait for a promise.
"The person the Blood Queen is waiting for... is you?"
Constantine's face grew even more horrified.
Meanwhile, Alucard watched Bul-Kathos with a wide grin.
"A human! Not a god! Not a monster! Yet so powerful!"
Alucard's laughter revealed a genuine sense of heartiness for the first time. He had waited too long—far too long—for a battle that could send him to his eternal rest!
"The Lord says... I should not fight you?"
Father Anderson's face was etched with suspicion. The holy fire within him was gradually extinguishing.
The "Lord" who told him what faith was, what battle was... was not the "God" spoken of by the Church in this world.
It was the Archangel of Courage who had descended upon this realm! Imperius!
"Imperius still has consciousness?"
Bul-Kathos looked at Father Anderson in surprise.
Neither Tyrael nor Auriel had shown clear consciousness upon manifestation. To hear this news from Anderson was a pleasant surprise.
"Then I'll return some power to you! Imperius!"
Behind Bul-Kathos, the wings of Courage unfurled—spectral and radiant. A blinding golden light flooded the area.
Bul-Kathos's fury burned bright. With a mighty roar, the images of three Ancestors began to materialize.
The newly formed channel to Hell was not a place one could easily navigate. Last time, Andaucargas (an Ancient) hadn't been able to properly deal with the demon spawn due to an accident. This time, they wouldn't let the opportunity slip!
"Ha! splendid work, Bul-Kathos!"
Madawc was the first to appear behind him, shouting eagerly, his axes, the Sorrow, in hand.
"Why bring me instead of summoning the Three Stooges together?"
Cassius rubbed his belt, asking in confusion.
Generally, when using Call of the Ancients, the traditional trio would appear unless specified otherwise. He didn't understand why Bul-Kathos chose him after summoning Madawc.
"Because Talic has no intention of fighting alongside him. Talic is currently staring at the statues in front of the Sacred Mountain's gate, sulking," Korlic explained casually, then reached out a hand toward Bul-Kathos.
"It's rare to have a physical form! Give me some wine, quick!"
Korlic laughed loudly.
Bul-Kathos, looking slightly pale from the exertion, pulled a large jar from his inventory and handed it to the three Ancestors.
He then watched as the three Barbarians charged toward the infernal rift.
This time, it wasn't just one Ancient. It was three battle-crazed Barbarians rushing into Hell. One wondered if the Lords of Hell were prepared for triple the "fun."
Returning the power of Courage to Imperius was no small drain on Bul-Kathos.
But finally, the body of Imperius, the Archangel of Courage, materialized in the space.
"Bul-Kathos... it seems everything has drifted toward the outcome we least desired," Imperius said, his voice low, holding a spear of pure energy.
Imperius had retained his reason. The moment he saw Bul-Kathos, he sensed Andariel's presence.
He hadn't initially agreed with Bul-Kathos's choices, only agreeing to this "noble" sacrifice out of respect for Vorusk. Yet now, ironically, Bul-Kathos had become the only chance to seal the Seven Evils.
"The outcome I least desired was Malthael swallowing all of you whole!"
Bul-Kathos retorted gruffly, pulling a broken clay urn from his pack.
It was a common jar found in the High Heavens, but it wasn't useless.
"Spring water from Heaven? This won't do anything for me," Imperius said, his glowing golden form flickering. He sounded confused.
"Can you accept my blood to forge a body? You brainless aspect of Courage!"
Bul-Kathos roared. He slammed the jar onto the ground, grabbed Imperius's spear, and shoved the Archangel directly into the urn.
Archangels, like the Seven Evils, were representations of rules. But to fully unleash their power, they ultimately needed a vessel. Just as Diablo chose Leah, a full descent required a conduit.
And inside this jar were the ashes of a noble soul.
The name of this noble soul was Deckard Cain.
After Cain's body was burned by Leah and Tyrael, it was Bul-Kathos who had silently collected the elder's ashes. He had even placed this jar in the springs of the High Heavens, hoping to give Cain a chance to exist as an angel.
Regrettably, Cain's soul had vanished during the demon lord's attack, so he never reappeared in Sanctuary. Perhaps he had gone to some strange place (like the Nexus).
"Bul-Kathos! You aren't as steadfast as you claimed to be at the start!"
Imperius shouted as he was stuffed into the jar.
When Bul-Kathos had first made his sacrifice, he had declared to Hope, Courage, and Justice: "If a few must be sacrificed, then sacrifice only me."
And yet now, Imperius was forced to descend upon this world once more, to continue the endless Eternal Conflict.
"Back then, none of you told me that besides the Seven Evils, I'd have to face a Malthael who was on the verge of becoming a Creator God!"
Bul-Kathos rummaged through his backpack again and pulled out a legendary one-handed sword—Skycutter.
This legendary weapon had a chance to summon an angel to fight when attacking.
However, the true purpose of this legendary sword was to serve as a beacon for the High Heavens!
Summon an angel? From where? Naturally, from the High Heavens, where countless angels resided!
Beyond being a beacon, this sword represented the military might of the High Heavens. Only this holy blade could allow Imperius to descend into this world in his prime state.
Although Bul-Kathos would have preferred to awaken the compassionate Hope rather than this brainless Courage... it seemed there was no room left for choice.
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