"Rise! Courage!"
The Skycutter in Bul-Kathos's hand thrust downward, piercing the clay urn on the ground with a heavy thud.
The shattered remnants of the urn immediately began to emit countless rays of brilliant golden light. A sacred aura expanded outward at a terrifying speed.
"What is that?"
Rorschach, standing off to the side, wore a peculiar expression.
The moment Imperius appeared, he felt a strange will stirring within his own body, as if something was eager to break free.
"This is truly beyond my understanding," Constantine muttered, staring at the urn radiating divine brilliance.
A handful of white ash within the light began to swirl, emitting a holiness that felt strangely nostalgic. Constantine could sense a familiarity in that light, yet he couldn't quite recall when he had ever come into contact with such an aura.
Behind Bul-Kathos, the Wings of Courage expanded once more. Like a roaring fire, they unleashed a crushing pressure upon the surroundings.
Hellboy, still in the throes of madness, was pinned firmly to the ground, unable to even lift his head. The crown of flame atop his brow flickered as if on the verge of vanishing, the fires of Hell shrinking away in the face of this overwhelming spirit.
"The representative of Courage, the Archangel who holds the sun! Imperius!"
The wings of light behind Bul-Kathos liquified into a stream of molten gold, pouring into the broken urn before him.
Accompanied by Bul-Kathos's low, resonant roar, everything in the city seemed to hit a pause button.
He wasn't simply resurrecting Imperius in a physical form; he was allowing the very concept of Courage in this world to be subsumed by the Archangel!
Imperius had escaped Malthael's restrictions, but that also meant his authority had been damaged. To ensure Courage could truly stand as a power capable of rivaling a Creation God, the Courage of this world had to be claimed by Imperius!
For an Archangel, the rule they represented was their very foundation.
"Do you still wish to fight Diablo? Then take your spear and rise!"
The wings behind Bul-Kathos vanished completely. He had used his own courage as the stepping stone for Imperius to return to his peak.
The Archangel of Courage was the apex of combat prowess among the Archangels. Even Tyrael, the aspect of Justice, had never defeated Imperius in battle.
Combat is the companion of Courage, and Courage is the foundation upon which Justice is upheld.
Imperius was the Gatekeeper of the High Heavens! The enforcer of all righteous order!
"How utterly annoying!"
Imperius's voice finally rang out again as his figure expanded directly from the urn.
The ashes of a noble soul, the Spring Water of the High Heavens, a beacon of the High Heavens, and the Authority of the Archangel of Courage!
In this moment, the avatar of the rule of Courage appeared in this world—an existence capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Death!
"I will still watch your actions from on high. But this time... I will not cast my vote in favor of your annihilation."
Imperius had finally fully resurrected!
After experiencing everything that came before, his view of humanity had finally shifted.
And in this instant, every demon on the ground was exposed to the Archangel's holy fire!
Overwhelming golden flames enveloped the entire city. All the righteous were protected, while all the unrighteous were turned to ash!
His enemies now were only the demons of Hell. The remnants of the special ops teams were fortunate enough to be judged as 'human' by him, escaping the purge.
The enforcer of righteous order never ignored what transpired before him.
Unless, of course, he was facing his own brothers. Only then would he rest momentarily, closing his eyes to ignore the potential suffering.
Years ago, Tyrael chose to fall to the mortal realm for the sake of Justice, while Imperius chose to turn a blind eye for the sake of his brother.
The moment rules gained a personality, they ceased to be immutable.
But now, betrayed by his own brother, Imperius stood on the side of Light. He would stand on the boundary between darkness and light, using his brilliance to erase the darkness bit by bit, awaiting the arrival of Malthael!
"Bul-Kathos, have you found a successor?"
Imperius ignored his own holy fire as it swept through the city. Having just condensed his physical body, his attention was focused solely on Bul-Kathos.
Courage was a rule, one that manifested as light and heat. But unlike Death or Decay, it was not a rule that Bul-Kathos couldn't resist. Therefore, Imperius could not defeat Bul-Kathos.
This was also the primary reason Bul-Kathos had chosen to resurrect Imperius first.
The reckless Archangel of Courage needed the guidance of Wisdom. But now, the Archangel of Wisdom had become Death.
Thus, Bul-Kathos would act as the shackle, limiting Imperius's actions to prevent any inappropriate incidents. This restriction would have to remain until Auriel and Tyrael were resurrected.
Justice could be the shackle of Courage, and only Hope could persuade Justice.
This process could not afford mistakes. After all, Tyrael's stubborn adherence to Justice was enough to drive him to unwise actions. Tyrael was meant to be the next Archangel of Wisdom—when the mortal realm no longer needed Justice to fight, he would have become Wisdom.
But now, Justice had become an entity that could not be allowed to vanish.
"He is someone Tyrael acknowledged. In fact, Tyrael's dormant consciousness is currently within his body."
Bul-Kathos pulled a bottle of his treasured strong liquor from his inventory and handed it to Imperius.
How could old friends reunite without a celebration?
As for the fact that Tyrael's consciousness was dormant because of him, Bul-Kathos decided not to mention it.
"I never wanted Tyrael to defy the Angiris Council's decisions."
Imperius casually took the bottle Bul-Kathos offered and poured it directly toward where a mouth would be under his helm.
"And I don't like Tyrael's stubborn brand of Justice, but he is Justice!"
Bul-Kathos snapped the neck off his own bottle and began chugging the spirits.
"You all sing high praises of Justice, yet I fear even he doesn't know what true Justice is. Only Fate can point the way, and only Fate can guide us!"
Imperius spoke as he drank. No one knew how he managed it—you could never see the face of an Archangel unless they tore off their wings. Who knew? Maybe they had two mouths.
"Where are you going now? Mount Arreat doesn't exactly welcome the physical descent of an Archangel."
Bul-Kathos didn't intend to dwell on the topic of Justice. He was more concerned with Imperius's destination.
The last time an Archangel visited the Sacred Mountain, Mount Arreat was blown to pieces. Since then, Barbarians hadn't been keen on hosting angels.
"I will be above the Heavens! The High Heavens will gradually descend into this world through my existence!"
Imperius's body began to expand. As the embodiment of the rule itself, he could change his size enough for all to witness his presence.
Meanwhile, every demon in the city had been eradicated by his hand.
"When the High Heavens arrive, Malthael will arrive as well."
Bul-Kathos rubbed his brow. Inside his head, Andariel was screaming in rage.
Faced with Courage, none of the Seven Evils could remain indifferent.
Having fought the Seven Evils for eons alongside the five Archangels, their individual combat power far exceeded that of the Demon Lords.
Especially Imperius.
If it had been only Baal or Diablo attacking the High Heavens back then, they wouldn't have even made it past the Diamond Gates. Only the Prime Evil—the seven united as one—possessed the power to crush Imperius.
"When that time comes, I will be the first to meet him in battle! Malthael is no longer my brother!"
Imperius spoke without fear. Or rather, for the Archangel of Courage, fear itself was a joke.
However, lack of fear did not grant him the power to defeat Malthael.
"Don't kid yourself. You won't fare any better in front of Malthael than you did against the Prime Evil."
Bul-Kathos cursed under his breath, then raised the Oathkeeper to block Imperius's spear.
A brilliance like the sun flared where their weapons met, expanding outward before slowly retracting.
"So now... are you still willing to bear Courage, Bul-Kathos?"
Imperius asked, his tone solemn.
The wings behind him no longer blazed with fierce holy fire but radiated a warmth like the afternoon sun.
"I'd rather carry Hope right now, because I have never lacked Courage!"
Bul-Kathos exerted force, knocking Solarion, the Spear of Valor, aside, and laughed loudly.
"The current you... Auriel would likely be very happy to let you bear Hope. But for now, you'd best wear my Wings of Courage!"
The Spear of Valor in Imperius's hand dissolved into the golden liquid that had earlier slipped away from Bul-Kathos, returning to the Barbarian's back.
This time, the Wings of Courage shone even more dazzlingly, temporarily quelling the disaster at hand.
"I sense Itherael's presence. I am going to find him now. Fortunately, he happens to be right above your heads."
Leaving only these words behind, Imperius vanished from everyone's sight.
Yet, even though he had left, the holy flames sealing the passage between Hell and the Mortal Realm continued to burn fiercely.
"That is the Lord... That is truly the Lord!"
Father Anderson's eyes revealed a fanatic zeal. Sparks of the holy fire of Courage ignited on his body once more, burning until he was completely wrapped in flames.
Meanwhile, Imperius appeared on Mars, staring face-to-face with a naked, azure being.
"Itherael."
Imperius spoke his brother's name firmly.
"I have been waiting for a long time. Archangel of Courage, hello."
The blue figure forced a somewhat stiff smile, as if he knew he should smile at this moment, but felt no genuine happiness inside.
"Call me Dr. Manhattan. Fate is greeting you through my eyes."
Dr. Manhattan waved his hand, and a table and chairs instantly materialized on the surface of the planet.
"You and Itherael are not in symbiosis? He chose to place himself within your world?"
The wings of light behind Imperius flared slightly; it was clear he was agitated.
"The Archangel of Fate is observing this world alongside me. He uses my perspective to view the world, and I am attempting to understand everything he sees."
Dr. Manhattan spoke flatly.
Both he and the Archangel of Fate possessed the power to observe destiny, but their angles of observation were not similar.
Currently, the Archangel of Fate resided within his eyes, yet outsiders could not see Itherael's existence. Even if that "outsider" was the Archangel's own brother.
Dr. Manhattan observed the flow of fate as an entity outside of it. Itherael, as Fate itself, was using another's perspective to observe himself.
It was likely that Itherael had seen the future the moment Bul-Kathos appeared in Sanctuary. But what he wanted to know wasn't why Bul-Kathos appeared, but why Bul-Kathos would change the direction of the world.
"Then when does he plan to awaken and oppose Malthael!"
Imperius's wings dimmed slightly.
Fighting the Seven Evils was merely the beginning; Malthael was the true enemy!
"When he feels it is time. Fate is always impartial."
The second half of Dr. Manhattan's sentence was spoken in Itherael's voice.
The Archangel of Fate might awaken faster than the others. After all, beside a quantum observer like Dr. Manhattan, the power of Fate was constantly gathering.
"Will Bul-Kathos succeed?" Imperius asked.
He held doubts regarding Bul-Kathos's plan to seal the Seven Evils. Aidan was a precedent of failure.
"Fate is always present."
Dr. Manhattan said with a smile, then sat quietly in place.
He and Itherael had already seen the outcome; they simply did not wish to speak of it.
"I understand. Then I shall summon the High Heavens here!"
Imperius's form turned into a stream of golden light, becoming an invisible existence.
But he existed in this world. Bul-Kathos could feel it. Father Anderson could feel it.
The holy fire on Earth, endlessly burning to seal the Hell passage, was proof.
"What should I do now?"
Constantine looked at Bul-Kathos, asking somewhat wistfully. For him, not having to continue fighting was the best possible outcome. Combat was never his forte.
"Go wake up Hellboy and snap him out of it!"
Bul-Kathos replied gruffly. Auriel's aura was unprecedentedly clear at this moment, but evidently, Auriel hadn't entrusted everything to Constantine.
The aura of Hope he carried was incomplete.
So the question remained: Who had obtained Auriel's consciousness?
"If I may interject," the Doctor spoke up, "the Cybermen are about to wake up. I think everyone should figure out how to deal with those chaps first."
Although the mysterious Doctor was still thinking about Nimue, the Cybermen—whose bodily lights were dimming as they finished adapting—were the great enemy in his eyes.
The demons of Hell had been swept away by the angel, but the Cybermen were now advancing firmly toward this world, step by step.
Imperius had solved the problem of the Hell passage, but it seemed the war was about to escalate!
(Author's Note: Apologies, my asthma has been quite severe from yesterday to today, and the inhaler hasn't adjusted it well. But wait a moment, I will update again. Not breaking the update streak is my bottom line...)
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