Andariel's excitement seemed baseless, but the Demon Lord's agitation was causing Bul-Kathos immense distress.
Her neurotic laughter was enough to grate on even the most mild-mannered person, let alone Bul-Kathos, who was far from gentle.
"Andariel! Do you really want to see Leoric's mace?!"
Bul-Kathos's sudden roar startled everyone present.
They couldn't hear the commotion inside his head, leaving them utterly baffled by his outburst.
Only the Ancient One, who understood the situation, asked hesitantly, "Is there no way to shield against the whispers of that Demon Lord in your mind?"
Her tone was tinged with urgency; knowing what she did about the Lords of Hell, it was rare for her to show such concern.
Given enough time, those whispers could destroy anyone's sanity, regardless of how strong-willed they were.
When the human brain receives information, it instinctively processes and thinks about it.
Just as someone plagued by daily nightmares struggles to maintain their mental state, being forced to stay constantly alert only leads to faster exhaustion. It is unavoidable.
"Unless she gets bored of this life herself," Bul-Kathos said, his eyes bloodshot. Wisps of Fury sparked from his body like threads of fire.
Andariel's presence was something he still needed to get used to. At this moment, Bul-Kathos began to understand what Aidan must have gone through all those years ago.
But Andariel wouldn't give up her harassment. To a Demon Lord who had existed for eons, a few hundred years meant absolutely nothing.
"Enough. Wake Hellboy up now, have him take this sword, and end Nimue! I've had enough of this," Bul-Kathos shouted, struggling to suppress his rage.
He was already considering resurrecting Leoric. Perhaps hearing Andariel scream in terror would bring him some relief.
Although that was a dangerous thought.
In his hand, the severed Cyberman head's mechanical eyes flickered, as if analyzing something.
"I'd like to ask, how can you be certain that Nimue's time of death is now?"
The Doctor frowned, tightening his hold on Nimue with one arm while slipping his sonic screwdriver back into his pocket with the other.
The sonic screwdriver hadn't given any reading on Bul-Kathos, acting as if it were pointing at empty space.
But that wasn't worth extra attention right now. Compared to analyzing Bul-Kathos, understanding his own situation was far more critical.
"I don't know the details, but you should understand what you represent!"
The Wrath of the Wastes set began to manifest on Bul-Kathos's body as he shifted his gaze to the other side of the time rift.
The Cybermen didn't feel threatening, but something from the other side was now giving him a distinct sense of foreboding.
It wasn't a direct threat of violence, but rather the discomfort of being schemed against.
Aside from Malthael, nothing else seemed capable of making him feel truly threatened right now.
"I just want to know under what circumstances 'I' saw her death," the Doctor muttered, his brow furrowed in thought.
Using the TARDIS, he could violate the rule that two versions of himself couldn't exist in the same time, even allowing multiple incarnations to meet and converse under specific conditions.
But the Doctor couldn't be sure if the version of him who witnessed Nimue's death was the one currently standing here.
Beings who played with time thought differently from normal people.
For the Doctor, Time was something to be respected, yet also something to be teased and occasionally defied.
Being a Child of Time came with privileges.
At the very least, the Doctor knew he wouldn't watch Nimue die without doing anything. Even if it was "destined," he would try to resist.
Unless he himself confirmed it was truly inevitable.
For someone who could travel anywhere in the timeline, past, present, and future were never absolute.
"I think discussing time with him is pointless. Bul-Kathos doesn't look like the type who can articulate the nuances of temporal mechanics," Tony said, removing his faceplate and walking up to the time rift.
After meeting Bul-Kathos, he had specifically "looked up" relevant information in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database, so he knew a bit about the Barbarian.
Tony was interested in time as well, but it wasn't his primary field of expertise.
He was far more intrigued by the Cybermen's bodies; the technological aesthetic they embodied caught his attention.
"However, I am very interested in Cyberman technology. Is that what these guys are called?"
Tony picked up a severed limb from the ground to examine it. He didn't dare take anything from Bul-Kathos's hand, so he settled for scavenging "trash."
The mechanical structure and assembly couldn't hide from his eyes, but the energy contained within was what truly baffled him.
The energy inside the Cybermen was astounding, yet terrifyingly stable.
These beings could sustain prolonged combat without their destruction causing severe collateral damage.
That level of stability surpassed even the arc reactor in his chest.
"What exactly are we doing here? Can we kill this guy or what?!"
Rorschach stomped Hellboy—who had been trying to get up—back into the ground, complaining as he did so.
In his view, the previous conversation had gone completely off track.
He added a kick to Hellboy's hand gripping the Sword in the Stone, but the demon wouldn't let go of the hilt, which was all that remained of the Sword of Kings.
Frank Castle, swaying slightly on his feet, walked over to Bul-Kathos and asked with some hesitation, "I don't care about time or whatever. Jill is still with those mages. Is this war over?"
Frank stared intently at Bul-Kathos.
ever since the Wrath of the Wastes set appeared on the Barbarian, the sense of unease had become palpable.
"Perhaps the war has only just begun," Bul-Kathos said solemnly, staring at the seemingly sluggish Cybermen.
Behind the Cyberman army, he seemed to sense the presence of a Demon Lord, though he couldn't be certain.
It didn't make sense. The connection between the other side of the time rift and this world shouldn't have lasted long.
But if that aura truly belonged to a Demon Lord, then the entity on the other side had already reached its peak state.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for a Demon Lord to hide their identity in front of Bul-Kathos.
"Doctor! Doctor! Doctor?"
The Cybermen on the other side began to chant "Doctor" in unison with their mechanical voices. Although time flowed differently on both sides, the sound matched normal speech speed perfectly.
Perhaps the first Cyberman to cross over had uploaded data regarding the time flow, allowing the others to adjust their speech to sound normal here.
"Cybermen, what do you want?"
The Doctor put aside his questions for the moment and engaged them.
Most of the entities he knew were capable of communication; even the Daleks, filled with hate and destruction, would exchange a few words with him.
"Help us! Doctor!"
The mechanical eyes of the head in Bul-Kathos's hand flashed as it spoke.
"Bloody hell!"
The Doctor felt a chill run down his spine.
Cybermen asking for help? That was absurd!
These creatures were like cockroaches—they survived under any circumstances. Since when did they need help?
Even the Daleks had never completely wiped out the Cybermen.
Hearing them ask for help was the most terrifying joke the Doctor had ever heard.
A single Cyberman could convert an entire civilized planet into a Cyberman colony. Beings whose highest directive was survival and propagation should never be in a position to beg for aid.
"What do you mean? What have you encountered? Daleks?" the Doctor asked urgently.
Meanwhile, Bul-Kathos hesitated about whether to cross the time rift and investigate the unsettling aura.
It wasn't that he hesitated to face a Demon Lord, but rather that he wasn't sure if he could return after crossing over.
Anything involving rules required careful consideration from Bul-Kathos.
"Help us, Doctor!"
The Cyberman head continued to call out but refused to elaborate on the situation.
suddenly, Alucard's expression changed drastically.
His River of Death had suffered massive casualties in an instant.
"I have business to attend to. I hope to see you all here when I return."
Alucard dropped that sentence casually and vanished from the scene.
There was nothing left here that interested him.
He had originally come to deal with the demons crawling out of Hell. Now that the Hell passage was sealed, he had other matters to attend to.
Outside, Walter the butler had appeared once again.
But this time, he wore the face of his youth.
The man who had seemed indifferent to aging had done something laughable.
He had traded what little life he had left for his youth.
Aging was cruel to a warrior. As a human, Walter had a dream: he wanted to fight Alucard in a true battle.
And now, after undergoing modifications by the "Last Battalion," he had appeared in the city once more!
However, he no longer possessed his own will. He had become a weapon of slaughter.
The man who modified him was the scientist of the Last Battalion, a man also known as "The Doctor."
Worse still, M.O.D.O.K., the expert in mind control, had participated in the process.
Walter had lost himself. He was now frantically reaping the lives of anyone who could move with his specially crafted wires!
"Walter, enjoy your final moments. I still want to win this war."
The Major had lost his human face, revealing a grotesque mechanical body underneath.
He looked as hideous as the T-800 from The Terminator.
Yet, the remaining half of his face still wore that detestable smile.
"Major, can we really drive Alucard into a corner?"
First Lieutenant Rip van Winkle asked, nursing significant injuries.
Her brief skirmish with Tony hadn't gone well. After being bombarded by a salvo of micro-missiles, even her musket was badly damaged.
"It's not time yet, but he will do exactly as we envision," the Major said, patting his tattered clothes with his mechanical hand.
The final step of the plan would only begin when Alucard started absorbing blood to reclaim lives.
Unless Alucard was pushed to the brink, the proud vampire wouldn't absorb the blood and souls scattered everywhere.
The souls in his River of Death had been decimated after the high-intensity battle, losing more than half their number.
But he was still far from "desperation."
"What exactly was that strange fire?"
The Major muttered under his breath.
If Imperius hadn't unleashed his holy fire, Alucard would likely have lost his River of Death entirely by now.
Thinking of this, the Major gritted his teeth.
"Can I leave now?"
M.O.D.O.K., with his gigantic head, looked unkindly at the battered Major and Rip van Winkle.
Neither of them had strong combat capabilities left, so his question was less of an inquiry and more of a threat.
"Of course, my ally. Thank you for your help. You may go do what you wish," the Major replied with a sneer, completely unfazed by M.O.D.O.K.'s tone.
"I want to right now..."
M.O.D.O.K. had just started to grin ferociously when a powerful hand in a white glove clamped down on his waist.
The Werewolf Captain had returned!
The suicidal werewolf hadn't died at the hands of the giant demons after all.
Though covered in wounds, he was alive.
His tight coat and military cap were gone, and his grim face was written with displeasure.
"Leave here, then hide so we never find you again."
A layer of cold sweat reflected the firelight on M.O.D.O.K.'s massive head.
He couldn't mind-control the robot Major, and the werewolf possessed enough power to block his mental influence.
Rip van Winkle was disarmed and lacked the martial prowess to turn the tide. M.O.D.O.K. quickly pivoted his intended speech.
He had a trump card, of course, but that trump card was currently outside engaging in slaughter.
The current Walter had not only restored his peak strength but, thanks to the combined modifications of the Last Battalion and A.I.M., was now even stronger than in his youth.
Although this meant his life would end in less than three hours.
But for now, he possessed enough power to fight Dum Dum Dugan's team and Steve's trio head-on.
Dugan and his two companions had rushed toward the airship's crash site immediately upon landing, running straight into the Grim Reaper Walter.
Facing a peak Walter, Dugan and John Wick found their strength insufficient to interfere.
The Winter Soldier was doing everything he could to block the omnipresent wires. The trio's movements were completely obstructed, their situation perilous.
Fortunately, before they could be wiped out, Steve's group finally arrived. Flanking Steve were Crossbones (Rumlow) and Matthew.
The three had defeated numerous enemies and demons on their way. Steve was in decent shape, but Matthew and Rumlow were currently at their peak.
(Author's Note: Phew~ Finished the guaranteed 6,000 words. Couldn't restore the 10,000-word update... I'll try to adjust my state again today and see if I can be more efficient.)
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