The azure light formed the Great Hall where the Hammer of Judgment once rested. Tyrael's form became a gargantuan shadow standing firm. The Iron Hammer of Justice would crush all that was unjust!
This sheer dominance of power caused even Baal's movements to stall for a moment.
"Tyrael, do you intend to ignite a war?" Baal glared at Tyrael, his body expanding at will. He could grow as large as he wished without becoming fragile. Baal was no hollow fraud like Belial.
"I intend to keep you exactly where you are, to ensure this wager follows its destined path!" Tyrael said coldly.
He knew he would lose the wager. Yet, deep down, Tyrael felt a thrill.
Kanai's power! That was Kanai's power! An existence that required both Rathma and Itherael working together to kill! Because of that, Itherael had suffered near-permanent damage. Tyrael wanted to see it. Curiosity crawled through his heart like a rat.
What kind of power would Kanai show?
"Then, Archangel! Have you forgotten? I am not what I once was!"
Baal roared, absorbing the essence of Mephisto into his own body. Two Great Evils became one! A power capable of rivaling Tyrael had appeared.
"This time, I don't fight for High Heaven's conspiracies! I fight to watch you—and your crown of Justice—be torn down!"
Baal shrieked, the sound waves tearing through the air. Controlling Hatred with the will of Destruction, Baal was so powerful that Tyrael felt a genuine threat.
"Are you the end of all this?"
Kanai's figure appeared before Baal. Ignoring Tyrael entirely, he questioned the demon lord.
For the Archangel, Kanai had no grudge. This Barbarian had never even known the emotion of resentment. He had crushed Mephisto—the personification of Hatred—for so many years that Azmodan's body would reflexively tremble at the mention of his name.
The noble Kanai had no sin. No hatred. He was so perfect he almost didn't seem human.
"Kanai, I thought that after you died, your soul would have appeared in the High Heavens," Tyrael greeted him, his tone slightly awkward.
"Tyrael, my heart is full of hope for Justice. But this is my final battle. I hope you won't be the one to disrupt it," Kanai said.
He knew his time was short. Specifically, the moment Bul-Kathos reached him, he would have to bid the world eternal farewell. But before then, he would leave Baal with a memory deep enough to scar. Filthy things trying to stain the pristine Sacred Mountain had to pay a price.
Tyrael slowly retracted his aura. Even in the wild, meddlers were hated by both sides. Barbarians, who revered strength and nature, took this to a point of obsession.
A relative fairness. That was what Kanai wanted for his final act.
"As you wish, Kanai. Show me your strength!" Tyrael withdrew every shred of leaking power.
In the distance, Vorusk looked disappointed. In his view, a mere Baal wasn't worthy of Kanai's final battle. When a legend ends, it requires the most grand of performances.
"Aooo!"
Kanai let out a warcry. It wasn't the usual tone used by Barbarians. It was high-pitched, like the cry of a Great Stag.
The legend of the Stag Tribe. The legend's end.
Kanai!
Columns of fury erupted from the earth. Kanai, who had merged with the Sacred Mountain, possessed the most solid source of power.
The Rage of Harrogath!
Kanai stepped forward. Two simple, branch-like implements appeared in his hands, held above his head like antlers.
With every step he took, the earth boomed with the sound of a war drum. With every lift of his foot, molten lava surged in his wake.
"Kanai!"
A dual-layered voice erupted from Baal—Mephisto's instinct and Baal's will. The Domain of Destruction expanded violently, and cracks instantly webbed across Kanai's body.
"Aooo!"
Kanai roared again. His voice echoed across the Sacred Mountain, a thunderous sound that shouldn't have been possible in this terrain. The snow on the peaks began to collapse.
An avalanche.
The snow on the resilient Sacred Mountain had never once suffered an avalanche. But the mountain, which could withstand the endless noise of the Barbarians, finally showed the fury of nature.
A wall of snow appeared behind Kanai. Defying gravity, it didn't slide down into the valleys but surged forward, keeping pace with Kanai's charge.
Baal's Destruction domain was halted. Faced with the fury of nature, "Destruction" seemed thin and fragile.
With a silent collision, Kanai appeared behind Baal.
The avalanche crashed into the demon lord like a tidal wave. The massive Prime Evil stumbled, his footing lost. A massive hole appeared in his chest, and his jagged legs were instantly pulverized into a mist of blood.
"Incredible..." Tyrael whispered.
Even as a phantom of Justice, he felt a shiver. Even if this Baal was only a fragment of power, and even if this Sacred Mountain was a temporary summon from the past... Kanai was a man who had been dead for eras. Tyrael had just witnessed the tip of the iceberg of Kanai's true power.
"If you were still alive, the Barbarians would never have fallen to this state," Tyrael said after a long silence.
Baal finally fell, crashing to the ground like a felled titan.
"If he were still alive, Tyrael, then Itherael and Rathma would be the ones who are ghosts!"
Bul-Kathos had reached Tyrael's side. His hand was clenched tight. It was impossible to see what he was holding, but Tyrael felt a familiar tremor in Bul-Kathos's voice.
It was as if Kanai's charge had been locked onto him.
"I have no explanation for any of this... Mortal," Tyrael said instinctively. Facing Bul-Kathos, he felt a profound unease.
"Angel, when do you plan to hand over your stakes?"
Bul-Kathos looked at Tyrael, intentionally avoiding Kanai. Both he and Kanai knew that the moment their eyes met, the sacrifice would begin.
Bul-Kathos wanted that moment to come later. But Kanai wanted to finish the work only he could do as quickly as possible.
"Bul-Kathos, I am ready!"
Kanai's voice rang out, calling to him. The object in Bul-Kathos's hand began to glow brilliantly.
"The Cube named after me... I am eager to see the changes it brings! Now, look at me! Bul-Kathos! You are the next Immortal King! How can an Immortal King hide from another's gaze?"
Kanai's voice was lecture-like. His tall, powerful frame walked up behind Bul-Kathos. He reached out with a strong hand, gripping Bul-Kathos's shoulder and slowly turning him around to face the truth.
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