Tyrael stepped forward to stand beside Madawc, his tone conciliatory.
"Shut up, Archangel!"
Madawc swung his axe, slamming the flat of the blade into Tyrael's head. In an instant, Tyrael was stunned. He never expected Madawc to attack him, let alone with an attack carrying the weight of legendary power. Even against Prime Evils, Madawc rarely tapped into this specific legacy—the power born of his own sorrow.
Madawc glanced at Johanna, then charged toward the prone Baal. He preferred the most direct solution to any problem. He couldn't cripple Baal without a fight like Kanai had, but now, the "referee" was off the field.
Madawc had prepared for this. Bul-Kathos's refusal hadn't surprised him, but he still felt a pang of regret. Using the Soulstone was the best way. But the situation had changed. If Johanna helped, even just a little, this fight would be over. And afterward, even if Tyrael knew what had happened during his momentary blackout, he couldn't back out of the deal without having witnessed it.
Johanna received Madawc's signal, but she didn't move. This was a Barbarian's battle. She would do nothing to anger or harm Bul-Kathos. Her conviction was almost laughably stubborn—she would perform acts that seemed archaic or foolish out of faith. But this time, it wasn't about her creed; it was simply because Bul-Kathos wouldn't like it. Even if he wouldn't hold a grudge, Johanna refused to cross that line.
"Pah!"
Madawc slammed into Baal. He used his axe like a spear, thrusting it through the Prime Evil's body, right into the wound Kanai had opened. He wasn't in a hurry. The battle had only just begun.
"Madawc... I remember you," Baal's weak voice croaked. A massive arm reached out and gripped Madawc's head.
In the Rift of the Sacred Mountain's gate, the Three Ancients individually were no match for even a weakened phantom of Azmodan. Facing a Baal who had consumed Mephisto, Madawc was outmatched by an astronomical margin. Even heavily wounded, Baal was not a being Madawc could easily topple.
"Baal, what you remember is the dizziness I gave you!"
Madawc swung his axe again, finally unleashing his full legendary power. Ripples of force radiated out, and Baal's body suddenly froze in place. Crowd control was the true strength of the vanguard of the Three Ancients.
Stun. Persistent, intermittent stuns. It was enough to make even the most dominant foe collapse into the jaws of death.
"I saw the outcome of our battle long ago! I knew I would die that day!"
Madawc knew Baal couldn't hear him anymore, but he kept talking. He was a chatterbox, but he never let his mouth ruin his combat rhythm.
"But I also saw a chance for victory! I simply chose not to take it!"
Madawc's figure flickered, reappearing beside Tyrael. This was his true target. The moment Johanna passed on the chance to strike Baal, Madawc shifted his objective. His charred arm locked onto Tyrael's wings of light.
"As long as I send Tyrael back to the Heavens... then Bul-Kathos will arrive and chop you into mincemeat before you can finish corrupting the Worldstone!"
Madawc's voice was like ice. Back then, he had trusted the Archangel of Justice. Now, he only trusted Justice itself. Archangels were simply a collection of things that always let Barbarians down. The Three Ancients' trust in the angels had been utterly exhausted.
"Kanai is the last man to be sacrificed!"
Madawc spat a mouthful of bloody saliva into Tyrael's face.
"But this thing... isn't a man!"
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