His skin began to radiate the heat of the Burning Hells. His wounds stopped bleeding—they were being cauterized by his own internal fire. The blood on the ground flew up, coating Leah and transforming into Barbarian essence as it merged with her.
"Now, Leah! Listen!"
Every muscle in his body spasmed from the violent union of two souls.
"You are the daughter of Aidan! The descendant of the Wise King Leoric! And you are MY child! The child of the Great Barbarian King, Bul-Kathos! You may call me Father!"
With that final declaration, the tremors stopped. The age faded from Bul-Kathos's face. However, two dark horns—the mark of the Wrath of the Berserker—sprouted from his forehead.
Leah's soul solidified. The blood of Bul-Kathos radiated power, weaving itself into a new body for her. This wasn't a spectral image; it was a body with a heartbeat, with warmth—a body that could feel cold and hunger, a body that could laugh and cough.
Leah was resurrected.
She was no longer the child of Diablo. She was a child of the Barbarians, the youngest of the Stallion Tribe. She was the Daughter of Bul-Kathos.
The Malice—the hammer infused with a fragment of Diablo's power—appeared at Bul-Kathos's waist, only to be reduced to ash by his sheer will. Such a thing was unworthy of him. It had no honor. It was only filth.
The power of the Cube and the Holy Mountain receded. Bul-Kathos and Leah returned to the sight of the others.
The horns on Bul-Kathos's head drew every eye. Tyrael stood there, his face grim, not daring to take a single step forward.
"Bul-Kathos... my station was only enough for you to absorb Mephisto's essence. Now, you carry far more than that within you," Tyrael said coldly. His plans had been upended. But here, as a mere fragment of consciousness, he had no right to command the King.
"Beautifully done, Bul-Kathos!" Madawc laughed loudly after glancing at Leah. He didn't care about Tyrael's plans. Bul-Kathos was invincible. Any obstacle would simply be crushed.
"Leah..." Johanna whispered in disbelief. She felt an aura from Leah that she had only ever felt from Bul-Kathos. There was a hint of something like jealousy in her voice that even she didn't recognize.
"Tyrael, you have failed once again."
A soft, weightless voice drifted through the air. A light as gentle as the dawn began to shine.
"Harrogath... Mount Arreat. I thought I would never see this place again. After the disaster, hope seemed so very distant."
"Auriel!" Tyrael spat, his voice laced with annoyance at the name of the Archangel of Hope.
"Tyrael, have you forgotten? Hope is everywhere."
Auriel's laughter rang out. Her angelic radiance flared and then surged entirely into Bul-Kathos's body.
"Bul-Kathos... have I redeemed you?" she asked, her voice weary.
The Archangel of Hope manifested before the Barbarians in a human form for the first time. She wasn't classically beautiful, but every line of her face radiated mercy and conviction. Then, she vanished—but the Hope remained.
Bul-Kathos looked at where she had stood, his expression complex. The horns on his forehead trembled and slowly receded into his skull. His power began to swell.
Auriel's sacrifice of her essence was more than enough to offset the corruption of Diablo. Now, it was Andariel who would know true suffering.
Hope's power surged into the Black Soulstone, leaving an indelible mark. If Bul-Kathos shattered Andariel's soul, he would take another step forward. The essence of Justice would counter Mephisto; then he only needed Itherael's Balance, Malthael's Wisdom, Baal's Destruction, and Diablo's Fear.
Then, Bul-Kathos could realize everyone's dream.
"HA!"
Madawc raised his weapon and slammed into Bul-Kathos! His soul turned into a streak of light and dove into the Black Soulstone!
It was sudden. Bul-Kathos could have reacted, but he was still adjusting to Auriel's power. Madawc went in unopposed.
"MA! DAWC!" Bul-Kathos roared.
Madawc was no match for Andariel. This was a sacrifice. Another one. Bul-Kathos's fury was so great it set the snow on the ground ablaze. Nearby, Baal laughed with delight.
"Short-sighted fools!"
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