"I swear by my soul and the honor of the barbarians!"
Talic's body staggered back under Bul-Kathos's presence, his feet digging into the ground, his waist bending to barely withstand the storm-like aura.
His form swelled, adopting the stance of Berserker's Wrath, yet he remained a head shorter than Bul-Kathos.
No banner of honor adorned his back, nor did wings of virtue shine.
Yet he still raised his broken greatsword before Bul-Kathos!
"Then take this strike first!"
Bul-Kathos swung Merciless, the hammer's head crackling with storm and lightning, descending on Talic with unstoppable force!
Another ancestral figure appeared silently at the battlefield's edge.
Mokot, his cold eyes fixed on the writhing Rumlow, as if staring at a corpse.
Mokot, the true owner of Merciless, held an unyielding belief against evil.
A legendary barbarian who'd storm Hell's forges for justice.
Silent, he let actions prove his refusal to tolerate sin.
In his hand, a phantom Merciless materialized as he strode toward Rumlow.
Barbarians were never ruled by a single voice; each mighty warrior bore their own glory.
Talic sought to spare Rumlow's life, but Mokot stood firmly with Bul-Kathos!
Merciless crashed against Proof of Shame's blade, knocking the heavy weapon—symbolizing a life borne of disgrace—from Talic's grasp!
"Xia!"
Talic unleashed a war cry, activating Ignore Pain, raising his arms to block Merciless's path.
In that moment, he realized his powerlessness against Bul-Kathos, doubting even Volusk could withstand this blow.
Moreover, Merciless carried not Bul-Kathos's own glory but a deeper, hidden power that elevated him to legend!
A resounding bang! Mokot's hammer struck beside Rumlow's head, cratering the temple's unyielding floor.
Shattered stone fragments pelted Rumlow's face and shoulders, painting his visage with blood.
The Ancestral Hammer's shockwave crushed Rumlow's shoulder, leaving it barely attached by a sliver of flesh.
This strike halted the clash between Bul-Kathos and Talic.
"Fearless and unrepentant, I… will not regret… sparing this man's life. But he must bear that shame… until he proves himself."
Mokot's halting speech, perhaps from long silence, carried an odd cadence. Once he adjusted, his words were done, and he vanished from the temple.
Mokot didn't forgive evil, but he could tolerate justice awakened.
This hammer's weight was interest on Rumlow's sins; the rest, he'd atone for until death.
Bul-Kathos eased out of Berserker's Wrath, turning back into the Elders' Temple.
He spared not a glance for the gravely wounded Rumlow.
With two ancestors stating their stances, Bul-Kathos didn't mind giving him a chance.
Talic's form faded to transparency, visibly weakened.
A barbarian who fell to Baal and his demon army, even with a mighty name, was far inferior to Bul-Kathos.
The brief fight nearly dispersed him on Mount Harrogath.
"Young man, prepare yourself. You'll face my trial. Survive, and you'll become a barbarian."
Talic spoke, heedless of whether Rumlow could hear, then vanished.
Proof of Shame, flung to parts unknown, reappeared, embedded beside Rumlow's neck.
When Rumlow awoke, dusk had settled, a fire blazing nearby.
His memory stopped at Mokot's earth-shattering hammer strike, yet he felt no fear—only a cleansing relief.
Despite the agony racking his body, making even a grimace difficult, he forced a smile.
The smile tore open his partially healed facial wounds, pus and blood trickling to the ground, pooling near Proof of Shame's blade.
With effort, he activated the potion's healing, then fainted again.
When he next awoke, he was on the return flight.
…
"Captain, what did you do?"
Tess took a deep drag on his cigarette, eyeing Rumlow suspiciously.
A doctor tended to Rumlow's shoulder wound.
When the doctor first saw him, he nearly asked Tess why he was treating a corpse.
Rumlow's shoulder was pulverized, barely better than minced meat, and the injury had damaged his lung.
Though the stones were removed from his facial wounds, his head was now wrapped like a mummy, only his eyes and mouth visible.
He looked almost normal.
"I figured some things out."
Upon waking, Rumlow felt different. Most strikingly, he could sense Mount Harrogath's location clearly.
Somehow, he knew its name and felt a longing for it.
Having undergone the mountain's baptism and earned Talic's approval, though not yet a barbarian, he was no longer rejected by Harrogath.
"I'll be reborn!"
Rumlow felt no pain from his shoulder. Reflecting on S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra's deeds, an inexplicable anger rose.
Years as an agent let him bury that anger deep, planning his next move.
Perhaps a chance to send his superiors to Hell.
Justice, sparked by Bul-Kathos, took root in his heart.
The golden-orange wings of courage solidified his resolve.
His past deeds, etched in his blood, filled him with shame.
Yet his heart felt light—he saw a path to becoming an honorable barbarian.
He truly felt his own will.
For now, he'd wear the shells of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra, protecting his budding sense of justice.
Until he gained the strength to defy evil and topple them all!
Tess sensed something off, but as Rumlow's direct subordinate in Hydra, he assumed it was secrecy to hide from S.H.I.E.L.D.
The flight felt endless, with only the doctor's exclamations breaking the silence.
(End of Chapter)
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