"Mentor, can you tell me about Bul-Kathos?" Matt asked, placing the unconscious Luke on a stone bed before heading to the female barbarian's training ground. She was quietly chopping wood, stacking it neatly.
"Your friend angered Madoc?" she asked without turning.
Nothing on Harrogath escaped the ancestors. "He didn't mean to," Matt replied, uneasy at Madoc's swift rage.
"I know. No one who knows Bul-Kathos's greatness would question his strength or doubt his honor and justice," she said, setting down her axe and rising. Her eyes glowed, unseen by Matt. "Matt, remember my name. I'll say it once."
Her form solidified, radiating strength. "I'm Reiko, descendant of the legendary barbarian Raekor."
Reiko pressed Matt's shoulder, sitting him in the snow before joining him. Her towering frame and powerful hands surprised him. "My recklessness led to an early death, leaving no glory. You're different. You won't repeat my mistakes."
"I'll recommend you to other ancestors. You don't need to inherit my legacy—I have none. For Bul-Kathos's story, listen to the mountain. It'll show you and your friend his greatness and that of the barbarians."
Her voice, maternal, warmed Matt despite the snowy peak. He drifted into sleep.
Luke, unconscious, and Matt shared a dream. They saw Bul-Kathos, wielding a small axe, rise to Barbarian King. They witnessed countless barbarians' brutal battles and deaths. At the dream's end, Bul-Kathos's Whirlwind cleaved a death-tainted angel.
Awaking under a starry sky, they faced their mentors. "I was wrong," Luke said to Madoc, sincere. In the dream, he saw Madoc's axe-wielding figure amidst Arreat's demon onslaught, trembling at the memory. Harrogath's vision showed him what he'd gained.
Luke yearned to earn the title of barbarian. "Follow me. Train," Madoc said, leaving the damaged hut without acknowledging the apology. "Clear the fifth realm, and you can deal with that Hand nonsense."
Madoc knew their goal from day one. Time was short; they weren't free to linger. Further trials could wait until they were resolved. Madoc brushed off his earlier doubts—or chose to.
"Teacher Reiko, I'll inherit your strength and carve a mark of teaching a hero onto your glory," Matt said, bowing deeply. He understood the opportunity's weight. No longer a weakling struggling against ninjas, he walked a path toward a mighty figure with white hair, tainted by death.
"Train," Reiko replied, unswayed. She wanted Matt stronger, ready to meet greater ancestors, ideally Raekor, who held the original legendary set Bul-Kathos refused, leaving it for others. Reiko doubted anyone could pass Bul-Kathos's trials. Even Sonya, near his equal, was dominated in spars. Raekor said Sonya matched her living strength, yet Bul-Kathos was the undisputed champion.
…
Bul-Kathos sat on a bench outside the forge, gazing at stars. Harrogath's events never escaped him. In this world, free from constant battle, he pondered the barbarian tribe's future. "Immortal King? Does this world need one?" he murmured.
Unfamiliar with this world, he wondered what to do. He felt he'd forgotten something in his long life, but it didn't matter. No barbarian died peacefully; all embraced death in battle. Now, he sensed a chance, like his namesake, to test the Nephalem's lifespan limit.
Having seen this world's death, unlike Mephisto's madness, he hadn't decided whether to defy it. Death was life's cycle.
(End of Chapter)
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