Volusk fell silent. The moment the Immortal King's Stone Breaker returned to his grasp, he already understood Bul-Kathos's intention.
As a warrior, Bul-Kathos was standing at the very forefront of their path, marching toward an unknown future.
The path not taken might be strewn with thorns and ruin, but the alternative was by no means guaranteed to be filled with the scent of flowers and praise.
After tossing aside the Stone Breaker, Bul-Kathos fastened Oathkeeper and Unforgiven to his waist. A powerful Battle Rage unique to a warrior began to surge and ascend.
The figures of Madawc and his two companions stood at the entrance of the Elder Sanctuary, with the shapes of Morcot, Andakurgas, and others visible behind them.
Nothing on the Sacred Mountain was a secret to the Ancestors. The lingering shadow of Auriel's power had cast a pall over their hearts. They had appeared spontaneously outside the Elder Sanctuary, waiting for Bul-Kathos to uncover the truth behind this power.
"Prepare for rebirth, kid."
Bul-Kathos held up Constantine, pulled a square-cut Royal Ruby from his pack, and pressed it firmly against the youth's chest.
Driven by Bul-Kathos's formidable strength, Constantine's fractured soul was instantly pulled into plain view.
"Sleep now. When you wake, your soul will be whole."
Bul-Kathos's voice was laced with suppressed fury. Bursts of Wrath of the Berserker flickered and leaped from the ruby as he spoke.
Constantine's soul was then sucked into the Flawless Royal Ruby, and a Forgotten Soul was forcefully stuffed into the Kanai's Cube alongside it.
The Forgotten Soul, a material of Legendary rarity, inherently represented a fragment of an unclaimed soul. Souls devoured by demons were calcified into a sulfurous state in the flames of the Burning Hells. Demons had attempted to use this process to harness the power of Nephalem Legendary gear, ultimately creating only inferior imitations that became the spoils of war for the victors.
When a Legendary item was dismantled by a Blacksmith, it always returned to this form of an unclaimed soul, though the lingering stench of the Hells could never be truly washed away.
Bul-Kathos grasped the Kanai's Cube with both hands. His sheer rage transformed into the activation energy for the Cube.
A dazzling light flashed, and a gem that looked like a beetle lay quietly in the center of the Cube. Beside it, Constantine's soul floated, radiating the light of nobility.
"What did I do? How could I dare do that?"
Constantine's soul was muttering in fright and astonishment. The Forgotten Soul had successfully healed the piece of cowardice that had been segmented from him. He was now trembling with fear and self-reproach over his past actions.
If he had opened the box sealing away the other half of his soul, he might have become more compassionate, and also far more powerful. A powerful soul naturally gives rise to greater strength.
Bul-Kathos seized Constantine's soul and thrust it back into the body lying on the floor.
Constantine's body gasped deeply once before sinking into a profound slumber.
Then, Bul-Kathos reached into the Kanai's Cube to retrieve the newly formed gem.
"A Gem of Ease?"
Bul-Kathos recognized the stone. Every Nephalem could obtain such a gem within the Greater Rifts of Mount Arreat. No one could acquire a second one until the first had been consumed.
Yet, the one before him was the second Gem of Ease Bul-Kathos had ever received! The first was still sitting in his inventory. This particular Gem of Ease was clearly problematic.
"Destruction!"
The instant Bul-Kathos's hand grasped the gem, he heard that familiar, hoarse voice—the voice of Malthael.
The death energies entwined around Bul-Kathos surged into the Gem of Ease as if they had found their source! The bloodless pallor of his hair and beard, caused by the creeping death power, began to restore its golden glow.
"Malthael!"
Bul-Kathos's wrath instantly peaked. Raging red flames ascended from his body with every ragged breath. He drew Oathkeeper and Unforgiven from his waist and brought them down with crushing force upon the Gem of Ease!
Under the sheer weight of Bul-Kathos's power, the Gem of Ease disintegrated into a pile of powder. The spreading wave of death energy was simultaneously intercepted by all the Ancestors present and utterly obliterated. Mount Arreat even lent its power to support the Ancestors, ensuring that the death energy vanished entirely!
In that moment, Bul-Kathos understood the full consequence of his initial battle!
Without the Dark Soulstone to restrict him, Malthael was no longer able to fully control the souls of the Seven Great Evils. But he also saw his chance to transcend the title of the Archangel of Death!
To fully seize this immense power, he set his sight on his own siblings.
The first whose power was ripped away was Justice, and Hope swiftly followed, captured by Malthael. Imperius was then easily defeated and seized alongside Itherael.
The Seven Great Evils and the Four Archangels, stripped of their power, detonated the last vestiges of their energy, following the trajectory of Bul-Kathos and Mount Arreat to descend into this world.
They were seeking an opportunity for rebirth!
And Malthael, who failed to absorb the Seven Evils and Four Archangels, was frantically searching for their traces in their original world.
In that world, the Sky Temple was annihilated by Malthael, who had all but become a Creator God, forcing the Monks to scatter in search of an opportunity to defeat him. The Voodoo Lands were crushed by unimaginable power, turning into a sea of sand! The Witch Doctors went into hiding, even diving into the foul swamps to seek a chance at survival!
The Survivors' Enclave was declared disbanded, and Demon Hunters scattered across the world, concealing themselves just to live! The Hall of Heroes was directly destroyed, with only a handful of Crusaders not present in the Hall escaping with their lives! The Zakarum Academy organized its Wizards to counterattack Malthael, but they crumbled under the sheer weight of his power!
Only the Shadow Kingdom remained!
Thanks to the presence of Rathma, the Necromancers secured a small corner of the world where they could continue to exist.
That world had devolved into a battle between Malthael and everyone else who remained. Malthael had devoted all his energy to preparing for his final breakthrough.
After confirming that the Shadow Kingdom also held no trace of the Four Archangels or the Seven Great Evils, he ceased further action there.
In the eyes of the now-insane Malthael, becoming a true Creator God was his only objective!
Wisdom, through excessive thought, had morphed into Death. Death, in turn, saw the path to transcend all things.
And thus, it had devolved into absolute madness!
Auriel's power had indeed parasitized Angell. The only reason she hadn't revealed herself immediately was simply because she was too weak.
And yet, she was the one who had preserved the most power.
Malthael had not yet become the Creator God, because he had not acquired the fundamental Rules themselves, only the formidable power that accompanied a portion of them.
Bul-Kathos was certain that Malthael was scouring every corner of the world for the Four Archangels and the Seven Great Evils. He would eventually find his way to this world.
The only difference was a matter of time!
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