"Bul-Kathos~"
Auriel's voice suddenly echoed through the Elder Sanctuary.
However, it was nothing more than a simple residual message.
Through the brief contact, Bul-Kathos now understood what had transpired in the other world. What he had to do now was become stronger as quickly as possible to find a winning opportunity before Malthael arrived in this world.
But a Barbarian is never afraid!
"We are gradually recovering in this world, and the time will come when we are all restored, but we need your strength until then! The Seven Great Evils are just as unwilling to be completely consumed by Malthael as we are, but they will not docilely wait for the final battle. You must find them, and strive to maintain this fragile balance until we are able to defeat Malthael."
Auriel's ethereal voice resonated only within the confines of the Elder Sanctuary. The residual power she had left behind was too weak to achieve anything more.
After arriving in this world, Auriel had channelled her power, along with the world's inherent celestial energy, into Angell's body, sinking into a deep slumber without even having time to greet Bul-Kathos. This current voice was merely a message.
Only at the moment Constantine faced death did a trace of her power manifest. Auriel's brief awakening left this message and a memory, relaying everything to Bul-Kathos.
Bul-Kathos sat down on the floor, leaning his chin on one hand in deep contemplation. The two Legendary weapons lay casually beside him.
With his pale hair and beard restored to their golden sheen, much of the old man's twilight weariness had been lifted from him. Yet, his aura remained profoundly heavy.
Now, the Four Archangels were waiting to reawaken in some corner of this world, and the Lords of Hell had already infiltrated it. Even if they were still weak, this situation allowed for absolutely no relaxation of vigilance. The moment the conditions aligned with the Demons' inherent Rules, their speed of recovery would be faster than imagination could grasp.
"Catch."
Volusk re-attached the Immortal King's Stone Breaker to his waist, then retrieved a cherished possession from behind his throne and tossed it to Bul-Kathos.
It was a bottle of potent liquor, steeped for over nineteen hundred years, with remnants of fruit pulp still visible inside. The brewing technology of that era was nothing more than putting flavorful things into a jar and waiting for fate to take its course. If not for the Heaven's Spring water and Demon's Blood used to fill it, that bit of fruit alone wouldn't have produced any liquor strong enough to matter.
Bul-Kathos caught the bottle, which was nearly four and a half times his age, bit off the neck, and drank deep.
"That bastard isn't dead after all! Then I still have a chance to shove my twin blades down his throat!"
Bul-Kathos stood up, the Wrath fire flickering violently around him.
The only defeat in Bul-Kathos's entire life came from that Archangel of Death. But since that battle hadn't claimed his life, Bul-Kathos would never taste the bitter fruit of failure again!
"I'll make him understand what a Barbarian's rage is!"
Bul-Kathos smashed the empty bottle to the floor and let out an ear-splitting roar. The Wings of Courage and the War Banner manifested behind him, and the entire Elder Sanctuary began to radiate a wild, primal atmosphere.
His sheer presence forced even Volusk to take a step back.
"Volusk, your prized collection is utterly terrible!"
Bul-Kathos roared a loud jeer at Volusk. What danger? What difficulty? They were all meaningless!
The Barbarian is unstoppable!
As the most distinguished brewer in history, Bul-Kathos was entitled to judge the Ancestors' prized vintages.
"Bul-Kathos, you are already the strongest!"
Volusk stepped down from the throne, giving Bul-Kathos a deep, meaningful look.
"At the next ceremony, bring out your best brew and treat me! I want the absolute finest kind!"
Volusk stood laughing heartily. As the Second Immortal King, Volusk had lived the most uninhibited life among the Barbarians! Marry the most beautiful wives, drink the strongest liquor, and slaughter the unseeing fools in the most ferocious way possible!
"Ula!"
Barnard's eyes instantly turned scarlet, and he plunged into a Frenzy! This was always Barnard's reaction when the scent of battle approached; in his excitement, he saw nothing but the flying blood and severed limbs of demons!
"Bul-Kathos is messing with me!"
Olongos grabbed the rampaging Barnard, shouting irritably. The job of stopping Barnard's tantrums usually fell to Kortull, the strongman who could throw a Ghom-sized brute. But this time, Olongos had to do it—he was closest.
"So I can still land a solid hit on Azmodan, huh?"
Chief Kanuk rotated his shoulders, preparing for a charge. The Fell Bracers on his shoulders glowed red. In this crisis, Mount Arreat wouldn't mind giving the Ancestors some extra power to fight the demons.
"This time, I'm going to cut off Baal's head and make him calm down a bit!"
Madawc drew Madawc's Sorrow and swung it casually. The Three Living Ancestors inherently possessed the power to make Baal retreat, and even in death, it didn't stop them from looking down on that creature!
"If those Wizards can stand toe-to-toe with Malthael, we can certainly do better."
Talik's calm tone held a barely contained eagerness.
"I can cut off Malthael's head!"
"Korlic, shut your mouth! Look at Bul-Kathos's face!"
Madawc swung his axe and knocked Korlic unconscious right where he stood, cursing under his breath. Korlic's statement basically implied that Bul-Kathos, who had been defeated by Malthael, was a weakling worse than a dead man. His shouting naturally earned him a menacing glare from Bul-Kathos.
"I don't want to save the day again, Bul-Kathos."
Olarac folded his arms across his chest and stated to Bul-Kathos. He wanted a complete, overwhelming victory! Olarac was already tired of always having to fight battles where they had to pull things back from the brink.
"If there are any new recruits, just send them my way. I don't mind taking a few extra."
Kvalkehk maintained his steady, yet weary, tone. But a fierce rage was burning within him.
"Just call me when the fighting starts."
Rakkis turned and left the Elder Sanctuary. She was always like this when it came to battle. She asked for nothing more than to be told: "Where to go, and who to cleave in two."
Barbarian Ancestors like Kaelen the Swordmaster, Kalgar, Kassius, and Koul were all brandishing their weapons and shouting loudly.
"Go naked and hack at the…"
Conqueror Helarb opened his mouth to roar, but Bul-Kathos's intense stare pinned him, and he swallowed the rest of his sentence. He was the Ancestor who had once stopped Bul-Kathos from changing his name, and after Bul-Kathos inherited the name "Bul-Kathos," he had chased and beaten Helarb for an entire week. At that point, Bul-Kathos had become the standard.
"Bul-Kathos protect me!"
Helarb instantly changed his chant, shouting loudly.
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