Crushbane was a named Greater Demon, an old "friend" of the Barbarians. He didn't know how many of these things the Lords of Hell manufactured, but every so often, a new Crushbane would pop up, waiting for a Nephalem to challenge it. The damn things were like the "Model Employees" of Hell.
"Hulk!"
Betty flapped her wings and flew over, taking the dazed Hulk from Cassius's arms. Her shrill cry reminded Cassius of a rooster he'd once owned.
"Do you two want to leave the Rift?" Cassius asked, looking awkward. Hulk wasn't ready for Crushbane. He could take a beating, sure, but he couldn't win.
"Hulk...!" the giant moaned, trying to squirm out of Betty's grip. If Betty hadn't been modified by MODOK, she never would have had the strength to hold him. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.
"Kid, this isn't a fight you can win yet. Do you really want to keep going?" Cassius unleashed a wave of oppressive, dangerous pressure, weighing down on the Hulk.
"Ugh..." Hulk let out a frustrated, whining growl before shrinking rapidly back into Bruce Banner. Even with a child's mind, the Hulk possessed a keen animal instinct. He knew when he was outmatched.
"Cough! God, it's freezing here," Banner shivered.
Since arriving at the Holy Mountain, he'd stopped being surprised. Hordes of demons, beings of incomprehensible power—it was just his life now. At the moment, his only concern was finding a coat thick enough to keep him from freezing to death.
"Go back. It's almost over anyway," Cassius said with a grimace as he warped Banner and Betty out of the Rift. If Korlic found out that Hulk had been forced to leave because he ran into Crushbane, there'd be hell to pay.
"Who did I piss off? Does disrespecting the Spirit of Battle really lower your luck? I thought that was just nonsense the Orek-worshipers made up," Cassius grumbled as he turned toward Crushbane.
As for the battle? He was already out of the running. He just wanted to verify this Crushbane's identity so he could point Korlic toward the right "enemy" later.
The "Newbie" who was supposed to witness everything and stand until the end probably wasn't coming. It was a shame, really—Bul-Kathos had prepared a reward that even Cassius was jealous of.
"Is it over?"
Qual-Kehk finally arrived at the battlefield. His voice was long and filled with doubt. This had all gone far too smoothly.
From a distance, he could see the massive stone pulsing with an ominous light. It looked exactly like his initial theory: a grand finale of fireworks to mark the end of a tedious skirmish.
"Do you really believe that?"
Baal's muffled voice echoed from within the stone. Though no one could see him, Qual-Kehk could practically feel that sickening smirk. The veins on the old Barbarian's forehead throbbed.
"I should have known. When a Lord of Hell plots, there's always a nasty surprise!" Qual-Kehk strode forward, passing by Li-Zhi. He adjusted his grip on his mountain-splitting axe.
He didn't need a balanced grip for a sustained fight anymore. Against a creature like Baal, the only choice was to grip the very end of the haft—to make every swing as heavy and devastating as possible.
"O, Bitter Winds! Blow upon me!"
Qual-Kehk began to chant a song of his homeland in a strange, guttural roar.
"Tis the fury of nature, the freedom of the soul!"
"Boring old man. No one wants to hear your singing," Baal's voice cut through the roar.
On the surface of the stone sphere, the blood of Olongus began to glow. The once-smooth surface developed minute, jagged protrusions.
"The old possess the wisdom of life; we place our hopes in the young because our withered bodies can no longer contain infinite fury!" Qual-Kehk's jog turned into a run. If the stone wouldn't explode on its own, he would light the fuse himself.
"But even in my old age, I can still carve a hole in your skull! YAH-HOO!"
Qual-Kehk's footwork became erratic, swaying like a drunkard. His body lurched rhythmically, his feet dragging a curved, spiraling trail into the earth.
"Is this your strongest strike?" Baal asked. He couldn't see, but he could feel the fury-turned-coldness seeping toward him. "I wanted this explosion too. Are you going to grant my wish?"
The mountain winds gathered around Qual-Kehk's movements, turning into razor-sharp blades that converged on his frost-rimed axe. The gale followed the blade's arc, condensing into an edge of shimmering blue ice.
"You're just a pathetic shard of Baal's consciousness! Now, turn into rubble!"
Qual-Kehk's song ended in a thunderous shout as his axe slammed into the monolith.
A deafening explosion followed.
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