The instant Bul-Kathos's foot descended toward Nimue's skull, the Reapers of Space-Time seemed to lose all restraint, lunging directly at him.
The air was filled with their ethereal, flickering bodies and wings that beat without making a sound.
"Hah!"
Bul-Kathos let out another war cry. A replica of the Blade of the Tribes, forged by his own hand, materialized in his grip.
With that roar of battle, the skills Avalanche and Earthquake were unleashed simultaneously.
The screeching of the Reapers was directed solely at Bul-Kathos; only the target of their attack could hear their voices.
And only the target would suffer the effects.
These entities only became tangible targets when they launched an attack. At all other times, they were like monsters existing just outside the boundaries of reality.
Rocks shattered around Bul-Kathos, and magma surged from the ground.
Even if natural magma could not harm these monsters, this intense heat was shaped by Bul-Kathos's fury.
The highly concentrated temperature scorched the Reapers' bodies into charred blackness.
The Eye of Agamotto hanging on the Ancient One's chest began to radiate light!
This artifact came from the first Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto.
Agamotto was also the first being to master the Time Stone, and now, the Stone began to release its power naturally.
Even though he had become the first of the Vishanti, this artifact remained sensitive enough to react to the power of time.
"Merlin? An existence outside of time?"
Using the power of the Time Stone and the Eye of Agamotto, Agamotto forcibly descended into the mortal realm.
The moment Bul-Kathos fully displayed his rage, the Vishanti had sensed it. But only Agamotto could arrive in time.
He did not appear in the insectoid form he held as one of the Vishanti, but rather as a handsome, middle-aged mage.
The moment he descended, time within a small radius paused.
The Reapers lay prostrate upon the shell of this time-stopped barrier, staring dead at Nimue beneath Bul-Kathos's foot.
"Lord Bul-Kathos! Please, hear me out!"
Bul-Kathos paid no heed to Agamotto, the First Sorcerer Supreme. His foot stomped down, obliterating Nimue's head.
Fury began to burn upon Nimue's body—a fury potent enough to annihilate Nimue's soul, and sufficient to strip away the protection around Andariel's soul, exposing it to Bul-Kathos.
With a sickening bang, Nimue's head was completely crushed into debris. The slumbering soul of Andariel was finally revealed to everyone's sight.
That evil, bewitching vessel, filled with an eerie charm, reappeared using Nimue's flesh and blood!
Agamotto and the Ancient One had their attention instantly captivated by the vessel of the Demon Lord.
The Reapers began to riot, their sharp claws scraping against the time barrier set by Agamotto.
"Andariel, you will not rise again!"
Bul-Kathos held the massive Blade of the Tribes diagonally beside him, then swung it toward the peacefully sleeping face of Andariel.
Nimue had now become fuel for Andariel. Although her soul was bound to her flesh and had not completely perished, just as Nimue had once been a vessel for Andariel, Andariel now contained everything that was Nimue.
The two-handed heavy weapon in Bul-Kathos's hands sliced through the air with a deafening roar.
Sealing the Seven Evils required first scattering their power completely, then using the Black Soulstone as a cage.
Dispersing their power was the first step—unless a Demon Lord was willing to imprison themselves within that cold stone!
A weapon like the Blade of the Tribes, which was not particularly sharp, was never meant to rely on piercing defenses. As long as there was enough force, it could crush an enemy into minced meat!
As if just waking from a nap, Andariel groggily opened her eyes. She ignored the Blade of the Tribes approaching her neck and looked straight at Bul-Kathos.
Her gaze seemed to hold both pity and mockery.
"Ah~"
Andariel transformed into countless streaks of black light, rushing toward Bul-Kathos's head.
Her faint song sounded like a farewell to her brief time in this world. As an incarnation of rules, Andariel could not truly die.
The enchanting song rose again, filling Agamotto and the Ancient One with endless irritability. This emotional torment was an experience they hadn't felt in a long time.
Calmness is the most common state for mages; it allows them to better manipulate mana and reduce the strain on their bodies.
Bul-Kathos let out a low growl, dispelling Andariel's song, and the weapon in his hand accelerated.
Aside from Malthael, who had become half a Creator God, no one could erase the existence of the Seven Evils of Hell.
And Bul-Kathos was the least likely to achieve such a feat.
A hero who could not become a God could never wipe out the will of the Rules!
The Black Soulstone was no stranger to the Seven Evils. In countless years of battle, they had been imprisoned inside it more times than they could count.
Andariel made her choice. She would attempt to corrupt Bul-Kathos.
Just as Diablo had corrupted Leoric and Aidan years ago.
She had nothing left to lose. Without power, maintaining her very existence took all her effort.
"You know the consequences of this. I will gradually grow stronger, until I find the chance to leave this damn stone."
Andariel left these slightly weak words behind before her entire form vanished.
"Is that one of the Seven Evils of Hell?"
Agamotto finally regained his composure. With a wave of his hand, the Eye of Agamotto and the Time Stone returned to his grasp.
Of everyone present, he was the pinnacle when it came to understanding time.
Agamotto's mouth twitched, he hesitated to speak.
Nimue's body had become a pile of rotten meat, cooked by fury, having lost its original vitality.
This meant Nimue was awaiting death.
With the help of the two artifacts, Agamotto understood certain truths about time.
He only needed a moment of thought to understand the specific reason why Nimue had attracted those Reapers.
"Agamotto, now I have the time to listen to what you have to say."
Bul-Kathos looked exhausted as he spoke; even his tone had lost its original power.
His body exited the Wrath of the Berserker state. The battle standard and wings of light behind him vanished.
The pieces of his set gear disappeared one by one, but he took a pair of gloves belonging to the Wrath of the Wastes set from his inventory and put them on.
Once the gloves were equipped, Bul-Kathos's expression relaxed slightly.
"If Nimue dies completely, those monsters will begin to attack this world. These scattered few are just a small fraction. They cannot be killed; they can only be dispersed by ensuring the timeline flows according to its established trajectory," Agamotto said with lowered eyes.
He didn't know how determined Bul-Kathos was to kill Nimue, so he had prepared for the worst in his heart.
But he still wanted to try and save Nimue's life.
"I came to deal with Andariel. Nimue? I need someone to watch over her. As she was Andariel's host for this period, I cannot be at ease."
Bul-Kathos rubbed the space between his brows and spoke with a sense of utter frustration.
Rules were the most fatal threat to him. He couldn't understand them, nor could he learn them.
He could only use them crudely, like a program.
Time... or perhaps it should be called Fate?
Bul-Kathos began to miss the always taciturn Itherael.
Perhaps the Archangel of Fate could tell him what to do in this situation.
He fought the Seven Evils to save more people, so he could not accept a conclusion where killing a sinner led to the erasure of the world.
"You save her. I will restrain my rage."
Bul-Kathos casually agreed to Agamotto's request. That cautious atmosphere was starting to annoy him.
(End of Chapter)
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