As Baal spoke, he noticed Mephisto making a move to stand. Without looking, Baal punched Mephisto back into his seat. Now was not the time for the Lord of Hatred to speak.
"Now, do you intend to waste away here? Or shall we reach an agreement?"
The aura of destruction around Baal intensified. Within the protection of the Burning Hells, he feared no outsider. Just as no demon save for the Prime Evil could set foot in the High Heavens, the Hells were his fortress. His "agreement" sounded more like a demand.
"You think I will compromise?" Bul-Kathos spat the words through gritted teeth. His body began to swell. Nephalem were not bound by many rules, and consequently, they were never protected by them.
In the state of Wrath of the Berserker, Bul-Kathos could step into the heart of Hell unaffected. He had done it countless times. Once he crossed the outermost barrier, the Burning Hells became his hunting ground.
His hair turned a ghostly white, his muscles surged, and his armor fell away until only a simple fauld remained. Great curved horns sprouted from his head, pointing directly at Baal.
"Step forward, and you will be imprisoned within the Burning Hells forever. Make your choice, Bul-Kathos! Do you stay outside and negotiate, or do you step inside and enter a cage from which there is no escape?"
Baal summoned all his power, awakening the Shadow Fangs at the border of the Hells. He wasn't joking. This was a plan they had hatched during the time they were consumed by Malthael—a plan where the Lords of Hell plotted even against each other.
The arrival of the Burning Hells would inevitably draw Bul-Kathos's attention. Whoever was inside would serve as the bait to lure him into the trap. But Baal had no intention of being the sacrifice to benefit Diablo. By the same token, had Diablo been the one here, he wouldn't have played the martyr either. To maintain the balance, Baal had stayed close to Mephisto.
"Baal... you have violated our oath!" Mephisto solidified from the shadows, roaring through his hand. The previous punch had clearly rattled him, but he stubbornly made his voice heard.
"Mephisto, you fool!" Baal snarled, his eyes glowing red as he grabbed Mephisto by the throat. "You were the only one who swore by your own essence! I have broken nothing, but you—you have violated that damned oath!"
Without an Archangel of Wisdom to manipulate, Mephisto was nothing but a blunderer. Of the Seven Evils, only Mephisto had been stupid enough to swear an oath in the name of Tathamet, the Seven-Headed Dragon. Baal had been trying to keep Mephisto's mouth shut so he wouldn't lose his power to a broken vow.
Mephisto hadn't revealed anything critical, but his very speech confirmed the existence of a conspiracy. Consequently, Mephisto's power was being slowly siphoned away by the Shadow Fangs. He might be safe within the Hells, but his power ceiling had been permanently lowered. This would weaken him in his power struggle against Diablo, though it wasn't a total loss for Baal.
"WHAT... AGREEMENT?!"
Bul-Kathos didn't care about the infighting of the Hells. If what Baal said was true, hearing the deal was his only option. His voice crackled with fury, and the War Banner appeared behind him, radiating an ancient, primordial power. To be threatened into a compromise was anathema to a Barbarian.
Baal knew better than to push a Barbarian's buttons too far. He feared Bul-Kathos would lose his mind and take that final step. If that happened, Diablo would have all the time in the world to grow stronger. Baal would either be devoured by Bul-Kathos when the Shadow Fangs eventually shattered or be absorbed by Diablo after he consumed the Archangels.
There was no third option. The Shadow Fangs couldn't protect him forever. And Baal knew exactly how powerful his youngest brother was. The Archangels couldn't outplay him—especially not with Wisdom gone mad.
"Just like the Sin War! I will not appear in the mortal realm. My minions will steer clear of you. And you... you will go and deal with Diablo first!" Baal said bluntly, still choking Mephisto.
Beside them, Andariel—trapped within Bul-Kathos—was constantly whispering, trying to goad him into taking that step into Hell. The Black Soulstone wasn't stronger than the Shadow Fangs, but there was only one way to break the seal on her: by killing Bul-Kathos. The Shadow Fangs couldn't do that, as Nephalem were also children of demons. However, the Burning Hells would slowly restore Andariel's strength, allowing her to nudge Bul-Kathos's judgment. She hated a thinking Barbarian, but she hated a mindless one like Cassius even more. That man always sat on the razor's edge between genius and idiot, making it impossible to tell if he was truly stupid or just acting.
"Shut up, Baal! The words of a demon are always laced with lies! Unless you prove yourself to me with your very power!"
Fury flowed over Bul-Kathos like molten lava. The temperature around him skyrocketed, and the blade of Azurewrath began to shift toward the color of his rage. His legend was enough to manifest a new legendary power of his own, but his fractured soul held him back. Yet, legends and power never truly died; they simply found new ways to amplify his strength. The weapon in his hand adapted to his soaring fury, releasing its most potent form.
Bul-Kathos's demand was incredibly harsh—something a Lord of Hell could never accept. How could they prove it? By splitting their own essence and ego and handing a portion over to Bul-Kathos to control. No demon would do that. It was no different from what Imperius had done. Hand over their status? Hand over their self?
"Don't be a fool, Bul-Kathos!" Baal's grip tightened until cracks appeared in Mephisto's body. Baal's patience was at its limit. The power of Destruction was on the verge of spiraling out of control, and Mephisto no longer had the strength to resist him.
It was a stalemate where no one would yield, but continuing like this was pointless.
"You've forgotten someone," Bul-Kathos's face twisted into a savage grin, made all the more terrifying by his berserker form. "He has wanted to meet you for a very long time! Leoric! TO ME!"
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