Bul-Kathos was drenched in gore. Even for a man of his power, he didn't bother with magical barriers to keep his clothes clean when he was in the zone. A blood-stained Barbarian was the only version of Bul-Kathos that Diablo recognized.
"I preferred you when you were thinner," Bul-Kathos grunted, parrying the claw with his axe. "Right now, you look like a fat pig that does nothing but eat and sleep."
This wasn't the lithe, feminine "Prime Evil" form that had possessed Leah. This was the hulking, elephantine beast that had corrupted Prince Aidan.
Bul-Kathos glanced at Orek, his expression sour. He had noticed the interaction between Diablo and Constantine. He'd have to check on the sorcerer later; chaos-driven men like Constantine were far too easy for Diablo to manipulate.
"Tell me," Bul-Kathos said, his voice dripping with contempt as he stepped toward the demon. "Is this the same claw you used to snap Solarian? I find that hard to believe."
Fury began to radiate from the Barbarian like a rising tide. "I've decided to end you now."
"Let me guess what you're after," Diablo said, seemingly unbothered. "Is it Urshi?"
Bul-Kathos didn't stop. There was no point in hiding his goals from someone like Diablo. The Lord of Terror probably knew the Nephalem's secrets better than Rathma did.
"Or perhaps... the artisans of the Xiansai Academy?" Diablo grinned, his teeth bared. He hated dealing with the silent types. King Leoric had been the same—every time Diablo tried to speak, the Mad King would just scream over him. Lunatics were such a chore.
"It doesn't matter if you know. You can't stop me." Bul-Kathos' bare feet crunched on the stone, carefully avoiding the bones of his fallen kin. His rage began to seep into the floor. Diablo deserved a somewhat "grand" exit.
"Bane of the Trapped," they said in unison.
Bul-Kathos had a version of the gem in his bag, but it wasn't enough. Like Legendary items, the "original" gems held power that could not be replicated. A fully realized Bane of the Trapped could slow any enemy who dared approach the wearer, increasing the damage they took while impaired.
But that wasn't the ultimate goal. Bul-Kathos was looking for the wizard who first claimed the stone.
"Lady Tuodeqin," Diablo chuckled. "I knew it. What do you plan to do with those gems?"
Bul-Kathos stood directly in front of him now. His eyes were calm—the cold, terrifying calm of a man who looked at the Lord of Terror and saw only an insect.
"Time for you to die."
Bul-Kathos raised his axe. A phantom was not an opponent that required his full strength, but he would give it a proper send-off.
"Until next time, then?" Diablo was still laughing as the axe fell.
"XIA!"
The War Cry merged with the sound of a Whirlwind. The floor erupted in the "Wrath of the Earth." Molten rock and jagged stone flew upward, battering Diablo's form. In a flash of blinding light, the phantom vanished.
A few spatters of demonic blood were the only signs he had been there. Then, a dozen pillars of legendary light erupted from the spot, accompanied by a small pile of purple Blood Shards and crafting materials.
"Do you wish to upgrade your gems?"
A refined, ethereal female voice drifted through the room.
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