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-Spoiler Warning for ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐-
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Chapter 34: Discussions and Actions
โโโโโโโโง๐ โงโโโโโโโ
"The world looks so different in this age."
"What has changed?"
"It is...tired. Tired, and heavy with sorrow."
โEirena and Johanna
โโโโโโโโง๐ โงโโโโโโโ
๐ โ๐ โ๐ โ๐ โ
...
-Johanna-
...
"She's back!" Says with awe one of the guards that was until now posted outside. "Can you believe it? She's back from Heaven!"
"Not just that. She's winning!" Says the other one as she walks past them and to Kormac the Templar.
"Kormac, You look tired." Johanna tells with a smile.
Johanna has always found Kormac's devotion, which is particularly unwavering even for someone of his order, to be rather extreme. While he respects combat prowess, his disdain for those who do not share his high moral standards is readily apparent.
Even if the Order of the Templars to which he belongs is a group of holy warriors dedicated to the Light, renowned for their ferocity, tenacity and prowess in battle, Johanna has already had a few quarrels with some of the more severe inquisitors for their use of force and fire to deal with pseudo threats and witchesโฆ Whether they are demonic summoners or just old women who heal the weak with simple herbs.
And yet, for all the problems his Order has, Kormac remains still a good man.
"Because I amโฆ" The man sighs. "Ever since Adria betrayed us, I have been thinking about how Maghda used to share the leadership of the Coven with another." He finally voices his thoughts.
"Explain." Johanna asks curiously.
"Twenty years ago, just before the Darkening of Tristram, they had some sort of falling-out, and the other leader disappeared." He starts with pensive eyes. "I think that other leader might have been Adria."
"So Maghda took the Coven while Adria found Diablo in Tristram." She gently hums before sighing. "That makes senseโฆ But now none of that matters anymore." The templar nods to her sad words before turning back to the guards and barking orders, probably to make sure that their shift is properly done.
The Coven, sometimes called the Dark Coven, is a group of dark mystics dedicated to Belial, the Lord of Lies. Now that Maghda is dead, Johanna can only hope that all the members are dead or at least that the remaining ones will be willing to kill one another for the leadership. After all, each member of the Coven is experienced in both the worst of witchcraft and foul demonology. However, Johanna is convinced that she has not seen the last of them. The shadows and corruption they have cast over the decades will last at least a few more years... "If they ever stop growing." She thinks while clenching her fist.
Johanna lets the Templar do his duty and walks her own way before being stopped by Eirena the Enchantress.
"Can I speak to you?" The enchantress asks.
"Of course." Johanna halts and sits down on a nearby stool, snatching one of the plates of dry meat laid out on the tables in the canteen barrack.
"I found a strange document on one of the angels' bodies in the High Heavens, before meeting the child." Eirena says as she gracefully takes a seat. "It is very old, maybe centuries even older than I." These words surprise Johanna.
After all, Eirena hails from more than a millennium ago, from the distant era of the Mage Clan Wars, the conflict between the three most prominent Mage Clans at the time of its occurrence; the Vizjerei, the Ennead, and the Ammuit, though the Druids and Priests of Rathma also appear to have taken part.
This is where Eirena was part of a clandestine sisterhood of magic-users known as the Hand of the Prophet. When the leader of the sisterhood, the eponymous Prophet, foresaw a great disaster that would occur fifteen hundred years in the future, Eirena and her sisters pledged their lives to prevent the tragedy. The sisters' pledges were far from mere words, and the Prophet placed the entire sisterhood in a magical slumber to preserve them until the appointed time.
A time where they would aid the heroes of the future.
Only for when Eirena awoke from her deep sleep, she found herself in a land vastly changed from the one she remembered. Her sisters were dead, the closest two in their chambers, their bodies mutilated, the wounds bearing traces of demonic magic, and the Prophet was nowhere to be found.
"Perhaps we should show it to Tyrael." Johanna hums. "What does it contain?" She asks curiously.
"I am not certain." Eirena silently sighs. "The script is very old and foreign to me." The enchantress passes a hand behind her neck, massaging it.
"When I saw the angel, he was dyingโฆ but even though he was in great pain, he reached out to me with the document in his handโฆ like he wanted me to take it." Eirena's gaze shows confusion as she recalls this. "By the time I approached him, he was still. His spirit had already gone." She says, frustrated.
They then eat together in silence for a few minutes before both decide to walk to a certains fortune-tellerโฆ and ask a question that still burns hotly within their minds.
Myriam Jahziaโฆ A Vecin Mystic and an artisan who specializes in enchanting and transmogrification.
โฆOne who can see the future, but only in opaque, unclear glimpses. Such a burden might breed fatalism and frustration in another, but the strange woman possesses a surprising desire to find joy in life, to live in the moment.
Regrettably, these moments are bleak. Myriam's hazy dreams swirl with blood, anguish, and a spreading darkness that threatens to engulf everything they know. Myriam could not simply stand by and do nothing, and so she made her way through the ruins of Westmarch, searching out for heroes battling against the terrors from her nightmares. Myriam told her that she is certain that their group represents Sanctuary's greatest chance for survival. By empowering their equipment and carefully guiding their journey, Myriam believes that she can help bring hope to the world.
And yetโฆ
"Did you see all of this, Myriam?" The monk of Ivgorod asks through clenched teeth to the Mystic before Johanna can even come close to Myriam's shop. Both Myriam and Kharazim turn as Johanna and Eirena walk to them.
"You knew this was coming, didn't you?" Johanna also voices her thoughts.
Myriam smiles sadly.
"Of course, celsa." The mystic whispers.
"Why didn't you warn us?" The monk asks, his eyes showing more emotions than his voice. "What point is foresight if you do not tell of what you see?" He asks again, begging for an answer that will never heal the hole in his spirit.
"That's the point of the future, love." The woman can barely look into Kharazim's eyes. "It keeps coming. You don't win a duel by blocking the first blow and going home."
"So you let Leah die?" Johanna can't hide the anger from coloring her voice. Howeverโฆ Myriam's only response is yet another sorrowful smile.
"I had to." The mystic sighs, her gaze focused on Kharazim's own eyes. "Diablo was always going to come back. But now, you are here to stop him." Myriam takes Kharazim's hands in hers and gently squeezes them. "And in your griefโฆ In your rage, you will, my celdo." She says with another regretful smile.
Kharazim stays motionless and silent for what seems an eternityโฆ Before leaving just as silently while Eirena sobs and cries soundlessly.
Myriam turns her eyes to Johanna, her smile still on her faceโฆ but dimmer.
"So, now you know - the Nephalem are not in the Scroll of Fate. Heard it from Fate itself." The woman chuckles. "You can write your own destiny." That makes Johanna sigh.
"If I can write my own destiny, how can you see my future?" The crusader asks, making Myriam smile much wider.
"Perhaps I have my own Nephalem powers, eh?" That would not surprise Johanna if Myriam had these. "Thatโฆ and you and your friends are quite predictable."
โฆJohanna won't even comment on that.
"But you should be carefulโฆ" Myriam says with more seriousness and a small frown. "The being that you have brought here, cast a large shadowโฆ One I cannot completely see through."
"Anything badโฆ?" Johanna takes a slow yet firm breath. She has enough of bad news.
"He will fight and stand with youโฆ Of that I am sure." The woman looks perturbed. "I can only see the shadows his presence and actions cast. But I see Hope andโฆ pain." A drop of blood leaves Myriam's nose. "I see a small dragon. One with clipped wings the colors of Night itselfโฆ alone, in pain as an Unseen Leviathan turns Hell asunder around it."
Myriam nearly collapses from the strain of her vision. Johanna gently takes the mystic and places her in the comfortable-looking chair behind Myriam. Eirena, with her eyes still red from crying, brings a mug of water to the woman.
A dragon with wings the colors of nightโฆ? Johanna thinks about these words for a few seconds before something hits her. "Itheraelโฆ He called the boy Nightwingโฆ" a bad omen, that is for sure.
Johanna will just have to be more vigilant than everโฆ The loss of Leah is already enough. She doesn't want to see another child, one proportionally much younger, suffer the same tragic fate.
โ
After that, Johanna decides to let Eirena take care of Myriam and heads toward the mysterious Jeweler, Covetous Shen.
An old man carefree by nature, giving every appearance of being a man without ambition, and trusting in fate to guide him to where he needs to be. Shen's lax attitude only changes when jewels are involved. His greed for glittering precious stones could be called legendary... Johanna is even sure Shen may even love them more than he does his own life.
Arriving before him, Johanna finds his carefree attitude goneโฆ
"I never quite expected my life toโฆ end this way." His words confuse the Crusader.
"And what did you expect?" She asks.
"Well, smothered by a harem!" He smirks widely. "Or, more likely, killed by the jewel I seek." Shen then shrugs. "Who would have thought that the entire world would die together? I can't complain. It's not as though I can say my life was not long enough!"
"All is not yet lost, my friend." Johanna shakes her head at his pessimism. That makes him chuckle.
"I'm glad my boundless confidence is rubbing off on you. Could you give some of it back?" He says before losing his joy. "When you have lived as long as I, you learn that life is filled with betrayal. But the cruelest always comes at the hands of those we love." The old man continues with an air of sorrow around him. "I know it must be hard to think of other things, but now we must. All creation rests upon your shoulders."
"You sound more serious than I have ever heard you." Johanna says softly, not even having the strength for their usual barter.
"Well, these are dark times. Even I must set apart thoughts of Dirgest's jewel and dwell upon the fate of the world." He sighs and gives her a smile. "But that doesn't mean you have to frown so." His eyes then gain back some of their craziness.
"Hopeโฆ Do not look down, my friend. Even in the darkest of times, there is always hope." Shen says, his eyes on the strange blue-eyed boy who is following the tall and half naked, woman Barbarian like a lost puppy.
"Hope for a better day, hope for a new dawnโฆ A Supermanโฆ" He whispers, his gaze still focused on Kal-El, the old man then takes a well-worn and odd looking, round purple hat from his bag before laughing wildly. "Or just hope for a good breakfast. You start small, then see what you can get." His crazy words make her sigh again.
"Do you think that Leah is lost forever?" That question stops her.
"Diablo consumed herโฆ" Her shoulders drop as she responds. "She is gone." The old man looks at her strangely.
"Do you not think Leah's soul is stronger than that?" Shen asks with confusion. "But, oh, but then sometimes I-I forget that you have not seen everything that I have seen."
"You always dodge around the truthโฆ Who are you?" Another question that still sits on her mind.
"Er, what am I? I am Covetous Shen, of course, no more, no less. To some, that has meant one thing; to others, another." He smiles mysteriously.
"When will you give me a real answer?" Johanna asks, but knowing full well that the answer is another-
"When the sun sets in the east and the shore swallows the tide. When the moon smiles upon the day and the blind man sees once again." Shen says with a grin.
Wellโฆ She didn't expect anything else from him.
โ
โ
Arriving back in the High Heavens, their group instantly enters a combat formation. Both Kormac the Templar and Lyndon have chosen to stay at Bastion Keep to defend it if another demonic horde decides to invade once again.
Accompanying Johanna are the other Nephalem, Eirena the enchantress and the boy who has categorically refused to stay behindโฆ Speaking of said boyโฆ
"Bluuu-" Johanna turns her head away in respect andโฆ maybe in disgust as the small boy vomits from the trip back to the High Heavens.
"You reacted better during the first portal crossing. What has changed?" Eirena asks, confused and nearly green from watching the lad emptying his stomach.
"... I was acting toughโฆ" The boy whimpers.
Most of them chuckle or smile at his words.
"Ah." Eirena slowly sighs. "I imagine that you are sensible to this kind of transportation?" The only response she gets is another hurl from his now very much empty stomach accompanied by a whimper. "Hereโฆ here." Eirena gently strokes his back.
Johanna lets the enchantress sooth the boy, letting her hands glow with the light and blessing of Aurielโฆ They now have a way to destroy and dispel Diablo's corruption which taints the High Heavens and bare their way.
With a slash of her flail, a wave of light leaves her weapon, destroying the dark and disgusting large mound of corruption in front of her.
"The corruption is strongest northeast of here." Eirena tells them, pointing far ahead of their group.
"Yes. I can feel it too." The monk agrees.
"Feeling better, small one?" Johanna asks with a smile. Her question is answered with a nod as the boy takes a few calming breaths. "Can you free these Angels?" Johanna questions, showing the few impaled angelic beings stuck and suffering with Diablo's corruption only dozens of feet from them.
"Their number is an advantage we will need." Valla nods.
"I can." The boy answers while cleaning his mouth and nose.
"Good." Johanna clenches her fingers around her shield and weapon. "Focus on that task while we clear a path to the north." She speaks as Valla takes out demons with well placed shots of her crossbows.
They then make their way through the ranks of demons toward the northeast, while the boy sets the trapped angels free from the infernal corruption and empowers them with his own Light.
Many angels look at the young boy with muted shock and what Johanna is sure is reverence before bowing respectfully. Most angelic beings stay and fight alongside them as they walk closer to their goal.
"By the Light be damned!" Johanna yells as her flail meets and disintegrates the jaw of a large demon, a larger and more powerful Oppressor than she is used to seeing. Many more fall to her weapon and her Lightโฆ
Their band of heroes slays many, many more. Hundreds, even thousands of demons die under the blows of their weapons, their fists and the heels of their boots.
Johanna's eyes turn to the blur that has now become the childโฆ Never in her life has she seen a being move that fast. Anything, or any demon for that matter, that has the misfortune to stand in its way as he rescues angels on every turn, has the gruesome fate of becoming a simple stain on the ground and cinders in the air.
Now dozens of Angels fight the hordes of the Lord of Terror that still pour in the Heavens. Yet, many follow the boy, some even moving nearly as fast as he is, leaving behind them trails of angelic white, blue or golden lights as they become pure energy. "How?" Johanna asks herself, seeing that now other angels she has met before were that powerful- !
"His Lightโฆ His Aura!" She can see it nowโฆ not with her eyes, but with her soul, all around him, shining brighter than any star and dispersing in every direction, purging the corruption in his steps and empowering them allโฆ May they be Nephalem or Angel.
Johanna can feel it flowing through the very blood that runs through her veins and her heart, healing cuts or bruises and making her every move even mightier. She roars and lets her Wrath flow through her every move and strike, turning demons into muche and aches. The Crusader of the Zakarum smiles like a lunatic as her inner Light sings and shines alongside his Aura while the ground under her feet trembles and craters from every single step she takes.
Sonya jumps in front of her and furiously unleashes a wave of destruction and frost, freezing most demons in its path with one of her Seismic Slams. When Sonya turns to look in her eyes, Johanna sees that the Barbarian's smile is even wider than her own.
Johanna smacks a small demon stupid enough to come within range of her massive, towering shield, and uses this opportunity to make sure the rest of her group holds their ground against the endless number of demons rushing at them as if their lives meant nothing.
Valla, the Demon Hunter, moves with an otherworldly, yet lethal grace under the shadows that their Lights cast and the smoke of her own bombsโฆ Johanna marvels at what Valla has becomeโฆ an ethereal and unstoppable shadow of vengeance. No demon is spared from the rain of her vengeful arrows, nor the disciplined hatred that burns deep within the Demon Hunter's soul.
Then there is Kharazim.
The monk fights like a man on a missionโฆ Focused and unyielding.
His every strike calculated. Each move flows with the power to shatter hills. But it is his eyes that make her stop.
His gaze is filled with sorrow and barely restrained angerโฆ A righteous hatred that demands to come out, to destroyโฆ To rip and tear. And yet, the monk seems to focus this rage into something powerful but not self-destructive, something protective. "The child." Johanna realizes.
Kharazim is always there to defend the boy when demons try to harm him while he is focused on releasing the angels. His thunderous strikes project shock waves of pure force to clear a path for Kal-El to take, making it easier for him to reach the trapped Angels.
The monk isn't the only one to protect the blue-eyed lad.
Li-Ming rains down meteors on their foes like a madwoman drunk on power. From her hands, massive beams of Arcane energy destroy anything in her path, but mainly demons that are near trapped angels.
Johanna smiles, at least the wizard has finally stopped antagonizing the boy.
The crusader turns to the Witch Doctorโฆ She shouldn't have done that, as the sight of what the madman does nearly makes her hurl.
Johanna has always been curious about the similarities of the Necromancer and the Witch Doctor. Their respectiveโฆarts, is something that still makes her quite uneasy, and yet she does find the similarities interesting to witness.
Maybe if the two weren't at each other's throats the moment Johanna turned her backโฆ
Speaking of the Necromancer.
Lyra seems to barely use undeadโฆ Johanna is quite confused, never did she believe that the priestess of Rathma could be so good in close combat. The Necromancer, covered in terrifying bone armor, uses an ethereal scythe that cuts through the hordes of hell like a blade through airโฆ Lyra moves like a silent ghost among their enemies.
Something catches Johanna's eyesโฆ Some kind of strange angelic contraption with a glowing orb and three prongs reaching up. She walks to it and puts a hand on the dull golden metal that composes it. The object opens like a flower while the glowing blue orb lets what it containsโฆ
Some kind of bookโฆ?
She catches it and is instantly seized by voices and memories.
โ
- ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐ -
"๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ด๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐."
โ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
โ
"Shiiiit!" Johanna curses through clenched teeth as she drops her flail to the ground while her head pulses from the information and images put within her brain. A demon uses that moment to attack herโฆ Only for Johanna to grab the large and now very much shocked demon by the neck with a savage sneer on her face, and to then disintegrate it with her inner Light. The hand choking the demon is the only reason its scream of agony and death cry aren't heard.
She takes a calming breath and slowly lets the aches still in her fist fly away.
After that, it doesn't take their group long to uncover the first of Diablo's hidden rifts and the corruption they are in.
"๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐ช๐ฅ๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐จ. ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐จ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก!" Diablo's words unfortunately ring true as the Heavens crumble around them. They must enter the Hell rift now in front of them and shut it down if they want to quell the demonic uprising.
"Wellโฆ who's first?" Valla asks with a bloody grin.
The boy at their side whimpers as he eyes the red portal.
โ
โ
Inside the Hell Rift, they see a barren wasteland of death and corruption. Impaled and trapped angels are everywhereโฆ These are the ones who were brave or foolish enough to venture in Diablo's dominion to try closing the rifts.
"Same as before." Johanna starts. "We destroy everything in our path while you rescue angels." She says to the boyโฆ who stays strangely silent. Johanna turns to look at the ladโฆ and sees something she was not expecting to see. The boy is on his knees, holding his ears and shutting his eyes.
"Kal-El?" Eirena walks to the boy who seems to be in distress and kneels to be closer to his level.
"There's so much pain and sufferingโฆ Too many screams." He whispers. "They're too loud." Trembling, he slowly gets up before taking a deep breath. "Okโฆ I'm good."
They take their march to the northeast, if there is such a thing as direction in this place, where they find Diablo's denizens.
"The deamons come from Diablo's Realm of Terror in the Burning Hells." Eirena starts. "The gateways must be shut!" She then points to the demons that they fight. "But be careful. Strange magic radiates from these foesโฆ" Although these demons serve a powerful darkness, their group holds the cure.
After freeing an additional prisonnier of the forces of Hell by Kal-El, Johanna finds another book left behind by an angelโฆ She sighs deeply and grabs it from the ground and-
โ
- ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ -
"๐ธ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ท๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐."
โ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
โ
Johanna groans in annoyance as a headache starts to form behind her eyes. With chuckles she puts the angelic book into her bag and continues.
Crossing the outskirts and through hordes of Hell spawns, they find the first rift.
"๐๐ค๐ช ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ช๐ก๐ช๐จ? " Diablo's voice echoes through this realm. "๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฉ!" The demon lord taunts.
"Greatโฆ" Diablo, it seems, wasn't bluffing as our band of heroes encounters one of the massive Mallet Lords Johanna read about in Kain's journal.
...
"The Mallet Lords are brutal overseers second only to the seven Evils themselves. The mallet demons rule the seething outer reaches of the Hells that surround the central realms, and have long refused to join any of the Lesser Evils' armies. Surely the destruction would be unthinkable if such a thing ever came to pass."
โ Deckard Cain
...
Johanna charges the gargantuan monstrosity with a roar from Sonya who stands behind her. The fight starts badly when the Mallet Lord swipes one of its many fists directly into Johanna's shield much faster than she thought possible for something this big, sending her through a corrupted growth that spawns throughout this Realm. The air in her lungs violently leaves said organs when the Mallet Lord decides to stomp her into the ground. The beast rears its tree-sized arm and-! Two small and thin beams of red lights cut the offending member from the monster's shoulder.
Johanna rapidly gets up while Kharazim jumps 30 feet into the air to deliver the loudest punch to the demon's face. The monster fallsโฆ Hard. Johanna's whole form with golden-white lights, and with a yell, she takes to the sky as the Light drags her into it to then send her back with earth-shattering force right into the demon's head and ending the fight in the process.
After slaying the Mallet Lord, they close one of the Oculus Rifts that link this Realm of Terror with the High Heavens.
"Thank you." Johanna puts her hand on Li-Ming's shoulder.
"What for?" The wizard asks, confused.
Johanna raises a bloody eyebrow.
"...For taking this beast's arm, of course." The crusader tells her with as much confusion.
"Thatโฆ wasn't me." Li-Ming shakes her head.
"It was him." Kharazim says, gesturing with his head to the blue-eyed boy who is still busy rescuing angels.
Johanna and pretty much everyone else want to ask "how". But the arrival of the Archangel Auriel cuts that line of thought.
"๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐." Auriel says with cheer. "๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ข. ๐ฝ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐." With a wave of her wings, Auriel opens a portal to the High Heavens.
With the first rift shut down, their group does not lose any moment and stumbles out of this portal as the Hell Realm crumbles around them.
"๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐จ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ค๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐๐๐ฉ." Diablo's voice is heard again. "๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฌ ๐ค๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฅ."
"Neither do we." Valla chuckles darkly, waiting to finally face Diablo once and for all.
On their way to the second rift, Diablo makes himself known again.
"๐๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ก?" The Hell Lord chuckles. "๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ฃ. ๐ฝ๐ง๐ค๐ ๐๐ฃ. ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ง๐ช๐ฉ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ. ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ง๐๐ค๐ช๐จ." He gloats.
"๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช... ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ?" These words stop the boy in his tracks. "๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐จ. ๐ ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ง๐." They can all hear Diablo inhale. "๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐๐๐ง๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ข๐๐๐ฃ, ๐จ๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ ๐ ๐ค๐ง-๐๐ก."
"๐ผ๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐จ ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ค๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐ฎ ๐ข๐๐ข๐ค๐ง๐๐๐จ..." Diablo chuckles ominously.
"Do not listen to him." Kharazim says as he kindly puts a large hand on Kal-El's shoulders. "His powers only grow as he bathes in our fears. Stay strong."
"๐๐๐จ... ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฎ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฉ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐จ๐ก๐ค๐ฌ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช." The demonic beast laughs. "๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ฃ ๐ ๐ข๐๐จ๐ , ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐จ... ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐๐ก๐ก... ๐ผ ๐๐ค๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐๐จ๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ฎ."
"He is trying to slow us down!" Johanna states before turning to the blue-eyed boy who looks more than shaken. "Don't let him get into your head." The boy responds with a trembling nod. "Good. Now, let's hurry."
Another chuckle from the Lord of Terror.
"๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐ค๐จ๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ซ๐๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ง๐ฎ, ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ก๐๐ข. ๐๐ค๐ช ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ค ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐, ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐จ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ก๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐จ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ. ๐ ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐จ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐จ..." These last words feel directed at the boy at their side. "๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐๐๐ง ๐ฃ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ, ๐๐ค๐ฎ?" The demon Lord asks. "๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ฉ ๐ค๐ค๐ฏ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐๐๐ง๐จ... ๐๐๐จ... ๐๐๐ก๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐๐๐ง ๐ฃ๐๐ข๐."
"๐๐ค๐ช ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ค ๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ค ๐จ๐ก๐ค๐ฌ... "๐๐ค๐ช" ๐ก๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐." Diablo says before his dark laughter becomes echoes in the wind.
After that, the boy remains silent... Neither Johanna nor the others have time for this at the moment. The fate of their world and this one is at stake.
โ
โ
Their fight continues and during it, Johanna finds not two, not three, but four other books.
โ
-๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐-
"๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ท๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐."
โ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
โ
Johanna still cannot believe that Imperius, someone who is supposed to be an Archangel, is such a prideful prick.
โ
-๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐๐-
"๐บ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ต๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ท๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐๐. ๐ท๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐."
โ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
โ
At least this one isn't like his more imperious brotherโฆ
โ
-๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ต๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐-
"๐ผ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ท๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐ โ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐."
โ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
โ
"Former Aspect of Wisdomโฆ?" Why does Johanna have a bad feeling about this?
โ
-๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐-
"๐๐ข๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข. ๐ท๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ท๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐."
โ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
โ
Johanna hopes that Tyrael can be shaken out of his despair.
"Our world has long suffered the presence of daemons. It has grown resilient." Eirena's voice brings her back to reality. "But he Heavensโฆ I cannot say if they will ever truly recover from this onslaught."
Johanna sighs deeply. She can only agree with the enchantress.
"Whatโฆ What is this?!" Eirena speaks again but in horror, pointing in the enemies' direction.
"๐ท๐๐๐๐๐ข!" One of the angels that follow them shouts.
"๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐! ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐! ๐ธ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐ด๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?!" Another says in disgust.
Not far in front of them isโฆ something that used to be an angelโฆ but now is corrupted.
"๐ป๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โฆ!? ๐ฝ๐!" An angel yells in rage as he seems to recognize the corrupted angelic being.
Johanna and the others then prepare to engage this new and tragic foeโฆ but thenโฆ
The pull towards the ground seems to double and then triple. Again and again, it is as if reality itself wants to crush them, even if this pressure seems much more apparent on the demons and the poor creature facing them. And yet, it is not only physical. It is as if her very soul is pressed on. Johanna knows what it isโฆ Aura, but with something else. She turns her head to the boy who has a look of both pity and anger on his face. Not only that, but some strange blue and black energy swirls around himโฆ No. Not around him, but from him.
The few demons that still manage to stay up all end up with a glowing hole in them or simply a missing head and/or torso. This time, the crusader has seen the small boy move. Him and each blob of energy coming out of the strange stringless crossbow that he has.
Where Valla, the best markswoman that Johanna knows of, fights, aims and kills with a supernatural grace โ the boy does it like a mechanical Iron Golem, like a machine. It feels raw. It is as if he is not used to fighting and moving in real combat with his small size. Johanna can see a few gaps in his techniques and positions. Nothing too severe, but it's there.
No one moves. Not her, not the others, nor even the Angels at the boy's sides as Kal-El starts to walk.
The only thing that faces them now is the corrupted and whimpering angelโฆ The suffering creature is on its knees, the large hammer that it was holding is now discarded on the cratered ground. Johanna feels as if the corrupted being is awaiting for something.
Her soul and instincts tell her to watch, to stand where she is and wait.
The Angels near them tap the butts of their lances or the tips of their swords to the ground once, then twice. It begins as a rhythmic beat as the Light around shines much brighter. Johanna can feel the blessing of Auriel, the Archangel of Hope, pulsing alongside the beating of angelic steel. Her instincts prove correct when the corrupted angel pushes his head into the boy's extended hands. Then, in flames of the purest white with small strands of golden energy, the corrupted being and its hammer burn for what seems hours, and its placeโฆ is now an angel. One who seems so tired and yet, even if Johanna cannot see it, she is sure that the angelic being smiles widely.
"๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐." The angel whispers.
Two other angels walk to the still kneeling one.
"๐ฒ๐๐๐, ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐." One of them softly says as he grabs Laciate's arm before nodding at the boy. In a flash of light, the trio of angels disappears.
Kal-El turns to them and smiles. He appears tired. It seems that this feat took much energy from him.
...