The Prime Evils constantly targeted them; even their Grand Maester was corrupted.
Because of this precedent, if a Templar with a Relic were to fall, it would be a disaster for the world as well.
"Alright, I'll think about it some more. Let that crazy bag of bones sleep a little longer."
Bul-Kathos tossed the bone directly into Vorusk's lap and turned to leave.
Now that the power of the Wrath of the Wastes set had stabilized, he should equip another set to put Azmodan in a state of having his power drained as well.
With every Prime Evil sealed in the Black Soulstone, Bul-Kathos faced greater pressure.
"So Tony, is there anything you want to ask me?"
The Ancient One smiled and looked at Tony.
She held high expectations for Tony Stark. A doctor with the potential to become Sorcerer Supreme was worth her special attention.
Whether it was Doctor Doom, who was doing god-knows-what right now, or Doctor Strange, who was currently in surgery, they were all among her top candidates.
Loki was ultimately lacking a little something.
"I want to know what magic can achieve. For example, can it defeat a Barbarian?"
Tony spoke with feigned ease, waving his arm somewhat deliberately to reveal the white wristband on his wrist.
"I also want to know if magic can defeat them, but I don't see that opportunity yet."
The Ancient One casually pulled out two chairs and placed a burning brazier on the ground.
She spoke calmly. As the Sorcerer Supreme—the most powerful magic user in this world—her magic was almost useless against Bul-Kathos.
Even if the Vishanti came, they would have to speak softly in front of Bul-Kathos.
Magic's performance was indeed a bit worrying.
"Alright, Tony, let's get straight to the point. Do you want to become a mage?"
The Ancient One gestured for Tony to sit down, looking at him seriously.
She didn't know what choice Tony would make, but regardless, Tony wouldn't remain obscure afterward.
"I believe you can become the Sorcerer Supreme. Or rather, there aren't many people in this world more suitable than you."
"I recall someone saying occultism is a rigorous discipline. If it's a rigorous discipline, then it can be learned."
Tony didn't stand on ceremony; he sat down directly.
And stated his view.
"Honestly, your achievements in technology will make you even more powerful. At least in the future I have 'seen,' that possibility is greater."
As the Ancient One spoke, she sent a stream of magical energy through a small portal.
She had other things to do now, so she sent a message to Odin to chat later.
"Whether it's Cybermen or Daleks, they don't seem like powerful things in the eyes of you and Odin. I feel the limits of technology seem visible to the naked eye."
Tony said with a self-deprecating smile.
The technological legacy of that war was sitting in his laboratory. To this day, he hadn't fully comprehended all of the Cybermen's technology; he had only built a controllable electric wristband as a self-defense weapon.
Every time he studied those brand-new technologies, he could feel his head swelling.
This put a lot of pressure on Tony.
"Perhaps you just haven't seen their powerful side."
The Ancient One glanced at Integra, who had turned and left, then spoke to Tony.
"'Powerful'? You use that word to describe guys you chopped up like vegetables? That surprises me."
Tony stared intently into the Ancient One's eyes, trying to discern something.
"You have to understand, they are beings capable of traveling through time. When I saw those guys, my whole body was trembling."
The Ancient One was somewhat helpless.
When the Cybermen and Daleks appeared, the Time Stone on her person was already warning her.
The connection between those guys and Time was unimaginably tight.
They were monsters experiencing a Time War; their technology could manifest the rules of Time into weapons.
That was enough to demonstrate the power of technology.
"Time? That's a bit beyond my imagination."
Tony rubbed his white wristband. He couldn't quite understand why those seemingly unimpressive guys could earn such an evaluation from the Ancient One.
"If you want to become a mage, I can let you access this knowledge at any time."
There was anticipation in the Ancient One's voice.
Magic in this world required paying a price to master.
The reason Tony Stark was qualified to become Sorcerer Supreme was that he could use his Iron Man suit as the caster of magic.
Correspondingly, the Iron Sorcerer Supreme could ignore those costs and cast powerful spells at a high frequency.
Tony Stark was somewhat unique in this world, as if the world had its eyes on him.
No matter what path he took, that suit of armor would forever be inseparable from him.
"I'm just a little unconfident. You probably haven't experienced the feeling of giving your all and still not being able to win..."
"No, I have experienced it, and more than once. I was not born this powerful."
The Ancient One interrupted Tony's complaint, speaking like an elder passing on experience.
However, when she said the word "powerful," her tone was bitter.
"You must know that there are always more powerful things in the world. Just as to you right now, that rock over there is an insurmountable object."
The Ancient One pointed to a huge boulder nearby. Then Olongus appeared there, lifted the boulder, and threw it at Cassius not far away.
"To them, that's just a pebble, completely unworthy of concern."
"Alright, Sorcerer Supreme, what exactly do you want me to know? I don't like this roundabout way of talking."
Tony tapped his earpiece.
Jarvis was recording. Tony was afraid of encountering something like memory-erasing magic that would leave him remembering nothing about this conversation in the end.
"You might need to see a doctor; you'll know eventually. Are you ready to encounter magic now?"
The Ancient One spoke cryptically.
The most special thing about Tony Stark was his brain.
Inside lay a treasure no less valuable than the Time Stone. The Gem, which would soon be named "Anthony," would allow him to have zero bottlenecks in armor research.
That Gem would even develop self-awareness, urging Tony toward the path of a savior.
That Gem represented all the technological rules of this world.
Although that Gem was still in its infancy, requiring Tony to constantly learn and research to spur its growth.
Ultimately, it would become a power capable of influencing the entire world, just like the Time Stone.
"Alright, I think I'd better stay pure. Rashly stepping into a completely unfamiliar field is full of pressure, even for a genius like me."
Tony said, looking at the seriousness in the Ancient One's eyes.
"So you've made up your mind?"
"Yes, Sorcerer Supreme. At least magic can't help me defeat a Barbarian."
Tony smiled and rubbed the back of his head, Bul-Kathos's image flashing through his mind.
"Then master the legacy of that war well, and do your utmost to protect your results."
The Ancient One poured a cup of hot tea and sipped it slowly.
Before her, Tony closed his eyes, thinking about unknown things.
"Lady Integra."
Seras shouted to Integra from outside the gate of Mount Arreat.
Because she had fought with Luke and Jessica earlier, she stood quietly outside the Sacred Mountain's gate.
Originally, she was somewhat dismissive of Barbarians because she firmly believed her master Alucard was invincible.
Even though she had experienced Barbarian strength firsthand before that.
But now, she had doubts.
After Madawc brutally overturned all the Silence monsters, Seras felt awe for the Barbarians.
Although she was very different now—Seras, having drunk blood, hadn't reached the level of Alucard back then, but taking down a Luke was an easy task.
"Seras, prepare to leave."
Integra pushed up her glasses and spoke without changing her expression.
She didn't spare even a glance at Anderson, who was standing guard outside the mountain gate.
"Integra, I think you should acquire some power."
Anderson stood straight, speaking to Integra.
He was no longer the priest; as an angel responsible only to the High Heavens and Valor, he no longer obsessed over things like faith.
He had now become part of the faith.
So he had different views on the existence of others.
God does not need magnificent clothes, nor does He need the reverence of others.
"I just want to die of old age as a human."
Integra bit down on her cigar, speaking indistinctly.
Leaving Anderson with a somewhat lonely back view.
"Cassius, you bastard! Korlic, let me go! I'm going to beat that bastard Talic up!"
Madawc was hung directly in front of the Sacred Mountain's gate by Cassius and Talic. Below his feet lay shattered snow sculptures.
While Madawc and the others enjoyed the battle, Talic finally returned to the gate to fulfill his duty as the Gatekeeper.
Naturally, he saw Madawc's "masterpieces" all over the ground.
So, the moment Madawc returned, before he could even gain a footing, Talic attacked.
Then that rascal Cassius joined in directly, and the two of them tied Madawc up.
To maintain his physical form longer, Madawc chose not to turn into spirit form to escape, but instead shouted loudly while suspended from the rope.
"Forget it. You're no match for Talic. Your fight only makes me want to sleep."
Korlic squatted boredly under the gate, hands tucked in his bosom.
There was a large group of people at the foot of the mountain looking for the way up, but so far he hadn't seen anyone other than Integra and Tony.
Battles between Talic and Madawc never involved large-scale skills, just constant offensive and defensive tug-of-wars.
Talic was too good at defense. Without using powerful skills, neither he nor Madawc could win.
In a contest of martial arts, that guy was like a steel hedgehog.
"Then let me down! I won't go looking for trouble with Talic!"
Madawc roared again.
He played the "door-in-the-face" technique well, but unfortunately, Korlic was much smarter than him.
If you want to tear down the roof, no one will agree, but if you propose opening a skylight, it will be approved.
This kind of negotiation wasn't an Eastern privilege.
"Cassius and Talic formed an alliance, but I don't want to stand on your side."
Korlic looked up at Madawc swinging on the rope and said.
The choice between an evenly matched two-on-two or a crushing three-on-one required almost no thought.
They knew each other too well; evenly matched battles held no excitement.
On the contrary, bullying the few with the many brought more fun.
"Why haven't those kids come back lately? I'm getting bored."
"Then let me down, and I'll spar with you!"
Madawc started roaring again.
He didn't want to be hung above the gate at all; it was somewhat humiliating.
No one knew when the next person to ascend the Sacred Mountain would appear.
But if he turned back into a spirit and abandoned his physical form, who knew when he could manifest again?
He didn't have Vorusk's prestige, capable of getting Bul-Kathos to give him the Fury to manifest without asking.
"I advise you to just give in, otherwise you won't avoid further embarrassment."
Korlic pointed with his chin at Anderson, who was standing guard.
Imperius could observe everything through his subordinate's vision, so Madawc's miserable state was already displayed before the Archangel of Valor.
But that was nothing to worry about; Imperius was never interested in such things.
That guy was like an emotionless firecracker; he wouldn't tease others about their embarrassments.
"What about your heir? What is that Bruce Wayne doing now?"
Madawc suddenly asked about Bruce Wayne. As he spoke, his body swayed with the rope.
"That kid seems to be acting as some vigilante? Hiding his head and showing his tail, not like my heir at all."
Korlic grabbed a snowball and threw it at Madawc, looking a bit distressed.
Bruce Wayne hadn't come back much lately, always cleaning up crime in the streets and alleys.
His method of hiding his identity was like a joke; his Barbarian-style fighting alone made it hard for him to hide.
He was just bullying those street criminals who didn't know of the Barbarians' existence.
"Has he discovered anything interesting? I think he'll be the first recruit to master the Call of the Ancients. When the time comes, let him call my clone down. I guarantee I'll provide him with the best protection."
Madawc swung twice and shouted loudly.
Like he was eager to negotiate a bribe for Korlic to let him down, his tone was full of sincerity.
"Screw you. It's just summoning a few clones. Summoning our full consciousness? That's still a long way off."
Korlic packed another snowball and gestured at Madawc.
He didn't believe a word Madawc said. They knew each other too well.
So Korlic planned to see what Madawc intended to do, and relaxed his muscles, squatting on the snow.
"Then prepare to get beat!"
With a roar, Madawc landed in front of Korlic and kicked the squatting Ancient to the ground.
He successfully stamped his footprint on Korlic's face.
Then laughed loudly.
This kind of roughhousing was their daily routine. If he had to look at the unchanging scenery of Mount Arreat every day, he would have been unable to stand the boredom long ago.
"You have no honor! I was careless and didn't dodge!"
Korlic did a backward roll and stood up, pointing a finger at the wildly laughing Madawc and cursing.
"So what? Can you beat me back?"
Madawc smiled, his beard fluttering in the cold wind of Mount Arreat.
"I advise you to watch yourself!"
Korlic wore a strange smile, his eyes flashing with an odd light.
He suddenly had a very interesting idea, guaranteed to make Madawc beg for mercy directly.
"Come hit me!"
Madawc bounced twice, making provocative gestures with his hands.
Having been hung up earlier, his vantage point was much better than Korlic's on the ground.
"Talic! Madawc says his skin is itching! Bring Cassius over to loosen his bones!"
After speaking, Korlic delivered a flying kick to Madawc's face, then switched to a mounted position and began to pummel the fool who had lost his mind.
It was just roughhousing; a little nosebleed was normal, right?
"Enough! Stop messing around! Aren't you embarrassed enough?"
Talic appeared before the two, holding his Mark of Shame (shield), and pointed down the mountain.
Talic had been nearby the whole time. He was the Gatekeeper, so naturally, he wouldn't go too far.
"Someone has arrived down there, and you're still planning to carry on?"
Talic spoke sternly.
The gate of the Sacred Mountain finally welcomed new climbers.
A pitch-black head reflecting light; one look gave the sensation of snow blindness.
That bald head was a bit dazzling.
Behind him followed Steve with a shield. They kept a distance from each other; it seemed their relationship had deteriorated quite a bit.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had been busy lately; dealing with the aftermath in London was enough to make the Egghead lose handfuls of eyebrows.
"Hello, Talic, Korlic, and Madawc."
Steve greeted the three Ancients with a smile. As for Anderson, he wasn't very familiar with him.
But since he was standing outside the mountain gate, he wasn't an enemy.
So Steve nodded to Anderson as a greeting.
"Have you figured it out and decided to be a Barbarian? On the mountain, it seems only Weapon Master Karcheus is good with shields."
Madawc shouted directly at Steve, his tone full of gratification.
As if seeing a lost lamb finding its way back.
"Idiot, look at what he's wearing on his hand!"
Talic slapped Madawc on the neck, then pointed at Steve.
"Justice Lantern? Why does this ring feel so weak, yet not like a fake?"
Korlic said thoughtfully.
He had seen more than one of these rings, but the one before him seemed to be the original.
In his memory, that powerful legendary ring should be in Imperius's hands. Even if it were a replica, only Bul-Kathos could forge it.
After all, Bul-Kathos, skilled in weapon forging, was already the only Barbarian capable of forging jewelry.
Generally, such delicate items were made by jewelcrafters.
If Bul-Kathos wanted to forge higher-spec jewelry, he would have to use the power of Kanai's Cube.
"Is this ring called that? I'm just tagging along to listen to what the person next to me wants to say to Bul-Kathos. I'm just passing through."
Steve rubbed the ring.
This ring had fallen from the sky right after he healed from his injuries. For some reason, the moment he saw it, he felt a strong connection to it.
So he simply put it on.
After wearing the Justice Lantern, he felt his body become significantly stronger.
If he had to face Mina Harker's bones again, he was confident he wouldn't be as miserable as last time.
"Greetings, Ancients of the Barbarians. I am Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. I came here to meet with Bul-Kathos."
Nick Fury extended his right hand, intending to ease the atmosphere.
After Steve finished his introduction, Fury stepped forward.
Then he was met directly with Madawc's sorrow.
This ending had to be said to be too tragic; Nick Fury was smashed by Madawc before he even saw Bul-Kathos.
Madawc didn't use Fury, just physical strength.
Fortunately, Nick Fury only lost a Life Model Decoy; it didn't hurt his soul.
"This guy sends a decoy without a complete soul and still gets to climb Mount Arreat? How did a stinking guy like that get recognized by the Sacred Mountain?"
Madawc leaned on his giant axe, asking incredulously.
However, as he spoke, he glanced intentionally or unintentionally at Talic.
"Maybe he's a just person?"
Talic rubbed his Mark of Shame, his eyes looking elsewhere.
Actually, he had let Nick Fury up. As the Gatekeeper of the Sacred Mountain, he could grant qualifications to those who didn't originally possess them.
It was the same principle as a doorman having the key to open the door.
Talic had his plans.
"I think your nose is broken, Talic."
Korlic shoveled a large pile of snow and threw it over, burying the pile of meat paste directly.
He wasn't satisfied with Nick Fury at all.
That guy emitted a stench even from a decoy.
"Alright, since you all say so, then let it be."
Talic looked at Steve, who acted as if nothing had happened, and shrugged helplessly.
Talic had heard a lot about Nick Fury from Rumlow, and his urge to give others a chance at redemption kicked in again.
So he had asked Rumlow to tell Steve about this, planning to invite Nick Fury to the mountain.
But his choice was rejected by the others.
As good friends for hundreds of years, how could Madawc and Korlic not know Talic's thoughts?
So they directly interrupted Talic from doing something boring.
Solving Nick Fury at the source was much easier than convincing Talic.
"I said he wasn't a good choice."
Steve tightened his grip on his shield.
He had rejected letting Nick Fury come in the first place, but he couldn't easily refuse Talic.
Rumlow had this idea when he told him Talic's intentions. Seeing Nick Fury's decoy destroyed, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"I don't like him either. That guy is trouble."
Rumlow staggered out from a corner, speaking to Talic.
Rumlow had come up with Steve; he had been following not far behind Steve and Nick Fury, only emerging now.
"Did you forget that you were trouble in the beginning too?"
Talic said grumpily to Rumlow, waving his Mark of Shame, seemingly reminding Rumlow that he wasn't any good back then either.
"So if you smashed my head open right now, I wouldn't say anything."
Rumlow pulled three bottles of spirits from his backpack and threw them to the three Ancients, then opened his arms to Talic.
"Tch! I told you your ending long ago. Before you go crazy, I will smash your head open."
Talic grumpily caught the spirits.
"That will have to wait until Hydra is completely destroyed."
Rumlow swayed through the gate of the Sacred Mountain, heading towards the house where he usually stayed.
"Ancient, give me more training. I'm still too weak."
Rumlow said without looking back.
Talic roared grumpily: "Then prepare to be beaten to death by me! Go to Mocz's Rift and seek death first! After I arrange a shift change, I'll come pummel you."
"Alright, let's talk about what to do with Steve?"
Korlic asked, shaking his head.
"Leave him be? I don't think he looks like Barbarian material."
Madawc sized up Steve, then said somewhat disdainfully.
"He's more like those Crusader guys. How about asking Bul-Kathos to contact Imperius? Didn't Bul-Kathos mutter something about Crusader training methods before?"
Madawc crushed the neck of the bottle and guzzled the contents.
"You go up first. I'll ask Karcheus later if he wants an heir."
Korlic pondered for a moment, then spoke.
He was a guy who thought more about the continuation of the Barbarians. Even if a warrior didn't quite fit the Barbarian character, he didn't want to let him go.
"Let Bul-Kathos decide. His relationship with Johanna is pretty good; who knows if he has any ideas."
Talic shook his head, making a decision on the matter. Usually, the other two wouldn't object to his decisions.
"Then I'll head over. You guys seem to know this ring very well; tell me about it later. I'll have spirits ready."
Steve greeted Madawc, then walked past.
"By the way, how is Kaecilius? I plan to invite him to my house later."
Steve asked Rumlow ahead.
"That guy is being specially trained by Kanuk. He broke a charge stance with a skeleton frame, and Kanuk is very unhappy about it."
Rumlow answered casually, then shivered as he remembered the black bread Kaecilius had bitten through.
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