His recent assignment was investigating intelligence on Spider-Man, and news had just come back from the scene that Spider-Man had appeared.
Coulson was close to locking down Spider-Man's identity. Going there now was just to see if there were any other gains to be made.
"Looks like your mind is made up. Let's go then."
Hawkeye gave Coulson a meaningful look, then started the car and moved out.
"I feel like I sensed something..."
Bul-Kathos looked at Odin before him, speaking with a tone of suspicion.
It wasn't that he sensed the aura of a Prime Evil, but rather that Azmodan and Andariel inside his mind had suddenly become overly active.
This was very unusual.
Odin simply looked at Bul-Kathos without saying a word.
He didn't know what Bul-Kathos had discovered. Even if Bul-Kathos had sensed a Prime Evil, Odin wouldn't be of much help.
Asgard was currently in a bit of turmoil because Thor and Loki hadn't appeared in public for a while. This inevitably sparked discussions.
But suddenly, Odin's expression changed as well.
He felt an unexpected change occurring near Mjolnir.
Another hammer had appeared there, and on it, he sensed something familiar.
"Cul!?"
Odin uttered his brother's name in shock.
Cul's appearance meant the prophecy regarding Thor might have already begun.
When he drove Cul from the throne, Odin discovered he had no way to kill him. Only Thor, having become the God of Thunder, could do it, but that also implied a tragedy of mutual destruction.
This distressed Odin.
He wanted to protect his son, even if it meant cutting off the connection between Asgard and Earth.
"What God of Fear? What happened to him?"
Bul-Kathos furrowed his brows.
The word Fear (Terror) held a completely different meaning for Bul-Kathos.
"Beside Mjolnir and my hammer-son, another hammer has appeared. It bears my brother's divine power."
Odin had no hurdles saying this sentence, or perhaps he had simply accepted the "fact" that the hammer, Son of Odin, was his child.
"Something seems unusual."
Bul-Kathos rubbed his beard. "It seems Natasha went over there?"
He said this uncertainly.
Although Bul-Kathos could sense the status of the new Barbarian recruits, he didn't deliberately monitor anything. After all, Barbarians weren't exactly rare anymore. If he had to constantly watch over those little guys, he wouldn't have time for anything else.
"I must return. Asgard cannot be left without me for too long right now."
Odin bowed slightly to Bul-Kathos as a gesture, then apologetically summoned the Bifrost.
Bul-Kathos looked at the dazzling light, pursed his lips, and used his own power to block the dissipating energy of the Bifrost.
Harrogath was the Holy Mountain of the Barbarians; he couldn't accept damage to it, even unintentional.
"Cassius!"
Bul-Kathos shouted loudly, and Cassius's voice appeared beside him.
"What is it? Is there a fight that needs me?"
The braided beard on Cassius's chin swung back and forth.
"Where did your heir go?"
Bul-Kathos glanced at Cassius, feeling his blood pressure rise.
Ever since Cassius returned last time, he had been constantly teasing Olongus with the prospect of battle, trying to use a thrown fight to set Olongus free.
"How should I know? Were your actions back then under your mentor's constant surveillance?"
Cassius said, looking askance.
Bul-Kathos was left somewhat speechless.
Back when he received Vorusk's help, his whereabouts were actually under Vorusk's control. After he smashed Leoric's bones, he immediately met that blockhead Vorusk. It was only then that he made his choice.
"I feel like that kid might be running into some trouble. Are you really not going to take a look?"
Bul-Kathos casually pulled out a morning star, patting it against the palm of his other hand, his eyes showing dissatisfaction with Cassius.
"If you want to hit me, just say so. No need for such boring excuses!"
Cassius cracked his knuckles, producing a string of popping sounds.
"I'm busy and can't leave. Since your physical manifestation hasn't dissolved yet, go take a look! Do you understand me?"
Bul-Kathos squeezed the handle of the morning star, and the poor weapon groaned under the strain.
Bul-Kathos jerked his chin toward the gate of the Holy Mountain. Cassius left, cursing under his breath.
Cassius wouldn't do exactly as Bul-Kathos demanded, but he would at least check on his heir. After all, it seemed these new recruits were the opportunity for the Barbarians to continue developing. Unnecessary losses were best avoided.
"You came for the ring on your hand?"
Bul-Kathos spoke to Steve Rogers, who had just arrived.
"Yes. I heard them say you might know something about this ring."
Steve raised the Justice Lantern ring on his hand, his tone perfectly candid. Or rather, if there was anything in this world that could make Steve less than candid, it was probably only the matter concerning Peggy Carter.
"Putting the Justice Lantern aside for a moment, do you desire power?"
Bul-Kathos asked casually, carefully sizing up Steve.
The noble character infused with humanity reminded Bul-Kathos of Johanna, whom he had fought alongside in the past.
Thinking of Johanna reminded him of how that rough woman would drag demons that offended her behind her horse for hundreds of miles. By the time those unlucky demons were let down, they were unrecognizable. The sight would make even a Prime Evil frown—though Prime Evils generally didn't have eyebrows.
"I feel I might not be suitable to be a Barbarian."
Steve said with a smile.
He admired the Barbarians' strength, but he couldn't quite accept fighting in their manner. Steve liked shields because shields never initiated an attack; they were mostly for protecting the weak. His convictions and character were indeed noble.
"I think so too."
As Bul-Kathos spoke, he pulled a flail from his backpack and swung it casually a few times.
Although Bul-Kathos, as a weapon master, wielded the flail with exquisite technique, the weapon felt "dead," offering no feedback to him.
Even Steve could see that.
"Take it, and give it a try."
Bul-Kathos handed the flail to Steve, speaking in a gruff tone.
Akkhan's Addendum.
A Legendary Flail.
Of course, this was a replica made by Bul-Kathos; the original legendary weapon was still with the Crusaders.
This flail wasn't incredibly powerful, but it was a masterpiece. However, like its name suggested, it was merely a spare weapon for the powerful Crusader Akkhan. It allowed a Crusader in the Akarat's Champion state to master two additional rune skills.
It was pretty useless.
Johanna was probably the existence closest to him among Bul-Kathos's comrades, excluding the terrifyingly talented wizard Li-Ming.
But Johanna had already made progress in fusing skills. At least, relying on her own power while using the Akarat's Champion transformation, she could activate all rune forms simultaneously.
Steve solemnly took the flail from Bul-Kathos's hand, and then... the flail slipped from his grasp.
Although the flail wasn't top-tier, it wasn't something the current Steve could lift with just his physical capabilities.
"It seems you are still lacking. You'll probably have to wait until Imperius finds time to grant you that power."
Bul-Kathos had no intention of continuing.
He remembered that when Johanna became a Crusader, she had simply touched the Charge set of the legendary Crusader Norvald. Just by touching it, Johanna became a Crusader directly.
Although this might be related to Johanna herself being a Nephalem, Akkhan's Addendum was a replica imbued with Johanna's power. Since Steve didn't receive its recognition, he could only wait for Imperius to teach him personally.
"I never felt that power gained overnight was worth boasting about."
Steve understood Bul-Kathos's meaning.
But he felt no regret.
When he became Captain America, the Super Soldier Serum created more than just him as a super soldier. It was ultimately a somewhat desperate choice. Red Skull had also used that power to become strong. Steve always held some wariness toward replicable power.
"Nonsense."
Bul-Kathos shook his head.
Nephalem power was never gained overnight. To become strong, one had to pay with effort. This was the simplest truth, and no one would dispute it.
The test just now was merely to see if Steve could obtain the seed of the Crusader's power. If he had succeeded, Steve could have entered the Rifts to gain the Nephalem bloodline and started on the path to strength sooner.
"The Justice Lantern is a very strong Legendary item. Johanna—I mean, a comrade of mine—used its power to protect others for a long time."
Bul-Kathos looked at the Justice Lantern on Steve's hand, a trace of nostalgia in his eyes.
"Johanna back then was simply immovable. Even the Prime Evils got a headache facing her."
Bul-Kathos reminisced about the past, speaking a bit more than usual.
Azmodan and Andariel in his mind started making noise again.
Johanna played a crucial role in the battle against Azmodan. She single-handedly held back Azmodan's entire demon army. She was immovable like a reef in the ocean waves until Azmodan was dealt with.
"Back then, if that damned Wizard hadn't drained my energy, how could you have shattered my body!"
Azmodan roared loudly in Bul-Kathos's mind.
He constantly found excuses for his defeat. Among the Prime Evils, Azmodan cared most about winning and losing. Every battle, Azmodan would try his utmost to secure victory, though he didn't always get his wish.
"Then when I chopped off the Prime Evil's head, why didn't I hear you come out to argue with me?"
Bul-Kathos said roughly and contemptuously.
In his relatively long life, the time Bul-Kathos grew strongest was during his travels with Li-Ming, Sonya, and the others. It was as if Nephalem bloodlines resonated when they were together. During that time, Bul-Kathos grew from rivaling a single Lesser Evil to being able to defeat the Prime Evil.
"What?"
Steve was confused by Bul-Kathos's sudden remark.
" nothing. I'll have Karjur guide you for a while, though you won't be his heir."
Bul-Kathos scratched his hair. He was getting annoyed by Azmodan constantly clamoring in his head.
"Now, go do your thing."
Bul-Kathos dropped this sentence and left directly. He needed a quiet place to calm down.
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