Diablo Chronicles Episode 11: The Gates of Hell, Visitor with a False Face

This is a newly written fan narrative based on the events of the original game. The characters' emotions, dialogue, and scene atmospheres have been reconstructed, and it includes major spoilers.

The Pandemonium Fortress and the Gates of Hell

Stepping through the portal opened deep beneath Kurast, the hero beheld a massive rock floating in the void, surrounded by an endless abyss. This was the Pandemonium Fortress, the final bastion built on the border between Heaven and Hell. The silence of the fortress, swept by cold winds, brought a strange, heavy pressure completely different from the humid jungle they had just left behind.

Flapping wings of brilliant light over the gray stone floor, Archangel Tyrael welcomed the hero. Though his face remained hidden, the majestic aura radiating from him was enough to steady the hero's trembling heart at the threshold of Hell. Tyrael commended the hero's efforts in defeating Mephisto, yet sternly warned that the true battle was not yet over.

The hero adjusted their grip on their weapon, gazing at the crimson flames of Hell burning beyond the fortress. Tyrael explained that Diablo, the Lord of Terror, had already returned to Hell and was rallying his demonic legions once more. To save the fate of Sanctuary, they had to find him and put an end to him once and for all before he could regain his full power.

Tyrael asked one more personal favor of the hero heading into Hell. It was to find his former lieutenant, Izual, who had been captured by the demons of Hell long ago and corrupted. The Archangel earnestly requested that the hero defeat Izual, once a great warrior of Heaven now suffering trapped inside a demonic shell, to release his bound soul.

Engriving the Archangel's request in their heart, the hero took heavy steps toward the massive iron gates of the fortress. As the gates ground open with a roar, a suffocating wave of intense heat and the stench of sulfur rushed in. The endless Outer Steppes of Hell were covered in gray ash and red lava, where hungry demons lurked, thirsting for the hero's blood.

Stepping onto the soil of Hell for the first time, the hero shuddered at the bizarre sensation of bone-chilling cold and searing heat intersecting. Grotesque cries echoed from all directions, and hideous monsters began to swarm endlessly beneath the blood-red sky. Raising their shield and drawing their sword, the hero prepared for a fierce battle to survive on these terrible plains of despair.

The hero's path, carving through the relentless onslaught of demons, was arduous beyond measure. Though blazing fire and sharp claws grazed their armor, their firm resolve to save Sanctuary never wavered. With every step forward, the malevolent energy of Hell tried to gnaw at the hero's mind, but they endured it with steadfast faith.

In the distance, an ominous chill emanating from the center of the Plains of Despair caught the hero's attention. The bizarre coldness, which froze even the heat of the boiling lava, gave them an intuitive sense that Izual, the fallen angel Tyrael had spoken of, was near. Catching their breath, the hero gripped the hilt of their sword tighter for the tragic confrontation ahead.

The Shocking Truth of the Fallen Angel Izual

As the hero entered the depths of the Plains of Despair, Izual, taking the form of a massive and hideous demon, blocked their path. From the giant sword in his hand, instead of hellfire, a terrible frost that froze to the bone was spewing forth. Once a warrior of light, he was now a horrific creation of Hell, mindlessly unleashing ruthless attacks upon the hero.

Each time Izual's frost sword cleaved the air, the surrounding atmosphere froze, scattering sharp shards of ice in all directions. Blocking the bitter cold with their shield, the hero had to endure the impact that pushed them back with dull, cracking sounds. The demonic shell was far tougher than imagined, and the radiating cold slowly slowed the hero's movements, posing a fatal threat.

Yet the hero did not yield, analyzing Izual's attack patterns to watch for a chance to counter. Seizing a moment when the frost sword swung wide, the hero threw their entire body weight into driving their weapon deep into a gap in the demon's thick armor. With a horrific scream vibrating from the blade's tip, Izual's massive frame staggered, and suppressed energy of light began to leak from the wound.

After a fierce struggle, a strike delivered with all the hero's soul pierced Izual's chest. With an ear-splitting death rattle, the massive shell shattered and collapsed, and from within, a brilliantly shining soul was liberated, floating up into the air. It was the soul of the angel Izual, finally freed from his horrific bondage. Panting heavily, the hero gazed at the glowing figure.

However, the words that came from the liberated Izual's mouth were a despairing truth completely contrary to the hero's expectations. Instead of speaking of the heavenly weapon Azurewrath, he confessed that he had handed over the secrets of the Soulstones to the Prime Evils. He was the very traitor who had taught them how the Soulstones could be corrupted and how they could be used to serve the demons' purposes.

Izual's confession struck the hero's ears like a bolt from the blue. The shocking truth was revealed: the exile of the Prime Evils to Sanctuary was not an accident or a defeat, but part of a grand conspiracy they had planned themselves. The entire process, which Tyrael and the Horadrim believed to be the sealing of the Prime Evils with the Soulstones, was actually an elaborate trap laid by the demons to corrupt the humans of Sanctuary.

Izual cast a cold, mocking laugh at Tyrael, calling him a fool. The Soulstones were not prisons to bind the Prime Evils, but rather powerful catalysts that amplified their strength and allowed them to take root in Sanctuary. Feeling the very foundation of justice and sacrifice they had believed in and fought for crumble, the hero could not suppress the hollow despair and anger boiling deep within their chest.

Having revealed the truth, Izual's soul slowly faded and scattered into the void of Hell. Standing alone on the Plains of Despair, the hero realized anew just how terrible and dangerous Mephisto's Soulstone in their pocket truly was. Keeping in mind that destroying this cursed stone was now the only way to shatter the Prime Evils' conspiracy, the hero moved forward with even firmer resolve.

The Hellforge and Shattered Hatred

The hero advanced along the boiling River of Flame toward the Hellforge. This dreadful place, where red lava surged instead of water, inflicted a pain like burning lungs with every breath. Mephisto's Soulstone in the hero's possession pulsed ominously as if resonating with the energies of Hell, constantly spewing whispers of hatred that clouded the hero's mind.

Upon a peninsula of black iron situated in the middle of the river of lava, the Hellforge finally revealed its grand and grotesque form. Before the forge stood Hephasto the Armorer, a demonic blacksmith of massive build and hideous countenance, waiting for the hero with a burning hammer. Sensing the hero's intent to destroy the Soulstone, he let out a beastly roar and charged at terrifying speed.

The massive hammer swung by Hephasto cleaved the air, creating an ominous whistling sound. Each time the hammer struck the ground, the earth of Hell shook, and splattering shards of lava scorched the hero's armor. Evading the lethal blows with agile movements, the hero delivered a succession of quick, sharp thrusts into the blacksmith's exposed flank.

After a relentless battle, seizing a moment when Hephasto's movements slowed, the hero used all their strength to bring him to his knees and deliver a fatal blow. The giant blacksmith collapsed with a horrific scream, and the Hellforge Hammer he held fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Catching their breath, the hero picked up the hammer. It was the only tool capable of shattering the Soulstone.

With heavy steps, the hero approached the cursed Hellforge anvil and drew Mephisto's Soulstone from their breast. Placed upon the anvil, the Soulstone glowed even more fiercely and resisted, as if foreseeing its own destruction. The malevolent energy radiating from the Lord of Hatred tried to push the hero's hands away, but the hero firmly gripped the Hellforge Hammer with both hands and raised it high.

As the hero brought the hammer down, the Soulstone began to crack with an ear-splitting explosion. The first strike sent a powerful shockwave rippling around the anvil, and the second strike unleashed the screams of countless souls trapped within the stone. With unwavering eyes, the hero gathered their remaining strength and raised the hammer high above their head once more.

With a thunderous roar, the Hellforge Hammer shattered the Soulstone into pieces. At that moment, accompanied by a light so intense it was blinding, countless imprisoned souls were liberated and soared into the air. It was a majestic sight as the essence of Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred, was finally freed entirely from the shackles of Sanctuary and Hell, dispersing into the abyss. Wiping away their sweat, the hero quietly watched the remnants of destruction.

Though Mephisto's threat was gone forever, it was too early to feel relieved. Beyond the Hellforge, at the end of the River of Flame, the Chaos Sanctuary lay open, where Diablo, the Lord of Terror, lurked. Leaving the fragments of the shattered Soulstone behind, the hero adjusted their grip on their weapon once more and hastened their steps, preparing to face the final remaining great evil for the true peace of Sanctuary.

The Chaos Sanctuary and the Unsealing

Crossing the River of Flame and entering the Chaos Sanctuary, the hero was greeted by a bizarre cathedral constructed of bone and obsidian. This dreadful space where the Lord of Terror resided was filled with a thick stench of blood and suffocating heat. In the center of the sanctuary, a massive pentagram magic circle was engraved to summon Diablo, and powerful demons were stationed along every path leading to it.

Oblivion Knights and Venom Lords blocked the hero's path, spewing flames. The deadly curses cast by the knights gnawed at the hero's body and mind, and the fire of the Venom Lords was so fierce it seemed ready to incinerate the very air. Blocking the flames with their shield and enduring the curses, the hero swung their sword relentlessly, breaking through the demons' defensive lines one by one as they advanced.

To summon Diablo, five seals bound throughout the sanctuary had to be released. Breaking through the pouring onslaught of demons, the hero approached the first seal and destroyed it. The moment the seal broke, accompanied by a red flash, fire demons led by the Grand Vizier of Chaos poured out, flying through the air and spewing terrible pillars of fire.

The hero quickly rolled to evade the flames, then targeted a vulnerability in the descending Grand Vizier to deliver a fatal blow. As the burning demon's corpse tumbled to the floor, the hero ran toward the next seals without a moment's rest. Upon releasing the second and third seals in succession, Lord De Seis and his horde of undead mages appeared like illusions to block the way.

Lord De Seis attempted to disarm the hero with cunning magic, while his minions showered dark spells from all directions. Maintaining absolute focus, the hero pierced through the magical trajectories and severed De Seis's neck in a single stroke. Seeing the leaderless skeletal mages crumble like sand, the hero took a ragged breath and headed toward the location of the final seals.

As the remaining two seals were released, the entire sanctuary vibrated, and a massive pack of Venom Lords led by the Infector of Souls set upon the hero. Though momentarily pushed back by their overwhelming strength and speed, the hero immediately corrected their stance and deflected their charge with their shield. After a fierce melee, the Infector of Souls was also defeated, and at last, all the seals within the Chaos Sanctuary were destroyed.

With all five seals broken, a terrible earthquake shook the entire sanctuary. Crimson flames erupted from the pentagram magic circle engraved on the floor, beginning to swallow all surrounding light. Along with a bizarre cracking sound that seemed to tear the atmosphere, a primal terror crept up the hero's spine, weighing down upon the entire space.

From within the pillar of fire rising from the center of the magic circle, a massive and horrific figure slowly revealed itself. A body covered in red scales and sharp spikes, and eyes flashing with hatred and terror. Diablo, the Lord of Terror, finally faced the hero in the heart of Hell, letting out a terrible roar. It was the moment the final battle for the fate of Sanctuary began.

The Final Battle with Diablo, the Lord of Terror

"Not even death can save you from me." Diablo's horrific voice echoed directly inside the hero's mind, instilling terror deep into their bones. The voice alone would have caused an ordinary human to lose consciousness and collapse, but the hero grit their teeth and shook off the fear. Even before the overwhelming intimidation radiated by the Lord of Terror, the hero never backed down and raised their weapon.

As Diablo extended his massive hand, streams of red lightning snaked toward the hero. Facing a terrible destructive power that reduced everything it touched to ashes, the hero hastily took cover behind an obsidian pillar. The path swept by the lightning melted red and boiled like lava, and the hero breathed heavily, feeling the terror of death looming right before them.

The instant the lightning ceased, the hero lunged from behind the pillar, charging toward Diablo's flank. Their sharp sword scraped against the demon's thick scales, sending sparks flying, but it was not enough to inflict a fatal wound. Enraged, Diablo struck the ground, and a circular wave of fire rippled outward, violently throwing the hero's body back.

Tumbling to the floor, the hero endured the pain and quickly scrambled to their feet. Seeing Diablo prepare his red lightning once more, the hero chose not to evade this time, but instead took a dangerous gamble by diving straight into the demon's embrace. Even amidst the pain of searing flesh, the hero dodged the demon's massive arms and aimed their sword at his chest—right where the red-glowing Soulstone was embedded.

The moment the hero's sword plunged deep into Diablo's chest, the entire sanctuary filled with the demon's ear-splitting shriek. The Lord of Terror writhed in agony, trying to fling the hero off, but the hero squeezed out every drop of remaining strength to drive the blade even deeper. The hellfire radiating from Diablo's body slowly subsided, and his massive physical form began to collapse.

With a horrific death rattle, Diablo's physical form crumbled into gray ash and scattered into the void. In the place where the Lord of Terror had vanished, only the red-pulsing Soulstone remained, casting an ominous glow. Panting heavily, the hero picked up Diablo's Soulstone from the floor. They had finally defeated the Lord of Terror in the heart of Hell and saved Sanctuary.

The joy of victory was short-lived; the hero shuddered at the cold touch of the Soulstone in their hand. Izual's warning echoed in their mind, reminding them that this Soulstone, too, had to be destroyed at the Hellforge to bring a true end to it. Without delay, the hero turned back, taking heavy but resolute steps toward the River of Flame they had just crossed.

Once Diablo's Soulstone was also shattered upon the Hellforge anvil, the threat of the two Prime Evils finally vanished from Sanctuary forever. The hero breathed a sigh of relief as they looked at the fragments of the destroyed Soulstone, yet an indelible anxiety still lingered in a corner of their heart. This was because Baal, the Lord of Destruction, had vanished somewhere with Marius and had not yet appeared.

Marius in the Asylum and the False Savior

At that same hour, in a cold and damp asylum cell somewhere in Sanctuary, the old and ailing Marius huddled in a corner, trembling like an aspen leaf. His skeletal hands clutched Baal's amber-glowing Soulstone as if it were his very lifeline. Driven mad by endless auditory hallucinations and terror, his unfocused eyes wandered the empty air, desperately waiting for someone.

With a creaking sound, the tightly shut, old wooden door of the cell opened. A hooded figure emitting a faint glow in the deep darkness slowly walked into the room. The moment Marius saw the figure, he burst into tears he had been holding back and prostrated himself on the floor. He did not doubt for a second that the visitor was Archangel Tyrael, the one who had laid this terrible burden upon him.

"Lord Tyrael? Is it truly you? You have finally come for me." Marius's voice was cracked and trembling, yet it carried both deep relief and poignant guilt. The visitor stood in silence, merely looking down at Marius. Mistaking this silence for the angel's merciful listening, Marius began to confess his terrible failure.

Marius haltingly recounted the terror of that day in the temple cellars of Kurast. He sobbed, explaining that when the gates of Hell opened and horrific demons poured out, he had tried to summon the courage to take the Soulstone to the Hellforge, but ultimately succumbed to fear. He cursed his own weakness, having been unable to do anything but flee before that overwhelming dread.

"Forgive me, my Lord. I failed. I did not have the courage to enter that terrible place." Marius repeatedly begged for forgiveness, striking his head against the floor. Under the torment of Baal's whispers plaguing his dreams every night and the horrific pressure that the world might end, he was slowly losing his mind. He believed this painful confession was his only salvation.

The hooded visitor remained silent, taking another step closer to Marius. Marius raised his tear-stained face to look at the figure, drawing Baal's amber-throbbing Soulstone from his breast. He harbored a vain hope that once he returned this cursed stone to the Archangel, he would finally escape this long, horrific nightmare and find peace.

"Take this. Please, free me from this torment." Marius's earnest plea drifted into the cold air of the cell. The visitor slowly reached out toward the Soulstone Marius offered. Believing that touch to be the warm hand of an angel coming to save him, Marius carefully handed over the Soulstone with trembling hands.

The moment the Soulstone left Marius's hand and was grasped by the visitor, the faint light lingering in the room vanished in an instant. Instead, a suffocating, horrific, and malevolent energy began to fill the narrow cell. Marius flinched, intuitively sensing that something was terribly wrong, but he had already made an irreversible, fatal mistake.

The Lord of Destruction Unmasked

"You have done well, Marius. Your task is now complete." The voice that flowed from the visitor's mouth was not Tyrael's majestic tone. It was a bizarre, spine-chilling demonic voice that froze to the bone, sounding like thousands of souls groaning in agony. Marius gasped in terror as the visitor's form slowly began to shift before his eyes.

As the hood covering the visitor was pulled back, the face revealed was not the merciful countenance of an angel. Pale, hideous skin, lips curled in a cruel smile, and eyes flashing with destructive madness. It was the very entity Marius had feared and fled from—the horrific visage of Baal, the Lord of Destruction, wearing a human shell.

Marius tried to scream, but paralyzed by extreme terror, no sound came out. The horrific truth struck his mind: the being he believed to be his savior was actually the greatest threat to this world, and he had personally handed the Soulstone over to that demon. His vain hope of finding peace was shattered, leaving only endless despair in its place.

Baal gazed at his Soulstone in his hand with ecstatic eyes. He could feel his power, which had been incomplete while trapped in Tal Rasha's body for so long, fully restoring as it reunited with the Soulstone. The overwhelming demonic energy radiated by the Lord of Destruction flowed along the walls of the asylum, beginning to drain all surrounding life force.

"You have given me the greatest gift of all, foolish mortal." Baal let out a cruel sneer, looking down at Marius. All the suffering, guilt, and even the final hope that Marius had experienced were nothing more than an amusing game to the demon. Realizing that his weakness had ultimately dragged all of Sanctuary toward ruin, Marius wept tears of despair.

Baal averted his cold gaze, as if he no longer had any business with Marius. To the Lord of Destruction, this weak, old human was now nothing but worthless trash. With a light flick of Baal's fingers, black tentacles erupted from the cell floor, tightening around Marius's neck like a noose. Marius struggled, but he could not escape that terrible power.

"Now, I shall show this world the true meaning of destruction!" Baal's mad laughter echoed throughout the entire asylum. Marius's vision slowly faded into darkness, with only the demon's laughter echoing endlessly in his ears. The price for the irreversible sin he had committed was far too harsh, and nothing remained for him but a miserable death.

Once Marius's breath ceased entirely, Baal turned away, leaving his corpse cold. Having regained his full power, the Lord of Destruction was now ready to advance toward a grander purpose. For the vengeance of his brothers and the complete ruin of Sanctuary, Baal shattered the walls of the asylum and walked out. Wherever his footsteps fell, gray death bloomed.

The End of Tragedy and the Shadow Heading North

As Baal emerged from the asylum, the building was instantly engulfed in flames by the destructive magic he radiated. Marius's miserable corpse and the cell containing his horrific confession burned away without a trace in the hellish fire. Leaving behind the flames that dyed the night sky crimson, Baal took relentless steps toward the dark, desolate wilderness.

Looking up at the northern sky where a cold wind blew, Baal's eyes burned with an uncontrollable desire for destruction. Even knowing that Mephisto and Diablo had fallen at the hands of the hero, he felt no fear whatsoever. Rather, the arrogance and madness that only he could complete the task his two brothers had failed dominated his entire being.

The place Baal's gaze directed was the northernmost part of Sanctuary, Mount Arreat, where rugged mountain ranges wound. There slept the Worldstone, the massive source of power that had created and sustained Sanctuary, hidden from the eyes of Heaven and Hell. Baal's purpose was singular: to find that Worldstone and completely corrupt it with his destructive energy.

If the Worldstone were corrupted, every living creature in Sanctuary would transform into monsters more horrific than the demons of Hell, and a complete Hell where even the forces of Heaven could not intervene would arrive. Baal smiled with satisfaction, imagining that terrible future. He deemed the resistance of the Barbarians guarding Mount Arreat meaningless before his overwhelming power.

Along every path the Lord of Destruction took toward the north, the earth cracked, trees withered, and all traces of life were erased. Responding to Baal's call, legions of Hell emerged one by one from the darkness, beginning to follow in his wake. As an army of bloodthirsty demons assembled, a massive storm of destruction destined to swallow Sanctuary slowly gathered, sweeping toward the north.

Meanwhile, the hero and Archangel Tyrael, having defeated Diablo in the Chaos Sanctuary and finally destroyed the Soulstones of the two Prime Evils, sensed a massive wave of destruction shaking the very heart of Hell, beginning to surge toward the north. It was an ominous omen that the final Prime Evil released from Tal Rasha's Tomb, Baal, the Lord of Destruction, had finally reclaimed his lost essence, recovered his full power, and begun to move. Before they could even savor the joy of victory, Sanctuary was once again facing an unprecedented crisis of ruin.

Standing at the highest point of the Pandemonium Fortress, Tyrael gazed at the northern sky with a grim expression, warning the hero of the new threat. It was a solemn declaration that Baal was heading toward Mount Arreat, the sacred ground of the Barbarians and the heart of Sanctuary, intending to corrupt the Worldstone hidden there. If the Worldstone fell into the hands of the Lord of Destruction, all the sacrifices made so far would be in vain; thus, the hero gripped their blood-stained weapon tightly once more, silently accepting the harsh fate of heading into the freezing cold of the north.

The fight for the true peace of Sanctuary was not yet over. To stop the last remaining Prime Evil, Baal, the Lord of Destruction, the hero had to embark on a new journey toward the freezing, blizzard-swept north. As the ashes of the ruined asylum and the demonic legions marching toward Mount Arreat crossed paths, the final war for the fate of Sanctuary was raising its curtain.

Sources Consulted

Diablo I Official Manual

Official Blizzard Chronicle: The Tragedy of Tristram

Official Quest Data: Diablo II Act I

Official Quest Data: Diablo II Act II

Official Quest Data: Diablo II Act III

Official Quest Data: Diablo II Act IV

Official Quest Data: Diablo II Act V

Official Diablo I Store: GOG

Official Diablo II: Resurrected Store: Battle.net