Chapter 14: Stratholme (End)
Arthas was anxious at the back door, and he walked back and forth with the power of Minethir, because it had been 1 hour since Edlan had entered Stratholme, and there were only a few survivors who managed to escape through the back door!
Adline did what he promised not to spare a single infected person, and those who were able to get here were civilians who had been cured by the Holy Light and no longer had the plague in their bodies, but the fewer people were rescued, the more Arthas knew what Adelan was doing inside......
They are "slaughtering" in their place, in order not to stain their hands with the blood of their people...... It is ironic that his subordinates, his friends, and his lover should bear such pain, while he can continue to inherit the throne with an innocent identity! Such a sacrifice is not what Arthas wants to see!
"Baron Tairossos, we should go in and help them. After the ninety-eighth round trip, Arthas could not resist saying a word to the silent baron.
"Your Royal Highness, I have been ordered to protect you here, and I regret that I cannot agree with your decision. Maxwell Taylorsus was like a stinking stone that could not be salted in oil, and did not give Alsace any face.
"But they ...... They're suffering!" Arthas struggled to control his tone, and he didn't want to cause any more unpleasantness at this time.
"No, Your Royal Highness, we are all suffering from pain, this disaster will affect the whole of Lordaeron, this is not something that can be solved in a short time, I think that you, who will become a king in the future, should now think about how to lead the people to survive this disaster and how to build the country better in the future, instead of thinking about how to deal with those monsters now, that is what we soldiers should do. Tairosos said calmly, he was clever enough to know what Edlan meant, that a king has the duty of a king, and this is by no means a matter of ignoring the future of the country, and fighting to the death with the enemy on the battlefield.
This is courageous and admirable, and it can greatly boost the morale and loyalty of the soldiers, but it is also fraught with danger, because Arthas is the only male of the royal family of Minethir, and if something happens to him, Lordaeron's legitimate succession to the throne is very dangerous, and it is foolish to let a prince rush to the front until the inheritance of the country is secured.
So as a courtier, while speaking out, Tairosos was also teaching the young prince, after all, if any battle requires the kingdom or the prince to charge, then why do those generals? Edlan did a good job, the courtier has the responsibility of a courtier, and the monarch has the responsibility of a monarch, these cannot be confused.
But the young prince in front of him has never understood this truth, even if Edlan and the elders around him have repeatedly emphasized it several times, he still wants to go into battle by himself, and he has no consciousness as a crown prince at all. After all, if something happens to Arthas, he is not like a baron like Edlan, forget it if something happens, there are still many people in the kingdom who can replace him, but if something happens to Arthas, it will be different, it will shake the entire country of Lordaeron!
You can see which is more important than the other, so she keeps explaining to Arthas, trying to get him to give up such nonsense.
"You're right, paladin. β
"Who?"
An abrupt sound came from the air, which made the paladins such as Tairosus, who had always been vigilant, draw their weapons one after another!
Arthas reached out to stop Tyrosus and tried to rush up with a hammer, only to drop the "wizard" who landed on the ground and was transforming from a crow into a human.
"I have seen you, the one who claims to be a prophet. You have been banished by my father when you spread eschatology in the royal court!What is the reason for you to stand before me again?" Arthas watched warily at the "prophet" wrapped in a tan cloak and holding a staff of crow's head.
"No, I've abandoned my human identity for a long time......," the prophet's voice was magnetic, "I think you've noticed, the city is hopeless, and the whole north will fall after the tide of darkness comes. If you really want to save your people, take them to Kalimdor, where you will be saved. β
"You let me escape? My country is here, my people are here! All I have to do is help them defend themselves against foreign enemies!" Alsace roared loudly.
But the Prophet was unmoved, but looked at the agitated prince coldly, and said, "I think you who have dealt with this plague already know, and the more you try to 'save' your people, the more you will hasten them into the hands of the demons...... If you're not willing to really face the demons in Kalimdor, then I'm going to find someone who can solve them. β
With that, under the watchful eyes of the paladins, the self-proclaimed prophet once again turned into a crow and flew high towards the city of Stratholme......
"Woo-huh-huh-boring trick, Tyrossos, send someone to Uther to see how he's doing. β
"Yes, Your Highness. But...... Your Highness, I felt a tremendous amount of power in the body of that man just now, and I think he should know something. β
"Do you believe the nonsense of those strange spellcasters? Tyrosos, he wants us to abandon our country, abandon the vast majority of our people, and flee to another continent with our tails between our legs!"
"No, Your Highness, I just want you to hear a little more different opinions. "Tairosus finished his words in his heart, how to listen to more different opinions to make his own decisions is also the quality of a king and a leader, not as rash as you.
As the minutes ticked by, twenty minutes had passed since the paladin who had been sent to ask for news, and he had not yet returned, which was undoubtedly a constant challenge to the patience that Alsace had few.
"That's enough! I can't wait, I now order you as the future king, come with me into Stratholme, and I'm going to kill that damned demon with my own hands!
"No, Your Highness, you can't ......"
Arthas looked coldly at the baron, who had some good feelings before, but now he remembered what he had come to Stratholme for, he was not willing to sit in a safe place by himself, watching his courtiers shoulder the responsibility that originally belonged to him, "If you don't go, then I'll go by myself!"
With that, Arthas rushed headlong into Stratholme's back door, despite the paladins around him......
......
On the other side, Adlane and his party.
Tirio worriedly put his hand on Edlan's shoulder, and the cold Major Plate suit gave him only a chill, and he shook the latter's shoulder lightly, and said, "Alas, kid, it's not your fault, you know. β
"Baron Anaheim, your spirit is a little restless, and you give me the feeling now...... Just like Arthas before, you need to calm down, if even you become impulsive, who else can influence Arthas's decision?" Gianna hesitated for a long time, and she also observed for a long time, unless Arthas was sent back to the palace and handed over to King Terenus. Otherwise, at least at this stage, it is estimated that the only person who can completely affect Alsace is his good friend of the same age.
"Frankly, you look ugly now, I think you should go back to the territory and rest for a few days, and your childhood friend priest girl will probably be happy to see you go back. If you continue like this, when my father sees you, he will definitely blame me, the retinue, for not taking care of you......" Although Vanessa said something strange, and said a lot in one breath, everyone could hear that it was to comfort Edlan.
It's true that Adlan is a time-traveler, but after living in this world for 10 years, his memories of the past are a little blurry, and many times he feels like a native of Azeroth. In the face of such an inhumane catastrophe and the torture of human conscience, he didn't know if his so-called title of time-traveler could help him, he only knew that he was now seeing innocent people die in front of him, and he had to personally deal with these people who were about to turn into monsters through his hands, which was a kind of torture for him, or for all the humans with conscience present.
Because it can't be saved, because letting them out will cause more harm, because they're about to turn into monsters...... There are countless reasons to convince yourself and others, but no one is in a better mood because of it. This is probably why the Scarlet Crusade will become so radical in the near future, crazy killing of the undead, crazy xenophobia, crazy chasing power......
Isn't the root cause of this the hatred brought about by this catastrophe?Stratholme's powerlessness, the collapse of faith due to the fall of Lordaeron, and the death of Uther directly contributed to the division of the Silver Hand, and then what are they left with the power of the Light that they are proud of in the face of the forces of darkness, and they can only support themselves?
Nature is revenge and revenge...... It goes without saying how much madness this will produce......
"Enough of the taste under the fence, right?"
"Enough of the taste of powerlessness, right?"
"Enough of the discouragement, right?"
"Come, in Northrend, there is the power you need to gain power, wealth, honor, land, women...... Everything you want to have in this world, you can get it, and you can ......"
While Tirio and the others were not only comforting Edlan, the chatter whispers that appeared in his mind seemed to be spoken by a vague figure in the light of the divine light, and they were full of strange sacredness and enough temptation.
It's like a thirsty traveler in the desert, an oasis a few meters away, and as long as you stretch out your hand, you can reach the spring of life, and thus get a new life from head to toe, it's as simple as that, but it's also as unreal as an illusion.
If Adran wasn't a traverser, if he didn't know that the Light was just a pure force in this vast universe, if he didn't know what was in Northendri, I'm afraid he would naturally use his last bit of strength towards that "oasis", and drink the sweet spring water of that "oasis" desperately in order to survive......
I see, these things are probably the so-called "revelations of the Light" that echoed in Bridget's mind back then, right?
I almost fell victim to the Dread Demon King's path!
However, this whisper reminded him that the Light is only an energy, and whether it can be used to do evil or do good is not something that the Light can represent, and the key is still up to the user.
The Light is anything but a symbol of righteousness, it is just a power, so lend me it, Zela, Mother of Light!
Edlan silently recited the name of a Naru creature in his mind, and he knew that this Zela would simply recognize only those she approved of, and would send blessings and blessing powers, such as the child of light and darkness, Illidan Fury, who was misunderstood by players in his previous life.
I don't know how long it took, but in Edlan's mind, a new, spring-like voice replaced the chattering whispers just now, "Interesting mortal, you know that I exist, and get in touch with me across countless seas of stars. β
"Yes, I know that the Light is nothing but a power, and that there is a price to be paid for receiving the gift of the Light, and that if one day, the Light feels that the user is no longer qualified, or that it is hindering the progress of the 'established destiny', it will abandon him, right?"
Edlan was right, when the Legion returned, Tirio led the vanguard into Broken Beach to stop the massive invasion of the Burning Legion, but it was a dastardly trap, and when Tirio was trapped by a powerful demon, he tried to use the energy of the Light to protect himself, but the Light did not respond to him. To put it simply, Tirio's savior-like existence blocked the path of Zela's re-emergence of Illidan, and one world does not need two saviors, so the Light did not respond to Tirio, causing him to be unable to turn on "Invincible", and as a result, this legendary hero who was born and died for Azeroth finally fell......
But Edlan knew it was a pit, so why did he jump into it?
According to a book-eating chronicle, light and darkness are opposed to each other and can be converted into each other, and the mission of holy light creatures like Zela is to fight against darkness, against the Burning Legion, against the Lord of the Void, and so on. The opposite of light is Shadow, the opposite of the divine is Shadow (Void), and the opposite of Naru happens to be the Old Gods.
It has to be said that the existence of these opposites is constantly watching the strongest and ungrown titan in this universe, Azeroth, so countless greedy and delusional forces want to degrade this titan, sink him, and take him for themselves before he grows up.
Then as the divine representative of the opposite of the shadow, the creatures of the Holy Light will naturally become the vanguard of the fight against these darkness, they are not alone, they are looking for all kinds of suitable and believing races in the Holy Light in the universe, to bless and help, and the Delaney is the chosen people of the Holy Light, the race favored by the Holy Light the most.
The natives of Azeroth, as long as they believe in the Light, can also receive the gifts of the Light creatures, which is probably the origin of the Light belief in Azeroth. But more people deify the Light, causing it to rise to a very high spiritual level, which is a bit too much.
Edlan knew that the Light was a power, and like the myriad powers of this universe, it was also a necessary effort made by the Light creatures represented by Naru to find allies or cultivate power, just like a mercenary relationship. As long as this is clarified, it can be understood that the Holy Light is only paying the salary of joining the Naru forces as a junior brother.
It's all something you want to do, so there's no need to rise to the level of spiritual belief at all.
"Your thoughts are interesting, mortal. Your self-knowledge and confession reassure me that as long as you are willing to continue to devote yourself to the cause of light, and promise not to stand in the way of your destiny, then I promise you that you will get the strength you deserve. Zela's emotionless voice continued, and it felt like eating, drinking, and sleeping.
Of course, Adran knew that creatures like Naru were emotionless, and that they would only choose whatever was good for them against the Shadows, and that the lives of their electors and allies were out of their minds. The simple way is "you still have use value, I will continue to help you, if not, then just let it be." β
Without hesitation, Adlane replied in his mind, "Yes, I'm willing to devote myself to this cause against the Shadows. β
"Then as you wish......"
Tirio was the first to notice that something was wrong with Edlan's body, his hand clearly felt that the holy energy in the other party's body was constantly extracting and accumulating, wrapping Adelan, which made Tirio take a few steps back in confusion, he didn't feel that these holy energies were because of the disorder or for some other reason, but more like "condensation"?
So he didn't want to interfere with Edlan's meditation that was so wonderful that it made him, an old paladin, feel strange. What exactly is this, Tirio is not sure, because the paladin's development of the power of the Holy Light is still too little, so he thinks this is what kind of spell Edlan is preparing?
Edlan slowly stood up, the condensation of the visible holy energy around his body, which made him look more sacred, he opened his eyes, the physical holy energy overflowed from his eye sockets, dyeing the light blue enchanted "glasses" on the original Major's wing helmet with the representative gold of the holy light.
Soon, the golden light enveloped Edlan's entire body, and a pair of golden wings condensed from the holy light spread out behind him.
Vengeful Fury, the Holy Light Energy is infused all over the body, and at this moment the Paladin can increase his full ability by three percent, and if the strength level is low, he can even cross the strength level during this time!
At this moment, Tirio felt a sense of oppression that only his old buddy Uther and the others felt, and the young man in front of him had relied on some kind of holy light spell to reach such heights?
What is he going to do?
The bat, which was not far away trying to escape from here, answered Tirio's question, which made him instantly understand that the evil demon had been watching his group since the beginning.
"Repent of your sins, Devil!"
But Tirio had only just woken up when he saw Edlan jump on the spot like a cannonball, and the wings behind him seemed to give him the ability to fly, and quickly approached the little bat that had already flown high!
Repent, Resisted, It's Okay, Seal of Justice, Light Judgment, Sword of Justice, Templar Verdict!
To outsiders, Edlan was like a ball of light, slamming into the hapless little bat, but only he knew how much damage his combo had just done!
Unable to maintain his disguise, Malganis was torn off by the scorching Holy Energy in the air to reveal his true body, and then directly smashed into the ground by Edlan's sudden explosion, and the huge figure fell with a bang, causing a huge depression and countless cracks and cracks around the ground here!
Edlan was suspended high in the air like a blazing sun, "Demon, your time of death has come!" The light became more and more intense, it was the incomparably pure holy energy that Edlan's golden holy energy burst out, and he smashed it down in the direction of the Dreadlord falling like a meteor that fell violently, "Get out, back, void, empty-"
"Boom ββββ"
The earth trembled, and Stratholme, who was already in smoke, was like a crumbling leaf, and the huge shockwave and the spread of violent holy energy directly purified at least all the undead within a hundred meters radius of Edlan.
All those who witnessed all this were amazed and wondered, had that evil avatar been killed?
"Quack...... Quack, cough cough...... Quack Quack ...... What a pity, just a little bit, paladin. Oh, look who this is, the young prince is one step too late...... "The Dreadlord who completely disappeared at Edlan's feet no longer knows where to flee at this moment, which makes everyone very frustrated, but the Dreadlord's wild laughter continues, "Hahaha, your efforts are in vain, this city belongs to me, wait, when I return from Northrend, your country, your faith will be replaced by death~ I really want to see what your expressions will be when the time comes~"
"Hmph, hahaha......" The insolent laughter grew smaller and smaller as the Dreadlord fled from nowhere.
Arthas, who had arrived behind, saw this, and he was very frustrated and furious, and he roared at the empty sky filled with green poisonous mist: "Wait, demon! whatever you run to the ends of the earth, my sanctions will be your burial placeββ!!
As soon as Adelane heard it, it was over, and the result "history" had not changed, but he seemed to be hollowed out due to the first time he extracted the holy energy so violently, so in the next second, the golden light dissipated, even if he was extremely reluctant, the weak Adelan's eyes darkened and he fainted......