When the enemy in front of him collapsed, Dinen took a step back, letting go of his stiff fingers, letting his shield fall to the ground along with him. The decorative protrusions on the shield's surface had been smashed flat, and much of the incredible power that had resulted in this result had been borne by his body.

He slowly moved the arm, allowing the paralyzing muscles to soothe. Dinen used his shield far less often than he did with his sword, and he had adjusted his posture as much as he could to cope with the impact, but there were still gaps that could not be easily bridged. He tried to clench his fist, and his arm immediately responded with a dull pain, and he suspected a crack in his bone and decided to wait a little longer to try again.

He turned to assess the condition of the others. More people were injured, and their bad faces weren't just due to injuries. But at least all of them are alive, and that's good. That's why Dineen picked up the shield. He didn't want anyone to die here. He had led many teams in similar operations, but at the time they were fighting for the Alliance, and those who died in the process were honored. And now these soldiers are here only because he needs a weapon at hand. This reason and the fact that this trip was personal to him, and that it was fundamentally different from the previous ones. If his strength hadn't waned, he would have chosen to do it himself.

But that's only if. And years of military career have taught Dineh not to be reckless, and there is always a limit to what a person can do. He does need help, and he wouldn't be stupid enough to deny it. The problem is that Dineen can't give anything in return, honor or money. So the only thing he could do was to get them back alive as much as he could.

"So, you call them the Faceless." Gianna asked, stepping forward from behind to examine their opponents, "But what are these creatures in nature?" ”

Dinen hated being asked, especially not wanting to explain something that seemed to him to be common sense. However, everyone has their own set of standards for where the scope of common sense lies. He decided to be considerate of this.

"They are servants of the old gods. It is said that before the arrival of the Titans, it was the old gods who ruled the world. The Titans defeated them, but couldn't kill them without harming the world itself, so they sealed the Old Gods in some hidden place—" he snorted, "and to be honest, it's not particularly hidden. In short, they have been trying to find a way to escape the prison built by the Titans, and the guardians left behind by the Titans are responsible for guarding the prison. For now, therefore, they can only send a few minions to operate outside. ”

"Do you encounter them often?"

"Not too much." "I'm not specifically responsible for cleaning up the mess that archaeologists dig up. ”

He stepped over his shoulder and glanced at the dwarves who were wandering the halls. Obviously, the Titan Ruins have a strong attraction to dwarves of all tribes, and even the Hammerhammer Dwarves who love the sky and the surface are not intimidated by the process of diving into the ruins at the bottom of the lake. In the case of Dinein, if he had a little less trust in the construction process of the Titan Ruins, he would not have taken the initiative to let dozens of tons of water and stones weigh on his head.

But at least they didn't reach out and touch anything, they just stared wide-eyed. This reassured Dineen a bit. The challenge they faced was tricky enough for now, and he didn't want to make any more of them.

"Speaking of which, since this is the mausoleum of Tyr the Guardian." Gianna said, looking around with the same curiosity as the dwarves, "And where is he placed?" ”

Dineen shifted his gaze to their feet. The layout of this hall is not complicated, except for the statues in the niches on both sides, except for the central square platform with a staircase, the four corners of which are guarded by the same golden balls as the front door. As they rushed in, the orbs were being overrun by the tentacles of the Void with fangs and claws. After they were cleared, the particularly tall faceless man swooped down from the top of the tomb and landed on the platform. Naturally, Dineen immediately rushed up the stairs and drew its attention to himself until it was defeated.

Noticing his gaze, Gianna was shocked, as if she was stepping on a burnt iron plate. Before she could flee in a hurry, Dineen declared, "I don't know. ”

His remedies had no effect. Gianna trotted down the stairs at a rapid pace, then stood below and looked at him condemningly. Dinen sighed, picked up his shield, and walked off the platform in accommodation.

"I've been to many places, but I've never seen a race bury the dead at the bottom of the steps." He said.

"—what steps?"

Thanks to everything but the Light, Arthas walked over just in time before Gianna could glare at him.

"We're talking about what the hell this platform is for." Dinen replied, "I noticed that you were tending to the wounded, how are you doing?" ”

"So far, we haven't lost anyone." "But there are three people who need to recuperate, just in case I let them go back to land—Gianna, can you cast another spell on them?" ”

"Of course." Gianna said, turning away from them.

Arthas looked at her with a soft look in his eyes, then turned to Dinen and whispered, "And I noticed that something was wrong with everyone's emotions. ”

"Are they afraid?" Dineen asked, looking thoughtfully above the platform.

"Yes, they were scared, but they were also angry, as if they had been pushed into a corner and had to fight to the death. When I asked the three men to return to shore, they looked frustrated and restless, not wanting to withdraw from the fight. These people do not desire glory, but simply the destruction of the enemy. Arthas looked into his hands, "And I think I can understand them." ”

"Me too." Dinen said.

"I don't understand. These Faceless Ones are disgusting, intimidating, but that kind of anger ...... It's almost hateful. Why do we hate a creature we just met and didn't know much about it? ”

Dineen never thought about it. In his opinion, all enemies who want to hinder the alliance should be hated, the difference is only in the degree of degree. But if Alsace needs it, he is not without explanations to give.

"I once heard a theory that blamed our genetic instincts. While you and I have never heard of the existence of these creatures before, our ancestors, as a kind of Titanic creation, were tasked with destroying the servants of the Old Gods. This sense of mission and the long and arduous battle have left an indelible memory in our blood. Just like the fear of darkness, insects, snakes, and spiders, it has become an innate survival instinct. ”

He skipped the part about the Viku and the Flesh Curse, which was too long to talk about by the fire, not in between battles, and it didn't hurt to make it up later.

However, it is also believed that this is due to the fact that these creatures are able to influence our spirits and arouse negative emotions. As you said, when a person has no way out, he is able to overcome his fear and fight for his life more ferociously. ”

"I guess the Faceless didn't expect this to happen at first."

Dinen nodded in agreement, then said, "But this courage is short-lived, and there is a possibility that you will succumb to fear again at any time." The best thing to do is to eliminate them as quickly as possible and stop them from using that dangerous trick once and for all. ”

"Stop them from continuing to defile the Guardian's mausoleum." Alsace said. But he remained where he was, instead of immediately going to gather the soldiers.

"Any questions?" Dineen said nonchalantly, moving his arm at the same time. This time it didn't hurt so much, and it was enough to cope with the next battle.

Arthas hesitated before opening his mouth, as if he had doubts about what he was going to say next.

"In the fight against that Faceless One...... "I see your eyes glowing. ”

Dineh's movements paused, and then slowly lowered his hand. He stared at the ground, but his gaze wasn't really focused on any point. After a few seconds of silence, he calmly stated, "The eyes of a living person do not shine. ”

This is a self-evident fact. And Arthas has seen him wounded, bleeding and healed. The paladin pondered for a moment, and finally said, "Maybe I'm wrong." ”

Dineen neither echoed nor denied it. He just asked, "Can we go?" ”

So they went deeper. On the other side of the hall, a deep space is revealed under a broken circular floor. Traces of artificiality are reduced to a minimum here, and only a few steps hastily carved out to offset the steep slope. The tunnel is still tall and wide, but the bare rock walls are uneven and show no signs of repair, just to open a way out. Water dripped overhead, sometimes in bundles, and accumulated on the ground as a pool of water that reached the calf, making it muddy.

They encountered two more Facelesss. The first one is extra tough, and the second uses illusions. The battle with them was long and hard. The five people had splitting headaches, were in a trance, and saw different visions; There were also two big spitts, barely able to stand up. Dinen ordered the men to return to the camp and assigned those who were wounded but conscious to assist. As a result, even if the dwarves who volunteered were included, the number of people in the team had been reduced by nearly half.

The atmosphere grew tense, and Dinen could sense the others wavering. He didn't blame them, even he himself doubted whether they would be able to reach the end before they ran out of strength, and if they would be able to complete the final battle.

Thankfully, they didn't encounter any more enemies. For a short time, the silent tunnel was filled with only the sound of water and footsteps. After turning a corner, another voice mixed in. It is like the wind surging through the long-abandoned mine in the mountains, and it is like the sea beast in the abyss whispering in a dream. As they moved forward, it gradually overshadowed the other sounds, louder, harsher, more unsettling, and rushed at them as if it were substance.

Dineen walked in the front, feeling many eyes fall on his back from time to time. He didn't look back, but continued to walk forward calmly, firmly, and with a consistent pace, like the tip of a spear breaking through the invisible resistance in front of him. The others followed him, and the originally chaotic footsteps gradually became uniform. The rubble on the ground shook as a result, and whatever lay ahead must have heard them. However, Dinen didn't care.

Finally, the tunnel came to an end, and their front suddenly opened up. Judging from the remaining traces, it was originally a large hall, but it was now in a state of ruins, with deformed walls, collapsed columns, and cracked floors. The giant blue translucent chain hanging out of thin air also broke apart. Surrounded by them, in a waterhole in the middle of the hall, Dineen saw his opponent.

The monster lay there, like a mountain of thorns, carapaces, and muscles, and it was impossible to tell the head from the tail. It was from there that the low, sinister sound of the wind came. Even if it didn't move, it was still enough to fill the space with fear and despair. Someone gasped behind him and nearly dropped a torch on the ground. Farrick burst out with a curse, and then quickly stopped abruptly, for fear of waking up the behemoth.

Dinen surveyed his surroundings, then turned to the side and said to Arthas, "I'll just go over myself." ”

He gestured to the ground in front of him. There was a long chasm between them and the enemy. Half of a collapsed stone pillar spans it, providing the only bridge.

"That monster could wake up at any moment." Arthas whispered, "Especially after you pull out the Stumka." ”

"Without that sword, none of us combined could beat it." Dinen replied, "But if I get the Exterminator, maybe I can handle this on my own." ”

"No, Dineh, listen to me. Domka is a good sword, perhaps one of the best, but that doesn't mean it directly gives the user great power. Arthas said incredulously, "You can't suddenly become Superman just because you got that sword, we'll have to find something else to do with it." ”

Despite the anachronism, Dineen was amused. He chuckled softly, in exchange for an annoyed look from his friend.

"I don't need a sword to give me strength." He said. An artifact in a child's hand won't be of much use either. "On the contrary, its power will be given by me."

He stepped forward, walked over the bridge over the rift and the torn ground, and rounded the edge of the waterhole, and found the head of the monster, which alone was as tall as him. In the middle of the cascading chitin carapace, he found the tiny Stoneka, a mortal-made weapon that had bitten deep into the skulls of the servants of the Old Gods, making it impossible to see the whole picture.

—Dineen grabbed the hilt of his sword and pulled it out.