When the ice melted, the Grand Admiral Abidis sailed out of the harbor with a large Scarlet Crusader fleet, and in order to show their confidence in the decisive battle against the Lich King, Abidis renamed the Scarlet Expeditionary Force, which can be said to be a complete distancing from the Scarlet Crusaders in the Plaguelands.

With this departure, there were less than 20,000 Scarlet Crusaders on the continent of Lordaeron, all of whom gathered at the Hand of Tyr and New Avalon. After the division of the Scarlet Monastery, the destruction of Stratholme, and the expedition of Abydis to Northrend, the remaining Scarlet Crusaders on the Lordaeron continent are less than one-third of the original.

"As soon as Abydis is gone, the Scarlet Crusade is completely hopeless."

Standing on the sea cliff, facing the steep sea breeze in early spring, Gianna sighed sadly. Although she is not a remnant of Lordaeron, as a member of the Human Alliance, Gianna is deeply saddened by what is happening on the continent of Lordaeron. It is true that the Scarlet Crusaders were once a fanatical and bloodthirsty army, but now, the Scourge is preparing to launch a siege against it. If it weren't for the Scarlet Crusaders against the undead, the continent of Lordaeron would be even more miserable. While the Silver Dawn and the Ash Inquisitors will carry the banner, their numbers are too small.

"Honey, I have an idea."

Looking at Gianna's sad eyes, Ares said thoughtfully.

"Say it."

"I have a reluctant request, and this is something that you need to do."

"You mean Kurtiras's fleet, right?"

Gianna turned her head and said. The sea breeze whipped her hair, and her blue eyes shone with wisdom.

What a smart girl...... Ares couldn't help but sigh a little...... It's no wonder that in the original historical trajectory, Gianna would grow up to be the leader of a human force......

"Well, we've all seen the situation now, even if all the humans of Lordaeron unite, they can't stop the Scourge Legion, the Storm Kingdom is in turmoil, and the only one who can support is Kurtilas, your father, the Admiral."

"Well, I've written to my father a week in advance. Ever since Abidis decided to go to Northrend, I thought there would be such a day. ”

Looking at Ares, Gianna said lightly. Ares knows that he and Gianna are not only lovers, but also allies. Both of them can almost represent one faction, the influence of the daughter of Prodmore cannot be underestimated, and the cohesion of the Ember Messenger cannot be ignored. For a moment, Ares almost had a narcissistic feeling, and after Abidis left, the fate of the entire Lordaeron could be said to be in the hands of the two of them......

……

A few days later, a series of events began to spread through the Scarlet Crusader camp.

The missing soldier was finally found, but his body was badly decomposed. Ethan Lion invites Ares and Tirio to investigate the bizarre events, and upon arriving at the scene, everyone is shocked by what they see. The corpses of the four blood-colored soldiers were swollen, their bodies were rotting, emitting a foul smell, and a blood-colored veteran used his long sword to cut a small hole in the skin of the corpse, and countless maggots immediately crawled out of the rotting corpse...... Obviously, the whole corpse was gnawed by these disgusting bugs, and in front of them was nothing more than their skin.

Gianna covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief soaked in the liquid of tranquilizing flowers, still feeling sick.

"They have no wounds on them, it must have been a dark spell that caused their death."

After carefully observing the condition of the corpses, Ethan Lien gave his own explanation.

"Necromancer?"

Ogilis asked.

"Possibly. The arrival of Naxxramas, and the floating fortress on the east coast, you have seen it. Many terrible things come from down there. The mysterious disappearance of these soldiers must have something to do with the evil fortress. ”

Ethan Leon said with an anxious face. Ares was surprised to find that since the death of the demon Banazal, the Scarlet High Priest seemed to have returned to his former sanity and pure faith. Like a true priest, he threw himself into the difficult cause of saving the Scarlet Crusaders. The attitude towards civilians is also much milder than before. `

"It's not a necromancer, a necromancer doesn't have the ability to move so quickly, silently capturing the blood-colored patrols, and then quickly corroding their bodies, and in less than a few days, the corpses decompose to this point. If it's really a necromancer, it's easy for us to spot them. Necromancers are usually protected by undead armies when they are dispatched, but we obviously don't see it now, and the Scourge Legion's attack is still in the works. My verdict is - a high-ranking death knight. ”

Just as everyone present was worried about Ethan Lien's claim, Ares offered his own judgment. And this judgment is even more frightening.

Knights of the Black Blade...... Ares was almost certain that the fortress that had appeared over the Scarlet Crusader stronghold in the last two months was the Knights of the Black Blade. Originally, the Dark Fortress would appear in the skies over the Eastern Plaguelands four years later, led by the Lich King himself, to attack the Chapel of Light's Wish. And now, everything has changed. It appeared in advance......

During the Lich King's slumber, Kergassud undoubtedly became the de facto leader of the Scourge Legion.

"You mean that the Dark Fortress that appears over New Avalon is the flagship of the Death Knights?"

Ethan Lion turned his head and asked solemnly.

"Well, only the Death Knight has the ability to act stealthily under our noses."

"And it's not an ordinary death knight, it's a black knight with powerful dark energy."

Ares continued.

An atmosphere of despair began to spread among all the Scarlet Crusaders.

As the Archbishop once said, the Scarlet Crusaders were fighting a war that was destined to be won.

"I asked the soldiers to step up their patrols, and all civilians were not allowed to go out alone. Damn, I'm worried that these death knights are not simply killing soldiers and civilians, but doing some new experiment. Plague prefers to use the plague as a means of direct attack. It wants us all to be infected with the plague and then attack in full force, so that they can easily command the infected into battle against us. ”

Ethan Lien's expression was serious, his eyebrows almost squeezed together. Gnash one's teeth.

Ares took a deep breath, and one thing after another, and everyone could barely rest. And when will the giant sword in his hand be purified? Bringing hope and blessings to all the remnants of Lordaeron? In the early spring, it was like a cold winter, and everything was shrouded in despair and fear.