All the cell doors were opened, the floor was covered with stump flesh, blood smeared the walls of the dungeon, intestines hung on rusty iron bars, severed heads, still with the expression of pain and horror of life, dead eyes as if indicting the cruelty of the orcs.

The air was filled with pungent blood, a black, viscous mass of dirt and blood, and orc footprints were messily stamped on it.

I could see the doors of the cells opening one by one before the orcs retreated, slaughtering the locked hostages one by one, as if I could see the desperate eyes of the hostages who could only sit and wait to be slaughtered.

That's my people!

I closed my eyes in pain, clutching the Holy Book of Light that the paladin carried with me, I hated my own incompetence, if I had great power.

I'm sorry, little Tim, but I can't keep my promise......

Guilt, self-blame, pain, all kinds of emotions came over me for a while, and I could barely breathe, until Uther gently patted me on the shoulder, and I came to my senses.

"Teacher ......"

"Your Royal Highness, it's not your fault, they all believe in the light, they will all ascend to heaven. The Light will give us the power to cleanse us of all evil. ”

Teacher Uther would say something similar every time, and I had always believed it, but this time, I was confused, and the light could really give me enough strength?

……

Having defeated the Blackstone Tribe, we continued our journey north to deal with the plague, which I thought was just a normal plague until we encountered the Scourge for the first time.

It was a small town in the middle of nowhere, and I saw the undead for the first time.

I never thought there would be such a disgusting creature in this world, with green mucus in their mouths, long tongues almost hanging on the ground, scrawny bodies, minced flesh hanging from their yellow paws, and intestines wrapped around their necks.

I can't describe the feeling at that time, I just want to purify the evil in front of me as quickly as possible, its existence is simply a blasphemy against the gods.

Uther had already divided his troops to join Gianna, so I didn't have enough men, so the villagers whose lives were threatened helped us fight, and looking at their grateful faces, my heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment and belonging, yes, they are the people I want to protect.

"God of Light, thank you, Your Highness, for arriving in time, otherwise we would have become food for the ghouls." The kind village chief said respectfully, perhaps because he was overly frightened, the village chief's face turned a little blue.

"That's what I'm supposed to do." Although I was calm on the surface and calm in tone, I was full of joy inside, and looking at his face full of hope for the future, I felt that I had got everything I wanted.

Father, do you see, I will be a good king in the future.

"The kingdom will never abandon any of its people, and I have come here to put a complete end to the plague." I swore to sow love on behalf of the Kingdom, and my heart was filled with pride.

However, the old village chief fell down suddenly, and his rickety body spasmed violently, and I was a little overwhelmed, and hurriedly squatted down, lifted him up, and ordered the guards to summon the priest, I thought, he was probably too old to bear the fatigue of war.

However, at this time, the guards rushed in in a panic, "Your Royal Highness, something is wrong, the villagers have all turned into zombies and ghouls!" And attacking us! ”

I didn't react for a moment, what? How can a villager turn into a zombie?

At this time, I was horrified to find that the old village chief had green hair, his clothes and ** began to rot, his eyes began to be cloudy, and his nails became sharp.

He awoke suddenly, opened his mouth sharply, and let out a hoarse roar, the filthy death breath coming out of his mouth made me want to gag.

I was stunned!

"Prince, be careful!"

I didn't know what was going on at all, I only saw the old village chief's sharp claws grabbing my throat, and I realized that I wanted to dodge, but I was holding him all over, my legs were pressed by him, and I couldn't exert my strength for a while, and I was in no hurry!

At the last moment, the loyal guard Dahl slammed me away, but the sharp claw plunged into his lower abdomen.

"Ah......h

I looked at everything in front of me like a wooden man stupidly, and my whole body felt like falling into an ice cellar.

How could it be, just a moment ago, I was the savior of the villagers, and after a few breaths, the scene turned out to be like this!

"Prince!" The guard was prostrate on the ground, holding his lower abdomen with one hand, and there was blood gushing - no, not blood, the color of the blood had turned black, and even had a slight rancid smell, "Prince, Dahl can no longer protect you, those who are injured by zombies will become their companions, and I won't die like that......"

"No, no, what are you going to do?" I watched as Dahl raised his knight's sword to his neck, his eyes showing sadness, despair, and reluctance.

"Don't! We have pastors! We ...... "I ran frantically, but I couldn't catch his hand."

"Dahl, no! Dahl! I clutched the wound on Dahl's neck in a daze, the warm blood gushing out like a fountain of water, and my hands began to grow scarlet and sticky.

Tears were left drop by drop, but I didn't expect that I, who had always prided myself on being strong, would be so vulnerable in the face of death.

"Prince...... Help me...... Take care of Rosa and me...... My son who just got a full moon. ”

"You're the most ...... I've ever seen The most famous ...... The Good Prince...... You will definitely ...... Become...... The Greatest ...... King. ”

Lordaeron...... Hooray......"

"No—" I cried out in anger, my best friend, the most loyal of guards, Dahl, who had been wounded by me, and who had killed himself in order to stop the spread of the plague.

And his killer is the one I love the most, and I have always guarded, my people!

I was mad, my eyes were bloody, I rushed out of the tent with my sword in hand, only to see that there was killing and blood everywhere outside, my warriors were fighting with my people, their limbs flying all over the place, and my warriors were suffering heavy casualties because there was no one to command.

My heart is bleeding, but the sword I raise is not falling, they are my people!

However, I have in my mind the reluctance in Dahl's eyes before he died, and the nostalgia for life, how sorry he was that he could not see his son grow up with his own eyes.

When I saw a ghoul open a warrior's celestial lid and lick his brain with his long tongue, I went completely insane.

"Kill!"

I raised my knight's sword, hung the Holy Book of Light and rushed into battle, slaughtering my former people in a frenzy, and every slash I slashed at them was also a stab in my heart. My love is shed like blood spilled in such killings.

……

Having slaughtered with my own hands the village I had just saved, I rushed with the weary remnants of my army to Stratholme, the meeting place I had agreed with Uther.

I'm about to meet Gianna, who I've been thinking about for a long time, smiling happily like a teenager in my first love, and even the shadow of the killing a few days ago has faded a lot.

She is the only psychological sustenance I have now, and I have so much to say to her.

However, I received the desperate news that the Dreadlord Melganis had sown the plague on Stratholme's granary, and that the entire city had been infected with the plague and could turn into zombies at any moment!

"Ahh I roared in anger and dug my hands deep into the soil, why am I so incompetent, I can't save my people, I can't save my warriors, I can't save my friends.

I need strength, great power!

I know better than anyone what the consequences will be if the inhabitants of Stratholme are degenerated into the undead.

Hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, and the undead legions led by the Dreadlord, will wipe out Uther's army and Gianna.

But how do I raise the butcher's knife against the people I once guarded?

My heart bleeds as I look at the tired troops behind me, at the dusty faces and bloodshot eyes of the warriors, at their mutilated armor and desire to live.

I think back to the scenes in the small village, and I think back to the regrets and attachments of Dahl before he died.

No, I will never let the warriors who are faithful to me die in vain, and I will never let their newlywed wives and newborn children lose their support.

When I looked up again, I already had the devil in my heart.

The devil who can devour the lives of my enemies and the loving devil in my heart at the same time.

I gave the order to slaughter the city with red eyes, but my good friend Will stopped me, "Prince, if you give this order, you will be spurned by the whole world, even if you do the right thing, people will not forgive you, only that you are a murderous demon, and you will inherit the throne of Lordaeron in the future, and this infamy must not be borne by you." ”

"And what do you say?"

"Return to the royal capital, apply to the king for more troops, and let other generals command the slaughter of the city."

"But by then, the inhabitants of Stratholme had already turned into zombies, how many warriors were we going to lose? Even the plague will spread on a large scale! ”

"Prince...... No! ”

"I've made up my mind, slaughter the city!" I rode into Stratholm on my horse, galloping madly through the streets of Stratholme, the oncoming wind tore at my tears, if someone must be burdened with the infamy of ten thousand years, let me come!

That night, the moat of Stratholme was stained red with blood, and countless limbs were scattered in the streets, and I rode a bloody war horse, with my hair scattered, like a demon of the world.

My heart was bleeding, my face was contorted by the killing, but I had no choice.

I hate myself, I hate my incompetence.

In the middle of the night, I set fire to Stratholme's granary, and the scorching flames reflected the sky of Lordaeron.

I took the knight's sword and knelt on the blood-red ground of Stratholme, I am guilty, I do not ask for forgiveness from the inhabitants of Stratholme, the only way to atone for my sins is to kill Melganis and completely crush the conspiracy of the Scourge Legion.

I swear to heaven that I will avenge you to the death, and I will devote my life to eradicating the evil undead no matter what the cost.

……

The afterglow of the setting sun fell on the ruins of Stratholme, and the self-burning flames indicted me of my heinous sins.

Every night I wake up to nightmares, and countless souls flying in the sky tear at my fragile heart.

I'm going crazy, I crave the understanding of my friends and the support of my lover.

Every horrible night, how I wish Gianna could be by my side, hug me, and listen to me.

However, what I was waiting for was not the comfort and destination of the soul.

"Your murderous heart is too heavy, and you have embarked on a path of no return." The disappointment in Uther's eyes stung me deeply, and he was unwilling to accept my explanation, believing that no matter what, a king could not raise a butcher's knife against his people.

"Gianna, do you think so?" I looked at Gianna with a wistful gaze, the girl who had always understood me and supported me, how much I wished she understood, even if it was just a reluctant nod.

However, she didn't say a word in the end, just turned around and left silently.

The look in her eyes said it all.

I left Uther's barracks like a walking corpse, and fell feebly on the land of Stratholme, until the sun set and the rain poured.

Is the heavens weeping for the heroes, or are the souls weeping for death?

I let the torrential rain baptize my body, and streams of water crawled down my long golden hair like little snakes, and I wished that this torrential rain would wash away the blood from my hands.

The next day, Uther decided to leave, and he parted ways with an army loyal to him, and behind him I could clearly see the figure I had dreamed of.

"Gianna, are you going too?" There was a hint of pleading in my tone.

"I'm sorry......" Gianna turned around, her back stinging me deeply.

At that moment, I was so lonely that I could not care about being a prince, so I caught up with her, grabbed her wrist, and pleaded, "Stay, okay?" ”

Gianna shook her head, her eyes were already full of tears, "Arthas, I remember you said that between me and your people, you love your people more, but if you can treat them like this, then for me, who is not as good as theirs, can you really leave me a place to live?" ”

I was stunned, Gianna's every word was like an arrow in my heart bleeding, and I let the soft wattle in my hand pass away......

At that moment, my heart was dead.

……