Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 133:32. If Old Velen knew you were raising his son as a shadow priest, he would definitely break your legs! [515]

(Additional update for brother “Huo Zheng Ting Hao” [5/15])
"Saint, Eredarth."

When Diak'im walked out of the magnificent hall that the Claw King had specially arranged for them to rest, Maraad and Yrel immediately rushed over, wanting to ask if their brother was alright. The Sentinel glanced at the young man who was sleeping behind him and nodded.

"He's fine, at least he's still alive. The burns he suffered were terrible, but not incurable. However, the raven-man's brutal execution and the holy light of Eredas themselves have undergone some kind of wonderful fusion and transformation.

Perhaps it was because the child kept calling for the protection of Holy Light while being tortured, which led to miraculous things happening during the long energy conflict.

I can't tell yet whether this fusion is harmful, but the Holy Light still protects him.

But"

Dick paused and whispered to the two garrison officers in front of him, who were concentrating:
"His body was burned too fragile by the sun's fire. It has damaged his torso, leaving him with nearly incurable injuries. His life will not be affected, but after my examination just now, I came to a pessimistic conclusion.

Eredars can no longer continue to walk the path of the Vindicator. His atrophied muscles and damaged bones can no longer support him to wield a weapon in close combat.

"Thank you Holy Light."

Maraad breathed a sigh of relief. He drew a triangular holy symbol on his chest and said:

"As long as he's fine, it doesn't matter if he can't become a garrison commander. It's just a job. The Eredas can still live well without it."

"Yeah yeah."

Yrel nodded frantically and said:
"Eridas doesn't have to go to the front lines, so the Great Prophet doesn't need to worry about him. Although he is willing to sacrifice for the people, he is the only son of the Grand Archon after all. If something really happens to him, it will be difficult for us to explain.

You also said that the cunning enemy is likely to use the Eredas as a weapon to harm Lord Velen, so let him stay in the rear without any worries.

Leave the fighting to us."

"That's true, but his ideals... well, forget it. You guys should go and keep him company for a while. Once the excess energy in his body is released, he'll wake up."

Diakum patted the recruits on the shoulders and then turned and left.

As he walked out of the gilded corridor of the Sun Temple, Diakum felt the movement of shadows and turned around, just in time to see Garona tiptoeing out of the shadows.

"What's wrong? It seems like you've done something wrong."

Dick was amused by her "cowardly" appearance. He stretched out his hand to call Garona over and said jokingly:
"As the assassin who killed the mad Sun Sage and saved the entire Sky-reaching Peak, you have become a true hero of the Crow People. They may even build a statue for you in the Temple of the Sun, which is a rare honor.

When you risked being burned to ashes by stabbing me with that knife, you had already become our pride. Why do you still show such disappointment? "

"I should have dragged that idiot away, even if I had to knock him out with a club."

Garona pushed her assassin mask and sighed in self-blame:
"Mother and that idiot were always fighting and quarreling, looking like a pair of bickering lovers. But I grew up beside her, and I know that my mother accepted Eredas's love. She was just obsessed with fulfilling her father's oath and had no time to pay attention to her own life.

But now that Eredas has become such a horrible state, how can I explain this to my mother?

I also can't accept that my mother would end up spending the rest of her life with a disabled draenei. That would be too cruel for her."

"Well, your worry is really unnecessary."

Diakum shook his head and said:
"If you have read the tomes stored in the library that record the stories of the ancient Eredar, you should know that for immortals like us, long-term spiritual companionship is far more important than a ceremonial wedding.

Although it may sound self-congratulatory, we Eredar do know how to appreciate the beauty of the soul.

There is no doubt that the courage, enthusiasm and loyalty shown by Eredas in the events of Skyreach have adorned his soul with the most beautiful veil. My daughter and your mother will not abandon him just because of his changed appearance.

What's more, he only looked so strange because his hair, eyebrows and beard were burned off by the sun's fire.

It's not a permanent injury, it's just a matter of time before he returns to his original appearance."

The Sentinel patted Garona on the shoulder and said:

"Don't think too much, go see him."

"Ow."

Garona was still very well-behaved in front of Diakam, perhaps because she was one of the few people who had actually seen the Sentinel's "two-faced form" and she knew that this saint of light had a very complicated true side.

He also hid in the darkness, and he went further than himself.

This alone gives Garona and Diakum some precious "commonalities".

"I just saw the Ravenclaw priests, under the orders of the Claw King, collecting the sacred remains of Rukhmar that you purified. But they are your spoils of war!"

Garona whispered:

"The local crows are so rude! They took it in without your permission. Perhaps you should go and get your share back.

It’s not that I’m stingy.

The main reason is that there are only so many demigods in Draenor!
Rukhmar's Sun Flame is so similar to the Holy Light Flame, it's perfect for your fighting style. Such a rare sacred object should be used wisely, even if it can be of some use in future battles. What do you think?"

"That's someone else's god! Although I was able to purify Rukhma's body with Anzu's permission, this is already a very dangerous act. I'm practically treading on the edge of a minefield for the Crowmen, especially the Yangyan Crowmen."

Dick shook his head seriously and said:

"We must maintain control in matters like this. We must not sacrifice the long-term interests for the sake of short-term gains. I'm not short of legendary materials, but the Crowmen are of great significance to the Alliance of K'ure."

"You are not lacking, but others are coughing."

Garona was too embarrassed to continue hinting.

She always felt that her "saint grandfather" knew exactly what she was hinting at, but this guy was just pretending to be stupid and using moral principles to pressure her, as if she was the bad guy who coveted the remains of the gods.

Garona snorted and retreated into the shadows, leaving Diakum with a subtle smile.

How could he not know what this cunning half-orc assassin was trying to instigate him to do?

But Dick wasn't kidding. He told Ansu that killing his wife to prove his faith was already inhumane. He then tried to get some of Rukhmar's sun remains from Ansu to make weapons and armor, so he could wear his deceased wife in battle.
Do you believe that Old Ansu would risk his life to fight the Dog Saint in an extreme one-on-one exchange?

Never make such excessive requests to a bootlicker, as that is completely challenging their bottom line.

Besides, loot?
Who says that after Diakum personally purified the mindless false sun god, he didn't get the reward he deserved?

The saint walked out of the magnificent Crowman-style hall. He wanted to find the King of Claws to discuss the next steps. However, when he walked to a deserted place, Diakum looked around, raised his left gauntlet, and called for the holy light to gather in his palm.

It was still his unique white flame.

But as Dick slowly adjusted, the flame quickly changed color and transformed into a unique form very similar to the solar flame clad in Rukhmar. He thought of the legendary talent he had obtained after killing Rukhmar last night, and looked at the talent description of that thing again. He sighed helplessly and said:

"Alas, I'm going further and further down the path of being a 'light pollution warrior'."

But to be honest, the effect of this legendary talent is indeed quite overbearing. The blessing from the sun god almost completely strengthens Diakum's Sun Pioneer career system. It can even be said that it has improved the already powerful AOE ability of this system to an exaggerated level.

Just the random attacks of the enhanced Holy Storm with no cooldown and no consumption are enough to make Diakum fearless when facing group battles.

But the extra hint that made people not want to look at it a second time and was full of some dark and obscene meaning made the alerter frown slightly.

He knew that the guy hiding behind him and posting the barrage of comments would not do it without a purpose. Considering that he had purified the false sun god and had almost no in-depth interaction with Rukma from beginning to end, he ended the false god's life in a completely fighting posture.

The person opposite is an irrational beast!
It is impossible and will not give the power of the sun that it controls to its enemies. Beasts have no sense of honor, so the origin of this "Blessing of Rukhmar's Holy Sun" is very suspicious.

Could it be that old Ansu’s beautiful wife is still watching everything that happens in the Alanka Peaks in a special form?

Could this blessing be Rukhma's true reward to Diakam for purifying the beast's mind that had taken over his body?

Well, if that's the case.
Diakum raised his eyebrows, and the worry in his heart dissipated at this moment.

I definitely didn't deceive Old Ansu.

He was very confident about the connection between the Wild Demigods and the Ardenweald in the Realm of Death. It was a stage in the life of the Demigods in the Realm of Life, and all the living Demigods in the entire physical universe would go there after death.

This is the common law of the Force of Life and the Force of Death.

Rukhma, Anzu, and Sete are all demigods of the wilderness in the realm of life, so they must also be qualified to enter there. I just don't know what Rukhma's current form is.

However, the Vigilant can confirm that as long as he and Anzu reach the "Heart of Life" in Draenor and touch the deep connection with the Force of Life there, they will definitely be able to find out Rukhmar's final destination.

With this thought in mind, Diakum walked into the Temple of the Sun, which was guarded by the Crow Claw priests.

The King of Claws is meeting his subjects here.

Representatives elected by the common people of Crowman from all over Peak Tong expressed their respect and love for His Majesty Terokk, the King of the Claw, with loud cries. Many commanders and elite warriors who originally served in the Order of the Sun also stood guard beside their supreme monarch as loyalists.

Since the fall of the Solar Empire, the "only wise king" born on Tongtian Peak is no exaggeration.

Terokk's reputation among the Sunfire Crowmen and the Midnight Crowmen is terrifyingly high, which has greatly benefited his action of taking over Skyreach. At least for now, there is no voice in the city that opposes the King of Claws.

However, Dick knew very well that the hidden dangers that prevented Terok from taking full power had not been eliminated.

After the monarch's audience concluded, the King of Claws wearily stepped down from his throne in the solemn Temple of the Sun. He said to Diakum:

"Last night, a group of Sun Priests escaped. Although not numerous, they were all core members of the Sun Cult. They believed in the beast's apocryphal teachings and were unwilling to accept the teachings of the god Ansu. I sent Crow Claw Priests to track down those stubborn individuals, but they were very fast and had already escaped from the Spires of Arak."

"Where can they go?"

Diakum snorted coldly:
"Under the light of the Alliance of K'ure, there is only one place left in all of Draenor that can accept them, but to become a member of the Shadow Council means they will personally abandon the grace of the Sun God.

We'll eventually see them on the Draenor Showdown battlefield and clear them out.

But compared to these defected sun priests, the false king Aegis of the Claw and his Claw Court entrenched in the Sethekk Valley are obviously more dangerous.

There are many Midnight Crows following them, and since they chose to establish their own power in the cursed land of Sethek Valley, it means that they may rely on the power of Sethek, the god of curse.

They must be dealt with before they bring disaster upon themselves and the other Arakkoa."

"But I have to stay at Tongtian Peak. It will take a few days to 'clean up' this city. I also have to personally take charge of the reorganization of the Sun Guard and welcome the Crow Claw Priests and the Midnight Crow People back to this sky city in the name of the god Ansu.

This is the first and most important step in healing the divide among our people.”

Terok said hoarsely, "I don't have the energy to kill the false king, but my daughter can do it for me."

"We'll help, too."

Diakum promised:
"This is the path for the unity of the Alliance of K'ure, but please be prepared. After the false king is slain and we help the god Ansu completely cleanse the curse of Sethe, the arakkoa army will also march to Talador to support us in our war against the Demonblood Tribe."

"Well, that's right."

Terok looked at the Crowmen warriors still wearing the armor of the Sun Cult and promised earnestly:

"You will see warriors from Tongtian Peak appear on that battlefield. There are too many warriors in this city whose hands have been stained with blood and who urgently need to wash away the shame of their misguided actions. But there is one more thing..."

The King of Claws looked Diakum up and down and said:
"The false sun god led the priests to compile a pseudo-scripture based on the deeds of beasts. For countless years, that corrupt pseudo-scripture has harmed the people's minds. The teachings of the sun god must be corrected immediately. I need to see my people return to the true faith of the scorching sun.

In this regard, your brave missionary Mr. Aridas has set an example for us.

I now formally invite the Draenei priests of Holy Light to join this cause, but I hope that you, the true 'Herald of the Blazing Sun', will oversee this matter. I hope your priests can grasp the delicate balance.
Although the Divine Sun and your manifestations of the Divine Light are very similar, they are not the same entity.

My people always turn their hearts to the sun, and they will never obey the guidance of the Holy Light!
You must not use this opportunity to lure my people into the Light."

Having said this, His Majesty Terok touched the dazzling light-cast holy patterns on his body and sighed:
"At least you can't force my people to convert! The Holy Light is good, but it's not the native faith of Draenor after all. We arakkoa have our own traditions and pride."

"But there is no difference between light and light, your majesty."

Diakum said softly:
"One day, your people and even the Arakkoa Empire will step into the primordial light, the first light that gave birth to the physical universe. All the light we see now comes from it.

In this respect, the sun you worship is not essentially different from our holy light.

We are all ‘people of light’.”

"That's for the future! I have to maintain the legitimacy of the Sun Empire. It's the last bit of pride that keeps the impoverished Crow People moving forward in the Dark Ages. If I lose it, my people will be doomed."

The King of Claws said in a deep voice:
"That's it, there's no need to discuss this matter any further!"

"Well, let's talk about the world artifact that the Alliance of K'ure is about to forge. Since the Crowmen have dedicated their sacred objects as the foundation for this great cause, you deserve one of them."

Dick said to the King of Claws:

"I invite you to go to the Throne of Elements in Nagrand or wait in Shattrath City when the time is right, and witness the birth of the Draenor artifact there."

"I heard that the final step of the artifact requires tempering it with the 'life force' of this world?"

The King of Claws narrowed his eyes and warned:
"If you intend to shoulder that responsibility yourself, Saint of the alien race, I will use the painful lesson of the collapse of the Solar Empire to remind you that the Heart of Life in Draenor is not merciful. It was that thing that set off the plant frenzy that destroyed our empire.

That is the wildest, most rebellious and most terrifying manifestation of the world's natural vitality.
That power has long surpassed the limits of what a demigod can describe. With all due respect, your Holy Light may not be able to protect you from it."

"But without its blessing, the World Artifact cannot be born, and you, the sons of Draenor, cannot breathe and breathe with this world, sharing the same fate. You will not be able to defeat the invasion of the Burning Legion!"

The Vigilant waved his hand and said:

"That is a duty I must shoulder, that is a risk I must take, that is part of my battle with fate. You have your persistence, and I have my battle. Thank you for the reminder, but I have made up my mind!"

------

It was already afternoon when Diakum finished talking with the King of Claws.

He rubbed his stomach and planned to find something to eat, but when he passed by the Temple of the Sun, he saw Eredas standing in front of the damaged Sun Tower with the support of Maraad.

He seemed to be mourning something.

The saint walked over and asked Maraad to get him some food. He also told him to gather the new recruits and set off tonight to the Sethek Valley to eliminate the Claw False King Aegis who was entrenched there.

"feel better now?"

When only Dick and Eredas were left, the saint looked at the wound under Eredas's hood, which was healing but still shocking. He whispered:

"You can't be a garrison commander, kid, do you have any other ideas about your future career plan?"

"I"

Eredas looked at his weak fingers, then raised his head to look at the broken crystal tablet in front of him. The execution he had undergone in the past seven days and seven nights seemed to be still vivid in his mind.

In response to Diakum's question, he said softly:

"I can also become a priest! Just like my father, Sentinel, the seven days of suffering at Skyreach were more than just torture for me. I endured the test of faith in the Holy Light here.

More importantly, I saw with my own eyes the ugly behavior of the Anhar priests!
Their fanaticism and blind obedience to faith shocked me. They clearly worshipped the sun, the most sacred symbol in the world, but they could do all kinds of horrible and cruel things in the name of God without any scruples, and called it a dedication to God.

This is because they obeyed the beast-like false god, compiled false scriptures with beastly behavior, caused chaos in people's hearts, and almost destroyed the foundation of civilization of this race.

Their faith is misplaced, but we cannot deny that they still have faith!

I saw with my own eyes the terrible disaster that would be brought to the people if this power was misused. I finally understood why my father had always insisted on the purity of his people's faith during his 25,000 years of exile.

I can even make many concessions for this purpose, which I originally thought were weak.

I."

He raised his head and looked at Diakum.

The saint looked at him gently like a priest accepting the confession of his believers, but the eyes of the sentinel were so bright, as if he could see through the darkness hidden in the deepest part of Eredas' heart.

As he watched, Eredas lowered his head and half-knelt in front of Diak'um like a devout believer in the Holy Light.

He trembled and closed his eyes, and confessed in a hoarse voice:
“Holy Light, I am guilty!

I have concealed some of my personal experiences from you, even from my soul mate, Lelan. I have deceived the girl I love, the spell-breaking dagger that helped us defeat Teron'gor in the Sanctuary of Auchindoun.
That was not the gift I received from Kil'jaeden as a child.

That shortsword was given to me as a gift by Kil'jaeden's lieutenant, Stalker Talgath, in a chance encounter centuries ago.

I hid this!

I had private contact with a corrupted servant of my other 'father,' through whom I received an invitation from Kil'jaeden, my second father, to return to Argus.

Kil'jaeden told me that the people brought back to Argus by Thal'kiel lacked guidance in their hearts and were rapidly corrupted by the violence of the Burning Legion. He needed a believer as devout as my father to return to the people, guide them and protect their souls.

I trust that Kil'jaeden has not deceived me on this matter.

But I also believe that the great devil wanted to use me to give my kind father a 'reminder' or 'invitation'.

Perhaps over the long period of time, the once brave commander has also been eroded by evil energy, or perhaps it is simply because his lonely heart longs for the nourishment of the brotherhood he once had.

I rejected him.

I thought I was firm enough, but in the subsequent Sargerei rebellion led by Ossar, I admit that I was influenced by those extreme ideas. I even felt that my father had let down the people.

I had resented him especially when my mother died in the crash of the Genedar.

Why can Velen protect his people from harm, but he can't protect his wife and my mother? Why can he sacrifice everything for his people, but he is unwilling to be selfish even once for his family?
I am lost, Vigilant.

I almost got lost in the darkness."

Eredar wept.

He finally spoke out the thoughts that he had kept in his heart for all these years, like an emotional catharsis.

In the place of his suffering, he lamented:

"If Maraad, Lelan, and Nobundo hadn't been by my side, I might have embarked on an irreversible path of depravity.

I once thought my father was an incurable coward, just like those radical Sargerei, but now, after this soul-deep test of faith, I realize that the real coward is myself.

Whether it is my father Velen or my second father Kil'jaeden, they have dedicated everything to their people!
Their sacrifice was to allow more people to live better, and to prevent the souls of our people from falling to the level of the Crow People who need to worship apocryphal scriptures to muster up courage.

I wanted to become a garrison commander because I hoped to take over the responsibilities that my second father abandoned and become the people's sword and shield in his place.

But I finally realized
The people are protected by bright commanders like you, and what they need more now is a leader like my father Velen who can guide their souls.

I will return to the holy light, put on the white robe of the priest, and uphold the will and courage of the people like my father, and never allow any darkness to erode this precious thing!
Please bear witness to my oath!"

At this moment, a warm hand was placed on Eredas's forehead, which was still burned. Diakum said softly:
"I bear witness to your oath, child.

But you have seen the darkness, you have been deep into the darkness, you know what exists in the darkness, and then you should shoulder more responsibilities.

You have the selfless courage of Velen and the zeal of Kil'jaeden, willing to embrace darkness and protect the light. Why not combine the two?"

"Ok?"

Eredas looked up in surprise, tears still in his eyes.

But at this moment, he saw the Vigilant spread his hands.

His left hand was filled with warm holy light, while his right hand was covered with cold shadows. It seemed that even the shining light behind him was split into two at this moment, as if white and black wings of light were covering the sentinel at the same time.

In the black and white feathers of light that fell simultaneously, Eredas heard the Vigilant say to him:

“Without light, darkness will eventually engulf the world; without darkness, light will lose its meaning.

We have been stumbling in the darkness all our lives, just to find that ray of light that inspires our souls.

In Eredas, there are already enough priests standing in the light to protect the people, but we also need to step into the shadows to build a spiritual wall for the people in the darkness and dispel the covetousness of those despicable people in the shadows.

As you can see, I have embarked on this difficult road.

Because of your unique experience and the light and shadow you have seen, I think you can understand and become another 'warning' on the path of faith.

Do I have the honor to guide you on this path of 'light and darkness'?
"Son, don't try to be Velen or Kil'jaeden or me. You should be better than us! You should be a better leader than us. I think you have the talent."

(End of this chapter)