Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 266, Section 23: The Battle of the Lightless Ritual is Over! I! Diakum is the true Devourer of All Realms!
Inside the deathly silent Titan's Cage.

C'Thun's mangled remains fell lifelessly into his pool of black blood.

Its final demise was like a predictable execution, and at this moment it was like a rotten onion that had been drained of all its juice, broken and undignified, so that even if it were left on the street, no one would give it a second glance.

Most of the eyeballs on those withered flesh and blood had crystallized, with only the eyeball at the core still struggling to move. But that did not represent the remnants of life force; it was merely that the overactive flesh and blood of the ancient god was still trying to awaken it after the death of its main body.

But there is no longer a single light-dark aggregate that can answer this lonely call.

C'Thun is dead.

The Thousand-Eyed Demon's hundreds of thousands of years of corruption came to an end. It failed to survive until the final round and fell to an unexpected scoundrel, returning to the Sea of ​​No Light in a miserable state.

Everything about it was left on the plate of the losers. Even if it were reborn in the waves of the Sea of ​​No Light, the newborn light and dark aggregate would no longer be called "C'Thun," not to mention how long that would take.

Unfortunately, Diakum's life rank is still a bit too low.

If he had come to challenge us as a demigod, the Thousand-Eyed Demon would not have been able to escape even the last vestige of his chaotic nature, and would have become nourishment for the Dark Ruler to devour.

But it's not bad as it is now.

A cocoon of darkness stood within C'Thun's corpse, with countless black "roots" spreading from the Thousand-Eyed Demon's body, drawing nourishment from the newborn "Void Beast."

He enjoyed a sumptuous feast, but he did not eat alone.

The shattered Twilight's Hammer was now embedded in C'Thun's pool of black blood, greedily devouring it, even emitting echoing howls like sea monsters swallowing water.

Having been so loyal to its master, it naturally has every right to share in its master's triumphant victory.

Even though the original body was completely shattered, the Twilight Hammer gained far more than it lost. After the "new body" shaped from the pure black blood of the source solidified, it would surely reappear in an even more powerful form.

Moreover, Twilight Hammer is certain that this feast is just the beginning!
Its incredibly powerful master will surely take it to visit the three remaining ancient gods in the world, who are now terrified, as well as the remains of the long-fallen supreme being.

Sooner or later, I will grow into an even more invincible figure while enjoying the feast.

Haha, what do you mean by "choice is more important than effort"?
If I had stayed with that little bastard Gugar, how could I have achieved such glory now, and how could I be destined for even greater glory in the future? The law of the void has always been this: either you have nothing, or you gain everything.

You bet right!
I can enjoy everything before me without any guilt!
Come, feast! For the sake of those years of suffering that have ended, and for the sake of that darkly bright future that is destined to be glorious.

"boom"

A muffled thud broke the deathly silence, causing Twilight's Hammer, which was simmering in the pool of black blood, to twitch.

It sensed something and suddenly accelerated the rate at which it absorbed the black blood, causing the level of the black blood pool to drop visibly.

The muffled thud startled the whispering onlookers, especially Shadow Whisper, who was the first to scream as she sensed the sudden surge of the tide from the Sea of ​​No Light:
"Look! The ritual of darkness is about to end! The true victor is about to appear!"

"Shut up."

Another voice scoffed:

"C'Thun has been drained dry, how could that piece of trash possibly come back to life? The victor has already emerged, it's Diakum Zastins, the only question is, how should he enjoy the glory of victory?"
Is it the glorious brilliance of holy light?

Or is it the boundless mystery of the void that we await?

As onlookers watched with anticipation and tension in this dark place, the vibrations emanating from the enormous cocoon of darkness grew more and more frequent, like a heart being awakened, once again familiarizing itself with its beating frequency after a long period of stagnation.

Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the dark cocoon woven from C'Thun's remains, and a power emanated from it, causing the Twilight Hammer next to it to be the first to cheer with a weapon's jubilation.

It sensed the eerie darkness emanating from the wind.

The Ashbringer, embedded in the ground not far away and in a shattered state, fell like a defeated man amidst the melting metal. It seemed to sense the chilling aura contained within the Dark Cocoon, foreshadowing an ominous end.

"click"

Like the sound of an eggshell breaking, the cocoon of darkness did not shatter but instantly lost its supporting force, cascading down like black silk, revealing its contents to the onlookers.

"Wow!"

A joyful sound erupted from nowhere:

"What a beautiful Void Entropy Demon! A nascent Void deity that has trod the path of shadow! I knew it! We Void beings are invincible, we Void beings are infallible!"

The other onlookers cheered, and even Shadow Whisper breathed a sigh of relief.

This is because what appeared before them was a true "Entropy Demon," the academic name for the Naaru who had completely fallen into the void, representing the Naaru's deepest, most corrupted form, which was completely unable to return to the light through the transformation between light and darkness.

Entropy demons are typically long, thin, and strange dark energy entities, resembling "big blue fat" Voidwalkers, but they are far more powerful.

They typically have wings of light formed from fallen stars reflected in the void's entropy energy. This entropy energy forms fallen holy runes that surround the entropy demons. On their heads, there is also a magnificent "Dark Crown," like a crown forged from the void to highlight the rarity and power of the entropy demons.

Even in the Sea of ​​No Light, which is filled with all sorts of strange creatures, the Entropy Demon is an extremely powerful high-ranking Void Myth life form.

However, that was the form of the Naaru after it was "corrupted". Although Diakum finally completed the Naaru's racial transformation with the help of Khala's "Crown of Light", he was not a crystal form of an ordinary Naaru, but a true "humanoid Naaru". Therefore, the Entropy Demon he transformed into was very different from the appearance of an ordinary Entropy Demon.

The dark creature still maintained its vague human shape.

It looks much the same as the Void form of the Dark Archon, still with Diakum draped in black veil. But upon closer inspection, you can see that the black veil of the Void form has been completely transformed into a set of shadow-forged Void armor, completely enveloping him in the protection of the dark cover. The surrounding shadows actively surround him, turning into a cloak-like garment for the powerful Devourer of Worlds, adding a touch of understated arrogance to his shadowy authority.

Beyond the heavy shoulder armor were the Fallen Starlight Wings, formed from the convergence of entropy energy. They resembled the wings of a black butterfly, with a void-like luster flowing around them. Two "Void Eyes" composed of pure darkness floated on either shoulder.

Because it absorbed C'Thun's power, Diakum's Eye of the Void resembles the Eye of C'Thun enveloped in twilight.

It even has a clearly defined pupil structure.

In addition, above his full-coverage dark helmet is the classic "Dark Crown," with three void crystals surrounding the helmet. Together with the intricate patterns of the Eredar Leader's Mark and the Dark Archon's Mark on Diakum's forehead, they form a somewhat irregular cross shape.

With each breath, the entropy energy wings behind him appeared and disappeared.

If the wings of the sanctified seraph are divine streams of light composed of lines, then the entropy energy wings at this moment are just like dark butterfly wings, which, combined with the dim light of the fallen stars, have a rather gloomy yet elegant appearance.

Overall, it looks good.

"What kind of looks are you giving me! Is that an Entropy Demon?"

The previously authoritative voice spoke again, sarcastically saying:
"Open your dog eyes and take a good look! That is clearly a 'Devourer of All Realms' larva! It is the 'Embryo of God' born again in the Sea of ​​No Light after the powerful and ruthless Dimensius. As long as it does not perish, it will reach the level of you and me sooner or later!"
That's a level that even ordinary entropy demons could hardly reach.
Although he is far from being as powerful as Lord Dimensius, I believe that given enough time, he will definitely become the second 'Devourer Lord'.

Unfortunately, this "Path of Food and Light" can only have one lesser god at its end.

This means that he will definitely have to challenge the Devourer of All Realms in the future. This is not something that he or Dimensius can decide. This is also a law of the void. There can only be one lesser god at the end of a path.

"Hiss. Even with all my confidence in Diakum, I find it hard to imagine him achieving such a feat."

"Yeah yeah."

A Void Lord nearby chimed in:

"After all, Lord Dimensius is the only Void Lord who can freely traverse the material universe even under the damned Dark Titan's blockade. Although he has benefited somewhat from his racial talents, the fact that he has not been killed by Sargeras after traversing the Star Sea for so long already demonstrates his strength."

"But no matter what, we have won this battle!"

Shadow Whisper screamed with ecstasy:

"The ritual of darkness has ended. We ourselves shaped him! We ourselves lured him into the shadows! We, as his dark forefathers, paved the way for him, so it is naturally our turn to awaken him!"
Ah, his glory will also be our glory.

The day he becomes a lesser god, we too will gain the power of the Sea of ​​Lightless.

"Hmph, just got lucky."

The other Void Lords clearly look down on Shadow Word, which proves that Shadow Word is of a much lower rank than them.

But no one stopped Shadow Word's actions, because being low-ranked has its advantages; a void being like it entering the material world wouldn't attract the attention of the Dark Titans.

If a Void Lord were to attempt such a move, well, he'd probably be hit by a "Starburst Abandoned Healing" attack the next second, annihilating most of Azeroth along with it.

Under their watchful eyes, Shadow Words transformed into a dark wind and approached Diakum Zastins, the Devourer of All Realms. But as Shadow Words prepared to awaken, the Void Lords suddenly became restless.

"No! Don't touch him!" the authoritative voice commanded.

"Something's wrong! His Force is accelerating rapidly."

That's too late!

The Shadow Words touched Diakum's cheek, and in that instant the wind blew, it saw Diakum's eyes open, filled with golden light, and a hint of mockery within them.

"You're the one who set this trap for me, aren't you?"

He said something.

The sound reverberated simultaneously in the light and shadow. Amidst the screams of the Shadow Whisper, a blinding burst of light suddenly erupted, as if a flashbang had been thrown at the land of darkness, instantly dispelling all shadows.

Even Twilight's hammer screamed.

It felt like it was melting.

Meanwhile, the dozens of fragments of the Ashbringer, stuck pitifully in the ground, hummed excitedly, for its radiant swordsman had returned!
The commotion at that moment was particularly loud.

Because what erupted from Diakum was not only holy light, but also an ethereal and wondrous song that seemed to travel through space, much like the soft sound a Naaru makes when spinning. Although Diakum could not spin himself, as a humanoid Naaru who had "successfully transcended tribulation," he did indeed possess his own exclusive "BGM."

Those lights no longer needed to be summoned, nor did they seem to originate from the realm of the primordial light. There was only one source here, and that was Diakum!
These lights are coming from him!
Although it is still holy light, it is clear that it no longer needs to go through layers of hands.

The cool Void Armor melted away in the light, revealing Diakum's tattered Lion's Roar Armor. Even if it was meticulously crafted by an Astral Mage, it couldn't withstand being inside the stomach of an Old God.

It was nearing the point of breaking and could barely maintain its outline.

But it doesn't matter!

Diakum filled the broken cracks and areas with light, and the Dark Crown above his head smoothly transformed into the Crown of Light. The Void Eyes on his shoulders disappeared into the light, replaced by ten silver wings that were maintained in a normal state.

As Diakum opened his arms in the classic priestly gesture, a halo like a sun corona appeared behind his head.

Those floating, radiant holy runes were given life; they gathered in the air into divine geometric shapes, singing around Diakum, and then, with the gentle touch of the Watcher, transformed into one after another radiant "golden cherubs" dancing around him.

Bless him, sing his praises.

He was no longer the "devourer of all realms"; in this instant, he transformed into the true "radiant holy spirit," possessing the "dual nature of light and darkness" that a Naaru should naturally have.

He can sing in the light, or he can destroy in the shadows.

"Light emerges from the shadows, and all enemies tremble with fear."

Upon completing the "Twin of Light and Shadow" for the first time, Diakum held his fingers to the "Words of Shadow" trembling in the light. After becoming a Force demigod, this intangible thing also took shape in his eyes.

A strange creature shaped by shadow, like a wisp of mist.

"What the hell are you?"

He asked curiously:
"How come I had no idea there were creatures like you in the Sea of ​​No Light?"

"I am the voice of shadows, I am the spirit of seduction, I am the storm in silence, I am the mockery in roar, I am numerous and powerful, I am everywhere."

Shadow Word answered honestly:
"We cannot casually reveal our origins, but according to some rumors, it is said that every life in the material world has innate evil thoughts, and those evil thoughts are regarded as original sins, which give rise to reflections in the sea of ​​lightlessness."

Only those with talent can bring us to life.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, we are you, and you are one of us.

"I see. I thought you were some annoying guy who always mocked me."

Diakum shrugged, and with a wave of his hand, he unleashed a burst of light that swept across the entire collapsed Qiraji Temple, purifying all the shadowy areas within this complex underground structure.

The light, running, leaping, and cheering, transformed into a fiery spirit, burning away everything cast in shadow.

Are you going to strangle me?

Shadow Whisper whispered:
"You have already broken us, all because you have realized your true self and embarked on your own path. Our attempts to bewitch you have failed. You have not stepped into the shadows, or at least not completely into the shadows."

You really are a freak!

"Just because I can do that doesn't mean I want to. Stay here; it's nice to have someone to chat with when no one's around."

Diakum released his grip, allowing Shadow Whisper to gleefully transform into a gust of shadow and vanish into the shadow behind Diakum. Then, the Watcher turned around, gazing at the last stubborn shadow that refused to be dispelled with the radiance of the Holy Spirit.

He still could not see the existence of the Void Lords.

After all, every single one of those guys was a lesser god.
My current state as a newly ascended demigod is still a "major rank" away from others, and there's also the barrier between reality and the void. It would be a miracle if I could even see that.

“I did not fall into the void, but found my own path in the gap between light and shadow. Will you be disappointed?”

He asked a question.

Then, amidst the whispers, a dignified voice responded:
"disappointment?
No, why be disappointed?
Diakum Zastins, you walk in the light and shadow, which means you can be blessed by both the Holy Light and the Void at the same time, but it also means you face the torment of both the Holy Light and the Void at the same time. You will face twice the influence and temptations of other Force demigods.

Your outstanding performance this time has impressed and moved us all, but you'd better remember this!

You can resist temptation and torture countless times, but if you slip up even once, we will reunite in the sea of ​​darkness. I don't think you can stay vigilant forever, even if you are called 'Vigilant'.

Therefore, we are very patient, and have even prepared a throne for you in the sea of ​​darkness.

Go on!

Return to your holy light, serve Him, and glorify Him.

But you and I both know that you will eventually return to the void, and you will eventually become one of us; it's just a matter of time.

The Void has always been patient with your exquisite treasure, as I have said, only by relinquishing victory can one hold it in one's hands.

We're the same!

"Perhaps, perhaps one day I really will fall into the same trap as you, stirring up trouble in every wave of the Sea of ​​No Light, but that's alright."

Diakum smiled and waved his hand, saying:
"What I can do in the light, I can do in the shadows! And even if I become the most evil being in this universe, I firmly believe that I will still serve my Holy Light."

The light and shadow have been created, and the path has been set.

"I wish you all well in the future, and hope you don't get caught and beaten up by Sargeras again. After all, I can't find another Dark Titan human to take your revenge on."

"Hmph, you should worry about yourself. Sargeras is watching you, child."

The authoritative voice let out a cold laugh.

But the next moment, He said:

"What are you standing there for? They've given us such a brilliant comeback, where's your sportsmanship?"

"clap clap"

A series of applause, cheers, and even whistles rang out from the shrinking shadows, as if generously offering praise and reward for the closing of this theatrical performance.

Diakum accepted it all calmly.

He then turned and strode out of the shadowless land, carrying his Twilight Hammer and Ashbringer.

"What a face!"

The Shadow Whisper whispered in his ear:
"This is the first time we've ever seen Void Lords praise a mortal like this. You know, a demigod like you is just a slightly stronger insect in their eyes. This is quite a show of respect."

"Hmph, that bunch of bastards have cheered for me before. I'm used to it. You'd better get used to it soon too, my shadow."

"As you command, Your Majesty, Holy Spirit of Radiance and Devourer of All Realms."

(End of this chapter)