Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 296, Section 53: Dalaran will be destroyed by heavenly fire, but truth will be reborn after the calamity.
"I imagine the kings are furious at us for being so self-sufficient and standing by and watching the disaster unfold. They might even call us 'cowards' and curse every spellcaster in Dalaran to die a miserable death from the demons' maul."

This is all because, when they needed help the most, the city of mages, which should have been assisting them, chose the most shameless path of 'closing its borders'.

A weary voice echoed from the terrace of Violet Castle in the city of mages, tinged with a hint of self-mockery.

Antonidas, the leader of the Kirin Tor and the Council of Six, the nominal lord and ruler of Dalaran, dressed in the classic archmage robes, leaned on his staff and gazed northward at Lake Lordamere.

In the center of the largest lake in the northern frontier stands a noble castle called "Fenrisburg," while on the opposite shore lies Tirisfal Glades, where the capital of Lordaeron is located.

In peacetime, people often take small boats to float on the calm lake, and the soldiers and military nobles of Fenrisburg often hold picnics to exchange goods with the farmers on the lakeside.

Every year during the Midsummer Festival, huge scarecrows are burned there to pray for blessings, and many monks also participate.

But now, those peaceful times are gone.

With his exaggerated yet majestic long white beard, Antonidas could clearly see that the distant capital of Lordaeron was shrouded in the dark clouds of fel energy. Every now and then, a hellfire meteor would fall on the area around the city. He still did not know the exact situation inside the capital. Fenris Castle had fallen two days ago, and a group of demon worshippers had opened a portal there.

A large number of demon guards riding hellhounds stormed into the island.

No soldiers escaped, even though their commanders kept firing signal flares to call for the mages' support.

A thick violet barrier sealed off Dalaran from the outside world, just as a purple eggshell divided the area into two worlds.

The mages' decision to activate the barrier came very hastily. They didn't even have time to bring the civilians from the surrounding towns into the city, which directly resulted in the outer towns relying on the mages who hadn't returned to the city for protection.

The good news is that the city-state of Dalaran has done a good job protecting its property, placing golems near farms and towns. These golems held off the swarms of lower-ranking demons, buying time for civilians to flee their homes.

The bad news is that with war raging across northern Xinjiang, civilians have no idea where to go.

In the end, they could only flee to Ambermill Castle and Pyrewood Village in Silverpine Forest, led by several archmages, to escape the demons' pursuit. They could tell from the fires rising in the south that Southshore and Tarrenmill were already destroyed, and going there would only be suicide.

All of this happened right under the noses of Antonidas and the archmages of Dalaran.

They seemed so callous that they let it all happen, only concerned with their own safety when disaster struck.

But is that really the case?
“Master Antonidas, the letter has been placed in the rubbish heap as you instructed. I went to check, and the letter has disappeared. Perhaps it means that the mysterious Loa acted as the messenger.”

Archmage Ansrem Ruinvivor strode onto the terrace.

He wore the Violet Eye emblem of the Council of Six on his chest, signifying his esteemed membership in the Council of Six.

But in reality, before last night, Ansrem was just a high-ranking member of the Kirin Tor. He was able to become a member of the Council of Six on the spot simply because the previous mage leader, Master Drandon, died on the night of the Great Demon invasion, and Drandon's successor died last night in the operation to suppress the fel rift.

Not only Ansrem, but also Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider, the newly appointed replacement in the Council of Six, inherited this important position for the same reason.

Over the past two days, Dalaran has lost seventeen archmages, paying the price of having their magical city razed to the ground, in order to finally suppress the terrifying "Fel Well" that had opened in the city center.

From Antonidas's current location, the fel rift, resembling a "dark green eye," is clearly visible.

It extends from the ground to the sky at least a hundred meters high. Once this size of fel energy well is opened, it can allow great demons to enter and exit freely, and a demon army capable of leveling the northern frontier can pass through in no time.

And let's guess which great demon is currently on the other side of the suppressed Fel Well.

"Pathetic little city! I'm curious, how exactly do you plan to escape the wrath of the destroyers?!"

The roar of Manonos, the top general under Kil'jaeden the Conqueror, echoed from the rift, reverberating like muffled thunder across the ruins of the city.

Along with the roar came a surge of fel fire, and the suppressed rift became unstable again. At this moment, Kael'thas, Vargoth, and Archmage Ur were guarding the square and immediately took action.

They led their respective followers, using the giant magical crystal known as the "Eye of Dalaran," a treasure of the mage city, as their energy source to continuously reinforce and suppress the fel energy rift.

During this process, many lower-level spellcasters collapsed from exhaustion or were unlucky enough to be agitated by fel energy. Fortunately, Dalaran is not only a city of mages, but also a gathering place for priests. The city's first-aiders immediately rushed forward to take the injured away to a safe area for first aid.

Apart from the archmage who was casting spells to suppress the Fel Well, the three floors of Violet Castle where Antonidas was located were filled with exhausted spellcasters.

They have been suppressing this destructive rift for a full forty-eight hours.

The entire northern frontier has not yet been destroyed by the Destroyer and its demons, and the kings and their people should be grateful for the sacrifice of Dalaran for having the chance to save themselves.

At this point, it becomes clear why mages activate the Violet Barrier when demons invade.

They were not selfishly trying to protect themselves, nor were they indifferent enough to watch their compatriots sacrifice themselves.

They were simply afraid that their failure would lead to the demons slaughtering the entire northern frontier, so they adjusted the Violet Barrier to a fully enclosed mode to trap the demons that kept rushing out from the small cracks.

Two days is enough time for the city's golems and battle mages to purge the demons from this place, but how to deal with the fel well remains a headache.

"Those damned demon worshippers."

Archmage Anslem roared:

"I really don't know what methods they used to connect this well of evil energy to the underground magic network node. This doesn't seem like the kind of advanced knowledge that cultists could possess. And those black dragons that inexplicably appeared the night before are also a problem. When did so many black dragons start operating in the Northern Frontier?"

“There’s no need to say that now, Ansrem. We must wait for reinforcements to arrive.”

Archmage Antonidas, now a vigorous middle-aged man, though weary, remained resolute and spoke in a hoarse voice:
"Through Lady Eldragosa, we have informed the Blue Dragonflight of what happened in Dalaran, and I firmly believe that the Guardians of Magic will not turn a blind eye to the situation here."

The blue dragons will definitely come!

We must hold out until then. After we've eliminated the threat in Dalaran, we must muster all our strength to rescue our compatriots!

We must hold on.

"That being said, but Master."

Anslem looked around and whispered:
"On the night of the demon invasion, at least one-tenth of the city's mages embraced the Burning Legion. I used to only hear elves mock Dalaran's decay and think it was just slander from pointy-eared people, but this time the situation is truly shocking."

There are at least fifty hidden demons in our city!

It was their attacks that initially overwhelmed us. Many of them even enjoyed prestige in the city, which is enough to prove that the demons had been watching us for a long time, but we turned a blind eye to it.

Do you remember the harsh words Medivh gave us when we invited him back to Dalaran?
I now feel that Medivh might be right.

This filthy, corrupt magical city should never have existed again.

Antonidas did not answer, but at that moment his fingers gripping the staff tightened so much that the veins bulged.

As a very responsible leader of the mages, he believed he bore an unshirkable responsibility for the disaster that had befallen the city.

In that instant, he thought of the Nassaras Magic Academy, which was also a holy land for spellcasters but hidden beneath the surface of the world, and he thought of his strict headmistress, Elya Bluemoon, teaching them, the students.

Mages should be more pure; the thirst for power can turn a genius into a mediocre person.

Perhaps, if Dalaran can survive this ordeal, these human spellcasters will have to learn a lesson.

"boom"

A muffled thud suddenly rang out above Dalaran, as if a heavy object had struck the Violet Barrier. When Antonidas and Archmage Ansrem looked over, they saw a black crack spreading across the powerful barrier like shattered glass.

This should have meant the barrier was attacked, but it didn't trigger any counterattack.

"That is."

Archmage Ansrem had never seen anything like this before. He gripped his staff and looked at his leader, only to see a faint smile on Antonidas's haggard face.

"Reinforcements are coming!"

The leader of the council of six said with delight:
"That was a powerful spellcaster dismantling the spell model of the Violet Barrier. It wasn't a malicious attack, so it didn't trigger a counterattack from the barrier. This level of spellcasting skill is definitely from the Blue Dragon Legion."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw a black hole crack open in the sky above the barrier, and then several familiar-looking guys "jumped" in from outside.

"Antonidas! Are you insane? Why did you open the barrier to the heavens! A well of fel energy! No wonder you did this, the outside world has misunderstood you, and I have misunderstood you too."

The old lich Merri Winterwind appeared.

The first half of the sentence was a rebuke, but the second half turned into a compliment, making it a top-notch face-changing performance by a "master of facial expressions".

Beside the old lich were the draenei arcanist Lyran and her companion Iridas, but both of them carried a weapon case on their backs, sealed with more than seven arcane seals and even locked with thick mithril chains. This "security" was comparable to the scene when the archbishop transported the "bewitching demon sword" Ashbringer.

But besides the three old lich duo, there was also a mysterious person who came with them.

She concealed herself entirely with a black raven cloak, but it was to no avail, for the staff brimming with arcane power in her hand was recognized by every archmage in Dalaran. "Oh, isn't this Lord Aluneth?"

Why did you come back at this critical moment? Hurry up and unleash your unstoppable madness to kill the great demon on the other side of the rift.

"Aegwynn?"

Antonidas exclaimed:

"Why are you here? Wait, what's with the pendant on your chest? Why can I feel it?"

"Shut up!"

Aegwynn rebuked him in a cold tone.
She sensed trouble in Dalaran and interrupted her "enemy search journey" to come here. On the way, she encountered the old lich and two draenei, so she brought them in with her.

“I’ll handle this fel well. You guys get ready.”

Star Soul Spokesperson surveyed the ruins of Dalaran, and from the sheer devastation, she could tell what the mages here had gone through in the past two days.

This softened Aegwynn's tone somewhat.

She waved her hand and said:

"After sealing the fel rift, I will send this city and its inhabitants to the sea within the Stormwind Kingdom. Then you can talk about resting."

"Are you kidding me?"

Archmage Anslem exclaimed:

"Even if you were the previous guardian, you couldn't move a city."

"Shut up."

The old lich struck Ansrem on the head with his staff, stared at Antonidas, and said coldly:
"Do as Aegwynn says."

"and many more."

Just as the Star Soul Guardian rolled up her sleeves, ready to destroy the fel rift, Antonidas stopped her. The haggard archmage whispered:
"How many people can you transport at once? I mean the foundations of Dalaran, the city that can hold no more than your spellcasting limit."

"As you can see, the residents of Lordaeron capital city urgently need to be evacuated. If possible, we can take them and other residents nearby who have nowhere else to go with us."

Aegwynn scrutinized Antonidas from head to toe. In that instant, she gained a new understanding of this man she had previously described as "pedantic and inflexible." After a brief moment of thought, Aegwynn said:

"Around 150,000 people. It's not that we can't send more, but using spatial tearing in that situation could potentially damage the continental shelf, and you have to hurry. My mission is very important, and I don't have much time to waste on this kind of thing."

"Please seal that well of fel energy, and I, along with the archmages, will immediately proceed to the capital of Lordaeron to meet King Terenas."

Antonidas is very decisive.

After obtaining consent, the bells of Violet Castle rang to summon the mages.

Kael'thas, who was suppressing the fel rift, looked up and saw a raven flapping its wings and gracefully landing, transforming into the figure of the Guardian Aegwynn. As a long-lived elf, he had seen Aegwynn before.

Just as he was about to greet her, he saw Aegwynn pull out a demon-style staff that sent chills down his spine.

"Little Kael'thas, take your fiancée and step back. Go and get some rest. If you keep working so hard, you might develop a mana addiction."

Aegwynn's voice rang out from beneath the raven hood, saying:
"I'm sealing this Fel Well here; the commotion that follows might be a bit big."

"But the opponent is a powerful great demon, not an ordinary demigod."

Kael'thas, who had been persistently suppressing the rift, offered this reminder:

"Is it dangerous for you to be alone?"

"Danger?"

Aegwynn laughed.

She raised her hand and, amidst Aluneth's strange cry of "Aegwynn, smash that stupid demon!", destroyed the suppression spell maintained by the archmages. As the fel energy surged into rifts, the former Guardian glanced back at Kael'thas, the golden pendant on her chest gleaming with a peculiar arc of light.

The moment the Destroyer smugly stepped into Dalaran, Aegwynn swung her staff and delivered a powerful "Arcane Fist"—a fusion of world powers—slamming it into the weakest point connecting the fel rift to the material world.

Amidst Mannoroth's furious roar, the Fel Well, which had troubled the archmages of Dalaran for two whole days, collapsed rapidly like the most dazzling fireworks in the energy collision. The violently destroyed Fel Well slid across the destroyer's body like the sharpest knife, smashing a hideous demon horn and most of a claw into the archmages' eyes.

This miraculous scene left all the surrounding high mages dumbfounded.

Aegwynn shrugged amidst the swirling winds of fel and arcane energy. She rose, transformed into a raven, and soared back into the sky, jokingly addressing Kael'thas through the wind:

"I'm invincible in this world now! Want this power? If you do, then you'd better perform well in the upcoming war!"
Kael'thas Sunstrider, a candidate for the Salvation Army.

Go on!

Gather those who need help on this ruin, and in six hours I will send you to the other side of the continent.

------

"Isn't this too exaggerated?"

On the terrace of Violet Castle, the arcane mage Lyran stared in disbelief.

Iredas, standing beside her, wasn't much better off. Aegwynn's seemingly effortless strike was at least ten stories high in technical skill, leaving the two Draenei struggling to comprehend it.

"Is she really just a demigod?"

Iredas leaned on his staff and whispered:
"I feel like this woman's ability to casually change the world is no different from that of a 'minor god'."

"You don't need to feel it, she is."

The old lich Merri Winterwind sighed and said:

"Aegwynn isn't the same Aegwynn she used to be. Although she tries her best to disguise it, as a longtime friend, I sensed it the moment I saw her. Beneath that facade, she, like her poor son, has become something else entirely."
A more magnificent life!

For her now, power is something readily available, and the mission she must shoulder is something that we can hardly understand at present.

But one thing is certain: Aegwynn is still on our side.

Or rather, we stand on the side she chose.

This is truly a fortunate thing.

"She reminded me of Uncle Diakum in front of Shattrath City that day."

Lyran frowned and said in a low voice:

"Uncle Diakum went too far in the light and lost his form, leaving only an outline, but Ms. Aegwynn is more vibrant, however, this city."

As an arcane mage, Lyran looked at the ruins of Dalaran with regret; she had just strolled through this magical city.

she says:

"Dalaran needs to be rebuilt."

"Hmph, this city should have been rebuilt long ago!"

The old lich responded with a cold laugh, saying:

"I have said long ago that the corrupted Dalaran should be reborn in the heavenly fire. Now that it has been destroyed by the catastrophe, it has completed its rebirth. As for whether it can be reborn... well, I am cautiously optimistic."

Let's go, let's also help bring over those who need help.

"Leylan, your Titan rune will be very useful soon; I need you to use it to maintain a stable portal."

“No problem, Master Merri. I have several runes here, more than enough to support ten portals. Besides, I’ve been wanting to try out the Super Magic Copying technique that President Marcok taught me for a long time.”

But seriously, are we really going to bring that sword to Marshal Lothar?
You know, there's something... well, a bit 'supernatural' inside that sword. Won't that scare him?

(End of this chapter)