Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 301, Section 58: Brian Bronzebeard's Otherworldly Friend is a Blue-Hooped Man!

Inside the Crimson Shelter.

Having surpassed Bolvar Fordragon by nearly thirty years to become the "second Lich King," Zul'Gurub struggled to wield the Dragon Soul. His eyes were no longer able to see, and he could only blindly swing the artifact in an attempt to regain control of the Dragon King.

But Alexstrasza had already suffered a loss once; how could he possibly let him succeed again?

Having completed her punishment, turning the vicious orc warlock into a "pitiful cripple brimming with vitality," the queen appeared high in the sky with a blink. She transformed into human form, dodging the dragon soul's beam of control, and then vanished into the air in the next instant.

She was ambushed by the Dragon Soul and is now very weak. She must go back to recuperate and discuss with her brother Malygos how to save poor Ysera.

She would never allow her sister to suffer such terrible treatment.

"Let's go! This is over."

From high above, Tyreggosa looked at Zul'jiiva's miserable state and felt a surge of anger. But seeing more and more demons appearing around her, she knew she couldn't stay any longer and called out to Onyxia as she prepared to leave.

However, Onyxia was brought to the brink of death by Brutallus, and the "weakened version of Ancient Madness" that Diakum had "hidden" deep within her flesh and blood was activated.

Under the shocked gaze of the two female dragons, the black dragon princess's eyes turned bloodshot as if she had lost her mind. As she approached the great demon, she roared and launched all the bone spikes from her body. The terrifying piercing blows also wounded the abyss lord, igniting its battle frenzy, making it determined to kill this damned female dragon right here.

Its destructive blade was swatted away by Onyxia's claw in her frenzy. The bone spikes that had just been launched rapidly regenerated in that instant, becoming even more ferocious, making the black dragon princess look more like an enraged dragon-shaped hedgehog.

Lightforged World Destroyer Dragon Mode is now activated!
Driven by ancient madness, Onyxia didn't care about getting hurt. She bit down on Brutallus's arm and used her thick dragon claws to tear open the great demon's skin with extreme ferocity. Brutallus screamed in pain, while the Destruction Blade in her other hand continued to pierce the black dragon's body.

But it soon discovered something terrible.

No matter how hard he tried to tear at the dragon's body, her injuries would heal quickly, but his own injuries wouldn't heal on their own. These damned spikes seemed to have a "reflective" effect, meaning the harder he hit, the more passive he would become.
And this black dragon has gone mad!
She tore off a piece of her own poisonous flesh and swallowed it whole. It seemed that this fel blood had given her new power. Rather than focusing on the simple victory or defeat, Brutall felt that he was facing a terrifying beast that was starving and ready to devour him.

At this point, it's no longer about winning or losing.

The Abyss Lord knew that in this battle, the losers would become the winners' "food"—literally, food!

Most importantly, this damned black dragon is still wreathed in dangerous holy light, which means that if it dies here, it will not be able to return to the Twisting Nether to be resurrected.

If it were any other demon, it would have already tried to escape.

But the Abyss Lord wouldn't do that.

It found this battle very much to its liking, and it had long been fed up with destroying one weak and vulnerable world after another under the orders of the Burning Legion.

It is the proud Annihran, the demon royal family that distorts the void!

It must seize victory here, or become the flesh and blood of the stronger; this is the rule of its kind.

"Come on! This is the real challenge I've been looking for!"

The demigod demon swung its massive tail, smashing the crazed Onyxia away amidst the shattering of mountains and rocks. As Onyxia tumbled to the ground, the demon sprang to life, lunging forward like a mammoth in a desperate fight. The black dragon roared and smashed a fel lord who was trying to ambush it with a claw, flinging its disgusting flesh and blood away before meeting the attack head-on.

The battle between the two behemoths turned the entire Crimson Sanctuary into a living hell.

Mylinsera wanted to go down and help, but Teregosa immediately stopped her.

"Don't go down! You don't know what will happen next. Onyxia will treat every life that comes near her as an enemy, and she will fight them until there is no breath left beside her!"

The blue dragon mother looked at Onyxia's true "hidden phase" with horror, and whispered:

“I sensed the same aura in Karazhan. The Vigilant shared his most powerful strength with Onyxia. This is no longer a battle we can participate in. We must stay far away and not let her sense our presence.”

"But those dragon eggs!"

Princess Green Dragon was kind-hearted. Pointing to the unhatched red dragon eggs on the ground, she said:
“We must take these innocent eggs away. Although the guardian dragons have been lured astray by the Titans, I believe our people will return to the right path. Every child here can become a warrior for Mother Azeroth. We must take these eggs away before their great war completely razes Crimson Sanctuary.”

"Alright then, let's work together, the faster the better."

Tyreggosa, being a blue dragon, knew best the significance of dragon eggs to the dragonflight. She and the green dragon princess immediately slipped down from the edge and carefully collected the dragon eggs.

Half a day later, when the two returned to Stormwind with the badly injured and unconscious Onyxia, even Diakum, who was preparing to head to Uldaman, the "Land of the Titans," was taken aback.

"Just how much fel-elemental flesh and blood did she consume?"

The Vigilant stepped forward to heal the dragon members of the Lightforged Chapter. As he used Divine Decree: Flash of Light to heal Onyxia, he asked a question.

The blue dragon and the green dragon exchanged a glance and whispered:
"She devoured a pit lord, reducing him to skeletons. She killed that demigod demon named 'Brutallus,' but this is the price she paid. Vigilant, how long will it take for her to recover?"

"To achieve a full recovery, it would conservatively take at least several months, as the contamination from the fel energy flesh-transformation needs to be constantly cleaned up."

With a relieved and satisfied expression, Diakum wiped the blood from the unconscious Onyxia's face and said:

"It was a glorious victory. This hard-fought battle was enough to unleash her vitality and potential more quickly. As the first creation of the Devourer of All Realms, she deserved such power."

"Do we have the same 'thing' inside our bodies too?"

Melinsela said in a slightly scared, low voice:
"Would we go berserk like Onyxia when we're on the verge of death? To be honest, seeing her devour that pit lord alive is giving me nightmares tonight."

“You don’t have that. Your strength is not as good as the black dragon’s in melee combat. Giving you that kind of hidden form would be a waste of your potential.”

The vigilant smiled and said:
"But if you want it, it's not impossible. I feel I have a better grasp of the Curse of Flesh now, so all you have to do is lie there and undergo a flesh remodeling."

"Uh, maybe we shouldn't."

Teregosa waved her hand and said:
“We ranged spellcasters should recognize our place and not always think about going into melee combat. Onyxia alone is enough to be a fierce and resilient character.”

"Yes, yes, that's what I think too."

Mylinsela nodded hastily as well.

The two "little cowardly dragons" then vividly recounted the events that had occurred at Crimson Sanctuary to the Watchers. Upon hearing that Zul'shid had been turned into the "second Lich King" by the Red Dragon Queen, even though Diakum had no liking for that warlock, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the greenskins for a moment.

Red dragons' breath has a peculiar dual effect; it can be used for destruction or for healing. This means that a red dragon that has a complete grasp of its breath can use its flames to do some "terrible" things.

However, the fact that Zul'Gurub was able to force a "true saint" like the Red Dragon Queen to take such ruthless action shows that Zul'Gurub's ability to provoke hatred is truly top-notch.

“We originally intended to take this opportunity to reclaim the Dragon Soul, but that warlock was quite stubborn. Even though he was so badly injured, he was still able to use the power of dreams to drag him back to the rift he controlled.”

Mylinsela said with great helplessness:

"Now that the Green Dragon Legion has been stripped of its dream powers, we can't catch up with them at all. We only managed to bring back the dragon eggs that weren't destroyed."

"Don't worry, that guy's life force has been locked by the Red Dragon Queen."

Teregosa said with a sneer:
“He’s alive now, but it would have been better if he were dead! I’ve never heard of His Majesty Alexstrasza using such a terrible punishment on a life.”

They took out the dragon eggs they had brought back, dozens in total. The good news was that most of them were intact, but the bad news was that some of them had been damaged and broken in the battle.

Dragon eggs are quite fragile before they hatch, and such dragon eggs are destined not to survive.

"What kind of looks are you two giving me? Do you really think a Warrior of Light like me would conduct 'biological experiments' on a red dragon egg without permission? My moral standards aren't that low."

Diakum waved his hand and said:

"Go and give these dragon eggs to Rheastars. She will take good care of them."

Onyxia will stay in Stormwind to recuperate. After you're settled, come with me to the Badlands. Once Lyran has dealt with the diplomatic affairs with the dwarves, we'll enter Uldaman and take care of that Titan facility.

Perhaps you can find some of the evidence you need in it.

"Honorable Devourer of All Realms, our swarm needs those dead dragon eggs." Just as Diakum was about to leave, a weak voice, now more like "Overlord," suddenly came from his shadow, a voice that hadn't been heard for several days.

It explains:

"The Zerg swarm was just attacked by a group of N'Kira. We almost lost our base and suffered terrible casualties before we wiped them out. The Zerg swarm needs to be strengthened, and the dragons, as the guardians personally chosen by the Star Soul of Azeroth, have genes full of potential."

Such superior genes allow severely damaged insect colonies to recover quickly.

When Diakum heard that the Overmind was so weak, he glanced at the Zerg base on the border of the Sea of ​​No Light. What he saw shocked him.

The hive was completely torn apart, with rampant entropy energy surging everywhere. The weakened worker bees were dragging the corpses of the dead Faceless Ones and Kerchiel, as well as some Soul Eater Squid, back into the depths of the hive to rebuild the creep and hatching chambers. Even the Overmind, which had evolved itself into the form of a cerebrate, was badly injured.

Given the swarm's combat style, the fact that even the hive leader had to personally confront the enemy shows just how fierce the previous battles were.

"need any help?"

Diakum asked:

“I can send you a Krahis I just found after completing the contract. With a Krahis general guarding it, your expansion might go more smoothly.”

"Thank you for your kindness, esteemed Lightforger, but we Swarm do not need charity."

The ruler said slowly:
"As you said, the path to becoming king should be shaped by ourselves. Don't look at our current miserable state. In the previous battle, the hydra and zebra army that we sent out also destroyed the enemy's flesh and blood fortress."

Our swarm's territory has expanded more than three times in this battle! More nutrients, more genes, more Shadowforge deposits mean more population, more military power, and a terrifying rate of reproduction.

Haha, such a 'base-trading' tactic is certainly extreme, but the effect is excellent.

Once you survive the upcoming period of weakness, your Shadowchaser swarm will have enough resources to hatch even more powerful warriors.

The more ferocious 'Warrior Bugs,' the more insidious 'Gene Stealers,' and the more deadly 'Assassin Bugs' will all evolve one by one according to the beautiful evolutionary charts you have written in your flesh and blood.

Of course, these members are merely tools for the swarm to advance to the next stage of evolution. The Ultralisk, Leviathan, and Hive Tyrant are the grander goals we pursue, until we finally achieve the 'Great Devourer' that tears apart the starry sea.

This is the fate of the swarm!
We had some doubts at first, but after experiencing the great battle, we no longer have any doubts about dominating the Sea of ​​Darkness in the future.

时间
"All we, the insectoid swarm, need is time, and the dragon genes you possess can greatly shorten that time."

"Then take it."

Diakum looked at the cracked, dead dragon eggs, tore open a rift leading to the warp, and threw the eggs into the Overmind's lair.

He warned:

"Although I don't have time to offer you advice, I have appointed 'Holy Twilight' Saloras as the Archbishop of the Shadowchaser faction. Your Swarm can contact her for anything it needs. She may also need your guidance as a 'senior' as she embarks on her journey through the Light and Shadow."

"You're joking."

The Overlord, its severely wounded and bloated body trembling, let out a whimper that sounded like laughter, and said:

“Every being who enters the Void Path possesses their own ‘Shadow Words.’ Lady Saloras has her own ‘Mentor.’ Your current achievements are all due to your own talent and hard work. The role we played in it was negligible.”

It is not that you have entered into darkness because of us, but that we are able to survive in darkness because of you.

May the glory of shadows be yours, great Lightforger.

Please be patient; your swarm will one day reign supreme over the entire Sea of ​​Darkness!

------

"Wow, these runes are amazing! They must be over 100,000 years old. It's hard to imagine where you found such an amazing artifact."

In Ironforge, a bustling city that seemed never to quiet down, in the grand library and museum between the Arcane District and the Craftsmen's District of this dwarven city, Brann Bronzebeard, the most famous explorer of the dwarves and even the entire eastern continent, was carefully examining the Titan-forged runes before him with a magnifying glass.

Unlike those bastards who would be drawn to the power of this thing, Brian Bronzebeard was truly interested in its "historical value."

As he carefully took notes, he listened to Lyran describe the rise and fall of the Gorian ogre empire, and even the entanglement of Titan creations and the Force of Life in Draenor.

The weighty and mysterious history made the old dwarf Brian's eyes light up, especially after hearing about the glory of the Arakkoa Empire. He couldn't wait to pack his things and go to Draenor.

This enthusiastic old dwarf has an indescribable passion for all historical mysteries. He cares little for power and has no interest in worldly wealth. As he says, he is a pure explorer.

He was proud of it.

"Ms. Lyran, you are the most amazing star traveler I have ever met in my life!"

Brian Bronzebeard praised it highly:

"I must express my highest respect to you, and in the name of explorers, I invite you to join our Explorers' Guild! If you wish, you can even serve as its honorary president! You have traveled to hundreds of planets and seen nearly a thousand civilizations; you are fully qualified."

Furthermore, I believe you must publish your autobiography in Azeroth; all explorers will idolize you.

"Ah, my autobiography? It's 137 books now."

Leland sighed and said:
"Publishing everything would be too difficult, after all, there is so much to record in a journey that spans more than 20,000 years, but I would be happy to join an association composed entirely of explorers."

I used to be in a similar organization, but unfortunately that passionate world was eventually reduced to stardust by the Burning Legion's attack. Although my alien friends have all gone to the Holy Light Realm, it's hard to say what their current situation is.

By the way, how many people are in your Explorers' Guild?

"Uh."

Brian blushed and said awkwardly:

"It's just the beginning, and I haven't figured out the specific charter yet, but with your involvement, everything will fall into place naturally. I've made up my mind! Our first goal is to unravel the mysteries of Draenor's history."

Those fascinating historical mysteries will be unearthed by us! Provided the ogre leader agrees to let us explore their ruins.

“Alright, I can help you make the connection. Headmaster Margok is my nominal mentor, and these Titan-forged runes are a gift from him.”

Lyran laughed heartily, took a large gulp of the sweet dwarven ale, wiped his mouth, and said to Brian Bronzebeard:
"But you also need to use your influence to do me a favor, such as what I just told your brother about the Uldaman ruins. You must evacuate those excavators as soon as possible; what's underground is something you absolutely cannot afford to mess with."

"Uh, this is a bit difficult."

Brian Bronzebeard hesitated for a moment, then said:

"The ruins of Uldaman are related to the origins of the dwarven civilization, which is very important to us."

But I believe that a great traveler like you would never lie about matters concerning the future of civilization. I can persuade my brother to withdraw the excavators and temporarily blockade Uldaman, but the dwarves must send representatives to participate in your operation.

I want to document the secrets beneath Uldaman in their entirety!

If I find out the origin of the dwarves, you cannot stop me from reporting this to my brother.

We dwarves may not be very reliable, but we firmly believe that we are children of the earth and that we were born with a certain mission.

That's absolutely a very important mission!

Seeing Brian's serious expression, Lylan nodded, hesitated for a moment, and still didn't reveal the matter of the Star Soul Lord.

The other party was a very skilled explorer, and Lyran believed that those ancient truths would be enough to convince Brian Bronzebeard and the Bronzebeard dwarves he represented to make the right choice in this matter.

Most importantly, Uncle Diakum asked him to find a way to resolve the dwarves' diplomacy as soon as possible, and he did it in just one day!

Although it was all thanks to Prince Muradin Bronzebeard's letter of introduction, Lyran still had to say that he was really good at making friends!
(End of this chapter)