Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 404, Section 13. Diakum: Fear? I don't have that stuff, look at yours?

Diakum was watching a movie.

It's like having a huge movie theater all to yourself, with only yourself as the audience, and a short film starring you playing on the black and white screen in front of you.

You know what, it feels pretty embarrassing.

Especially when he saw clearly from a third-person perspective the embarrassing lines he had uttered during the Battle of Argus, the War of Draenor, and the War of Azeroth, Dick was so embarrassed he was practically digging his toes into the ground.

If this were in reality, with the strength of a giant's foot, he could carve out a meticulously crafted version of Stormwind in no time.

However, this is just an illusion.

The Sha inherited Y'Shaarj's powerful strength. Manipulating emotions to induce loss of control and ultimately control the mind must be one of the great mysteries of the Void Force. Y'Shaarj was able to become the strongest Old God through this, which means that the energy level of this thing is no lower than that of the Curse of Flesh.

The problem is that a demon is just a demon.

Although they have the same appearance as Y'Shaarj and are full of power and world-destroying momentum when they unleash their strength, their power is like fireflies compared to the bright moon when compared to the seven-headed behemoth.

Not worth mentioning.

Does Diakum have emotions?

Of course he does.

He is also moved when he witnesses Lao Hou's repentance and sacrifice; when he is close to Nelly, he also feels happy and relaxed as a result of the release of pressure.

The overwhelming sense of accomplishment when witnessing fate change due to one's intervention goes without saying.

Even with each shift in light and shadow, Diakum would have a strange "minotaur" sensation, always feeling like an incorrigible scoundrel, repeatedly oscillating between dignified holy light and alluring void.

Sigh, someone like me will probably end up with a "hammer and a boat" in the future, right?

Either the Holy Light and the Void will clash, or Nellie and the Twins will fight. Perhaps in the distant future, Nellie will be carrying her "Holy Skull" and boarding the Naaru spaceship bound for the Star Sea.

Hmm, thinking about it carefully, it's actually a bit scary.

However, the two demons' best efforts to stir up trouble and disrupt Diakum's mind could only produce the subtle ripples mentioned above.

It's like a still, ancient well being rippled by the bleak autumn wind, bidding farewell to the late autumn that is about to pass.

And it's even made to look poetic.
The problem is, you're currently being subjected to a mental interrogation by two demons. Isn't being so calm a bit too disrespectful to us demons?

"That's it?"

Diakum, trapped within the Sha illusion, curled his lip and gestured a "hound" sign towards the two Sha that had returned empty-handed, taunting them:

"Are you guys even up to par? You dare call this the remains of Y'Shaarj? C'Thun's visions of death are more powerful than yours."

Ding!
Justice has been served and the release has been successful.

The evil spirits of doubt and fear were enraged!

So they increased their efforts again, refusing to believe that this alien truly had no doubts about his past or any fear of his future.

C'Thun?

How can C'Thun, that idiot who only scares people with his eyes, be compared to Y'Shaarj?

It doesn't deserve any feathers!

The mighty C'Thun, capable of sending bricks flying, isn't even worthy of licking the toes of the "skill-based" Y'Shaarj! Today, I'll show you what it means to be "deeply suspicious and consumed by fear."

The combined efforts of the two resulted in the complete absorption of the malevolent energy permeating the area around the Azure Dragon statue.

The Sha of Doubt needs every bit of power to find Diakum's psychological weakness, while in the Overlord's Chamber beneath the Mantid Temple in the Dread Wastes, the Sha of Fear, being worshipped, begins to stir wildly.

Its malevolent energy is constantly being drawn from a distance and applied to Diakum's mind.

This scene caused the Fiend of Madness, the Fiend of Wrath, and the Fiend of Hatred, who were enshrined in the secret chamber along with the Fiend of Fear, to turn their "eyes" around. They looked at the Fiend of Fear, whose power was being extracted, with suspicion.

A fierce, swirling wind arose, as if asking:
"Dude, what are you doing? Why are you betting your entire savings? Are you that addicted to gambling?"

The demon clearly has its own thoughts.

They are born from the emotions of mortals, and the more they devour, the stronger they become. The two demons are not just putting up a fight now. They have seen the weight of Diakum's soul. If they can share it with him, they will shed their weakness and restore some of the glory of the Seven-Headed Beasts that poisoned the world.

As a result, more "spiritual interrogations" followed.

Diakum's life seemed to be divided into many points at this moment. He felt his will being cut apart in a strange way, allowing him to return to a certain moment in the past at the same time.

He stood in the darkness of the Academy of Arcane Arts, pondering how to kill Archimonde; he stood before the demonic power of Sachiel, roaring as he tried to purify the demon.

He stood amidst the mountains of Krokun, ready to accept the heavy world contract; he lay prostrate on the wasteland of the Antoran Plains, gritting his teeth as he fought against the demons.

Even when facing the Dark Titan head-on.
On the final battlefield of Macare, the maimed Diakum gazed at the towering figure of the Lord of Demons in the distance, and everything around him seemed to freeze.

The ominous sign of doubt lingers in whispers.

It doubted whether Diakum was still resolute at this point. Was there not even the slightest possibility that he would choose to surrender to Sargeras and embark on a glorious life of ruling over demons?

The Fearful Demon roars.

It simply doesn't believe that anyone could face the Dark Titan without feeling fear, and fear is its weapon. If Diakum shows even a hint of cowardice, it can use it as a blade to cut through his indestructible mind.

Above this desolate battlefield, the vigilant observes "his past self" from a third-party perspective.

He saw the Dark Titan from his memories, and the distant past had never been as vivid as it was today. It was as if he had truly returned to that day, reliving the humiliation of his desperate escape from his homeland.

I am angry, I am in pain, I am filled with self-blame. If he had tried a little harder, could he have changed the past tragedy?

A mix of emotions swirled within Diakum, leaving him with mixed feelings, but this did not affect the ongoing "ritual."

The demon was not torturing him in his present state, but in his past.

The current Vigilant is incredibly powerful and cannot be psychologically breached, but he was weak enough in the past to perhaps find a way to break the deadlock.

That's what makes them so difficult. They won't be foolish enough to try something they don't want to achieve. Even a child's fear can be exploited. And how can a young Diakum resist the invasion of the Sha?
Memories can be infiltrated! Emotions can be stirred!
The past determines one's present and future, and who can guarantee that their mind will remain clear throughout their life? If one's will falters at a few crucial junctures, even the strongest giant will crumble.

So the Sha were watching Diakum, and the Vigilant were watching their past selves.

Both sides were eagerly anticipating what choice Dick would make in the face of the psychological attack.

Dick, whose body was blown to pieces on the battlefield, seemed somewhat bewildered. At that time, he was still very "naive" and stared at the "time stop" around him, seemingly not understanding what had happened to him. He tilted his head as he stared at the Fiend of Doubt and the Fiend of Fear behind him.

A strange smile then appeared on his blood-stained face.

He knew where the enemy was, and he knew who the enemy was.

Then, under the "terrified" gaze of the two demons, the wounded warrior bent down, picked up a handful of Naru fragments from the ground, and limped toward them.

doubt?

No!

He never regretted taking up arms and leading the people in rebellion when the demons of Argus arrived.

fear?

No!

He was not afraid of Sargeras.

The Dark Titan cannot be defeated, but He is not invincible. Diakum knows how to deal with Sargeras; he will be cautious, but not so fearful as to be unable to act.

"puff"

The light blade pierced through the body, tearing open the purplish-red shell of the Fearful Fiend, allowing black and white light to burst forth within. It then dug out the black heart from its body and tasted its flavor.

Y'Shaarj's Claw of Terror screamed, and Y'Shaarj, seeing the situation was bad, tried to retreat, but was pounced on by the blood-stained Diakum, who howled and plunged another blade into his twisted black and white limbs.

Mental illusions are mysterious things. If demons can manipulate power within them, it means that those they control can do the same.

Once you find the trick!
The two demons were routed by Diakum from 20,000 years ago. On this battlefield of memories, the former Diakum dropped his light blade, raised his head, and stared at the present him.

Have you ever given up?

He asked a question in the past.

He shook his head and said seriously:
"I'm still moving forward."

"Wish you a safe journey."

A bright smile appeared on Diakum's blood-stained face as he spoke, turning into collapsing sand to symbolize the dissipation of this memory node.

Then comes the next one.

In the frozen corridor of memories, the Vigilant watched himself, clad in the armor of the guiding light and wielding the Ashbringer, slay the Sha of Fear. In the darkness of Highmaul, he swung his sword into the head of the Sha of Doubt.

Amidst his lamentations of doubt, he cried out:
Did you hesitate?

"I'm still moving forward!" "Please be more determined."

Then comes the third one.

On the shattered observatory of Karazhan, against the backdrop of the clash between the armies of fel and void, the Ancient Fury, like a mad beast, tossed the Blackheart of the Sha of Fear into his mouth, chewing it voraciously, letting the black and white liquid flow from the corners of his lips.

In the corner, trembling with fear, the Demon of Doubt was being torn apart and devoured by a hand. He whimpered like a monster:
Have you ever regretted it?

"I'm still moving forward."

"Then go ahead."

In the fourth "exhibition room" of the Hall of Memories, in the dark sanctuary of C'Thun, two Sha demons, resembling chicks, were grabbed by the heads by the Devourer of Worlds and shoved into the black blood of the Old Gods to drown.

At that horrifying murder scene, his void form turned his head 180 degrees and asked in a sinister tone in Shaslar:

Have you ever despaired?

"I am still moving forward, in the light and in the shadow."

"Then I wish you all the best."

Diakum continued walking forward.

The fifth corridor of memories is, unsurprisingly, the site of the final battle at Mount Hyjal, but this time the Sha of Fear and the Sha of Doubt are nowhere to be seen.

The two Sha didn't even come here; only a disappointed Diakum stood in the light of the World Tree's destruction.

He said to himself back then:

"The two cowards got scared. They knew they couldn't win, so they ran away."

"They can't escape."

The vigilant shrugged and said:

"But I've also started to reflect. Tell me, do we really never experience fear, doubt, despair, anger, arrogance, hatred, or pride?"

"Of course we do. We're human too, how could we not have these negative emotions?"

Under the World Tree, Diakum spread his hands and chanted like a pastor preaching:

"Those emotions are not enough to stop us. When the goal is clear enough, all the obstacles along the way are trials."

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, and what doesn't stop us only makes us more determined.

We haven't forgotten where we're going.

"We have not forgotten where we came from."

The vigilant nodded and said goodbye to himself:

"I'm going to deal with those two punks. You can continue here. Remember Cenarius has a second phase later."

"Are you stupid? This isn't time travel! This is just your memory. The past is fixed here. Tch, Y'Shaarj's world-devouring power is now reduced to such a pathetic trick."

Go ahead.

Arrest them! Arrest all seven of them!

It will be very useful in the future.

"Ah."

He blinked, reached out and grabbed the edge of this demonic space, and with a casual tear, ripped the demon's trick apart amidst the explosion of collapsing entropy energy.

When the Vigilant opened his eyes beneath the Azure Dragon statue, two black and white plumes of malevolent energy were swirling around. The malevolent Twilight Hammer, though unwielded, lashed out fiercely, each strike greedily devouring the malevolent energy.

The two ferocious monsters were utterly powerless against the Twilight Hammer.

Upon seeing the Void Eye on Diakum's shoulder spinning and locking onto them, the Sha of Fear and the Sha of Doubt let out shrieks and wails. They turned to run but were pulled back by the Entropy Chains thrown by the Devourer of Realms.

"You can't eat these now, they'll upset your stomach. We're going to use them as 'bait' to catch a real big fish, and then I'll allow you to feast to your heart's content."

endure!"

Dick patted Twilight's hammer.

The latter howled with intense longing, but ultimately remained loyal and quiet.

The chilling entropy of darkness transforms into a black cage resembling a ghostly claw, trapping the weakened demons within, leaving them struggling but unable to break free from the grip of another void.

The watchman put his hand to his mouth and whistled loudly, seemingly calling his loyal hounds.

A moment later, a robust elite leaping insect, as strong as a calf, hopped over with something in its mouth, circled the Lightforged Lord twice, and then handed the Dark Empire Blade from its mouth to Dick.

The hilt of this dark, malevolent creature still bore the green blood of a mantis demon.

Hmm, this blood still carries fresh vitality. It seems even the legendary "unharmed" has been breached.

"Let's go back."

Dick patted the ferocious head of the jumping bug and instructed it:

"The Mantis Heroes are excellent genetic material beings. Each of them has unique abilities, which the Overlord must not swallow whole. He must chew them slowly to savor their flavor. Establish a branch base and cultivate a special force."

We'll need it in a while.

"Ow"

The leaping insect cried out a few times, then turned and rushed into the rift in the Sea of ​​Darkness torn open by Twilight's Hammer.

At the moment it charged into the insect nest, one could still vaguely see a mantis demon hero desperately fighting its way through the endless sea of ​​insects.

The good news is that the uninjured will not die.

The bad news is that only after its last vestige of genes has been slowly devoured and it has endured endless suffering will the Overmind allow it to join the swarm.

This is punishment for the "blasphemous insect".

"Do you two want to continue?"

Diakum raised the Dark Empire's Blade, which he had regained, and said to the two Sha demons trapped in the Entropy Cage:
"Come back obediently, or should I 'help' you?"

A crack then appeared in the cold cage, and under the watchful eyes of the vigilant, two fiends transformed into black and white smoke that swirled around the blade of the Dark Empire before pouring into it like mercury.

This dagger is said to have been made from the claws of Y'Shaarj, which "locked" the Sha back into it, preventing any further leakage of its dangerous mental powers.

"I've solved a problem for you, so remember to treat me to a meal when we meet later. Plain noodles, steamed buns, stir-fried potatoes, eggplant, green peppers, bamboo rice, or anything like that is fine. I haven't had anything good to eat in such a long, long time."

The Vigilant disperses its ethereal form, allowing the light to return to its body.

Surrounded by golden cherubs, he reached out and patted the jade sculpture beside him, grinning and making a joke.

The Pandaren's jade craftsmen used their unparalleled skills to carve this Eastern Azure Dragon that encircles the pillar, but few people know that this statue is not just a spectacle; it also involves the "reincarnation" of the Jade Dragon Celestial Venerable.

That's a very complex concept.

Simply put, the four Supreme Celestials of Pandaria do not go to the Emerald Dream, therefore the cycle of the Wisdom Celestials must take place in the material world.

Diakum surveyed the battlefield and pointed, and soon a large number of worker bees rushed out from the rifts in the Sea of ​​No Light, dragging the corpses from the battlefield back to the hive.

Although such a small amount of biomass is negligible given the current size of the Shadow Chaser swarm, it shouldn't be wasted.

Once the area was cleaned up again, Diakum nodded in satisfaction, then summoned his mythical mount, the Moon Goddess Sword Reindeer, and rode towards the Azure Dragon Temple.

This reindeer has a very exaggerated appearance.

It was almost a carbon copy of Malorne, and the characteristics of the Holy War Steed covered it with sturdy armor. Its large horns, which looked like many swords, looked extremely majestic. The intense feeling of being hit by this reindeer at high speed was almost indescribable.

Most importantly, it is handsome and elegant in appearance, and when it walks, a ray of moonlight shines on it, even giving Diakum, who rides on it, a touch of "divinity".

Along the way, the panda people curiously observed this strange stranger, and some even offered Diakum tea.

They knew about the battle at the dragon statue and that a group of powerful outsiders had helped the monks of the Temple of the Azure Dragon. Therefore, when Diakum arrived at the entrance of the Temple of the Azure Dragon, he was covered with gifts from the enthusiastic Pandaren.

Steaming hot buns, delicious eight-treasure rice, sweet fruit wine, crispy candied fruit, and flavorful smoked meat, etc.

Even the incredibly divine Great Horned Deer was covered in these simple gifts; one might mistake them for Eredar merchants strolling into Pandaria.

As Diakum leaped off the reindeer, three elders from the Qinglong Temple were already waiting ahead.

"Welcome, guest from afar."

The traveling scholar Shi Bu stepped forward and bowed. Dressed in a scholar's long robe, he gestured for the traveler to enter and said:

"The Jade Celestial Venerable is waiting for you, and there is a hot meal prepared for the hero."

(End of this chapter)