Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 41: The Exile's Glorious Determination [Update Countdown 41/1]

Grand Archon Velen regained consciousness three days after the Genedar set sail.

With the three guardian Naaru taking turns to heal him, his injuries were not serious enough to require rest, but more of a drain on his mental and physical strength.

Previously, in order to protect Kil'jaeden and the warriors, Velen almost took the self-detonation attacks of three temporarily promoted great demons head-on. That was a destructive force that was enough to destroy the city, but Velen absorbed all of it with the power bestowed by the Holy Light. It can be seen how much this prophet is loved by the Holy Light.

However, he had tried his best to this extent, but still failed to save the things he wanted to save. After waking up, his first reaction was to call out to Kil'jaeden, but the only response he got was cold silence and suppressed crying.

When Velen saw that he was surrounded by only his wife, son, and the priests with sad faces, he realized that he had lost his brother forever.

Despite his best efforts to resist, a terrible dark fate still befell him.

This cruel reality seemed to be a punishment from the cold fate for the prophet's disobedience, but Velen did not remain depressed for too long. As the Grand Archon, he had too many things to deal with. At this critical moment, he did not even have time to cry.

Although the total number of civilians and soldiers on the Genedar was only over 100,000, and Governor Hatton had already established a new administrative system in the previous few days, the uneasy people still needed spiritual comfort.

The appearance of their Grand Archon at this time will undoubtedly help the people regain their will as soon as possible.

More importantly, the Naaru spacecraft has not yet left this star field.

The other Naaru starships were still within contact range, and the Naaru deliberately slowed down their sailing speed in order to give Velen a last chance to give an inspiring speech to all the Eredar.

This is also his last chance as Grand Archon to adjust the structure of various immigration starships.

Wei Lun knew the value of this opportunity.

He needed to prepare before he could convey his instructions and blessings to his people, but just as the Prophet was preparing the manuscript, an unexpected "visitor" arrived on the Genedar spacecraft.

Its appearance almost immediately aroused the vigilance of the garrison officers, but the latter claimed that it was a messenger of "Mother of Holy Light" Zera, who came to meet with the Grand Archon of the Eredar and had very important matters to discuss.

This news was reported to Velen, and only when the Prophet personally arrived at the watchtower on the top floor of the starship did he fully understand why his garrison officers were so nervous.

Because the one who came was a Nathrezim
Well, a dreadlord wrapped in holy light!

Frankly speaking, putting the two words "holy light" and "dreadlord" together makes people feel like laughing. What's more, the warriors of Argus had just experienced the tragedy of the destruction of their country and the loss of their families. The fact that they did not kill this demon as soon as they saw it proved that they still maintained basic sanity.

Mainly because this thing is too weird
It was like seeing strawberry dumplings with ketchup for the first time.

This thing is so strange that even the strong-minded veterans of the Hand of Argus, who believe in slaying demons, have a first reaction of curiosity rather than killing it.

Everyone is curious about what kind of unimaginable miracle this Nathrezim had experienced that allowed it to appear before everyone in such a strange appearance.

"I am the messenger of Lady Zera, the Mother of Light. My name is Lothraxion. My companions call me the 'Redeemer,' but I do not believe I am qualified to use such a glorious title. Lord Velen, Grand Archon of the Eredar, I humbly pay my respects to you on behalf of the Mother of Light."

This Nathrezim, who was wrapped in holy light and seemed to be forged from flowing light, had an elegant posture and spoke fluently, even with a hint of Mac'Aree's accent, which made Velen, who was looking at it warily, feel a strange sense of "familiarity".

But he did not let down his guard, but said indifferently:
"I believe you are a servant of the Holy Light, but our conversation must be conducted under the witness of our guardian Naaru! Nathrezim, because of the shameless crimes committed by your compatriots against the Eredar, if you have evil intentions, you should flee now!"

"Of course, Archon, I appreciate your vigilance and your desire to protect your people, and I am willing to submit to the Naaru's testing."

The Lightforged Dreadlord who calls himself "Lothraxion" said politely:

"But considering that we both don't have much time, can we start talking right away?"

"Escort it to the navigation station!"

Velen leaned on a Redeemer Staff commonly used by Eredar priests and said to the Chosen One beside him:
"Take the emergency exit! Don't let the people see it coming. The last thing our people need right now is extra mental stimulation."

"Ah."

The sturdy Chosen One of the Light nodded, and the Lightforged Dreadlord obediently put on the crystal shackles used to restrain magic.

Judging from the helpless expression on its pale face that was shining with holy light, it seemed that it had long been accustomed to this unfriendly treatment.

There's no way around it. Anyone who knows how the Nathrezim behave will not be kind to them. The Dreadlord is one of those unlucky guys who is born with the negative status of "-10000 reputation with all factions". It's no exaggeration to say that he is hated by both humans and demons.

The most important thing is that when everyone hates them, they are the least competitive.

They are born with a penchant for conspiracy and chaos, willing to commit any unrelated evil deeds, daring only to do the slightest good. They are complete scoundrels. They are so unpleasant that even the other demons in the Burning Legion, known for their "family of demons," are disliked.

It soon arrived at the navigation station as a prisoner, escorted by the Chosen People of Holy Light holding shining spears.

The guardian Naruk Ulei stood in front. The warm holy light became stern and indifferent at this moment, sweeping over the Nathrezim. If it was confirmed that it had concealed anything, it would bring down the fire of holy light and burn it.

But compared to the Naaru in front of him, this "Holy Light Demon Lord" was more concerned about the sarcophagus placed in front of the navigation station. It seemed to sense some potential danger, so it stayed in front of the sarcophagus and did not approach it.

Facing Velen's doubts, Lothraxion took the initiative to explain:
"Your 'saint's remains' contain an extremely aggressive holy light. I have never seen such a destructive force of justice even among the fanatical followers of the Mother of Light. Although I have been forged by light, such power cannot discern my mind.

As long as I dare to get close, the burning white holy flame will burn me mercilessly.

It's really surprising.

Could the naturally gentle Eredar be so extreme in their pursuit of the Light?"

"Have some respect, you devil bastard!"

Governor Hatton, who was summoned to participate in the discussion, blew his beard and glared at him, scolding:
"Diachem isn't dead! He's just asleep. Sooner or later, my child will awaken with the wrath of the Holy Light and burn all of you, the demons who deserve to go to hell, to death! That's the only ending you deserve!"

"Uh, well, I don't intend to argue my side any further, but with all due respect, Mr. Diakum is not in good condition right now. If you don't come up with a solution, he might never wake up."

Losakson explained:
"Being trapped between life and death is a horrible experience for a soul. It has lost its basic perception of the material world, but due to the curtain of holy light, it cannot enter the world of the dead. If you cannot find a way to call it back, then its will can only wander forever in that realm that belongs neither to the living nor to the dead.

Until his mind collapses or his body decays.

The Mother of Holy Light may have a way to awaken this hero blessed by the Holy Light. In fact, this is also the reason why I came here.

Lady Zera hopes to reach a long-term agreement with the eredar concerning war and redemption."

Having said that, the Holy Light Demon King raised his head and looked directly at Velen and Hatton.

It patiently explained:
"The Thirty Days' War fought by the Eredar before the fall of Argus was the most astonishing miracle of war in the material world!
Before you, no world targeted by demons had ever been able to hold out for so long, and was able to launch a resolute counterattack that caused heavy casualties to the demons. It is no exaggeration to say that during that period of time, I could hear the wailing and screaming coming from the twisting void even with my eyes closed.

Not only did you kill those powerful and invincible demons, you even taught them fear!
The lower-level demons would even resist orders out of fear. They were unwilling to join Argus's meat grinder war, which was an unprecedented spectacle.

Lady Zera therefore saw the infinite potential of the Eredar.

In fact, when we were constantly saving worlds ravaged by demons, we had been preparing to form a legion specifically for fighting demons.

It is composed of exiles whose homes were destroyed by demons. They carry anger and hatred towards the Burning Legion. Under the leadership and protection of Ms. Zera, they use the entire starry sea as a battlefield and fight demons in every world that needs help!

Just like we rescued Argus, we can protect more innocent people through continuous struggle.

The civilization of the Eredar has been continued, but there are many more worlds in the starry sea that do not have your power. Faced with the invasion and destruction of demons, all they can do is desperately fight and pray.

In fact, most of those destroyed civilizations lacked the means to even call upon the protection of the Holy Light, and when the Naaru's starships arrived there, all they saw was a scorched and polluted ruin.

Life is precious, Grand Consul and Governor.

The Mother of Light longs to protect more lives, but she lacks warriors who are available and determined enough.

The Eredar are full of wisdom and strength. If the dark titan Sargeras needs to recruit you to lead his demonic army, then we, the protectors who carry out salvation in the name of the Holy Light, should do the same!

"Are you humiliating us?"

Hatton couldn't stand this demon anymore. He knocked the ancient stone staff on the ground and said fiercely:
"How dare you speak openly of the eredar's greatest disaster? Lord Commander Kil'jaeden's fall is heartbreaking, but you must understand! It's not because he was weak! It's simply because our Lord Commander sacrificed himself to protect his people!
Can a creature like you truly comprehend such a noble sacrifice?"

"Indeed, Lord Commander Kil'jaeden's deal with the Dark Titan is truly moving."

Lothraxon changed the subject and said:
"But because of this, the Eredar should not give up hope of saving Lord Commander Kil'jaeden and the Man'ari. Do you know why Lady Zella sent me as an envoy?

She hopes to use my transformation to prove to you that the infusion of fel energy is not incurable!

Although we Nathrezim have special physiques and are more easily affected by energy and converted to the Force camp, the followers of Ms. Zera have been inspired by my changes and are currently studying the mysteries of 'Light Forging'.

It is an advanced technique that uses holy light to permanently strengthen the physical and mental aspects of the Force Walker.

If it is proven to be feasible, perhaps we can bring the fallen back to the world of light by infusing them with holy light.

This means that there may still be a chance to save Lord Commander Kil'jaeden's dark fate!
But the prerequisite is that we must form the 'Legion of Light'!
This is really important.

We must gather those warrior races across the starry sky who dare to fight against demons, and temper our military strength in war after war, so that we can grow to the point where we can fight Sargeras' dark servants head-on and carry out salvation.

Only in that case can we find an opportunity to attack the demon's base.

Only then will we have a chance to bring back those of your brethren who have fallen into the demonic realm. Under the current circumstances, there's no race more suitable than the Eredar to serve as the initial recruits for the Legion of Light. You've proven yourselves in the war against demons. We only need a few experienced veterans to establish the Legion of Light.

I know this will take a long time, whether it's training soldiers or maintaining the war, it will take a time long enough to make mortals despair, but the Eredar are immortal! As long as you are determined, you will surely see the arrival of an era of shining hope."

Lothraxon's words were sincere, but his proposal made both Velen and Hatun look unhappy.

The reason was simple: while the Mother of Light's invitation was legitimate and its purpose was noble, its essence was nothing more than to use the eredar, who had just fled their homes, as cannon fodder.
The Holy Light Demon King didn't even hide this fact himself.

It clearly stated that the Legion of Light was just a grand vision and that even the basic framework had not been established. They were completely incapable of fighting demons head-on. In this case, sending their own warriors to join them would be tantamount to sending them to various worlds to die.

But before Velen and Hatton could refuse, Lothraxion spoke again:
"It's absolutely necessary, you two!
The Mother of Light saw the Eredar being blessed by the Star-Soul when they left their homeland. She knew that every Eredar who left their homeland carried a fragment of the will of the Argus Star-Soul. This might be a cruel but effective way to ensure the purity of the Star-Soul's will.

However, you overlooked one thing!
The Dark Titan went to Argus in person just to capture your Star Souls as his weapons of war. How could he allow the will of the Star Souls to wander outside for a long time?

We don't know much about the supreme mysterious existence of the Star Soul, but I think if the Dark Titan is determined, then your escape from Argus will not mean safety.

On the contrary, this is the beginning of suffering.

The demons will try their best to hunt down every Eredar and extract the fragments of the Star Soul in their bodies. You are currently taking Naaru spacecraft to different worlds for refuge. Although those worlds are blessed by the Holy Light, to be honest, none of them are lucky enough to give birth to a Star Soul.

This means that once those worlds are invaded by demons, your people will be in greater danger!

I'm not exaggerating, this is the truth.

We cannot place our safety at the mercy of demons and dark titans.

In this case, if there is a powerful fleet patrolling the starry sea that can respond to calls for help at any time, then when your people are in crisis, the Legion of Light can rush to support them as quickly as possible.

I know that Admiral Svirax, the Eredar's most accomplished admiral, is aboard one of these starships. She and her men are perfectly capable of commanding the Legion of Light's auxiliary fleet. We are willing to hand over command of the future 'Lightforged Fleet' to the Eredar, so you two won't have to worry about us wasting our warriors' lives as expendable.

In fact, the Legion of Light is formed not only to protect those innocent worlds, but also to protect us and yourselves."

The Holy Light Demon King is very eloquent.

It changed its tone to an almost pleading one and said to the two leaders:
"If you have heard of the tragedy of demonic invasions in the astral sea, if you have seen with your own eyes the worlds ravaged by demons, you will realize that the Burning Crusade has not even truly begun!
All the disasters now are just the demons training their forces. Once they have completed their integration, a cosmic disaster sweeping across the starry sea will surface. That is the extension of the more cruel and magnificent "Force War" in the real universe.

No one can stop this unless we prepare for the disaster before it strikes.

The existence of the Holy Light Army is necessary!
We may not be able to save everyone from the demonic hordes, but we can at least rescue the last survivors before every planet is extinguished, just as the naaru responded to the call of the eredar and did their best to save you.

We are all exiles!
Grand Archon and Governor, if you have the power, why don't you take on more responsibilities?

Look at your warriors.

They embarked on the road of exile, but the anger in their hearts did not die out. The hatred of witnessing the occupation of the world was a poison that must be released. The loud war cry must resound through the battlefield of the world where demons are rampant, allowing the Eredar warriors to bring fear to the demons once again!

Only in this way can the shadows in the warriors' hearts be dispelled.

The activities of the Legion of Light will inevitably attract the attention of the demons. As long as we are still fighting in the starry sea, the demons will not have more power to harass the worlds inhabited by the Eredar.

Please trust me!

This is good for both of us. Ms. Zera has contacted many Naaru compatriots who are willing to join her in the rescue. We have enough starships that can be converted into warships, but we lack good warriors.

This is the final piece of the puzzle.”

The Holy Light Demon King's persuasion worked.

Velen noticed that the eyes of the six Chosen of Light who were guarding him all flashed with approval.

Obviously, in the eyes of the warriors, the frustration of being driven out of their homes by the demons is indeed not so easy to dissipate.

The Nathrezim were right.

The anger hidden deep in their hearts must be vented. The Eredar are never afraid of provocation and war. As long as there is a sufficiently ambitious goal, the Eredar will not be afraid of traveling far.

"That's really not a bad thing."

Velen used his telepathic vision to connect with Hatun's spirit. He pondered and said:
"We must find a cause for our people to persevere in, something that will dispel their sorrow for Argus. Destruction and salvation are always the two most fulfilling extremes. Since the demons are determined to follow the path of destruction, we should also embark on a path that is opposite to theirs."

"This devil cub must have evil intentions! I don't believe it."

Hatton replied:
"But if it's a righteous army led by the original naaru, then I think it's feasible. And if the Holy Light can save such a demon, perhaps Kil'jaeden and those warriors who willingly fell to save us can really do it."

"No way."

Velen sighed:
"That dark fate binds my brother. The grim future is not so easily defeated, but I cannot give up this faint hope."

He glanced at Diakam who was sleeping in the coffin and said:

"If it were a warrior like Diakum, he would definitely not refuse the offer to continue battling demons in other worlds. What a pity! He should have been the most outstanding commander and general of the Holy Light Legion. Hatton, do you think we should send Diakum to the Mother of Holy Light?
The messenger said that the Mother of Light could save him."

"buzz"

At this moment, the silent Keure suddenly burst into an ethereal song.

It blocked Viren's proposal.

Apparently, K'ure didn't think sending Dick to Ms. Zella was a good idea.

"The Mother of Light is one of our leaders, a powerful primordial naaru who holds salvation and light in her heart. However, her style of action is rather... well, radical."

Keure explained:

She firmly believes in a mysterious prophecy about the 'Children of Light and Darkness'. She believes that a child of prophecy will eventually emerge from the stars to withstand the Burning Crusade and all threats. Diakom's personality is incompatible with hers, and Diakom hates the way the Naaru use their spirit to influence their followers.

Even if it’s for protection.”

"Is that so?"

Velen remembered what he had seen at the Seat of the Triumvirate not long ago, and nodded regretfully.

After talking with Hatton for a while, he turned back to Lothraxion, who was waiting for a reply, and said:
"The Eredar civilization is not my sole decision, Your Excellency. Governor Hatton and I agree in principle on the necessity of forming the Legion of Light. However, the many starships currently carrying the Eredar all have their own governors and archons. Therefore, we need to hold a vote!
If a majority of Governors and Archons approve of the proposal to raise the Army of the Light, we will grant you the authority to recruit warriors from the lands where the Eredar will later settle.

But it can only be done on a voluntary basis!
You cannot force my people to fight a war that has no end in sight!"

"That's good enough."

The Holy Light Demon King laughed with relief.

Even though they knew this guy was different from other Dreadlords, his somewhat weird laughter still made the surrounding garrisons subconsciously hold their weapons.

After Lothraxon was "invited" to rest, Velen stood in front of the navigation console, looking at the endless dark sea of stars before him. He coughed a few times and said to Governor Hatton:
"What the Excellency just said reminds me, Hatton, we can't just send our people away in the current model."

"Huh? Why?"

Governor Hatton asked doubtfully:
"Have you sensed any danger?"

“There is a real crisis.”

Velen looked at the darkness ahead and said:
"The Dark Titan will not allow the Eredar to live in peace with the fragments of Argus's will. He will surely send vicious demons to hunt our people. The Army of the Light has not yet been raised. If those worlds that are unable to defend themselves are discovered, our people will fall into danger.

There will be no more benevolent star souls to help us this time, so we must make a difficult decision!

What I mean is, our starship can't just dock on a world and hide, we have to keep moving forward!
We must always keep ourselves within the demons' sight, and the Genedar must always attract their attention! We must become a bright enough torch in this vast sea of stars. Only in this way can our people survive in the quieter darkness.

At least the others are safe before the demons catch up with us and kill us."

"Just like when a Krokuun flock of sheep is in danger, the bravest leader will always rush out to fight the hunter, giving the flock time to move and escape. The interests of the majority must be placed above the needs of the minority."

Hatton used a Krokuun term, and after a few seconds of thought, he nodded and said:
"Yes! I agree with your idea, but in order to complete this endless escape, we should transfer the most vulnerable people on the Genedar to other starships. They deserve a safe environment to continue their lives instead of taking such risks with us.

We need resilient vindicators, devout priests, and sharp rangers and spellcasters; we need to assemble a team strong enough to ensure we can retreat from every encounter with the demons."

"Well, think carefully and do it this way."

Velen leaned on the Redeemer's Staff and said:

"We bid our final farewell to our world and our people, and then embark on this one-way journey to the astral sea. The glory of the Eredar has become history. Perhaps from today on, we should call ourselves 'Draenei'.

Let this remind us!
Never forget where we came from and where we are going."

(End of this chapter)