Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 604, Section 65: Isn't it basic procedure to appease the mech spirit before deploying the mech into battle?
Kul Tiras, Drustvar Mountains, Arom Terrace.

Fully armed, Lothar, clutching his Lion Helmet, strode into the well-prepared military camp under the protection of the White Soldiers. Major General Windsor, commander of the Seventh Legion, and his soldiers were in high spirits, and the battle flag of the Stromka Empire fluttered in this cold, high-altitude land.

Besides the Seventh Legion, the Alm's Platform also houses elite warriors from the local Viktor's family and elite cavalry under Sir Norvington. Both are local nobles loyal to Kul Tiras and are powerful nobles who wield military authority.

They stood firmly by Prince Drake's side amidst the ensuing chaos, and it was their persistence and resistance that gave the Imperial fleet a safe rear base in Drustvar where they could land.

Although the roads in this dark mountainous region are difficult to traverse and supplies are scarce, making it hardly a suitable rallying point, if even the Drustvar Mountains are occupied by Void fiends, then the Empire will have to rally its forces from Mechagon or even further to Zandalari if it wants to wage war against Kul Tiras.

From a strategic perspective, such a plan was nothing short of a tragedy.

Therefore, the assistance of these two local nobles is truly invaluable in the current situation. Most importantly, Earl Wickreth and Sir Norvington also brought a highly credible message to the Imperial Army.

Her Majesty Daelin is currently in Kul Tiras!
This news made Lothar question his life. If these two local nobles had seen Dalene in person at Proudmoore Fortress in Boralus, then who was the old sailor beside him?

Queen Catherine and Lady Gold Sword both confirmed that it was indeed Daelin, but the local nobles could not possibly mistake their monarch. Therefore, the most reasonable explanation at present is that there are two Daelins in the world at the same time.

Well, I have to say, no matter how many times this seemingly most reasonable explanation is said, it will still seem absurd to Lothar.

After confirming that the news was not a joke, he even went through the Saviors' channels to contact Ms. Aegwynn. She did not seem surprised and then said that, for the sake of safety, it was best not to let the two Dalene meet casually, so as to avoid uncontrollable problems from arising in the middle.

She will come to Kul Tiras to "treat" the two Daelin as soon as the war in Ulduar ends.

It was this contact that allowed Lothar to learn about the real-time situation on the battlefield of Ulduar in the far north. Therefore, as the army was about to set off, Lothar shared this information with his commanders.

"Commanders!"

The marshal shouted loudly in the temporary command post:

"While we were launching our operations in Kul Tiras, another group of saviors with noble spirits and fervent wills were liberating and saving Ulduar, the Titan city on the continent of Northrend."

You may not have heard of this place, but I tell you that two Old Gods remain in our world as minions of the Void to harm us. N'Zoth, the Thousand-Bearded Demon, is currently wreaking havoc in Kul Tiras, while his evil brother, Yogg-Saron, the Thousand-Throat Demon, lurks in the shadows of Ulduar.

Two evil beings have formed an alliance to fight against their impending divine punishment!

What I want to tell you is that we are not alone in this war; we have credible allies advancing alongside us, even in the shadow cast by the Old Gods.

The righteous are never alone!
Most importantly, while we drive N'Zoth into a corner with our mortal swords and will, I can guarantee that the fiend in hell will receive absolutely no help from its evil brethren!

Lothar paused, seeing the gleam in the eyes of the commanders before him, and added fuel to the fire, roaring:

"We are not content with merely destroying the evil Camarilla under N'Zoth's command! We have launched a war to exterminate all those who have harmed us! This is the founding war of the Sdomka Empire, and we will use the corpse of an Old God who died at the hands of mortals to proclaim the rise of human civilization to the whole world!"
Commanders, warriors, let us march from the mountains of Drustvar toward the Tiragarde Straits!
Let us raise our battle flags outside Boralus and show the Old Gods and their evil masters our courage and strength!
"I command!"

"Swish"

The commanders before them straightened their backs in unison, awaiting their commander's orders.

"The Seventh Legion is breaking through towards Xiaowan Town along the mountain road, with Butcher's Harbor as its target! The Vekres family army and the Thorn Whisperer Druids have crossed the valley to capture Arrowbone Town for our army! Within two days, the entire Drustvar Mountains will be under our control."

Lothar gave a clear tactical objective, and the commanders responded in unison, turned and left, followed by the sound of bugles.

But Lothar did not leave with the army. Instead, he stayed in the temporary command post. After waiting for a while, the commander of MI7 appeared in the shadows.

Lady Pasonia, whom we haven't seen for a long time, has come in person this time. As the former intelligence chief of the Stormwind Kingdom and now the Stomka Empire, her presence on the battlefield shows how much Lothar values ​​this battle and has mobilized all the resources under his command.

"The situation in the Tiragarde Strait is worse than expected."

Pasonia solemnly reported to her monarch:

"Both routes from Drustvar into Tiragarde Sound have been blocked by the Ashvane family's army. Shaw and I infiltrated and scouted both locations, and I regret to inform you that both the Visionary's minions have been stationed there."

Countless Kershir sorcerers and faceless barbarians maintain the guise of humanity, and once war breaks out in their territory, these evil beings will not hesitate to use their Void Evil Power.

Although the Apostolic Guard can suppress them, the combined number of Apostolic Guard paladins and priests we have is only enough to focus our attacks on one location.

You have to make strategic trade-offs.

"How blasphemous!"

Lothar cursed:

"Those usurpers of the Ashvane family have resorted to any means for their pathetic power and ambition, allowing humans and Void fiends to live together? Isn't that forcing innocent people to die? After capturing that madman, I will personally purify him!"

But what about making a choice?

Do not!
Ms. Passonia, I have no intention of making any compromises.

Ser Fordring will lead the Guardians with Lord Wickreth to Arrowbone, from where they will storm the Guardians' Domain and cleanse the fortress of all Void Fiends. As for the Abyssal Legion at Butcher's Harbor...
I'll personally lead the men to deal with it.

"What weapons should we use?"

Ms. Pasonia was not surprised by this decision. She flexed her wrist, which was adorned with a menacing bladed fist, and said:
"The Emperor's Sword in your hand is fearless of the void because of its great power, but ordinary warriors do not have such divine weapons. We cannot let our warriors face Khesar and the Faceless Ones directly. The spirit of mortal warriors is not enough to fight against those supernatural beings."

"We have our own methods."

Lothar made a mysterious gesture and said to the intelligence chief:
"You no longer need to worry about the situation in Drustvar. After we have taken control of the north and south passages, we will split into two groups to encircle Boralus. The next battle in Tiragarde Strait will just need time to proceed."

But as you and I both know, the key to whether Kul Tiras can be reclaimed lies in the cultists' stronghold.

Stormsong Valley, or more precisely, the Temple of Stormsong, is of paramount importance.

Therefore, I request that you leave Shore in Tiragarde Strait to assist our advance, while you yourself should proceed to Stormsong Valley immediately.

There's a secret force of ours there!
They will arrive on the battlefield in three days at most, at which point you and your assassins will need to guide them in a devastating decapitation strike against the Temple of Storms.

This secret instruction made Ms. Passonia blink.

She gained a clearer understanding of Emperor Lothar's "diplomatic skills." No matter the battlefield, this emperor could always inexplicably find aid from people no one could have imagined.

Without asking any further questions, the intelligence chief bowed to Lothar and retreated into the shadows.

As she left the Alom Terrace, another unassuming middle-aged assassin approached her. This was none other than the renowned "Duke" Jorah, leader of Ravenholdt Manor and the League of Assassins.

After the war in the Eastern Continent came to an end, this astute fellow decisively switched sides to the Empire and is now seeking to "launder" his image and secure a position under Emperor Lothar. As someone who once controlled most of the Eastern Continent's underworld, Jorah was keenly aware that Passonia harbored some secrets, which destined her to remain in the position of Imperial Intelligence Chief for long, while her protégé, Shaw, was still too young.

If Emperor Lothar doesn't intend to appoint aliens as imperial intelligence officers, isn't this my chance?

What is the point of wielding power in the underworld compared to serving the supreme monarch in the imperial court?

"We're going to Stormsong Valley."

Ms. Pasonia said in a hoarse voice to her old acquaintance:

"Our goal is to assist the Empire in breaching the Storm Temple. It's dangerous, but Jorah, if you intend to gain new status and a future for yourself and your followers through military merit, then I think you should work harder."

I won't hide it from you.

She touched her bladed fist and said:
"After assisting His Majesty Lothar in this founding war, I will resign from my post and head to the stars. I have already used my connections to book a ticket for me through the Astral Consortium in the Void."

My enemy's location in the Star Sea has been determined, but the position of Imperial Intelligence Officer can't remain vacant forever.

Master Garona has assisted His Majesty Lothar for far longer than you have.

"But she's just a little girl."

Duke Giolazzi stroked his mustache and said with a smile:
"His Majesty the Emperor needs a more experienced person to head the Imperial Intelligence Department, but I think I understand what you mean, Pasonia. I will show you and His Majesty the loyalty and competence of Ravenholdt Manor."

In truth, if we assassins are destined to become tools in the hands of the powerful, then I am honored to demonstrate the sharpness of our blades for my future employers.

------

"Faster! Faster, pilots!"

The teleportation from Dalaran is about to begin. We'll be teleported directly to Butcher's Harbor, where we'll begin the first-ever 'airborne operation' in the history of the Stomkar Empire—no, in the entire history of human civilization!
What an honor!

Below Dalaran, which floats in the sea off the Isle of Mechagon, in a temporary assembly point converted from the former sewer system, the Stonewall Brigade soldiers are operating in an orderly fashion under the command of General Blackmore.

They continuously carried heavy ammunition boxes and toolboxes used by ground crew, while three hundred improved goblin mechs stood in fifteen formations in different areas of this vast sewer system. All spellcasters skilled in teleportation magic in Dalaran had been conscripted and were testing the accuracy of teleportation beacons here.

The monks were also very nervous.

This was the first time they had supported the war in the mortal realm in this way, and most of the mages were learned people who had studied engineering to some extent. Therefore, the spellcasters were well aware of the difficulty in building these steel mechs that were now in front of them.

They couldn't understand how Emperor Lothar could "conjure" such extravagant weapons of war.

"This is a real-world test! Imperial pilots, you are all elites carefully selected from various units. His Majesty the Emperor trusts you and therefore entrusts you with the most advanced weapons in the Empire."

This weighty trust must be repaid with perfect results.

You've been training on Machagon for nearly twenty days, and almost all of you have experience operating steam tanks. I don't think driving this behemoth of steel will be difficult for you either.

Colonel Maxwell, commander of the Stromka Empire's war mech force, is wearing a blue bodysuit pilot's uniform and is addressing his soldiers.

Holding a half-covered helmet, he stood at the foot of his "Tiger" mech, which was undergoing final maintenance by the dwarf ground crew, and shouted passionately:

"Last time in Lordaeron, we and our Iron Knights faced the Black Dragon head-on and achieved the glorious feat of killing four Black Dragons. This time, we will face the Void Evil."

Those faceless beings are ruthless!

Their terrifying tentacles can easily smash the strongest knights into mincemeat, and ordinary people would go insane on the spot just by looking at them.

Human swords and knives are useless against them, and even firearms have difficulty penetrating their disgusting, slimy skin.

They are very strong!

They are monsters that only appear in your nightmares, and you will die there if you are not careful.

but.
Our Iron Knights, equipped with Mechagon hand cannons, can blast their ugly heads at close range; our energy swords can slice through their tough bodies; and our iron fists can smash them into a pulp!

This is why we are here, and this is why we accepted this mission.

Those enemies our fighting brothers can't handle, we and our iron knights will deal with them. Would you refuse such a call to arms? Would you refuse such an honor?

In response to Colonel Maxwell's roar, the three hundred pilots shouted in unison.

The colonel was very pleased with the high morale. He took out his pocket watch, checked the time, and then gave a hand signal to General Blackmore, who was not far away.

He then gave the following orders to the pilots:
"Now go to your respective mechs and complete the consecration ceremony with the priests to appease the mech spirits and activate the divine power on the armor! I know some of you clever ones will doubt whether this ceremony is effective."
I'm telling you, if you don't put your hearts into the consecration prayer and your mechs can't be fully 'sanctified,' then after you die, I'll definitely go to your tombstones and laugh at you mercilessly.

Go forth, with the Holy Light in your hearts, and pray for victory!
May that invincible saint share some of his unparalleled power with us.

With a wave of his hand, the pilots scattered. He turned around, smiled at the priest waiting beside him, took the holy water jug ​​from the priest, and climbed the elevator to the head of the Tiger Mech.

As the Imperial priests, carrying small incense burners, chanted blessings in a low voice, Colonel Maxwell devoutly sprinkled holy water onto the armor of his steel knight.

Amidst the sacred prayers and the sprinkling of holy water, the runes on the outer armor of this seven-meter-tall weapon of war were quickly activated.

The golden symbols flickered and lit up, quickly forming a very sacred triangular emblem structure around the red-painted steel knight.

But this is only the beginning of the consecration process.

The colonel also needed to hurry up and bless the mech's weapons, guns, and even special explosive bullets.

The Lightforged Chapter, which developed this ritual, calls it "pacifying the machine spirit." Those mystical Lightforged craftsmen say that sacred machines also have their own consciousness and preferences, and a qualified pilot should be proficient in understanding the temperament of his "steel brother."

To be honest, Colonel Maxwell didn't quite believe that this big guy had his own ideas.

But it is said that this ritual was personally developed by the saint Diakum. Well, considering the saint's reputation, he probably wouldn't have made up this lie to deceive mortals like them.

So let's just assume they really do have their own thoughts.

As the colonel sprinkled holy water, he patted the large head of his mech and whispered:
"I'm counting on you, buddy! I don't understand why the Void wants this world so much. What Supreme Star Soul, what Child of the World? They're too far removed from us. But this is where we live, and this is the only world we can inhabit."
They want to take our home!
So let's slaughter those Void bastards together!

(End of this chapter)