Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 608, Page 69: The People of Light, bathed in the sun, violently stormed into the arrogant night.

King Daelin was arranged to bathe and groom herself in the once sacred and radiant Temple of Storms, preparing for the "coronation ceremony" that she had no right to refuse.

This temple belonging to the Sage of the Tide is Lord Stormsong's "family property." This member, who is one of the four great families of Kul Tiras, monopolizes the religious affairs of this island nation and is a true "divine lord."

It is said that the ancestors of the Stormsong family were the first among the pioneers of Kul Tiras to pray to the tides.

Several paintings hang in the Temple of Storms, depicting scenes from that time. One such painting is of the passageway through which King Daelin, now dressed in a magnificent black robe, is walking.

He stopped.

Under the cold yet subtle gazes of the escorting Hai Xian, Dai Lin turned her head to look at the painting on the wall.

Above, a ragged man kneels on the beach, holding a plump fish in his hands, singing and praying to the ocean. In the water before him, dark eyes open, like the observation and response of the god of the tide, or like the outline of a beautiful starry sea reflected in the dark ocean.

"Our ancestors relied on the bounty of the sea to survive the most difficult time of pioneering. It was the sea that nurtured and made us prosperous."

Dailin, leaning on her cane, said in a serious tone:
"Perhaps I should pray for thirty minutes beneath this sacred painting to pay my respects to the tides that saved our ancestors."

The monks around him looked at each other, and finally one of them couldn't help but whisper:
"Your Majesty, you just used that excuse! Right in front of that ancient image of the 'Tide-Blessed Warship,' you dawdled and prayed for twenty minutes, but you couldn't even recite a complete Tide Ritual."

What I mean is, I can understand that you want to leave some of your own thoughts on this day that will surely be remembered in history, but the problem is that you have never been a devout believer.

So please don't make things difficult for yourself, and please don't make things difficult for us.

"Uh okay."

King Daelin sighed, gave the monks a sincere smile, and said:
"I'm sorry, it took me half my life to truly understand what faith in the Storm God means to the people of Kul Tiras. I hope it's not too late."

"Of course it's not too late, Your Majesty. It's never too late for you to feel the call of the tides at any time."

The monk stroked his beard with satisfaction and said:

"After your coronation ceremony, I would be happy to gather all the monks of the monastery with you to discuss doctrine and share your insights on storms and the sea. But now, you cannot waste any more time."

The sleepless await your arrival in the holy land, where Lord Stormsong will personally preside over your coronation. With the witness and blessing of my God, you will become the eternal master of this land and sea.

"I am very honored."

King Dale replied.

He looked with gentle eyes at the old monk before him, whose left eye had sprouted tentacles and whose half-body was covered with seaweed and barnacles.

He was really trying very hard to control his fear and disgust. Even King Daelin himself didn't know why he could maintain his basic rationality at this time, or why he could be so calm.

He was surrounded by a whole bunch of all sorts of "real monsters and demons".

Especially the female nun who was following him!
Hey, sir, your lower body has turned into octopus tentacles! It must be very uncomfortable to support your body with tentacles like that, right?
After all, you're not the gifted Squidward.

Dale followed these "monsters" to the hall where she was to be crowned. The black-clad guards standing on the surrounding road all looked like the servants who had escorted the king here before.

But upon closer inspection, the king discovered that their faces, hidden in the shadows, were impossible to discern.

What's even crazier is that he couldn't remember the faces of the four black-clad guards who had been by his side all this time. He even doubted whether they had ever really existed.

But what if all of this is just an overly crazy nightmare?
"It isn't!"

The voice that had suddenly appeared in my heart after I had called upon the sun seven times gently explained at this moment:
"Don't attribute all the truths you see to nightmares and try to convince yourself to accept them. This is just a self-protective instinct when your mind is on the verge of collapse."

But if you do that, it means you've completely given up the fight against mental distortion.

You will surrender without a fight to the throne of the Thousand-Bearded Demon, turning yourself into a piece of meat on N'Zoth's chopping block, to be cut however he pleases.

As for why you suddenly woke up in those few tens of minutes and completely broke free from N'Zoth's mental seduction, mental collapse, and transformation, it's because I just remotely performed a 'Truth Surgery' on you.

Don't worry about the process.

I mended the part of your collapsed mind, calibrated your spirit to the level of a normal person, and granted you a temporary 'eye of truth,' allowing you to see through all illusions and to more clearly realize what kind of situation you are in.

He paused, seemingly to give the king time to process this information.

Just as Dalene struggled to maintain her composure and stepped into the gloomy, dark hall, leaning on her cane, he continued:

“I do not have the power of ‘dreams’, so I cannot understand the principle of N’Zoth’s Void spell, but I guess it is to use you as a ‘ritual relay’ to completely exchange the dream in which Ny’alotha is located with the ‘reality’ you are in.”

In this way, falsehood becomes reality, and reality becomes a dream.

It sounds like a lower extension of some conceptual power related to 'illusion'; however, N'Zoth's spirit is also hidden in his dark empire. In other words, only by bringing the dark empire back to the material world can those warriors have the opportunity to delve into N'Zoth's lair and execute him.

So, the next thing you need to do is complete this task.

You must complete this 'coronation'.

"I will die!"

King Daelin could no longer maintain his composure; his smile froze, and he roared inwardly:
"Is this your solution? To wake someone lost in a nightmare and then expect them to actively embrace it? What's the difference between this and bringing a dead person back to life and then killing them?"

“Death? I mean, you seem a little too optimistic about your fate, Your Majesty Daelin.”

The voice chuckled and said:
"When the coronation ceremony is completed, you will become the 'King,' not only the King of Kul Tiras, but also the King of Ny'alotha, the Sleeping City. The land where the King resides is the territory of the Kingdom, and therefore the land where you reside is an extension of Ny'alotha."

As long as you keep moving forward, the expansion of the Sleeping City will not stop.

I'm not asking you to die; I'm not that cruel.

I am asking you to fall into the void, to embrace the sea of ​​light, and from then on, life and death will lose their meaning for you, and death will become a 'false proposition' for you.

But if you don't step into it, how can you save your child who has been taken away?
do you remember?

Tannh Proudmoore, your third child with Queen Catherine.

If you don't step into it, how can you save your country?
Aren't you curious about where the citizens of Boralus and even the entire island of Kul Tiras who couldn't escape are now?

When you realize you are about to fall into the void, you are filled with anger and fear. But what about those people? Those who call you 'Your Majesty' and believe that Daelin can protect them?

Father, monarch, general, elder.
You have so many responsibilities to fulfill, and the only way to fulfill them is to wear the Stormcaller's Crown, the Voidstone Emblem, and the Trident of the Abyss Tides.

Ascend the throne and become the ruler of Nyalosa!

When you hold the throne of the Void, you can command it to release the Kul Tirans who are being swallowed and drowned by darkness.

Dalene had already walked to the bottom of the "God of Storms" sculpture in the dark hall. As Lord Stormsong, shrouded in shadow, called out in a drawn-out voice, the soon-to-be-crowned emperor hesitated whether to kneel before the statue.

He looked up at the idol in the darkness.

In the past, the people of Kukul saw the statue of the Storm Church as an abstract concept of the ocean, much like an octopus. But now, with the Eye of Truth given by that stranger, King Daelin finally saw the true face of the Storm God who resided on the statue.

A hideous thing that looks like a rotten purple eggplant!

He was in a very magical state at that moment.

N'Zoth whispered in his left ear, tempting him to pull at the power of the sleeping city of Ny'alotha, while the unknown whispered in his right ear, not urging him to fight against N'Zoth, but encouraging him to bravely shoulder this burden.

However, Dai Lin is a smart person after all.

He quickly realized something was wrong. He was now just a detached "half-body," not even a complete individual, and theoretically, he was completely unable to resist the personal temptation from the ancient gods.

If only one-tenth of the legends about the Old Gods are true, then I should have gone completely insane the moment N'Zoth spoke.

But now, as he clearly heard N'Zoth's whispers, he felt nothing and even wanted to laugh, as if he already knew the answer and was watching the conman putting on a great show.

This is not normal. "Are you protecting my spirit?"

In her mind, Dale spoke to the voice in her right ear:

"You shielded me from N'Zoth's Void Temptation?"

“As I said, I just performed a small ‘operation’ on you. Those void creatures of lower rank than me can no longer affect you through the Heart Barrier that I personally applied.”

The gentle voice explained:

"So, I won't harm you. The situation now is that you have to choose between me and N'Zoth. So, do you trust it, or do you trust me?"

"Who are you?"

Dale reached out shakily and grabbed the Stormcaller's Crown that Lord Stormsong was about to place on his head, snatching it away roughly, which made the lord, who had already been "promoted" to Khere, widen his eyes.

Just as Daelin placed the Abyss Crown, capable of summoning storms, on her head under the watchful eyes of all the "guests," she asked:
"I will believe you, but I must know who you are! Even if I die, I must die knowing the truth, right?"

"Ha, you ask who I am?"

The laughter in that voice intensified.

He even cleared his throat before replying in a more serious tone:

"I am the sun, and also the eclipse; I am the dawn, and also the dusk; I am the day, and also the night."

I am both light and shadow!
I am Diakum Zastins, the Vigilant, the agent of the Sunshine, and the rebellious god of the Sea of ​​No Light; I am the hatred of every Void Lord, and the tyrant of light who haunts the nightmares of every demon.

I am the embodiment of hope in your heart, and I can also be the reflection of despair in your enemy.

All of this depends on when you want to call me and see me.

Crown yourself, Dale Proudmore.

Crown yourself before the sun and the eclipse, ascend the throne of the abyss! When N'Zoth, the Thousand-Bearded Demon, is dead, the sleeping city of Ny'alotha will no longer fall, for it has its own king.

How you and the other Dale decide your future is your business, I won't interfere, but I will give you both a second option besides reintegrating and tormenting each other.

This is an invitation.

I desperately need a cage in this sea of ​​darkness, and you are the warden I have chosen.

"Are you even listening to me?!"

As Dale picked up the Trident of the Abyssal Tides in a daze, holding the dim Void Stone in her palm, and as the coronation ceremony was about to end, N'Zoth's roar resounded in Dale's heart like thunder.

The roar carried a hint of anger at being "ignored".

Seeing Dai Lin's bewildered expression, the Thousand-Bearded Demonic Aura that had been observing the coronation ceremony was filled with unease.

Although Daelin perfectly fulfilled his duty, donning the three relics of the Abyss to become the node between Ny'alotha, the Sleeping City, and Kul Tiras, allowing the Sleeping City to finally open on this island land, Daelin's behavior of listening but not responding angered the Thousand-Bearded Demon in a rare way.

In the past, I was the only one who ignored others; how come anyone dares to ignore me now?
Hey, judging from the blank look on your face, I bet you didn't remember any of the things I just told you, right?

how?

Did you stay up late last night?
As the Thousand-Bearded Demon uttered his mental condemnation, he prepared to emphasize the key point once more, but the next second, N'Zoth realized something was wrong.

I was affected!

That burst of anger just now came out of nowhere. How could I get so angry just because a mortal ignored me?
Most importantly, he had clearly noticed that Dalene's will was wavering frequently, as if she were listening and nodding. If she wasn't listening to his whispers, then...
"Who are you talking to?!"

At the moment Lord Stormsong loudly proclaimed the completion of the coronation ceremony, and the Sleeping City of Ny'alotha had its own king, at the moment the guests cheered, at the moment the Sleeping City began to "merge" with Kul Tiras in the material world, N'Zoth's inquiry, though belated, finally arrived.

When faced with this question, King Dalene shrugged.

Possessing the three Abyssal artifacts completely cured his headache and weakness. He discarded his cane, leaned on the majestic Abyssal Trident, and strode forward, sitting on the "Abyssal Throne" beneath the statue of the Storm God.

He said loudly:

"Of course, it's communicating with the 'sun'!"

"?!"

"The sun whispered to me, proclaiming that the flame in the night is burning, so that I need not fear stepping into the darkness you have spread. He told me that as long as there is a ray of light, all your dark attempts will vanish!"

King Dale breathed a sigh of relief.

He felt the power bestowed upon him by the three sacred relics, the power from the void. In their surge, the spells and all the seals that N'Zoth had placed upon him were dispelled.

I retrieved my memories from the fog in my heart, so that I would no longer be deceived by lies, both true and false.

He remembered Catherine and Jaina, he remembered Drake and Tanydred, he remembered all the true history that had ever happened on this land.

N'Zoth meticulously wove another life for him, stripping away the most steadfast, wildest, and most persistent part of his personality, leaving only a "weak Daelin".

It was just a hair's breadth away from achieving its goal.

"Diacom?!"

N'Zoth's dark roar echoed throughout the halls of the Temple of Storms.

The big fish that the fisherman had set up the net to catch had just skimmed the surface, thoroughly fooling the foolish fisherman before jumping out of the trap.

Amidst the echoing laughter of the Watchers and the roars of N'Zoth, Daelin, crowned king, raised his Tidebringer Trident high and shouted:

"I, King of the Shadow Dwellers of Ny'alotha, the Sleeping City, hereby call upon the sun! The gates of the Sleeping City have been opened, and the Thousand-Bearded Demon is before us! People of Light, with your sacred flames of wrath!"

Show yourself!

"boom"

A muffled thunderous cannonball exploded above the Temple of Storms. As the Arathi hurled cannonballs filled with holy flames at the top of the temple, the first blinding burst of fire erupted in this cold, dark place.

The Imperial Assassin Masters who had already infiltrated the Storm Temple seized the opportunity presented by this upheaval. Led by Pasonia and Jorah, the assassins slaughtered to their hearts' content. In the shadows beneath the light, Master Garona's Kingslayer had already plunged deep into Lord Stormsong's octopus head.

The faith leader of Kul Tiras? The pope of Stormtide?

Very well, I'll take your head. After all, a kingslayer doesn't kill nameless ghosts!
Chaos had begun. As the teleportation spell struggled to illuminate the far end of the hall, under King Daelin's somewhat helpless yet relieved gaze, another version of herself, dressed in pirate attire, strode in, wielding a musket.

Behind him, the state religion's battle priests, chanting "The Holy Sun is Great," charged out wielding flails and greatswords. Those madmen, as if burning themselves, blocked the exit of the hall, locking themselves and these monsters and demons as "guests."

Clearly, they had no intention of letting any of the Eclipseists' filthy madmen leave here alive.

This is part of the war between light and darkness!

This is the first step in reigniting the desire for the blazing sun!
The crusade of faith had already begun, and the Arahits, who sang praises of the sun, were the vanguard of this 'Sun Crusade'.

"Here I come, you unlucky fellow!"

The general shattered the head of a Kershwarf with a single shot, then grabbed his pirate hat and gave a flamboyant bow to his other self on the throne.

The king roared in anger:

"You're too late! You bastard."

"Why are you being so fierce? I've never realized I was so annoying. Shall I leave?"

(End of this chapter)