Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 609, Section 70: The Night Descends - The Storm Forge, Devouring All Things.

The Arathi's frenzied onslaught clearly exceeded N'Zoth's plans, and the "remote battle" between the Thousand-Bearded Demon and the Vigilant on King Daelin only fueled N'Zoth's rage.

It may have realized that the damned "Sha" power had corrupted it through King Daelin, but the plan had already progressed to this point. When the monarch of Ny'alotha arrived at his throne, the reflection of the Dark Empire and the royal kingdom of the material world would be "bound" together.

And in the next instant, reality and illusion began to reverse.

It's as if the "shadow" of the Kingdom of Kul Tiras is emerging from the darkness and attempting to replace the land of the material world.

This is clearly a kind of metaphysical concept, but considering that N'Zoth began planning this day the moment the Black Empire was destroyed by the Titans, it can be regarded as an extension of the "Dream of All Beings" concept power wielded by N'Zoth.

That's another path, and it's understandable that the warner said he couldn't understand it.

After all, even the noble sun god cannot be omniscient and omnipotent. In this star sea where the six fundamental forces form the foundation of the universe and check and balance each other, if a guy who knows everything really appears, then there will be real problems.

The transition between Ny'alotha, the Sleeping City, and Kul Tiras will take some time to fully materialize, but that's meaningless to the Arathi who rushed in today to "exterminate evil and uphold justice."

They didn't care where they were fighting; these were all enemies of the Holy Flame!
Look at their depraved and blasphemous appearance, look at the malice of the evil gods they chant. They are enemies of all beings that only appear in nightmares. So, let's just do it!

"Repent under the flames!"

High One Chiron swung his flail, which burned with holy flames, and smashed the octopus head of the Kershir warlock in front of him with his heavy holy meteor hammer. The faceless barbarians behind him tried to launch a sneak attack, but were blocked by the well-trained priests of the State Church with their holy heavy shields.

Although Chiron was pushed back into the ever-deepening darkness, General Stitek suddenly appeared from the side. Dragging her flaming greatsword, she cleaved the Faceless One's tendrils in two with a single, powerful slash, scattering black blood amidst the low, guttural sound of gunfire.

General Dale got some "good stuff" from the Arathi.

Now, his gun is loaded with slugs forged and melted by holy flames. These things are incredibly lethal at close range, and they are obviously exceptionally effective against void creatures and demons.

The faceless one was struck squarely between the eyebrows, its hideous head exploding instantly. Its massive body crashed to the ground but did not die peacefully. Instead, it transformed into a swarm of disgusting black-blooded monsters that devoured everything in their path. The next second, it was incinerated into ashes by the blazing and holy fire of dedication summoned by the Abbot Halshi Mupre.

"bang"

The Arathi Flame Warriors planted the battle-scarred, clearly "relic" Flame Banner in the center of the dark hall. The sacred banner took root and then unleashed a continuous outward surge of light in the form of a cascading halo.

The sun-like radiance bestows its blessing upon the warriors of the Holy Light, but the void creatures caught in its aura will utter a terrible wail.

Lower-rank Void creatures were directly ignited by the highly aggressive Holy Flame. Higher-rank Void creatures, while able to withstand the incineration, were also afflicted with the "burning" and "purifying" statuses, making them vulnerable to the fanatical and terrifying attacks of the state priests.

However, there is a problem: King Daelin seems to be within the range of the light's attack.

He ascended the throne of Ny'alotha, the Sleeping City, and became the King of the Shadow People. He was now clearly a "half-Void being," so it was quite normal for him to be countered by the Holy Flame.

However, King Daelin was protected by the "Three Sacred Relics of the Abyss," so there wouldn't be any major problems for the time being. While he used the Void God to raise the Abyssal Shield to protect himself from being burned, he had already noticed the mutual transformation between the material worlds of Ny'alotha and Kul Tiras.

Things in dreams are emerging into reality, while things in reality are being sent into lucid dreams.

"Its transformation is accelerating!"

King Daelin shouted:
"The entire Kul Tiras will be dragged into the illusion of the Black Empire. I've been to Ny'alotha, where there are not only the Void armies that N'Zoth has accumulated over the years, but also many other dangerous things."

The cult masters it summoned from all over the world also lurked in the nightmare with their respective followers.

They are preparing to devour all the people of light who step into this dream. Be prepared, for the Storm Temple will be the first place of calamity to fall into a lucid dream.

The Sleepless Secret Party and its leader, Utner the Vanquisher of Nothingness, await you!

"You're quite nice, being a 'half-human'."

General Stittek, wielding his greatsword, stood back-to-back with Admiral Daelin as they faced off against the enemy. The dashing adventurer quipped:
"Even though he's fallen into the abyss, he's still reminding us to be careful of the void."

"That's right! Don't you even look at whose half of body that is? How could a man as awesome as me, who fights through wind and waves, be so easily captured by an evil god?"

General Dai Lin laughed and, under cover, loaded bullets into his repeating pistol. But the next moment, he felt a gust of wind. He nimbly rolled to dodge, and then heard a bang. A cold trident, radiating a dark light and resonating with the sound of tides, was stuck at his feet.

It almost pierced him.

"What the hell is going on?"

The general turned and glared at the king. The other Daleine was being dragged and pulled by dark energy tentacles, as if she were about to sink into another world.

He did not struggle, and as he was being dragged into a lucid dream, he shouted to the general:

"He's there. The commoners of Tanred and Boralus are trapped in a dream. I'm going to bring them back, but I'm not good at fighting. I need you to come with me. I'll go ahead! Take that weapon with you, and beware of its seductive power. Only use it when you are resolute enough."
If you break down even once, then you'll have to come and keep me company.

General, your son and the people are waiting for you. Come to Belalus and join me.

"You'd better get there before I can't hold on any longer."

"buzz"

The vortex of the void swallowed King Daelin, leaving only an empty shadow on the throne.

As the rift was about to close, even more terrifying howls mixed with the sound of giant beasts swallowing water rang out from all directions. The mental pressure from N'Zoth caused even the most resilient Arathi to cry out in pain.

Various depraved, bizarre, and cruel visions unfolded before the warriors' eyes, showing them reflections of shipwrecks, sinkings, and drowned ghosts.

The dark hall that should have been the Temple of Storms was also quietly changing.

Amidst the chilling sea fog and the wailing prayers of thousands of Voidlings, General Dalin, enduring a headache, seized the Abyss Trident before her.

Just as he was about to pull it out, the Exalted One Chiron rushed over and grabbed his wrist.

"You are a person of light! Do not use this corrupt thing!"

The half-elf priest rebuked:

"This is the Void's bait of power for the fallen good, yet everything you seek is in the light."

“My son has been stolen by the void, pastor.”

The general pulled Chiron's hand away and whispered:

"Although I have forgotten what that kid looked like, or even his name, I vaguely remember that I once lost a family member, and I will not allow the same thing to happen to me a second time."

Most importantly, haven't you noticed yet?
I met you during the shipwreck, and guided by the light of the sun, I came here to fight these void creatures. This is the enlightenment of the Holy Light!

I am indeed a person of light, but I can't just pray and expect the Holy Light to deliver whatever I want to me, can I?

The holy light shines on my soul, and that is enough.

The remaining tasks are my own to do, not something I should ask some deity to do for me; therefore, let's consider this a 'trial' for now.

With a forceful pull of his fingers, he ripped the cold trident from the ground, which had transformed into a grotesque mass of flesh and blood.

This thing truly lived up to its reputation as an abyssal artifact. The moment the general acquired it, he felt the overwhelming power of the ocean and the tides surging into his body, elevating his destructive power to a level far beyond that of a legendary being. From the surrounding chilling mist, even more ferocious faceless beings roared and charged out, commanded by a large group of satyr sorcerers who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

The nightmare has begun.

"die!"

The general, wielding a trident, stepped forward and unleashed a whirlwind slash, the abyssal blade smoothly tearing apart all the surrounding flesh and blood. The subsequent tidal surge also strangled and drowned the Kershir sorcerer who was hiding in the distance casting spells.

The terrifying destructive power startled Dale, but then he felt the thing take a vicious "bite" into his mind.

Hmm, so every time you kill an enemy, it causes you a certain psychological shock?
The longer you wield this thing to kill enemies, the higher the chance of being defeated. No wonder King Daelin reminded him that he could only use this thing when he was determined enough.

Once corrupted by the mental impact of the Abyss Trident, he would probably be immediately sent to N'Zoth's side as a "Faceless General".

But who cares?

The general grinned, gripping his trident as he surveyed the battlefield, which had now transitioned between reality and illusion.

That bastard N'Zoth sent him and the Arathi to some grotesque place in the Lucid Dream, as if they were inside the stomach of some gluttonous creature. The walls made of flesh and blood emitted a nauseating smell that assaulted the mind, and in some places that resembled the "digestive tract," there were the wreckage of ships sunk in the material world.

Dailin looked up and vaguely saw a spiraling staircase of flesh and blood, with a pale, heatless "sun" shining above him.

This is the stomach of some monster!

As the flesh contracted, black blood dripped onto the Arathi, each drop creating a void monster.

"The place you were thrown into is called the 'Storm Furnace,' the digestive ground where N'Zoth steals and devours the mass of the material world to nourish his lucid dream."

King Dale's voice rang in the general's ears, seemingly from a great distance away, accompanied by the roar and echo of thunder and storm.

He reminded:

“N'Zoth has sent his most trusted men there to kill and corrupt you. Get rid of them and come quickly to Boralus Lothar and his army, who need your help.”

Even if I manage to fight my way out of here, how will I get there?

The general complained:
"Even if lucid dreaming and the material world are on a one-to-one scale, I can't possibly run from the Valley of Stormsong in my dream to Boralus on foot. Do you think I'm some kind of superhuman? That I can circle the world in the time it takes to fart?"

"Break free from the storm furnace, and call upon your and my warships in the reflection of this lucid dream on the sea of ​​lightless desolation."

The king's voice grew fainter and fainter, as if forcibly cut off by some force.

He used his last moments to remind them:
"The Sea King has also been 'reborn' in your dreams. You may need some time to make it remember you, but I don't think that will be a problem for you. Don't give up, sailor."

"Hmph, how rude! Call me 'Captain'!"

General Dai Lin cursed.

But hearing that her flagship, which had sunk in the storm of the South Sea, had also been reborn in the Void, filled Daelin with ecstasy. Just then, N'Zoth's servants, sent to kill the invaders, appeared in the mist of the Lucid Dream.

The two leaders of the Sleepless Secret Party, "Zaxach the Spokesperson" and "Fasou the Thriller," made an arrogant entrance with a large number of his underlings.

But before they could even finish their opening remarks, the general leaped over and swiftly brought down their blades. Then, the fanatical Arathi shouted "Glory of the Holy Flame" and unleashed a wave of Holy Light Waaagh upon them.

Hey!
You have fallen into the deadly trap of the Thousand-Bearded Demon. You have been transferred to the territory of the Dark Empire, the Void Sanctuary! The longer you stay here, the more you will be assimilated by the Void.

You're finished!
Your holy light cannot reach this place at all. Shouldn't you be in despair at this moment?

What strange principle explains this surge in morale?
Your behavior in the Void Sanctuary is as if we, the servants of the Abyss, are the ones being surrounded!
These holy light lunatics are truly turning the world upside down!
------

"A lucid dream has descended; N'Zoth has reversed the concepts of reality and illusion—truly an evil force!"

Lothar leaned on the Emperor's Sword, gazing around in the unfamiliar ruins. He could vaguely make out that the surrounding city resembled Boralus, but it was extremely dilapidated, as if it had been weathered by time for thousands of years.

Looking up, you can see a deep purple, ominous starry sky. The oppressive, dim starlight is accompanied by blinding void rifts, resembling a gloomy Milky Way. There are dense beams of void light everywhere, making this place look like some kind of terrifying illusion.

The emperor was surrounded by the dead nightmare monsters lying haphazardly, and he could still hear the cold laughter of the Nightmare King, Savis.

Considering that the two had clashed before in the northern frontier, this round was a matter of settling old and new scores together.

But Lothar is not worried about Savvis's attack.

The Heart of Azeroth on his chest shone with a deep blue light, and the fact that the power of the world could still enhance it indicated that this lucid dream had not escaped the realm of the material world.

It makes sense, considering that N'Zoth went to great lengths to transfer Kul Tiras into the Lucid Dream in order to release the shadowy image of the Black Empire. Clearly, the Thousand-Bearded Demon is not powerful enough to create things out of thin air.

"So, after dreams and reality were reversed, when Kul Tiras was transferred into the dream world, the Dark Empire rose up in the material world?"

Lothar stroked his beard and made a very alarming judgment.

The Void creatures' "Holy Empire" has reappeared in Azeroth after countless eras of silence. Although contingency plans had been made for this situation, the fact that this terrible thing actually happened still sends chills down everyone's spine.

If the Dark Empire that has appeared in the material world cannot be destroyed in time, the Void forces' rampant spread across Azeroth may truly become uncontrollable.

"Fortunately, we made preparations in advance."

Losa breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to meet other saviors in this familiar yet unfamiliar city, carrying the Emperor's Sword, he suddenly heard a scream.

That was Savas's scream.

The Nightmare King had clearly been attacked unexpectedly, which brought a subtle smile to the Emperor's face.

He even started humming a song, as if this lucid dream was no longer such a difficult place.

Meanwhile, somewhere in this lucid dream, the Nightmare King Xavius, with a living wood arrow stuck in his head, stared in disbelief at the ever-opening dream rifts before him, and the elves and tauren druids rushing out of them.

Even the troll druids.

An extreme disbelief appeared on its hanged face.

It roared:

"You! What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here!"

Faced with Savas's questioning, General Shandris Feathermoon, who had just fired a brilliant arrow, shrugged and said:

"If our mere presence makes you tense, then I think you should prepare yourself mentally. After all, we're not the only ones here today."

(End of this chapter)