Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 658, Section 26: Irelia is truly a clever child from a young age - Bonus Chapter [55]

(Bonus chapter for the brother "Searching for books in the sea of ​​books" [5/5])
General Staghelm was deeply moved and could not calm down for a long time. Even though they were still in the midst of a war against a sudden demonic invasion, the shock he had just witnessed from the "divine revelation from heaven" was beyond words.

As a distinguished Shadowhunter Highlord, Staghelm prides himself on his composure and strategy in any situation.

But at this moment he found that he could not remain rational no matter what, even though he knew very well that this "divine revelation" was actually highly directional, and that the Holy Mother's declaration of holy war was essentially a trick of "manipulating faith".

She is no different from those cult leaders who use the name of faith to incite believers to do terrible things, but the problem is that when Zera issued the declaration of holy war, the gates of the High Heaven were really behind her!

Even without the backing of Heaven, fanatics bound by faith can still worship and sacrifice; now that there is a real chance to ascend to the highest heaven, General Staghelm can hardly imagine how agitated the People of Light will become.
Not to mention the fanatics, even General Staghelm, the shadow hunter who walks in the darkness, felt a kind of "impulse".

The Lightforger said nothing.
Everyone only saw the opening of the Gates of the High Heavens, but didn't see the scenery inside the High Heavens at all.

Even though all that everyone witnessed was the entire process of a mysterious and powerful Naaru climbing the long staircase of faith, people were still willing to believe that the light behind that supreme door contained all the beauty that every living being longed for.

That is not an expectation, nor should it be a desire, much less develop into greed.

That should be considered a "reward"!
It is a reward for doing good deeds and accumulating merit, given after one has made sacrifices and contributions for one's morality and beliefs, faced self-examination and judgment at the end of one's life, and proved that one's life was meaningful and worthy of recognition.

Such a reward should be earned through a lifetime of hard work, not something that can be obtained by participating in a war and killing enough "enemies of faith".

That won't eliminate the fanaticism; it will only fuel it!
This is precisely what General Deer Helmet couldn't understand.

As one of the first Shadow Hunters to follow the Vigilant, he was well aware that the Vigilant had always harbored a rather cautious resistance to the fanaticism of their faith.

If he truly is the "Lord of the High Heavens," then why would he allow that Naruzera to issue such a clearly targeted declaration of holy war against the entire People of Light in the name of the Holy Light?
Wouldn't this make the already "overheated" holy light in his mouth even hotter?
unless
Deer Helmet rubbed his temples.

He recalled the revelation he had just witnessed, in which the Mother of Light crossed the long stairway of faith, a stretch of which even a powerful Naaru like her found difficult to traverse.

Therefore, is this long staircase of faith itself a kind of trial?
Is it only by meeting certain conditions that one can enter the gates of the highest heavens and forever enjoy the peace bestowed by that holy light?

hiss!
At that moment, General Staghelm suddenly realized that he seemed to have figured out the Saint Diakum's operating strategy.

If the current fanaticism for Holy Light in the Star Sea cannot be cooled down by other means, then launching a holy war to direct the fanatics' weapons at the right enemy, allowing their rage to be released through "acts of justice," and then subtly changing the fanatics' mindset through the trials of the Faith Elders, would be a feasible strategy.

"Seven Fiends Trial! The Great Curse of the Inner Demon?"

These two words popped into Deer Helmet's mind.

The former is the official name, and the latter is the vigilant's self-deprecating humor.

As a shadow hunter, he understood all too well the destructive power of the torment of emotions and desires on fanatics and blind followers.

They will experience the collapse of their fanatical will, becoming emotionally lost and confused, until they clarify their true nature and find the great morality that is truly worth upholding and can withstand self-examination, at which point they will be reborn.

This is how the Vigilant "remodeled" the Lightforged Chapter.

Now he wants to extend this model to all the People of Light.

The most wonderful thing is that even something as profound as "great morality that can withstand self-examination" has been prepared for the Warriors of Light by the thoughtful Saint Diakum.

Ignite the sun!

This is undoubtedly the most righteous and greatest aspiration and goal in the Star Sea at present, and it is truly closely related to the future of every individual and group of life in the Star Sea.

In such a holy war, the original fanaticism and blind obedience towards the Naaru will be replaced by the great goal of "igniting the sun." When the sun is truly ignited by the people of light, and when even the most radical and fanatical souls learn reason and tolerance under the guidance of faith, the fanaticism of the Holy Light Legion will be cured without any medicine.

"Wonderful."

As Staghelm spoke, just as he was about to share his understanding with his hesitant and silent companions, a deafening roar from within caused all the Shadow Hunters, including him, to cry out in pain.

They saw a hallucination in a daze.

Their leader, the Lightforger who walks between light and shadow, is suspended in a dark night, walking into the darkness with a dim Heart of Light in his hand.

He is undergoing a transformation of light and shadow, but this transformation is unlike any of the previous transformations of light and shadow.

This represents some kind of peculiar "symbol," otherwise it would be impossible to cross the distance between the world and the starry sea, and simultaneously project itself into the minds of these hunters who follow the path of shadow.

They were also believers, and Diakum was their Lord.

The connection of faith allowed them to feel more acutely the changes that Saint Diakum was undergoing than others.

You need help!

Staghelm shouted.

The sound seemed to be heard by the watcher far away in Dimensius's stomach, and he paused in his steps into the night.

Holding the dim Heart of Light, he turned around. Despite being enveloped in the swirling psionic energy of the void, holy light still emanated from him, and Diakum, seemingly within the "light and shadow," smiled at Staghelm and the Shadow Hunters.

He even waved to them.

He said something, then disappeared into the darkness.

As the illusion dissipated, Staghelm rubbed his bleeding eyes, turned to look at General Lyreza, and said in a hoarse voice:

Did you hear what he said?

He said, "Hold on tight and wait for me to come back."

General Lereza repeated somewhat uncertainly:
"It should be this sentence: there was too much 'noise' in that scene; a powerful void entity was interfering with our faith communication with the Vigilant."

The place he's in is very abnormal!

That wasn't the Sea of ​​No Light or any other void realm. Most importantly, where was he going, on this long journey?

"We can no longer sense the Lightforgers!"

Terrified screams erupted from the crowd, causing Staghelm and Lilesa to turn around simultaneously. Several usually fanatical Shadow Hunters, clutching their heads, were now shouting like madmen under the restraint of their companions:

"He's gone. He's dead. He's fallen. We can no longer feel him! The Lightforger has fallen."

"Shut him up!"

General Deer Helmet gave a stern rebuke.

Several veteran soldiers of the Quicksand Guard immediately rushed up and kicked the guy who was "bewitching the army" to the ground, then covered his mouth and dragged him aside.

But those guys weren't lying.

Their faith connection with the Lightforged was indeed "severed" at this moment, like a "thread" that had long been accustomed to being connected to them suddenly breaking, leaving them at a loss for what to do.

This should have been very bad news.

This feeling of "emptiness" often means that the Lord of Faith is truly gone, but considering what Staghelm and Lylesa just saw and heard in that strange projection, the sudden dissipation of the power of faith at this moment seems to have a rather intriguing meaning.

The vigilant told them to wait for his return.
This single "farewell" is enough to show that this "fall" was also part of Saint Diakum's plan.

"He'll be back."

General Staghelm pulled up his hood, put on his stained weapon, and said something in a deep voice, seemingly trying to strengthen his resolve. But just as he stood up to lead the Shadowhunters to continue fighting the demons invading Azeroth, his movements suddenly froze.

It felt like being struck by lightning.

General Lilesa also glanced back curiously, and then saw the scarlet spirit-slaying scythe in the combat pack behind Staghelm. She rubbed her eyes and whispered:

"I'm sure it wasn't here just now! This weapon..."

"This is one of the two weapons the Lightforger possesses in Voidform. It is called the Cursed Throat, but in the hands of the Vigilant, it appears as a scythe like this."

General Deer Helmet said:
"He left it to us, knowing we would need it! While he was gone, his followers took up his holy blade to protect this place in his place!"
Yes.

This is the oracle of the Lightforgers!

He reached out and grasped the Spirit-Slaying War Scythe in his hand. A crazed soul within the scythe was scrutinizing him, coldly telling him that he could only "borrow" it, not possess it.

But General Deer Helmet didn't care.

Kil'jaeden's demons are launching a frenzied invasion of Azeroth, with the undead and naga leading the charge. No one knows when the fallen titan on its way will be deployed, but just hours ago, Mount Hyjal was flattened by a round of orbital bombardment from the demon starships.

The intensity of this war will far exceed that of the past, and he must have such a weapon to complete his path of chasing shadows.

In response to General Staghelm's remarks, Lilesa retorted:
"You're really fanatical; what you just said made you seem like a zealot," Staghelm shrugged and quipped in a low voice.

"I'm faking it. I want to go to heaven. What about you?"

General Lereza remained silent.

Several seconds later, she grabbed the Void Star Warbow, made from the tendons of the sea monster Erzumat's tentacles, and aimed it at a Doom Lord flying down from the sky.

The moment the arrow left the bowstring, she spoke in a voice only she could hear:
"Who wouldn't?"

------

"I can't feel Diakum anymore, he's gone. He's gone."

Saloras's panicked screams echoed across the battlefield of Shattrath City, accompanied by a massive psychological storm as the archbishop lost control of his emotions.

That thing almost wiped out all the demons and void creatures below the entire city wall. The void psionic energy released in the pain of loss transformed into black blades that raged and twisted that cruel mind into the most deadly mental spikes.

Before those demons were shredded by the psionic blades, their minds had already been torn apart by the rampaging Saloras.

At this moment, the Archbishop of Holy Twilight floated in the air, her long hair flying wildly like Medusa's.

The terrifying psionic energy, like armor and a battle cloak covering her body, spread and ravaged, eventually merging her with the darkness that enveloped the earth after the sun was gone.

"My Diakum is dead. What right do you have to live?"

The cold and cruel Shasyaar language echoed with trembling and emphasis, accompanied by a psionic storm that swept across the dark wilderness outside the city. As Saloras raised the Dark Empire's blade, "Desperate Herald Kazrogar," who had been completely shadowforged, was also released.

This creature still retains the ferocious form of the Doomsday Lord, but its wings, which should have been brutal, have been catalyzed and reshaped by the void into a pair of even more ferocious and morbid "claws." The eerie purple energy surrounds it, creating giant tentacle illusions with every movement.

Kazroga embraced the shadow, even if it wasn't of its own volition.

But the cruelty inherent in the great demon was not eliminated; instead, it manifested itself in an even more insane and deadly way.

It sang loudly in Shasyaar, taking pleasure in tearing apart the minds of demons, and unleashing spells to twist their filthy bodies into morbid, fleshy monsters, releasing them like herds of beasts to feed itself, and spreading psionic energy to weave a spirit-devouring plague.

The process of being transformed by the Void was painful, but Kazroga, who now has seven eyes, enjoys the wonderful feeling of "spreading the truth".

It longed to inflict the suffering it had endured on other demons so that they too could hear the wisdom of the void that it had received. Unfortunately, the demons driven mad by its "preaching" were too weak.

Their dull brains were clearly incapable of hearing the dark wisdom emanating from the sea of ​​darkness.

Kazloga loathed these demons even more. Such creatures, who loved violence and disrespected truth, were a desecration of flesh and blood!

So it raised its left arm, causing its flesh to mutate into a giant black python. It then slithered into the shadows and, in another ambush, bit the retreating Lord of Man'ari, who was hundreds of meters away. The great demon screamed in agony as Kazroga's black snake tentacles dragged it into the shadows.

Then, a terrifying sound of bones being chewed echoed in the darkness.

"Sister! Calm down!"

Aurecis called out to Saloras, whose emotions were in turmoil, from the chaotic city walls.

She knew that Commander Diakum was only "on a long journey" and had not died. In the past, her sister was always the calmer one while she was impulsive, but now it seemed that her feelings for Commander Diakum made her sister quickly abandon reason when she felt that she might lose her lover.

This is not good!

Saloras paid no heed, only wanting to slaughter these demons and void monsters, for it was their invasion of Draenor that had brought things to this point.

Aurelius tried to drag his sister back to the ground, but the troublesome darkness had transformed into a deadly blade of void, not allowing anyone to disturb Saloras's "desperate ascension." Just as she was about to lose control, a figure leaped down from the darkness above.

As he tore through the shadows that enveloped Saloras, he punched her in the chin.

The blow was precise enough, and the accompanying "personality correction" was perfectly applied as the Archbishop of Holy Twilight tumbled several times before falling.

Saloras realized she had almost lost control. In her sister's arms, she held her dislocated chin and looked up, where she saw Archbishop Nelly, shrouded in a cold moon, bearing and unleashing the wrath of the moon goddess.

Well, she's not close to becoming the God of War under the moon, but she's already far from being a normal person.

"Calm down!"

Under the cover of the cold moonlight, Nellie rebuked Saloras:

"Diacom informed us in advance what he was going to do, so I won't blame you if you can't help us during the difficult times we're about to go through, but don't make things worse! He'll be back, he promised us!"

I don't want him to come back to find the Argus Restoration Army in ruins and Draenor devoid of hope.

Now, put away that weak expression!

"You're Diakum's bedmate, so behave yourself."

Saloras nodded, touched her chin and snapped her fingers to adjust her bone, then stood up with her sister's help.

However, it wasn't just the Twin Archbishops who were affected by the inability to sense Diakum's presence; all Lightforged warriors felt the emptiness and discomfort in their hearts due to their Lord's departure.

However, their relationship with Diakum is not as close as that of the Geminis, so they can grit their teeth and continue fighting.

However, one guy seemed to be particularly "severely" affected.

But she wasn't in Shattrath City; she was in the Temple of Karabor.

Yrel was now dragging the Ashbringer's Blade that had fallen from the sky earlier.

This divine weapon did not resist her use; with the swing of her little hooves, it was almost invincible. Each swing of the sword would bring forth a terrifying solar storm, sweeping across the battlefield and incinerating all demons and void evils.

But Irelia's face showed no determination to fight or expectation of victory.

Instead, she frowned, as if she were considering something important and complicated.

When she finally found her answer amidst the chaos of the battlefield, Yrel made her decision. She turned and tossed the Ashbringer's Blade to Marad, saying:

"Don't revive me right now!"

"what?!"

Marlaad couldn't understand what his deputy company commander was saying at all, but Nuboton seemed to understand, and he reached out to grab Iriel.

But the little hoof was rushing very fast.

She charged into the cold, dark night ahead, carrying her Ash Apostle Holy Sword, like a golden flame bursting in the darkness, much like a golden reef blocking the black torrent, yet flashing away in the face of the torrent as a most explosive holy storm.

"Irelia!"

Marlaad witnessed his battle sister perish, and he was filled with rage, wanting to rush over and save her.

Relying on the power granted by the Holy Oath Lord, he could resurrect Irelia for a short period after her death, but at that moment, Irelia's reminder made Marad fall into deep thought.

Then, he suddenly realized.

He now understood why Irele would do something that resembled "suicide" at this time.

This is not about not valuing life.

On the contrary, Yrel is going to support the Vigilantes' operations in another world in her own way, a risky move that only members of the Lightforged Chapter can attempt.

Nuboton noticed the determination on Marad's face, and he immediately grabbed his great-uncle's wrist, scolding him:
“Don’t do anything foolish! Even with the war powers of the Holy Oath Lord, you only have six hours to revive! Once that time is missed, you and Iriel will truly be dead! The boundary between life and death is as cold as iron, and even if the Vigilant returns, they will not be able to revive you.”

"But we must confirm that he truly arrived there and did not perish or die. This is of paramount importance to the Eredar! For me personally, it is of utmost importance; I have already lost a father once."

Marad shoved Ashbringer into Nobounde's hand, grabbed his own warhammer—exactly the same as Yrel's—and charged out, shouting:

"Six hours! We'll revive her and me at the very last minute! We'll bring back good news, wish us luck."

Ps:

This concludes the bonus chapter. Currently, there are 45 chapters owed.
Next bonus chapter: July 11th. There are no double monthly tickets this month, so if you have them, please vote now. No need to wait. Love you all, mwah!

Also, this book might finish at the end of August or the beginning of September, so please don't keep reading!
From a purely pragmatic perspective, if we wait until the book is finished before reading it, even though readers spend the same amount of money, the author's income will drop drastically. So, let's walk together through the final chapter of Brother Diao's story.

(End of this chapter)