Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 704, Section 72: The Extinction of the Flame - The Crying Naaru Wants to Go Home
Venturing into the Ash Wasteland is no easy feat.

As an unhealed wound in Revendreth's history, and the place most feared by all the Venthyrs, Emperor Denathrius clearly imbued this war-torn land, steeped in disaster, with a unique meaning.

He will banish the losers exiled from the Wenthyr society to this place, and he will also leave the "oathbreakers" who disobey the monarch's orders or use inappropriate means in their schemes to die here.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Wenthyrs are either fighting amongst themselves or plotting to fight each other. They do have a "bottom line" for their struggles. Once this bottom line of "fighting without breaking apart" is crossed, the judgment that the oathbreakers will face will not be much lighter than the consequences of losing the struggle.

Therefore, the society of Wenshire is often in a strange superposition of "struggle and peace", and it is difficult for non-locals to understand this complex concept.

However, since the Ash Wastes had become the Emperor's private execution ground, the Venthyrs could not be allowed to enter at will. Weaving various terrifying legends about this place while maintaining its mystery would obviously help enhance the deterrent effect of the Emperor's decrees.

The ability to feign supernatural abilities is a skill that leaders must always master.

Therefore, Emperor Denathrius dispatched powerful giants to patrol outside the walls built around the Ash Wastes, preventing the "innocent" from entering at will.

The reason sounds good: to avoid innocent souls suffering the torment of being burned by light. But in reality, if the Emperor had such good intentions, he wouldn't have ended up in this irreconcilable feud with the "moral exemplar" Diakum.

"This giant should be called 'Stone Head'?"

The Watcher and Queen Azshara dismounted outside the gates of Ashenvale. He gazed at the distant, seemingly harmless giant guarding the gates, his eyes wide with suspicion as he surveyed the surroundings. He wiggled his fingers and said:

"I heard this giant is very greedy. Unfortunately, I don't have time to find snacks to bribe it to open the door right now."

"Don't be so violent, my court advisor."

Azshara grinned, revealing a "I'm in control" smile, and waved her hand, saying:

"Especially when you're with your 'colleagues,' don't always think about solving problems with weapons. How could my loyal servant Stonehead stop his noble queen from stepping into his territory?"

"Huh? You actually cleared all the 'side quests' here? Are you an 'achievement hunter' too?"

Dick was taken aback.

He turned to look at the smug queen, then at the distant stone head, with its "endearing" but dim-witted smile that would earn it a VIP room in a mental hospital, and sighed:
"I know you are eager to rebuild your Empress's court, but Your Majesty, aren't you being a bit too desperate?"

"What kind of talk is this! How dare you slander your own monarch! Slap him!"

Azshara rebuked her.

But His Majesty had no loyal guards by his side at the moment, and the noble Queen would not slap a man in the face herself, so she just made a grumbling.

He gestured for Dick to follow while walking toward the giant guarding the goal.

she says:

"Stonehead is a 'Mud Servant Giant,' a high-level product of the Venthyr's unique 'Mud Servant Spell,' a rather magical 'creation spell,' and the easiest to learn among all the creation powers in the Force domains."

When I first arrived in Revendres, while waiting for the monument to be carved to be completed, I spent a few hours studying it out of my spare time.

As it turns out, the power of the land of the dead has its own 'fun'.

"You rigid Holy Light walkers will never understand the joy of creating loyal servants with your own hands. Of course, after I was banished to the Maw by the enraged Emperor Denathrius, my clay servants perished."

Azshara flashed the confident smile characteristic of an "arcane researcher," and said:
"But once you understand one thing, you can master and control it! Once I understood the underlying principles of Mud Servant magic, 'persuading' a Mud Servant giant who didn't have much intelligence to serve me was just a matter of a word."

Though the stone head is foolish and greedy, its loyalty is its most admirable quality, and it is precisely what I, a fallen king, need most now.

"and many more!"

Diakum quickly picked up on the flaw in Azshara's words.

He said with a strange look in his eyes:
"You mastered the Mud Servant spell in just a few hours? That's a 'creation spell'! Even the simplest of all Force creation spells is a privilege that only the Creator can master."

There are many Venthyrs in Revendreth who can create mud servants from the anima swamp, but probably no more than ten would dare to claim complete mastery of this spell.

a couple of hours
While I've always known you're a terrifyingly gifted 'genius,' this is truly a bit outrageous.

“That’s already quite long, Diakum.”

Azshara waved her hand dismissively, saying:
"During the time I ruled the empire, I could never spend more than thirty minutes studying and comprehending the principles of magic. I would only get stuck for long periods when studying the Pillars of Creation. I once thought that the magic of the Land of Death would be very obscure, but it turns out that I may have overestimated the power here."

The study of the path of 'sin' only took seven days.

Do you know why Denathrius threw me into the Maw?

The Queen snorted, glanced at Nathria Castle shrouded in dark clouds beyond the sky where the holy flames shone, and said with a cold smile:
"Because the so-called eternal forgiveness has no other way to stop me from storming into His palace and seeking justice for Mother World, except to banish me to the Abyss."

These eternal beings are pitiful, my court advisor.

They possess only personhood and claim to wield great power, yet this power of death merely submits to them. However, 'use' and 'understanding,' 'understanding' and 'mastery' have always been three distinct concepts.

Arcane sorcerers never blindly believe in powers that do not belong to them but are merely borrowed.

Unfortunately, the pursuit of knowledge is not a virtue of death.

They are content with use rather than knowledge, so their defeat before true arcanists is inevitable. In fact, regarding this campaign in Revendreth, my advisor, you can simply observe from the sidelines.”

Azshara said confidently:
"The same trick won't work twice against the supreme queen! I'd like to see how the weak Denathrius will defeat me this time!"

"what about me?"

The vigilant, who couldn't help but silently mourn for Emperor Denathrius, asked in a low voice:
"In your eyes, am I, this 'Holy Light Clay Cannon,' considered a 'seeker of knowledge'?"

"Stop insulting that word, my dear court advisor."

Azshara stopped and looked at Diakum with a subtle expression.

She examined the black and white light and shadow on Diakum's spirit body, which was moving towards "perfect harmony," and after a few seconds, she said:
"You certainly don't qualify as a seeker of knowledge. After all, you treat the Holy Light as a faith rather than a power that can be calmly dealt with and studied. In terms of mindset alone, you do not possess the qualities of a researcher who 'seeks the root of the matter'."

However, when we lower the standard to the realm of 'believers,' I have to admit that you are the most rational and devout believer I have ever met.

You were not blinded by the Naaru and the priests' flowery words, nor were you satisfied with merely 'worshiping the Holy Light' and 'listening to the Holy Teachings'.

You have your own understanding of the Holy Light and have been working hard to study theological and philosophical concepts, combining your own experiences and insights, and have finally advanced the path of 'twin light and shadow' to this near-perfect state.

I must admit it!
Even if I walked the path of holy light, I might not be as outstanding as you.

Of course that's impossible!

After all, if I wish, if I call upon it, the six fundamental forces, including the Holy Light, will open their doors to me.

This is a privilege of the 'monarch'.

But you are not a monarch, and you never intended to walk the path of a monarch, and that is terrifying.

Azshara smiled appreciatively and nodded, saying:

"Therefore, I am willing to acknowledge that you are also one of the 'seekers of knowledge'. You and I are both seeking the truth, although your path to the truth is very narrow, limited only to light and shadow. But as I said before, by the standards of a believer, you are already very good."

You must feel happy about it.

Your queen has never spoken so highly of a foreigner, but you deserve it.

After speaking, the Queen stepped forward and dispelled her Venthyr disguise, causing the mud-servant giant stonehead who was roaring and scolding her to immediately show a look of surprise.

The simple, foolish, but loyal and stubborn giant lay on the ground, carefully placing his hands in front of the queen, allowing Azshara to step into his palms, and then stood up like a undulating mountain.

The clumsy stone head wanted to say a few auspicious words, but unfortunately, this was not the right thing for it, so it could only huff and puff as it said:
“Ah, Your Majesty and Your Majesty, as you depart from your domain. Uh, what’s that word again? Sitar taught me, ah, Stonehead has forgotten.”

The massive creature pounded its head with enough force to split mountains and shatter rocks, and after a few pitiful, hollow thuds, it said joyfully:

“Hmm, I remember now, yes! When you left your territory to ‘hunt,’ your loyal and powerful ‘guards’ protected this godforsaken place that nobody wanted to come to, while your court diplomat, the weak Duke of Sitar, remained in your dilapidated palace. With nowhere else to go, he insisted that you would return to your loyal Ash Wilderness.”

"That scoundrel Denathrius has been sending men to try and assassinate us, but they taste quite good, and the stoneheads have eaten their fill."

As he spoke, the burly man let out a burp, leaving Azshara looking helpless.

Alas, Diakum is right. He was eager to rebuild the court, so he recruited all sorts of "extraordinary people," but to recruit someone like Stone Head was indeed a case of "being so hungry that he couldn't be picky."

This also shows that even though the Queen maintains her high standards in everything she does, her current situation is indeed quite dire.

"I need to meet with my court diplomat, Duke Sitar, first."

Azshara, standing in the hands of the stonehead, said to Diakum:

“I know you have duties of the Holy Light to fulfill in the Ash Wilds, and as an Arcane Walker, I will not participate. After you have finished mourning your ‘comrades,’ remember to come and meet me at the ‘palace’ that I have prepared for you in Sitar.”

That was a terrible place.

But it was also my first 'safe house' in the Shadowlands.

Ah, I actually miss the 'Royal Tea' that the mud servants of Sitar brewed for me with local produce. It was absolutely the worst tea I've ever drunk in my life, yet also the most delicious.

Go ahead, don't keep me waiting.

After saying that, the Queen waved her finger.

The powerful stone head clenched its fist and pounded its chest, producing a sound like a war drum, clearing the way for the queen's procession. Then, carrying the supreme queen, it uttered some terrible auspicious words and strode away into the scorching holy land.

"As expected of Azshara, even at this point, she can't lose her queenly demeanor."

Diakum stood at the entrance to the Ash Wastes, watching the Queen disappear, then glanced at the filthy, enormous shack next to the gate.

That was where the Queen's "Royal General" Stonehead usually slept, and Diakum noticed some scattered fragments of light placed beside that huge shack.

He stepped forward, enduring the stench, bent down, and picked up the packet of luminous fragments; there were even words on it.

The tattered bag had the words "Snack bag from Shishou, whoever touches it will be eaten" written crookedly in Wenshire script.

Well, Azshara's royal general certainly has a good appetite. As a creation of the dead, he dares to eat even Naaru fragments as "candy," and he doesn't even get diarrhea after eating them.

Just look at that stomach and intestines, amazing!
But Diakum picked up the shimmering fragments of holy light and held them in his hands. He closed his eyes and felt the ancient will contained within these broken fragments of light.

Seemingly sensing Diakum's call, the fragments that had been emitting a faint glow suddenly shone brightly, their light from different Naaru intertwining and drawing Diakum's thoughts to ancient times.

The Watchers vaguely saw thousands of Naaru, enveloped in light, descending from the sky, their holy light hurled at the gloomy city of Revendreth with a shared, vengeful rage.

Amidst their rebukes and punishments, the sinners dwelling here screamed as they turned to ashes in the light.

Countless Venthyrs took to the skies to meet the enemy under the command of Emperor Denathrius, but as more Naaru appeared from the heavens, they illuminated Revendreth in an instant.

And so, those anima vampires that flew into the sky to challenge the light were reduced to burning, withered bones and fell to the ground amidst screams that blotted out the sky.

The Naaru's punitive expeditionary force was invincible!
Diakum saw Nathria Castle trembling in the light of the Naaru, and he also saw the Eternals atop the castle, their faces ashen. Emperor Denathius commanded his demonic sword to kill the enemy, but even the mighty Remonia was forced to retreat in the scorching light of the Naaru.

The Emperor attempted to use the power of forgiveness to judge these Naaru, but in that radiant light, countless fervent wills converged into a deafening response:

"You have no right to judge the Holy Light!"

As a result, more beams of light descended from the sky, and more light burst forth here.

The ancient illusion quickly dissipated, revealing a smile on Diakum's face. He took the Sunstrider warhammer from his back and placed the Naaru fragment, which had been dead for millions of years but was still shining, into the torch of the warhammer.

他 说:

"You have waited long enough. I have come to take you home. Death cannot hold you back. In the rekindled sun, the ancient Holy Spirit will return to the embrace of the highest heaven. If you still have a last shred of will, then come with me."

Let's ignite the sun together.

"boom"

Golden flames ignited in the torch of the Sunstrider's Warhammer, representing the response of the departed Naaru, causing Diakum to let out a hearty laugh as he strode into the scorching Ash Wastes.

No one knows how many Naaru perished here in the war against the Stone Legion. The beings of the Shadowlands denounced them as "brutal light," but Diakum knew very well that the Holy Light was not brutal, and this destructive expedition was merely a response to the shameful acts of those conspirators.

The Holy Light sensed Emperor Denathus's malice, and the Naaru tried to stop Him.

They failed, they perished here.

But that doesn't matter. Diakum's arrival after countless years signifies the resurgence of the Holy Light's expedition. This time, where will the desperate Emperor Denathrius find an army to resist the sun's conquest?
Dick walked through the desolate desert, picking up every Naru fragment scattered across the land with his bare hands and lighting them in his torch.

These are all "fuel".

Once the last remains of the most loyal, upright, and passionate Naru in this desert have been gathered, the fuel to ignite the sun will be ready.

"Save her!"

Those ancient voices echoed, like the call of a hot wind in the desert.

Those voices were guiding Diakum's way. Of the Naaru who died on the expedition, the last one survived to this day. He was the last survivor of that Holy Light's conquest.

The soul in the light is pleading with the incarnation of the sun to save her and take her away.

How could Diakum refuse such a request?
To dare imprison one's own "brethren" in the face of the sun and attempt to break the power of the Holy Light for the use of the creation of death—ha, these Venthyr vampires are truly tired of living!
He listened intently in the desert and faintly heard what sounded like a weeping hymn rising from the edge of the Ash Wasteland, deep into the underground abyss of Nathria Castle.

Is that Naru crying?

Was she crying because of the tragedy of enduring countless years of torture?
Do not!
That was just a funeral for dying vampires.

After I collect these holy remains, I will ask the Holy Light for permission to kill you all. Then, I will go and scatter you all!

(End of this chapter)