Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 710, Section 78: In the Name of the World! Your Majesty, the children of Azeroth are knocking on your window!

When Azshara arrived at the main battlefield of Nathria Castle riding a majestic Stoneborn demon provided by a stonesmith, the "rebels" had just torn apart the outer defenses of the Emperor's loyal subjects.

In the area near the Royal Gardens of Nathria Castle, large swathes of Venthyr elites were retreating. The light from their withdrawal through the Crimson Gates merged, almost turning the entire garden area blood red.

However, Azshara was a leader who understood military strategy.

She immediately realized that it wasn't the rebels who had breached the defenses; it was simply that the besieged palace elites had chosen to retreat.

Their decision to retreat to the more fortified Castle Nathria, where they would hold their ground and await the arrival of the "loyal army" from all over Revendres, was a sound one.

Especially now that most of the Stoneborn in Revendreth have chosen to obey the orders of the Stonesmiths, even though the Emperor has Nathrezim who are loyal to him, anyone with a little knowledge of the war in the Material Star Sea knows that the Dreadlord is not good at fighting tough battles.

Their talents are all focused on camouflage and scheming; their ability to fight head-on is terrible.

In the Material Realms, they could rely on the Burning Legion for support, summoning Hellfire as strategic weapons to bombard the battlefield, earning them the nickname "self-propelled Hellfire launchers." But now that they've arrived in the Shadowlands, the Burning Legion's invincible logistics no longer provides them with readily available "Hellfire" constructs.

When the strategy is deadlocked or the dreadlord has the upper hand, he can gain some advantage through sneak attacks. But in the current situation of absolute disadvantage, even if Nathrezim is full of enthusiasm for the Emperor, he is unlikely to rush to the front line as cannon fodder.

In particular, the stonesmiths gave the Stoneborn a death order.

We can spare the Venthyrs from the Emperor's side, but we'll kill any Nathrezim who dare to defy the banishment and run back to the Shadowlands!
This resulted in some of the Dreadlords who were defending the Garden District not being able to escape at all. As soon as the battle started, they were attacked by the Stoneborn with almost no regard for casualties and were wiped out by more than five times their number of ferocious Stoneborn within minutes.

The life form of the Stone Descendant is quite peculiar.

Since they come from rocks, they naturally do not feel pain, and physical attacks are ineffective against them. Moreover, the rock bodies sculpted by stonesmiths are very inclusive. The power a Stoneborn can gain depends entirely on the type of anima they are infused with. Furthermore, the Stoneborn under the command of stonesmiths have formed a clear and complete social system and division of labor in warfare.

Among them are robust creatures wielding battle axes for charging into battle, slender ones with wings for reconnaissance, and even stoneborne demons and Gargons carved into beast-like forms.

The former is a massive tactical weapon, specifically designed for charging into battle, while the latter is a keen-nosed hunter, once targeted, it is difficult to escape.

Because the Stoneborn almost took the blame for the Nathrezim's foolishness during the last Holy Light invasion, nearly leading to their extinction, they harbored a deep hatred for the Dreadlord. Without the Stonesmiths needing to modify them, these Stoneborn developed a "special attack" against the Nathrezim in their subsequent series of "evolutions".

The Stoneborn cannot discern the Dreadlord's disguise with the naked eye, but they can indeed sense whether there is a Nathrezim in a given area.

It was a feeling akin to that of a "natural enemy".

Once it's confirmed that a dreadlord is lurking, there are plenty of ways to identify it.

Under these circumstances, the Nathrezim dared not wander around anymore. Under Banazar's command, these guys had all gathered in Nathria Castle, ready to fight the enemy together with the Venthyr.

"Your Shi Yi are a loyal and brave army, truly an enviable force."

After Azshara landed on the battlefield, she saw the Stonesmith standing beside a giant mud golem she had personally killed, gazing at the Emperor's tightly closed fortress palace. The Queen approached the Stonesmith to greet her, and then subtly inquired:
"I'm curious, can the Stoneborn move freely in the material world?"

"Yes, as long as the core of the mind is not damaged, they can continue to move. When I designed the Stoneborn, I took into account their movement patterns in the material star sea."

The Stonesmith was also a leader in her own world. Her dislike of politics didn't mean she wasn't good at it. How could she not understand Azshara's underlying message?

The tough, bald woman gave Azshara's tattered "hammer" a strange look and said:

“For a long time, my children have not had the opportunity to go out into the material world and make a name for themselves. They are very strange creatures who must strictly abide by the constraints of destiny.”

"But the collapse of destiny under the existing order is only a matter of time; it is a trend that can be seen with the naked eye."

Azshara smiled, no longer concealing her emotions, and addressed the stonemason with the air of a queen:

“Name your price. I will rebuild the Empire, but my subjects have been divided for too long. I need a loyal Royal Guard. When the Queen of Azeroth returns from the Death Crusade, she will face a world invaded by demons. A great monarch should bring the glory of victory to her people.”

An invincible army clearly fulfilled the desires of subjects trapped in despair.

"I'll give it to you for free, but you need to go and get it yourself."

The stonesmith looked around and whispered:

“The Stoneborn valued ‘loyalty’ very much. After Denathrius was defeated, the Stoneborn who obeyed Him could not survive. The blood of those blindly loyal children was spilled in the wrong direction. However, as a mother, I know that I molded them into the image of loyalty.”

They simply chose which entity to serve.

Loyal ministers are not wrong in themselves; their only mistake is their poor judgment.

You are far superior to Denathrius, therefore, the Stone Legion under the Emperor's command is yours if you have the ability to take it. But like the Nathrezim, they are not permitted to set foot on the territory of the Shadowlands again!

The stonesmith handed Azshara a stoneborn mage staff he had carved himself, saying:

"I'm also giving you this Death God Stoneborn Demon that I just finished carving. Consider it 'rent' I'm paying for the children. They'll have to learn to survive in this other world on their own from now on."

“What a perfect collection! My royal treasury needs such mighty and loyal beasts to guard it.”

Azshara accepted it readily.

He then surveyed the battlefield and said:

"How can a mere castle stop the righteous? Follow me! The arrogant and mad emperor is surely in his palace contacting his evil brothers, just as I was in dire straits ten thousand years ago."

I should learn from my most devastating defeat and draw lessons from the anti-demon alliance that defeated me in the first place.

This kind of thing can't be delayed.

"hiss"

This prompted the stonemason to look at Azshara with a subtle expression. After a moment, she muttered to herself:

"It sounds like you have a story to tell, just like me when I was abandoned by everyone. I killed all the demons that invaded the world, slaughtered the evil ancient gods, destroyed the old era and almost destroyed the new world."

I prayed that my lover would kill me, not let himself destroy what I had left.

But I am happier than you, lonely queen.

I ultimately died in my lover's arms, and that alone allows me to peacefully face the afterlife.

"Lonely?"

Azshara chuckled and waved her hand, saying:
"Loneliness is only a king's companion. I have too many wonderful things to share with myself. To bring one's rule to such a tragic point, it seems that we are truly evenly matched in the art of ruling."

She even made a joke about her past failures, which were very similar to those of the stone forger, which made the usually serious stone forger burst out laughing.

This woman's reclusiveness was not feigned.

But in reality, it's just that most people can't understand her reclusiveness; clearly, Azshara can understand her.

The two have indeed had very similar life experiences.

They might not be friends yet, but at least they could exchange a few words. Therefore, the stonesmith asked:

"How do you plan to breach Nathria Castle? By bombarding it with your floating island-like monument of sin?"

"No!"

Azshara shook her head and said:

"This palace will be my future residence in the Shadowlands. I love it, and I've already reserved it as my first gift to myself upon my resurgence after ten thousand years of slumber. How could a penniless queen like me destroy my own precious collection?"
So, I would say, let's just step in!

The Queen rose into the air, harnessing arcane energy, and an invisible staircase lifted her closer to Nathria Castle, which was protected by a barrier of immense sinful magic.

In this once beautiful but now desolate garden, littered with the corpses of Venthyr, Nathrezim, Stoneborn, and Mud Servant, Azshara scrutinizes the barrier before her with a critical eye, under the watchful gaze of the Stoneborn.

She could have her massive floating island, the Sin Monument, suspended in the sky above Revendres, crash down upon her. The barrier in front of her would be utterly incapable of withstanding such a meteorite strike, but that would be far too unsophisticated.

I'm neither a barbaric warrior nor a sorcerer who makes a living by selling my face.

I am an arcanist!
I have to do something befitting my identity as an arcanist.

Moreover, his stay in the Shadowlands was not a waste of time. Although he had not yet visited other kingdoms, he had already thoroughly studied the Venthyr sin spell sequence.

So what if this is the power of death?

Observe, summarize, analyze, master, and apply.

Arcane sorcerers have countless ways to explore all the truths they see and incorporate them into their own practice. Moreover, Azshara, the arcane master, now has even more convenient "tools" at her disposal.

“Denasius’s palace defense sequence hasn’t been updated for at least three thousand years. I can smell the pathetic decay just by standing here. The Venthyrs are intelligent, but they’ve spent far too much time backstabbing each other.”

"The nation's indulging in base pleasures has wasted and desecrated their wisdom, and Arcane Arts are deeply dissatisfied with this."

Azshara wielded the Death God's Stoneborn Scepter, which she had just been given, and used it as a wand, drawing a dozen rather peculiar "runes" in front of her with her arcane energy.

The moment those runes appeared, they seemed to come alive and began to pulsate, much like a dozen-digit "combination lock" rapidly rotating under Azshara's control, comparing a certain "password".

Sitting in the throne room, holding the King's Mourning, and observing the traitors' actions through a magic mirror, Emperor Denathrius had originally maintained a calm and serene demeanor, his "Fraudulent Forgiveness" expression fixed on his face, seemingly indifferent to everything before him.

But when he saw the runes that Azshara had drawn begin to align, the Emperor suddenly stood up.

Sachil, standing beside Him, clearly saw a hint of tension, doubt, and fear on the deceitful face of the Great Emperor.

"The Firstborn Runes?!"

Denathius, unusually vulnerable, whispered:
"That's not knowledge that a lowly being like her should possess!"

Sachir's eyes narrowed immediately.

Before it even reached the Shadowlands, it had heard snippets of information about the Firstborn Runes.

The reason why Diakum was told that it would imprison itself in this world of death was not only to find a place to end its remaining days, but also because the knowledge of the Firstborn Rune, which only existed in concepts, was enough for researchers like Sachil to study until they embraced eternal silence.

Azshara was demonstrating the wonders of the Firstborn Runes to it, which made Sachir stare intently at the magic mirror.

A few seconds later, the runes in front of Azshara arranged into a three-line pattern of "two long and one short," just like a visible mana model being supported by Azshara.

As she tossed her hair, gently blowing away the characters, a strange wind suddenly rose around Fort Nathria.

The shield that Emperor Denathrius had erected outside his palace did not collapse, but the Venthyr spellcasters were horrified to find that they had lost control of it.

The heavy, sinful heart energy that formed the solid barrier was called away by Azshara in a dissipating and flowing manner, transforming into three blood-red giant snakes that obediently gathered, compressed, and merged around the queen.

When Azshara looked up again, she calmly raised her Stoneborn Scepter, and the "Crimson Serpent" surrounding her struck the Crimson Castle before her like three divine fists.

The first strike shattered the city gate; the second strike, following the sequence of spells, swept back, causing the spellcasters in the castle to cough up blood and collapse; the third strike spread like a flood, unstoppable.

In a single encounter, they scattered the stubborn stone legion defending the palace, clearing the way for the Stoneborn army of the Stonesmiths.

Azshara clearly did it on purpose.

The stonesmith promised that if the queen had the ability to take it, the Stone Legion under the Emperor's command would all belong to her. Clearly, in order to rebuild the empire, the once extravagant Azshara has now learned to be "frugal".

Well, this is truly a heartbreaking and tear-jerking story.

But the stonesmiths had no time to empathize with the queen. The moment the gates of Nathria Castle swung open, her most valiant son, General Draven, gave the order, and the Stoneborn, already burning with rage, roared and charged toward the palace they had once guarded.

The Stoneborn and Nathrezim are sworn enemies. The Emperor humiliated this hatred through deception, so the Stoneborn shouldn't be blamed for making their own choices.

This doesn't even qualify as betrayal.

Revendreth exists to protect the survival of Mandate of Heaven, but Emperor Denathrius has already stood on the opposite side of Mandate of Heaven. You're just an "administrator," buddy, do you really think you're the CEO of Shadowlands?
The realm of death has its own will, and this world will speak out. Since you remain obstinate, then we can only ask Your Majesty to die.

"Ah, look at this, my loyal subject."

Emperor Denathius, leaning on his King's Sorrow, shook his head and chuckled self-deprecatingly. As the Stoneborn were led by the Stonesmiths into Nathria Castle, the Emperor also dispatched his own army.

Of course, someone of his stature wouldn't need to bully lowly soldiers to seek validation.

He had also recognized the dented "hammer" in Azshara's hand. At that moment, Emperor Denathrius suddenly had a strange feeling that he had fallen into a "trap"!

As a top-tier schemer in the world, He was all too familiar with the feeling of being manipulated. However, there was no time to think about it now. Even if He wanted to avoid the battle, Azshara, who had already flown into the upper levels of the palace, had no intention of letting Him go.

"Last time, you abandoned me in the Maw, you thief!"

Azshara roared:

"But the world's life that you stole still cries out in despair. I come bearing the hatred and fury of my homeland. Thief of death, come forth! Face me."

"buzz"

The crimson heart energy erupted into a "river of blood," which, as Emperor Denathrius appeared amidst the blood-red light, stretched across the sky, symbolizing the sins of all living beings.

Against this apocalyptic, blood-red backdrop, the Emperor gripped his even more powerful demonic sword, staring expressionlessly at Azshara.

He said:

“I once thought you were an interesting soul, but in the end, you still couldn’t get rid of those annoying emotions. You need a cleansing of your sins, and I am honored to be able to personally cleanse you of your filth.”

come on.

Challenge your monarch, you defeated foe!

The moment they exchanged harsh words according to battle etiquette, the tattered "hacksaw" and the elegant and perfect "King's Sorrow" collided. Amidst the mournful cries and howling winds, the two demonic swords began their "fight."

Remonia didn't want to think about anything anymore.

The Demon Sword Maiden emptied her mind.

Her past has been negated by Thénardiers himself, and her future is already bleak, so she should seize the present.

She only wanted to drink her fill of blood.

The blood of a heartless man like Denathrius must be so delicious that it would satisfy him enough to embrace a shattered future!

Ps:

3+5 bonus chapters tomorrow
(End of this chapter)