Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 711, Section 79: They say I'm a madman and a tyrant. I want to clarify: I am not cruel.

In the crimson abyss beneath Fort Nathria, golden light is erupting in a "spreading" manner.

Like the growth of the roots of a golden tree, the scorching veins of light extend beneath the land of Revendres, rapidly ascending along with the sun's rays.

These rays of light are seeping in and subtly altering the physical properties of the rock formations of Revendres. If left unchecked, something even more dramatic or tragic may befall this land of death.

This was clearly an uncontrolled release of power.

This is commonly seen in novices who suddenly gain a huge amount of energy but cannot control it well. It's like a bucket full of water that will spill out at the slightest movement.

With each breath, Diakum in the light would cause the scorching light pulses to surge upwards, but after each breath, a portion of the overflowing holy light would be suppressed, and the light and heat would be gathered as much as possible and transformed into part of his corona.

Of course, there is also the transformation into shadow, which makes the shadow of the vigilant in the light spread and expand further, like the sun about to leap out of the sea.

He was ready for the "sunrise".

Let the night roar.

At sunrise, all shadows will vanish.

As the hymns of Platinumnaru Z'alari echoed, Diakum opened his eyes at a certain moment, causing the surrounding light and shadows to suddenly recede, and all the visions vanished in that instant.

He gripped the warhammer beside him, and the starlight of the Sunstrider pulsed and receded inward, weaving a floating corona around the hammer as if it had its own breath. With each shift in light and darkness, every crack beneath the entire Revendreth subterranean shone with a golden luster.

"I can light this land, turning all of Revendreth into a vast wasteland of ashes, so that every sinful soul may atone under the rolling holy flames."

Diakum shook his head, smiled at the Platinum Naru beside him, and said:
"But why be so extreme? Warriors of Light who are passing by should quietly complete their mission and then leave. Before you go to the High Heavens, my brethren, I have a task for you."

"I would be happy to fulfill any of your requests."

Naru said:
"I'll do my best."

"Aren't you even going to ask about the details of the mission?"

Diakum scoffed and said:
"I sense you're becoming a bit 'blindly faithful' these days, which isn't good. But I bet you'll complete this important task with a joyful heart. Although the Holy Light doesn't advocate bloody revenge, we always have our own unique understanding of the 'oath of vengeance'."

In short, be prepared.

After saying that, Dick crouched slightly at the entrance to the Crimson Abyss. After gathering strength in his legs, he transformed into a golden meteor and broke through the darkness of the abyss. Just like the primordial light that streaked across the deepest night during the great order of light and darkness, the dazzling beam of light he left behind illuminated most of the gloomy sky of Revendreth.

At this moment, Emperor Denathrius, who was being protected by two supersonic swords clashing and fighting each other with spells against Azshara, felt the rapid rise in the battlefield temperature, which caused his expression to change slightly.

In the blood-red illusion, they retreated swiftly, creating distance in an instant, and the dazzling meteor landed on the highest platform of Nathria Castle.

There were no explosions, no earthquakes, and no exaggerated impact craters.

Diakum landed on the platform in a gentle, effortless manner, but the solar corona that erupted in all directions upon landing, like a cascading waterfall, incinerated all the Venthyr and Nathrezim that tried to approach the battlefield.

They weren't even given time to scream; they were reduced to scorching ashes the instant they made contact.

Of course, this kind of AOE radiation attack will definitely not harm the noble Eternals.

As Emperor Denathrius's blood-red cloak swayed, he casually swung the Halberd of Mourning forward, extinguishing the golden holy flames that surged toward him with a crimson light.

His condition was not very good at the time.

In the previous battle with Azshara, he was able to suppress the Queen with sinful magic and the Force of Death, but the Queen's "climbing the tower" in the Maw during this period was obviously not just out of researcher's curiosity.

During her time in the Maw, Azshara had already deepened her understanding of anima. She comprehended the principles of sinful magic and acquired the exaggerated casting method of the Firstborn Rune. In the second battle, she transformed into a hedgehog, making it difficult for Emperor Denathrius to strike her.

This queen from the material world even savagely tore apart the emperor's luxurious armor, making him look like a pathetic battlefield drunkard.

More importantly, the demonic sword that once belonged to him was now acting like a madman.

Remonia didn't care about her injuries at all, or perhaps this demonic sword was designed for mutual destruction. She was left with exaggerated wounds on the already broken blade of King's Mourning, but it successfully pierced the Emperor's body.

When the "hammer" sword, its heart as shattered as its body, returned to Azshara's hands, drops of heart energy, like viscous blood, still slid from the demonic sword.

But that's definitely not enough!

On this battlefield, amidst the radiance of starlight and the swirling ashes, only a faint halo could be seen of Diakum shouldering his warhammer.

He waved his hand, indicating that the Queen should attend to more important matters first.

Azshara accepted it readily.

She trusted that her "court advisors" would not give Thénardiers any respite today, even though it would deprive the queen of her "sense of participation" in the expedition to the land of death. But as the old saying goes, if the leader does everything, what do the subordinates need to do?
Most importantly, Azshara regarded Diakum as a key courtier, and Dick had no objection to this, which meant that the Vigilantes' victory was also a victory for the supreme queen.

Great monarchs always have a clear understanding of this.

After the queen decisively left, the highest point of the Crimson Palace became an arena for the two men to duel.

"Do you remember when I said, 'You're next'?"

As the Emperor stood ready, Diakum, whose outline could only be seen in the light, spoke gently:
"I've arrived. I hope you've written your will."

"barbarian!"

Emperor Denathrius was utterly annoyed by this saint of holy light before him.

At this moment, He seemed to have completely forgotten that He had previously been very willful in asking Sachar to find a way to "invite" Dick to the Shadowlands, as the Emperor wanted to achieve another victory like he had captured Azshara.

Unfortunately, this skilled angler underestimated the destructive power of the raptor.

What this guy did at Bastion really instilled a long-lost sense of "fear" in the Emperor.

If Denathrius could travel back in time using a time machine, he would surely grab his past self and give him two less-than-honorable slaps as a warning to his past self not to cause trouble!
Wouldn't it be better to let Diakum wreak havoc on the void and demons in the Sea of ​​Matter?
He insisted on bringing this jinx into the Shadowlands, even though he managed to completely shut down the Eternal Arbiter as he wished, shattering the last link in maintaining destiny. But problems arose after that.

The Mandate of Heaven is indeed beginning to crumble.

However, I may not have the chance to witness the transformation of the Shadowlands.

An emotion called "resentment" rose in the Emperor's heart. He felt as if he understood the feelings of the great demons and void gods who died at the hands of Diakum.

So this is what it feels like to be a loser?
How novel! I've never done anything wrong like this before!

My mind is being affected!

Although the two sides are indeed vastly different in strength, why did they admit defeat before the fight even started?

"boom"

King's Mourning slashed forward at a perfect angle, deflecting the Sunstrider's hammer that crashed down like the sun in a powerful parry. The Vigilant's terrifying power pressed the demonic sword irresistibly towards the Emperor, making Denathrius feel his arms groaning in this close combat.

But his own body was created by the very hands of the Firstborn!
Even if the combat stats were filled in by the creators with their feet, how could this Vigilant completely overwhelm me in terms of strength? What did it eat to grow up like this?

Even more terrifying is that the power emanating from the warhammer is still increasing!
Like a wrestling match, the Silent Vigilant pressed down on the Sorrowful Sword, which was used to block the attack, until the Emperor's body was forced to kneel on one knee in humiliation, barely managing to block the blow.

"really."

他 说:

"The Eternals are a bunch of powerless, unworthy individuals."

"you"

The emperor felt humiliated.

As soon as He opened His mouth, He realized that this was another mental trap. The ever-present emotional interference made it difficult for Him to calm down, so He wanted to retreat first. But before He could retreat, the Sun's Holy Slash, which had been building up for a long time, dragged Denathrius into the blooming of the high-temperature corona with a "zero-distance explosion".

He clearly lacked experience fighting Diakum.

Sachil seemed to have "forgotten" to tell Him that when fighting the Vigilant in melee, He must be careful of the passive Holy Slash that would follow every strike, as well as the mysterious solar storm that could erupt in various ways and from various angles.

He was scorched by the blazing sun and tried his best to defend himself with his swordsmanship. As a result, he swung his sword nine times and was hit by Diakum seventeen times. Two of the blows hit his face, causing the emperor's elegant nose to collapse.

The unsightly blood streaming down his face made his perfect image even more wretched.

Fortunately, although the emperor was weak, he was not a ruler like the eldest daughter who had no combat experience at all.

When He realized that He was at a disadvantage in close combat, He decisively chose a more pragmatic approach, turning into a streak of blood and disappearing from the spot, much like the legendary vampires' ability to teleport.

He created distance and flicked his finger, causing King's Mourning to escape his control and whistle as it pierced the Vigilant who was charging towards him with his warhammer. He chose to leave the melee combat entirely to his magic sword, while he focused on ranged spellcasting to restrain the enemy.

This is the fighting style that the Great Emperor is more suited to.

When Lord's Mourning parried Diakum's charge with its cunning and perfect Midnight Hunter swordsmanship, Denathrius, having regained his composure, wiped the blood from his face, laughed heartily, and waved his hands. The River of Sin, reflected in the sky, rained down blood, continuously igniting the blood debts borne by those on the watchful side in this desolate battlefield.

"You are so sure that I cannot judge you! How arrogant you are! I really cannot inflict the same torment on you as I do on other souls. You are a rare 'immaculate holy spirit' who is almost without sin."

But Diakum, being innocent doesn't mean you're without debt.
Every blood debt you have committed will be exposed in my eyes.

The scourge of war!

This may be the only 'crime' I can use to judge you. For a pardoner, this predicament of having nowhere to start is truly pathetic, but it's alright."

The Great Emperor conjured crimson wings and ascended into the air. Against the backdrop of raining blood, He proclaimed loudly:

"Hatred and rage, despair and desolation! I savor this beautiful sin, and grant you a fair chance for revenge. Let this bloody feast begin!"

His decree was read.

As Diakum blasted away King's Sorrow with his hammer, one after another, those who had once stood opposite him were recreated on the ground where blood rained down.

They become the bearers of blood debts in the name of revenge, symbolizing the terrible killings Diakum has committed along the way, but they are not physical entities, but merely reflections of the other side shaped by Denathrius through the power of sin.

This is also a judgment of forgiveness, prepared specifically for those souls burdened with blood debts.

Under the Emperor's cold gaze, as His fingers twitched, the blood rain falling from the river of sins that flowed through all living beings became even more desolate. He perfectly used His high position, constantly transforming the sins of all living beings into spiritual energy and pouring it into the reflections of those blood debts, allowing their power to continuously break through and improve.

He is the true God who holds the power of forgiveness, and in Revendres, His domain, His power is limitless.

Of course, this "infinite number" should be put in quotation marks, since we just tried it, and in close combat, He couldn't even withstand Diakum's divine wrath.

But what does it matter?

The true God always has many ways of achieving victory.

"My choir, come here, and play a mournful funeral song for the sinners who are about to be slaughtered!"

The Emperor called forth, summoning His most trusted Night Hermit lieutenants to cross the crimson veil of sin and reach His side.

The Venthyr masters of sin, clad in the robes of judgment, sang in unison, making the hymns of Nathria resound across the battlefield where blood rained down and rivers flowed, as if applying the "enrage" and "rage" buffs to those who bore the burden of blood debts, causing them to surge even more frantically toward Diakum, only to be easily swallowed up by the Vigilant's solar storm.

But the blood rain continued to fall, causing the reflections of those blood debts to reappear time and again.

The composed and decisive Emperor Denathus, like the most extravagant and wasteful monarch, paid no heed to the depletion of his sinful inner energy, continuously strengthening the reflections to maintain the ritual of judgment.

He also infused the sinful heart energy into the demonic sword of King's Mourning, allowing this demonic sword with triple power to unleash terrifying slaughter in his place.

He saw Diakum flapping his wings of light and shadow, trying to take off, but He merely grinned and spread his hands. The moment Dick charged toward Him with his warhammer, the Vigilant was thrown back into the land shrouded in blood rain as the world reversed.

Clearly, Diakum cannot escape the torment of those reflections until he has completed this "payment of the blood debt."

Because this is the rule of destiny!
This is the power bestowed upon me by the Creator!

Unless Diakum surpasses the power of the Firstborn, no matter how strong he is, he must dutifully complete this "atonement".

As the officiant of the absolution ceremony, he clearly had some "small privileges".

He can prolong this trial indefinitely, trapping Diakum here until the Vigilant completely collapses.

This was a plan He had set out before the war even began.

This will undoubtedly take a very long time, perhaps even several "eternities," and may even occupy all of one's remaining time and energy for the rest of one's life.

But that's nothing.

Isn't this exactly what the firstborn wanted to accomplish?

He would interrogate and judge a soul with all his heart, and guide it toward redemption. He could spend eternity to complete the "redemption" for Diakum, and dedicate himself to turning the gods of the Holy Light into prisoners of Revendreth.

I will gladly accept it.

The emperor felt he had found the path to victory.

Why bother fighting a monster with such outrageous stats like Diakum?

Why not just implement the mechanism directly?

Let alone you, an incarnation of the sun, even if Sargeras came, he would have to obediently complete this absolution ceremony!

Once again, a solar storm was unleashed. The blood-stained reflections, constantly strengthened by the Emperor and with their offense and defense nearly maxed out, and covered by the power of sin, could not withstand even a single basic attack from the Vigilant.

Amidst the rain of blood, Diakum, who had no combat experience whatsoever, looked up at Denathrius in the air and said:

"You maintain this ritual to trap me, trying to turn it into a harmless seal, but the sinful spiritual energy it consumes every second is enormous. So what if you control the river of sins of all living beings?"

So many anima were sent to the Maw, and no new souls will come to Revendreth after the Arbiter crashed.
"Only money is being spent, Your Majesty. How long can your embezzled treasury last?"

"It will last longer than you think, until your light completely fades."

The emperor chuckled and flicked his fingers.

With the roar of Revendreth, the ground along the route from Fallen Manor to Dark Bay Town crumbled and collapsed, but instead of scattering ruins, it transformed into a massive stream of crimson anima that swept across the sky in a "returning" manner, merging into the River of Sin, and was then grasped in the Emperor's hand.

He toyed with these heavy mental energies, enough to destroy stars, and said:
"This entire land is the embodiment of my will! If you understood this concept, you wouldn't have asked such a foolish question. I can imprison you until the very end of eternity! You might be able to endure it, but what about your ideals?"
What about the morality you are willing to burn for? What about those people of light who are under your protection?
When you finally break free, what awaits you is a desolate sea of ​​stars.

The death of ideals!

This is the best punishment for an arrogant person like you!

Dick fell silent.

He looked at the anima power he had gained from destroying the land of Revendreth, which the Emperor held in his hand, and said:

"How many Winswells died in that attack just now?"

"Really? Is this the question you want to ask? To plead for justice for a group of sinners you don't know, don't understand, and aren't innocent?"

Okay, then I'll answer you.

several thousand?

Tens of thousands?

Does it make sense?

All Venthyrs were born of me, this land was born of me, and they and it are rightfully meant to exist and fight for my will.

Emperor Thénarius said coldly:

“I once wanted to be a kind and wise leader, but when traitors have already taken up arms, the monarch’s authority must naturally be transformed into punishment in an extreme way.”

But I am not cruel.

I will not let my subjects suffer any more pain.

The joy I felt at their birth has transformed into the power to defeat my powerful enemies. Those sinful souls should naturally receive their final redemption here. Otherwise, do you really think that by allowing those sinful souls to live on in Revendreth, I truly intend to let them live in peace and prosperity?
All sins must be repaid!
It is merely a momentary and merciful act of forgiveness, nothing more.

The First Ones desired that I fulfill my duties, and so I did.

“The Eternals have all gone mad, you’ve just gone mad in different ways, and you’ve really angered me.”

Diakum slammed the Sunstrider's Hammer into the ground, causing the torch to ignite and transform into a golden sun that radiated heat and light, instantly incinerating the reflections of those blood-stained figures as soon as they appeared.

He himself opened his arms and raised his head as if in prayer.

He said regretfully:
“If you wish to judge me, then come forth! Thennathy the Forgiver, count the sins I bear.”

"This first one is called the Sin of Solar Eclipse."

(End of this chapter)