Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 731, Section 9: A certain heliographer tells us that sunset is a natural phenomenon.

"Ah! My head!"

The moment Diakum stepped into Zaremotis, before he could even appreciate the scenery he'd seen countless times in his past life, he heard a cry of pain beside him.

He turned around and saw Azshara, Medivh, and the Twin Walker almost simultaneously, moving in unison, just like the Shadow Master, as they all fell to the ground at the same time. Not only that, the three of them also shouted the same sound in unison.

This is obviously not normal.

The other spiritualists in the Secret Society had similar bewildered reactions, but none were as intense as the three of them.

"Can you hear the sound, the melody? The melody that floats here, the pulse of the universe, the truth that unites all things, the knowledge and truth left behind by the creators of chords, is here, it is calling to us!"

Diakum pulled Azshara and Medivh to their feet, and the two were still in sync, saying in unison some seemingly insane things.

The vigilant frowned and slapped Medivh twice across the face.

With so many people watching, it wouldn't be appropriate to do such disrespectful things to Queen Azshara. Besides, Medivh is a lich right now, so he won't feel any pain.

These two slaps, carrying the mental spikes of the Void Lord, pierced Medivh's mind, which was clearly "tempted," causing the astral mage to scream and wake up in the next second.

The astral mage shook his head violently, then turned around and grabbed the dual-realm walker whose physical energy form was about to explode, awakening the ethereal being in a similar way to Diakum.

The three-person resonance was missing two nodes, which subsequently brought Azshara back to her senses.

She looked around warily. Before her eyes was a floating island with an extremely complex terrain. This floating island, which was about the same size as Azure Fairyland, was filled with all the known terrains of the material world.

Forests, jungles, swamps, deserts, rivers, and so on—except for the lack of snow-capped mountains and extremely cold regions, you can find almost every "terrain template" here.

They are randomly pieced together in a disorderly manner. One step is lush green grass, and the next step is into the desert. Most importantly, two places less than a meter apart have the climate environment that each other's terrain should have.

No wonder it's said that Zaremotis is a world that cannot be measured by any physical or metaphysical laws; the scene before us alone is completely inexplicable.

More importantly, Diakum bent down, reached out and parted the vines on the ground, breaking up the turf to expose the true surface of the land.

hexagon!
Everything here is shaped and stacked from hexagonal or geometric materials, like a copy-paste job. Even the distant mountains are pieced together bit by bit from hexagonal rocks.

In addition, simple geometric patterns can be found on everything in Zaremotis, an area built with geometric concepts full of bizarre aesthetics.

A map similar to one created in "Creative Mode"!
"The Zaremotis we see with our naked eyes is not 'real'!"

Azshara said in a low voice:
"This is just an illusion woven by the Firstborn with 'ciphers' to adapt to the reflection in the eyes of different observers. Everyone, including myself, sees Zaremotis differently."

amazing.

This is not an illusion. This place is simply existing in a state 'before its birth'. It was never born, nor will it be destroyed. Diakum, your plans need to be changed.

In its current state, we have no way to destroy it.

How can you destroy something that has never been born or has already been destroyed?

"The only thing I want to destroy is the Holy Tomb of the Firstborn, my Queen."

Diakum scoffed and said:
"It's your job to destroy Zaremotis, as we've already agreed. And I think that if you delve a little deeper into the study of the Firstborn Ciphers, you can collapse it from the inside by shaping it in the same way the Firstborns did."

As you said, this place is woven with a cipher system, which means that if you understand its structure, you can destroy it much more easily.

Azshara bit her lip, but did not refute the statement.

She, Medivh, and the Twin Walker discussed in hushed tones for a few seconds, saying:

"We need to follow the 'legacy chord' in our minds to find the device for deciphering and writing the Firstborn's cipher. It's guiding us. The location of that thing is in a different area from the Firstborn's Holy Tomb. It seems we need to split up."

"You go ahead."

The warden waved his hand, pointing to the only "real thing" that everyone saw together: the huge spherical device suspended above the core area of ​​Zaremotis.

He said:

“We must first take down the ‘Underworld Forge,’ otherwise the Divine Servants will continuously create troublesome Primal Bodies to hinder us. That thing is the ‘shaping mechanism’ of the entire Zaremotis, apart from the Tomb of the Firstborn.”

That is the heart of this place, providing this land with an inexhaustible source of power.

“They must have placed the most dangerous protozoan leaders they could find there; they knew we would come over.”

Diakum, carrying his warhammer, said:

"When it comes to studying the Firstborn Cipher, we are no match for the Divine Servant. Unlike defeating Herondus, they will certainly prevent us from deciphering the Cipher program."

"I will use my power of domination to deal with them!"

Having arrived at his birthplace and destination, Zovar, who had previously maintained the demeanor of a "philosopher," finally revealed his side as a warrior and rebel.

He said in a cold tone:
"You hold off the guards of the Firstborn, and I will use the chains of dominion to pull down the Underworld Forge, causing it to physically collide with the entire 'supply sector,' thereby triggering its internal security procedures and forcibly shutting it down."

do not worry.

The servants do not have enough authority to fully activate the power left here by the Firstborn. Otherwise, wouldn't it be more convenient for them to directly use the Firstborn's grand blueprint to 'reset' us?
Ultimately, those fanatical believers who see destiny as everything are nothing more than servants of the First Ones; they have less authority here than I do.”

"go!"

Diakum no longer hesitated.

He attempted to summon his divine steed, but unfortunately, Zaremotis has its own rules, and the divine steed cannot be formed here at all.

Zovar shook his head and said:
"In the land of creation, one can only walk. This is their rule."

"Boring formalism."

Diakum scoffed, and wings of light and shadow sculpted and flapped behind him, propelling him into the sky.

If I'm not allowed to ride a mount, then I can fly by myself, right?

The warden strode forward, panting heavily, leading a large group of Abyss Oath leaders in a mighty charge toward the central supply sector.

That was the area where all the terrain templates met, the absolute center of the entire Zaremotis.

The "Underworld Forge" they referred to was a giant golden sphere, its surface covered with wonderfully soft geometric patterns. However, the sphere was protected and shaped by an outer contour similar to a Dyson sphere. There was an energy port on each side of the Underworld Forge, within which the radiance of the universe constantly surged and converged.

This clearly indicates that the Underworld Forge is operating at low power, and the closer they get to it, the more severe the resistance they face.

Various protozoa attacked them from the ground, the sky, and even underground.

Birds, bats, spiders, wolves, giant bears, deer, and strange humanoid and non-humanoid creatures—those biomimetic metal contraptions—marched in with the determination to "defend destiny," launching a desperate attack on the invaders.

The original beings are just "minor troublemakers"; the real trouble comes from the Firstborn Guardians who surround the Underworld Forge.

These creatures, with their bodies sculpted from geometrically shaped stones and metals but not connected, and whose limbs are linked by energy resonance, are “security guards” specially designed by the Firstborn to protect the important materials. Each of them possesses explosive combat power.

They can use the power of some of the Firstborn's ciphers, and the spells they randomly unleash are at least fifth-order transformed cipher sequences, basically equivalent to a full-force attack from a demigod. Uh, now that you mention it, it doesn't seem so dangerous after all.

At least for Diakum right now, such an attack is not enough to break through his defenses.

Despite these individuals possessing the incredible ability to be "immune to the Force," it's still true that when paladins are forced to become warriors, and when their devout faith erupts as rage, their destructive power doesn't diminish much.

"break!"

The Vigilant crashed into the control platform of the central supply sector in the manner of "Sunfall." He clearly saw the "Prophets of Fate" among the Divine Attendants gathered together, manipulating the Underworld Forge in a special, prayer-like manner to continuously awaken the Firstborn Guardians who were shut down in various parts of Zaremotis.

It's no exaggeration to say that these guys are building an army of Firstborn creations that can easily wipe out the Shadowlands.

It seems they've made two preparations. Ideally, the prototypes of the five Eternals could be forged in the Creation Workshop, allowing for a smooth restart of Destiny.

If that doesn't work, use the guardians left behind by the Firstborn and the reconstructed prototypes to physically eliminate those arrogant souls who rebel against destiny.

The Mandate of Heaven must endure forever!

This is the perfect will of the First Being!

"boom"

The first Firstborn Guardian was smashed to the ground by Diakum swinging the Sunstrider's Hammer. Whether it was his imagination or not, Dick felt that the closer he got to this "Underworld Forge," the more vibrant the power within him became, and the destructive force was so strong that it startled even himself.

The vigilant glanced suspiciously at the golden sphere high in the sky, thinking that it did resemble the "sun" somewhat, but it shouldn't have such a significant amplification effect on him.
I'm not a werewolf, and I don't gain great power by yelling at the moon.

This is absolutely not scientific!
However, this doubt could not stop Diakum from continuing to fight. He perfectly controlled his surging energy and knocked down the Firstborn Guardians who were trying to stop him with heavy hammers.

Behind them, the warden and his Abyss Oath leaders simultaneously threw out their chains of dominion. The dark and cold chains fastened to the protective ring outside the Underworld Forge from all directions. The warden threw out seven chains and pulled them backward with the force of a mountain, while the Abyss Oath leaders also pulled with all their might.

There's a story behind the "power of domination" used by the warden.

This thing is a power created by the Lord of War based on the concept of the Force of Death.

It governs, manipulates, and controls all things, so it represents far more than just simple "control." It also includes a series of power characteristics that don't sound like good things and that LSPs find ecstatic.

Therefore, when those ruling chains tugged around the Underworld Forge, Diakum could see the dark power, like a surging tide, about to annihilate the golden sphere when he looked up during the battle.

This scene.
It looks just like a solar eclipse.

At that moment, Diakum's energy also underwent a subtle change; shadows rose while holy light faded, as if reflecting a synchronized change in the Underworld Forge above.

A flash of inspiration struck the vigilant!
If Zaremotis is the "original database" that stored various material samples when the First Creator created the world, and if everything here represents the original sample of some kind of external substance, then at this moment he seems to know what the "Underworld Forge" hanging high in the sky above Zaremotis is the "prototype" of.

No wonder its morphological changes have such a direct impact on itself.

But that's not a bad thing either.

As the shadows rose, the Vigilant dropped his warhammer, raised both hands to cover the entropy energy, and swung his antimatter claws in the starting stance of a martial monk. When the void form connected with the shadows of all things and enveloped the entire central sector control panel, the illusion of the eclipse quietly appeared in the sky, almost perfectly merging with the underworld forge that was being corrupted by the power of domination.

"We have lost control of it!"

Just as the eclipse illusion and the sphere of the Underworld Forge perfectly aligned, a prophet servant of the gods let out a terrified scream, as their connection to the Underworld Forge was completely severed by an external force.

It was as if the "administrator" had returned and taken away all the permissions these subordinate nodes had over the Firstborn system.

In the cold, eerie darkness, Diakum, his eyes covered by an entropy-energy gauze, seemed unable to bear witnessing the suffering of "all living beings," and revealed a cold smile.

What followed was a real massacre.

The warden was dumbfounded.

The chains of domination He pulled were clearly fastened to the furnace of the underworld, but when darkness enveloped the earth, all the chains of domination seemed to lose their target at the same time and were actively returned to everyone's hands.

The Underworld Forge has disappeared?
Right before their eyes, in full view of everyone, in that unsettling, floating darkness, it seemed to have "escaped" into another dimension, disappearing from Zaremotis's "reality".

The light soon shone again, just as dawn rises in the night.

As the night faded, Diakum gripped the Prophet, the servant of the gods, before the control panel. The latter, however, showed no fear, merely using his light, airy "hands" to hold onto Diakum's antimatter claws.

It witnessed firsthand the Underworld Forge disappearing into the eclipse illusion, and then it exclaimed in a strange language:
“You are also their child, Anser! You have returned home! They are watching you. They are waiting for the Seventh.”

"but I am not."

Diakum can understand this language.

This is the "Yuanzun Language," the sound formed when the secret text of the First Being is recited. It has only rhythmic beats and no fixed interpretive characters. It is a language that could not possibly exist in the material world.

This is the language of the firstborn.

He sighed and said to the servant of the gods who had willingly chosen to die:

"I am not the seventh one they longed for. I have nothing to do with them. I am just a passing warrior of light. Don't understand? It doesn't matter if you don't understand. You have already paid the price for your perseverance."

You can rest in peace now.

"click"

The antimatter claws closed, crushing the prophet of the servant of the gods to their final moments. Then the shadows receded, and light rose.

Zaremotis is still Zaremotis, but the Underworld Forge, which is the "heart" of this place, has disappeared without a trace. That huge golden sphere has mysteriously vanished.

Where did it go?

Even the usually composed warden couldn't remain calm at this moment, and he pressed for an answer.

Diakum glanced at Him from beneath the Judge's helmet and said lightly:
"The sun has set. Sunset is a natural phenomenon. You can't possibly not know that, can you?"

"We've said it before, you can't take anything from here!"

The warden rebuked:

"This is what you promised!"

"Even if Zaremotis is destroyed, the Underworld Forge will not be destroyed by internal collapse."

Dick explained seriously:

"Just as Medivh guessed, those sufficiently robust Firstborn creations would drift along in the vortex of Zaremotis's destruction, eventually appearing in the physical universe or somewhere in the six realms in the future."

It's like a cosmic treasure washed ashore by the tide.

Perhaps in the very distant future, they will quietly emerge amidst the turbulence of the universe, falling into the hands of a lucky or unlucky person, and stirring up waves once again in the long river of fate.

But I cannot risk letting the Underworld Forge fall into the hands of others.

If you knew whose prototype this thing was.

"You mean"

The warden quickly understood Diakum's subtext.

He nodded and stopped pursuing Diakum's "fake equipment" behavior. Clearly, the warden also believed that such "sealing" was necessary.

He looked at the scattered proto-beings, then gazed at the floating islands in the distance, detached from the main body of Zaremotis.

He said:

"The Holy Tomb of the Firstborn is there, our birthplace is there! The Creator's grand plan is also there. Before you step into it, I hope you will be prepared."

"Perhaps we should take a break?"

Diakum, leaning on his warhammer, responded to the warden:

"Let your brothers and sisters go ahead. Perhaps seeing their determination will give you more comfort and resolve?"

Zovar glanced behind him, then silently nodded and said:
“You’re right. I should give them the opportunity to express their determination to rebel. However, they don’t have the power to do all that. Rebellion is not just about having the will to resist.”

Ps:

The Underworld Forge of Zaremotis and the Guardians of the Firstborn:
(End of this chapter)