Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 770, Section 48: The ephemeral eclipse is not a victory, but merely a desperate gamble in a sea of ​​darkness.

While Diakum led the two worlds and their saviors in a battle against the Burning Legion in the material world, and also went to the Shadowlands to casually rack up a god-slaying achievement, the nobles of the Sea of ​​Darkness had a very pleasant time.

After all, there's no need to worry about a giant, holy being spouting righteous words suddenly "spawning" in this void kingdom, nor is there any need to worry about bad things luring them to the border of the material world and planting a landmine for them.

They were able to return to their former comfortable rhythm, devising some unsavory but delightful little schemes in the Sea of ​​Darkness to steal mass from the Great World to fill it up.

However, not all Void Lords can live such carefree lives. While other blind fools indulge in the lowly pleasures of the Void, some must choose to bear the burden.

For example, the Void Lords of the "Eclipse Faction" who are eager to do great things.

They've been very busy lately!
Ever since Diakum was swallowed by the Devourers of All Realms and began to refine his Holy Sun Rebirth with the help of Dimensius's pressure, these guys have noticed the "changes" in Anser who has fallen into the Sea of ​​No Light.

The ancient sun god is becoming "weak" day by day.

His resistance to the eclipse in the boundless mud of the void seemed to be weakening, much to the delight of the Void Lords who longed to personally usher in the "Age of Eclipses."

Lady Elune once scornfully criticized the actions of these Eclipse faction members, saying that these Void Lords pretended to have a great advantage, but Anther's suffering from the eclipse had nothing to do with them.

That was a scheme devised by the primordial darkness during its defeat in the final period of the "War of the Sun and Moon," before the great order of light and darkness was established.

The "remains" of the primordial darkness, defeated by the sun and moon, fell continuously at the moment of the great order of light and darkness, eventually forming the prototype of the Sea of ​​No Light. His final vicious attack, like a curse, dragged Anther into the eclipse.

The Void Lords only discovered Anther's true form, which had been submerged in the eclipse, in the depths of the Sea of ​​No Light, countless years later, and then they began their daily erosion.

The Eclipse Faction members are constantly corrupting Anther with their respective void powers, trying to hasten His descent into eclipse.

However, despite their efforts over such a long time, it cannot be said that they have achieved little, but rather that they have made almost no progress.

Anser's rank is too high!

As an ancient deity shaped by the Firstborn, Anser's status is equivalent to the entire "Will of the Void." As a child of the Sea of ​​No Light, no matter how hard the Void Lords try, they cannot withstand the pull of the Sea of ​​No Light itself on Anser.

Over the years, the Void Lords’ efforts have indeed dragged Anther into the eclipse much faster, roughly equivalent to accelerating the descent of an object that was already falling at an extremely slow speed by about 1%.

Maximum 2%!

In short, the Void Lords of the Eclipse faction were very confident and ambitious, but their achievements were minimal, which is the main reason why not all Void Lords participated.

Traditionalists like the "Truth Hunters" look down on the Eclipse Movement's actions, not because their goals are unattractive, but simply because the Eclipse Movement's strength is not as great as they imagine.

If the Sea of ​​No Light could give birth to a Force Master like Sargeras, then imposing all the powers of the Void on Anther would have allowed the ancient sun god to fall into an eclipse that would have ended the conflict of the Force much faster. However, the Void's "infinite subdivision" of powers makes it impossible for them to do such a thing.

Thus, a deadlock was formed.

To drag Anser down and bring about the Eclipse Era, a Force Lord must first emerge in the Sea of ​​No Light; however, without the blessing of the Eclipse's power, none of the current Void Lords are strong enough to unify the eight wastelands.

This sea of ​​darkness is full of blind fools who don't listen to your reasoning or instigation. They are just indulging in their own petty, low-level interests. What can the eclipse proponents do, no matter how eloquent they are?

That's where things got awkward.

Originally, they could only carry their expectations for the eclipse day after day, trying to "build a tower from sand" like ants carrying grains of sand. But Diakum's rise gave these eclipse proponents an opportunity.

Especially after the Vigilant received the dual inheritance of the Sun God, the Eclipse Faction immediately found an opportunity to accelerate the arrival of the eclipse.

The existence of "inheritance" means that as long as Diakum continues to grow stronger, Anser's true form will continue to weaken.

This is a path that leads directly to the true god. Diakum could not ascend to the clouds out of thin air. He took the body of the sun god hidden in the core of Azeroth, which is equivalent to taking a part of the power from Anther's body.

His subsequent fusion with and takeover of the divine body, and his eventual rebirth of the Holy Sun, all signify that he has been continuously taking away the already dim light from Anser.

Anther was weakened, and the Void Lords were overjoyed.

This thing used to be too heavy for them to move, but now that it's weak, why not take advantage of its weakness and kill it?
The leaders of the Eclipse Faction called out to the Void Lords who were still observing. After witnessing firsthand that the Eclipse Faction was indeed helping to accelerate the arrival of the eclipse, those observers quickly decided to join their side.

The increasing involvement of Void Lords, in turn, accelerated Anther's descent into the eclipse.

Until Diakum clashed with Sargeras in Silithus, marking the arrival of the "node" that repelled the Dark Titans for the second time, the dazed and confused ancient sun god seemed to sense the outstanding performance of his successor, and thus made a rather unique decision.

He was about to give up resisting.

According to Elune, Anther planned to use his last bit of willpower to sink into the Eclipse and ensure that the Eclipse would only descend upon the Sea of ​​No Light, without affecting the material universe and other realms. He also intended to completely sever his own Sun, allowing it to be fully inherited by Diakum.

This would elevate Dick to the level of "the brilliance of ten thousand suns," allowing him to fully inherit Anser's path and gain the greatest possible advantage in the final battle against the Dark Titan.

He chose to sacrifice himself.

The thoughts of the true god have their own weight, and coupled with the persistent efforts of the Void Lords in the shadow of Anther, this has led to the increasingly frequent "solar eclipses" in recent days.

This is a bad omen.

Anser's fall is accelerating. At the current rate, perhaps in a few years at most, Anser will completely fall into the primal shadow of the Sea of ​​No Light, which would mean that the good times that the Void Lords have been longing for are about to arrive!
Although Anther's self-destruction was clearly driven by his own motives, the Void Lords did not believe that His self-sacrifice would necessarily confine the Eclipse to the Void.

"The reasoning is very simple!"
If the Sea of ​​No Light is the remnant of primordial darkness, then what makes a sun god, weakened for countless eons, so confident that in his final battle he can suppress the being of the same rank as himself?
The Sea of ​​Light has expanded far beyond its initial size in the shadows, and over so many ages, the power of us Void beings has far surpassed that of the People of Light under Anser's command.

If He had been prepared to die from the very beginning of His fall here, perhaps there would have been a chance. But now, He Himself is a sun about to be extinguished; how can the flickering light of decaying grass be worthy to illuminate the primordial night in which we dwell?

The leader of the Eclipse Faction, the Void Lord who had communicated with Diakum several times, stretched out his limbs amidst the constantly swaying, dark whispers, and said with certainty:
"The arrival and spread of the eclipse is inevitable, and we will lead the people of darkness to complete the expedition in the eternal night shrouded by the eclipse! The faceless ones who are walking alone in the abyss are already ready to go, and the children of the void who are constantly rising from their eternal slumber have also smelled the thirst for blood."

Since you are so focused on the material world, you should know that the power of death has broken free from its fate of decay and is now unleashing its relentless roar in the sea of ​​matter.

This is great!

The other Forces besides us have accelerated the conflict of the Forces. They have all entered the battlefield of the Matter Star Sea, fighting against each other while fighting against their opponents. We took advantage of the moment when the Fel energy was suppressed to break out of the Sea of ​​No Light and crush the other Forces in one fell swoop under the shroud of the eternal night of the eclipse!
This conflict of the Forces must come to a conclusion, and the final winner will soon emerge, and that winner can only be us, the Children of the Abyss.

it says:

I came here specifically to invite you.

Your wisdom and planning are very important to the great cause we are pursuing. In the past, your unwillingness to join was because we really had no effective solutions. But now, as the eternal night is about to begin, will you still choose to stand aside and remain alone?

come on.

Stay with your compatriots and share this precious victory with us.” “Victory? You actually have the nerve to call it a ‘victory’?”

The mysterious hunter of truth dwells within the drifting, ethereal mist, and it utters a mocking murmur:
"I see no victory in my eyes; I only see a bunch of ants about to be drenched in hot water dancing wildly in the apocalyptic landscape."

I admit that what you said is all correct, but haven't you overlooked an important condition?
As Anser weakens, his chosen successor grows stronger. The High Heavens have risen, and the people of light throughout the entire Star Sea have been roused. Since the call to 'The Expedition of the Blazing Sun' was issued, have you not seen the Void faction's recent complete defeat in the Material Star Sea?

Is it that they can't see it, or that they don't want to see it?
I won't comment on the other Void Lords who haven't had contact with Diakum, but you personally witnessed his repulsion of the Dark Titans and his ascension in the light and shadow!
Do you really think that such a persistent and passionate soul would sit idly by and watch Anser's self-sacrifice?

Or do you think that this group of so-called 'strong and well-equipped' Abyss Children that you have gathered can withstand the return of the 'rebellious sons' who were banished by the Sea of ​​No Light?

I'm quite curious, which of you is confident that you can accomplish the great feat that Diakum has already achieved in the Shadowlands?

"The eternal ones of death are indeed weak, but even during the invasion of Bastion by the Sea of ​​Darkness, I haven't seen any of us capable of slaying the eldest daughter, Grace, like Diakum did."

The Truth Hunter sighed.

It gazed at the distant, shrouded in a magnificent twilight, where the tides of the lightless sea constantly rose and fell. Amidst the echoes of the void waters crashing against the shore, it whispered:

"The Lord of Dawn has already taken action, so stop now!"
"Considering our past history of sabotaging each other and putting each other in dire straits so many times, before that 'rebellious son' returns with his army of Light and Shadow, let's disband the Eclipse Faction and cease our attacks on Anser."

"You mean, you want us to sit idly by and watch Diakum reignite that ancient sun on our territory?"

The leader of the Eclipse faction was immediately enraged.

Amidst the echoing roar of the tides from the surrounding, lightless sea, it roared:
"We have only this one chance to spread the boundless power of the void to all the worlds, and we have only this one chance to drag all things into the eternal night where truth surrounds us."

If you're unwilling to seize this opportunity and let your cowardice drag you away from this glory, then get out of here!

Don't block the way.

This is our only chance, and we will never give up. If we cannot let the eternal night of emptiness envelop the universe, I would rather ignite it with my own hands!

You fear him, but we do not.

"You really better not be afraid!"

After the conversation broke down, the Truth Hunter withdrew without hesitation.

As it vanished into the twilight sky above the sea of ​​lightless darkness, it left behind a final warning:

"What you pursue is the boundless expansion of the Sea of ​​No Light, but this expansion seems to me to be putting the cart before the horse. If everyone has shadows in their hearts, then the shadow of the Sea of ​​No Light will naturally cover the Milky Way. But you have abandoned the Void's obsession with sharing the truth, and instead, like evil demons, you are fanatically pursuing the spread of conflict."

They even wanted to crush other Force forces on the front lines.
How stupid!

We, the children of the abyss, shall live and roam in the shadows!

When we are placed in the light, it often means the end of the world. This beautiful land that nurtured you never taught you to pursue war, but you have learned to enjoy power without any instruction.

You have a way to die!

"Diakm Zastins, the 'rebellious son' of the Sea of ​​Darkness, is the blade upon which the Void's might punish you! Perhaps only when you and your foolish ambitions are buried in ashes will the Abyss's beauty endure forever."

"coward!"

The leader of the Eclipse Faction, swaying its 66 eyestalk-like tentacles, roared to the sky. Surrounded by the dim twilight and thunder, it proclaimed:

"When eternal night falls, you and your favorite Diakum will die without a burial place!"

Only a calm, empty wind responded to it.

Perhaps, that too is the wind of war that is being summoned?

------

"To date, through communication and covenant among themselves with the Holy Spirit of the High Heaven, more than 589 civilizations that believe in the Holy Light have enthusiastically participated in the Sun Expedition. This is all the Light People we can contact, excluding the many civilizations in the Holy Light Universe."

To be honest, it's pretty shabby.

Archangel Grace's regretful voice rang out beside Diakum, causing Diakum, who was meditating to heal his physical injuries, to nod and sigh:

"From a cosmic perspective, the People of Light are indeed quite small in number, but that doesn't matter! We don't need all the People of Light to follow us into the Sea of ​​No Light to stop the eclipse and ignite the sun."

Mortals cannot enter the Void, where they will forever lose their souls, and even the most fervent faith cannot stop the mutation of flesh and blood.

Therefore, this expedition only requires recruiting legendary figures from among the People of Light.

When the war begins, I will open the beacon of faith to the Sea of ​​No Light, and through the harmony of all things, share that gate of holy war with all the communities of the people of light.

"Is the Lightforged Fleet ready?"

"Ok!"

Zela responded from the other side:
"Although the demon strangulation of Azeroth is not yet complete, the current world situation no longer requires the Lightforged Fleet to carry out air suppression. The Twin Archbishops and Admiral Sphrax have just completed the reorganization of the fleet. In this battle, three hundred Lightships and five hundred Naaru will accompany us to the Sea of ​​No Light."

This is also the total number of Naaru in the Holy Light Universe.

Platinum Naruz'raly has arrived in the Realm of Light. That Naru, as ancient as I am, will lead our people to the Void Realm. But, with all due respect, Lord of Dawn, this army of the People of Light is no match for the counterattack of the entire Sea of ​​Light.”

"That's not your responsibility."

Diakum shook his head and said:
"The People of Light need only follow the blazing sun to ignite Anser, and another force will take care of the fight against the backlash from the Sea of ​​No Light. I am the 'rebellious son' of the Sea of ​​No Light, and they are the exiles of the Sea of ​​No Light."

When we were banished from that void, we made a bold promise that we would return.

Yes.

The expelled children are going home!

(End of this chapter)