Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 799, Part 12: Diakum's War Blessing - Bonus Chapter [35]

(Bonus chapter for changes in word count [3/5])
Illidan arrived in Krokuen at midnight in this fel-powered realm.

Of course, it's unnecessary to worry about the changes of the sun and moon in a place teeming with demons. Due to the influence of fel energy, the moonlight from Elune can hardly reach the land of Argus. Although there is still a reflection of the moon in the sky, it is just a celestial body that does not emit any light or bring any blessing.

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Argus was to be used as the Burning Legion's war base in the material world, and that a Titan born of fel energy was not asleep, this world would have been dragged into the Twisting Nether long ago by the demons.

Argus's fel energy concentration is not much less than that of the worlds in the Twisting Nether, especially near some buildings that are of great significance to demons, where the fel energy concentration is sufficient to form a materialized "fel tide".

Demons feel refreshed after taking a breath in it, while normal people who come into contact with it will have their souls corrupted.

However, Demon Hunters are an exception.

Eggman walks through this raging tide of magical energy without being affected; on the contrary, he is strengthened to the extreme, just like the demons. He is ready to go on a killing spree, both physically and mentally. However, the Star Hunter is the most dangerous hunter in the star sea, and he will not expose himself casually until he finds the most worthwhile target.

Illidan circled Nathrax Keep in Krokun several times, observing the place, especially the towering beam of fel energy at the center of the keep, which resembled a giant fel sword piercing the earth's core and surging upwards to connect with the Twisting Nether.

Upon sensing the presence of this thing, Illidan knew that Kil'jaeden had not lied to him.

This is indeed the location of the Burning Legion's "Felheart" in the material world.

He quietly withdrew from the area closely monitored by the demons, even retreating from the local demons' strategic core area, and headed to the petrified forest on the border of Krokun, where he would search for his contact.

“Come out, your fears are so vivid that I don’t even need to use my ghostly vision to see them.”

Illidan leaned against a weathered boulder, his hands hanging down to indicate that he had no intention of killing.

But this is just a disguise.

joke!

Do Starhunters really need claws to kill demons?
He could easily ignite the entire rocky platform with eye slits bursting from his eyes, and if necessary, he could even bite or kick a demon to death.

Some of the lower demons have some outrageous rumors that Illidan possesses an evil secret technique that allows him to terrify demons with his "Demonhunter's Aura."

Uh, that's utter nonsense.

Illidan is not a monk; he doesn't possess that exaggerated mental power.

But he was indeed a highly skilled sorcerer; casting a ball of mental terror during lulls in battle to scare cowardly demons to death was just routine for him.

Anyone familiar with Illidan's story knows that, had it not been for the cruel hand of fate, Illidan Stormrage would most likely have become a renowned arcane master under Lord Kortalos Ravencrest of Black Rookhold, and might even have gone down in history as the "Prince of Magic."

His amber eyes, which he was born with, prove that he was born to play arcane magic. Unfortunately, fate ultimately pushed him to his current position.

"cough cough"

Feeling somewhat ashamed, Makzar stepped out of the shadows.

Lord Man'ari looked at Illidan with great apprehension and said:
"By the orders of the Conquerors, Man'ari—no, 'Repentant Ones'—from the seven fringe worlds have been gathered here. I want you to calm down, Illidan Stormrage."

These repentant people are different from a heinous demon like myself; many of them are Eredar who did not have time to escape Argus more than 20,000 years ago.

They were forced to embrace fel energy.

"To me, there's no difference; they're already demons."

Illidan neither confirmed nor denied this claim. He sensed tens of thousands of penitents lurking in the shadows further away, but he had little interest in the distinction between them and demons.

But Makzal shook his head and denied it:
No, the difference is huge!
These penitents never participated in any of the Burning Legion's wars. They were carefully hidden by the Shaper in the frontier worlds of the Twisting Nether, publicly declared as pitiful exiles who had committed sins, but they still maintained the Eredar way of life in their respective worlds.

The Sculptors taught them some meditation techniques to help them fight against evil thoughts in their hearts.

These are good people!

"Ha, it's laughable to hear such words from a great demon lord who has destroyed at least twenty-nine worlds."

Illidan scolded:

“I don’t care where these repentant ones come from or where they’re going. Listen carefully, Makzar, I’ve come to Krokun to destroy the fel heart here.”

I've observed it, and I know what that thing can do, which is why I must destroy it before any formal action.

And your job is to help me complete this destruction!

“Nathrax Keep is one of the Burning Legion’s strongholds on Argus. Even if you are a Starhunter who is famous throughout the stars, you cannot break in alone.”

Makzal snorted and said:
"These repentant ones are your allies in this battle, and this is the last task that Lord Kil'jaeden has given us, who have become demons! After we have destroyed the demons' 'immortality' in the material world, we will return to the sunlight."

The repentant are also part of the Eredar civilization.

"Ah"

Illidan interrupted Malchezaar's soliloquy with a cold laugh. He extended his demonic claw-like finger and pointed it at Malchezaar's chest, saying:
"They may be able to return to the sunlight, their hands are not stained with blood, but you are different!"
You are utterly wicked, Makzhal. The deaths of the past are not enough to atone for the sins you bear.

But don't worry.

Kil'jaeden has also prepared a path for you bastards who are eager to surrender.

You will spend three thousand years hunting down your fellow countrymen, and you will complete this sentence in a more cruel form.

I'll be watching you!

"If you dare to run, you won't even have a chance to serve your sentence."

Malchezaar's expression shifted dramatically, its fingers gripping the Fel Tower Staff tightening and loosening at times, but ultimately it lowered its head, having no intention of fighting Illidan to the death here.

On one hand, this was the conqueror's order.

On the other hand, we simply couldn't beat them.

"very good."

Illidan was satisfied with the demon lord's pragmatic attitude, declaring that if he wanted to abandon darkness and embrace light, he needed to show some seriousness, and that no redemption of the six Forces could be achieved with a smile.

他 说:

"Describe to me that fel heart and your plans."

"There's nothing to explain."

Makzal said briefly:
"Demons who die in the material world are summoned back to the Twisting Nether to be resurrected, but this primal resurrection takes some time. Therefore, Sargeras used the power of the Argus star soul after it was captured by fel energy to designate Argus as the 'second resurrection site' for demons."

Supported by the power of the Star Soul, demons from the material world can be reborn on Argus after dying in battle, without having to return to the depths of the Twisting Nether and undergo a painful and lengthy resurrection process.

Lord Kil'jaeden called this mode 'Swift Resurrection,' and the demons' 'immortality' in the material world also originated from this fel heart.

Once it is destroyed, the demons will be forced to return to the Twisting Nether after they die.

The time it takes for them to regroup their offensive will be extended by at least ten times. It can be said that the Burning Crusade has been able to proceed so smoothly over the past 20,000 years largely due to the power of Argus's Fel Heart.

It's also very easy to destroy.

"That's a ritual, supposedly made using a fragment of Argus's star soul's remains. You only need to destroy the main body of the ritual to annihilate it." The demon lord grinned as he said this.
"Of course, if it were that simple, the Conquerors wouldn't have sent someone like you, a mere demon hunter, to do this."

The method to destroy the Heart of Fel is indeed simple, but because it is directly connected to the corrupted planet soul shaped by fel energy, any righteous person who wants to destroy it must withstand the mental attacks from Argus the Destroyer.

That thing is theoretically part of the body of the Annihilator.

To tell you the truth, over the long course of history, other demon slayers have also learned the secrets of the Felheart, and many fearless warriors have sought to destroy it to end the Burning Crusade.

As you step into that hall, you will see the remains of those who came before you, and the Great Demon Khazadum is in charge of guarding the Fel Heart.

That guy is the most brutal, insane, and ferocious demon lord you can imagine.

It regarded the invaders as 'fun,' and after personally executing each one, it would place their skulls on its own body as decoration.

Qazadoom did not achieve anything significant in the Burning Crusade, but the Felheart it guarded has been operating for over 20,000 years.

Therefore, with all due respect, Star Hunter, it's a daunting challenge for you as well.

"Hmm, it sounds like I do need some 'help.' Come with me, we need to discuss the plan again."

Illidan frowned and said something, then looked up and shouted at the shadows ahead:

"Come out!"

No one responded.

This left Mak'zar somewhat helpless. Just as he was about to explain, he saw Illidan wave his hand, take out a holy symbol from his robes, toss it in his hand, and throw it toward the cold rocks in front of him.

He said coldly:

"I'll only wait for you for thirty minutes! If you miss it, you'll miss it forever."

After he and Mak'zar disappeared, a bolder penitent girl disregarded the others' attempts to stop her and stepped out of the shadows. She cautiously approached the rock and saw the holy symbol that Illidan had embedded in it.

It was a holy emblem she had never seen before, but it definitely belonged to some force of the Holy Light.

The repentant girl gritted her teeth, recalling the Sculptor's past instructions to them. She reached out and placed her hand on the holy emblem. In an instant, the burning light from the holy light caused the red-skinned Eredar, who had already turned into a demon, to scream in agony. She knelt on the ground, despairingly believing that she would surely be burned to ashes by the holy light today.

but no.

The pain lasted only a moment. When the girl noticed the pain lessening and looked up, a huge golden figure bathed in light stood before them.

He was looking at them with a compassionate gaze, as if he had just experienced a sad event.

There was no resistance or disgust in his eyes, only the joy of reunion.

The girl's eyes stung from the light, but she still tried to look at it as if she were looking at the approaching dawn.

Brigadier General Diakum?

The red-skinned penitent collapsed to the ground, calling out to the golden holy spirit before him in a voice that was both joyful and fearful.

She stared in disbelief at this figure, a figure from the terrifying legends of demons, whose name even the most brutal demons she had ever encountered would tremble and huddle in fear when uttering it.

"So, you've seen me before, haven't you?"

Diakum's Dawn Avatar asked softly, and the girl nodded vigorously, saying:
"When you returned triumphantly from Krokun, I was scattering flower petals for you by the roadside. I could have escaped, but we ultimately failed to catch those ships."

The Sculptor protected us.

It only gives us one chance; once our hands are stained with blood, we are no longer worthy to call ourselves 'repentant'.

"We're all left, Brigadier General. May I ask, since we've been corrupted by fel energy and are no longer pure, can we still return to our people?"

"Of course. I don't see an evil and hideous demon in my eyes; I only see a soul longing to go home."

Diakum bent down and helped the red-skinned Manari to his feet. He looked at the penitents emerging from the shadows, his gaze penetrating their souls.

Despite the traces of fel corruption, these souls still radiate the light of the Eredar.

"Go help him! Go assist Illidan Stormrage in destroying that Felheart! Unleash the fury you've suppressed for over twenty thousand years and win the first battle for the Restoration Army's return to their homeland!"

Diakum bestowed the blessing of dawn upon these Manari, who were astonished to see that the warm holy light did not scorch them, but instead draped them in golden veils.

The vigilant called out:

"In the name of the Vigilant and the Lord of the High Heavens, I will protect you as you return to the society of the Eredar, and from this day forward, fel energy will no longer be able to corrupt your souls. Your brothers and sisters will soon return to stand beside you!"

"Them? Will they really come back?"

An elderly penitent warlock stepped forward and asked with delight:
"Our compatriots who left their homeland more than 20,000 years ago, are they really going to return to Argus and save the world with us? When will they come?"
Please forgive my intrusion, Brigadier General Diakum, but we
We have waited too long. We keep telling ourselves and the children that we must hold on until tomorrow.

We tell those children that every tomorrow is a new hope.

But the day-to-day waiting had already exhausted us, and the redemption and restoration we longed for seemed to have become an impossible rumor.

Too many people choose to give up after being disappointed, and too many people turn into true demons in despair.

We're about to give up.

Over 20,000 years! My God, what incredibly difficult and dark times that have been! And what a bright future must there be to deserve our long and arduous wait?

"Tomorrow! At dawn tomorrow."

Diakum spread his hands, allowing the blessings of dawn to be bestowed upon these repentant souls whose eyes had been rekindled with hope.

He declared:

"Just as you tell your companions and children, the next tomorrow will be a blessing of hope, and when the first light of the next dawn shines on their homeland, the wanderers who have been away from Argus for 25,000 years will return home."

Tomorrow, this world will return to our hands!
On tomorrow's battlefield, this world will fight alongside us to reclaim the future.

But today, you still have one last fierce battle to fight. It is your final battle to bid farewell to the darkness, and the final release of your pent-up anger and torment of 20,000 years.

I have chosen the most ferocious Witchers in this galaxy as your vanguard, and I myself will hold the battle banner of the High Heavens and cheer for you.

Go ahead.

Head to your battlefield, wash away your pain and desolation with this victory, and greet your people with a brand new attitude, standing tall.

The Holy Light is with you.

Diakum pointed his finger toward Nathrax Fortress.

The first female penitent to touch the Dawn Emblem clenched her fist. She glanced at her companions emerging from the shadowy hideout behind her, took a deep breath, raised her fist, and was the first to step out of the valley where they had been hiding.

The veil of light sculpted by the dawn enveloped her, illuminating the malevolent shadow that lurked before her.

They have been waiting bitterly in the abyss for 25,000 years.
Now, it's time to go home.

(End of this chapter)