Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 810, Section 23. Why doesn't Lord Argus cover up his history of selling hooks in Azeroth?

Diakum descended his avatar of faith on the battlefield where the two Argus were about to settle their differences. His true form, which was still observing all living beings in the High Heaven and accumulating its power, was also ready to enter the material world at any time.

But this is a rather "cruel" decision.

Once Diakum's true form enters the heart of the world at this moment, it means that Lord Argus has failed in this battle against "another self," thus leaving behind an Argus the Destroyer who has absorbed all the fragments of the Star Soul and is infinitely close to the "awakening of the True God."

However, this battle could only be fought by Lord Argus himself; the Vigilant could not even take his place.

It's not just about the emotional reason of "making a clean break," but rather about practical considerations.

Lord Argus and the Destroyer share the same "existence." They each possess fragments of the will of the Star Soul, the only difference being the quantity. Furthermore, the Star Soul, being an individual born as a god, possesses a unique "immortality."

If all the Star Soul Fragments held by the Annihilator cannot be extracted, then no matter how many times He is defeated, He will rise again from the ruins of this world engulfed in war.

Only Argus himself can extract Star Soul Fragments.

Diakum can offer assistance, but this victory must be won by Lord Argus himself.

Clearly, the Lord had too much contact with Diakum and the Eredar, causing Him to pick up some of the "bad habits" of intelligent beings.

He insisted on completing this duel himself, on defeating himself, in order to achieve a long-desired "transcendence".

Therefore, regardless of who wins or loses, Dick will perfectly fulfill his duty; he will not allow the Annihilator to leave here alive.

Argus is now facing the most important turning point in the planet's history, and the creatures on the ground who are pursuing victory for all kinds of morality need no accidents.

Lord Argus was clearly aware of this as well.

He chose a swift and decisive victory!

Although the Hammer of Khaz'goroth, one of the "divine weapons," has been returned to mortals to save the god of forging, the other pillars of creation remain in His hands.

As it charged toward its demonic self before it, wielding the lightning blade, the Shield of Aggramar erupted with blinding lightning, as if this artifact of order had sensed the fel enemy before it. But the Destroyer was no pushover; thanks to Sargeras's "personal instruction," it had accumulated over 20,000 years of combat experience despite not yet being fully awakened.

He dodged the lightning blade that was about to strike, and then used his war scythe, which was flashing with crimson starlight, to block the Titan's heavy shield that was about to smash into him.

The Destroyer was far more ruthless in the face of the enraged Lord Argus.

The moment the attack was blocked, He opened the mouth beneath the skull mask and spewed out scorching cosmic flames, a mixture of red and green, enveloping the body of Lord Argus in the primordial fire.

This guy has a sharp eye!
At a glance, it was clear that the greatest weakness of Lord Argus lay in this divine construct that did not belong to Him.

Even though the Eredar people did their best to adapt it to their Star Soul Lord, this thing was, after all, prepared by Sargeras for his "smuggling operation".

This means that this construct was never intended for combat.

At this point, being able to bear the cosmic soul of Argus was already its limit, but the Annihilator possessed a Titan body entirely belonging to Argus. Even if its stellar soul fragments were not as numerous as Argus's, this numerical "crushing" seemed enough to secure victory.

"bang"

The crimson scythe, slashing down furiously, shattered Lord Argus's defenses, leaving glaring wounds on His body.

The slash that had gathered the power of the Annihilators could not heal, like an ugly scar that almost pierced through the construct that Lord Argus used in battle.

Although the Thunderblade Emperor's swing also left slash marks on the Annihilator, the Annihilator's injuries were clearly not as painful as the Lord's.

Relying on its "high health bar," it can do whatever it wants. It can even continue to counterattack after absorbing a whole set of Argus's Destroyer combo, using fel energy to turn into flames and make a mess of the heart of the world.

Especially after confirming that the Vigilant, whom He felt was extremely threatening, seemed to have no intention of participating in the battle, the Annihilator believed that victory was assured.

He could easily shatter this ridiculous construct before him, then seize Argus's soul and absorb it frantically, gathering all those fragments of will so that he could fully awaken as a true god.

At that time, even if Diakum's true form came, I would still have the power to fight back!
That's how He thinks.

You can't say that this way of thinking is too optimistic and full of the beauty of "quick and easy" because the fragments of will are incomplete, making it difficult for the annihilator to use complex logic to consider all the predicaments they face.

The fragments of will that the Burning Legion brought back for Him after more than 20,000 years of effort were not enough to support a soul capable of thinking as complexly as a god. Perhaps this is why Sargeras chose to leave Him on Argus as a "large power bank" for the demons, rather than throwing this fierce general into the Burning Crusade.

He was infused and shaped by evil energy.

The bad news is that fel energy is clearly detrimental to intelligence, and it has "grown" too much like a demon.

However, it wasn't until the moment when the Destroyer, who had gained the upper hand in the duel, withstood a series of powerful attacks from Lord Argus and bravely slashed his brutal war scythe into the Star Soul construct, intending to end the battle with a mad execution, that the battle ended.

Only when He saw the construct shatter and disintegrate but not fall, instead hovering around Argus in a strange manner, did He belatedly realize that something seemed amiss!

Argus held a shield that belonged to Aggramar.

But in the battle just now, it seems that He didn't use this thing for defense at all.

He was frantically attacking himself, and even though he knew clearly that his stamina and strength were inferior to his own, he still chose to do so.

so.
"buzz"

At the moment when the Argus Lord's construct was completely shattered, rocks were torn apart and scattered, and the outcome was decided, a powerful arcane surge suddenly erupted, as the Eye of Aman'Thul, worn on the Lord's chest, exerted its power.

His timeline was completely reversed, and so, under the watchful gaze of the wounded Annihilator with its wide, bull-like eyes, the shattered divine construct was repaired before His eyes.

The unharmed Lord Argus stretched his shoulders and raised the Emperor's Thunderblade and the Shield of Aggramar once more.

This time, He no longer attacked without reservation; instead, He finally began to use the power He had been holding back.

"The necessary information gathering is complete. You are within my capabilities!"

Facing the wrathful Destroyer, He said:

"You had a good time hacking away, didn't you? Now it's my turn to teach you how to fight! You 'flower in a fel greenhouse'! Azeroth, my sister, lend me your power! One last time."

"I've been waiting for this for a long time."

The Supreme Star Soul let out a cheer.

When the beacon of power was activated, a deep blue primordial force surged and was applied to the rocky body of the Lord of Argus, its radiance creating wings of light on his shoulders, like the wings of vengeful fury unleashed.

Azeroth clearly wanted to feel a strong sense of participation in this war, so she lent out an especially large amount of power this time, even forcing the Destroyer to call upon fel energy for defense. He even heard the Supreme StarSoul shouting in the light, telling Argus to slap the Destroyer in the face and, incidentally, send his cool Star Scythe as a trophy to the StarSoul's shrine.

How shameless! The weak Argus, who only knows how to borrow power from others, actually agreed!
you
Aren't you just a gigolo kept by a rich woman?
I bother!

You are a disgrace to the Star Soul community! How will you ever be able to speak up when other Star Souls chat in the future?

Does he have to write an autobiography titled "Why doesn't Argus cover up his history of selling hooks in Azeroth?"
The Destroyer roared, dragging its battle scythe enveloped in fel fire as it charged forward. It knew that Argus could use the power of time to "resurrect" repeatedly, but this was not without a solution.

As long as I destroy that Titan artifact that can manipulate time!
Yes, that is the key to victory.

He raised his battle scythe.

This time, instead of aiming at Argus's ridiculous neck, it went straight for the Eye of Aman'thul that was being worn. But at the same time, the Destroyer saw Argus use his lightning blade to strike a very familiar swordsmanship starting stance.

Hmm, I think I've seen this move before in Sargeras's reflection.
"boom"

The "Star Shattering Slash," ignited by the power of creation, struck first and then struck later. The terrifying sword aura it unleashed transformed into a raging storm, completely overwhelming the brutal momentum of the Annihilator and enveloping the heart of the world entirely in the majesty of this strike.

When the slash that nearly cleaved the world was over, the Destroyer, who had already been thrown out, still had a terrifying sword wound on his chest that ran from his left shoulder to his right waist.

The Star Scythe, which the Supreme Star Soul had specifically requested, spun and plunged into the fel magma beside him. The Destroyer's burning eyes beneath its skull mask were filled with disbelief. Facing Argus, shrouded in the power of creation and wielding a sharp blade, approaching him, it clearly had no intention of closing its eyes and awaiting death.

He jumped up and launched an even more brutal attack on the opponent.

As the Eredar's "world god," He is clearly proficient in the Eredar's traditional Jadni martial arts; however, these fel fists obviously pose little threat to Argus when he is at full power.

Before facing the Destroyer, Argus had already defeated Norgannon and Gorgoneth in succession. Just like His most outstanding child, Diakum, He did not choose to rely on the protection of His power and wait for others to deliver victory to him. Lord Argus chose the most difficult path.

He learned how to fight from mortals and used Diakum's fighting experience as a reference, honing his martial arts skills time and time again until he truly stood before the evil spirit that erupted from his own fel energy.

Xinghun's life was destined to be anything but smooth sailing and peaceful.

Every planet soul has its own tribulations to overcome, just as the Titans of the Pantheon also faced destructive trials inflicted by Sargeras when they awakened and reached their limits.

To be born a god means to endure pain and pressure that mortals cannot imagine.

But Argus didn't see anything wrong with it.

After all, the more than 20,000 years of calamities he had experienced were nothing more than a few hardships compared to the hellish experiences his sister Azeroth had gone through.

What truly made Him proud was not that He had defeated the evil spirit He once feared with His own fists, but that He had not given up under the weight of this calamity. Relying on His own and His children’s perseverance, He finally completed the final leg of His return journey on His own two feet.

After that, He will awaken from His slumber and become the true God who walks among the stars.

His experiences of over 25,000 years were enough to give him sufficient compassion, empathy, and wisdom to deal with the continuous torment he would encounter in his immortal life.

Even if I will soon forget all of this.

But the traces of those journeys will not disappear with this cycle of reincarnation. A soul that has been tempered by wind and rain is strong enough to bear the crown that it will inevitably wear.

"I'm back here!"

Argus discarded his lightning blade and heavy shield, and with the blessing of the power of creation and the cheers of the Supreme Star Soul, he used his unparalleled Jadnigu fist techniques to brutally beat the Destroyer before him.

At the end of his life, He chose to fulfill his sister's small wish.

He roared:

"I persevered until the day when everything that belonged to me was taken back, and I measured the stars with my own two feet! This exile itself was the heaviest trial I ever underwent, and I completed it!"

I am worthy of the talents I have been given and my distinguished birth.
As for you, the One Who Has Passed Away.

You are merely a delicious cake left on the table after this trial is over. Enemy? No, you were born from the corrupting influence of fel energy, born from my pain and despair, a demon devoid of even self-righteousness.
"You're nothing but Sargeras's vicious dog; you're not worthy to be my enemy!"

"bang"

Another heavy punch landed, shattering the golden skull of the Annihilator.

The opponent retaliated by spewing out evil fire, but Argus brutally smashed it into the open mouth, completely igniting the fel flames.

"Don't be afraid!"

He said:

"You and I will both die today. All traces we leave behind will be erased, ensuring that a pure and flawless will will be born in our place in the future. I will accompany you on this final journey, you and I."
We are no longer alone.

"So, you went through all that trouble to come back, take away everything I deserve, and humiliate me like this, just to embark on a 'path of self-destruction'?"

The One of Annihilation, struggling, asked incredulously:
"Why? Even for a Star Soul, having its consciousness completely wiped out is equivalent to death. Isn't it better to be alive?"

"That's a freshman. Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. Just like you can't understand why I can still beat you even though you're stronger than me."

Argus lost interest in explaining.

He placed his fingers on the broken skull of the Annihilator, "infusing" fragments of his will hidden within this divine construct into the Annihilator's body.

This is His celestial body.

He must also return to this celestial body and fully control it in order to ensure that the subsequent formatting can cleanse this already formed celestial body of the influence of fel energy from the inside out.

But in reality, what broke the Destroyer's defenses the most was that it was only at this moment that it realized that Argus, who had defeated it, had not actually retrieved all the fragments of the Star Soul that had been split from it.

At least the star soul fragments carried by the Eredar in the Holy Light Legion were not recovered.

As Azshara cast a spell centered on the ruins of the Pantheon, opening a precise stargate leading to the Light Realm, allowing the Eredar Lightbringers gathered there to roar as they stepped into their homeland's fel battlefield, those ancient fragments of the Star Soul were finally able to be reclaimed by Lord Argus.

At this moment, countless stars were shining brightly in the sky.

Each of those stars represents a fragment of a world's blessing that was broken apart 25,000 years ago, and now that power is being reclaimed by its master.

Diakum also looked up from the Heart of the World, watching as the starlight that filled the sky transformed into a less radiant but absolutely dazzling galaxy that connected to the Heart of the World, allowing all the fragments of will to return to the body of Argus at this moment.

This scene reminded him of the final battle of Macare, when he lay dying on the ground and saw a similar "scattering of stars".

That time, it was his own Star Soul Lord's desperate act to preserve his pure will from being captured by evil energy; it was a sad and helpless act.

But the reappearance of the Milky Way today signifies the final extinguishing of this sorrow.

Argus's consciousness, through the return of the Star Soul fragments, continuously surged into the body of the Annihilator, vying with the Annihilator for control of this Star Body.

In direct combat, the Annihilator cannot gain any advantage, so in this more brutal battle at the level of will and soul, it can only retreat step by step.

"I told you you're not worthy to be my enemy!"

Argus relentlessly beat the Destroyer on the battlefield of consciousness, seemingly unleashing all the pain, despair, and bewilderment of the past twenty thousand years in his final battle.

He cried out:

"I once wanted to pass on the final burden to my most outstanding child. I once wanted to be cowardly one last time. I wanted to preserve this already formed star body so that the next version of myself could awaken faster."

But it wasn't until this moment that I realized these weren't what I wanted!

If this truly is Argus's last battle in this era, then I would rather end my feud with Sargeras myself than entrust it to someone else.

Give me this body, Destroyer!
"Give me your power, and I will use it to challenge the Dark Titans."

"You can't win, you madman."

The remnant spirit of the Annihilator, beaten to the point of near delirium, screamed:

"Don't think that you can fight Sargeras just by taking this body. You're only humiliating yourself and bringing about your own defeat in the end."

"so what?"

Argus burst into laughter.

He tore at the burning spirit of the Destroyer, drawing it back into his own will.

He said:

"Last time I couldn't fight back, this time I won't stand idly by! Get out of my way, you coward, watch me and my best kid challenge the Dark Titan and win!"

(End of this chapter)