"Finally! I've returned to this wor—…"
"Bang!"
Kel'Thuzad's exclamation was cut short as Arthas, breaking through the snowstorm, delivered a punch to his skeletal face.
This newly resurrected Lich had not expected such a "welcome" ceremony, and his tall frame flew backward like a ragdoll.
The hard dragonbone body collided with the iron wall of the ritual hall, creating a thunderous sound that made the surrounding Undead feel their thoughts momentarily freeze.
"Cough, cough! What?"
Kel'Thuzad manipulated his magic to float his Lich body; the heavy blow just now had made his newly revived mind somewhat sluggish.
Arthas dissipated the Death energy swirling around his hands and said coldly, "Kel'Thuzad, long time no see."
"You? Arthas… No, Lich King?" Kel'Thuzad fell into confusion after sensing Arthas's aura.
During the time his soul was dormant, he had not heard the Lich King's summons, so he was unaware of what had happened in the outside world.
When he was resurrected, he instinctively believed that the Lich King's plan had succeeded, thus he uttered a heartfelt exclamation.
However, what he hadn't expected was that he had just regained control of his new body only to be met with a heavy punch that left him disoriented.
And when he clearly saw Arthas standing before him, indistinguishable from a living being, the entire Lich was in a state of stupor.
"You… What's going on? Why do you have the aura of the Lich King?" The Lich's hoarse, soulful voice was filled with doubt and incomprehension.
"Perhaps this will make you understand."
Arthas flipped his palm, and the cold winds of Northrend seemed to heed his call, spontaneously surging into the ritual hall, imprisoning Kel'Thuzad.
Due to the transfer of the Lich King's contract to Arthas, Kel'Thuzad was utterly unable to resist Arthas's power.
But at the same time, he also realized one thing—the Lich King had been replaced!
An inexplicable panic arose in the Archlich's heart; this was an emotion Undead should not possess, but when he thought that such a powerful Undead monarch had been replaced by someone else, he couldn't help but feel a sense of confusion about the path he had chosen.
He had gone to great lengths, committing all sorts of despicable acts, wasn't it all to prove to the world that the path he had chosen was not wrong?
The Lich King's demise shook Kel'Thuzad more than the power Arthas displayed.
He was held suspended in mid-air by Arthas, his bones and Lich armor emitting a grating sound, but Kel'Thuzad showed no sign of wanting to resist.
After a brief period of confusion, Kel'Thuzad roughly understood his predicament.
Although the one who dominated his soul and life was no longer the cruel Lich King, the problem was… he had once harmed the people of Lordaeron…
This Arthas before him was clearly not the fallen Prince Arthas, and that punch just now made Kel'Thuzad realize: Arthas would definitely not be giving him any favorable treatment.
"Wait, Prince Arthas, I did cause harm to Lordaeron, but I think I can do something to atone for it."
"I know that, of course."
Arthas pulled with both hands, and a fierce cold current washed over Kel'Thuzad's body; after enduring the torment of cold that nearly froze his soul, the Archlich was finally released by Arthas.
"Hoo… hoo…"
The immortal Lich body was unharmed, but Kel'Thuzad's soul was utterly exhausted, not only because he had just been resurrected, but also because of the icy cold wind.
Kel'Thuzad understood that Arthas's action was to make him realize that a Lich body was not entirely immortal; a master of manipulating souls could still bypass the phylactery's protection and directly harm his soul.
"You should be fortunate that I found and killed you before you committed more sins," Arthas said indifferently, "Kel'Thuzad, if you hadn't truly fallen yet, I wouldn't mind sending you to meet Ner'zhul."
Kel'Thuzad did not know that the former Lich King's true name was Ner'zhul, but this did not prevent him from knowing that the individual represented by that name had certainly vanished.
"Yes, I understand, Prince Arthas—or should I call you Your Majesty?" Kel'Thuzad said obsequiously.
His dignity had long vanished after submitting to the Lich King's authority; now it was merely a change of object of servitude, with no real difference.
"As you wish, Lich, but you should understand my intention."
Kel'Thuzad nodded repeatedly; he was already limited by Arthas's control, and knowing that he couldn't break free from this restraint on his own, he naturally accepted reality.
What he sought was only the true source of the "Death" path, and he didn't care who he served.
Whether it was the original Lich King or Arthas, Kel'Thuzad was well aware of his own position.
He was merely a Mage expelled from Dalaran, stripped of all his honor and titles, practically driven out of Dalaran with nothing.
Hatred or anything of the sort had long vanished when he arrived at Icecrown Glacier in Northrend and prostrated himself before the Lich King and his might.
From that moment on, Kel'Thuzad realized that his actions would never be recognized by the living, and he would forever be a ghost of the realm of Death.
Given this, Kel'Thuzad completely abandoned any possible path to redemption; after recognizing true "Necromancy," he half-numbly, half-expectantly boarded Naxxramas, heading to Lordaeron to implement the Lich King's plan.
What happened next was that the process of spreading the plague was disrupted by Arthas, and he fell in a small village near Brill.
In those few seconds before completely bidding farewell to the world of the living, Kel'Thuzad finally understood for the first time what true Death was.
Strangely, for some unknown reason, after his death, his soul, which should have been summoned by the Lich King and in a conscious state, became muddled, so much so that he was completely unaware of what was happening in the world of the living.
It wasn't until today that he returned to the world of the living, only to find that everything had changed drastically.
His master was no longer the aloof Lich King, who seemed out of place in Azeroth, but the Crown Prince Arthas of Lordaeron, Arthas, whom he had once considered the "incarnation of justice."
As Kel'Thuzad bowed his head, he couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine: what exactly was this Prince Arthas plotting?
"The questions you are pondering now are meaningless," Arthas said, watching the Necromancers handle the defunct conversion array, "Where is Naxxramas now?"
Kel'Thuzad was silent for a few seconds, seemingly sensing the location of the Undead floating fortress.
Finally, he gave an answer.
"Over the northern sea of Quel'Thalas—it's shielded by some strange magic; I can't ascertain its exact location."