"Is this… really okay?" Gilne seemed a bit unconfident, but if even people who had been dead for a long time could stand before her, what else was there not to believe?
"The Dreadlords masquerading as Shaw, Detheroc, that guy has caused me a lot of trouble." Arthas followed Gilne to the back hill of SI:7, which was the training ground for agents, and also the weakest point in their defenses.
Because from here, there was no way to truly threaten the SI:7 headquarters, and this training ground was only used occasionally, so Shaw didn't pay much attention to this place, which had virtually no strategic value.
However, the demons who had been tracking Gilne's whereabouts and chasing her all the way here were completely different; for them, this was the best place to destroy evidence, because even though it wasn't valued, it was still SI:7's territory.
"As for anything else, I've already sent the message to Dalaran. Even if our operation fails, you've still achieved your goal, haven't you?"
Arthas's tone was calm, without the slightest tension or unease about stepping into danger.
"Although your status is noble… but I'm the one being the bait, could you please say less sarcastic remarks…" Gilne checked the flintlock and dagger in her hands.
As agents, their combat abilities were good, but their main tasks were infiltration and intelligence gathering. Now, engaging in an act that was almost openly charging into the enemy's lair made Gilne's palms sweat.
From a professional's perspective, Arthas's actions were already extremely reckless, but Arthas didn't think so: this was Stormwind, and not to mention that the opponent's strength was completely negligible to him, in the human capital, if a clash between Holy Light and fel energy occurred, even an idiot would know who to help.
The reason Gilne couldn't do this was simply because she was outnumbered and couldn't single-handedly create a disturbance that would attract the attention of the entire city, but that didn't mean Arthas couldn't.
Therefore, the task of infiltrating the Legion's territory and rescuing hostages could be left to the Uncrowned. Arthas's goal was to first chop down Detheroc, and incidentally see what he was capable of, so he could deal with the guy on his side when he returned.
The reason for using Gilne as bait was simply to draw out the demons disguised as SI:7 agents, to prevent the true agents, who were still in the dark, from suffering excessive losses.
"I'll go set the explosives. There's a weak point in the back wall that we planned to repair, but never had the funds for." Gilne took out the high explosives from her backpack and ran to the back wall of the command center to place the bombs.
Arthas tilted his head slightly. The demons were hidden in the darkness of the forest, undetectable to ordinary people, but in Arthas's eyes, their souls were as conspicuous as light bulbs.
He raised his right hand, clenched it into an iron fist, and rich Holy Light power enveloped his right hand. Arthas punched a seemingly ordinary tree, and a holy aura immediately exploded, accompanied by a scream. A human, emitting black smoke, fell from the tree, twisting and rolling on the ground.
Arthas's plate armor boot directly pressed onto his face, ending the suffering of this demon disguised as a human.
"Get out here, Detheroc's lackeys! The smell of sulfur on you is too obvious."
Holy Light burst forth from Arthas's body, condensing into golden flames that impacted the surrounding mountains and forests. The demons hidden in the shadows and darkness could no longer hide and frantically fled out.
Some weaker demons were already ignited by the Holy Light; they constantly tried to extinguish the flames on them, but the fel energy and corruption within their bodies instead became fuel for the Holy Light, making it burn more and more intensely.
However, the Holy Light that landed on the leaves and branches dissipated gently and slowly, without damaging the tree trunks or the environment.
Facing the tragic deaths of their companions, the demons showed no fear. Since they couldn't hide their forms, they simply reverted to their hideous Demon Guard forms and took out weapons coated with fel venom.
"No one can stop the Legion's advance." The demon who appeared to be the leader of the Demon Guard swung his battle-axe, and the demons behind him charged towards Arthas.
Arthas did not take out the Ashbringer; he held his right hand in a loose grip, and lightning-fast golden light quickly condensed into a pure golden Holy Light War Hammer in his hand.
He swung his right arm, and the war hammer was thrown from his hand. A demon, facing the war hammer, swung his greatsword, but the Holy Light War Hammer directly smashed onto his sword. At that moment, the Demon Guard, who relied on brute force for killing, felt as if he had been struck by an Pit Lord's spear.
The Holy Light War Hammer imprinted itself on his chest, and the Demon Guard instantly turned into ashes scattered on the ground. The Holy Light War Hammer, after hitting its target, suddenly contracted sharply, and after it condensed into a small point, it expanded violently again.
A Holy Light sphere several meters in diameter devoured several demons around it. After a strong flash of light, those demons completely disappeared from this world.
Gilne also noticed the Holy Light explosion behind her. She quickly sped up her movements. Although she trusted Arthas's strength, she thought it would be better to install the bombs quickly and then go help.
…
Inside Stormwind Keep, there was chaos. The demons had infiltrated the guards there. After their identities were exposed by the Demon Hunter who came to support, they revealed their true forms around the Keep's throne.
However, the Alliance high-ranking officials gathered in the Keep at this moment were all powerful individuals; it was impossible for them to be easily wiped out by a group of demon rabble.
Cooperating with the regular guards in the Keep, they easily repelled the demon's assault.
"Boom, boom, boom…"
Anduin and Velen suddenly looked up. Tirion also shifted his gaze in one direction. These three individuals, protected by the power of the Holy Light, simultaneously noticed the situation in the city.
"Such strong Holy Light? What's going on? Have demons appeared in the city too?"
Anduin was full of doubts. However, in that moment of distraction, a Demon Guard seized the opportunity. He immediately ignored the several longswords piercing his body, roared, and stepped forward, about to cut off Anduin's head.
Anduin also realized his mistake. He hastily raised the war hammer in his hand to defend, while simultaneously condensing Holy Light in his other hand.
However, just as the demon's sharp blade was about to fall on Anduin, a strangely shaped greatsword pierced through the demon's body, stopping its movements.
Anduin then swung his war hammer, smashing the demon's head. But when he saw the familiar blade, so familiar it couldn't be more so, he immediately stood rooted to the spot as if struck by lightning.
The gazes of the other Alliance leaders also turned. After the demon's corpse slowly slumped, a majestic figure pulled out the longsword still stained with demon blood. The scar on his face and the black hair casually tied behind his head made everyone spontaneously exclaim in surprise.
"Varian? You're alive!"