Tyrande took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down from her anger. They were about to face the Nightmare King, and extreme emotions would only have a negative effect.
"The Nightmare has completely eroded this area. Those druids and wild animals couldn't escape their fate."
The Priestess's words carried a hint of sorrow. The Nightmare's corruption was irreversible; the fate of Shaladrassil and its innocent residents was already sealed.
"My condolences, Lady," Arthas could only offer words of comfort. The Nightmare was a mutated form of Old God corruption, and clearing it was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
"It's alright. I'm just sad for the fate of these people, but we've been fighting these evil creatures for centuries. Adjusting our emotions is a mandatory lesson for us." Tyrande quickly adjusted her mindset. She held her longbow and pointed in a direction outside the town.
"That's the path to Shaladrassil. There are no residents there, so we should be able to avoid encountering a large number of people consumed by the Nightmare."
After receiving Tyrande's guidance, the two were about to proceed along the path, but a call made Tyrande freeze.
"What's wrong, Lady?" Arthas turned back and asked.
Tyrande's expression was a bit grim. She replied in a low voice, "I… I heard Malfurion's voice? He's calling for help."
"Where is the voice coming from?"
"From Shaladrassil Village…" Tyrande looked at the Nightmare-occupied village with a complicated expression. "I couldn't have misheard that voice, but—"
Her words stopped there, because even Tyrande herself couldn't be sure whether it was Malfurion's cry for help or an illusion created by the Nightmare.
Shaladrassil was close enough to Shaladrassil, already nearing the power flowing from the Nightmare's core. It was not impossible for Xavius to imprison Malfurion here.
So, Tyrande hesitated. She didn't know if Malfurion was actually in the village, whether she should go find Xavius first, or rescue her beloved first.
After hearing Tyrande's words, Arthas also glanced at the village, then shook his head at Tyrande, "I'm sorry, Lady, that voice is most likely an illusion created by the Nightmare. There isn't even one pure soul in this village."
Moreover, Arthas noticed that the mists produced by the Nightmare were intentionally or unintentionally approaching Tyrande. A holy light rose in his hand, surrounding Tyrande.
"Is the voice still there, Lady?"
Tyrande paused and listened carefully for a moment, then shook her head, "It seems to be another trick of the Nightmare. Thanks to you, otherwise I really can't guarantee I wouldn't lose my mind and enter the village."
"The Nightmare will always make us see or hear what we least want to happen. I will protect both of us with Holy Light, but Xavius will definitely interfere."
Arthas had already raised Ashbringer in his hand. The Holy Greatsword hummed softly, seemingly poised for action, and several Holy Light runes lit up on the ground beneath Arthas's feet. Pure and sacred Holy Light energy began to continuously spread outwards.
And Arthas precisely controlled the energy to only cover himself and Tyrande, avoiding detection by the surrounding Nightmare creatures.
However, this could not completely conceal their tracks. As long as Xavius wished, finding a Holy Light-protected area within the Nightmare was simply too easy.
It's just that, now the two of them must have already entered Xavius's sight. Arthas's actions, on the contrary, increased their safety.
Xavius, hiding somewhere in Shaladrassil, saw Arthas so cautiously deploying his protection, and his face also turned cold.
He had originally wanted to play a trick on the noble Priestess, but Arthas's Holy Light prevented him from doing so.
"Pitiful paladin, you can only watch as your companion is turned into a slave of the Nightmare by me."
Malfurion heard Xavius's whisper and laughed, "Haha, Xavius, your ridiculous trick has lost its effect? Or are you unable to do anything against a paladin even in this place where Nightmares gather? It seems you really have gained the power you've always dreamed of, so strong."
"Shut up, idiot, you are nothing but my prisoner now. I'll make you cry and beg for mercy later!" Xavius glared at Malfurion in annoyance. How had he never noticed before how much this druid talked back?
If it weren't for the fact that he still had use for this guy, he would definitely sew Malfurion's mouth shut with needles.
While ridiculing Xavius, Malfurion was secretly worried. Although he knew he had fallen into Xavius's hands due to carelessness, the Nightmare King's power was still not to be underestimated.
This was where the Emerald Nightmare flowed into reality. Although Xavius's true body was still trapped in the Emerald Dream, the power of his projection far exceeded that of ordinary mortals.
Whether Tyrande and Ysera could deal with Xavius was truly hard to say. Although Xavius kept mentioning a paladin, Malfurion didn't hold out much hope.
The Argent Crusade suffered heavy losses at Broken Shore, and Highlord Tirion was also seriously wounded, with Ashbringer transferred to another hero's hand.
Now, the number of Paladins in the Alliance with the strength to contend with Xavius was simply few and far between, and at this time, they should all be shouldering important responsibilities, with no time to come to Val'sharah to help the Night Elves through their difficulties.
However… if it really was the paladin who held Ashbringer, repelled the demon army at Broken Shore, and even destroyed one of Gul'dan's arms…
At this thought, Malfurion's expression brightened: Ysera and Tyrande were not fools and would not bring burdens into Nightmare-controlled areas. So, encountering a mysterious knight holding Ashbringer was not entirely impossible.
If the new owner of Ashbringer truly arrived, Malfurion would bet that Xavius would definitely pay the price for his contempt of humans.
Xavius watched Arthas through gritted teeth. He found Arthas to be much stronger than he had imagined. Being in the core area occupied by the Nightmare, he was not only completely unaffected by the Nightmare, but also had spare capacity to protect Tyrande.
This raised his vigilance towards Arthas by several notches. Xavius suddenly felt that he seemed to have completely underestimated Arthas, who held Ashbringer.