"Archlich, how much longer must we remain in this frozen fortress?"
The Dreadlords Varimathras was greatly displeased with the current situation; he had succumbed to Arthas's great power but was unwilling to simply sit idle in a naxxanar.
"Are all demons as impatient as you?" Kel'Thuzad glanced at Varimathras, then continued to focus on his magical experiments.
The Dreadlords scoffed, "No, we Nathrezim are considered quite patient, but I'm not sure what our great master is waiting for. He's neither dealing with the Legion nor with mortals."
"You see, although Archimonde's physical body was annihilated by the explosion of the World Tree during the Battle of Mount Hyjal, this Pit Lord can still be reborn in the void as a soul."
"Moreover, the Burning Legion has more than just Archimonde as a leader; besides him, there is another who is the truly terrifying presence."
It wasn't that Varimathras genuinely cared about the Undead Scourge's development; rather, it was because half of his soul was controlled by Arthas. If Azeroth lost, Varimathras would undoubtedly die a far uglier death than anyone else.
The current situation was that the Undead of Icecrown Citadel had gone into dormancy. Although they continued to build fortresses in Northrend, they no longer expanded outwards and even abandoned the rich "resources" in Dragonblight.
What was left of the Undead? Were they going to fight the Burning Legion's star destroyers with cannon fodder that were just skeletons? Or with the few Death Knights and Archlich?
Hearing Varimathras's complaint, Kel'Thuzad paused his magic matrix, "Another leader? You mean, the Burning Legion has another demon as powerful as Archimonde?"
As an Archlich transformed from an Archmage, Kel'Thuzad's research into magic and souls was absolutely among the top few in the world.
He had clearly felt that awe-inspiring dark power and soul back when he was in Northrend and Eastern Kingdoms.
It was a power that made the current Kel'Thuzad tremble, and thinking that his master Arthas was trying to scheme against such a being in Kalimdor, Kel'Thuzad suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of excitement.
Kel'Thuzad had originally thought that this feeling of excitement and thrill had gradually disappeared after he became an Archmage, but the facts proved that he just hadn't encountered anything shocking enough.
The arrival of Archimonde and the Burning Legion made Kel'Thuzad realize that his path was far from over, and there were many more things in this world waiting for him to explore.
Such unknowns and mysteries, even for Kel'Thuzad, whose soul was as cold as ice after death, could clearly understand the pleasure in them.
Now, Varimathras's words had successfully piqued his curiosity, which was why he stopped his experiment.
These studies on Undead magic could be done at any time, but the cunning demon Varimathras was not often willing to speak.
Since Varimathras had already spoken, he naturally had no interest in hiding it. This was not a secret; it was just that people on Azeroth had less access to such information.
"The other demon equal in status to 'The Despoiler' Archimonde is 'the Deceiver' Kil'jaeden, and he was actually the true instigator behind the orcs' invasion of Azeroth."
Kil'jaeden, the Deceiver, once a member of the Eredar civilization's triumvirate, a being even older, more mysterious, and more dangerous than Archimonde.
After accepting power from the Dark Titan Sargeras, Kil'jaeden and his colleague Archimonde led the Eredar race onto the blueprint of the "Burning Crusade" drawn by Sargeras.
Countless worlds were reduced to cold stellar cores under the iron hooves of the demon army. Compared to Archimonde, who was obsessed with personal power, Kil'jaeden rarely acted personally.
He always commanded the Burning Legion, a mysterious entity that brought suffering to countless worlds through various tactics and deceptions.
Kel'Thuzad's finger bone rested against his jaw, and the soul fire in his eye sockets flickered twice, "You said, triumvirate? Does the Burning Legion have a third leader?"
"Heh heh, since there are those who accepted Sargeras's power, there are naturally fools who would refuse."
Kel'Thuzad's question seemed to remind Varimathras of something amusing.
"By your expression, the fate of the fellow who refused the Dark Titan's power must be regrettable. Let me guess, was he torn to shreds by Archimonde's magic in a fit of rage?"
"It's really not like that. This is the most peculiar scene. Kil'jaeden was far angrier than Archimonde, and some even say that for tens of thousands of years, no one had seen Kil'jaeden angrier than on that day."
"As for the reason, I'm afraid no one knows except Kil'jaeden and his former colleague who refused the Dark Titan."
"Even more astonishing is that the Eredar who refused Sargeras's power even led a group of Eredar who also refused to join the Burning Legion to escape their planet."
Kel'Thuzad finished listening to the short story, then nodded thoughtfully, "So, although this Deceiver is a master of schemes, he is not without weaknesses."
"What have you deduced, Archlich?" Varimathras was quite curious. Could such a small anecdote truly reveal Kil'jaeden's weakness to Kel'Thuzad?
"This is a million times simpler than human political games, Varimathras," Kel'Thuzad continued to tinker with his matrices and instruments, "Kil'jaeden is an arrogant Pit Lord. He is extremely deep and cunning. Such a person is generally the most difficult to deal with, but if your story is true, then he probably has a quite fatal weakness."
"You mean—" Varimathras suddenly had an idea.
"Exactly. If he truly hates his former colleague that much, then upon learning information about the escaped colleague, he would probably resort to any means, trying every possible way to torment the other party, not allowing them to die easily. This would leave a considerable number of loopholes."
Varimathras followed Kel'Thuzad's line of thought further, then shook his head, "It sounds feasible, but even if Kil'jaeden reveals a flaw, it would be very difficult for you to do anything to him. The power gap between us is simply too vast."
"Although there is a power gap, it is not without solutions. Archimonde's demise is the best proof."
"Archimonde could die due to his greed for power, and Kil'jaeden could also suffer a defeat due to hatred."
These words were well-reasoned and convincing, so much so that even Varimathras could not find an angle to refute them for a while.
Watching the Dreadlords being drawn into his trap, Kel'Thuzad's jawbone twitched twice: this noisy big bat was finally quiet, and he could resume his magic experiments…
Hmm? Did someone just say they wanted to hear a story—how could anyone think a story could distract an Archlich!
"Crack!"
The crystal bottle cracked in Kel'Thuzad's hand, and the ice essence it contained instantly flowed out, without even giving Kel'Thuzad a chance to salvage it.
Kel'Thuzad sighed, tossed the broken glass bottle into the trash heap, and called out to Varimathras, who was still deep in thought, "Alright, stop your pointless musing. We have important matters."
...
Anub'arak, who was currently reclaiming the underground kingdom of Azjol-Nerub, also temporarily halted his work. Negotiations with his living kin had encountered some difficulties, as a portion of them still believed this to be the Lich King's trick.
However, most of the underground kingdom had already been reclaimed by Anub'arak. The living Nerubian became the nominal city controllers, while the Undead Nerubian no longer entered the city.
They would extend from Azjol-Nerub, using the abandoned, deeper structures as their activity areas.
At this moment, Anub'arak received a soul message from Arthas.
He asked in his usual deep voice, "Anub'rekhan, did you hear that?"
"Yes, His Majesty is summoning the champions of the Scourge to gather at Naxxramas." Anub'rekhan's sharp forelimbs and mouthparts constantly trembled.
"Your abilities cannot be fully displayed here. Go, to Naxxramas. I have a premonition that this is our first opportunity to bare our fangs to the world."
"Please take care, I will complete His Majesty's task as quickly as possible."
With that, the massive Crypt Lord disappeared into the tunnels, accompanied by a large contingent of elite Undead Nerubian.
They were victims of the previous Lich King Ner'zhul's tyranny, and Arthas, who had rescued them from his rule, was the only object their broken bodies could pledge allegiance to. Therefore, these Nerubian did not hesitate and immediately answered Arthas's call.
At the same time, further north in Icecrown Citadel, Highlord Lothar also received the same message. However, compared to the well-staffed Nerubian, the number of Death Knight he could dispatch was far too few.
Arthas's standards made the selection of souls capable of becoming Death Knight extremely strict. Even searching through the remains of fallen heroes across all of Northrend was far from enough to form a knightly order.
Therefore, the current title of Highlord Anduin Lothar was actually just an empty one. Calling him Ghoul Highlord or Skeleton Highlord might be more appropriate.
But since the Lich King said that a portion of Death Knight could be sent, even new recruits, and that they could continue training in Naxxramas, Lothar felt it was fine.
"It's time for these little brats to put their power into actual combat! Hacking at training dummies and mad Undead in Northrend every day isn't improving them anymore!"
Ogrim fully agreed with this. Being decisive, he immediately prepared for departure.
So, Ogrim, as the new recruit instructor, led a mixed group of fifty new recruits and official Death Knight onto the naxxanar of Naxxramas, serving as reserve forces and high-end combat power.
However, in this Death Knight contingent, another "strongman" whose physique was no less than Ogrim's appeared.
The former Warchief of the Horde looked at the silent warrior beside him and patted his broad shoulder.
"Alright, Grommash, are you going to come with us, or are you going to continue being a mute in this fortress that's nothing but skeletons?"
Grommash Hellscream, the Warsong Clan chieftain who died in battle against the Pit Lord Mannoroth, was also pulled back from the afterlife by the Undead Scourge.
"He shouldn't have given me free will. He knows I can't serve a human."
Grommash's voice was still strong and powerful, but it contained a trace of the soul echo unique to Death Knight.
For although he still moved like a living person, his organs had actually ceased functioning long ago. What truly allowed him to speak and move was the energy of his soul.
Ogrim bared his fangs, "At first, I thought the same, but don't you want to personally make those who persecuted our kin pay the price?
We are long dead. The dead need no glory. We will only use endless darkness to make those damned demons taste the same suffering."
Grommash punched Ogrim's breastplate, growling, "Don't try to fool me with such excuses! Though I'm dead, my brain hasn't been gnawed off by Ghouls!"
"Hmph, just tell me if you're going or not?" Ogrim looked at Grommash with a mischievous glint. He knew very well that Grommash's warrior bloodline still compelled him towards conflict, and now was the best opportunity.
Grommash snorted, no longer bothering with Ogrim's strange grin, and stepped into the portal leading to Naxxramas.
Ogrim nodded and said to Lothar, "This is a good start, isn't it? At least we've proven that the Undead don't necessarily have to be filled with hatred for the living."
"Stop talking nonsense. Don't forget how pathetic you looked when Arthas subdued you right after you woke from death." Lothar didn't hesitate, striking directly at Ogrim's weak point.
Ogrim pouted, "That was just a temporary compromise. I have no fondness for humans, but as for this 'Lich King,' I just don't think he's human—besides, his fist is bigger than ours, so we can only listen to him. At least he gave me a chance for personal revenge."
With that, Ogrim also followed into the teleportation array, disappearing from Lothar's sight.
Listening to the constant howling of the cold wind, Lothar suddenly realized something:
It seemed he was once again left alone in this cursed place?
The efficiency of the Undead far surpassed any army in the world. They didn't need conventional logistics, specialized physicians, or healers. All they needed was to drink the blood and souls of their enemies.
Kel'Thuzad also gathered the Necromancer and Necromancers who had worked and studied under him. In the massive naxxanar, the military, plague, and spider quarters gradually became fully staffed.
At the Archlich's summons, the Scourge leaders who had entered Naxxramas gathered in the naxxanar's central control room for their final preparations before departure.