The somewhat abrupt and strange crescent moon in the sky made Arthas's sword moves even more aggressive.
It wasn't entirely beyond Arthas's expectations, but things had indeed become much more troublesome at this point.
Lyral could indeed directly use the power of the moon god scythe—he was one of the scythe's creators, and if even he couldn't wield this scythe, then there wouldn't be many in this world qualified to do so.
A staff blessed by the moon god Elune, combined with the teeth of the Wild God Goldrinn, this scythe represented both sanctity and brutality.
And as a Worgen, and a Druid who once pursued the power of the wolf pack, Lyral was already able to master Goldrinn's wild power; even holding this scythe, he wouldn't be completely consumed by Goldrinn's wild spirit.
However, Lyral could only unleash a part of the scythe's power; the power representing the moon god's sacred purity was something he couldn't use.
Elune was not a deity who would allow her followers to abuse her power, let alone Lyral, who was currently not even considered her follower, but merely a mad wolf twisted by his pursuit of power and revenge.
Lyral seemed to have changed the moon phase, but in reality, he only activated the part of Goldrinn's power within the scythe; he wanted to use Goldrinn's power to overpower the holy power within the moon god scythe, so that he could achieve his ambitions.
Goldrinn was indeed a powerful Wild God, perhaps even one of the strongest, but compared to this mysterious Lady of the Moon, his power seemed less prominent.
The staff blessed by Elune formed the shaft of the moon god scythe; although under Lyral's control, Goldrinn's wild power temporarily suppressed the moon god's power within the scythe, this was bound to create a "flaw" in the scythe itself.
This ancient weapon couldn't unleash its full authority, and thus couldn't pose a true threat to Arthas.
However, the natural wild power transmitted through the moon phase did significantly enhance the strength of these Worgen, increasing their power and speed considerably.
Lyral, holding the scythe, might be considered "Nalando," but what he didn't know was that even if the Wild God Goldrinn himself descended, he might not be able to defeat Arthas.
The greatsword swept out, destroying the arm bone and spine of a Worgen; Arthas's left hand extended horizontally, grabbing another Worgen by the throat, and as his fingers closed, the Worgen's neck was instantly snapped.
Moonlight shone on these Worgen; the tips of their fur changed from jet black to moon white, and this transformation was still continuously evolving.
Lyral's transformation was especially noticeable; half of the fur of this first Worgen, the alpha of the pack, had already turned a pure moon white, and his already larger and more robust body compared to ordinary Worgen had inflated by a full circle.
Lyral howled, pressing close to the ground, using all four limbs to carve a path through the pack, charging towards Arthas like a high-speed Ironforge subway.
Arthas naturally noticed Lyral's movements; his greatsword almost swung in a full circle, the light of dawn rapidly disassembled and then quickly reassembled, and a shield embedded with a Holy Light crystal slammed directly in the direction Lyral was charging from.
Arthas's body tilted slightly, lowering his center of gravity with the large shield, pressing his entire weight onto the shield, and colliding with Lyral.
Lyral's strength, having undergone the baptism of Goldrinn's wild power, was completely beyond reason, but Arthas himself was a human capable of wrestling with dragons; the pure physical collision between them stirred up a small storm, blowing away all the surrounding Worgen who had rushed forward.
Even Tulani in the distance felt the strong wind, maintaining her Holy Light shield and looking at Arthas with disbelief—even the strongest Elekk couldn't cause such a commotion, could they?
Liam and Rona, who had never witnessed Arthas's true power, were even more dumbfounded: Is this something a human can do? Is Arthas a dragon in human skin?
The one who felt it most acutely was probably Lyral, who had collided with Arthas; he had been full of confidence, believing his strength was enough to crush Arthas, but this collision left him somewhat dazed and feeling a sense of vertigo.
Arthas, having withstood Lyral's impact, rotated his body, carrying Lyral, who was pressing half his body onto the shield, for half a turn, and then violently flung him away.
Lyral adjusted his landing posture in mid-air using his body coordination, which rivaled that of a Night Saber, planting all four paws firmly on the ground, but still slid back over ten meters.
The alpha wolf shook his dazed head, looking astonished at Arthas, who stood in place as if nothing had happened.
Although he wasn't injured by that blow, he had truly endured the impact of the collision; even heavily armored infantry holding tower shields would undoubtedly be sent flying, with even their armor and shields unable to fully protect them.
The wild grass at the Prince's feet, bent by the strong wind, and the soil pressed down by the shockwave of the impact, all indicated that what had just happened was no illusion.
However, Arthas, with the shield on his left arm, watched Lyral indifferently; Frostmourne actively flew into his right hand, and though the blade had not returned to its original state, a ghostly blue soul aura swirled around the blade and hilt.
He tapped the shield with Frostmourne, producing a clear clanging sound, while a hint of disdain showed in his eyes, as if saying: Is that all?
Already infused with the ferocity and wildness of wolf souls, how could Lyral endure such direct "humiliation"? His eyes immediately turned blood-red, and the surrounding Worgen still tried to surge forward to help, but before they could pass Lyral's side, he swatted them back into the forest with a single claw.
This alpha wolf snarled with bloodshot eyes at the other Worgen; out of respect for the alpha's authority and strength, they finally stopped, no longer advancing.
As if abandoning control over the latent ferocity within his wildness, Lyral's fur bristled, and his body seemed to swell by another circle, emitting a terrifying aura that inspired dread, as if standing before him meant being torn apart by a gaping maw at any moment.
Liam noticed Lyral's transformation; the Prince of Gilneas was somewhat uneasy and anxious, "This... that Worgen looks like he's becoming abnormal, we should try to help Arthas."
"Leave it to the Prince," Valeera wiped blood from her dagger on her cloak; with Lyral's deterrence, the Worgen had indeed stopped their attack, "The Prince never fights a battle he's not confident in."
Almost no one saw the smile that appeared on the lower half of Arthas's face, hidden by the shield.