Arthas kicked the corpse of the Worgen leader, sending the bulky Worgen body flying a great distance, almost into the depths of the forest.
Genn and Darius looked at the Worgen corpse flying far away, exchanging shocked glances—that Worgen was larger and bulkier than a typical Worgen, and its weight far exceeded that of an ordinary Worgen, yet Arthas's kick sent it flying an unknown distance.
If that kick had landed on a living person… it probably could have split a person in two.
"Arthas…"
Genn, of course, recognized the Prince of Lordaeron; although he had not left the lands of Gilneas for a long time, he had attended Arthas's paladin ceremony back then.
He did not know why Arthas would suddenly appear in Gilneas, but he could easily guess that Arthas's presence here was certainly related to the Worgen.
After discovering that their Worgen pack leader had been killed by Arthas, the Worgen, though still baring their fangs and with their coarse fur bristling, none dared to charge forward and fight Arthas.
These Worgen, whose wildness far outweighed their intelligence, still possessed characteristics similar to beasts; when their strongest Worgen was killed, they instantly transformed from a bloodthirsty pack into hesitant stragglers.
Without the leadership and command of their Worgen leader, they were no longer the crazy and wild monsters they had been before. Now they knew death and fear, and coupled with the fact that their strongest Worgen, the Worgen leader, had been killed by Arthas, this further instilled in them a fear of Arthas's power.
This was the best time to break the Worgen's will to attack. Arthas said to King Genn, "King Genn, I will explain the full story later; for now, let's kill these Worgen pups."
A holy light enveloped Genn's body, rapidly healing his wounds. However, Arthas subtly frowned; he noticed that while his holy light had healed Genn's injuries, it had not dispelled the Worgen curse cast upon him.
It seemed the stubbornness of this curse was far deeper than he had imagined. Arthas had previously tried to forcibly dispel the wild souls from the bodies of the Worgen he encountered, but without exception, the Worgen covered by the power of the holy light were all burned to ashes.
For those who had been Worgen for an unknown period, the curse within them had almost merged with their life force, making it impossible to dispel; forcibly removing the curse was no different from killing them.
No wonder Malfurion had sealed these Worgen deep within the Emerald Dream; he likely had no way to restore them to their original state.
Not to mention Lilar, who willingly accepted this wild power while maintaining his sanity. He was already a powerful druid, and after gaining the wild power of the Worgen, he would probably actively embrace this "blessing."
What Arthas did not quite understand was that this power was actually a derivative of the powers of Elune and Goldrinn, yet for some unknown reason, Goldrinn's power had deviated from his original intention, leading to the birth of these uncontrolled Worgen.
But it cannot be denied that the power of these Worgen even exceeded the imaginations of Lilar and Malfurion. However, manipulating powerful forces always carries risks, especially since Lilar was already focused on revenge at the time; controlling such immense power caused the dark desires within him to swell.
Perhaps he was once a druid who loved his people and nature, but now he was the Lord of the Worgen, the alpha among alphas, Lilar Flametooth.
The Worgen Arthas had slain was one of the stronger ones in the pack, but he was not the leader of all Worgen. Arthas guessed that he was likely one of the Worgen controlled by Lilar, and he was responsible for commanding the pack to attack Gilneas's hunting parties.
With the help of Velinde and Valeera, Arthas easily found this leader hiding among the Worgen pack and, with his utterly unmatched power, brutally killed him, finally using the spear formed by light of dawn to directly throw him out of the forest.
Arthas came alone to assist Genn and the others, while the rest went to help the Gilnean army deal with and drive out the other Worgen in the woods, clearing the path for their retreat.
The Worgen were not just those they had encountered; deeper in the woods, more Worgen were rapidly gathering. After Arthas killed the Worgen leader here, the "alpha" planning this invasion would surely discover their movements.
If the Worgen from the entire forest were to surge forth, even if the entire Gilnean army entered the Black Forest, they would likely be no match, as these Worgen were the most skilled hunters in the forest.
Not to mention, those wounded by Worgen would be infected with the Worgen curse. The stubbornness of this curse was even troublesome for Arthas; it was not the type that could be forcibly dispelled.
This curse, closely tied to the power of nature and Elune, was better left for the Night Elves to resolve. If Arthas were to handle it, they would either be burned to ashes by the holy light or transformed into cold-blooded undead.
The Lich King's will was enough to shatter the Worgen's minds, which were clouded by wildness, but now was not the best time to assimilate them.
"We'd best move quickly. The number of Worgen is not just what we see before us; there are more of these monsters hidden within the forest."
Since the Worgen pack leader had been dealt with by Arthas first, the remaining Worgen had little power to resist. After a very easy sweep, the remaining leaderless Worgen fled on their own.
Until they were assimilated into a new Worgen pack, they no longer had the ability to attack humans.
However, the condition of Genn and his people was also not very good, especially the blood-soaked guards, almost every one of them injured. Even Genn and Darius had wounds left by Worgen.
Arthas swung light of dawn, and the grace of the holy light fell upon these people like raindrops, healing their wounds and temporarily suppressing their fatigue.
But like Genn, Arthas's holy light could not simultaneously dispel the curse within those who had been scratched or bitten by Worgen.
Many of them had been injured for some time, and the curse within them had already begun to spread, even more severely than in Genn's case.
"Arthas, what is going on? And why are you here?" Genn looked at his healed wounds, filled with confusion and bewilderment. "Where did these monsters come from, and why are they attacking us?"
"Not just Gilneas, but the entire southern Silverpine Forest, up to the borders of Lordaeron, is filled with these creatures. However, my people have contained their spread in Silverpine Forest, but they have crossed the Greymane Wall.
As for their origin and purpose… it's complicated to explain. Let's leave this forest first, otherwise, if more Worgen surge in, few people here will survive."
The Greymane Wall, which was effectively useless, made Genn's face darken, but he also temporarily understood the gravity of the situation. At this moment, pursuing why Arthas had intruded into his kingdom would be utterly foolish, especially since their lives had been saved by Arthas.
With Arthas, this incredibly powerful paladin, leading the way, and the Worgen in disarray, Genn soon met the somewhat disheveled reinforcements. They too were almost all wounded, and though few had died, nearly all their warhorses were dead or injured.
The leading captain, upon seeing Genn unharmed, finally breathed a sigh of relief, but then, recalling how his team had been ambushed by Worgen and almost wiped out, his face turned red and then pale.
But he still steeled himself, walked up to Genn, and knelt on one knee, "I am very sorry, His Majesty the King."
"Alright, quickly regroup the troops. We are leaving the forest immediately." Genn said to the captain. He then looked towards Arthas, who was gazing into the depths of the forest. "Arthas, we must leave!"
Arthas, however, shook his head, much to Genn's surprise. "You all should leave quickly. The Worgen in the forest will not give up. We must stop their mad actions."
"You? Just these few… soldiers you brought?" Genn looked at Arthas's "followers," saying with some astonishment, "Arthas, I am very grateful for your help to Gilneas, but trying to defeat these Worgen with personal bravery… it's utterly impossible. Their numbers are too great. We can leave the woods first and then plan for the long term."
"If we had time, that would be fine, but we don't have that time now," Arthas replied. "You must quickly lead your troops back to defend Gilneas. Those Worgen are not just hunting for food and claiming territory."
After speaking, Arthas took a step and began walking back into the depths of the forest, but at that moment, a shout made him stop.
"Please wait, Arthas, may I come with you?"
"Liam?!" Genn's face changed. He grabbed Liam's arm and whispered, "Are you mad?"
Liam looked at his father and said with a hint of apology, "Sorry, Father, but I feel I must go and see. If we don't know how these Worgen appeared, how are we supposed to deal with them?"
"But, you don't need to go—" Genn's words caught in his throat. He understood his son well; when he saw Liam's gaze, he knew that unless he knocked him out and carried him away, he wouldn't be able to persuade him.
"If you wish to go, I can guarantee your safety," Arthas nodded, agreeing to Liam accompanying him.
Darius looked at Genn and his son, shook his head, and was about to retreat into the ranks behind him, when his daughter, Rona, also walked out of the ranks as if crazy and said to Arthas, "I want to go with Liam too."
Darius's eyes widened. He had never imagined his daughter would utter such "nonsense." He was about to stop his daughter from this suicidal act when Liam spoke first.
"Rona, I am the Prince of Gilneas, and I have a duty to investigate the truth of this matter, but you have no need to take this risk. Go home with Uncle Darius."
Rona showed no intention of leaving. She walked to Liam's side, glared at him, and retorted, "Without me, you would have struggled against the Worgen just now. Besides, the Crowley family has guarded the royal family and Gilneas for generations. Of course, I must be by your side to watch over you!"
"But, Rona—"
Liam wanted to say more, but at this moment, Arthas interrupted their "flirting." "Enough. If you wish to follow me, I can guarantee your safety. King Genn and Lord Darius, you don't need to worry either; I carry teleportation runes and can teleport these two to a safe place at any time."
With that, Arthas said no more and directly entered the jungle ahead. Seeing this, Liam quickly followed, and Rona closely trailed behind. Genn and Darius had no time to stop them; the two little rascals had already disappeared.
Genn and Darius were burning with anxiety, but they could not let the citizens of Gilneas behind them risk their lives. Moreover, Arthas had said that Gilneas City might also face the risk of Worgen invasion, making it even more impossible for them to abandon their kingdom.
"That boy Liam, his wings have truly hardened! When he returns, I'll give him a piece of my mind!" Genn gritted his teeth, steeling himself not to think about Liam. Since Arthas dared to enter this dangerous woodland himself, he surely had a way to escape, so Liam's safety wasn't too much of a concern.
Darius had the same thought as Genn, though he had no way to control his daughter. But after all these years, he, who had always disagreed with Genn, felt for the first time that he and Genn were "in the same boat."
Their children were excellent, but such children were sometimes a bit too opinionated, and as parents, they couldn't even say that such actions were wrong.
Since the Prince and the Young Lady had already gone to investigate the truth of the Worgen incident, it was time for the two old bones to hurry back to Gilneas to defend their city.
Liam and Rona, who had left with Arthas, silently walked behind him. They exchanged a glance, then, with perfect understanding, averted their gazes and looked at the path beneath their feet.
Arthas glanced at them sideways and calmly said, "You two, you weren't injured by the Worgen, were you?"
When Liam heard this, he felt that Arthas's seemingly declarative tone was a bit off, but he didn't think much of it and replied, "Holy Light bless, Rona and I were lucky enough not to be injured."
Arthas then stopped, turned around, and looked back at Liam. "There is a curse on the Worgen; those harmed by them will also turn into Worgen—I need to make this clear to you first."
As soon as he said this, Liam and Rona simultaneously realized something, and both stood rooted to the spot like statues.