Although the Maiden of Grief was in a strange state due to her rampaging power, her intelligence was still very valuable.
With the information from this construct, who was once subordinate to Loken, at least the Ulduar adventure squad was no longer completely in the dark about the current situation in Ulduar.
However, judging by the intelligence provided by the Maiden of Grief, the situation remained grim.
Loken had been corrupted for quite some time, and the extent of his infiltration throughout Ulduar was unimaginable; at least from Arthas's perspective, the entities currently within Ulduar were either already corrupted or on the verge of corruption.
Individuals like the Maiden of Grief were considered fortunate; looking at the ordinary Steel Soldiers, with Loken's assistance, they were essentially beyond redemption.
Of course, this also related to the strength of the constructs themselves; excluding Loken, the jailer who was specifically targeted by Yogg-Saron and whose entire will and worldview had been twisted, the other Guardians were not entirely swayed by Yogg-Saron.
Yogg-Saron was still confined within his prison, after all, and the constructs were not truly that fragile.
For Guardian like the Titan Guardians who received Titan blessings, unless they directly faced the power of the Old Gods, it would be difficult for Yogg-Saron to immediately twist their will.
Ulduar was a sacred place; even if it had been corrupted by Yogg-Saron, it had not completely fallen into the Old Gods' grasp.
Arthas quickly realized one thing—although the Old Gods would seize the opportunity of mortals venturing to Draenor, this did not mean they had made the situation foolproof.
The Maiden of Grief, who was ordered to slaughter the Earthen, was the best proof; Ulduar had not completely fallen under Loken's control, and there were still signs of resistance here.
"Maiden, can you still move normally now?" Arthas asked; they needed to act quickly.
"I cannot be certain; the power of Yogg-Saron and Loken has eroded my core, and there is a certain chance it will cause irreversible damage," the Maiden of Grief said, but she gripped her warhammer and stood up.
"But my existence or non-existence is not important; you must stop the Ironcrafter—before he kills all the Earthen in the Halls of Stone."
The Maiden of Grief walked with heavy steps towards the Ancient Court, casting her gaze upon this ancient Titan machine.
"Before I completely perish, I will restart the Ancient Court; this is crucial for Ulduar, at least allowing us to preserve some data before we are completely defeated."
"Restart the Court? No, that will alarm Loken!" Malygos tried to stop the Maiden of Grief's actions.
But the Maiden's next words prevented Malygos from stopping her.
"Loken already knows—during the brief period when my consciousness ceased," the Maiden of Grief replied while guiding energy to operate the instruments.
"Before his corruption, he was the wisest and most farsighted among us, and after his corruption, conspiracy and cunning became his weapons in serving the Old Gods. My consciousness has escaped his monitoring; whether I am alive or dead now, he will deem the operation against the Halls of Stone a failure."
Everyone except Arthas fell silent. Krasus was still somewhat unwilling, "Then why hasn't he launched a large army to annihilate us?"
"Because he has something more important to do," the Maiden of Grief said. "He is currently in the deepest part of Ulduar, in the abyss where that monster is imprisoned; the domains of the other esteemed Titan Guardians have become their own prisons due to Loken's betrayal."
"We must hurry; once the Ironcrafter takes the Forge of Wills, everything will be too late..." The Maiden of Grief's voice grew fainter and fainter until her body gradually stiffened in place, no longer possessing vitality.
Arthas sighed, "Let's go; we must reclaim the Forge. Loken has tricked us all; the steel constructs outside were just for delaying time. He didn't intend to awaken more soldiers; instead, he was preparing to directly release Yogg-Saron."
Those Steel Soldiers, who were fighting fiercely with the Scourge and the Dragon Army outside, were not Loken's means of invasion at all, but rather targets to attract attention.
He had no intention of awakening more soldiers; instead, he played his final trump card directly—liberating the Old Gods.
Malygos's face was ashen; he, of course, knew what this meant. "That damned madman!"
Once the Old Gods were unleashed, it basically guaranteed Loken's victory, because a fully unchained Old Gods possessed the ability to sweep across all of Azeroth.
Dragons, deities, legends—any creature unable to leave Azeroth would be engulfed by the echoes of the Dark Empire.
At that time, Loken wouldn't need to awaken any sleeping Steel Soldiers; he only needed to ensure that these "troublesome" individuals would not awaken again!
"He never intended to defeat us fair and square—those Steel Soldiers were just bait!" Krasus was also shocked. "We must immediately notify our comrades fighting on the front lines!"
"No, it's useless," Arthas said, holding a magical letter in his hand, which was a battle report written by Lothar. "The number of Steel Soldiers on the battlefield is completely wrong; a large number of soldiers are hidden within the Titan ruins. Once we rashly cross the defensive line, the ancient weapons in the ruins will instantly tear our formation apart."
"In that case, Loken wouldn't even need to rush to awaken the Old Gods; we wouldn't even be able to withstand the Steel Soldiers' counterattack."
Lothar's grasp of the battlefield situation was something Arthas couldn't compare to; his predicted developments were almost spot-on.
Loken was even more of a cunning and insidious viper. He had a clear understanding of the Dragon Legion's strength, only placing just enough Steel Soldiers to block the Dragon Army's advance, requiring the dragons to exert some effort to break through layer after layer of defenses.
"Then aren't we doomed?!" Brann's eyes widened. Had Arthas been infected by the Maiden of Grief's negative emotions? Why did it feel like they were going to die no matter what?
"Of course not," Arthas said firmly. "Loken's choice to forcibly release the Old Gods without fully controlling the other Guardians indicates that he is not entirely confident of victory."
If the Scourge's participation hadn't disrupted Loken's plans, he wouldn't even need to arrange for those soldiers to hide in the fortifications of the Titan ruins; the Dragon Army might have been completely defeated before even reaching Ulduar's gates.
However, the Scourge's strength exceeded Loken's estimations; the time the Steel Soldiers could delay was much shorter than he expected. As the defensive lines rapidly contracted, Loken realized that it would be impossible to completely halt the Dragon Army's advance with conventional forces alone.
If the Scourge and the dragons truly broke through Ulduar's gates and stormed into the Titan City, the situation would become completely uncontrollable.
As the Maiden of Grief said, Loken could not fully control Ulduar; this seemingly impregnable city was actually his ultimate weakness!
"Regardless of whether our guesses are correct, we should speed up."
Arthas, using the information left by the Maiden of Grief in the disc, relayed a message to everyone after re-sealing and reinforcing the gates of the Ancient Court.
Loken's plan was to accelerate Yogg-Saron's release, and the Maiden of Grief said that several Guardians were still struggling in the nightmare and corruption created by Loken and his master. Once these Guardians lost themselves, Yogg-Saron's release would accelerate significantly.
"Tens of thousands of years of time have weakened the Guardians' spirits to a breaking point." Malygos, also an ancient being, understood the Guardians' state of mind very well.
In Ulduar, this prison of the Old Gods, the Guardians, as jailers overseeing the prisoners, were themselves pitiful captives trapped within the prison. However, their adherence to duty and their faith in the Titan Father Gods allowed them to endure these long years.
However, there was one thing Malygos couldn't understand: why, with the Guardians almost completely collapsing, did the Titans of the Pantheon remain unresponsive, even allowing the Old Gods to break free from the cages they had set?
Malygos's confusion was a cruel truth. Arthas was silent for a moment, then finally decided to speak the truth.
"The Pantheon was destroyed countless eons ago."
"De…stroyed?"
Everyone found it unimaginable how the omnipotent celestial beings who could create all things and free Azeroth from the shadow of the Old Gods could have been destroyed; and for Malygos, this news undoubtedly caused his long-held worldview to almost collapse.
"The Burning Legion rampages through countless worlds, destroying innumerable planets, so why has the Pantheon not stopped Sargeras's atrocities? Were they afraid of their brother's power, hiding silently at the edge of the universe?"
Arthas's words broke through the blind spot in everyone's thinking, or rather, they had never dared to think that way. Even Malygos, who had survived from the age of myths until now, had never considered the whereabouts of the Creator Titans, only assuming they had left Azeroth for more distant stars.
"So… the Titans didn't fail to stop him, but failed?" Brann asked with a dry voice—if even the Titans failed, could they, as created beings, truly defeat the Burning Legion?
"Even the Titan celestials couldn't withstand Sargeras's power—he was already the strongest warrior among them." Arthas slowly revealed an ancient secret to everyone.
"Sargeras's newly acquired fel power gave him an overwhelming advantage over his brothers, and the determined and clear-minded Lord of the Legion had one important thing more than his brothers who were still unwilling to believe Sargeras's betrayal: a decisive will to kill."
"If that's the case… if that's the case…" Malygos seemed to instantly grasp some key point. He frantically scratched at his neatly styled hair with both hands, "Lei Deng's disappearance… the Guardians' decadence…"
Krasus glanced at the unusually behaving Malygos, then looked at Arthas with a heavy expression. "Prince… regardless of where you got this information, if it truly is the case, then aren't all our efforts a joke? Even if we defeat Loken and Yogg-Saron, how will we defeat Sargeras?"
"First, I must clarify one point," Arthas replied, "Sargeras doesn't care about us at all. He cares about this planet beneath our feet, he cares about Azeroth. Once he gets Azeroth's coordinates, he can cross the endless stars, so it's not too late to say disheartening words then."
"The Burning Legion is not an unconquerable enemy, nor is Sargeras. Azeroth, even in this boundless universe, is unique. Azeroth's existence is hope, and what we need to do now is to pass on hope before true despair arrives."
Arthas tightly gripped the light of dawn in his hand. This weapon, personally crafted by Archaedas and infused with materials and essence left by the Titans, was emitting a soft glow, seemingly echoing Arthas's words.
"The courage of the Red Dragon is a treasure praised in mortal poems, Krasus," Arthas's eyes burned. In this paladin's eyes, there was no despair or despondency, only the flame of courage and hope. "The Titans fell, which means gods are not Invincible, and neither is Sargeras. With our world at our backs, let's summon the courage to fight to the death, little Red Dragon!"
Krasus sighed, his hand gripping and then relaxing on his staff. "You truly are a strange person… Arthas."
Brann was also encouraged by Arthas's words. He had explored the origins of his people and ancient truths in every ancient ruin around the world, and he had never considered whether the truth was cruel or beautiful, because it simply didn't matter. For them, these latecomers, the past had already happened and could not be changed, but the future was still in their own hands.
"Well said, Arthas, truly worthy of being my friend! Your courage is like the mountains of Kaz Modan!" Brann laughed heartily. Dwarves were never a race lacking in courage; courage was the blood flowing in their veins.
"So, Malygos, do you dare to go with me to the deepest part of hell?"
Arthas fixed his gaze on Malygos. He knew whether this operation could succeed depended on this Weaver, who now controlled Azeroth's Arcane network. Only he had the ability to bypass Ulduar's layers of defenses and directly enter the city's core.
"Don't casually provoke a Dragon Aspect," Malygos stopped, a smile appearing on his stern and somewhat crazed face. He seemed to recall some pleasant memory. "Last time… it was against that big guy—stand firm, Arthas, the journey ahead might be a bit bumpy!"
Blue-violet Arcane light enveloped Arthas and Malygos. Brann and Krasus were stunned. The dwarf hurriedly shouted, "Arthas, what are you doing?!"
"Brann, protect the disc; Krasus, Brann's safety is in your hands. Hurry back to the allied encampment and tell them Loken's true intentions. Quickly occupy the Halls of Stone and Halls of Lightning and clear out Loken's minions there. Archaedas should already be on his way; he'll know what to do!"
After leaving these last words, Arthas and Malygos vanished from their sight.
Brann stared at the magical photons still lingering in the air, his mouth agape, not knowing what to say.
Krasus placed a hand on Brann's shoulder and sighed softly, "Let's go. Arthas has his mission, and we have ours…"
The Red Dragon didn't say much more, but just now, he had felt it: the surging power within Arthas, a power that even he found terrifying, as if from the depths of the stars, possessing a profound origin similar to that of the Titan celestials who had once reshaped the world.
With the intelligence brought back by Brann and Krasus, the coalition rapidly changed their attack strategy.
The Dragons no longer focused on harassment, but instead began aerial strikes on any shelters, buildings, and fortifications that might conceal Steel Soldiers. Their scorching dragonfire melted one Steel Fortress after another into molten iron, which was then instantly frozen by the frost summoned by the Blue Dragon, shattering into pieces under the biting winds of the Storm Peaks.
The Scourge, on the other hand, launched a fierce charge, completely disregarding cannon fodder consumption, piercing through the lines formed by the Steel Soldiers. On this brutal battlefield, steel, blades, bones, and spells claimed a large number of victims every moment of every second. Unfortunately for the Scourge and the Steel Soldiers, battle losses were truly just numbers.
To more swiftly crush the Steel Soldiers' defenses, Lothar even deployed several saronite-armored Gronn that had been captured and modified. These towering war machines dwarfed the steel constructs, which could only be smashed into scrap metal by their violent of power.
The Necromancers began to constantly collect the bones of the Undead. In the far northern lands of Azeroth, the power of Undead magic increased by more than one level, and with the support from Icecrown Citadel, the Scourge's military strength not only did not diminish but instead continuously grew.
The Scourge's artisans even played some tricks. When bones and flesh were insufficient, they directly used the wreckage of Steel Soldiers and constructs, combined with their available materials, to create bio-monsters that were half-flesh and half-steel.
Although the quality of these temporarily created consumables varied, they opened a new door for the Scourge's technology tree. Soon, these half-steel constructs appeared on various battlefields, becoming a sharp weapon for harvesting Steel Soldiers.
The ferocity of the coalition's offensive began to strain even the Steel Soldiers, who were backed by Ulduar.
Loken could not control all the Steel Soldiers. Although he could corrupt batch after batch of warriors from the barracks' inventory, there was an upper limit to the number of soldiers he could control simultaneously. In this mode, a war of attrition was naturally unstoppable, but when faced with a full-front assault from the coalition, its shortcomings immediately became apparent.
Soon, the Scourge and the Dragons advanced to the cliffs below Ulduar. With the assistance of the Dragons, the Necromancers swiftly erected bridges to the higher ground. The Dragons hovered in the sky, suppressing the Steel Soldiers' artillery on the city walls with the Scourge's air force.
Ulduar's unique terrain became the last obstacle to the coalition's advance. Even with the cover of dragonfire and magic, it was difficult to charge up the high ground covered by artillery fire.
However, just as the Steel Soldiers thought they could once again drag the battle into a quagmire, a towering high wall suddenly collapsed without warning.
The continuous roar of dense artillery fire immediately fell silent for a period, which bought valuable breathing time for the charging Scourge soldiers.
"For the Lich King!"
Anub'arak, leading the Crypt Fiend, had already been digging tunnels at Lothar's signal and finally, at this critical moment, physically pierced through Ulduar's defenses.
The Nerubian had directly hollowed out the cliff supporting Ulduar's ancient walls. Coupled with the continuous external strikes, under the accumulated strain, the seemingly indestructible thick city walls became the final straw that brought themselves down.
Seeing countless Steel Soldiers and their cannons plunge into the abyss below the Storm Peaks, Lothar gazed deeply at Ulduar's gate and ordered all Scourge soldiers—"Launch a general assault, take the outer walls!"
A tide of Undead surged onto the high ground where Ulduar was located. The Steel Soldiers still held their unfallen positions, but unfortunately, having lost a large amount of long-range firepower, they were unable to stop the surging Undead Scourge.
An Iron Dwarves might be able to strike down several skeleton soldiers, but immediately more Undead would fill the void, and even during the battle, countless Undead emerged directly from underground, dragging the Steel Soldiers into the cold frozen earth.
"It's over…" Alexstrasza hovered in the sky, flapping her wings. The Steel Soldiers had almost completely collapsed, with no possibility of a desperate counterattack.
"Don't let your guard down, Alexstrasza."
Archaedas stood on the cliff. He had already brought the awakened Earthen across the vast ocean to Ulduar. His eyes, carved from rock, stared at the magnificent Ulduar gate, and he sighed softly.
Even during thousands of years of slumber, the betrayal of his colleagues was like a nightmare, haunting him relentlessly. To protect the Platinum Discs, too many brave warriors loyal to the Titan and upholding their duties had sacrificed their lives.
"There are indeed only small groups of Steel Soldiers left in the Halls of Stone, but the Hall of Lightning is the barracks for these steel constructs. As long as Loken has not failed, they will hold out until the very last moment."
"What? But if that's the case, we won't be able to spare any attention to help Malygos and the others." Alexstrasza exclaimed in surprise, "Do they have to fight alone?"
"For now, yes, but your spouse and the descendant of that Earthen have brought back good news. The Forge of Wills and the Ancient Court in the Halls of Stone are still functioning normally. As long as I can gain control of them, these Steel Soldiers will return to normal and fulfill their duties."
Archaedas said in a deep voice, "Hurry up. I can feel a terrifying dark power spreading deep within Ulduar. Once Loken's plot succeeds, it will be very difficult for us to hope for victory."
Alexstrasza nodded slightly, then let out a clear dragon roar, "Brothers and sisters, cleanse the corruption in the Halls of Stone!"
"Scourge, attack." Ogrim, wielding his warhammer, led the elite Death Knight and tore open the line guarding the main entrance. The Scourge soldiers behind him streamed through the opening towards the Halls of Stone.
Archaedas stood silently to the side, occasionally looking at Ulduar with some concern—although the battlefield outside Ulduar had gained a huge advantage, the battlefield that would truly determine the fate of the entire world was still within Ulduar.
…
"Bang—Clang!"
Arthas's body slammed into the ancient relief, which was like a work of art, as if he were a cannonball. The hard marble even turned into powder under such a violent impact.
"Cough… cough!"
Arthas brushed away the dust in front of him and casually tore off a piece of armor that was already twisted beyond recognition. The heavy metal plate armor fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Before his eyes was a swirling purplish-blue Arcane glow. Vast Arcane energy, like a torrent, washed over the colossal creature in front of them. Every moment, large amounts of rubble fell and shattered.
Malygos's true form was hidden in some unknown dimension, but there were thousands upon thousands of his Arcane illusions on the field. And what they were fighting was a colossal stone giant that even Dragons had to look up to.
Kologarn—the giant created by Loken's command to Ignis, the Master of Blades, was now ordered to guard the Shattered Path leading to the depths of Ulduar. His towering body could even reach the tens-of-meters-high dome of Ulduar's inner structures, and this was only his upper body.
He had half of his body standing in the enormous pit formed by the collapse of the Shattered Path. Such a massive size, combined with the hard shell forged by the Master of Blades, meant that even Malygos's magic could not quickly destroy his body.
This stone giant was furiously roaring and attacking Malygos's illusions, but being unable to find Malygos's hidden true form, he couldn't pose any threat to the Weaver. However, completely destroying this creation still required a significant amount of time.
And what Arthas and Malygos lacked most was time. If Kologarn delayed them for too long, allowing other fallen Guardians to come as reinforcements, it would truly be impossible to stop Loken's scheme.
Although Kologarn was a powerful construct, he was no match for Malygos's indiscriminate bombardment of Arcane torrents.
After a period of brilliant purplish-blue light, Kologarn's disfigured body lost its spiritual support and shattered into massive rocks.
However, his enormous size imparted potential energy to the falling rocks from a height, and these stones created various sized depressions on Ulduar's hard ground. Arthas walked through the stone rain without changing his expression until everything settled down.
Malygos calmed the surging magical power within him, his eyes filled with exhilaration—for a master of magic, such a stationary, gigantic target was an excellent outlet for venting.
The tidal wave of magic around the Weaver was almost equivalent to his emotional fluctuations; after realizing that his and his siblings' tens of thousands of years of duty and burden had ultimately come to naught, his emotions began to become irritable.
Thus, Kologarn became Malygos's outlet. With Arthas barely intervening, the mountain-like magnificent construct was torn to shreds by Malygos's spells.
Malygos's messy blue short hair swayed in the magical storm that had not yet fully subsided. He turned his head to look at Arthas, but was stunned by Arthas's 'miserable state'.
His exquisite armor had been twisted into scrap metal by Kologarn's immense strength. After removing the outer layer of armor, the inner lining was torn into unsightly rags by the blade-like mana storm.
Arthas was tearing off the unsightly rags from his body, revealing a lean upper body, as if forged by a hammer.
"Don't mind me," Arthas briefly explained—for him, armor and clothing had more symbolic and covering purposes than defensive capabilities.
After all, he could transform into a 'Titan form' like a Steel Construct at any time; the defensive capability provided by armor not made from top-tier materials was inferior to that of his own body.
It was just that movement was somewhat hindered in this state, so Arthas dragged off all the broken armor and inner lining.
With only his intact trousers and belt remaining, Arthas returned Frostmourne to its scabbard, and light of dawn was swung back, resting directly on his bare shoulder.
"Let's go. We've made quite a commotion; we need to hurry. Loken won't wait for us."
Malygos nodded. With a flick of his fingers, a teleportation array formed again. Although he couldn't teleport long distances directly within Ulduar, he could manage short-range spatial movements.
And after Kologarn's death, the Steel Soldiers in the hall gradually increased, but under the care of Holy Light and hammer, almost no one could get close to Arthas and his companions, while Malygos focused on leading the two rapidly through the corridor.
...
"We can't waste time here!" Brann seemed a bit agitated, his coppery-red long beard rising and falling with his exaggerated movements. "Arthas and his companions are still deep within this cursed city, facing who knows what kind of monsters!"
"Hey, hey! Calm down, Brann," Krasus soothed Brann's emotions. "You have to trust them to buy us enough time."
"Buy time?"
Brann glared at Krasus, then shook his head like a rattle drum. "You don't understand... No, or rather, you don't understand Arthas enough. That kid is definitely not someone who would fight a guerrilla war in there—and do you think your Blue Dragon King would hide and seek with Arthas inside Ulduar?"
Krasus was momentarily speechless. Just as he was about to refute Brann's point, he heard his Red Dragon Queen speak from behind him, "Indeed, given Malygos's personality, after realizing Ulduar's deception, he probably won't let it go. He'll likely charge directly at the Titan Guardian."
"See, little Red Dragon!" Brann yelled. "The outer walls will be breached soon. We need to support them quickly."
"But we can't be in such a hurry—" Alexstrasza's eyes were grave. "Archaedas has already entered the Halls of Stone to seize partial control of the city. Loken's remnants in the Hall of Lightning are still stubbornly resisting. We need some time, and..."
"And what?"
"And I've already notified the other Dragon Kings." Alexstrasza announced an exciting piece of news, but her expression showed no sign of relief.
Brann sensed that the atmosphere was off and quickly asked, "Has something happened?"
"Ysera responded to my call, but I still can't contact Nozdormu..." Alexstrasza confessed. "And as far as I know, the situation in the Emerald Dream is not good either; the support we can receive is probably limited."
"Well, it sounds like there's no support at all, actually." Brann sighed. He should have known; these dragons were one less reliable than the next.
The dwarf's eyes were filled with worry—not only because Arthas had ventured into Ulduar, but also because he sensed from the Red Dragon Queen's words that even the dragons' situation was not good.
Over these past few decades, Azeroth's stable order completely collapsed the moment the Dark Portal opened, replaced by one massive threat after another, eyeing Azeroth greedily.
After chasing away the orcs, the Burning Legion personally descended, almost wiping out those ancient elves and their holy tree. Just when the Azeroth Allied Forces finally managed to drive away the Burning Legion, the Fire Lord of Blackrock Mountain wanted to turn the entire world into his fiery kingdom.
The Fire Lord was driven back to the elemental plane, but the Burning Legion would not give up. To prevent Azeroth from being ignited by war again, the Alliance decided to directly advance towards the Legion's transfer station, the world on the other side of the Dark Portal.
However, the expeditionary force there had not yet achieved anything significant, and in this far north, the former Guardian had become a fallen devotee, desperately trying to drag Azeroth into darkness, and even these dragons could not independently resist the darkness within Ulduar.
Brann glanced at the dense undead on the front line and the Scourge naxxanar in mid-air, pondering, if Arthas didn't have that sword and couldn't control this group of undead, would the Scourge have to tour Azeroth, spreading plague and death?
With the records of the world's true history in Uldaman, the dwarves' understanding of the world deepened. As an archaeologist and adventurer obsessed with history, Brann understood the dangers his world faced from Azeroth's extraordinary history.
These dangers came not only from within their planet but also from the dark void beyond the planet, where countless dark entities sought to devour everything on Azeroth.
"You know more than we do... Arthas... But what role do you really want to play?" Brann murmured to himself with a sigh.