Why did Algalon suddenly appear?
Arthas didn't believe it was due to him triggering some defense mechanism in Ulduar; after all, Yogg-Saron and Loken had been running rampant for so many years, yet Algalon had never directly descended.
Although the commotion he caused was indeed significant, it shouldn't have elicited such a quick response.
The Star Saint race is a loyal supporter of the Pantheon, but in Arthas's view, these guys have a major flaw: they are too rigid.
Star Saints will execute the Titans' commands without hesitation, but this also makes these inflexible individuals seem more like robots than constructs.
However, they cannot be blamed, as most Star Saints' duties are those of observers, and the most important trait of an observer is objectivity.
Far from the surface, it is difficult for them to feel any pity for the creatures on a planet; for them, Azeroth itself is the most important.
Conversely, only the Titan Guardians, who have watched over Azeroth from the ground for countless eons, can truly understand a portion of the mortal lives' hearts.
However, Algalon's appearance is not a good thing at the moment; although the Titan Guardians might vouch for the lives on Azeroth and say a few good words, he is still somewhat of a trouble.
It's just that Deathwing, who appeared out of nowhere, became the first to face this trouble—it's just unknown whether this Star Saint will be even more resolute in his determination to cleanse Azeroth due to Neltharion's corruption.
While thinking, Arthas quickly completed his work at hand, after all, strictly speaking, the half-river of the Underworld he brought from Maw was the genuine "high-risk" item, and its rating might even be more dangerous than the Old Gods.
The real reason Arthas was not nervous was that even if Algalon wanted to destroy the surface life of Azeroth, he probably didn't have the power to do so.
To cleanse the life on Azeroth and return the entire world to its primeval era, one must either directly summon the power of the Pantheon or use the creation engines left on Azeroth.
However, the Pantheon has long been destroyed by the Burning Legion, and the creation engines on Azeroth either cannot be activated, or their activation would first awaken the Old Gods.
In that case, Algalon alone would not have the ability to cleanse Azeroth.
But the problem is, if Algalon ultimately decides to send a message to the Pantheon, it might end up in the hands of the Burning Legion, because at this time, except for the Life Titan, the other Titans have all become prisoners of the Burning Legion.
The entities that would arrive then would truly be prepared to destroy Azeroth, and in a way that would even obliterate the planet itself.
Therefore, after stabilizing the Underworld, Arthas, carrying his two weapons and casually pulling out a set of casual clothes from his magic satchel to put on, quickly rushed out of Ulduar.
At this moment, outside Ulduar, a battle had already erupted, with chaotic energy bursting forth everywhere in the air.
Even the strongest dragons in the Dragon Legion, aside from the Dragon Kings, dared not approach, otherwise, the several mountains in the distance, with half their sides Cut away, foreshadowed their fate.
The four brainwashed Titan Guardians were also freed from control due to Yogg-Saron's death, but due to mental trauma and physical exhaustion, they were unable to intervene in the Guardian Dragons' battle.
Thorim stared at the "splendid" scene in the sky, like fireworks, wondering if he had been controlled for too long and his mind was muddled, "My memory is still stuck on Loken's betrayal… What is this situation now?"
"That's… Neltharion, the Earth Guardian appointed by Archaedas, right… Damn it… Odin was really right…" Freya patted her head, the soul-tearing pain also made her a bit confused, and she still had many injuries on her body, not knowing what insane things Loken, that traitor, had done using them during the time they were controlled.
"The land of Azeroth has been cursed… What we feared has finally happened!" Mimiron wobbled to his feet, "But we must stop Yogg-Saron first, if he gets out, then we are all truly finished!"
"Calm down, Mimiron, the fact that we can still stand here with clear minds means that Yogg-Saron has at least temporarily failed.
The urgent matter now is them!" Freya pulled back Mimiron, who wanted to run into Ulduar, pointing to the four Guardian Dragons battling in the sky, "Wait… Is that a Star Saint?! Who summoned him?!"
"It was me."
A deep voice echoed from the side of the ridge, and the Guardians looked in the direction of the sound, finding Archaedas, holding a platinum disc and a warhammer, climbing out of the valley.
"Archaedas?! I thought you had already died at the hands of that guy Loken!" Mimiron exclaimed, they had lost contact with this Guardian for tens of thousands of years, "How is Tyr? Is he well?"
"Tyr has fallen, to protect the disc and cover our retreat…" This topic made Archaedas's tone heavy.
He looked at his former colleagues with a complex expression.
At that time, Loken and a group of Guardians were either brainwashed by Yogg-Saron or imprisoned.
This conspiracy, like a spider's web, kept everyone except him and Tyr in the dark.
It was precisely because of this that he slept in Uldaman for tens of thousands of years until Arthas opened the door and awakened him.
It can be said that Tyr's tragedy and Azeroth's current dire situation are inextricably linked to the Guardians' dereliction of duty.
However, even though they had once gone their separate ways and held different opinions, as their companions passed away one by one, the Guardians also felt lonely and desolate.
What's more, Archaedas learned from Arthas that the Pantheon had fallen; while he was utterly shocked, a glimmer of hope was buried deep in his heart: that the Pantheon might not have been completely destroyed as Arthas said, but merely defeated by Sargeras and was now hiding in the cosmos.
And his purpose in summoning Algalon was precisely for that last possibility: he wanted to use the power of this observer to contact their Titan Father.
He had already repaired the Ancient Court and the Forge of Wills, but the Forge of Wills could not be activated temporarily; it still contained Yogg-Saron's corruption, and it would need to be completely cleared before it could be reused, otherwise it would cause immeasurable consequences.
Meanwhile, the four dragons in the aerial melee gradually distinguished themselves—although Neltharion was powerful, he was still overwhelmed under the siege of the other three Dragon Kings, having already acquired several new scars on his body.
Molten dragon blood, hot as lava, rained down from the sky.
Neltharion's corrupted bloodline gave his internal blood vitality, and these blood, when spilled on the ground, immediately transformed into distorted elemental monsters.
A warhammer shimmering with electricity struck down, and Thorim smashed the dragon blood abomination that fell before him into smithereens.
His left hand clenched, just as he was about to condense lightning to strike Neltharion, his lightning spear had not yet formed when his tall body suddenly swayed twice, and the lightning spear dissipated.
"Don't be impulsive, brother." Hodir supported the tottering Thorim, "Our injuries are not light, and the Old God's whispers still echo in my mind.
Rashly using our power will only harm ourselves."
Thorim gasped for a few breaths; his physical injuries were not severe, but as Hodir said, their minds had all suffered considerable trauma, and anything requiring concentration caused him a splitting headache.
Freya nodded; she didn't dare to use healing magic now, so she turned her gaze back to Archaedas, "Archaedas, we are sorry for everything that happened before.
It was our dereliction of duty that led to this disaster today.
After everything is over, we will sincerely apologize to you and accept the punishment we deserve, but as you can see, we have all lost our combat ability.
Yogg-Saron is still hidden deep within Ulduar, can you bring out Mimiron's creations, so perhaps we can—"
"No need."
Arthas, riding Invincible, descended from the sky, tossing a residual limb of an Old God's tentacle in front of the Guardians.
"Yogg-Saron, the God of a Thousand Maw, has fallen forever, with no possibility of resurgence."
The Old God's tentacles continued to writhe even after being severed, indicating they still possessed considerable vitality.
But everyone just stared intently at Arthas, unable to believe what he said was true.
"Yogg-Saron... is dead?" Archaedas was also very surprised. He thought Arthas would at most delay Yogg-Saron for a while, or find a way to seal him again, but the result now clearly exceeded his expectations.
He couldn't even imagine how Arthas had... "killed" an Old God.
"Mortal, do you know what you're saying?" Mimiron jumped in front of Arthas, trying to gesticulate the horror of the Old God with his movements, "Yogg-Saron has been sealed in Ulduar for countless eons; even the Creator Titans couldn't deal with him. How did you 'kill' him?"
Freya also walked up to Arthas, leaning on her wooden staff. The gentle female Giant bent down, examining Arthas. "There are no signs of you being bewitched by an Old God... And that severed limb... Did you really do it? How exactly did you do it?"
Her first reaction was that Arthas might have been deceived by the Old God's illusions, but after careful observation, she realized that Arthas had not suffered any mental manipulation or deception. Arthas's spirit might be somewhat weary, but if he had truly been through a great battle, this weariness was normal.
However, logic and experience made her doubt the truthfulness of Arthas's words. After all, to Azeroth, the Old God was like a chronic illness on a long-suffering person; how could it be removed so easily?
"I think now is not the time for storytelling," Arthas said with a hint of helplessness. He had long guessed this situation would arise. He pointed at the Dragons in the sky and asked, "Perhaps now we should go deal with Deathwing."
"They don't have much combat capability left; let me go." Archaedas looked at his colleagues, who could be described as old, weak, and ailing, and volunteered, "The honor of the Earth Guardian was passed down by me from the Titan Fathers to Neltharion. For this, I bear an unshirkable responsibility."
Arthas nodded. "Give me some time. See if you can force Deathwing towards Icecrown Glacier. I might have a way to deliver a fatal blow to him... Oh, right, that Star Saint, why is he here?"
Archaedas was not particularly surprised that Arthas knew about the Star Saint's existence. Although he wasn't sure how Arthas had learned these secrets, he had no intention of hiding anything. "I summoned Algalon through Ulduar. Perhaps he can tell us something about the Pantheon."
"This isn't a good idea." Freya walked to the edge of the cliff and looked at Ulduar. "Algalon completely ignored us and entered Ulduar. He's probably retrieving all data from the past hundred thousand years..."
"If it reaches a danger rating, he'll definitely activate the 'Re-origination Device' without hesitation!" Mimiron slapped his head. "Oh dear, if Yogg-Saron hadn't been eliminated, it would be fine, but if Yogg-Saron has already been eliminated, then what he's doing would be—"
"He needs some time to get authorization from the Pantheon," Archaedas explained. "I just checked; most of the important Genesis Engines on Azeroth are either offline or inoperable. If he wants to re-originate the world, he can only do so by contacting the Pantheon."
Arthas listened to the Guardians' conversation and was momentarily at a loss for words. Although he had guessed that Algalon was most likely summoned by one of the Guardians, getting a definite answer now still left him quite speechless.
"Friend, listen to me. Summoning Algalon is absolutely not a good idea. Perhaps you think that whether you can contact the Pantheon or not, you'll get an answer, but I want to say, have you considered that this message could potentially be directly transmitted into the hands of the Burning Legion?"
Archaedas fell silent. He had indeed not considered this. If the Pantheon had truly been destroyed, would the messages transmitted by the Star Saint and the other Guardians go directly to the Burning Legion?
He had initially thought that if messages transmitted to the Pantheon were intercepted by the Burning Legion, then Azeroth's location should have been exposed long ago. But then he remembered that ever since Loken betrayed the other Guardians, Ulduar had never sent messages to the Pantheon, which made that argument self-defeating.
Moreover, the Legion invasion that caused the Sundering ten thousand years ago, besides the Elves' misuse of magic and their coincidental connection with Demons, it's also uncertain whether the Burning Legion obtained some information from the Pantheon, gaining a method to pinpoint Azeroth's location.
"This is a low-probability event, but we cannot be unprepared. Current Azeroth is still full of external and internal troubles. If the Burning Legion truly determines Azeroth's location, we will inevitably face the full force of the Burning Legion's attack," Arthas explained his view. "I can understand your feelings, but for now, let's solve the immediate problem. You go help Malygos and the others; I need to prepare at Icecrown Glacier."
"I understand." Archaedas sighed. Although these Guardians had once protected Azeroth's safety, now they seemed to be the cause of many troubles and disasters, which was somewhat disheartening for him.
But Deathwing was still circling above Storm Peaks. Although he was already losing ground in his struggle with the Dragon Aspects, no one knew what terrifying actions the mad Black Dragon King might take.
Archaedas looked at his colleagues. "I believe what Arthas says. You can return to Ulduar first to recover your strength. If you are still worried about Yogg-Saron's dark power in the inner city, you can go to the Hall of Stone and Hall of Lightning. Those areas have been cleared by us and are safe."
The Guardians looked at each other until Thorim stepped forward, placing a heavy hand on Archaedas's shoulder, brushing away the accumulated snow.
"Although I have a belly full of questions right now, we choose to trust your judgment," Thorim spoke for his companions. "Loken controlled Ulduar for too long, and we've been out of contact with the outside world for too long. After all this settles down, we'll deal with the subsequent problems."
With that, the Guardians left the outpost protected by the Dragons and quickly headed towards Ulduar. They could gather the remnants brainwashed by Loken and rescue those who had not yet been completely swallowed by darkness.
Archaedas, meanwhile, took up a hunting rifle seemingly made of stone and stepped into the fray with Deathwing, beginning to force Deathwing towards the ridge bordering Icecrown Glacier and Storm Peaks, as Arthas had requested.
Streaking westward across the sky was Arthas, riding Invincible. The high-speed, biting cold wind rushed into his throat and nasal passages, causing him to cough twice, even with his physique, as he found it difficult to adapt for a moment.
Invincible sensed his master's discomfort and immediately prepared to slow down a bit, but Arthas patted his beloved steed's long neck. "It's alright, Invincible, keep going at full speed."
Although the ice fields of northeastern Icecrown Glacier and Storm Peaks were separated by a continuous mountain ridge, at the speed the Dragon Aspects moved, coupled with Archaedas's deliberate guidance, it wouldn't be long before they reached the skies above Icecrown Glacier.
Arthas planned to seize this opportune moment to deliver a significant gift to Deathwing, and at the same time, repay Malygos a favor—without Malygos's strong support and assistance, this operation likely wouldn't have been so smooth.
He hoped both Malygos and Deathwing would be pleased when they saw this "gift"...
*****
Bewilderment, hatred, and rage!
Intense resentment echoed across this glacier; ten thousand years ago, a powerful Dragon unwillingly fell in this desolate place.
She couldn't understand why her husband's most trusted friend would suddenly betray them. She watched helplessly as her offspring, friends, and siblings were slaughtered and torn apart by the opponent. The brave Blue Dragons turned into a rain of blood, falling among the evil Demons, then were instantly engulfed.
Hatred and rage made her choose to confront the mighty Neltharion, but his strength was already greater than hers, and he wielded an artifact that combined the power of the Guardian Dragons. Sindragosa's counterattack could only be said to have delayed his pace and caused him a little trouble.
After that, the heavily wounded Sindragosa was directly struck and sent flying. Her shattered body fell onto the vast glacier. She struggled to get up, wanting to madly retaliate against the treacherous betrayer, but with both eyes blinded by the 'Dragon Soul,' she couldn't even find her direction.
Her body was covered in wounds, and she couldn't even chant magic. Deathwing's attack tore open her neck, and blood gushed out like a spring, part of it flowing into her windpipe, nearly suffocating her.
After a aimless death struggle, Sindragosa finally understood that she could no longer move forward. She used her last ounce of strength, desperately trying to find the direction of Dragonblight, hoping that at least she could die there. But no miracle occurred. If not for Sindragosa's tough Dragon body, the severe injuries would have caused her to collapse long ago.
But even the toughest body has its limits. The loss of blood blurred Sindragosa's consciousness. Finally, the blind Dragon Queen fell in the despairing darkness and the mournful, singing cold wind.
After she bled her last drop, she still couldn't avenge the Blue Dragonflight. She couldn't even return to the Dragons' sacred land. Her soul would never rest in peace, frozen on this bitterly desolate ice plain.
And in her dying moments, Sindragosa's soul and sanity were twisted and corrupted by the characteristics of Icecrown Glacier. Her hatred for Neltharion, her hatred for the Burning Legion, gradually and blindly transformed into hatred for Malygos, and even hatred for the entire world of the living.
Arthas knew Sindragosa's burial ground. For him, who possessed a special soul vision, the glacier where Sindragosa was buried was like a beacon in the night. Sindragosa's immense power and overwhelming resentment ensured her soul could never rest, yet it was preserved in the unique environment of Icecrown Glacier.
Not resurrecting Sindragosa before was simply because he didn't want to antagonize Malygos and the Blue Dragonflight over a powerful Bone Dragon. But since Malygos had regained his sanity, and Deathwing was coincidentally entangled in Northrend, it was time for Sindragosa to unleash her fury.
Invincible landed lightly on the glacier. Arthas dismounted, and Invincible transformed into a black mist, dissipating with the wind. He bent down and wiped away the accumulated snow covering the ice, clearly seeing the Dragon bones 'sleeping' within the ice crystals, and the intense soul fluctuations within them.
After standing up, Arthas drew the magic sword hanging at his waist, raised his arm, and pointed forward. The falling snowflakes seemed to respond to their master's call, sprinkling onto the blade.
One flake, two flakes... The snowflakes landing on the blade ignited the magic sword's power, and a deep blue color spread across the blade like ink.
When this magical power reached its peak, Arthas pulled Frostmourne back, held the sword with both hands, and plunged the blade towards the ice surface.
"Clang!"
The magic sword's edge immediately sank into the ice, and its magical power found an outlet. The faint blue glow instantly burst into blue flames, and the surging magic exploded in a sphere, spreading outwards from Arthas, stirring up countless piles of snow.
Beyond the dark clouds, four Guardian Dragons broke through. Neltharion swiftly skimmed a snow-covered mountain, his flaming wings sweeping away snow and ice from half the ridge, causing an avalanche to immediately engulf the area like a breaking dam.
Archaedas, carrying a Titan hunting rifle, leaped from another mountaintop. Looking at the sweeping avalanche, he calmly smashed half a slate with his elbow, stepping directly on it and using it as a snowboard to slide rapidly down the ridge, all while remembering to fire a shot at Deathwing.
His personally enchanted bullets forced Neltharion to avoid their power, narrowly performing an aerial spin to evade the Guardian's sniper shot.
But while he dodged the bullet, he couldn't evade the pursuit of the other three Dragon Aspects. Malygos used magic to cut off all of Neltharion's escape routes, then sharply ascended, directly disappearing into the clouds.
Afterward, Malygos's speed and momentum even surpassed the pervasive thunder, striking Neltharion with lightning speed.
At this point, Neltharion had just escaped the entanglement of Alexstrasza and Nozdormu. Before he could even recover, Malygos's sharp Dragon claws had already viciously swept past his right fleshy wing.
"Roar—!"
After a painful Dragon roar, Deathwing's damaged right wing prevented him from controlling his balance, and he plummeted towards the ground.
Malygos wanted to continue the pursuit, holding a breath of Dragonfire and diving down after him. But a sudden sense of danger made his scales almost stand on end.
Without time to think, Malygos unleashed the Dragonfire, which hadn't yet reached its full power, from his mouth. The blue-purple Arcane flames directly collided with the fiery red, blood-like magma breath. In an instant, the Arcane flames were annihilated.
Deathwing, whose body had almost become a furnace, released an even more powerful breath than Malygos in a shorter amount of time. For him, it was simply about fully unleashing the energy within him, finding an outlet for that immense, uncontainable power.
Malygos, blinded by rage, had forgotten this. He used all his strength to try and hover in mid-air. If he continued to dive, he would directly plunge into Deathwing's breath.
In that case, even Malygos would be badly burned.
However, due to the intense downward momentum, even though Malygos tried his best to slow down, he still couldn't stop his descent. Fortunately, just as the whiskers on his chin were almost starting to smell scorched, a brighter colored flame breath and a quicksand-like storm breath swept across. The shockwave generated by the collision of the three energies finally allowed Malygos to escape.
"Be careful, my brother." Alexstrasza and Nozdormu arrived just in time. "Deathwing's power surpasses any one of us three. Fighting him alone will increase unnecessary risks."
Malygos calmed the dizziness caused by the shockwave. He shook his massive Dragon head, ignoring the section of his Dragon whiskers that were already scorched, and surveyed the surroundings. "Are we fighting in... Icecrown Glacier?"
Not far away, Deathwing had already fallen onto the ice. The breath he exhaled and the subsequent shockwave further accelerated his descent. With his wings temporarily injured and not yet recovered, he had taken a hard fall.
Malygos's confusion was quickly resolved, as Archaedas had arrived before the three Guardian Dragons with the gradually subsiding avalanche.
"Archaedas, was your previous attack intentionally to make Deathwing flee this way?" Alexstrasza had noticed Archaedas's intention early on, and now was a good time to confirm it with him.
"Arthas said he had a way to hit Deathwing hard," Archaedas said concisely. "Now we should be there."
"We should nail him directly to one of the peaks in Storm Peaks," Malygos said fiercely. "He can't run now; I tore open one of his wings just now!"
"Don't be careless, my brother," Nozdormu was as calm as ever. "Deathwing's body has long been semi-elementalized. Even injuries that would be fatal to us can heal quickly for him. If we can't continue to put pressure on him, he'll be able to fly again very soon."
"Hahaha—yes! My brother—"
Accompanied by strange laughter, a steady yet hysterical voice echoed across the ice plain. Amidst the pervasive snow mist, a massive black shadow slowly emerged.
Neltharion's eyes were filled with madness. He didn't care about his injuries, and as Nozdormu said, his semi-elementalization gave him almost infinite vitality. The side of his fleshy wing that Malygos had torn open was now connected by magma-like flesh.
Moreover, even after falling from a great height and suffering damage from Dragonfire and shockwaves, Neltharion showed no obvious injuries. Instead, his gradually rising terrifying aura made the three Dragons and Archaedas vigilant.
—A wounded beast is often more ferocious than an unwounded one!
"I'd love to catch up with you all, but I have other important matters to attend to right now—Ha, Alexstrasza, the last time we met was in Grim Batol, wasn't it? I hope that was an unforgettable experience for you!"
Whenever Neltharion spoke, he always sounded like a graceful gentleman, but within this seemingly polite, still logical greeting, there was always an unsettling sense of madness.
"Don't even think about playing tricks again, Neltharion. You no longer have the power of the Demon Soul." Alexstrasza responded in a deep voice. "We hadn't fully recovered from that battle in Grim Batol, which allowed you to escape. Today, your good luck ends here."
"Heh heh... My luck has always been good," Neltharion shook his head. "And you, Nozdormu, you didn't hide in your sand-built nest. I thought you'd only lurk like a desert snake, waiting for an opportunity—Hmm, perhaps they were right, you're also a good partner."
Nozdormu remained silent, as if he hadn't heard anything, but his attention remained fixed on Neltharion. Malygos, however, understood the hidden meaning in Neltharion's words, but there was no time to delve into it now. He didn't want to waste words with Neltharion. After the dizziness subsided, he immediately summoned a massive Arcane Orb and launched it towards Neltharion.
But Neltharion completely ignored the terrifying power within the Arcane Orb, enough to destroy a town. He casually slapped away Malygos's magic, then chuckled softly, "Malygos... Malygos, my dearest friend, so many years have passed, and you're still playing these... ridiculous tricks. Hmm, perhaps I should have my children visit the Blue Dragonflight again to send you some greetings, after all, you're too lonely."
Neltharion raised his head, staring down at Malygos with a condescending gaze, "Don't you pride yourself on being the King of Wisdom and Magic? Don't you claim to possess all the captivating knowledge of Azeroth? But what good is any of that? To me, you're just a useless, pa-the-tic, worm, hahahaha!"
"Nel-thar-ion!" Malygos couldn't endure Deathwing's provocation. He almost instantly pushed his magical abilities to their limit. He intended to unleash all the power he could currently wield. Even if it meant wiping this entire area off the map, he would make Neltharion pay for his blood debt.
"Wait, Malygos, don't use magic indiscriminately on someone else's territory!" Arthas's soul voice echoed in Malygos's mind, accompanied by a cold thought that instantly extinguished Malygos's rage, restoring his sanity to calmness.
But this only extinguished the Blue Dragon Aspect's momentary anger. Malygos suppressed his fury and replied, "Don't stop me, Arthas. I will let this damned traitor know the true power of magic."
Arthas was quite helpless. In truth, if Malygos really wanted to destroy a glacier, he could. But beneath it lay not only Sindragosa but also the corpse of Yogg-Saron and the surging River of Souls. If overturning this area were to unearth these two things and affect the stability of the seal Arthas had placed, then half of Azeroth would likely become a paradise for the undead.
So Arthas could only advise, "There's no need to rush. Someone wants to take action personally to unleash her fury on Deathwing..."
"I must do it myself. No one hates this damned—"
"No, someone hates Deathwing more than you."
Malygos, who had been seething with rage, paused at these words, even stopping his preparations for magic. He suddenly felt a sense of bewilderment, and also some regret, as if he had already seen something.
Then, Arthas sighed softly, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Ten thousand years of hatred and fury will be quenched today with corrupted blood."