"How is that possible! This is the power bestowed by that great lord; how could it be so easily destroyed!"
Xavius' eyes widened, bulging like brass bells, as if someone had delivered a swift kick to his groin. He was completely disoriented.
Seeing the dumbfounded Xavius, Arthas knew this was the daze of shattered belief, unrelated to combat awareness.
Imagine a sacred deity, revered as a god, only to discover one day that it was a beast, a charlatan who swindled, robbed, burned, and even seduced wives. Anyone would be stunned.
This was a spiritual shock from shattered worldview and collapsed faith, completely unrelated to anything else!
With a powerful thrust, a cold glint arrived first, piercing his heart.
Dazzling sword shadows continuously fell, sword light striking his body, causing the sturdy scales to shatter inch by inch. Yet, the heavy dizziness came, leaving him only able to stare wide-eyed, watching death approach.
Pfft!
Perhaps having an open mind and a broad chest is exactly this.
The strongest mage, queen's advisor Xavius, died!
Picking up a broken cloth and gently wiping the blood and minced meat from the runeblade, Arthas' unhurried movements slowly raised his head to look at the crowd.
"Is there anyone else who is unconvinced?"
"Is there anyone else! Those unafraid of death, step forward!"
Ravencrest involuntarily took a step back. The moment his foot landed, he felt a wave of humiliation. He was the commander of the First Legion; how could he be intimidated!
Losing his noble integrity and courage would make him a laughingstock!
But the next second, he saw his other noble colleagues also taking a collective step back.
He then breathed a sigh of relief. So, I'm not the only one who's cowardly; everyone is a coward, which means no one is a coward!
The law doesn't punish the masses; no one should laugh at anyone else.
Azshara watched this scene, her brows tightly furrowed. It was naturally best for her consort to establish his authority. She was a proud queen, the ruler of the Kaldorei Empire, the sole Light of Lights.
What was wrong with finding a consort?
Was it up to the people below to gossip and point fingers?
They truly didn't know their place.
But seeing the Highborne nobles retreat a step also displeased her. Even if they were unconvinced, they shouldn't be so afraid as to step back.
What was wrong with just standing there?
Could it be that her consort would really kill them over such a small matter?
Just then, a ripple emanated from the Well of Eternity.
A portal automatically opened, and a demon giant nearly five meters tall emerged, clutching a twisted soul in its hand, which it casually tossed aside.
With a wave of its hand, it crushed the Felguards beside it, using their flesh and blood to help the soul reform its body.
"Heh heh, queen Azshara, we meet again. This waste is truly useless."
"You are not Sargeras, who are you!"
Azshara had lost her usual elegance, picking up an exquisite runic longsword. Unlike traditional two-handed swords, it resembled a one-handed sword typically used by infantry.
Her Moon Priestess' Robe swayed in the wind as she faced the towering giant with a single sword, shielding the nobles behind her. The scene appeared quite tragic.
The demon grinned hideously, drawing pure energy from the Well of Eternity to continue reshaping Xavius' body.
It wasn't because it valued Xavius, but because this waste still had a purpose for now. The Burning Legion still needed him to decipher the Well of Eternity's seals.
Once the seals were broken, the Well of Eternity would allow a massive number of demons to instantly breach the defenses, and more high-ranking demons could be safely summoned, even Sargeras himself would personally descend.
This world also had a World Soul, another entity that could be enslaved. The Burning Legion would surely destroy countless worlds, proving that its choice was correct.
"Lord Sargeras hasn't arrived yet. He said that you, a tiny ant, are utterly unworthy of him, and to even dream of becoming his consort is utterly ridiculous!"
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Archimonde, commander of the Burning Legion. You may call me the Defiler."
Azshara's expression grew even more grim upon hearing this. She had indeed sought Sargeras as a consort; who wouldn't yearn for a powerful being?
That was in the past. Now, her interest had considerably waned. Although Arthas wasn't extremely powerful, he could defeat her. And his peculiar abilities, even with her reliance on the Well of Eternity, she couldn't decipher. He was a good choice for a consort.
Before a decision was made, any choice was fine. But once a consort was decided, Azshara would not be fickle-minded. At least, as a queen, she hadn't considered having multiple consorts.
"Noisy, you are too presumptuous. Just for those words, you must die!"
She tried to channel the Well of Eternity's power to enhance her spell, but the originally vast energy now seemed to yield only a trickle, completely different from what she expected.
Die!
arcane Missiles composed of immense energy, originally only fist-sized, transformed into a diameter of ten meters when cast by Azshara.
Their surfaces were covered in a spiraling layer of arcane energy, used to enhance their destructive power.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Despite being fifty meters apart, these missiles arrived in an instant, bombarding him one after another. It was the most primitive application of magic, yet it produced the most astonishing effects.
Archimonde's massive body was also forced back step by step. His armor was made from the sturdiest metal in the Twisting Nether; even enduring direct magical damage would not harm it.
During the war to conquer the Pit Lords, Mannoroth struck him dozens of times without breaking Archimonde's defenses, while his own scales shattered from Archimonde's punches.
Now, facing Azshara's furious attack, relying on a basic spell like arcane Missile, his armor cracked. This display of power was truly astonishing.
This was without fully channeling the Well of Eternity's power. If she had fully channeled it, wouldn't she have been able to kill him directly?
That might be an exaggeration. No matter how weak Archimonde was, he couldn't be instantly killed by Azshara. At most, he would be severely wounded.
Swish!
Before Archimonde could recover, a human figure covered entirely in armor appeared. In his terrified gaze, the runeblade descended.
Pfft!
Blood splattered. No one knew how many times the sword light flashed; it was impossible to keep up with the rhythm.
The next second, a massive head flew into the air, eyes wide open in disbelief, it was Archimonde, dead with his eyes still open!
He shouldn't have died here, but he was directly killed by a husband-and-wife tag team!
For Arthas, the Burning Legion was a cancerous growth, and there was no room for negotiation between the two sides.
One side believed it could definitely enslave and destroy Azeroth, while the other desperately resisted, not wanting to die. Thus, it became like this.
Killing was only temporary. Even powerful demons like Archimonde could revive in the Twisting Nether, though it would take longer, require more materials, and could even affect The Legion's development.