With the Night Elves' mediation, the Tirisifal Council was officially rebuilt; every member nation pledged to send its elite mages into the council to safeguard Azeroth.
Seizing the council's rebirth as an opportunity, the tide of globalization began to surge.
Acting Archdruid Fandral took the chance to push the Cenarion Circle onto the world stage, openly inviting Gilnean druidic apprentices to join.
Spurred by this, every member state increased its support for the Circle—even the still-reluctant Zandalari dispatched more personnel under the pressure of events.
On Shandris' orders, Namlia Lyr-song, chieftain of The Hidden Path, began quietly scouting and recruiting fresh blood.
Mighty hunters and rangers of every race and kingdom received secret invitations to journey to the Marksman Camp in Highmountain for trials.
The Hidden Path is strictly neutral; any archer of any nation or allegiance may join.
Shandris, Leticia, and Daelin had held honorary membership in the Path for years; High Elves on good terms with the Night Elves became Namlia's first targets.
All four Windrunner siblings were swept up at once; Ranger-Lord Lor'themar Theron and the Farstriders' Halduron Brightwing also received recruitment letters.
Other inductees included the Horde's Beastmaster Rexxar, the famed dwarven hunter Hemet Nesingwary, the Darkspear shadow-hunter Rokhan, and the Draenei Ranger-General Nelly.
Namlia even sent invitations to the Vrykul and Tol'vir; the Tol'vir responded first, while the Vrykul still hesitated.
The letter delivered to Stratholme for the dark ranger Nathanos likewise went unanswered.
At present the war between the Forsaken and Lordaeron raged fiercely; the expected one-sided rout had not appeared—the Forsaken were resisting with uncanny tenacity.
Only a few years had passed since Lordaeron's rebirth; the promising kingdom could not yet bear the drain of prolonged war.
Queen Jaina had hoped for a lightning strike to take Stratholme, but seeing the Forsaken's defense still unbreakable, she kept a cool head and began considering a temporary withdrawal.
Though Stratholme remained untaken, vast swaths of the Eastern Plaguelands—including the Sickly Grove and Mushroom Valley—were once again under Lordaeron's banner.
The Amani Trolls of ZulMashar finally buckled under the High Elves' withering fire; most, including chieftain Zuljin, were buried alive within the one-exit canyon of ZulMashar.
Kael'thas had no attachment to the Eastern Plaguelands; the High Elves' numbers were still too few to support outward expansion—they had yet to fully settle the Amani Forest.
The Sun King struck a bargain with Jaina: in exchange for high-grade ores, herbs, and hides, Quel'Thalas handed ZulMashar over to Lordaeron.
The Eastern Kingdoms were far more turbulent than tranquil Kalimdor; these local conflicts had little bearing on the Night Elves.
Since the three great orders had all expanded recruitment, Andreas simply broadened his vision, calling upon every Azerothian race to found profession-based neutral organizations to further the march toward globalization.
Tauren, orcs, trolls, and Wildhammer Dwarves jointly founded the shamanic Earthen Ring, striving to commune with the elements and use their power to Quel'l Azeroth's many disasters.
Led by Prisim, Matias, and Garona, the legendary Rogues of Azeroth founded the Brotherhood, maintaining underground order from the shadows.
Warriors had it simpler: Odyn was about to open Valhalla for wider recruitment, making the sacred war-hall the natural headquarters for all warriors.
High-ranking warriors such as the orc High Overlord Saurfang, the comparatively green Night Elf commander Jarod, and the Highborne blade Quel'Delar's bearer, Thalorien Seeker-of-Dawns, successively headed to Stormheim for trials.
Paladins and Priests headquartered together in the sanctum beneath the Chapel of Light; renowned adherents of the Light joined the Order of the Silver Hand and the Conclave of the Void's Light, including the freshly emerged Prophet Velen and Stormwind's Archbishop Benedictus.
Unbeknownst to Benedictus, leaders of every nation secretly monitored him; the wily Velen drew close under the pretext of discussing the Light's essence.
Rakish… now called Saruman.
Velen spent years cleansing the dark resentment from Saruman's heart, patiently piecing together his shattered worldview and memories.
With his memories restored, Saruman felt as though lifetimes had passed.
Velen did not erase the memories of his time as Rakish; recalling Velen's childhood teachings, Saruman burned with shame over his past deeds.
After Saruman's account, Velen—who had clung to a sliver of hope—was ultimately disappointed.
His wife had not escaped fate; her soul had perished under Kiljaeden's brainwashing, leaving only Saruman to endure.
As the Prophet's sole living kin, Saruman's heartfelt repentance earned the Draenei's temporary forgiveness.
Yet the butcher Rakish had committed too many crimes; whether Saruman's remorse was genuine would depend on his future actions.
Compared with other orders, monks and warlocks were special cases.
Both spellcasters, warlocks and mages were treated utterly differently.
Esteemed mages enjoyed favor in every kingdom, while those who toyed with Fel Energy were like rats in the sewers, eking out a living in hiding.
Andreas held little liking for warlocks; history proved these demon-binding Fel-wielders were even better than mages at courting death.
The Black Harvest… or something like that?
Throughout history the council of warlock leaders kept changing; every warlock sought to trample colleagues for advancement, scheming and backstabbing without a shred of guilt—betrayal was routine in the Black Harvest.
Andreas paid no special heed to their development, yet rumor said they quietly established an organization in some corner of the world.
Monks were unique; the Pandaren-devised profession at first admitted no outsiders.
As Pandaria's mists parted, some outward-looking Pandaren left their homeland to circle Azeroth's continents and isles, bringing the monk's philosophy to other nations.
The monk headquarters remains atop the Peak of Serenity in Pandaria; anyone of any race or nation may travel there to learn the Way.
The grand globalization process unfolded in orderly fashion—until the newly formed Earthen Ring shamans and the Aspects sounded a warning.
All four Elemental Planes stirred at once; elemental activity across Azeroth surged, nearing the threshold of massive catastrophe.
Under the call of the Black Dragon, the Dragon Aspects began searching for entrances to the Elemental Planes years ago.
The Abyssal Maw near Vashjir and Deepholm, accessed through The Maelstrom, were identified first, but the entrances to Sky Wall and the Firelands remained elusive.
Alexstrasza, the Red Dragon Queen, who has been battling Fire Elementals in Blackrock Spire, recently reported a drastic upheaval among the upper echelons of the Dark Iron Dwarves.
Magni's daughter, Princess Moira, for some unknown reason, encountered the Dark Iron King Dagran Thaurissan during her rebellious runaway.
Perhaps out of revenge against her father, or perhaps genuine affection, the Bronzebeard Dwarves princess married the Dark Iron King and even bore a bastard.
As the king of the Bronzebeard Dwarves, Magni was furious at his daughter's shameless behavior. He personally led an elite Bronzebeard Dwarves honor guard into Blackrock Mountain and, in front of Moira, smashed Dagran's head with a hammer.
Magni's impulsive act not only failed to retrieve his daughter but also caused Moira to completely sever ties with her father amidst desperate screams.
The resentful Dark Iron Dwarves fought back, driving Magni's Bronzebeard Dwarves out of Blackrock Mountain.
Among the Dark Iron Dwarves, who loved power struggles and intrigues, undercurrents began to stir. Many great nobles sought to seize the throne, forming alliances and lobbying for support within Blackrock Spire.
But Moira stepped forward at this time, proclaiming the legitimate bloodline of the Thaurissan family as the successor to the throne in the name of the Dark Iron Queen... even though this future king was less than a year old.
When the Red Dragons attacked Molten Core deep beneath Blackrock Spire, the Dark Iron Dwarves, under Ragnaros' command, caused them considerable trouble.
Moira secretly contacted the Red Dragons behind the backs of those Dark Iron Dwarves loyal to the Fire Elementals. She promised to do her best to assist the Red Dragons in their assault on Molten Core and to fully restrain the fire lord's lackeys.
Alexstrasza has lived for tens of thousands of years, and her experience in both combat and judging people is extensive. She immediately saw through Moira's intention to use others to achieve her goals.
However, their interests were aligned. After analysis and persuasion from her consort, Korialstrasz , the Red Dragon Queen ultimately agreed to Moira's request for cooperation.
To free the Dark Iron Dwarves from the control of the Fire Elementals and to gain more political leverage and supporters for herself, Moira, as she promised, did her utmost to thwart the fire lord's supporters from impeding the Red Dragons.
Ragnaros in Molten Core was merely an avatar of the fire lord. With their worries eliminated, the Red Dragons quickly breached the Fire Elementals' long-established stronghold in the material world.
Under the Red Dragon Queen's life-flame breath, the fire lord's avatar collapsed, and the Fire Generals he sent to the material world were killed one by one, returning to the Fire Elemental Plane to reaccumulate power.
The Red Dragon Queen unexpectedly seized two strange, connectable items from two of the Fire Elemental Generals.
After Krasus' appraisal, it was initially confirmed that a powerful elemental soul was sealed within this unknown object.
Under Alexstrasza's instruction, Krasus successively consulted Malygos, the most knowledgeable Blue Dragon, and Khadgar, who controlled precious information at Karazhan.
Unfortunately, these two scholars only provided vague answers, indicating that the soul sealed within the skull of imprisonment originated from the Wind Elementals.
Finally, Krasus, who went to Moonshadow's Rest for help, received a definitive answer from Andreas.
"If I recall correctly, the soul sealed within the skull of imprisonment belongs to Wind Elemental Prince Therazane."
"Therazane?" Krasus was startled. "Didn't he die in battle with the Fire Elementals many years ago?"
Krasus had heard of Therazane; he was the prince of the Wind Elemental race, but Therazane's stance was completely different from his father, Al'Akir.
Compared to Al'Akir the Windlord, who willingly served the Old Gods as a lackey, Therazane, who yearned for freedom, hoped to lead the Wind Elementals away from their servant status and walk proudly on Azeroth.
Therazane's Claim won the approval of many Wind Elementals, and even two of the revered Four Wind Lords openly expressed their support for him.
With the Earth Elementals and Water Elementals successively betraying them, the Old Gods would not tolerate further problems with the Wind Elementals. They simultaneously ordered Ragnaros the fire lord and Al'Akir the Windlord to eliminate Therazane.
Al'Akir was Therazane's father after all; even with the Old Gods' command, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Ragnaros didn't care about such matters; he mobilized his entire Fire Elemental army to attack Therazane's territory.
Two of Therazane's subordinates were secretly swayed by the Old Gods and betrayed him. With their stealthy attack from behind, the brave and skilled Therazane met his end at the hands of Ragnaros.
These two traitors were named Garr and Geddon, and they are now members of the Fire Elementals.
The Red Dragons defeated these two traitors during their conquest of Molten Core, obtaining half of the prison that contained Therazane's soul essence from each of them.
When Alexstrasza defeated Ragnaros, the skull of imprisonment absorbed a large amount of elemental essence from the fire lord's gradually dissipating avatar. The soul inside the skull of imprisonment became much more active, and it was this clue that allowed Malygos to deduce the general origin of the skull of imprisonment.
"That's right." Andreas handed Krasus a cup of Soothing Blossom tea. "After Therazane was defeated, most of his elemental essence was absorbed by Ragnaros, and the remaining small portion, along with his soul, was sealed in a vessel."
Andreas pointed to the skull of imprisonment Krasus had placed on the table. "The vessel was split into two halves, each entrusted to the two traitors who had betrayed Therazane at the front line."
"Judging from the state of the skull of imprisonment, it must have absorbed a lot of elemental essence from Ragnaros' avatar, right? The bound soul inside has already become active."
Krasus nodded. "Time is pressing, and the Elemental Planes have already begun to stir. The Queen believes that the bound soul within the skull of imprisonment might provide us with important information about the Elemental Planes, but we didn't expect him to be Therazane the Windseeker."
"Speaker Moonshadow, since you know Therazane's origin, do you have a way to resurrect this Wind Elemental Prince?"
The powerful Red Dragons did not need to seek help from Water Elementals to extinguish fires; they could do it themselves, so they naturally didn't contact the Water Elementals.
Andreas had tried to go to the coast of the Azshara Region to find Duke Hydraxian, the Water Elemental, but unfortunately, perhaps because the extensive opening of Stormwind Harbor changed the course of history, the Night Elves never discovered the whereabouts of the Water Elemental Duke.
Maraudon had been completely sealed off by Theradras' self-imprisonment. Therazane was the only high-ranking elemental creature that the living beings of Azeroth could potentially contact. Andreas was very interested in Krasus' proposal to resurrect Therazane.
"Hmm..."
Andreas pondered for a moment. "I am not a Shaman, so I cannot unseal elementals. You can try seeking help from the Earthen Ring; they should have a way to lift Therazane's seal."
Krasus' spirits lifted. "Is that the recently established Shaman organization? Where is their headquarters?"
"The Elemental Sanctuary closest to The Maelstrom—the Heart of Azeroth. I'll go with you."
The Maelstrom is a scar left by the explosion of the Well of Eternity, but this entrance to Deepholm is also the most elementally active place in all of Azeroth.
After the Earthen Ring was established, Go'el, Kurdran, Voljin, and others investigated and finally set up their headquarters on an independent island closest to The Maelstrom. The Earthen Ring named it the Heart of Azeroth.
Accompanying Krasus, who was holding the skull of imprisonment, they teleported to the Heart of Azeroth. Soon, members of the Earthen Ring came to inquire about their origins and called Mu'sha Earthfury, one of the organization's high-ranking members.
"Speaker Moonshadow, welcome. And this is…"
The Tauren Mu'sha looked curiously at Krasus. He always felt that this High Elf seemed a bit odd.
After no longer needing to hide his identity, Krasus' transformed appearance had changed slightly from before. His eyes were the vertical pupils unique to dragons, making him indeed look somewhat different from ordinary High Elves.
After some pleasantries and introductions, Mu'sha learned the full story, and his expression gradually became serious.
"Wind Elemental Prince Therazane? Perhaps he will become an important clue for us to further understand the elemental disturbances in the Elemental Planes."
The most renowned shaman in the Earthen Ring was undoubtedly Go'el, the current Warchief of the Orc Horde, but Go'el was, after all, the leader of the Orcs and had little time to deal with the affairs of the Earthen Ring due to his daily responsibilities.
Similarly, Prince Kurdran of the Wildhammers was in the same situation.
Mu'sha Earthfury and the darkspear trolls shaman Yenusacre were members of the Earthen Ring in charge of practical affairs. Andreas and Krasus saw this troll shaman in front of the Elemental Altar at the Heart of Azeroth.
"Please wait a moment, both of you."
Yenusacre did not appear to have the rudeness of other wild trolls. He politely bowed to the two and said, "The ritual to free Therazane still requires a powerful shaman companion. We will contact Warchief Go'el now."
Through the unique shamanic water mirror communication, Go'el, who was pioneering in Sholazar Basin, used an astral teleportation spell to arrive at the Heart of Azeroth.
"Speaker Moonshadow, Advisor Krasus, I have heard about the situation."
Go'el bowed to the two with a serious expression and said, "The Earthen Ring has also been unable to find the key to open the situation. Therazane should become the most important breakthrough."
"Two colleagues, let us begin."
Krasus placed the skull of imprisonment in the altar in the center of the Elemental Altar and, along with Andreas, withdrew from the ritual area.
Go'el was the first to raise the doomhammer in his hand. This weapon, inherited from Orgrim, had, after years of use under him, become a shamanic artifact with extremely strong elemental affinity.
The three shamans, standing in a triangle, simultaneously began to fully summon Wind Elementals, and a localized storm enveloped the entire altar.
Go'el loudly chanted, "Unyielding Wind Elemental Prince!"
Mu'sha quickly followed, "Your people await your return!"
Yenusacre: "The time has come to defeat Ragnaros, Therazane, who seeks the winds of freedom, please heed our call!"
"Boom!"
Violent thunder began to gather above the altar. The skull of imprisonment floated in mid-air, emitting intense vibrations. Andreas and Krasus could almost hear the unyielding roars emanating from within the shackles.
"Bang!"
Finally, the trembling shackles were completely destroyed under the bombardment of countless lightning bolts. An elemental creature composed of thunderclouds and strong winds quickly absorbed the surrounding wind power and grew rapidly.
"Ragnaros! I am back!"
Go'el and the other two quickly retreated under the violent thunder bombardment. Therazane's appearance was somewhat more powerful than they had anticipated.
This was the first high-level elemental creature the Earthen Ring had encountered, aside from the completely hostile Ragnaros.
After venting years of resentment and anger from his imprisonment, Therazane finally calmed down. He retracted the storm power that had unconsciously overflowed and looked down at Go'el, Andreas, and the others.
"Mortals, thank you for freeing me from Ragnaros' imprisonment. Do you have any wishes you hope to achieve? In return, I will do my best to help you realize them."
Seeing that Therazane was relatively friendly, Krasus transformed into his Red Dragon true form at Andreas' glance.
"Therazane the Windlord, I am Korialstrasz of the Red Dragonflight, Queen Alexstrasza's youngest consort."
Therazane looked at Krasus with some surprise. While imprisoned in the container, he could not perceive anything from the outside world.
"Red Dragon, please speak plainly. I don't like beating around the bush."
Krasus said bluntly, "Then I won't be polite. I want to know what exactly is happening in the Elemental Planes right now."
"The Elemental Planes?"
Therazane paused for a few seconds to sense, and an astonished expression appeared on his elemental face.
"How can this be? The distance between the Elemental Planes and the material world is rapidly shortening, as if… someone is trying to forcefully drag the Elemental Planes to collide with the material world."
A glimmer flashed in Andreas' eyes, 'As expected.'
Although the specific perpetrators were still unknown, or rather, who they were, the mastermind behind this matter was already clear.
Krasus pursed his lips, and the expressions of Go'el and the other shamans were also very solemn.
"Windlord, do you have a way to prevent the Elemental Planes from colliding with the material world?"
Therazane shook his head, "I'm afraid not. Let alone that I've only just escaped from prison, even at my peak, I would be powerless to stop this."
"It's not just a single Elemental Plane moving closer to the material world. Although the four Elemental Planes have different speeds, they are all accelerating towards Azeroth."
"Even if I could stop Sky Wall's trajectory, the other three Elemental Planes would still…"
Go'el stepped forward and looked up, asking, "Prince Therazane, please forgive my presumption."
"I want to know, what consequences would arise if the Elemental Planes and Azeroth collide?"
Therazane glanced at Go'el, "You should already have an idea, shouldn't you?"
"Earthquakes, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, massive tsunamis—all the natural disasters you can imagine will occur simultaneously."
"I suggest you immediately return to your respective tribes and prepare for disaster. This great catastrophe is probably unavoidable."
Andreas lowered his head in thought, 'The Firelands must be empowered by the fire lord. Al'Akir also cannot escape N'Zoth's command.'
'Deepholm is probably Deathwing's doing. What about the Abyssal Maw?'
Neptulon the Tidehunter is the most benevolent of the Four Elemental Lords towards Mortals. Andreas didn't know what had happened within the Water Elemental Plane that would cause it to actively push the Abyssal Maw to collide with Azeroth.
'Could it be… Neptulon can no longer control the Water Elemental Plane?'
Putting this speculation aside for now, Andreas watched as Mu'sha, Go'el, and the others successively activated astral teleportation to return to their respective tribes and nations.
Therazane had just been released from his seal and was far from recovering his peak strength. At the shamans' insistence, he agreed to temporarily stay at the Heart of Azeroth to recuperate.
Even after being missing for tens of thousands of years, the renowned Windlord still had many followers and supporters within the Wind Elemental race.
Since the Elemental Planes were about to undergo an irreversible collision with Azeroth, Therazane didn't bother expending energy to forcefully return to the Elemental Planes and decided to wait for the inevitable in Azeroth.
Upon returning to the capital, Andreas immediately convened the Council members and high-ranking officials of the Night Elf Republic to quickly disseminate the news of the impending catastrophe on Azeroth and swiftly prepare disaster prevention plans and post-disaster relief.
'Natural disasters are just the beginning; the real trouble lies with the entities that will follow.'
In early year 29 of the Dark Portal, amidst the worried preparations of the various races of Azeroth, the omens of disaster finally began to appear.
On the Goblin-inhabited Kezan Islands, the dormant volcanoes suddenly became active. Thick smoke rose above the craters, and the corpulent Trade Princes, sensing trouble early, began preparing to abscond with their wealth.
Meanwhile, the Draenei's ocean monitors sounded an alarm, indicating a significant increase in seawater flow rate. Underwater volcanoes were also becoming ready to erupt, predicting tsunamis across the world within ten days.
After hearing the news, Andreas made a trip to Ulduar. The cleanup and reconstruction of the Titan holy city were nearing completion, the Forge of Wills had been restarted, and the corrosive residue left after Yogg-Saron's death was gradually dissipating.
Loken, stationed in the Keepers' Hall, looked somewhat surprised at Andreas, who had just teleported in.
Before Loken could ask, Andreas preemptively inquired, "Loke, what steps are needed to unseal the four Elemental Planes, and can it be done within ten days?"
Loken was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Mimiron, who was typing on a keyboard with blinding speed.
The Great Inventor paused his work and pondered, "The Elemental Planes? There aren't any special steps or rituals, we just need Odyn and Loke to act together. Why the sudden question?"
Andreas explained the situation to the two Keepers as briefly as possible. During this time, Freya, Thorim, and others also returned to the Keepers' Hall one after another.
Loken nodded thoughtfully. "I understand what you mean. You plan to lift the seal on the Elemental Planes the moment they impact Azeroth, to minimize the damage Azeroth sustains?"
If the seal were lifted too early, the Elemental Planes, currently located in the sub-space, would directly collide with the material world, leading to more severe consequences.
But if the seal is not lifted, the Elemental Planes forcibly rising from the sub-space would also cause great harm to Azeroth.
Andreas' idea was to release the seal all at once while the Elemental Planes were breaking free from the sub-space.
Actively lifting the seal would give the four Elemental Planes an extremely brief adaptation period between the sub-space and the material world. During this time, the Elemental Planes would temporarily exhibit a Schrödinger's state, making them intangible.
Andreas wanted to utilize this adaptation period, which lasts less than five seconds, to minimize the damage caused by the Elemental Planes impacting Azeroth.
Mimiron rapidly typed calculations on the terminal. "Theoretically feasible, but this method cannot completely avoid the shock Azeroth will suffer during the world convergence. The disaster will still occur."
Andreas nodded. "I know. As long as we can minimize the damage as much as possible."
Thorim suddenly interjected, asking, "The Elemental Planes wouldn't suddenly accelerate toward the material world without warning. Is N'Zoth behind this?"
Andreas shrugged. "He's probably the only one with that capability, right? I suspect Neptulon has been entangled by something N'Zoth sent, making him unable to control the situation in the Abyssal Maw."
While reviewing the memorandum, Andreas saw an entry in the Throne of Tides section about a giant sea monster named Ozumat. It is likely the one affecting Neptulon.
After Valhalla was unlocked, Odyn resumed contact with Ulduar, thanks to Loken's proactive mediation. However, due to certain ideological differences in the past, Odyn still had no intention of moving back to Ulduar.
As Ulduar's administrator, Loken promised Andreas, "The Forge of Wills has been restarted, and the internal matters of Ulduar are almost sorted out."
"As soon as we are free, we will join the fight against N'Zoth. Before then, the Aspects and Mortals will have to help hold back his fierce offensive."
...It was obvious that N'Zoth would take advantage of the Elemental Planes colliding with Azeroth to launch a full-scale assault, playing all his trump cards.
Due to Malfurion's seclusion, the Druids in the Emerald Dream lacked overall command, being strong defensively but weak offensively.
Fortunately, with the Green Dragon Queen Ysera leading her Dragonflights to help, Xavius couldn't cause any major trouble for the time being.
But Andreas always felt this guy had some malicious intent. Considering the entries related to Xavius in Version 7.0, Andreas summoned Laynella and had her enter the Emerald Dream to give Ysera some warnings.
Andreas could probably guess Xavius' intentions: N'Zoth's biggest trump card was undoubtedly Deathwing.
This Fallen Black Dragon King was the most shameful stain on the Dragon race, and the Dragonflights would inevitably mobilize heavily when fighting Deathwing.
Xavius must be waiting for the period of weakness after the Aspects fight Deathwing. The extremely vengeful lord of nightmares would certainly devise schemes to give the Green Dragon a "big gift."
Since Andreas had guessed Xavius' plot beforehand, he naturally made targeted arrangements.
The plan to eliminate Xavius was ready, just waiting for the executor, Malfurion, to emerge from seclusion.
Although Xavius didn't know why Malfurion hadn't appeared for so long, he instinctively felt extremely anxious about his nemesis avoiding the fight.
Shaun Moonclaw and Koda Steelclaw, guarding the Dream World, have recently seen the lord of nightmares personally appearing on the front lines... though, of course, it was his clone.
N'Zoth's willingness to expend great effort to revive the dying Deathwing must be because the Black Dragon King still holds significant utility.
The Aspects, learning of N'Zoth's frequent activities, successively recalled their kin operating outside, preparing sternly for Deathwing's arrival.
On the eighth day after the omens of disaster appeared, the active volcano on the Kezan Islands finally erupted on a massive scale, sending panicked Goblins scrambling across the island.
The waters around the Kezan Islands were covered in large amounts of oil. The erupting lava ignited the layer of oil floating on the sea, quickly blocking the Goblins' escape routes.
The Trade Princes had long prepared contingency plans, evacuating the Kezan Islands by ship immediately after the eruption. Only a minority of Goblins bought escape tickets and hitched a ride away from their disaster-prone homeland.
Simultaneously, massive tsunamis were stirred up near Stranglethorn Vale due to the underwater volcanic eruptions.
The inhabitants of Azeroth simultaneously felt tremors originating from deep underground. Leaders of various nations, having prepared beforehand, guided their people into sturdy shelters, patiently awaiting the disaster's passing.
Andreas did not follow his family into shelter. After arranging for Celeste to take Sirius, who was still young, into the shelter, he flew directly above Stormwind Harbor to observe the tsunami approaching up close.
"Now! Loke, it's up to you two!"
Loken and Odyn, standing on the coast, simultaneously activated their powers. A tremor, different from an earthquake, was affecting Azeroth.
"In the name of the Great Guardian , lift the seal on the Four Elemental Planes!"
The disaster sweeping across Azeroth paused for an instant. The towering tidal wave suddenly collapsed downward, and when it resumed motion, it was significantly smaller than before.
"Boom!"
Following the sound of a palpable impact, the frequent disasters finally reached their climax.
Fire Plume Ridge, in the center of UnGoro Crater, suddenly began a massive eruption. The swampy green land surrounding Fire Plume Ridge was covered by vast amounts of scorched earth and scorching orange-red lava.
The Tar Pits north of Fire Plume Ridge were ignited by the lava. The soaring flames set fire to the dense vegetation within the crater, causing massive forest fires that sent the bewildered inhabitants fleeing everywhere.
A gigantic Fire Elemental wielding a fiery red great hammer burst out of the volcano crater. The concentration of Fire Elemental energy nearby instantly spiked.
"Let the flames cleanse everything!"
The Druid stationed at the Shaper's Terrace frowned as he watched the gigantic Fire Elemental. "Tiana! Immediately return to Astranaar and inform Speaker Moonshadow of Ragnaros' appearance!"
"Theieshal Crater?" Andreas said, surprised. "I didn't expect the Firelands to appear there, but okay."
The Theieshal Crater is far from Andreas' core territory, yet it sits right within the encirclement of the Night Elves allies.
All of Kalimdor has long been run like a solid iron plate by the Night Elves. Andreas can understand N'Zoth's idea of breaking the surface with a point, but relying on a single fire lord... "Report!"
Another scout entered the Great Moon Temple council hall, and Andreas, who had just set a flag, felt a shiver of unease.
"Speak."
"Yes! A structure resembling the Sky Wall has appeared over the skies of Luseran Island off the coast of Darkshore, and the resident Ogres have sent us a distress signal."
"Sss~"
Andreas rubbed his brow, thinking, "Indeed, you can't just plant flags recklessly..."
The Ogres are strong but dim-witted; Andreas' original intention in placing them on Luseran Island, which should have been a Teardrake plantation, was to cage the Ogres and train them into a cannon fodder race for the Night Elves.
Years passed, and the Ogres multiplied across the fairly vast Luseran Island, growing from a few hundred thousand when they first arrived in Azeroth to over three hundred thousand. The island's abundant natural resources easily sustained them.
"We cannot let AlAkir slaughter the Ogres indiscriminately. Deploy the Second Flying Fleet northward to meet the enemy, and send the First Flying Fleet south to UnGoro Crater."
"Jarod, the southern front is yours. Use the garrison troops of Eversong as you see fit; we must not let the Fire Elemental expand beyond the Theieshal Crater."
Jarod placed the helmet he was holding on his head, his expression still calm, and nodded, "No problem, the fire lord will never break out of the Theieshal Crater's range."
Andreas turned to the equally ready Shandris, "Shandris, you take the northern battlefield. Keep Leticia here for now; I need her elsewhere later."
"Understood," Shandris said seriously, stamping her long legs as she turned to leave, "Daelin, follow me."
"Yes, General!"
Leticia had been having a great time playing with her new pet Gomu, and she seemed a little distracted while standing in the council hall.
"Andreas, what am I supposed to do? Are there other battlefields?"
"Of course."
Andreas squinted, "The main course hasn't taken the stage yet."
..."Boom!"
The Heart of Azeroth, under the solemn gaze of Go'el, Kurdran and others, erupted as a fully armored dragon burst from The Maelstrom, a massive wave of seawater rising into the sky with its arrival.
"Splash~"
A shaman of the Earthen Ring, drenched by the seawater rain, still stared intently at the dragon soaring westward, while a swarm of oddly shaped purple-scaled drakes followed out of The Maelstrom.
After roughly determining the drakes' flight direction, Go'el turned to Yenusakrei and said, "Based on the direction, Deathwing is heading toward Ashenvale. Alert all Kalimdor races along the way to prepare defenses!"
The fully armored dragon was none other than Deathwing, who had barely escaped annihilation by the dragon soul. Though his chest was firmly shielded by a source-metal plate, faint scars of grafted and sewn flesh could still be seen beneath.
Unlike before, when he could still feign elegance, Deathwing's eyes now burned with insane hatred and fury.
From N'Zoth's briefing, he already knew who had once delivered a near-lethal blow to him.
"Night Elves, prepare to endure my endless wrath!"
..."So he really came this way after all."
Andreas was not surprised by the news; given Deathwing's vengeful nature, it was only natural for him to bear a grudge.
Onyxia's emotions were a mix of exhilaration and lingering fear. Restless, she asked, "Andreas, do we strike now?"
"No rush."
Andreas looked up at the massive map hanging on the wall. According to Deathwing's flight path, he would inevitably pass over the Lost Isles where the Draenei reside.
Velen had already prepared a surprise for the fallen Black Dragon King.
"Leticia, lead the Third Fleet to guard the coastline of Senjinlei, first filtering out the weaker exotic drakes around Deathwing."
"Got it~"
Leticia leapt onto Gomu's back and thundered toward the airfield, while her friend Lunara and her treant sisters followed along.
Senjinlei is the new name for the red lands that were once called Durotar.
After the darkspear trolls settled in Kalimdor, Voljin has always been very orderly, and his contributions during Azeroth's crises have been highly proactive.
Since other races showed no interest in the red lands, Andreas discussed with the Tauren Warchief Kain and decided to officially hand the territory over to the opportunistic darkspear trolls.
Although the Echo Islands where the darkspear trolls live have decent natural resources, they are still just islands and cannot support the highly fertile trolls long-term.
Naming the eastern Kalimdor red lands after his father's name—Forestlei— the darkspear trolls, under Voljin's leadership, began establishing a foothold on this wild terrain.
Don't be fooled by Forestlei's poor soil; the red lands contain many common minerals. Though not precious, they are abundant.
The sturdy trolls, directed by Voljin, mined the ore and set up trade routes with the Night Elves and Tauren, exchanging minerals for food and other supplies.
However, the trolls' expansion wasn't smooth. The most fertile species in Azeroth's history, the Quilboars, also established a small settlement in Forestlei, frequently ambushing trolls during their outings.
When Leticia led the Third Flying Fleet eastward, Voljin, stationed on Darkspear Island, also received word of Deathwing.
The wise, low-key Darkspear chieftain stroked his chin, "Just as Speaker Moonshadow predicted, Lokan, you reorganize the troops and set up defenses on the eastern coastline early."
Shadow Hunter Lokan straightened up and pounded his chest, "Yes!"
Leaving the distinctly troll-styled architecture, Voljin gazed far east toward the sea.
"Will the Draenei's first interception be effective, or will it only anger Deathwing?"
...The Lost Isles, where the Storm Keep has long been docked at the crater, are now brimming with energy.
When volcanoes across Azeroth entered an active phase, the Lost Volcano was no exception; the massive energy was transformed and stored by the Storm Keep.
Velen stood on the Storm Keep bridge, monitoring Deathwing's dragon swarm via the external multi-screen displays.
The Prophet, with a steady tone, ordered, "It's time. Activate the Main Cannon."
"Yes! Main Cannon System online, charging, fire the barrel!"
Archbishop Hataru, acting as the command relay, quickly directed the Storm Keep technicians with a series of professional terms to extend a massive cannon barrel from the top of the keep.
Energy converted from the crater poured into this gigantic arcane cannon; the highly compressed power made Romul a bit uneasy.
Hataru remained calm, watching the progress on the screen. When the energy fill reached 100%, Deathwing's dragon swarm was already in direct sight.
"Prophet, the Main Cannon is ready."
Velen solemnly nodded, "Fire."
___________
Since being ambushed and nearly killed by Andreas, Malygos, Alexstrasza, and others, Deathwing had endured a period of unimaginable suffering.
His heart was completely shattered by the dragon soul, and Deathwing himself didn't even know if he could truly be considered alive anymore.
N'Zoth used his nimble tentacles to create an artificial heart for him, composed of repulsive masses of flesh of unknown origin.
During the process of reconstructing his heart, Deathwing remained semi-conscious, clearly feeling the agonizing pain, yet unable to make any struggling movements.
The physiological structure of dragons is far more complex than that of Mortals; the entire process of recreating the heart lasted several years, and connecting the heart to Deathwing's shattered and mutated cardiovascular system took several more years.
The severely depleted Deathwing slept for a long time after the "treatment" was complete. N'Zoth, who controlled Deathwing's soul, adjusted his mindset and instilled in him a massive surge of vengeful fury.
The fallen Black Dragon King, awakening in Deepholm and carrying immeasurable dark emotions, completed N'Zoth's preparatory plan, forcing the Earth Elemental Planes to collide with Azeroth.
Deepholm was the first Elemental Planes domain to approach Azeroth. Just as the Sub-plane was about to violently collide with Azeroth, an inexplicable light of etherealization briefly enveloped the borders of Deepholm.
Although the Four Elemental Planes ultimately collided with the Main Plane of Azeroth, the scale of the disaster was far below the expectations of Deathwing and his master behind him.
Deathwing, having reappeared in the world, no longer needed to consider the big picture. N'Zoth would personally oversee the deployment of every piece from behind the scenes; all Deathwing had to do was serve as the vanguard and charge into battle for his master.
His wings, riddled with tiny holes, were still powerful. Targeting the core territory of the Night Elves, Deathwing led his brand new "kin" and flew at full speed toward Ashenvale without concealment.
N'Zoth had warned Deathwing before the plan was initiated that the Lost Isles, which they would pass along the way, might become the first obstacle.
Deathwing mentally prepared himself as he approached the waters near the Lost Isles.
Learning from past mistakes, this time he wasn't overly confident and charging at the front. By changing formation, Deathwing hid in the center of the dragon swarm, letting his subordinates lead the charge.
This Distorted Dragon Species, brought out from Deepholm, was the result of thousands of years of research by Deathwing. He proudly named them Twilight Dragons.
These dragons, possessing purple scales, looked similar to ordinary dragons, but their bodies occasionally sprouted twisted, wriggling fleshy buds, filling observers with dread.
Most Twilight Dragons possessed very low intelligence, barely distinguishable from beasts. Only leader-level individuals, carefully selected by N'Zoth and Deathwing, could possess limited high-level intelligence.
As he approached the landmass of the Lost Isles, Deathwing suddenly felt a severe threat emanating from the island. He instinctively hugged the sea surface and lowered his flight altitude.
"Tzzzt!"
A thick, long pillar of golden-red light erupted from near the island's volcano. The leading Twilight Dragon was completely vaporized by the light beam, leaving no trace, as if erased by an eraser.
The powerful light beam continued to stretch toward the sky, only gradually shrinking and dissipating after more than ten seconds.
Following the projection of the light beam, a spaceship composed of numerous crystals suddenly appeared above the Lost Volcano. Four smaller Frigates hovered around the main vessel.
Before Deathwing could adjust the dragon swarm's flight direction, the fleet relentlessly launched continuous bombardment against the passing Twilight Dragons.
Beams of various colors formed a net of death above the Lost Isles. Any Twilight Dragon daring to break through was shot down by the beams whose trajectories were too fast to discern.
"Lower altitude! Fly parallel to the sea surface, use the mountains for cover, and accelerate away from this island!"
Deathwing, hiding in the center of the formation, understood: these Draenei spaceships were converting the geothermal energy of the Lost Volcano into attacks, and these beam attacks would not cease until the volcano's energy was depleted.
Although the enraged Deathwing desperately wanted to charge into the Lost Isles and fight the Draenei to the death, N'Zoth ordered him to temporarily abandon these Fixed Turrets that couldn't leave the volcano, and continue advancing toward the Kalimdor Continent.
Skimming the sea surface and using the terrain variations for cover, Deathwing led the heavily damaged Twilight Dragons around the edge of the Lost Isles, continuing his rapid westward journey without stopping.
On the bridge of the Tempest Keep, Hataru watched the vanishing light points on the radar and reported, "Volcano energy remaining: 65%. Deathwing has left our attack range."
"Prophet, should we pursue?"
"No," Velen said calmly, stroking his white beard. "Without the volcano's assistance, we cannot deploy such a dense network of firepower."
"Deathwing's master behind him is very calm. Rash pursuit might lead to these distorted dragons turning back and ambushing us."
"Since Andreas instructed us to stand by for now, let's observe the situation. He should have already made arrangements."
...The brief Draenei interception reduced the Twilight Dragons by about thirty percent. Although Deathwing was furious, he could not disobey N'Zoth's command, so he suppressed his anger and continued advancing toward the Kalimdor Continent, whose coastline was already visible.
Along the eastern coastline of Sen'jin, the darkspear trolls, Tauren, and Night Elves had already set up their defenses.
Numerous Anti-aircraft Guns and Self-propelled Anti-air Arcane Golems were deployed along the coastline. Trolls and Tauren, trained in their operation, had already begun turning the Turrets.
Leticia used Eagle Eye to observe the approaching dragon swarm from afar, raising her right hand to command, "All units prepare!"
When the scattered Twilight Dragons entered the firing range, Leticia suddenly dropped her right hand: "Open fire! Shoot them down!"
The Aerial Fleet and the ground Anti-aircraft Guns roared simultaneously. Interlaced arcane cannons created a spectacular display of fireworks over Sen'jin.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The Anti-aircraft Guns, specially designed for heavily armored targets, continuously spat out Armor-piercing Rounds. The Twilight Dragons fell to the ground like dumplings being dropped into a pot.
"Awooo~"
Gomu's three heads simultaneously bit into a Twilight Dragon that had crashed but was not yet dead. The three heads pulled in different directions at once, forcibly tearing apart the physically resilient Twilight Dragon.
"Ptooey!"
After chewing a few times, Gomu spat out the meat from his mouth with a look of disgust. The surface of the indescribable flesh masses was covered with countless small, squirming tentacles.
Leticia, riding on Gomu's back, patted her beloved dog's fur. "Good boy, don't eat strange things."
"Woof~"
Gomu growled in affirmation. His three heads simultaneously took a deep breath, accumulating energy to unleash a tri-colored Energy Breath into the sky.
Akumai was not to be outdone. The Hydra sprayed large amounts of strong acid into the sky. The hit Twilight Dragons were quickly corroded until they were full of holes, screaming as they plummeted from the air.
Lunara commanded her Dryad sisters to raise their Venomous Spears high. "Ready! Throw!"
The Twilight Dragons struck by the spears showed no immediate signs of trouble, but as they continued their attack on the Defensive Positions below, they soon began to feel exhausted and powerless, falling crookedly into the defensive lines.
Leticia ignored these Lesser Troops. Her gaze continuously swept across the dragon swarm, trying to locate Deathwing.
"He's not here? Where did he go?"
"Leticia, over there!"
Following Lunara's direction, Deathwing, who was charging forward hidden behind his subordinates, did not stop. He abandoned most of the Twilight Dragons to draw attention and continued his frantic advance toward Ashenvale.
"Tch!" Leticia clicked her tongue in displeasure, watching the retreating Deathwing. "The target hasn't slowed down at all. It's too late to pursue now. We can only leave it to Andreas to handle."
Deathwing, massively remade by N'Zoth, had become a living calamity; wherever he skimmed low, rampaging elements birthed countless disasters.
The Ragewater River that wound through Sen'jin swelled violently beneath the sweep of his wings, soon surging past its banks to unleash catastrophic floods.
As Deathwing passed overhead he ignited the trees of Ashenvale Forest with his wings; the ground split under the colossal impact, and hordes of elementals poured into Azeroth.
Fire Elementals loyal to Ragnaros fed the forest blaze, and the largest settlement in eastern Ashenvale—Linsong Temple—desperately dispatched Hippogryph riders to dump water from above.
Ignoring every garrison along the way, the dragonflight finally reached towering Mount Hyjal; Deathwing led the few dozen elite Twilight Dragons in a steep climb.
The moment they crossed into the southern plains of Hyjal, gravity from the planet's core spiked; whole flocks of Twilight Dragons were yanked down and smashed into the green meadow.
Even Deathwing could only land with difficulty; gravity multiplied more than tenfold magnified the weight of his plates until the metal groaned in protest.
"This… Azshara's gravity ward?"
The well-traveled Deathwing recognized the spell, yet he was baffled.
Azshara and her Naga were allies in worshipping N'Zoth; though hardly close, they never attacked each other in public—N'Zoth would never allow it.
Deathwing had guessed half right.
The gravity ward did originate from Azshara, but she was not the one casting it now.
While waiting to ambush Kiljaeden on Draenor, Vashj—for reasons unknown—passed Azshara's grimoire of gravity magic to Andreas through a convoluted chain of couriers.
The tome recorded everything in detail: principles, casting methods, and even extended applications, all laid out plainly.
Though Andreas could not fathom Azshara's intent, after returning to Azeroth the Highborne Arcanists confirmed its authenticity.
The spells inside were genuine.
Whether or not there was a hidden motive, Andreas wasted no time putting the real magic to use.
According to intel from Onyxia, the Earth-Warder—though fallen—still kept a sheath of living rock; as the Guardian of earth, his mass far exceeded other dragons, and with the added burden of elementium plates the gravity ward hit him hard.
Powered by the Well of Eternity, the ward could last forever; if Deathwing could not break free, the plates bolted to his body would eventually shatter.
Once the tsunami threat was contained, Andreas returned from Stormwind Harbor to Astranaar and watched from Nordrassil's crown as Deathwing struggled below.
Boom!
The first plate to give way was on his lower belly; a chunk crashed like a plummeting weight, embedding itself in the soil.
To avoid a repeat of the past, Deathwing's new armor was riveted through his own scales with elementium spikes; when a plate tore free, it took flesh with it.
A roar of agony shook the forest; tormented by pain and madness, Deathwing began to lose draconic shape.
From the gap left by the torn plate sprouted disgusting purple tendrils—the price of excessive flesh-crafting.
Andreas watched mercilessly as Deathwing veered toward total collapse; the already-thinned Twilight Dragons, fully inside the ward, thrashed on the ground, unable even to stand.
"What of the northern and southern fronts? Any moves from the Naga or the Nightmare?"
Aurora looked away from Deathwing and beckoned the courier.
"The battle at Fire Plume Peak in the south is a stalemate; Ragnaros himself leads loyal fire lord elementals in repeated charges."
"Tol'vir, Tauren, Bronze Dragons and fresh Titan Constructs under Marshal Jarod have the enemy encircled; no matter how Ragnaros rams, he can't break out of Fire Plume Peak."
UnGoro Crater had always been an experimental ground for the Titan Keepers; the Shaper's Terrace in the north still held a gate directly to Sholazar Basin.
Keepers such as Loken had finally tidied up the mess in Ulduar and the Storm Peaks; Freya personally led Earthen and newly-forged Iron Vrykul through portals into the Crater.
Flesh-and-blood warriors feared the Fire Elementals' heat; apart from a few front-liners clad in fire-resist armor, most hung back with ranged weapons.
Iron Vrykul, though not truly fireproof, were far sturdier than Mortals thanks to their titansteel-laced frames.
Fire Elementals are the fiercest and most aggressive of the four; even surrounded, Ragnaros showed no sign of retreat.
The fire lord was tangled with Freya—the least combat-oriented of the Keepers—while Jarod seized the chance to pick off Ragnaros' lieutenants one by one.
Andreas nodded. "As expected. Though the Bronze Dragons won't commit many, their time magic should keep things manageable."
On learning Deathwing's whereabouts, Onyxia flew straight to Wyrmrest Temple to alert the four Dragon Aspects.
Led by Malygos, the Aspects were mustering their flights; the fastest—Blue Dragons—were nearly ready.
Compared with the static southern front, the situation on Ruth'eran Island looked brighter.
Windlord Therazane had long prepared to retake Sky Wall; the moment the Elemental Planes collided with Azeroth, he volunteered to reinforce Ruth'eran, departing from the Heart of Azeroth.
With this turncoat Wind Elemental splitting Sky Wall's forces, Shandris' Second Flying Fleet faced little pressure.
Wind Lord Al'Akir remained loyal to the Old Gods, yet he could not bring himself to strike his long-lost son; though Therazane undermined him at every turn, AlAkir still hesitated to issue an official execution order.
AlAkir's indecision infuriated N'Zoth behind him and increasingly disappointed the Council of the Four Winds.
Even without much effort from Shandris, disharmony had begun to brew inside Sky Wall.
Three of the four wind-lords pledged allegiance—overtly or covertly—to Therazane, leaving only Southwind Lord Siamat loyal to AlAkir.
Setbacks on both northern and southern fronts enraged N'Zoth; he dropped all pretence of holding reserves and played his trump card while the Night Elves were stretched across multiple fronts and the Eastern Kingdoms had yet to react.
Xavius no longer cared what Malfurion was up to; under N'Zoth's order he unleashed hordes of Nightmare to assault the guardians' lines inside the Emerald Dream while Ysera was absent.