While Antaria was entertaining allies, Gale was conducting an important ceremony in Nathalass.
After being crowned, Gale had collected all the fragments of the tide stone. After Antaria left, he began preparing the ritual array, intending to reshape the fragments back into the tide stone.
The tide stone was a gem inscribed with titan runes, so even if it shattered, as long as all the fragments could be pieced together and the runes reactivated, it could be reshaped.
For ordinary Mages, perhaps only powerful energy could be used to bond the fragments and activate the runes.
But for Gale, these two steps were incredibly simple.
In fact, the ritual array was only used to sever the connection between the tide stone and the tidal scepter.
Metri led the Mages to activate the ritual array, isolating Gale within it. Gale held the hammer of Kaz'goroth, striking the fragments of the tide stone, and under a flash of blue light, the fragments bonded together, reforming into the tide stone.
Gale struck again with the hammer, blue light reappeared, and the runes on the tide stone reactivated, shining with dazzling brilliance.
The moment the runes were fully reactivated, the aura of the tide stone was about to shoot into the sky, but it was blocked by the ritual array.
Gale lightly swung the hammer of Kaz'goroth, obscuring the aura. He took out the eternal holy grail, drawing energy from it and analyzing the runes.
This was his second encounter with the tide stone, but he had already made some conjectures during the first. This time was merely to verify the correctness of his hypothesis, so the process was extremely fast.
In less than an hour, Gale had completely mastered the secrets of the tide stone.
It was a gem of unknown composition, not only possessing powerful energy but also highly compatible with the titan runes inscribed upon it.
Gale had a theory that this gem might have come from the planet that nurtured Gorganes. Gorganes commanded the sky and the sea, which indicated that in addition to the most basic Arcane, he also wielded the powers of thunder and Frost.
The tide stone contained Frost power, and it was the purest Frost divine power.
The Frost-type titan runes inscribed on it should be companion runes to Gorganes, which is why they had such a high degree of compatibility.
After mastering the secrets of the tide stone, severing its connection with the tidal scepter became much simpler.
Gale took out the eye of aman'thul, using its power of time to distort the space around the tide stone, completely severing all its outward connections. Unless Gorganes returned to Azeroth, no one could take it from Gale.
The ritual array ceased, and Metri and others walked over, "Your Majesty, what do we do next?"
Gale: "We have gathered four pillars of creation. Next, we will control the Temple of the Moon and use it as our bridgehead for attacking Sin'dorei."
He thought for a moment, "Metri, you and Carlos will go together to control the Temple of the Moon and build it into a strong fortress."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Metri immediately led the Mage army and Carlos, heading south directly to the already shattered Temple of the Moon. There, the demon vanguard had already arrived, intent on recapturing the Temple of the Moon to establish a bridgehead for attacking Suramar.
The number of demons was several times that of the Kaldorei, so the demons did not pay attention to Metri, Carlos, and the others. Upon discovering the presence of Mages among the enemies, they immediately dispatched a large number of Doom Guards, intending to hunt the Mages to provide energy for their portal.
The Doom Guards howled as they charged, their colorful panels glinting with magical light.
Carlos calmly watched the group of dogs and gave orders to his soldiers.
"Take cover. Wait until the Doom Guards get close before launching a surprise attack."
The Alpha Squad soldiers tried their best to hide among the ruins. The Doom Guards actually saw them but didn't pay attention. They had hunted too many Kaldorei and thought these elite warriors would be as vulnerable as the previous Kaldorei.
Their arrogance cost these Doom Guards dearly. As they approached the ambush site, the Alpha Squad soldiers suddenly leaped out from the ruins, unleashing a two-hit Frost Spell combo on them.
Frost Nova froze the Doom Guards in place, and Bursting Ice Shard pierced through their bodies.
In one encounter, more than half of the Doom Guards were killed. The remaining Doom Guards, seeing this, retreated in terror.
The Alpha Squad soldiers immediately charged, driving the Doom Guards towards the demon ranks.
The demons didn't expect the Doom Guards to be defeated so quickly. The Doom Guard lord commanding the battle immediately assigned a squad of demon guards to provide support.
Just then, countless Ice Arrows rained down from the sky, covering the entire demon camp. The demons, caught off guard, immediately fell into disarray.
The Alpha Squad seized the opportunity to rush in and attack the demons. The demons, unprepared, were thrown into chaos by the spells and the Alpha Squad's assault, forcing them to retreat first.
The Kaldorei occupied the ruins of the Temple of the Moon. Carlos was responsible for defense, and Metri was responsible for repairing the Temple of the Moon's buildings. The dilapidated structures contained a large amount of stone, enough for the Mages to build a fortress on site.
In these years, the Elemental Spell Codex had become widely popular in Antu'dara, with almost every Mage possessing a copy.
Although there was no Well of Eternity to provide Arcane, the Mages, relying on their own strength, still summoned hundreds of Earth Elements. Metri, following previous experience, first built a simple Mage Tower to observe enemy movements and assist Mages in casting spells.
This foresight soon paid off. The demons were unwilling to lose the ruins of the Temple of the Moon and quickly regrouped their forces to launch another attack.
The Doom Guard lord dispatched a large number of demon guards as vanguards to cover the Doom Guards' assault.
As soon as the demon guards appeared within the watchtower's observation range, they were spotted by the Mages.
"Enemy attack!"
A sharp cry made all the Kaldorei stand up. Well-trained, they quickly moved into battle positions.
Metri flashed to the top of the high tower, commanding the Mages to launch spell attacks on the demon guards. He knew very well that these tall and strong demon guards posed a threat to the Alpha Squad; once they were killed, the Doom Guards behind them would no longer be a threat.
Warriors countered Doom Guards, Doom Guards countered Mages, demon guards could wear down warriors, and Mages could wear down demon guards.
A very simple battlefield assessment, yet it made the battle extremely straightforward.
A blizzard became an insurmountable chasm for the demon guards. Even if some demon guards pushed through the blizzard to reach the Alpha Squad's warriors, what awaited them was the warriors' blades.
The Doom Guards, protected by magic shields, withstood the blizzard, but what awaited them was also the warriors' blades.
In less than half an hour, the demon attack was repelled.
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