Azshara's eyes flickered with a cold light, casting a spell she had long prepared using the Tide Stone.
Arcane energy and the aura of water elements surged, breaking through the Fel Energy blockade with the aid of Azeroth's most primal elemental power.
The Well of Eternity began to boil. Its once clear waters had become turbid from overuse, and after being invaded by Fel Energy, they turned a terrifying green.
Now, as it boiled, its power surged. If a demigod-level powerhouse were to fall into the Well of Eternity and couldn't escape within a short time, they would be assimilated, soul and all.
Sargeras vaguely sensed something, and in the next second, he had already guessed what it was. He stretched out his arm, which had been reduced to a third of its original size, attempting to stop Azshara's spellcasting.
The Well of Eternity cannot explode!
He would not allow such a thing to happen. Once it did, the opportunity for him to invade Azeroth would be completely lost.
Aside from the Well of Eternity, no other energy could support the arrival of a colossal Titan without causing the world to explode.
Azshara risked injury to forcefully cast the spell. This was the only chance; only this way could she cut off the portal's energy source and make the portal disappear.
But in the next second, Arthas arrived again; he merely redirected Sargeras's fist.
Even reduced to a third of its size by the portal, it was still like a towering pillar. Through the void portal, a resentful punch, delivered under extreme duress, struck the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj.
Sargeras's expression changed slightly, but he didn't panic at re-entering the portal. Instead, he became enraged, intensifying the power in his hand.
Boom!
The entire Tanaris Desert was engulfed in towering Fel Energy flames. The gaping maws in the desert let out mournful wails as the surging Fel Energy instantly annihilated them.
The process of void power being corrupted was agonizing, a horror that stemmed from the depths of the soul.
The stench of Old Gods! The stench of those ugly Aquir!
The power belonging to the void, that faint, decaying smell – he couldn't forget it. This was why he formed the Burning Legion and embraced Fel Energy at all costs.
The essence of the void is consumption: big fish eat small fish, small fish eat shrimp. Their strengths exist in distinct tiers.
The defeated would be devoured by the victors, who would gain their power.
If there was a number one enemy, it absolutely had to be the void!
The void's servants should all die, and they must die!
The fallen Titan's ruthless blow once again turned the barren desert into a wasteland, extinguishing all life.
Previously, one could still see some stubborn shrubs growing in the desert, with extremely drought-resistant walnut trees standing among them.
That last bit of defiance in the desert was also destroyed. From then on, it bore not a trace of life; even the Druids could not restore the vegetation in this area with nature magic.
On lifeless land, anyone who came would be helpless.
The good news was that all the Silithid swarming in the desert were annihilated by Sargeras's single blow, and even the unhatched eggs were obliterated along with them.
Not far away, in the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, the Old God C'Thun, who was struggling to break free from its seal and had already put one foot out, suddenly shivered. It seemed to sense something amiss.
It felt like it had been targeted!
It was all because these Aquir were truly too disgusting, devouring everything without restraint. Compared to their distant relatives, the Nerubians and Mantid, they were even more threatening.
Their unlimited ability to rapidly reproduce, coupled with the support of an Old God, meant that if left unchecked, the entire southern region would soon become their nest.
By then, apart from dirt, no other life would exist; everything would be completely devoured.
"Your planet still has creatures of the void! Hmph, you should have allowed the Burning Legion to descend; The Legion would help you clear out all enemies."
"Alright."
Arthas actually had a group of Demons thrown into the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj. As for whether they could deal with C'Thun, that remained to be seen.
Either they would be completely devoured by the Aquir, or they would defy heaven to kill the Old God C'Thun.
Besides the south, he naturally wouldn't spare Ulduar in the north, where the Old God Yogg-Saron also resided.
Enemies who were just fighting to the death moments ago were now tacitly cooperating. It was truly bizarre.
They had just been so eager to kill each other, their bloodshot eyes indicating a ferocity that couldn't be easily resolved. All three Old Gods felt threatened and wished Arthas would unleash his divine might to deal with the Burning Legion.
But they didn't expect the drama to land on their own doorstep. It was like going home to tell your wife that your brother was currently trapped in another man's wife's closet, then subconsciously playing a prank call, only to hear the phone ring from your own closet.
Damn it, insane!
Both C'Thun and Yogg-Saron were cursing. They knew the Burning Legion was not to be trifled with; these Demons from the Twisting Nether were difficult to deal with and naturally countered void power.
Even the strongest Faceless One warlords, who could contend with Titan Keepers, would be instantly downed against the Burning Legion.
No matter what, having someone take the brunt of the attack was always a good thing.
Now, they weren't taking the brunt; instead, they were throwing grenades into their own homes. It was truly a case of 'man sitting at home, trouble falling from the sky'!
"There's another one down here. Dig it out and kill it."
"Alright."
The two enemies who had just been fighting to the death were now surprisingly united in targeting the Old Gods.
Sargeras's unwavering goal was to eliminate the void. For this, he even betrayed his own brethren and slaughtered the Pantheon, all to stop the void.
Now, seeing an Old God dare to covet the world soul he valued, Sargeras was not a helpless husband. He had to dig out and kill all the Old Gods.
Arthas also disliked the Old Gods; he detested their insidious style.
If it were an enemy, invading openly and fighting head-on, he would accept defeat willingly, at least knowing he had tried, even if his strength was insufficient.
Through the portal, Sargeras saw N'Zoth's squid-like form thousands of meters beneath Sin'Dorei, piercing through the ground.
Just as N'Zoth was still somewhat terrified, desperately trying to summon Deathwing to distract the Burning Legion, a large hand pierced through the portal, continuously forcing open the solid ground.
It grabbed N'Zoth's massive squid head, then clenched and forcefully uprooted him from the Titan's prison.
"Ah!"
Countless tentacles wriggled, forcibly pulled, causing the earth to continuously shake. The connection was too deep, and the forceful extraction made the entire world tremble.
Pure energy surged forth again, seemingly about to form a second Well of Eternity.
Arthas took out the heart of darkness, transferring his attributes into it. Only this artifact could save Azeroth.
As Azshara's spell took form, the Well of Eternity was torn apart.
At this moment, violent energy ripped through the earth, seawater poured in, and the entire continent began to disintegrate. No matter where one was, the violent tremors of the earth could be felt.
Land sank, oceans rose, and a raging Maelstrom began to form.
A chaotic Arcane storm enveloped the entire Maelstrom. What was once ordered Arcane became chaotic and violent due to the contamination of Fel Energy. This was the world's scar.
The wound that had begun to heal was torn open again, and the world soul also groaned in pain.
The portal vanished with it. The Burning Legion's invasion had failed, but all of Azeroth had suffered severe damage.
It was a victory, but a Pyrrhic one.
Both sides were severely wounded. Even Sargeras himself was gravely injured, and it was unknown how many tens of thousands of years it would take for him to recover.
The more powerful a creature, the slower its recovery speed.
The land split, and four continental plates were shifted by the energy impact to the edge of the world.
Kalimdor, Northrend, the Eastern Kingdoms, and the southern Pandaria.
A unique void power enveloped Azshara, reviving her from drowning.
The pure power within the heart of darkness was sucked into The Maelstrom. That energy, not belonging to the six fundamental forces, was absorbed by the world soul, and the once violent Maelstrom gradually subsided.
Light, Void, Life, Death, Fel Energy, Shadow.
Before this, there was a seventh fundamental force. What it was, no one knew, nor would anyone want to know.
Even a single force could not be fully explored by anyone. Sargeras merely utilized Fel Energy; he himself did not understand the essence of Fel Energy, or perhaps he disdained to research it, blindly arrogant.
Arthas had a very long dream. This dream made him feel as if he had returned to his past, living a muddled, meaningless existence.
He stood before a door. Behind the door was a return to his own world, to become a tiny speck of dust once more, all his experiences nothing but a dream.
A fleeting dream, destined to awaken.
Behind the door was a brilliant world, the world he had come to. Should he go back or stay?
His hand rested on the doorknob. Only he knew how to choose.
Exquisite faces flashed through his mind: some cold and noble, some heroic and spirited, some pure and lovely, some doting and biased. Unconsciously, he seemed to have fallen in love with this world.
Though he was a transient here, who said a guest couldn't settle in a foreign land?
Rooting himself here seemed like a very good choice. Everything was here, so why should he go back?
Go back to a world where '996' (9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week) was a blessing, or go back to screw screws, to be someone who lived hand to mouth, saw no hope, and was filled with hatred and chaos?
Sorry, I choose to stay here!
He didn't open the doorknob. Instead, he locked the door, sealing it with all his might, forever keeping this memory in his heart, silently moving it to the upper right corner, clicking the red 'X' box, then clicking confirm, deleting the unpleasant memories.
Closing his eyes again, he didn't know how long he had slept this time.
It wasn't until someone called him by his side that he came to. His heavy eyelids felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds; he couldn't even open his eyes.
Normal waking didn't work, so an abnormal wake-up service accelerated his blood circulation, and he inhaled much more oxygen. His previously groggy head also cleared.
As the pressure released, he opened his eyes again.
Luxurious, golden magical lamps. This was Azeroth; he hadn't left, and this didn't feel like a dream.
Jaina's pretty face appeared before him, golden hair and blue eyes, a trace of milk at the corner of her mouth.
"Husband, are you awake? Are you feeling better?"
She said, trying to help him up, but a mage was somewhat unable to lift him.
"Sister Sylvanas, can you come help me?"
"Coming, is husband awake?"
A clear, ethereal voice, accompanied by a graceful figure, appeared before him. It was the Ranger-General, his wife, Sylvanas Windrunner.
He was back, they were all back, and time had been fixed.
He felt his body was empty. He checked his attributes again, and they were back to square one.
All the attribute points he had painstakingly accumulated were gone. He was extremely weak now. No wonder that feeling of abundant power was gone; it was because of his weakness.
A golden-haired, oval face, two long eyebrows paired with long ears, and a pair of sharp eyes now held only tenderness, worry, and a hint of affection.
Sylvanas in love with me? Is it real or fake?
"Where am I now? Are you all alright?"
Arthas felt an immense headache. The price of being forcefully awakened was naturally a headache coupled with extreme hunger.
"Let's eat something first. Sturgeon soup and toast will do, something simple."
Jaina smiled, her hanging heart finally settling. She got up and walked out.
"I'll go give some instructions. Recently, an adventurer came to the territory, a creature covered in black and white fur, calling himself Chen Stormstout, a Pandaren. He's working as a chef in the City of Hope now."
Sylvanas took her place, resting Arthas's head on her firm, voluptuous lap, her hands gently massaging his forehead.
She sang a Sin'dorei song. It seemed that after going through some hardships, she had shed that bit of shyness and fully embraced her new identity as a wife.
Arthas listened quietly. He rarely heard Queen Sylvanas sing, and her voice was elegant with a hint of melancholy.
The High Elves' homeland was destroyed by the Undead Scourge, and countless of their people died in the Scourge's catastrophe. The surviving elves, having long been exposed to the Sunwell's radiation, inevitably fell into Arcane addiction after losing such a rich energy source. This torment caused many elves to become Wretched, losing their sanity and acting purely on instinct, no different from beasts.
The two didn't talk about other things. One sang, one listened. One played the role of a masseuse, one enjoyed it as a client.
Soon, a rich aroma wafted from outside the door.
Jaina entered, carrying a bowl of sturgeon soup and toast, and sat down beside him.
She picked up a spoon, blew on it, checked the temperature, and then fed it to her husband. Her delicate hands tore apart the fragrant, freshly baked bread, crumbled it, and fed it into his mouth.
Being a patient wasn't so bad, at least this feeling was quite good.
After the delicious fish soup and toast were in his stomach, Arthas felt a little better, though still very hungry.
Jaina seemed to read his thoughts, her exquisite face smiling slightly.
"Rest for a while, then eat again in an hour. You shouldn't eat too much right now."
"We're handling the territory's defense, Onyxia is overseeing business, and Lady Sinestra is helping with logistics. Everything is fine."
The two tacitly got up, leaving Arthas to rest in the bedroom, not saying too much.
There was a lot to digest. While he was back in the ancient era saving the world, he had also inadvertently changed many things.
He didn't participate in the battle of Mount Hyjal because it had already concluded. The World Tree still exploded, and the Night Elves lost their immortality and immunity to disease.
The Naga still existed, ravaging the oceans, conquering coastal areas, and spreading their presence throughout all of Azeroth. Their figures could be found everywhere.
The Maelstrom had disappeared, and the world's wound had been healed. This was a rare piece of good news.