Rhodes was speechless. What are you doing? Big brother, is this really your time to appear? Aren't you supposed to be waiting in the central chamber for us to come raid you? Why did you run out early?
Not only had he appeared, but he had brought along several Death Knights from the Military Quarter: Instructor Razuvious—trainer of the Death Knights, tasked with raising the most fierce and loyal servants for the Lich King; Gothik the Harvester—a master of necromancy responsible for teaching new Death Knights how to summon the undead to aid them in battle.
Then there were the famous Four Horsemen, though Rhodes didn't recognize all of them. Mograine wasn't dead, and since it was currently Year 21 of the Dark Portal, the roster of the Four Horsemen wasn't full yet.
He had even brought Frost Wyrms, though these weren't the legendary Sapphiron. Sapphiron was defeated by Arthas in Northrend and brought to Naxxramas by Kel'Thuzad later; he hadn't arrived yet. These were just ordinary Frost Wyrms.
"I say, aren't you a bit early? It's not your time to go on stage yet. I haven't even finished having my fun, Kel'Thuzad," Rhodes said, looking at the Archlich before him.
The last time he had met this figure, he was using Sandro's identity. Going even further back, it was when he first met Arthas and suggested that Kel'Thuzad be ground into bone meal and scattered.
"Hmph! Rhodes, I didn't expect you to dare strike at Naxxramas. I was careless today," Kel'Thuzad said.
The Archlich assumed Rhodes was mocking him—having taken out so many elite subordinates before he even reacted was a blatant slap in the face.
"Your reaction was indeed a bit slow, Kel'Thuzad. I thought you would have noticed the moment we stepped inside and gathered your men then. I didn't expect we'd break through both the Construct and Arachnid Quarters before you, the master of the house, finally showed up late," Sandro said, looking at his fellow Lich.
"Enough talk. If you want a fight, I will accompany you to the end. Today, either you die or I perish. Bring it on!" Kel'Thuzad didn't want to waste words. Rhodes was Arthas's mortal enemy; now that Arthas was the new Lich King, Rhodes coming here to eliminate him made perfect sense. There was nothing left but to fight to the death.
Rhodes was strong, yes, but Kel'Thuzad hadn't been running the Scourge all this time for nothing. Today they would see who truly held the upper hand.
Rhodes let out a sudden laugh. Several Sacred Fire Phoenixes and three Archangels radiated terrifying Holy Light, illuminating the entire fortress of Naxxramas. A large number of lower undead—skeletons, zombies, and ghouls—were instantly vaporized by the sheer pressure of the Light.
"Did I hear that right? You want to fight me until 'either you die or I perish'? Do you even have the right to say that to me? I'm telling you, this isn't a struggle where both sides lose. It's only the fish dying; the net won't even tear," Rhodes sneered.
With his current troops, let alone a minor Kel'Thuzad—even if Kil'jaeden showed up, it wouldn't do him any good. To be blunt, Rhodes's elite forces could likely carry out a successful decapitation strike against the Lich King himself right now. He couldn't beat the entire Scourge army yet, but a targeted assassination of the King? The success rate was high.
"Don't be nervous, Kel'Thuzad. We didn't come here today to fight you. We have some private matters to discuss," Sandro interjected quickly.
He was truly afraid that if the Lich provoked his Master any further, he'd be finished. Please, Master, we still need this guy to help modify the undead troops, upgrade the Vampires and Bone Dragons, and learn about the inner workings of the Lich King to turn him.
"Speak plainly. What do you want?" Kel'Thuzad asked.
Despite his arrogant words, he didn't actually dare to go head-to-head with Rhodes. The power gap was massive. Rhodes's Holy Light summons alone were enough to give him a headache, if not wipe his entire force.
Beyond the Light creatures, Kel'Thuzad looked at Rhodes's undead creations: those wraith-like Ghost Dragons and the creatures resembling Death Knights—likely Straker's work. Then there were the strange, humanoid bat-like beings in blood-red robes, a type of undead he had never seen, and those staff-wielding creatures that looked like Power Liches.
"My goal is simple, Kel'Thuzad. How about you work for me from now on?" Rhodes said.
"I am loyal to the Great Lich King," Kel'Thuzad hissed. Is he serious? Rhodes is actually trying to recruit me?
"Oh, come off it. You served Dalaran, and then what? You started the Cult of the Damned, then followed the Lich King. All you worship is knowledge and power. But I can tell you what the true essence of the Lich King's power is. He is merely a puppet. I can give you something different, and I won't force-control you," Rhodes said.
His ultimate goal was for Kel'Thuzad to help modify undead creatures. Any unit from the System would be absolute in its obedience; as for other undead, that would depend on Sandro's future performance.
The spectral fire in Kel'Thuzad's eye sockets flickered violently. Rhodes's words hit exactly where it hurt. He had indeed betrayed Dalaran and the world of the living, but that shift in "loyalty" was rooted in a pursuit of power, not blind devotion. He served the Lich King because the King gave him the knowledge he craved.
"That is different! Dalaran... they were pedantic, cowardly, unable to comprehend true power! And the Lich King bestowed upon me eternal life and boundless knowledge, allowing me to glimpse the true essence of magic!" Kel'Thuzad argued.
"Eternal life? Bound to a cold set of bones, subservient to the will of a helmet?" Rhodes scoffed.
He sheathed Verdict of Light, but the three Archangels and the Fire Phoenixes maintained their suffocating pressure, locking onto Kel'Thuzad, his Death Knights, and his Frost Wyrms.
"Look at yourself, Kel'Thuzad. Do you really think Ner'zhul—or rather, the hybrid currently fighting Arthas for dominance—cares about your loyalty? To them, you are no different from the undead soldiers under my command: a tool, a chess piece to be expended.
As for knowledge? Does Arthas possess any deep wisdom? Or does that Orc Shaman hold secrets that fascinate you? That was all given to him by someone else. Compared to the knowledge I possess, it is like a candle next to the moon. Others might not know the old Shaman's true identity, but don't you? The first Lich King was just a pathetic old orc."
To put it bluntly, Arthas was just a twenty-something brat. His "Lich King power" was just brute-force control and transformation. High-level necromancy? He didn't have it. Even the old Shaman knew more spells than he did.
Sandro stepped forward at the right moment to continue the persuasion. "Kel'Thuzad, we are both necromancers who have chased eternal power. But have you considered that the master you serve is himself a prisoner, shackled to the Frozen Throne?
He cannot even fully control his own power; he needs a mortal body just to walk the world. Can such a being truly lead you to the ultimate end of death magic?"
"My Master is different. You should know that while the Lich King thought he was controlling my Master's servants, my Master was actually planting a knife at his side. My Master wields mysterious magic on the level of the Titans and the ability to create entirely new species of undead. He values your talent, which is why he is here to talk."
"This is a rare opportunity, Kel'Thuzad. If I were you, I would take it. Look at me. I also embraced death, but the Master I serve commands a completely different system of power. It is not mere death and slavery, but... evolution.
A different sublimation of life. My will is entirely my own, my power grows constantly, and even my body is regaining vitality under the nourishment of this Death power." Sandro pointed to his face, now covered in black skin.
The Primal Force of Death in Azeroth was highly worth researching. As innate undead, Sandro and the units Rhodes summoned were closer to the essence of death than those converted from the living.
Kel'Thuzad remained silent. There were things he had to admit. Rhodes' necromantic technology seemed superior to the Lich King's; the Lich King had no way to forcibly control Rhodes's undead.
Furthermore, since becoming a Lich, Kel'Thuzad had gained new insights into necromancy. And while Arthas was a brilliant general, as a mage, Kel'Thuzad secretly looked down on those who just swung swords. Arthas was, in a way, just a brute with a lot of borrowed strength.
"Then, Lord Rhodes... you say you know the secrets of the Lich King's power. May I ask: where exactly does that power originate?" Kel'Thuzad asked.
He wanted to test if Rhodes truly knew the truth—specifically, the real source of the Lich King's power.