The Staff of Aluneth was a staff Aegwynn had recently rushed to create; aluneth, the core of the staff, was a mass of pure Arcane energy with its own self-awareness.
aluneth has existed for a very long time; the Blue Dragons discovered this free Arcane spirit from another world even before the War of the Ancients.
After some experimentation, the Blue Dragons found it difficult to command or restrain this mass of Arcane energy. Once their research curiosity was satisfied, they sent it back to its original world.
Since then, several mages have inadvertently summoned aluneth, but like the Blue Dragons, they were unable to enslave or bind it, though they left behind a wealth of literature regarding aluneth.
Aegwynn was the one who put an end to the legends of aluneth. She learned of this self-aware Arcane energy from the records left by Meryl Winterwind.
The stubborn Aegwynn clashed with this equally stubborn Arcane energy; one tried every means to tame the other, while the other refused to submit even unto death.
After years of effort, Aegwynn still failed to make aluneth completely obey her. The proud Guardian finally lost her patience and forcibly bound aluneth to a newly crafted high-quality staff, granting the staff immense power.
This staff is the Staff of Aluneth that Aegwynn currently holds.
However, the freedom-seeking aluneth did not give up its resistance; even after being bound into the staff, it still refused to carry out any of Aegwynn's orders.
Aegwynn had intended to slowly tame it over the long years ahead, but it just so happened that Sargeras descended at this time. Seeing a challenge she liked, and after obtaining "sufficient" information from the Wyrmrest Temple, Aegwynn wasted no time in picking up her staff and flying toward the area where the demon king was located.
When Tyrande and Jarod arrived, more than ten minutes had passed since Aegwynn's departure.
"What?!"
Tyrande looked at the wryly smiling Alexstrasza with a head full of questions. "She went alone? To fight Sargeras?"
Alexstrasza sighed helplessly. "We tried to persuade her, but the child is very stubborn. Once she makes up her mind, she won't listen to anyone's advice."
"Hmph! Let her go."
Malygos said with a cold sneer, "It's just as well to let this little girl, who calls herself the Keeper of Azeroth, scout the way for us."
"I always feel there's something wrong with this descending Sargeras. His power level doesn't have that world-destroying pressure like during the War of the Ancients; instead, it's more like..."
"An avatar created on a whim?"
A portal suddenly opened on the highest level of the Wyrmrest Temple, and a familiar voice came from the other side.
Those qualified to open a portal in the Wyrmrest Temple were undoubtedly individuals recognized by the dragonflights. Tyrande and Jarod had already recognized the identity of the person from the voice.
Tyrande frowned and asked, "Celeste Sunstrider, are you saying that this Sargeras is merely an avatar containing only a portion of his power?"
Before Celeste could respond, the boisterous Leticia jumped out from the other side of the portal, followed by a helpless-looking Onyxia and Aurora.
Celeste followed behind them with an elegant gait, slowly walking out. "Perhaps it's only power, or it might contain a portion of his soul. It depends on the level of intelligence this avatar possesses."
With Sargeras' energy, crafting an intelligent avatar would not be difficult. One could tell if a soul had been infused through simple words and actions.
Malygos nodded thoughtfully. "True. Let's set out. We can't actually let that arrogant little girl die at the hands of Sargeras. Although her personality is quite eccentric, her combat prowess is still worth looking forward to."
...Just as the report obtained by Daelin stated, under the coordinated air and ground operations of the Suramar forces and the dragonflights, this army composed of a motley crew was quickly routed.
The few Dreadlord officers in the ranks seemed to have anticipated this. They calmly controlled the remaining forces to continue holding their ground and counterattacking. This practice of stubbornly resisting despite knowing there was no chance of victory clearly did not fit the typical behavior of the Nathrezim.
Daelin grew suspicious of this and raised her concerns to the commander temporarily leading the army in place of Tyrande and Jarod.
This commander's name was Ulgie. He had taken over the position after Navaz was reassigned, and he was now the highest military officer of Suramar.
When the commanding Tyrande and Jarod were absent, all matters were handled by this general who was well-acquainted with local affairs.
"General Ulgie, I suspect the demons have other plans. Dreadlords are not the type to lead troops to fight to the last man."
Although Ulgie was not well-known, he was also a veteran general who had survived the War of the Ancients and climbed the ranks through steady progress. It was impossible for him not to notice the anomalies of the Burning Legion.
"I am also considering this issue. The Arcanists on the front lines report that they sense unusual energy fluctuations beneath the permafrost near the battlefield. They are currently conducting an emergency analysis and confirmation."
However, it was already too late to start the analysis. The well-prepared Burning Legion began to launch their plan.
The cornered Dreadlord officers used Fel Energy to ignite the bodies of the surrounding demons one by one. The green demonic blood flowing on the snowy plains and permafrost converged around them, gradually flowing into a large magic circle that had already been inscribed underground.
At this moment, the Blue Dragon Aspect Malygos and the Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza happened to fly over the battlefield with Tyrande and the others.
From the air, Malygos could more intuitively see the massive magic circle covering a small portion of the Borean Tundra. All lives lost on the battlefield, friend or foe alike, were being drained into mummified corpses.
Although Malygos did not recognize this demon-specific Fel formation, he was, after all, the Guardian of Magic who controlled all Arcane in Azeroth. He could still see some clues from the subtle strokes of the runes.
"This is bad! The function of this formation is to absorb the life force radiating from living beings. Have all the front-line troops retreat immediately!"
Tyrande's expression changed, and she hurriedly took out an ancient-looking wooden whistle from her magic bag.
"Beep!"
With the enhancement of Celeste's amplification spell, the sound of the whistle spread far across the battlefield.
Upon hearing this whistle, Ulgie and Daelin were momentarily stunned, but they immediately snapped back to their senses.
"Quick! Order the front-line troops to retreat! This is the unconditional retreat whistle that is only blown in times of emergency!"
..."Pyroblast!"
A massive fireball erupted from the tip of the Staff of Aluneth, which exuded a mysterious beauty. It exploded the moment it touched Sargeras' skin, and the aftershock of the explosion blew Aegwynn, who was floating in the air, back some distance.
Sargeras took Aegwynn's Pyroblast head-on, completely unscathed, only taking a slight half-step back.
Aegwynn's eyes lit up. Through the probing of this strike, she had roughly gauged the extent of Sargeras' power.
Although it was as powerful as expected, it wasn't so strong that it was completely impossible to deal with.
'Is it really necessary for the Night Elves and the dragonflights to make such a fuss over this kind of enemy? Am I too strong, or are they too weak?'
She couldn't help but feel a bit lightheaded with pride, but reason told Aegwynn that Sargeras shouldn't be this easy to deal with.
She had personally seen Malygos, the Guardian of Magic. The deep Arcane magic within him, like a vast abyss, was definitely not inferior to hers; in fact, what she saw might not even be all of Malygos' power.
Just as Aegwynn intended to switch to frost spells for further probing, the permafrost of the Borean Tundra suddenly emitted an eerie green glow. The energy converging from afar finally all flowed into the ground beneath Sargeras' feet.
A sharp light flashed through the eyes of Sargeras' avatar, which then immediately returned to its previous dull, mechanical gaze.
"Die, ants!"
As the leader of the Burning Legion and a once-noble Bronze Titan, the number of times Sargeras personally entered a planet for conquest could be counted on one hand; Azeroth was the only world he had entered twice.
Even so, because the first encounter was too hasty, even those who experienced it personally, like Tyrande and Malfurion, could not describe Sargeras' personality or style.
Considering Sargeras' world-destroying power, many would subconsciously regard him as a brute who crushed everything with strength; Aegwynn also made the mistake of this inherent impression.
Thinking only of proving herself by defeating the demon king, all of Aegwynn's thoughts were on the battle, and she completely failed to notice the momentary change in Sargeras' eyes.
"Blizzard, Frozen Orb!"
Facing an individual as abnormally large as Sargeras, the area-of-effect spells Aegwynn cast were like single-target spells used against an ordinary person; only a small area would be hit when they struck him.
The two Frost area-of-effect spells only froze Sargeras' swinging left arm, slightly delaying his punching motion.
Aegwynn took this opportunity to cast Blink and move behind Sargeras. A large burst of Arcane Barrage erupted from the staff of aluneth, piercing through the Fel Energy shield protecting Sargeras before striking him in the back.
"Aow!"
Letting out a roar of pain like a beast, Sargeras' avatar turned around in a fit of rage, clumsily swinging his massive arms. The previously frozen part of his arm had already broken free from the frost spell's constraints.
After attempting spells from all three schools in succession, Aegwynn found that Sargeras' defense against Arcane was the weakest, followed by Frost, while Fire spells were almost entirely ineffective.
'Fel Energy and Arcane—the mutual restraint between the powers of Chaos and Order?'
The thought flashed by in an instant as Aegwynn tried to urge the aluneth staff to continue casting Arcane spells.
But during the process of using this staff, Aegwynn felt extremely annoyed.
The unruly aluneth was unwilling to lend its power to Aegwynn; using this artifact staff was worse than using a practice piece made by a staff-making apprentice.
"aluneth! Damn it, I'm fighting a battle to defend the world, can't you show some respect!"
"Ha! What does your world have to do with me? Have you forgotten? I am not a native of this planet at all."
"Tsk! Useless fellow."
Aegwynn angrily tossed the flashy but useless aluneth onto the snowy plains below and took out the artifact staff passed down through generations of the Guardian of Tirisfal—Atiesh.
This staff was much easier to use, but Aegwynn had a look of constipation on her face at this moment.
Because this staff... was simply too ugly.
As a female Guardian, Aegwynn inevitably took appearance into consideration while prioritizing the staff's practicality.
Atiesh, nicknamed the "Chicken Leg Staff," was indeed not very good-looking, but facing a life-and-death battle now, Aegwynn couldn't care about that much.
Switching to a more comfortable staff, Aegwynn's strength rose another level.
As she held the staff of Atiesh high, Aegwynn's originally light blue eyes turned into an eerie blue glowing with Arcane light.
"demon king! This world does not belong to you! In the name of the Guardian of Tirisfal, I grant you eternal death!"
A surging Arcane tide converged with Aegwynn at the center. The polar night sky seemed to be torn open, flashing with a dazzling light that hadn't been seen for many days.
"Mortal, how dare you!"
The muddled eyes of the Fallen Titan avatar gave a mechanical response as if reading lines. The raging flames covering him began to spread outward, gradually forming a broken sword of pure energy in the Fallen Titan's hands.
"Die!"
Under the manipulation of both sides, the two forces collided violently above the Borean Tundra. The Arcane and Fel Energy, with their stunning visual effects, illuminated the skies of Azeroth.
Even residents in the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor could see the two-colored lights flashing in the distant North Pole.
Malygos felt the aftershocks of the collision rapidly approaching and shouted a reminder, "Steady yourselves, the shockwave is coming!"
Except for Aurora and Jarod, everyone present was a high-level veteran. They quickly used their respective abilities to set up defensive spells on the backs of Malygos and Alexstrasza.
Aurora hid behind Celeste and looked in astonishment at the turbulence caused by the energy collision in the distance. "That Aegwynn is human, right? Why is she so strong?"
Celeste still maintained a relatively close connection with Quel'Thalas, so she knew more about the Tirisifal Council.
After using an Arcane barrier to block the aftershocks, Celeste explained to Aurora, "The Keepers system of the Tirisifal Council has been completely perfected after years of inheritance."
"Every generation of Keepers gathers the power of all Council members. With each generation's inheritance, more and more power is infused into the Keepers. By Aegwynn's generation, her strength has even surpassed the level of a Mortal."
Aurora asked curiously, "Is she stronger than you? What about compared to Dad?"
Celeste smiled and rubbed Aurora's hair. "Although it's through a shortcut, Aegwynn's strength has indeed surpassed mine."
"As for your father... it's hard to say. After all, the form his power takes is quite subtle, not as flashy as Arcane and Fel Energy."
"At least among ordinary Mortals, no one can last long against Andreas. From a certain perspective, he has also surpassed the level of a Mortal."
...The large-scale energy collision from Northrend caused everyone in the world with a certain level of strength to subconsciously turn their gaze to the north.
When Malygos and Alexstrasza arrived carrying Jarod, Tyrande, and the others, the continuous energy collisions had already stopped.
Due to the excessive energy rampage, signs of spatial instability had begun to appear within a small area. The first thing Malygos needed to do was mobilize the ley lines to calm the excessive energy accumulation here.
"Huff... huff..."
Aegwynn had already landed back on the ground. She was leaning weakly on her staff, panting heavily. Sargeras' avatar lay on the ground not far in front of her, covered in wounds.
One of the curved demon horns on this avatar's head had been broken off. Starting from the left forehead, a huge gash ran across the entire cheek, stretching down to near the chin on the right side of the face.
Tyrande frowned as she looked at the silent avatar of Sargeras. "Is it over?"
Alexstrasza closed her eyes to sense for a moment, then slightly nodded her massive dragon head. "It's over. No aura of life or soul can be felt from the avatar anymore."
"Cough, cough... Avatar?"
Aegwynn had originally been rejoicing over her victory against Sargeras. When she heard Alexstrasza's words, her unconsciously widening smile suddenly froze.
Tyrande glanced at Aegwynn with a strange light in her eyes. "What else? Young one, you didn't think this was the Fallen Titan's true strength, did you?"
"This is only an avatar infused with a portion of Sargeras' power. His true strength might not even be one-tenth of his original body."
Aegwynn's expression was somewhat dazed. The massive psychological gap left her with no more joy of victory.
Alexstrasza comforted her gently, "Don't be discouraged. Even if it's just an avatar, there are definitely not many people on Azeroth who could defeat him."
"Magna, we have an important question to ask you. Did the avatar of Sargeras you fought earlier seem to possess a soul?"
With the defeat of Sargeras' avatar, the remaining Dreadlord officers knew they couldn't escape. They exchanged glances, determined to kill Aegwynn while she was weakened, even if it meant their own demise.
Tyrande, who had been suppressing her anger, finally found an opportunity to act. With a dark expression, she dissuaded the others, raising her hands above her head. A seemingly faint moon-white glow swirled between her palms.
"Prayer of the Moon Goddess."
A shower of silver meteors, varying in size, began to fall from the sky above the battlefield, which Malygos had just pacified. Each meteor that struck caused immense damage to the Dreadlords.
Aegwynn was momentarily stunned. After observing closely, she realized that the energy form of these silver meteors gave her a strange sense of familiarity.
"The Holy Light? But why is it this color?"
In Quel'Thalas, which had abandoned moon worship, this faith called the Holy Light had recently begun to spread. Celeste answered Aegwynn's question.
"It's not the Holy Light. Although both are different manifestations of the power of light, there are still many subtle differences."
"The Moon Power used by the Night Elves is gentler, not as intense as the Holy Light, but it has a subtle tenderness, like moisture seeping into things without a sound, and it produces fewer side effects during healing."
Essentially, all healing spells in Azeroth rapidly heal wounds by overdrawing the recipient's stamina; the only difference lies in the degree of overdrawing.
The human faith in the Holy Light originated in the Kingdom of Lordaeron, where some residents one day suddenly dreamt of a shining… Tangram.
The Tangram spread the faith of the Holy Light to all intelligent life that received their signal, and from this, churches believing in the Holy Light gradually emerged among humans.
Andreas knew the origin of these Tangrams when the Holy Light doctrine first began to spread. They were undoubtedly the figurines created by Elune—the Naaru, representatives of the Holy Light.
The Draenei had not yet appeared in this era, and no one knew the origin of the Naaru except for Andreas, the transmigrator.
But that was irrelevant; the important thing was the outcome.
With the spread of the Holy Light doctrine, the seven human kingdoms that split from the Arathor Empire successively began to believe in the Holy Light.
Even the Kingdom of Hyjal developed an interest in the Holy Light due to the Guardian of Order, Tyr. Now, the Holy Light faith is gradually spreading to Quel'Thalas and Khaz Modan, showing a trend of gradually replacing arcane magic as the most popular energy system.
Tyrande's Moon Goddess Prayer quickly eliminated the few remaining Nathrezim officers, and the pent-up frustration in her heart finally dissipated somewhat.
After Alexstrasza's repeated confirmation, Aegwynn carefully recalled the performance of Sargeras' avatar during their previous battle.
"That avatar… he seemed to lack any spiritual essence, only monotonously speaking some templated phrases, as if no soul had been infused into it."
"Is that so…"
Alexstrasza breathed a sigh of relief. "In any case, it's good that this incident was resolved smoothly. You've worked hard, Magna."
If Andreas, who was proficient in mental and soul magic, were here, she might have seen a certain shadow attached to Aegwynn's soul. But including Alexstrasza and Malygos, their understanding of souls was even less than that of Leticia.
At this moment, Leticia narrowed her eyes and repeatedly scanned Aegwynn. She vaguely felt that something was amiss, but after pondering for a long time, she couldn't figure out what the problem was.
'Perhaps Aegwynn has just gone through a major battle, and her soul is weak, causing me to have illusions.'
Seeing Tyrande using Moon Power to heal Aegwynn, and no one else noticing anything unusual, Leticia simply cast this vague feeling to the back of her mind.
Malygos ascended into the sky and circled Sargeras' avatar a few times. "Now there's a problem: how do we deal with this avatar overflowing with fel energy?"
"If we leave him in Northrend, he might turn this icy continent into a sanctuary for demons and cultists. We'd best find a secluded place to seal him away."
This proposal quickly gained the unanimous agreement of everyone present, but where exactly to seal it was another matter for discussion... The total area of Suramar is now less than one-fifth of what it was before the War of the Ancients, with a large portion of the Temple of Elune sinking into the sea during the Sundering.
Shal'Aran, the name of the Temple of Elune area in Suramar.
During the War of the Ancients, the Burning Legion had opened a giant portal in this temple area, which worshipped Elune, drawing demons from the Twisting Nether into the Suramar region.
Strictly speaking, Andreas and Shandris' parents died at the hands of these demons from Suramar.
When Grand Magistrix Elisande realized that Azshara was straying further and further, she finally decided to break ties with the demons and Azshara.
Elisande sealed Shal'Aran using arcane magic, closing the portal within it, and completely abandoned this fel-corrupted area.
When Malygos suggested sealing Sargeras' avatar in Shal'Aran, Tyrande was the first to object.
"I disagree! How can the sacred Temple of Elune be used to seal an evil avatar!"
Everyone except Tyrande thought it was a good proposal.
Raising Shal'Aran from the seabed, placing Sargeras' avatar into this abandoned temple already filled with fel energy, and then lowering it back to the seabed would ensure that no one could enter this forbidden tomb.
The High Council has always advocated for the minority to submit to the majority.
Although Tyrande unhesitatingly cast a dissenting vote in the resolution, the pragmatists Maiev and Fandral both voted in favor. Shandris, temporarily holding Andreas' voting rights, offended neither side and abstained from the two Speaker's votes.
The final result was two to one. Although Tyrande was very indignant, the matter was already decided. She could only express her dissatisfaction by angrily storming off.
Sargeras' avatar was enormous, and Aegwynn alone would find it difficult to move.
At Malygos' command, Kalecgos and Arygos, as representatives, carried Sargeras' avatar and followed Aegwynn to the Broken Isles.
Meanwhile, Andreas and the others who had infiltrated Suramar finally waited for the turning point they needed… "Rumble!"
A not-so-intense earthquake spread across the Suramar region. Andreas, who was in the Twilight Vineyard tending to the arcane wyrms and encouraging them to catch bugs, shifted her expression and turned her gaze towards the southeast of Suramar City.
'Is it here…?'
Andreas had long guessed that Tyrande's intervention would not have a significant impact on the situation in Northrend, and Aegwynn would eventually come to Suramar to seal Sargeras' avatar.
When Aegwynn raised Shal'Aran from the seabed, it would surely cause a stir among Suramar's high-ranking officials, and the Highborne, led by Advisor Vandros, would all turn their attention to Shal'Aran.
"Niyana, get ready. We're almost ready to act."
"Huh?"
Niyana was currently barefoot and happily stomping in a brewing barrel. This step was to remove air from the magic fruit.
At this moment, many Nightborne vintners nearby were eagerly watching her smooth, lustrous legs, their gaze moving up and down with her feet.
Andreas rolled her eyes helplessly. 'Foot fetishists with unique preferences are everywhere…'
More than half a month had passed since Andreas and the others infiltrated Suramar. Their group, maintaining their Night Elf appearance, had attracted considerable attention from the Nightborne.
Just as Andreas had guessed, Vandos initially didn't immediately turn against these still-useful Moon Guard family members, but he didn't make things easy for them either.
He quickly assigned all the Night Elves to work as laborers in his private winery under the guise of surveillance. For over half a month, Andreas and the others had been living near the winery, their movements strictly restricted.
Andreas, however, was indifferent to this. He considered this period of waiting for the right moment as a life experience.
Prisim's scouts adapted even faster, as they were professionals.
These scouts had now become popular figures in the winery. They worked diligently, learned quickly, and the winery manager was very satisfied with these new, free laborers.
After all, he only needed to provide them with food and a minimum supply of low-quality arcane wine; he didn't even have to pay them wages.
Compared to Andreas and the others, who adapted to their circumstances, the other Moon Guard family members were quite dissatisfied with this unfair treatment.
When they were sent to Suramar, they had been prepared for a life of comfort, but now they were doing menial labor and not even getting paid.
This heavy manual labor was a far cry from the life they had expected, and recently, many of the true family members had begun to stir.
Andreas speculated that Vandos was waiting for them to complain and grumble, as it would provide a perfect excuse to legitimately imprison these family members.
Many of the most vocal troublemakers were dragged away by Nightborne Spellblades and thrown into prison. However, the remaining people not only failed to learn their lesson but instead escalated their protests.
Andreas' group had no interest in joining their protests. It was clearly a trap, and these foolish "colleagues" were enthusiastically stepping right into it.
One could only say that the mistaken subjective perception gap prevented them from understanding their true position. They had thought they were coming to Suramar to live like lords, but instead, they had become servants, and it was understandable that they found it hard to accept.
In stark contrast, Andreas' group of hardworking, non-troublemaking outsiders received more favor.
Recently, their work was no longer monotonous manual labor but began to shift towards more skilled tasks. Niyana, due to her attractive appearance, was appointed as a grape stomper by the winery manager… Although Andreas thought this job was silly, high-end arcane wine customers specifically cared about this detail.
Anyway, this process was going to happen regardless. The psychological acceptance of wine stomped by a scruffy uncle versus wine stomped by a beautiful maiden would definitely be different for customers.
Niyana's Starscar family, though not a prominent clan, was at least a well-off household, and she had never had the opportunity to experience such "interesting" work before.
Perhaps she had been influenced by Andreas and the scouts' adaptable performances, as this silly girl seemed to have completely forgotten their true intention of infiltrating Suramar. Every day, she happily stomped arcane fruits, which in turn attracted a large number of winemakers to secretly watch her.
The earthquake in Suramar lasted for about ten minutes, growing increasingly violent. The winery workers, who initially thought it was just a normal geological phenomenon, also began to panic.
At the winery manager's call, everyone took shelter in the underground warehouse where the arcane wine was stored.
But Andreas and the others, at this moment, moved against the flow of people, quietly slipping away from Vandos' guard surveillance while the crowd was in disarray.
Before the aftershocks of the earthquake passed, these observers wouldn't discover their disappearance. They probably assumed that these normally well-behaved and capable laborers had also followed the crowd into the underground warehouse to take shelter… Vandos' private winery was just the largest of the entire winery district. The vast Twilight Vineyard needed to supply arcane wine to the entire city's residents, and the number of workers involved was quite considerable.
Twilight Vineyard was located on the eastern side of Suramar's outer layer. To reach the core Nightborne Stronghold and directly contact Elisande, they needed to pass through many heavily guarded areas along the way.
However, that was under normal circumstances. This long-lasting major earthquake caused the entire city to seek shelter. The city guards were busy evacuating people, and their scrutiny of passersby had relaxed considerably.
Andreas' wide-ranging Shadow Veil covered all two dozen scouts. These rogue scouts, skilled in various infiltration techniques, occasionally left the veil's range, entering stealth themselves to blend into various important areas of the city.
However, the journey wasn't entirely smooth. Although somewhat in decline now, Suramar was once known as the "Jewel of the Night." Most of the city guards knew a few spells, with reconnaissance spells being a must-learn.
It's unclear which guard was careless, but while directing citizens into their homes and various basements and shelters, they also casually cast an anti-stealth ward around themselves.
Niyana, a novice, was busy admiring the city layout and architectural features of Suramar's core district. Distracted, she stepped into the spell's range, revealing a glimpse of her bare calf.
"Hmm?"
The sudden change made the surrounding Spellblade guards more vigilant. "Arcane construct! Wide-range anti-stealth ward!"
"Received. Anti-stealth ward preparing, estimated completion in 3 seconds, 2, 1…"
Suramar's Arcane Golems were peculiar four-legged constructs capable of using some pre-programmed standard spells.
"Tsk~"
Seeing that the construct's spell was about to complete, Andreas irritably tapped Niyana's head, who looked apologetic.
"Idiot, firmly remember this lesson. Don't get distracted again while on a mission."
"Yes…"
It's inevitable for young people to make mistakes, as long as they remember this lesson and avoid repeating it in the future.
Since Andreas chose to bring Niyana along, he was mentally prepared for her to make mistakes, and besides, this minor issue was still within expectations.
"Tap~"
With a soft snap of his fingers, everyone within a twenty-meter radius centered on Andreas paused their movements.
"Prisim."
"Received."
Prisim was the first to rush out of the rapidly dissipating Shadow Veil, a pair of gleaming daggers aimed at the vulnerable joints of the four-legged construct.
No matter how lifelike an Arcane Golem was, its joints were always its biggest weakness.
"Slash!"
Prisim's sharp Titansteel daggers plunged unimpeded into the knees of the four-legged golem's two front legs.
The Arcane Golem maintained its casting posture, but its body had lost balance, and as the anti-stealth ward was released, it toppled headfirst onto the ground.
Prisim followed up with a burst of Shadow energy, a "Bone Slice" attack to the golem's head, destroying its control center.
"Warning, warning, thought center damaged, error, error… Sizzle! Losing response…"
As Prisim and the other scouts quickly dismantled the constructs, which couldn't be affected by mental spells, Niyana stared blankly at all the motionless Nightborne around her.
"Wide-range mind control?! Is that even possible?"
"What are you spacing out for?!"
Andreas heavily patted Niyana's back, and his eyes, which had turned a dazzling purple, caused Niyana's mind to momentarily waver.
"We don't have time to slowly circle around through the central grand promenade. Get ready for takeoff. We'll detour through the zoo below to the Platform of Enlightenment and then to the lower level of the Plaza of Destiny. Go!"
"Huh? Takeoff? Uncle, what are you… uh?"
When Andreas said "take off," he meant it literally.
Except for Prisim, who remained at his side, the other rogues and scouts stayed behind to clean up the mess and further dispersed throughout the city, waiting for Andreas' signal to act together.
Andreas, on the other hand, immediately transformed into a magnificent ginger-colored gryphon. Nyana, wide-eyed and stunned, climbed onto the gryphon's back with a slightly dazed expression after Prisim's reminder.
"...Uncle, is there anything you can't do? Can you tell me in advance?"
A human-like conflicted expression appeared on the gryphon's face. "That's a strange question... There are many things I can't do. For starters, I'll never learn how to give birth."
"No one asked you that!"
Twilight Vineyard, where Andreas and the others worked, was located on the high ground in the eastern suburbs of Suramar, while the city's true core areas were all in the innermost lowlands near the port.
Below the cliff south of Twilight Vineyard was the Suramar Zoo, where all sorts of strange and wonderful animals could be seen.
At this time, due to the evacuation order issued by Suramar's management, the entire zoo was empty. Animals with bewildered eyes could still be seen within the arcane magic-sealed caves, and most of the park administrators had already evacuated.
Over the past half-month, Prisim would occasionally arrange for scouts on rotation to discreetly gather information from other vineyard workers or merchants buying arcane wine.
The city's layout was a key piece of information to gather, as it affected the efficiency of their operations when the plan was executed.
Although the Suramar Zoo was still a considerable distance from Andreas' target, the Nighthold, it was already very close to the city's core area.
Exiting the zoo's main gate led to a beautiful canal area, known by the local Suramar people as Moonlight Promenade. Not far west of the promenade were the Gilded Market and Sunset Park.
These two city districts were the main activity areas for the Highborne. To protect these distinguished upper-class individuals, the defenses near Moonlight Promenade were very strict.
After landing from the high ground, Andreas quickly reverted to his original form. Continuing to fly ostentatiously in the air in such a heavily guarded area was clearly not a good option.
Suramar, with its strong magical atmosphere, possessed powerful magical anti-air capabilities. As one of the main combat forces guarding the city, the Spellblades lived up to the "Spell" in their job title; all Spellblades could cast aerial spell attacks.
Even though he had landed in advance, the sudden appearance of the gryphon in the city still attracted the attention of many Spellblades. As soon as Andreas landed in a rather dense urban green belt, a squad of a dozen people immediately surrounded the area to search.
"Go."
Activating Shadow Veil again, Andreas and the two others said nothing, maintaining as much silence as possible as they slipped eastward.
The Spellblades trained by Oculeth were of excellent quality. As they approached the landing site of the unidentified flying animal, several of them immediately began to cooperate in exploring the surroundings.
If Andreas and the two others had hesitated for even a split second, they would have undoubtedly been revealed by detection and anti-stealth magic by now.
East of Moonlight Promenade was the Platform of Enlightenment, where Suramar's arcanists often gathered to exchange ideas. Although the guards here were still strict, because those who came and went were the most distinguished mages of Suramar, the Spellblades' actions here were somewhat constrained.
"Lady Moonguard, please forgive us. We just discovered an unidentified flying creature. To ensure the safety of all noble guests, we are now diligently investigating."
A fully armored Spellblade stood respectfully with bowed head before a female mage dressed in an elaborate and luxurious robe. Andreas and the two others, passing by in stealth, could tell at a glance that this woman held a relatively esteemed position.
'Moonguard? I think I've heard that somewhere...'
The Highborne mage, referred to as Lady Moonguard, nodded noncommittally, gently swirling the arcane wine in her cup as she quietly offered a reminder.
"Try to keep your movements as small as possible. I have important guests to entertain today, and this earthquake has already been annoying enough. I don't want you to ruin the atmosphere further."
"Yes."
As Andreas and the two others slipped past not far away, Lady Moonguard's gaze swept over their stealthy position, intentionally or unintentionally. Nyana's body stiffened for a moment.
Andreas noticed her abnormality and, with his other hand not casting a spell, gently tugged Nyana's sleeve, signaling her with his eyes.
'Keep moving.'
Andreas and Prisim both knew that Lady Moonguard had vaguely sensed their presence, but perhaps considering the important guests she was entertaining today, she did not actively expose them.
After successfully passing through the Platform of Enlightenment, Andreas and the two others finally encountered an area they couldn't stealth through—the Grand Promenade.
The Grand Promenade was the dividing line connecting Suramar's Evermoon Commons and the Gilded District, and it was also the only way to the Nighthold.
This was a tall, cylindrical, exquisite building. The circular hall on the lower level was equipped with solidified, multi-layered detection magic arrays, including an anti-stealth barrier.
Pulling Nyana into an unobserved blind spot not far from the west staircase of the Grand Promenade, Andreas dispelled the Shadow Veil.
"Listen carefully, the next phase of the operation is the most crucial."
Andreas warned Nyana seriously, "Try to stay behind me. Prisim will be behind you to cover our retreat. Don't act rashly to avoid giving them an opportunity to counterattack. Learn more, observe more, and speak less, understand?"
"Understood."
"Good, let's go."
Andreas chose the entrance staircase on the side with the fewest guards. Only four Spellblades and two large four-legged arcane golems stood at the entrance.
Peeking out from behind the wall in the blind spot, Andreas first used Mass Mind Blast to hit the four Spellblades who couldn't react in time.
"Intruder detected, initiating elimination."
As expected, the two inorganic arcane golems moved simultaneously with Andreas' attack. Arcane light began to flash in their hands, and two condensed arcane beams extended towards the blind spot where the three were hiding.
Prisim, from Eldre'thalas, was not merely a rogue. Facing the incoming arcane beams, she used the mage's Blink spell to cover a short distance and evade, then vanished into the shadows, using Shadowstep to teleport behind one of the golems.
Andreas' movement pattern was simpler. He directly stepped into the Shadow Realm, using Shadowmeld to move to the side of the other arcane golem.
The Tear of Elune at the top of Ganiel's Staff flashed with an energy blade. Seizing the opportunity while the golem couldn't retract its arm, he sliced off both of its hands with a single swing.
There was a special communication channel between the arcane golems around the Grand Promenade. When Andreas and the two others began their actions, all the guards around the entire Grand Promenade knew that intruders had broken in and were now rushing in that direction.
Ignoring the need to continue grappling with the arcane golem, a shadow blade diagonally cut the armless golem in half. Andreas immediately called Nyana to follow, as Prisim had also dealt with the other golem.
"Intruders detected! Chase them!"