"Surrender, mortal! My power is endless!" Archimonde coldly shouted. The fel flames on his body continued to burn fiercely, as if they would never be extinguished, or even dimmed.
Aiden had lost track of how long he had been fighting Archimonde. His sword had struck the opponent countless times, but none of those strikes had caused any substantial damage. With just a breath, the fel energy could restore Archimonde to his original state.
"What... is his weakness?" Although Aiden was still tirelessly fighting, he needed to keep his nerves constantly on edge. He couldn't be as invincible as Archimonde. Moreover, the time-control ability was running low, and he couldn't rely on stopping time to attack the opponent as often as before.
Just as he was distracted, Archimonde suddenly summoned a bolt of red lightning. Aiden hurriedly raised his shield, but because he was somewhat distracted, he was slightly late. Part of the lightning's power struck his shoulder, and he felt blood flowing from there.
The damaged area released waves of pain, and blood flowed down his arm, sliding from his fingertips into the void, slowly drifting.
"Blood..." He seemed to have thought of something.
"Fragile mortal flesh!" Archimonde mocked, "Look at my body, how powerful!"
'Mortal flesh,' Aiden's heart skipped a beat. A thought vaguely popped into his mind, and he immediately wanted to try it—he strode towards Archimonde. Seeing that he was no longer dodging, the latter was overjoyed and welcomed him, "Hahaha, despair, mortal!"
The holy flame on Silver Judgment suddenly exploded, as if oil had been poured on it, and the clear blue flame burned even more fiercely. Aiden swung his sword from afar, causing the holy flame to splash towards his enemy.
Whether it works or not, it all depends on this strike!
Archimonde didn't care about such an attack. After such a long time of fighting, he had long understood that the effect of the holy flame on the sword was negligible to him in the Twisting Nether. He didn't even need to specifically resist it; the fel flames on his body's surface could devour everything.
He just wanted to pounce on Aiden, find the flaw in this cunning fellow, and seize him!
But this attack was completely different. Archimonde only felt a sharp burning pain in his chest, just like when he had used his bare hand to receive Silver Judgment's full-strength strike before. He looked down and saw that a wound had been cut into his chest, and green blood was oozing from the scorched area around the wound.
"No, how could this be!"
Aiden was immediately encouraged by the sight—his guess had been verified. He had succeeded!
"Archimonde, now it's time for you to feel my attack!" He was now full of confidence and saw for the first time the hope of defeating Archimonde with the support of the Naaru!
He swung his sword again, and Archimonde, not believing in this outcome, opened a fel shield to block it, but the splashed holy flame still easily broke through the shield and left a new wound on his shoulder.
"Why—why can you hurt me?" Archimonde completely couldn't understand the scene before him—why could a mortal who had just arrived in the Twisting Nether cause him damage with the power of the Naaru?
The Burning Legion and the Naaru had fought in this space for countless years, and he had long been clear about the opponent's methods. This level of holy light, unless he was unwilling to resist, would not cause him any substantial damage at all!
What on earth was happening?
"You want to know?" Aiden looked at the other party with a sly look. This great demon, who was once almost invincible in his mind, now seemed completely clueless.
"Speak quickly!" Archimonde said angrily.
"If you stand still and let me slash you a hundred times, I'll tell you!" Aiden said seriously.
"You dare to play me!" Archimonde was furious. He mobilized all his strength, determined to give this mortal a sufficient lesson—"You have successfully angered me, mortal! I hope you can survive my anger!"
"Then should I show appropriate fear?" Aiden taunted, "But I have already discovered your weakness. Your threat is meaningless to me, like the barking of a toothless and crippled old dog."
"If you want to anger me, you have succeeded." Archimonde seemed to calm down instead. If Kil'jaeden or Velen saw this scene, they would know that he was not truly calm, but had fallen into unprecedented anger.
And the end of the enemies who had made him behave like this before was very miserable.
He mobilized all the power in his body, protecting himself with fel energy while chanting loudly, preparing to cast his most powerful spell.
Twisted energy was forming a blurred model in his hands.
Although Aiden taunted verbally, he was always extremely vigilant in his heart. "Finally using his ultimate move?" This was exactly the scene he had hoped to see, but he was also very worried.
The showdown depends on now!
He calmed himself down and gripped the sword and staff in his hands. His body rapidly shrank until he returned to his original appearance.
Compared to the current him, Archimonde was a giant. But that was just a meaningless shell. Who is stronger will soon be known.
Aiden's palms began to sweat, 'Decisive battle', success or failure depends on this one move!
He pinched his injured shoulder hard, and the intense pain instantly transmitted to his brain. The wound, which had been gradually healing due to the use of holy light, immediately burst open again, and blood gushed out continuously, flowing down his arm towards Silver Judgment. The holy flame on the sword immediately became blazing.
This was the secret to how he had just caused damage to Archimonde—the Naaru had told him that time and space in the Twisting Nether were virtual. As long as you decipher its secrets, you can defeat Archimonde.
When his shoulder was injured, the flowing blood reminded him, and Archimonde's phrase "mortal flesh" reminded him even more—the Naaru had said that Archimonde's body had to be transformed by fel energy to adapt to the Twisting Nether. He is actually tangible but without substance.
'What if he is attacked by something tangible and with substance?' Aiden had such a thought in his mind at the time. So he tried to integrate his own blood into the holy flame—and then he approached the truth.
After this guess was verified, he understood why the Naaru said that a tangible and substantial person like him was very powerful in the Twisting Nether—just like Archimonde was almost invincible in the real world, but could hardly kill any Naaru in the Twisting Nether. The two opposing worlds of the Twisting Nether and reality actually restrained each other.
The power to defeat Archimonde is not in the Twisting Nether, but in the real world!
Aiden saw that the model of the spell was becoming clearer and clearer in Archimonde's hands—it was the shape of a person—his heart was pounding wildly. Is this the spell that destroyed Dalaran with a sand model in the legend?
And Archimonde is using it to deal with him?
Aiden didn't understand the principle of this spell. He always felt that it was more like witchcraft, similar to cursing others with needles pricking a small doll with their name on it.
His temples were throbbing wildly, and the sense of crisis was getting stronger and stronger. He had a hunch that even the invincible Divine Protection might not be able to withstand the destruction of this spell on his body.
'Should I activate it in advance?' This thought flashed through his mind.
'Is there any way to resist this spell...' Aiden's mind was running rapidly, and suddenly a name popped out:
Eye of Sargeras!
Instantly, this artifact appeared in the palm of his hand. He felt that the power contained in this artifact was beyond imagination. It seemed to be much more powerful than when Arthas gave it to him—is it because he has arrived in the Twisting Nether?
Aiden no longer struggled with this question. He activated the power of this green gem-shaped artifact, the Twisting Nether began to vibrate, and all the energy began to gather towards the Eye of Sargeras. Primal arcane energy, negative energy, mental energy, and even the holy light provided by the Naaru gathered towards the gem.
Archimonde obviously noticed this scene as well. His huge body shook slightly, and even his spell model almost collapsed. He couldn't completely hide the shock in his heart, so much so that Aiden could clearly see the demon's abnormality towards his possession of the Eye of Sargeras.
Isn't this clearly telling him that the Eye of Sargeras is very useful?
However, Archimonde quickly calmed down, he continued to prepare his spell, and even the chanting became more high-pitched.
Aiden couldn't understand demon language either, and didn't know what the other party's incantation meant. But the Eye of Sargeras was constantly providing him with energy, and in his perception, the power of Archimonde's spell no longer posed a threat to him.
He was almost certain of victory!
At this moment, the Naaru's telepathic communication suddenly came to his mind: 'He's bluffing! Archimonde!'
"Bluffing?" Aiden hadn't reacted yet.
'He's going to escape!'
'Stop him quickly!'
'Immediately!'
Several Naaru's voices came at the same time. Aiden couldn't believe it, would Archimonde run away?
He tentatively swung his sword, and holy flames erupted. Archimonde didn't dodge or evade, and was still chanting loudly—then he shattered into pieces—it was an illusion!
Just as he shattered the illusion, the real Archimonde appeared at the edge of the holy light barrier. He stretched out his hands and plunged them into the light curtain, forcefully tearing it apart, trying to break the barrier and escape!
"Don't you dare run!" Aiden shouted in exasperation, flashing forward. He had just torn open his wounds and released his own blood in a near self-destructive act. How could he allow Archimonde to escape like this?
He struck with all his might, shattering the green fel energy shield behind Archimonde. His body bore the brunt of the remaining attack. A deep, long wound immediately appeared on his back, spraying green blood. He howled miserably and exerted force with both hands, finally tearing open the light curtain and rushing out.
"Chase or not?" Aiden hesitated. Outside the light curtain were countless demons, and Archimonde's good brother, Kil'jaeden, was also nearby.
'Chase!'
'Chase!'
'Don't let him escape!'
Almost immediately, the voices of 14 naaru echoed in his mind.
The light curtain in front of Aiden automatically opened. He took a deep breath and chased after him.
—
Although Kil'jaeden hoped his brother would suffer a little, he didn't expect it to actually come true.
Archimonde stumbled out of the light curtain. Forcibly tearing open the naaru's holy light barrier came at a price, and he had also been slashed by Aiden. The countless demons still desperately attacking the holy light barrier immediately stopped. No one would consider this to be the posture of a victor.
Their lord, Archimonde, who struck fear into the hearts of enemies in countless universes, had actually been defeated?
Could it be that the naaru inside had all gone crazy and self-destructed? Some demons wondered.
But the next moment, what happened completely shattered their illusions. A human rushed out of the opened holy light barrier, shouting things like "Don't you dare run," "Stop, Archimonde!" "Grandson, turn around and fight me!" and other extremely mocking words, charging straight towards the direction Archimonde had fled.
Archimonde didn't respond, didn't even turn his head. He just ran with his head down.
Kil'jaeden asked loudly, "What's wrong?"
"Don't ask, run! That guy has the Eye of Sargeras!" Archimonde's exasperated voice reached Kil'jaeden's ears, but the news also shocked him—the Eye of Sargeras wasn't just an artifact, it and the Scepter of Sargeras were both artifacts personally crafted by Sargeras, the master of the Burning Legion. The scepter represented the right to rule, while the eye represented the power of surveillance.
Their existence was to ensure Sargeras's control over the Burning Legion. Naturally, they contained enough power to prevent demons from rebelling.
This power greatly restrained the demons of the Burning Legion, so much so that whoever possessed it naturally became the nemesis of the Burning Legion.
The Twisting Nether was where the Eye of Sargeras could unleash its greatest power.
When Archimonde discovered that Aiden possessed this artifact, he completely dismissed the idea of a head-on fight. Of the thirty-six strategies, running was the best!
He and Kil'jaeden, and even all the demons of the Burning Legion, couldn't resist the power of this artifact. But there was one person who could—the great dark titan—Sargeras!
As long as they lured this human there and had their master take back the artifact, Archimonde and Kil'jaeden could kill this guy!
While fleeing, Archimonde ordered the demon army, "Kill this guy!"
Instantly, countless demons pounced on Aiden.
He enlarged himself again. Although his actual power didn't increase, it made it easier for him to slaughter these ordinary demons. He grew to be over twenty meters tall, and even the Silver Judgment became more than ten meters long. When it was ignited by holy flames, every time Aiden swung his sword, all the demons within a radius of dozens of meters were incinerated by the holy flames. Countless demons charged forward one after another, but other than dying, it was useless.
Aiden relentlessly pursued, and the naaru fortress followed at full speed. Under their full pursuit, Kil'jaeden and Archimonde were unable to shake them off. However, Aiden wasn't aware of their plan. He was enjoying the thrill of chasing down the two big bosses of the Burning Legion. Such an opportunity would probably be hard to come by again in his lifetime.
After an unknown amount of time in this chase, the densely packed demons that had occupied the entire void became sparse. They weren't idiots with low intelligence; such sacrifices had no effect. Their numbers didn't give them an advantage.
So, demons began to slack off and try to survive. This greatly increased Aiden's pursuit speed.
Archimonde's injuries hadn't healed yet, so Kil'jaeden had to cover his brother for a moment, turning back to face Aiden.
"Not running anymore?" Aiden stared at the great demon, the most cunning opponent in the Burning Legion.
"Not running."
—
The tauren tribes' overall migration to Mulgore wasn't that long ago. For tens of thousands of years before that, their tribes had lived for generations in the barren land stretching from the Barrens to the Endless Sea.
But since the rise of the centaur tribes, the tauren had forever lost their peaceful and tranquil lives. The centaur were too numerous, forcing the tauren to leave their homes and migrate inland to safer areas. Until they discovered the fertile land of Mulgore and chose an extremely dangerous cliff in this fertile grassland to build their city—Thunder Bluff.
This city was still very rudimentary. The tauren currently didn't have any extra energy to build it into a more prosperous city. Because they were now facing the most serious survival crisis in their history.
Thunder Bluff was indeed very dangerous, and they didn't have to worry about centaur attacks here. But the food stored here was only enough for the tauren to eat for two months at most. Could they pray for food to fall from the sky?
As the tauren chieftain, Cairne Bloodhoof had already turned his hair white with worry. He often dreamed that the tauren would be wiped out during his tenure, and that he would be torn to pieces by countless centaur after fighting bloody battles to exhaustion.
Such nightmares had awakened him many times.
But now, an opportunity had appeared before the tauren. As long as he nodded, they wouldn't have to be afraid or worried anymore.
Cairne had been deep in thought for a long time. This was his habit. He always considered things very carefully, he was very patient, and he was very wise.
But others weren't so rational.
Most of the tribal elders looked anxious, fearing that he would reject this hard-won strong support. Even his son, Baine, was the most active in expressing his agreement. But there were also those who opposed it. For example, Magatha Grimtotem, the leader of the Grimtotem tribe—she believed that the tauren should maintain their purity and shouldn't ally with foreign races. And these people from something called "Valoran" were clearly ill-intentioned, and that tauren named Alistar wasn't a purebred tauren!
Inside this large tent, Captain Gangplank and the tauren Alistar were both present. Led by the Horned Brothers, they had come to Thunder Bluff and presented five thousand centaur heads as a greeting gift to Cairne. When their men opened the boxes and displayed this gift to the tauren, everyone was shocked.
This was definitely a shocking greeting gift!
Afterwards, Alistar explained their intentions, offering to help the tauren build Thunder Bluff and help them defeat the centaur. The condition was to join the Valoran Alliance and act as allies, watching over each other in the future.
They didn't demand the tauren's submission, much less enslavement, and were even willing to provide food and war materials. Such conditions were undoubtedly extremely lenient. Except for the tribal head of the Grimtotem, who was a racial purist, all the tauren elders urged Cairne to agree.
After a long time, Cairne finished considering. He looked at Alistar and Gangplank and asked, "I have a question, what are your intentions?"
Gangplank said, "Our commander said that the tauren are a noble and trustworthy race."
Alistar said, "I saw it with my own eyes, he's right."
Cairne fell silent again.
Gangplank, thinking that he was going to space out for a long time again, couldn't help but let out his rogue nature and asked, "Are you in or out? Give us a straight answer!"