Azeroth: Starting with Eagle Eye in the Necropolis

Page 108

Rhodes' spirits lifted, and he quickened his pace, passing through a hall filled with demonic runes. The sight before him made him pause for a moment.

Illidan was locked in fierce combat with a colossal pit lord. The pit lord wielded a double-headed spear engulfed in burning fel flames, each swing unleashing destructive fel fire. Its massive body nearly filled half the tomb chamber.

Illidan, on the other hand, moved like a nimble phantom, wielding the Warblade of Azzinoth in a green halo that continuously left deep wounds on the Pit Lord's thick armor and skin.

“Annihran, the Burning Legion’s lieutenant? I didn’t expect Sargeras to leave such a ‘surprise’.” Illidan spat, dodging a fatal slash, his battleblade severing one of the pit lord’s Achilles tendons.

Who would have thought that a high-ranking commander of the Burning Legion would be in such a tomb? Every member of the Annihran race is far stronger than the dragons after reaching adulthood. Their status in the Burning Legion is extremely high, even higher than that of the Aimeda. Once they join, they are lords.

"Intruder, how dare you trespass into Sargeras' territory!" The massive pit lord roared, attempting to trample Illidan with his powerful fel hooves, but the demon hunter easily dodged with a nimble backflip.

Rhodes did not immediately join the battle. Instead, he noticed that at the end of the tomb, above a platform radiating astonishing fel energy, floated a huge, grotesque eyeball that appeared to be made of green flames—that was the Eye of Sargeras!

It was slowly rotating, radiating a chilling energy. Just looking at it, one could almost hear the whispers and roars of countless demons. This was the most precious weapon in the Tomb of Sargeras, an artifact that Sargeras brought with him the Burning Legion.

"Illidan, do you need help?" Rhodes shouted, signaling the angels and elementals of light to prepare. The power of holy light was extremely effective against this pure demon lord.

“Mind your own business, Rhodes! This prey is mine!” Illidan refused decisively, his demon hunter’s fighting spirit fully ignited.

Upon hearing this, Rhodes didn't mince words. He could tell that although Illidan was currently fighting the Pit Lord to a standstill, and even had a slight advantage...

But ending the battle quickly isn't so easy. Since Egg wants a one-on-one fight, he's happy to take it easy. In the end, he just needs to use Thunderbolt to steal the kill.

Commanding the golden and diamond figures to protect him, Rhodes bypassed the two engaged in fierce combat and rushed quickly toward the Eye of Sargeras platform, intending to protect the Eye of Sargeras first.

“This is my Rhodes. My purpose in coming here is to obtain the Eye of Sargeras. You'd better not lay a finger on this weapon; it's for your own good,” Illidan said to Rhodes while he was fighting the Pit Lord.

“Don’t worry, buddy, I’m just protecting it temporarily,” Rhodes said with a smile.

However, his body betrayed him, and he stepped forward. The closer he got to the Eye of Sargeras, the stronger the oppressive evil aura became.

The air was filled with pure fel energy, which even tried to erode Rhodes' will, but Rhodes' mental strength was strong enough, and with the holy light units surrounding him, he easily resisted this erosion.

The platform was covered with complex arcane runes, clearly left by Aegwynn, but these magical runes had become very unstable over the long years and under the influence of fel energy.

After careful observation, Rhodes discovered several key vulnerabilities.

“The magic arrow won’t work; it’s too powerful and might cause an explosion… Try this.” Rhodes pondered for a moment, then pulled out a longsword made of anti-magic metal from his system space—a weapon he had the dwarves forge and enchant with blood elves, specifically for situations that might require physical intervention.

Aim at a rune node, gather all your strength, and thrust the longsword in!

Click!

With a crisp sound, the light at that node quickly dimmed. Rhodes repeated the process, quickly destroying several other key nodes. The fel energy barrier surrounding the Eye of Sargeras rippled a few times and then suddenly disappeared.

Without the barrier's isolation, the energy fluctuations of the Eye of Sargeras became even more intense, and Rhode could even sense the terrifying power contained within, enough to tear the continent apart.

Rhodes took a deep breath, touched the Eye of Sargeras, and then received a system notification that a fel artifact had been discovered.

After equipping this weapon, the power of fel magic increases by 100%, and strength increases by 20 points. However, using this weapon will drain your life force, and all spells cast will be imbued with fel energy, enjoying a 100% bonus.

My goodness, this weapon is awesome! 100% increased Fel damage, and it directly adds 20 points of Strength, are you kidding me?

Although this thing will dilute your life force, once you actually get your hands on it, you'll be absolutely invincible!

A hint of greed even crept into Rhodes's mind. Why not just take the Eye of Sargeras for himself? Draining his life force wouldn't be out of the question, after all, he possessed life magic.

At this moment, Rhodes' greed seemed to be amplified by some invisible force, driving him to want to possess the Eye of Sargeras.

He cautiously reached out, attempting to envelop the dangerous eyeball with magic. The instant his magic touched the eyeball, a cold and immense will seemed to flow along with the magic, trying to rush into his mind!

It's the remnant will of Sargeras! A wisp of consciousness from the Dark Titan.

"Submit to me, Master, and I will grant you unimaginable power. Submit to me!"

"Damn it, get out of here!" Rhodes roared, unleashing his full mental power. At the same time, the Archangel of Light bestowed a pure holy light upon him.

Rhodes even summoned a second Archangel of Light. The two Archangels of Light poured holy light into Rhodes together, banishing Sargeras' will. The surrounding holy light elements also emitted a terrifying holy light.

The Holy Light Judgment in the hands of the Archangel of Light also burst forth with brilliant light, helping Rhodes resist Sargeras's power.

That chilling, terrifying will clashed violently with Rhodes' soul and the power of holy light. As if sensing that it was not to be trifled with, it receded back into the eyeball like a tide, becoming silent once more.

Rhodes breathed a sigh of relief, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. No wonder Illidan needed a special altar and remote casting when using this artifact, instead of using it directly.

Damn it, there's a remnant of Sargeras' soul inside! If I were to get caught in it, I'd be dead for sure. Luckily, I have two Archangels of Light with me, otherwise I think I'd be in big trouble.

+20 Strength, 100% Fel Magic Damage – these are things I can't have!

"We will meet again, mage," Sargeras's will said to Rhodes before he left.

"I told you not to touch this stuff, why didn't you listen to me?" Illidan said with dissatisfaction as he fought the Pit Lord in the distance.

This is Sargeras's stuff. You dare touch it with your bare hands? Do you think you're not long enough to live?

Damn it, luckily Rhodes's mental strength is not weak, plus he has a Holy Light creature and a Holy Light artifact, otherwise Rhodes would definitely have been controlled by Sargeras.

"Cough cough cough, this is my first time dealing with this kind of thing, I won't do it again next time," Rhodes said.

"It had better be so; Sargeras' power is beyond your imagination."

"Arrogant demon! Feel the rage that has been imprisoned for ten thousand years!" Illidan roared, his body leaping up suddenly, pouring massive fel energy into the Warblade of Azzinoth, transforming into a green meteor that pierced directly through the gaping maw of the Abyss Lord!

The Abyss Lord's massive body stiffened abruptly, and green evil fire erupted from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Rhodes seized the opportunity to unleash a lightning bolt.

A terrifying bolt of lightning struck the Abyss Lord, who collapsed to the ground, turning into a pile of charred remains.

Illidan knelt on the ground, breathing heavily, and after a moment he stood up and came to Sargeras's eyeball.

Using a very special kind of magic, he dragged it along without actually touching the mysterious eyeball, and successfully obtained the Eye of Sargeras.

“We should go, Rhodes. I sense that madwoman has broken through Vashj's defenses and is approaching,” Illidan said.

Rhodes nodded, and was about to say something when the entire Tomb of Sargeras suddenly began to shake violently!

Rumble!

A large amount of gravel and dust fell from the top.

"What happened? Did you trigger some mechanism?" Illidan frowned as he looked at Rhodes.

"It wasn't me! I was very careful when I collected it..." Rhodes's words were interrupted when he suddenly remembered something, and his expression changed.

"Oh no! It's Maiev! She may have breached the tomb's supporting structure! She wants to bury us along with this tomb!"

Illidan's face instantly turned extremely ugly: "That crazy woman!"

........................

Outside the tomb, Maiev Shadowsong watched the Warden forces, who were still advancing slowly but resolutely towards the tomb entrance despite being blocked by the Naga and Phoenix, and a resolute glint flashed in her eyes.

"We can't delay any longer! Sisters, attack those weak support pillars! Since they're hiding inside, let them never come out!" Maiev ordered coldly.

The Watchers immediately carried out the order, and several precise moonblades and explosives were hurled at the massive stone pillars at the entrance to the tomb, which were clearly cracked.

A series of explosions rang out!

Chapter 175 Maiev, who rebelled against the Heavenly Gang, and Rhodes, who was furious.

Inside the tomb, the tremors grew increasingly violent.

"We must leave immediately!" Illidan roared, his demonic wings unfurling as he prepared to soar into the sky and crash through the collapsing dome.

"Don't rush! Come to my side, I'll use teleportation magic to take us away." Rhodes remained relatively calm; this kind of tomb collapse was no problem for him.

Rhode can use the Guardian's teleportation magic to leave at any time, and this distance is easy and pleasant for him.

The tremors in the tomb grew more and more violent, with huge stones constantly falling from above, and dust billowing everywhere. The entire Tomb of Sargeras seemed on the verge of collapsing completely, burying everything inside deep underground.

"Too late! Grab me!" Rhodes roared, grabbing Illidan's arm covered in hardened keratin.

A massive arcane energy was activated: "Teleport!"

Rhodes gave a low shout, activating the Guardian Teleportation spell he had received from Medivh. Powerful arcane energy instantly enveloped the two of them, as well as all the summoned units around them—Angels of Light, Elementals of Light, Golden Men, and Diamond Men.

The space rippled like water, and the figures of the two began to blur and distort.

Just as they were about to disappear, the main entrance to the tomb collapsed completely with a deafening roar, and the huge rocks completely sealed off the passage.

Maiev Shadowsong stood outside the ruins, looking at the completely blocked entrance, a cold smile curving her lips beneath her mask.

"It's over, Illidan... huh?"

However, her sense of victory lasted only a second.

A powerful spatial fluctuation appeared out of thin air not far behind her, accompanied by a blinding arcane glow. Rhodes, Illidan, and that group of strangely shaped summons appeared unharmed on the Broken Shore, right on the flank of the battle zone between the Naga forces and the Warden forces.

The sudden turn of events caused both sides in the fierce battle to stop fighting involuntarily.

Jaina and Vashj looked at Rhodes and Illidan, who were unharmed, with surprise and delight.

Maiev Shadowsong's pupils constricted as she stared at them in disbelief, especially at the two holy angels beside them who emanated an extremely comfortable yet extremely oppressive holy light. What powerful creatures were these?

And why does the energy emanating from them make me feel slightly uncomfortable? (Here, I'd like to explain the Watcher abilities used by Maiev Shadowsong, such as stealth, assassination, teleportation, and poison darts. It's speculated that these are likely shadow powers, which is why they are countered by holy light.)

"This is impossible! You couldn't possibly have come out alive!" Maiev exclaimed in shock.

That kind of spatial teleportation, carrying so many units, precisely crossing the collapsed tomb to appear here, is something that no ordinary mage could do!

Who exactly is this guy who's with Illidan?

And those creatures radiating intense holy light energy... Darkness seemed to be an angelic creature composed of pure holy light, which she was seeing for the first time.

Suddenly, Mawei Yingge seemed to remember something. Although he had not participated in the Battle of Mount Hyjal, he had received a lot of intelligence about it.

Legend has it that in this battle, the heroes joined forces to kill Archimonde, the commander of the Burning Legion. The final blow to Archimonde was delivered by a powerful being of Holy Light.

It was an angel with two pairs of radiant wings, a holy appearance, and a body burning with holy power. Could it be that the angel in front of me was the one who killed Archimonde?

That doesn't make sense! If it really is this being of the Holy Light, then why are they getting along so well with Illidan?

Illidan was originally a night elf infected with fel energy, but he was completely transformed into a demon. Holy Light beings can instantly annihilate demonic creatures without saying a word.

"Looks like your plan has failed, Maiev." Illidan steadied himself, his demonic wings fluttering slowly as he spoke with a mocking tone. "Trying to bury me underground? Too bad things don't always go your way. My companions are far more reliable than you think."

After saying that, he glanced at Rhodes, his expression as if to say, "You saw that, didn't you? I suggested earlier that we lure him into the tomb and bury him."

As a result, you disagreed with my opinion. Now, they will seize the opportunity to bury us just the same. They don't care about the lives of the Watchers, and Maiev Shadowsong doesn't care about the lives around her either.

He deliberately emphasized the word "partner," while ostentatiously brandishing the Eye of Sargeras in his hand, which was bound by magic and emitted an ominous green light.

Maiev's gaze was immediately drawn to the Eye of Sargeras. The terrifying fel energy emanating from that eye made her heart pound and strengthened her resolve to stop Illidan.

"Illidan! Look at what you've got! That's the ultimate evil!"

"You have indeed completely sided with the Burning Legion! You shameful traitor!" Maiev shouted sternly, gripping her ring blade tightly once more.