With powerful melee capabilities and terrifying magic immunity, these three strong Golden Man bodyguards are the most powerful aid for spellcaster professions.
Everyone reaped a rich harvest from this adventure; I obtained the silver hand warhammer, and Rhodes completed the Titan Keeper's mission.
As for Tyr's Guards, they eliminated the greatest threat in the tomb, Faceless One Zakaz.
"Rhodes, I'm giving you this sword. How do you plan to hand it over to the Titan Keeper?" Uther picked up the Sto'kram, the Decimator, which was plunged into the ground, and asked.
The sword was covered in powerful magic runes, carved by High Elves. Besides that, it was also imbued with a large amount of Shadow Power, which came from Faceless One Zakaz. This was not a good thing.
"I plan to... wait, what is this?" Rhodes took the Emperor's Greatsword and suddenly discovered something in the deep pit.
Where Faceless One Zakaz died, a black rhomboid crystal sphere suddenly appeared, emitting seemingly endless shadow energy.
"I was going to consult you about this, to see if the Guardian had any arrangements.
After Zakaz was eliminated, some of his shadow energy dissipated, but some of it crystallized into a solid, which is this thing in front of us," Uther said, pointing to the black crystal on the ground.
Rhodes nodded upon hearing this. A black rhomboid crystal, filled with shadow energy, a crystal formed after the death of a Faceless General... It somewhat resembled Alexandros' storyline.
However, what was in front of him was not a corrupted Zereb crystal, but the purest Shadow Power. His gaze fell upon this shadow crystal, and an idea formed in his mind. Rhodes pretended to close his eyes and communicate with the Titan Keeper, but in reality, he was thinking about how to explain it.
A moment later, Rhodes opened his eyes and said, "Lord Uther, I have just communicated with the great Titan Keeper. He said that my method of handling the Silver Hand is very good. We should use the Silver Hand's method to deal with this crystal and this weapon."
"?? Holy Light above, Rhodes, do you mean, or does the Titan Keeper want me to imitate Alexandros and purify it with Holy Light, right?" Uther suddenly reacted and asked.
Alexandros purified that terrifying shadow crystal into a pure holy light crystal. Could it be that this crystal of residual shadow energy from the Faceless General could also be purified?
"That's right, the Emperor's weapon, and the shadow crystal left behind by the Old God General Zakaz, can both be attempted to be purified with Holy Light.
Think about it, Lord Uther, if we fail, we will purify this shadow energy crystal so that it can no longer harm this world.
If we succeed, we will obtain a powerful weapon imbued with Holy Light. We can fuse the crystal and the sword into one," Rhodes said.
Zereb crystal, combined with some rare materials from Ironforge, could forge the ashbringer. So, what kind of divine weapon could be forged if this remnant of the Faceless General's shadow, combined with the weapon of Emperor Thoradin, were used?
Rhodes was very much looking forward to it.
Uther pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded. The Guardian Lord was right; if it succeeded, they would get a holy light crystal, and if it failed, they would destroy the shadow crystal.
"Let's leave here first! Once we get to the surface, we'll decide how to purify this crystal."
The other Paladins and Tyr's Guards also nodded.
"Indeed, Lord Uther, we can purify the crystal and the Emperor's Greatsword on the way," Rhodes said.
This journey to the Tomb of Tyr was a complete success, and his gains were extraordinary.
Everyone left the Titan Keeper's tomb together. Before leaving, Tyr's Guards once again purified the shadow energy in the cave with their Holy Light, ensuring that no more Shadow Creatures would appear there.
Afterward, they sealed the tomb's entrance and returned to the lake surface. Once on the ground, all of Tyr's Guards breathed a sigh of relief. The secret they had protected for thousands of years had finally come to a successful end, and there would be no more dangerous places in this mausoleum.
"Guardians of Tyr, you are also users of Holy Light. I would like to invite you to join the Knights of the Silver Hand. What do you think?" Uther asked, looking at the Tyr's Guards.
These ancient Guardians were all powerful warriors who had also comprehended Holy Light, making them the most suitable candidates for Paladins.
"The Holy Light guides us, but Lord Uther, we do not intend to join the Silver Hand. We will continue to guard this place, watching over the tomb of the great Tyr," the leading Tyr's Guard said.
Although the Knights of the Silver Hand belonged to the Alliance, it had actually become a military organization of Lordaeron, and these Guardians of Tyr did not want to join the forces of any particular nation.
"I understand, everyone. May the great Holy Light bless you," Uther said, nodding.
As the saying goes, everyone has their own ambitions. Uther would not force these Guardians of Tyr to join, and besides, his gains this time were substantial enough.
After chatting for a while and bidding each other farewell, Rhodes, Uther, and Jaina, along with a group of Paladins from the Silver Hand, said goodbye to Tyr's Guards and departed.
That night, everyone set up camp dozens of kilometers away from the Tomb of Tyr.
The shadow crystal and the Emperor's Greatsword were placed in the center of the camp, and Uther looked at Rhodes.
"Child, how do you plan to purify this crystal? Should we directly infuse it with Holy Light?"
"Yes, we will all infuse Holy Light into this shadow crystal together, and at the same time, we will summon Holy Light Elemental to assist in the purification," Rhodes said.
The Paladins present had strong enough Holy Light, but if Holy Light Elemental were summoned, it would be even better. These Holy Light Elemental would dissipate after 24 hours anyway, so there was no harm in using them.
"That is indeed a good idea," Uther nodded.
Immediately, Rhodes took out a magic scroll for summoning Fire Elemental, and then, using Holy Light as a guide, summoned four powerful Holy Light Elemental. Afterward, he handed the scroll to Uther.
Uther took the scroll without further ado and, like Rhodes, summoned Holy Light Elemental. However, Uther summoned a total of six this time. It seemed that Uther had either expended a lot in the cave or had held back, only summoning four earlier.
However, ten Holy Light Elemental were already enough. Under the command of Rhodes and Uther, the ten Holy Light Elemental exerted their combined strength, injecting terrifying Holy Light into the shadow crystal.
"Let us begin!" Uther took the first step forward, pressing his hands toward the shadow crystal. The majestic Holy Light, like a tangible torrent, burst forth from his palms, instantly enveloping the shadow crystal.
Rhodes followed closely, similarly mobilizing the Holy Light within his body, injecting a golden pillar of light—slightly less mature but equally pure—into it.
Although Jaina could not provide Holy Light, she mobilized Arcane energy to form a stable Arcane field, firmly locking the Holy Light and the shadow crystal together, preventing energy leakage from causing danger.
"Servants of the Holy Light, purify this darkness!" Rhodes shouted softly. Guided by his will, ten Holy Light Elemental hovering nearby responded simultaneously.
They transformed into ten brilliant golden pillars of light, rapidly spinning around the shadow crystal to form a sacred halo. More refined and fervent Holy Light poured out from them, continuously impacting the core of the crystal like golden lava.
"Sizzle—!!!"
The shadow crystal violently trembled as if alive. A cold, desperate, hate-filled Shadow Will suddenly erupted, attempting to resist the encroachment of the Holy Light—this was the last remnant of the Faceless General.
Shadow energy, thick as ink, surged wildly from inside the crystal, fiercely colliding with and annihilating the golden Holy Light torrent!
The light around the camp instantly dimmed, as if even the bonfire was suppressed by this ultimate darkness. The Paladins present quickly gathered beside Uther and Rhodes, channeling their Holy Light together.
"Increase the intensity! The stronger its resistance, the purer the Shadow core is, and the brighter the light will be after purification!" Rhodes said.
The purest Shadow converts into the most powerful Holy Light.
"Great Holy Light! Purify the evil!" Uther's voice resonated like a bedrock in everyone's hearts. The Holy Light radiating from him grew even more intense, almost merging him with the Holy Light itself.
Rhodes clenched his jaw; he could feel his Mana rapidly draining, the Holy Light pouring out like a flood through an opened sluice gate.
The ten maiden-shaped Holy Light Elemental also became somewhat blurry during the confrontation. Their power was being rapidly depleted; the Holy Light Elemental, which were originally capable of existing for 24 hours, completely exhausted all their Holy Light within just over ten minutes and dissipated.
After losing the Holy Light Elemental, the purification of the Shadow energy actually stalled. The Shadow energy at the core of the crystal seemed intent on counterattacking, trying to expel the Holy Light energy within.
"Lord Uther, please pause for a moment and let the other Paladins take over. We need to summon ten more Holy Light Elemental," Rhodes said.
Uther nodded without hesitation and immediately used a magic scroll with Rhodes to summon 10 more Holy Light Elemental.
The Holy Light Elemental summoned powerful Holy Light, and Rhodes and Uther returned to the purification work. This was a pure tug-of-war between Holy Light and Shadow.
The Holy Light was like a fierce fire in a furnace, attempting to burn away all impurities and darkness within the crystal, while the Shadow was like stubborn wrought iron, frantically struggling, counterattacking, and releasing its final Shadow energy.
Time seemed to lose meaning during the fierce confrontation. After an unknown duration, the shadow crystal's resistance began to weaken. The piercing shriek turned into a mournful wail of unwillingness, and the surging Shadow tentacles and ghostly specters dissolved in large swaths under the Holy Light's searing heat, like melting snow.
Finally, the last trace of tenacious Shadow was completely pierced by the concentrated Holy Light—a single point of ultimate radiance—injected by Rhodes, Uther, the numerous Paladins, and the ten Holy Light Elemental working together.
"Ooom—!"
A clear, prolonged hum replaced all other noise!
The black shadow crystal, as if reaching its final moment in the purification furnace, suddenly lit up with countless fine golden fissures on its surface! Immediately following, a dazzling, warm golden light violently erupted from within!
"Snap!"
A faint cracking sound rang out, and the stubborn black shell on the crystal's outer layer peeled off and dissipated piece by piece, like an eggshell.
What remained was no longer the ominous Shadow core of an Old God's subordinate, but a holy light crystal, about the size of a fist, pure, flawless, perfectly spherical, and radiating a divine golden glow!
It hovered quietly on the stone platform like a small sun, dispelling all coldness and darkness. The camp was illuminated by its warm light, which was even brighter and more sacred than the bonfire.
The negative will that had made their souls tremble vanished completely, replaced by a sacred sense of tranquility, peace, and hope.
Jaina let out a sigh of relief, showing a tired but excited smile as she slowly withdrew the Arcane cage. The pure Holy Light aura spread, invigorating everyone present.
"Holy Light above..." A Paladin couldn't help but drop to one knee, praying devoutly.
Rhodes and Uther slowly withdrew their power, both looking pale from the immense exertion. The ten Holy Light Elemental, after delivering the final purification strike, became translucent and ethereal, appearing as if they might dissipate at any moment.
They circled the newly born golden crystal a few times, their light softening as if offering a final blessing and farewell, before transforming into specks of golden starlight and completely merging into the air. Their power had become a part of the purified holy light crystal.
For some reason, Rhodes always felt as if these Holy Light Elemental possessed life.
Seeing the incomparably pure holy light crystal before him, Rhodes knew he had succeeded. If the Holy Light beings, the Naaru, could be converted into Shadow Entropy Demons...
...then the shadow crystal remnant of the Old God's General, who could directly defeat a Titan Keeper, could also be converted into the purest Holy Light.
"It looks like we succeeded!" Rhodes said.
"This... this is a pure holy light crystal?" Uther reached out, carefully approaching the floating golden crystal. A heat filled with Holy Light radiated to his fingertips. This holy light crystal contained immense power.
"Yes, Lord Uther. The Shadow energy of Zakaz has been completely converted. It is no longer Shadow, but a gift of the Holy Light."
Uther nodded upon hearing this. It seemed his understanding of the Holy Light was inferior to Alexandros.
Alexandros could grasp that ultimate Shadow is ultimate Holy Light, but he himself had failed to realize this.
Rhodes' gaze then turned toward Stromkar, the Warbreaker, beside him.
"Now, the next step is to merge it with the Emperor's weapon. We need a master craftsman with extraordinary skill who can integrate the holy light crystal into the Emperor's divine weapon," Rhodes said.
Unlike the ashbringer, this weapon does not need to be completely melted down and reforged.
Instead, we just need to open a slot in the hilt and place this Holy Light core inside.