Eluro Temple, once the most prestigious Moon Temple in Suramar, held a status equivalent to the current Great Moon Temple in Astranaar.
During the prosperity of the Night Elf Empire, countless moon goddess believers would go to Eluro Temple every day to pray to Elune. Even Azshara often entered Eluro Temple to display her faith in Elune... Of course, what Azshara actually thought in her heart was hard to say. In Andreas' view, visiting the temple was more like a performance for Azshara.
Azshara once had a devout faith in Elune, but she never received a response from the moon goddess.
For a period, the bold Azshara even doubted the reality of the deity. She once firmly believed that Elune did not exist at all and was just a psychological comfort fabricated by the Night Elves during their period of ignorance.
Azshara was half right. "moon goddess Elune" was indeed fabricated by the Night Elves; at least, she definitely wasn't originally called by that name, nor did she possess powers related to the moon.
However, faith is sometimes a very mysterious thing. Under the thousands of years of devout worship by the Night Elves, Elune did gradually acquire the conceptual power of the moon. Azeroth's two moons, the White Lady and the Blue Child, are now under her control.
Legend has it that when the two moons move into the same orbit, a strange astronomical phenomenon occurs on Azeroth.
The mana tides are more active on this day than usual, and many rituals are chosen to be performed on this day. The Aspects, who first witnessed this phenomenon, called it the Embrace of the Twin Moons.
But from Andreas' understanding, the so-called Embrace of the Twin Moons could actually happen at any time.
As long as Elune wanted to, it wouldn't be difficult to adjust the lunar orbits at will. The annual Embrace of the Twin Moons was like a habitual monthly visitor... "Cough!"
Elune intentionally let out a heavy cough in Andreas' mind, questioning in a rather unfriendly tone, "I feel like you're thinking about something very rude."
Having maintained a direct mental connection with Elune for a long time, Andreas had gradually learned to hide his thoughts.
Although Elune could sense Andreas' general direction of thought, she could no longer read his mind as freely as before.
"...It's nothing, just a bit of brainstorming without paying attention."
To avoid Elune's further questioning, Andreas took the lead and strode toward Eluro Temple.
"Wait!"
When they were about fifty meters from the temple, Andreas suddenly reached out in a pulling motion, and a purple, gauze-like Shadow Veil enveloped everyone present.
Andreas put his index finger to his lips, signaling the others to be quiet.
The ruins of Suramar were dim and lightless, and except for the sound of the wind caused by natural phenomena, everything was silent.
But at this moment, the sound of hymns being sung faintly drifted out from the long-uninhabited temple.
This eerie situation made Aurora's hair stand on end, and the girl subconsciously hid behind her mother.
Shandris rolled her eyes and reached out to try and pull her daughter from behind her.
"What are you hiding for? You saw the vengeful spirits just now; what's there to be afraid of at this point?"
"It's different, completely different!"
Aurora hugged Shandris' fit waist like a spoiled child, refusing to let go.
"Spirits are things that can be seen and destroyed, but I can't make this creepy atmosphere disappear!"
Shandris pushed away the clingy cuddle bear with disgust. "Useless girl. The best way to eliminate fear is to face it. Go on, you take the lead."
"No! Absolutely not!"
Andreas watched the interaction between mother and daughter with amusement, patted Leticia on the back, and said, "Go on, find out the source of the hymns."
The fearless Leticia gave a sloppy military salute with a giggle. "Received! Gomu, let's go!"
"Awoo~"
Compared to the Beastmaster Rexxar, whom she had met not long ago, Leticia was also surrounded by many strange creatures.
Considering that N'Zoth had once controlled Akumai, Leticia didn't bring the hydra from home this time. Instead, she brought the three-headed dog Gomu and the faerie dragon Brightwing.
As Gomu strode forward upon receiving his master's command, Brightwing complained incessantly while flapping her wings to fly toward the temple first.
With the Eyes of the Beast spell, Leticia could see the interior of the temple from above through Brightwing's perspective.
Over a thousand Night Elf spirits were densely gathered in the dilapidated, drafty temple, their hands clasped and heads bowed, neatly singing the lunar hymns.
Brightwing lay on the roof of the temple and cautiously poked her head out. The singing suddenly stopped at that moment, and the spirit standing at the very front abruptly turned its head to look in Brightwing's direction.
"Eek!"
Even the bold Leticia was startled by the creepy scene of a thousand spirits turning their heads at the same time, and the not-so-brave Brightwing flapped her wings and flew back at top speed.
"Leticia, help! I don't want to die yet!"
Andreas patted his forehead helplessly. "Are you guys joking?"
As Brightwing left, the hymns in the temple resumed. These spirits seemed to only react to creatures invading the temple.
Brightwing hid in Leticia's arms, trembling, and refused to go scouting again no matter how much she was urged.
Realizing it was better to do it himself, Andreas maintained the Shadow Veil to cover the others while he slipped into the shadows alone and crept to the temple gates.
Through the riddled, decaying gates, Andreas saw more details that Brightwing had missed.
The leading spirit's appearance looked somewhat familiar. On the marble altar in front of her sat a small one-handed staff.
This staff shimmered with a very soft, hazy glow. Moonlight-white light even appeared simultaneously on all the spirits in the temple, flickering in a resonant synchronization.
Andreas concealed all his presence and wasn't easily discovered like Brightwing. He had more time to carefully observe the scene inside the temple.
Except for the clear features of the noblewoman in the lead, most of the spirits sitting on the temple pews with their heads bowed in prayer had blurred faces.
'This woman...'
Andreas narrowed his eyes at the spirit woman presiding over the ritual. Based on her appearance, which was fifty percent similar to Celeste, Andreas recognized her identity at a glance.
'Is she Celeste's mother? She indeed passed away long ago. But what does this eerie ritual mean?'
There was no need for much thought; the thing calling Celeste must be the miniature one-handed staff on the altar. However, Andreas couldn't understand why so many spirits were singing hymns to a staff.
Quietly retreating, Andreas told everyone about the situation inside the temple without reservation.
As expected, when Celeste heard that her mother's soul still lingered in the temple, she was both saddened by her mother's passing and excited to enter the temple immediately to meet her.
Andreas thought for a moment. "Alright, but let's make preparations just in case."
"Shandris, you and..."
Seeing the pitiful look of pleading on his daughter's face, Andreas sighed and continued, "...and Aurora will cover the rear at the temple entrance. The rest of you, come inside with me."
Just like Brightwing's previous encounter, when Andreas stepped into the temple without concealment, all the ghosts, led by Celeste's mother, stopped their chanting and turned to look at the temple entrance.
Being stared at by over a thousand pairs of blood-red spectral eyes was indeed a bit creepy, but Andreas was an old hand who had weathered many storms; he ignored the other faceless ghosts and looked at Celeste's mother, waiting for her next move.
Celeste's mother's eyes were dull, and she didn't seem to possess any reason, acting only according to a predetermined program.
"Merciful moon goddess, please help your devout believer drive away the uninvited intruders."
Elune responded mischievously in Andreas' mind, "Sure."
"Thud!"
A powerful repulsive force suddenly emanated from the Eluro Temple, and the caught-off-guard Andreas and the others were pushed out of the temple's range by this gentle force.
Andreas sighed helplessly, "Stop playing around. Since you're so free, help me check what's going on with these ghosts."
After the joke, Elune's tone returned to normal. "These are all earthbound spirits, bound to the temple by their own obsessions and unable to leave."
"Except for the leading female ghost, the other souls have long since lost all reason and are part of the 'program' forced to remain in the temple to chant hymns and drive away outsiders."
Andreas asked in surprise, "Do the hymns really have an expelling effect? Wasn't that just your prank?"
Elune replied with a light laugh, "That moment just now indeed had some of my extra input, but the hymns that normally expel intruders also work, they just can't drive away demigods."
Even a deity cannot respond to the prayers of all believers at the same time. Elune has at least several million followers, and responding to them one by one would eventually lead to a split personality.
Most of the time, Elune relies on an auto-response program she wrote herself to reply to her followers' pleas; prayers that don't reach a certain intensity are even hard to trigger her auto-response mechanism.
The temple hymn array before them was clearly capable of reaching sufficient intensity, and the control center should be that only female ghost whose appearance could be clearly seen, Celeste's mother.
"Mother!"
Celeste rushed into the temple again in excitement, and unsurprisingly, she was bounced out once more. This time, it wasn't Elune's prank, but the divine descent spell triggered by the hymn acting instinctively.
Celeste's mother seemed not to hear her daughter's call at all, still chanting and guiding the performance of the hymns.
Andreas scratched his head in distress, "What should we do? Should we force our way through?"
"Go ahead." Elune sighed. "These poor believers of mine have been bound in the temple for too long; it's time to set them free."
With Elune's approval, Andreas extended a blade of light from the tip of his staff and slashed at the barrier constructed outside the church.
"Screeech!"
With a tooth-grinding sound of friction, the hymn array finally shattered. The faceless ghosts sitting on the benches in the temple let out bursts of joyful low murmurs and dissipated one by one into blue smoke.
The woman in ornate dress, acting as the core of the array, still muttered mechanically to herself. The staff placed on the altar retracted the light covering the other ghosts and poured it all into Celeste's mother's body.
"Celeste, go on."
Andreas gave Celeste a nudge from behind. "The source calling to you should be that staff. As long as you take it, you should be able to resolve this predicament."
Celeste adjusted her mood with a deep breath. "I understand."
After several consecutive Blinks into the temple, the delirious female ghost mobilized the energy covering her body to attack Celeste, but Celeste skillfully dodged them all using space magic.
"Snap!"
After the third Blink, Celeste finally reached the altar and reached out to grab the staff.
"Hum!"
The staff in Celeste's hand suddenly vibrated with a low hum. Before Celeste could even turn her head to look, the ghost suddenly vanished into thin air, disappearing from the spot without a trace.
Aurora, who was peeking from behind her mother, asked in surprise, "Just like that? It's over?"
"No."
Andreas looked at the staff in Celeste's hand and said, "There should be more to follow."
As the ghost dissipated, the residual energy she had spread out was all sucked into the staff.
The small and exquisite staff suddenly began to flash with a blinding light, and a translucent phantom gradually took shape in front of Celeste.
"Celeste, my daughter."
Celeste, whose vision had not yet recovered, was jolted when she heard the familiar voice. "Mother?!"
As the light faded, the ghost with the same appearance appeared before Celeste again, but compared to her previous dullness, the expression on the ghost's face had become much more vivid.
Unfortunately, the ghost's eyes did not focus on Celeste in front of her; clearly, this was just the last remnant soul projection she had left behind.
"I'm sorry I won't be able to see you grow up day by day and start your own family, but even without me, I believe Dath'Remar will provide you with the best environment for your growth."
Celeste moved past her initial excitement and understood the current situation from the calls that received no response.
"The flood is about to sweep in, and I don't have much time. Let's keep it short."
The ghost pointed her finger at the altar. "This staff is a coming-of-age gift your father and I prepared for you long ago. Unfortunately, it has been kept in the Eluro Temple to be nurtured, and I couldn't hand it to you personally at the last moment."
"I believe that one day in the future, you will find the temple that sank into the sea and find this final gift. I hope it can help you carve out a bright path in the dark future."
"Remember its name, the Scepter of Skyfire. Your mother's soul will reside within it and be with you forever."
After saying these final words, the ghost, whose long-held wish had been fulfilled, dispersed into countless light particles and merged into the staff just as she had said.
"Mother..."
The family members stepped forward one by one to comfort Celeste, who was kneeling on the ground, clutching the staff and sobbing softly.
Andreas frowned slightly as he looked at the staff in Celeste's hand.'Strange, since the temple's barrier can't stop a demigod, how could Azshara not have noticed such an anomaly right under her nose for all these years?'
'Or... was this intentional on her part?'
...With the wealth and resources of the Sunstrider Family in ancient times, the quality of the precious coming-of-age gift for their daughter would naturally not be poor.
After ten thousand years of being baptized and nurtured by hymns, and having the soul of Lady Sunstrider merged into it, this staff had completed its sublimation from a mundane item to a divine artifact.
To Celeste, the sentimental value of the Scepter of Skyfire far outweighed its practical utility.
After leaving the temple, Celeste kept clutching the staff and whispering softly, as if intending to tell her mother, who could not respond, everything she had experienced over the past ten thousand years.
Hearing Andreas' suspicion, Shandris also frowned. "It is indeed strange. The Eluro Temple is not far from the entrance of the Eternal Palace. There's no reason Azshara wouldn't have noticed the anomaly inside the temple."
Aurora asked whimsically, "Could it be that she always intended to repent and intentionally left this staff as a key to breaching the Eternal Palace?"
"Nonsense." Andreas patted his daughter's head with a laugh. "First of all, what a proud person Azshara is. Even if she felt regret in her heart, she wouldn't take the initiative to admit it for the sake of her dignity as a Queen."
"Secondly, the Eternal Palace's defenses are comprehensive. How could it be breached by a single staff? Your idea underestimates Azshara's Royal Guards too much."
Aurora scratched her head in embarrassment. "Then I don't know, but I always feel like she intentionally left this staff for us."
"Yeah..." Andreas looked toward the Eternal Palace through Kameshier Street. "What exactly is that Queen thinking?"
The ruins of Suramar were primarily composed of the former noble district. Leticia and Celeste discovered their long-abandoned family manors within the ruins one after another.
Revisiting their old home after ten thousand years filled them both with emotion. Andreas followed Leticia into her room to take a look.
Due to Tichondrius' sudden attack, the Yuege Family's grand mansion had been severely damaged, and Leticia's room, which had been at the center of the battle, was nearly completely destroyed.
After repelling Tichondrius, Faelithris had hired people to repair the mansion. Although it had been restored, Leticia found it difficult to feel any resonance within the ruined room of today.
After ten thousand years of being submerged in seawater, most of the items in the room had long since rotted away, leaving only a large metal bed frame made of an unknown material still standing stubbornly in place.
Aurora looked around the room curiously. "Sister Leticia, is this your room from ten thousand years ago?"
"Yes," Leticia said somewhat sadly. "Unfortunately, everything has long since changed beyond recognition."
Andreas smiled and said, "While it's impossible to truly restore your room, it can still be done through an illusory reconstruction."
Back then, Andreas had spent quite a long time in Leticia's room in his crow form, and he still retained some vague memories of the room's general layout.
He used Shadow Magic to construct an illusion, and under Leticia's guidance, he restored the image of the room from ten thousand years ago as much as possible.
"That's it."
Leticia said nostalgically, "After I go back this time, I plan to change the furnishings of my room. I'll follow this style as a way to cherish the past."
The ruins of Suramar, teeming with ghosts, were not suitable for sightseeing.
After finishing their visit to the old site, Andreas and the others headed toward the Azshari frontline, which was the responsibility of the Horde.
As one of the three major fortress strongholds guarding the Eternal Palace, the defenses of the Terrace of Azshari were exceptionally solid.
During the days Andreas' family spent in the ruins of Suramar, the coalition soldiers had never stopped their assault on the defensive line for a single moment. However, as of today, the defenses of the Terrace of Azshari remained intact.
The one stationed in the fortress was a six-armed Naga spellcaster. Her status was clearly high, judging by her size and the decorations on her body.
To avoid rumors of showing favoritism to the Alliance, Andreas and the others did not personally intervene while inspecting the front lines.
Although progress was very slow, it was generally visible that the coalition was gradually chipping away at the fortifications of Azshari.
As long as these sharp teeth were pulled, breaking through the fortress was only a matter of time.
The situation at the Terrace of Zanj'ir, which the Alliance was attacking, was much the same.
The Murlocs of the Kelp Forest could not pose any substantial threat to the Alliance; the real problem lay with the Naga elites guarding the fortress.
Since they had agreed on a three-pronged attack, Jarod did not simply hold his ground after Andreas left.
In the process of excavating underground tunnels, the main Night Elf army commanded by Jarod repeatedly provoked the front defensive line of the Eternal Palace using a combination of feints and real attacks.
Azshara's Royal Guards were distracted by the coordinated air and ground attacks of the Night Elves, and they inevitably became somewhat lax in guarding against the trenches approaching the palace gates.
The three-pronged attack dispersed the Naga's defensive forces. By the time the Royal Guards finally noticed the trenches right in front of them, the tunnel warfare was nearing its end.
The trenches in the rear were filled in as the main force advanced, while the trenches in the front were constantly being dug.
Using this slow and steady method of advancement, the Royal Guards, like frogs being boiled in lukewarm water, saw their maneuvering space eaten away bit by bit. Eventually, they were forced to retreat behind the city's defensive barrier... Andreas stood before the barrier, enduring the attacks of countless Naga, and reached out to pat the seemingly thin shield.
This insolent act drew the ire of the Naga Royal Guards, and many hot-blooded Naga attempted to rush out and slay him.
But in the end, these poor Naga became Andreas' tools. After being mind-controlled, they turned around to slaughter their own kin.
If the general guarding the royal city hadn't timely ordered the others to kill the controlled Naga, Andreas might have nearly destroyed the barrier's core formation from the inside using the information obtained from those poor wretches' minds.
"It's very solid. This barrier can absorb magical attacks and convert them into energy to sustain itself. It's almost completely immune to magic."
"Physical attacks of insufficient strength hit the barrier like a scratch. We need more powerful physical classes to launch an attack together."
Azshara herself was a grand master of the Arcane; it was not surprising that she could create a magic-immune barrier.
Among the existing demigods of Azeroth, there were no pure physical classes. There were Priests of Light and Shadow, Priestesses of the Moon who combined the abilities of Sentinels and Priests, and pure classes like Malfurion and Velen.
Shandris used physical arrows to fire her maximum output Aimed Shots, causing the barrier to ripple violently. Although it terrified the Naga Royal Guards hiding behind it, several consecutive volleys failed to completely break the defense.
The one responsible for guarding the outer city district was an old-looking mutated Naga.
This commander, named Sivara, had a lower body like a crab with three legs on each side, and a strange extra fish tail trailing behind her.
Needless to say, this creature was definitely another product of N'Zoth's modifications.
While Shandris bombarded the barrier, Sivara remained vigilant in front of the palace's main gate, ready for the moment the barrier might be breached.
Even Shandris, with her incredible arm strength, could not break the barrier with physical attacks, so it was even more impossible for Andreas, a spellcaster.
As the Night Elves pushed the battle line to the palace gates, the two flanking fortresses, whose reinforcements had been cut off, finally could no longer hold out.
The Alliance and the Horde broke through their respective fortresses almost simultaneously with the help of their allies. Jarod timely sent troops to flank from the rear, completely wiping out these two elite Naga remnants.
The coalition forces gathered outside the barrier in a grand display once more. Under Andreas' demigod-level magical protection, Varian, Muradin, Baine, and Saurfang took turns attacking the barrier, even trying to strike together, but all were ultimately unsuccessful.
Andreas rubbed his brow helplessly. "Let's wait. When my mentor returns, we'll try attacking with Shandris."
Five days later, Malfurion finally arrived to rendezvous, bringing with him a large group of Makrura who were chattering away in an unknown language.
Using the Druidic abilities of animal soothing and communication, Malfurion had successfully persuaded the Makrura to join the siege of the Eternal Palace.
At this moment, the reinforcements suddenly sent by Ulduar gave the coalition hope of breaking the barrier.
Loken had summoned a large number of Sea Giants, who were also originally Titan Constructs, from the ocean. These giants, similar in size to the Keepers, now surrounded the palace barrier.
The combined attacks of the powerful Sea Giants made the barrier boom. After Shandris and the Great Bear Malfurion delivered the final blow, the last barrier guarding the Eternal Palace was finally shattered.
Andreas took the lead, using Shadowmeld to teleport behind Sivara, who was fighting to the death. The light blade of the Staff of Ganir sliced off all three crab legs on her left side.
Losing her balance, Sivara fell sideways to the ground with a scream. Before she could crawl back up, the Tauren's Kodo Beast heavy cavalry trampled over her, tragically crushing her into a meat patty.
"It is time! Charge into the palace and open the way to Nyalotha! N'Zoth's doom has come!"
With the arrival of the Sea Giant reinforcements, the Dragonflight that had completed the Black Dragon King's coronation ceremony also finally arrived.
Hodir injected the power of the Earth-Warder, extracted from Deathwing, into Ebysian's body, and the new Earth-Warder was officially born.
Young Ebysian still has some gaps in strength compared to other veteran Aspects, but the gathering of the five Aspects once again greatly boosted the morale of the Dragonflight.
Although the interior of the Eternal Palace is spacious, it is not suitable for the Dragonflight to enter in their true forms.
There are still small groups of Naga who slipped through the outer defense lines in various parts of Naz'jatar. Under the point-by-point identification of the Swordfish-folk, the main Dragonflight army stayed outside to clear the remaining Naga forces.
After trampling Vashjir, the Water Elementals also hurried over under the leadership of Neptulon. Together with the deep-sea fleet of the Night Elves, they surrounded the area to intercept reinforcements, blocking all Naga attempting to support Naz'jatar.
Although ten thousand years have passed, many details familiar to Andreas still remain in the Eternal Palace.
Even the training ground where he once fought Azshara has been preserved intact.
Perhaps because it was buried in the deep sea for a long time, the palace's once quiet and peaceful atmosphere has become somewhat eerie and terrifying. The overall impression it gave Andreas was still quite different from the past.
The Naga resistance inside the palace was more intense, as the fearless Royal Guards fought bravely under the leadership of Azshara's personal handmaidens.
The Coalition Forces, forming a local numerical advantage, advanced together with all their elites. The Night Elves in the center separated the armies of the Alliance and the Horde. Under multi-party cooperation, they soon advanced to the palace courtyard.
The situation in Naz'jatar, mostly controlled by Naga, could easily mislead people. But after breaking into the Eternal Palace, the deformed Void Creatures seen everywhere once again reminded the Coalition Forces of the close cooperation between Azshara and N'Zoth.
The last powerful officer guarding before Azshara's throne was a general sent by N'Zoth, a Faceless One covered in sturdy bone armor.
As always, the dual-voiced static noise drew Andreas' displeasure. While Varian prepared to charge, Andreas took the lead in summoning a vast expanse of brilliant Holy Light in the palace.
The Holy Light scorched the body of this Faceless general, who called himself Za'qul, making a "sizzling" sound. Za'qul's cries of pain echoed throughout the hall.
Za'qul, modified by N'Zoth, was indeed stronger than average Faceless generals, but to Andreas, he was just "so-so."
N'Zoth had no Kthir under his command, so he could only use his remaining resources to piece together as much powerful combat force as possible.
But physical modification ultimately has limits. The lesson of Deathwing made N'Zoth afraid to casually cut his soul and inject it into his subordinates' bodies again.
Za'qul's whispers, mental corruption, and other means were completely ineffective against Andreas. Aside from these Void spells that affect the soul, this guy was just a relatively tanky large target.
While Andreas was suppressing Za'qul, the young and aggressive Princess Talanji attempted to join the battle to show off Zandalar's heritage, but Za'qul's area-of-effect Fear Field immediately gave Talanji a harsh lesson.
Hex Lord Rall hurriedly placed a Tremor Totem to dispel the fear and rescued Talanji.
Rall's wife, War Druid Lothi, smiled bitterly and advised the shaken Talanji, "Princess, this kind of battle is not something we Mortals can easily interfere in. Please step back for now."
Andreas could pummel Za'qul purely because of elemental affinity. Even if other demigods like Shandris, Velen, or Malfurion were to step in, resolving Za'qul wouldn't be this easy.
With Za'qul's final scream, the Faceless general was held by the head by Andreas and completely purified with a high concentration of Holy Light.
"Ew~"
Shaking his hand, Andreas was very disgusted by the slime on the Faceless One's head.
"This guy should be the last Faceless general N'Zoth left in the Eternal Palace."
Cleaning off the disgusting secretions on his hands, Andreas placed his hand on the door leading to Azshara's throne.
"Everyone, are you ready? You are about to face the first Mortal demigod in Azeroth's history, the most powerful Arcane spellcaster."
Prince Rhonin of Lordaeron smiled freely. "Of course, I've always wanted to see higher-level Arcane applications. This battle is exactly what I wished for."
The other two of the new generation Dalaran Trio, Jaina and Khadgar, also showed expectant expressions.
The strongest Arcanist humans had ever seen was Celeste, who stood at the peak of Mortals, and this Speaker Moonshadow's wife was low-key and rarely acted.
Kael'thas used to see scenes of Celeste pummeling Silvermoon Council members when he was a child, but the individual strength of those decaying old nobles was worrying and could not push Celeste to her limits.
Even Andreas, also a demigod, didn't dare say he could definitely win against Azshara, let alone Celeste, who hadn't crossed that final threshold yet.
Varian took off his Golden Lion-head Helmet, which made him feel a bit stuffy, and said firmly, "Please open the door. Queen Azshara is a hurdle that must be overcome sooner or later. Without defeating her, we cannot enter Nyalotha to eliminate N'Zoth."
Go'el also tightened his grip on the doomhammer. "Speaker Moonshadow, please don't worry about us. In this battle, non-demigod Mortals can only provide support. We will help hold off Azshara's guards; the Naga Queen is left to you."
Andreas nodded slowly. "Very well, everyone's fighting spirit is commendable. Then let us begin."
Velen, Shandris, and Malfurion, the three demigods, stood beside Andreas, and the four together pushed the heavy door.
*Creak~*
As the door swung open, Azshara, directly facing the door, first came into everyone's sight.
At this time, Azshara still maintained her Night Elf form, sitting on her throne with her lustrous legs crossed, holding a cup of blood-red wine in her hand.
"Ah~ champions of Azeroth, you are finally here."
Azshara stood up from her throne, her tall and perfect figure stretching out. Vaguely, a faint fragrance could be smelled. Azshara's seductive charm made the men present unconsciously breathe harder.
This wasn't because Azshara used a charm spell, but rather the charm naturally emitted by her flawless beauty. Even Jaina, also a beauty, had eyes full of praise and appreciation for the ultimate beauty.
Walking down the throne steps, Azshara ignored the Coalition Forces elites pouring into the palace and looked at Andreas with a smile. "Little Andreas, have you figured out how to defeat me?"
Andreas shrugged with a smile. "Sorry, maybe you'll call me shameless, but I've never been one to care about face."
"Since I can't defeat you alone, I chose to find more helpers. Please don't blame me for using gang-up tactics."
"Haha~"
Azshara covered her mouth and let out a hearty laugh. "How could I blame you? As Azeroth's most perfect Queen, someone who can defeat me alone simply doesn't exist. It's fine if you all come together."
Tilting her head back to pour the red wine from the cup into her mouth, the rhythmic movement of Azshara's beautiful neck curve drew a sound of swallowing saliva.
*Smash~*
The wine glass hit the mirror-like floor of the palace, making a crisp shattering sound, and Azshara transformed back into her Naga form in front of everyone.
"Come, Andreas, I hope you can bring me a pleasant time."
Her golden eyes turned to Varian, Go'el, and the other Coalition Forces heroes. "As for you, play well with me and my handmaidens."
Azshara's Chief Handmaiden, Vashj, was far away in Mardum. Faelithris took her place, leading five of Azshara's trusted handmaidens as they swam out from both sides of the throne, each followed by a small squad of Royal Guards armed to the teeth.
This group of Royal Guards had a balanced composition, featuring shield warriors in the front to soak up damage, as well as archers and casters in the back to provide physical and magical damage.
"Come, let this grand court waltz begin!"
Azshara retrieved her staff from the void and drew a circle in the air.
With Azshara at the center, a hemispherical shield appeared in the middle of the spacious throne room, enveloping Andreas and his three companions within it.
"Swoosh!"
Shandris reacted with lightning speed, firing a rapid shot. The arrow struck the shield, causing a few ripples, but the surface quickly returned to a calm state.
Andreas stared intently at Azshara, keeping an eye on Shandris' movements with his peripheral vision.
"A Restrictive Magic Circle? It seems Her Majesty is quite confident in herself."
The Restrictive Magic Circle must have been prepared by Azshara in advance. While it trapped Andreas and the others, it also enclosed her within it.
Although as the controller of the spell, Azshara could lift the restriction at any time, doing so would inevitably cost her some focus.
In a battle between masters, a fraction of a second's hesitation or pause could determine the final outcome.
Azshara's pre-arranged setup proved her extreme confidence in her own strength, believing she could emerge victorious even when facing an assault from multiple opponents.
'Where does this confidence come from?'
As Malfurion took the lead by transforming into a great bear and charging forward, Andreas merely manipulated Shadow Power with precision, attempting to hinder Azshara's movements.
Velen timely bolstered Malfurion with Holy Light defensive spells, allowing the thick-furred bear to withstand Azshara's highly penetrative Arcane Spikes and continue his charge.
Shandris also fired a volley of arrows to block Azshara's evasion routes, restricting her range of movement to a certain area and forcing her to face Malfurion's direct assault.
Compared to his three teammates who had quickly entered the combat state, Andreas was inevitably holding back a bit while he harbored doubts.
'Azshara is strong, but facing four demigods of the same rank—even if we are individually slightly weaker than her—the win rate of four attacking together certainly won't be low.'
'Could it be that she made other preparations in advance? Is she confident she can turn the tide under such a massive disadvantage?'
Seeing the three of them temporarily suppress Azshara through their seamless cooperation, Andreas began to distract himself by observing the environment around the throne room.
The combat prowess of the Royal Guards led by Faelithris was completely different from the Naga they had encountered outside earlier.
Before entering the throne room, the leaders of the various races had considered that Azshara would have helpers.
The destructive power caused by demigod-level experts is not something ordinary soldiers can withstand. Those selected for this strike team were all major figures who could be honored as heroes within their respective races.
The numbers on both sides were roughly equal. Judging purely by combat power, the coalition's star-studded lineup undoubtedly held the absolute upper hand.
But a battle is sometimes not decided purely by strength on paper; factors like battle intent, cooperation, and effective command also influence the situation.
The Royal Guards led by Faelithris were not a ragtag army thrown together like the coalition; they had fought together for ten thousand years. Their powerful synergy greatly compensated for the gap in combat power.
However, the reason heroes are called heroes is that they can show their brilliance in a stalemate.
Andreas was not worried about the battle involving Celeste and Leticia. Although there would inevitably be some twists and turns in the process, the final victory would surely belong to Azeroth.
As Andreas observed the throne room's environment, he discovered some clues.
The back of the hall leading to Azshara's bedchamber was immersed in the characteristic gloom of the deep sea. The seawater held back by the Tidestone's parting of the sea faintly reflected shimmering ripples of light.
'The boundary created by the Tidestone is right in front of Azshara's bedchamber? Something seems wrong.'
The sea-parting spell of the Tidestone had been activated by Andreas himself. Out of a slight sense of perfectionism, the area he cleared should have been a perfect circle.
Judging by this standard, Azshara's bedchamber should also have been located in a dry area, but the scene before him was different from what Andreas had expected.
'Seawater... could it be?'
"Hehe~"
Seeing the sudden look of realization and surprise on Andreas' face, Azshara, who was busy fending off the attacks of the three demigods, suddenly flashed a strange smile.
"As expected of you, your mind is indeed meticulous enough."
Azshara swung her staff horizontally, and a highly compressed Arcane Blade temporarily halted Malfurion. Even with his tough hide and the spell protection added by Velen, Malfurion was not confident he could take this hit head-on.
Twisting her three Naga tails to retreat quickly, Azshara's three hands on her left side, which were not holding the staff, reached into the void again and pulled a long Trident from her personal space.
Azshara was a pure mage; none of the legends had ever mentioned her possessing close-quarters combat abilities.
In reality, this was also the case; the polearm in Azshara's hand was not meant for melee. Andreas and the others felt intense mana fluctuations emanating from this Trident.
"You all seem quite proud of the home-field advantage you've created?"
Holding up a shield, Azshara raised the Trident high, tanking the arrows and spells fired by Shandris and Malfurion, who had shifted back into human form.
Everyone present simultaneously felt the Water Elemental power in the throne room surge. The seawater locked at the boundary of the bedchamber by the Tidestone began to fluctuate on a small scale.
A bright and captivating smile appeared on Azshara's face. "I indeed cannot completely break a spell cast with a Titan Artifact, but to turn the tide on a small scale... I can still manage that."
"Splash!"
The fluctuating seawater finally broke through the Tidestone's blockade, and the entire throne room began to be submerged by the surging currents.
"Just as I thought."
Andreas withdrew the Chaos Power that had almost been released from the tip of the Staff of Ganir, and calmly cast the Underwater Breathing spells he had learned before setting out onto Velen and the others.
"Hmm?"
Azshara couldn't help but frown when she saw this. "Andreas, surely you didn't anticipate this scene long ago?"
"I didn't."
With the help of gestures and incantations, Andreas quickly finished casting for everyone present, then gave a self-deprecating smile. "I didn't expect you to be able to bring out this artifact Trident to break the restrictions of the Tidestone to a limited degree."
"However, I have one major flaw: I am far too cautious."
Just as the seawater rose past Andreas' mouth, a layer of energy film appeared on the surface of everyone's bodies simultaneously.
"I consider handling methods for every possible unexpected factor. For fighting in the deep sea, Underwater Breathing is a mandatory emergency spell to learn."
Underwater Breathing spells have a time limit. Andreas didn't waste any more time explaining and poured Holy Light power into the Staff of Ganir with all his might.
"Come, round two. Let's see what kind of power the Naga Queen can exert on her own home turf."
Underwater combat was not only affected by breathing; as terrestrial creatures, the heroes of the coalition, including Andreas, were nowhere near as agile as the Naga in water.
Entering their familiar environment, the Naga in the throne room could be described as like fish in water.
The Royal Guards fighting Celeste and the others reversed their previously suppressed state, using their flexible underwater mobility to force the caught-off-guard coalition heroes into a frantic struggle.
The change in environment left Celeste unable to cast her best fire spells; facing a similar predicament was another member of the Sunstrider Family, the grill master Kael'thas.
Al'ar, the Flame Phoenix that had been flying overhead, instantly became a drenched bird, hurriedly hiding back by Kael'thas' side, no longer able to exert its advantages as a phoenix.
Maiev, who was far away in Astranaar maintaining the Tidestone spell, also sensed something was wrong; a small area of seawater had escaped the control of the Tidestone.
Maiev was not as familiar with the Tidestone as Andreas was. Although she tried hard to regain control, facing a prepared Azshara, it was difficult for Maiev to clear the seawater from the palace in a short time.
Andreas used the soul link connecting Velen, Shandris, and the others to silently issue an order: 'Underwater breathing has a thirty-minute limit. Finish this quickly!'
Since Azshara had already revealed her trump card, Andreas and the others skipped the testing phase and engaged in a life-or-death battle with Azshara with real steel.
For ranged and support classes like Velen and Shandris, there wasn't much to adapt to in underwater combat, except for the need to consider their floating state more when dodging.
Malfurion, however, was in a bit of a bind; the big-bottomed bear struggled to swing its claws to paddle through the water, appearing much more clumsy compared to its previous fierce charging agility.
Malfurion was not an inflexible person; having lost the spatial concepts of up, down, left, and right in the water, the traditional concept of an MT was no longer as important.
The Archdruid immediately changed forms, using the spell affinity of the Moonkin form to join the ranks of those blasting Azshara.
Although Azshara had anticipated that Andreas might have a countermeasure, she hadn't expected the opponents to adapt so quickly.
With a four-on-one spell exchange, and with both sides at the same level of power, the side with more people naturally gained the upper hand. Even Azshara's agile dodging in the water couldn't change the overall situation.
But the battle on the other side was not so optimistic. Varian, Saurfang, and the other 'tin cans' in heavy armor found it extremely difficult to move in the ocean, and they struggled greatly against the attacks of the Naga Royal Guards.
"Tsk! No choice then."
Varian roughly stripped the lion-head pauldrons from his body, letting them fall through the water to the palace floor.
Saurfang, Bolvar, and the other heavy armor warriors followed suit, discarding their armor to fight light.
The lack of armor protection would inevitably reduce the warriors' defense in close quarters, but on the other hand, it liberated their mobility.
In the ocean, Varian could still use his rage to trigger Heroic Leap; he stepped through the seawater to rapidly charge toward the Naga casters in the back, slaying a caught-off-guard female Naga under the propulsion of air bubbles.
Overall, the coalition heroes, who had been firmly in the lead, had their combat power limited by the change in environment, barely managing a draw with the Naga guards.
The silenced Celeste looked a bit awkwardly at Leticia, who continued to throw her moon wheel to kill enemies in the water, and tried to switch to her relatively less proficient Arcane spells to attack.
"Eh?"
Just as Andreas' group of four was fighting with all their might to suppress Queen Azshara, the Skyfire Scepter Celeste had obtained from the Eluro Temple suddenly began to flicker with a hazy Arcane glow.
Celeste was surprised to find that this staff actually began to move on its own, dragging her hand to turn toward Azshara.
Clang!
The Skyfire Scepter suddenly changed form; the closed part of the staff head opened to both sides, and a blade of pure energy extended from the tip.
"Andreas!"
Under the control of an unknown power, Celeste could not discard the staff and subconsciously called out her husband's name.
At this time, Andreas was working with Velen to use Light Chains, and it looked like they were about to completely seal off Azshara's dodging space.
Celeste's panic-stricken call made him turn his head in distraction, just in time to see Celeste involuntarily raise the energy sword and slash an Arcane energy blade toward Azshara.
"Huh?"
"Stop attacking, maneuver and dodge!"
The three demigods alerted by Andreas paddled back simultaneously. Facing this blade of light, Azshara made no move to dodge; instead, she opened her arms and revealed a satisfied smile that her plan had succeeded.
Slash!
The light blade passed through Azshara without causing her any harm, but the metal 'bracelets' on Azshara's six hands shattered simultaneously as the Arcane light blade passed through her body.
The light blade, its momentum undiminished, slammed heavily into a shadow wall on the side of the throne room that seemed capable of swallowing light.
"Aaaaaah!"
A scream from nowhere echoed through the hall. Everyone, including the Naga and the coalition heroes, clutched their heads in pain and subconsciously curled into balls in the water.
"Azshara! You dare betray my trust!"
A furious voice mixed with pain echoed in the throne room. Azshara had now reverted to her Night Elf form, leisurely stretching her wrists.
"Heh~ It feels so good to be without shackles."
Crack~
The shadow wall struck by Celeste's light blade began to make cracking sounds. Andreas finally realized something was wrong; he had actually subconsciously ignored this eerie scene before.
"N'Zoth's mental misdirection?"
A burst of Holy Light Purification dispelled all the Void energy near the shadow wall, revealing a massive, murky yellow eyeball to everyone's sight.
Now, this eyeball had a deep scar on its surface, and bright red blood was spreading from the vertical pupil into the sea.
"I told you long ago."
Azshara looked at the damaged eyeball and sneered, "We are only in a cooperative relationship. When both sides feel the other has no more utility, the alliance can be broken at any time."
"Hmph!"
N'Zoth snorted in anger, "What you desire to obtain from me is not yet in your hands. Why now..."
"No."
A meaningful smile appeared on Azshara's face. "I have already obtained half. The remaining half... can only be obtained after you die. That is why I am abandoning the alliance."
"Arrogance!"
N'Zoth vibrated sound waves through the ocean. "Do you think opening the gate to Nyalotha will allow you to defeat me? Dream on! I still..."
"Shut up."
Azshara threw the trident she held in her left hand toward N'Zoth's eyeball. "This is the artifact you gave me. I'm returning it to you!"
"Aaaah!!!"
The trident pierced into N'Zoth's monitoring eyeball and completely exploded as Azshara actively detonated the artifact.
With the explosion of the artifact that had the power to control water, Maiev finally regained control of the seawater within the area, and the palace became dry once again.
After the light and shadow of the explosion dissipated, an open, ancient gate appeared where N'Zoth's eyeball had exploded, and a desolate land glowing with an eerie red light appeared behind the gate.
The sudden turn of events left everyone unable to react. Andreas rubbed his brow with a headache.
Azshara crossed her hands in front of her chest, supporting her beautiful figure, and said to Andreas with a half-smile, "Please, little Andreas. I've placed my bet on you. Don't let me down."
With Azshara's sudden betrayal without warning, the Naga Royal Guards, who were in the middle of a fierce battle with the heroes of the allied forces, also took the initiative to retreat and show goodwill under Faelithris' lead.
Even Andreas, who was praised by Queen Azshara for his meticulous mind, was completely bewildered, and the others were even more at a loss.
Varian, Kael'thas, and the others maintained their vigilance while also backing away. Celeste looked at the relic her mother had left her with a conflicted expression and used Blink to teleport to Andreas' side.
When Azshara saw Celeste, the image of that little girl as pretty as carved jade suddenly surfaced in her mind, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her face.
"So it's the little girl from the Sunstrider Family. Ten thousand years have passed, and you've already grown into a graceful young woman."
Turning her gaze back to Andreas, a playful smile appeared on Azshara's face. "I didn't expect you to marry Andreas. It seems our Lord Speaker also has lolicon tendencies..."
"Cough!"
Andreas interrupted Azshara's yet-to-be-spoken slander with an unnatural expression. "Familiarity is one thing, but if you start talking nonsense, I'll sue you for defamation just the same."
"Celeste was already an adult when she married me. There's no such thing as being a lolicon; it's absolutely impossible."
Azshara shrugged elegantly, smiling without saying a word.
Celeste looked at Azshara with a complex gaze. With Andreas' encouragement, she finally voiced her confusion.
"Queen Azshara, what exactly are you trying to do? When did you tamper with my mother's relic?"
Azshara smiled kindly at Celeste. "I can tell you the answer to the first question. My goal hasn't changed since ten thousand years ago: to become a true god of Azeroth and stand on equal footing with the high-and-mighty Elune."
Azshara held her head high and declared with pride, "I am the destined Queen of Azeroth. Even divine power cannot stand above me."
"The moon goddess Elune cannot, and the Old God N'Zoth certainly cannot."
"As for the second question..."
Azshara withdrew her aura and glanced at Andreas. "Your husband should already have some guesses."
Andreas spread his hands with a bitter smile. "I did guess that you might tamper with Lady Sunstrider's relic, but I never imagined it would be in this way."
"Originally, I was prepared to mentally control Celeste to promptly stop any threatening attacks she might make. Who would have thought her target was actually you... or rather, the shackles binding you and the gate to Nyalotha."
As early as when Celeste received the final gift from Lady Sunstrider, Andreas had his suspicions. There was no reason Azshara wouldn't have discovered the abnormality in the Eluro Temple over ten thousand years.
As it turned out, she indeed discovered it and had secretly tampered with the Skyfire Scepter.
Previously, Azshara hadn't found the most suitable moment to turn traitor, so she had remained patient and continued to cooperate with N'Zoth.
With the help of Celeste's unexpected attack, Azshara severed the shackles that N'Zoth had used to bind her for many years in one go, regaining her freedom.
From Andreas' perspective, Azshara's declaration of godhood should be sincere. Her decision to defect from N'Zoth at this time was likely related to her previous private conversation with Elune.
"Queen Azshara, I have one last question."
Having roughly sorted out his thoughts, Andreas looked at Azshara solemnly and asked, "You said your goal is half-achieved. What does this half refer to? And what is the other half that can only be obtained after N'Zoth's death?"
Azshara gave a meaningful smile. "I'd like to keep the answer to myself for now. Why don't you try to figure it out yourself first?"
"Besides, now is not the time to delve into my matters, is it?"
Azshara pointed towards the passage leading to Nyalotha. "Don't you need to charge into N'Zoth's lair in one go?"
"Don't blame me for not warning you. Although N'Zoth is mocked as the weakest of the Old Gods, his self-healing and physical modification abilities are far superior to those of C'Thun and Yogg-Saron."
"The damage I dealt to him earlier should heal within a few days. If you don't seize the time to kill him, the soul trauma left to N'Zoth when Deathwing perished will also soon disappear."
Andreas hesitated slightly and turned to look at the heroes of the allied forces who had just gone through a major battle.
Varian and Go'el were picking up their armor from the ground and putting it back on. Representing the Alliance was Prince Rhonin of Lordaeron.
"In the name of Lordaeron, I agree to continue the march."
Rhonin looked at Tirion and Saidan, who were also putting on their armor nearby. Both nodded to the prince in support.
Jaina also stepped forward to state her position. "Dalaran is also willing to continue the march. If we miss this chance, the opportunity to encounter N'Zoth when both his soul and body are injured will be slim to none."
Muradin, Mekkatorque, Kurdran, and other Alliance representatives stepped forward one after another to state their positions. As the pillar of the Alliance, the Kingdom of Stormwind naturally wouldn't lag behind.
Genn the Wolf King snorted coldly. "Just as Jaina said, the opportunity must be seized. Let's set out."
The three demigods, Velen, Shandris, and Malfurion, also nodded firmly. Once their opinions were unified, Andreas turned to look at Azshara, who was watching from the side with her arms crossed.
"Queen Azshara, what about you? Do you plan to stay in the Eternal Palace?"
"To be honest, we cannot fully trust you yet. If you decide to stay, the allied forces will arrange for personnel to place the palace under martial law. Please understand this."
"Hehe~" Azshara spread her hands and said, "Then I'll set out with you. It's truly unwise to scatter our combat power under these circumstances."
"Faelithris, you stay behind to clean up the palace. Perhaps before long, we will leave the dark seabed and return to the sunlight."
Faelithris, who had been exchanging glances with Leticia from a distance, calmly accepted the order.
"Yes."
...Although they had just experienced an intense battle, after repeated confirmation by the leaders of the various races of the allied forces, everyone decided to persist and cross the spatial gate to Nyalotha.
Nyalotha was originally N'Zoth's prison, sealed in a pocket dimension by the Titan Keepers.
The Sundering ten thousand years ago caused the entrance to Nyalotha to sink into the sea, providing N'Zoth with an excellent environment to hide and survive.
Upon officially stepping into Nyalotha, the scenery here was completely different from the deep-sea palace.
Countless thick clouds floated in a sunset-like crimson sky, and a vast complex of buildings constructed from obsidian sat upon the dry and desolate land.
Most of these buildings had already been corrupted by N'Zoth, who was about to complete his prison break. Massive, disgusting masses of flesh covered the surfaces of the buildings. A towering spire stood at the far end of the complex, and a thick Void aura permeated the entire space.
Although N'Zoth was injured again, he did not relax his defense of Nyalotha because of it.
As Andreas and the others stepped onto the land of Nyalotha, countless Void Creatures, led by several of N'Zoth's trusted generals, launched a frenzied assault on the allied forces.
*Swish!*
Azshara cast a Gravity Field in front of the Azeroth Allied Forces, temporarily blocking the advance of the Void army.
"I'll hold them off for now. Hurry up and deploy the army! These Void Creatures are very strong. Be mentally prepared for an unprecedentedly hard battle!"