The Final Chapter of the Trial of the Crusader (1)

"To become the new Lich King?"

At first, Taelan Fordring could hardly believe his ears, but when the Helm of Domination and Frostmourne were placed before him, he finally believed it.

People who are unaware of the truth often equate ability with luck.

Deep down, Taelan resented Arthas, an exiled and useless Prince who became the Lich King simply because he happened to obtain Frostmourne.

He had no idea what price Arthas had paid to become the Lich King.

Robbie said calmly, "Taelan, put on the Helm of Domination, pick up Frostmourne, and you will be the new Lich King. You will gain immense power and command countless Scourge."

Taelan felt waves of tremor, a joy that came from the depths of his soul.

Gazing at the Helm of Domination and Frostmourne before him, Taelan's heart surged with emotion.

He knew his father very well; everything Tirion Fordring did was to become the new Lich King, the Scourge leader who would rival the Alliance and the Horde.

Taelan was also aware of his position. The Lich King didn't need an heir. Once Tirion Fordring achieved his dream, Taelan's best fate would be to be thrown into a corner like trash and left to fend for himself.

But if Taelan becomes the Lich King, then his Destiny will be in his own hands.

As if afraid that Arthas would change his mind, Taelan hurriedly grabbed the Helm of Domination and put it on his head, then quickly picked up Frostmourne.

A powerful force surged into his body from Frostmourne, seemingly merging with this legendary weapon, his body merely a vessel for Frostmourne.

Sensing this terrifying power, Taelan was about to do something when he suddenly found himself in complete darkness. He could neither see nor hear anything, nor control his body; his consciousness was no longer in control of his body.

Taelan's heart sank as he recalled a Legendary: the Helm of Domination could control its host. But it was too late; his consciousness was plummeting into the Abyss.

Robbie shrugged, saying regretfully, "Aren't you going to ask what the price will be?"

Several Ghouls jumped to Taelan's side, helping him to cover the thick metal armor on his ship. At this moment, Taelan was like a puppet on a string, walking step by step towards the Frozen Throne.

A new Lich King has been born, but all his actions are under the control of Kel'Thuzad and Robbie, and Taelan's consciousness is locked in darkness.

Taelan's thick armor was covered in Runes that could be used to assess his physical condition.

Inside the secret laboratory of Icecrown Citadel, Kel'Thuzad led his Scourge mage team, closely monitoring Taelan's condition. Seeing Robbie approaching quickly, Kel'Thuzad shook his head in disappointment. "No signs of aging have been observed."

Robbie wasn't surprised and instructed, "The Lich King isn't just one person, but the leader of countless Undead creatures. We also need to equip Taelan with a large army."

With Robbie's permission, new Scourge soldiers were created using fragments of souls from various races of Azeroth.

In addition to small animals like rabbits and mice, fragments of the souls of intelligent races were also added, severely weakening the soldiers' strength to the point that they were only roughly equivalent to ordinary adult humans.

On the Frozen Throne, in the Blackfathom Deeps, Taelan finally saw a glimmer of light—countless threads, each representing a Scourge soldier.

There are also some thicker silk threads that can be used to command the actions of Scourge generals.

The Scourge Undead a hierarchical, tree-like structure. Ordinary soldiers report to officers, officers report to generals, and generals report to the Lich King. However, all soldiers are also controlled by the Lich King and have absolute power of life and death.

Although these threads are all connected to Taelan's soul, he remains merely an observer, unable to issue any commands; someone is manipulating his consciousness.

The new Scourge soldiers were too weak to even qualify as cannon fodder, so they were produced at an extremely fast pace. Although it was a fully equipped Scourge army of 200,000 men, armed and armored, it only took three days to produce them.

Robbie and Kel'Thuzad stared anxiously at Taelan's stats, but unfortunately, there were still no signs of aging.

Taelan, sitting on the Frozen Throne, still looks like a young man.

Kel'Thuzad felt a sense of frustration, but he tried to cheer himself up. "It's okay, we can still continue. Maybe we've missed something."

Robbie kept thinking and trying to analyze:

"We previously speculated that the aging was due to the repulsive force of Azeroth, and that the stronger one is, the faster one ages. Although we limited Taelan's strength, the aging should still be quite noticeable. It shouldn't be like this; perhaps there is some triggering condition."

Kel'Thuzad, recalling the Scourge's aging process, suddenly made a discovery and whispered:

"At that time, the Scourge was engaged in a great battle with the Burning Legion. Arthas personally led the charge, and his aging came in an instant, affecting the entire Scourge."

Robbie's eyes lit up. "It must be a battle; a battle is the trigger condition."

Kel'Thuzad gazed north, towards the Argent Tournament: "If that's the case, the Scourge should take the initiative and make our enemies pay the price."

After helping Thrall conquer Stormwind City, Tirion Fordring did not stay but returned directly to Northrend. He knew his Destiny: he would never be able to set foot on other continents again.

Having regained his spirits, Tirion Fordring reformed himself, turned away from the temptations of wine, personally killed the imposter, and presided over the Trial of the Crusader in the Argent Tournament.

Afterwards, the Kingdom of Stormwind launched a war to defend the king, sending an army of 100,000 into Stormwind City. Tirion Fordring ignored it and had no intention of participating, focusing instead on the Trial of the Crusader.

Thanks to Tirion Fordring's efforts, over 300,000 trial participants were slaughtered for failing, and their corpses were made into Tough Jerky and stored in a warehouse in the back mountains.

Tirion Fordring believed that defeating the Scourge would require a protracted war, and the Argent Tournament should continue indefinitely to provide a constant supply of provisions for the Orcs.

Today is a big day at the Argent Tournament, as dozens of teams have successfully eliminated representatives from the opposing faction and advanced to the final round.

The leaders of the Alliance and the Horde gathered to witness this most brutal and bloody Feast.

The final opponent is the Val'kyr Twins, whom Tirion Fordring claims are generals of the Scourge Army. He says that whoever defeats the Val'kyr Twins will be the ultimate victor.

The Val'kyr Twins actually originated from Odyn's Hall of Valor; this was a result of a compromise forced upon them by Odyn's coercion.

Odyn needs to collect the souls of warriors for Hall of Valor, since the winner has already been decided, and the warriors who make it to the final round are destined to die, their souls will be sent to Hall of Valor.

Tirion Fordring was very unhappy with Odyn's coercion, but had no choice but to step onto the platform and deliver a speech:

"Through countless sacrifices, Destiny has brought you here. Only by uniting can you overcome the final challenge. From the depths of Icecrown Glacier, the Lich King's winged messengers, the terrifying Val'kyr Twins, will become your ultimate enemy. Fight for victory!"

When the Val'kyr Twins entered the trial grounds, all the trial participants gasped in surprise.

The Val'kyr Twins are over ten meters tall; they are essentially two moving Castles.

A radiant light shone forth, like a small sun, and a bright vortex of light around her body caused the rocks beneath her feet to melt.

The other was pitch black, freezing the air wherever it passed, causing the indoor temperature to plummet.

This is a terrifying creature that no mortal could possibly defeat.