Just as Robbie had predicted, the battles against the Scourge caused Taelan to age prematurely.
The reason for this has not yet been found, and Robbie and Kel'Thuzad remain serious, closely monitoring the changes within Taelan.
The soldiers of the Argent Crusade were incredibly brave. Facing the ever-growing Scourge, they showed no fear of death, shouting "For Azeroth!" as they bravely charged into the training grounds.
Most of them had no armor and wielded crude wooden weapons. Due to days of hunger and cold, their bodies were so thin that they had difficulty even walking.
Driven solely by their burning passion, they waged a desperate battle against the resurrected Scourge soldiers.
Initially, although signs of aging had appeared, they did not affect Taelan's strength, and he cast spells at top speed.
Frostmourne continuously spews fragments of souls to revive fallen Argent Crusaders, but this is far from keeping pace with the rate at which the Argent Crusade are dying.
Before long, the Crusaders' Coliseum had become a terrifying battlefield, with corpses piled up layer upon layer, almost filling the entire training ground, and blood staining the ground red.
As more and more corpses piled up, Taelan could already touch the ceiling, with the hole he had just created right above his head. The entire training ground was now filled with corpses.
Even so, the soldiers of the Argent Crusade showed no fear. Driven by a terrifying power, their pupils turned an ominous red as they charged fearlessly towards the Scourge.
Finally, quantitative change led to qualitative change. The aging became more and more serious, affecting Taelan's strength. He suddenly staggered and almost fell to the ground, his body swaying slightly.
At the same time, the corpses resurrected by Taelan also showed signs of aging to varying degrees. Many of them were like old men frail and weak, with wrinkled faces and unsteady steps.
Only the Undead resurrected using Orcs Soul Shards showed no signs of aging and ruthlessly slaughtered the Argent Crusade.
Taelan gripped Frostmourne tightly in both hands, halting his resurrection of the dead, and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
A milky-white radiance spread across the field of vision, and a figure enveloped in the power of moonlight looked down from above, wielding a gleaming scythe, and slashed fiercely at Taelan.
At this moment, Taelan was under Kel'Thuzad's control and possessed excellent combat instincts. He wielded Frostmourne and charged forward, the Frostmourne clashing with the greatscythe.
With a crisp, loud crash, the scythe shattered into pieces, scattering across the mountain of corpses.
The figure enveloped in the power of moonlight retreated rapidly. As the power of moonlight dissipated, the face of the Emissary was revealed.
Taelan's attack left a terrible wound on the Emissary's left shoulder, revealing a body inside that resembled a tree trunk, with clearly defined lines, but no blood flowed out.
The Emissary was breathing heavily. When he saw Taelan take a step back, he laughed loudly:
"Arthas, so you've weakened to this extent. I still remember in Argus World, you Execute five Pit Lords with a single sword strike, scaring Mannoroth into fleeing in terror. If it were you back then, I would be a dead man by now."
Upon hearing this, Kel'Thuzad of Icecrown Citadel suddenly showed a surprised expression.
"How did he know? Is there some connection between the Moon Goddess and the Burning Legion?"
The Scourge established a base on Argus World and once engaged in a life-or-death battle with the Burning Legion, which ultimately ended with Mannoroth's escape.
The fact that the Emissary knew the details clearly indicates a significant problem.
Robbie pondered for a moment, then whispered, "This is an important lead; we must investigate it."
Silence was the best response, and to prevent Taelan from being exposed, Robbie kept him from making a sound.
Seeing Arthas gripping Frostmourne tightly in both hands, maintaining his fighting stance, the Emissary sneered:
"Indeed, Arthas, I am still no match for you now, but as more and more of Azeroth's people die at the hands of the Scourge, you will grow weaker and weaker. Before long, the armies of the Alliance and the Horde will storm Icecrown Citadel, and after hundreds of thousands more die, you may not even be able to wield Frostmourne. You have already lost, Arthas."
The Scourge Emissary revealed an important piece of information: the Scourge would age itself by killing the people of Azeroth.
Kel'Thuzad looked puzzled and said skeptically:
"Strange, this is not right. Before the onset of old age, apart from hunting Orcs, we never slaughtered any living beings in Azeroth."
Robbie was equally baffled. "How can Orcs be considered citizens of Azeroth?"
Kel'Thuzad shook his head with a wry smile, "There are too many mysteries here; I don't know how to solve them."
Robbie analyzed seriously, "Let's assume Emissary divine messenger wasn't lying. Azeroth is rejecting the Scourge because we've killed too many of Azeroth's people. Regardless of how the Moon Goddess did it, the primary issue is to eliminate the force of rejection."
Kel'Thuzad nodded. "We need to conduct more experiments, which means more sacrifices."
It is clear that the Emissary used an ability similar to Lightbringer's Uther of Aura of Courage on the soldiers of the Argent Crusade, which is why the soldiers of the Crusade bravely went to their deaths.
But this is exactly what the Scourge needs: to study the aging process of the Taelans, try to find the patterns within it, and then find a way to solve it.
Robbie controlled Taelan, his voice carrying a slightly magnetic and authoritative quality:
"So that's how it is. It was indeed Elune's trick, but I've found a solution."
Taelan took out a Soul Orb from his robes, which contained a large amount of Orcs Soul Essence, and swallowed it.
After the Soul Orb entered his abdomen, Taelan's strength increased steadily, freeing him from his aging state and almost restoring him to his peak level.
The Emissary face ashen, said in a low voice, "Arthas, the rumors are true. You fed on the Soul Essence of the Orcs to slow your aging, but it's meaningless. Azeroth's rejection is irreversible, and you will ultimately pay the price for your sins."
Unable to extract any useful information from the Emissary, Robbie did not give up, controlling Taelan to shout:
"Indeed, as time goes on, I need more and more Orcs Soul Essence to slow down aging. I have foreseen that the Orcs Soul Essence will eventually become ineffective, but before that day comes, I swear to wipe the Orcs from Azeroth."
Taelan gripped Frostmourne tightly in both hands and forcefully plunged it into the top of the small mountain of corpses.
The immense Power of Death converged, and the flesh and blood of tens of thousands of Argent Crusade soldiers gradually fused together, transforming into a fleshy monster with countless tentacles to the astonishment of the Emissary.
The monster's countless tentacles pounded the ground together, causing it to tremble rhythmically. Finally, unable to withstand the terrifying resonance, the ground collapsed with a deafening roar, and the entire Crusaders' Coliseum sank into a dark Abyss.
The Emissary looked into the Abyss and discovered that Y'Shaarj's flesh, hidden beneath the training grounds, was gone; this was clearly the work of the Scourge.
"Arthas."
Behind the Emissary, the phantom of the Elune appeared, her teeth clenched in fury:
"You forced me into this situation. You're dead. The Scourge will surely perish."