In the courtyard in front of Hearthglen Castle, Thrall and Eitrigg were hanging on makeshift scaffolding.
A gentle breeze rustled the willows, their leaves whispering, and the occasional sobs of Thrall and Eitrigg could be heard.
The Naaru's whispers echoed in Uther's ears. He looked at the two Orcs on the scaffolding, then at Barthilas was raising a glass to him.
He has to choose between the two.
The Naaru generally don't force people; they gave Uther two choices.
The desperate people of Lordaeron prayed to the Holy Light, and their immense aspirations coalesced into a terrifying torrent of thought that constantly disturbed the Naaru in the Void, irritating them and preventing them from finding Anjing for even a moment.
They had two solutions and were arguing about them endlessly.
Ultimately, the decision was made to give the choice to Uther, the Lightbringer and the representative of the Holy Light on the continent of Azeroth.
The first option is to grant Uther the power of Deity Descension, defeat the Evil entity before him, steal the Holy Light from the Discipline Paladin Barthilas, rescue the so-called Savior Thrall, and lead the Orcs to raze Hearthglen.
This power is temporary, but Uther can later pray to the Holy Light for a Justice purpose to obtain similar power. Of course, resisting Thrall's violence is not a Justice purpose.
The condition is that Uther and his Order of the Silver Hand must exterminate the Undead people of Lordaeron, or they will all lose the Holy Light forever.
The second option is to gain permanent, greater power, even enough to fight against the Guardian Medivh, form an alliance with Barthilas, destroy Thrall and his Orcs Legion, welcome Prince Arthas to the throne, restore Lordaeron, and be reborn.
There are still many living people in Lordaeron. After decades of reproduction, it is enough to restore it to its former state. In this way, Uther will be the true Savior, a great man who will be remembered in history.
These two choices are so clearly distinct that an average person would undoubtedly choose the latter.
After all, being constantly beaten up by Thrall is not a pleasant experience.
Uther still remembered his first meeting with Thrall. It was in the Castle of Durnholde, after a spectacular Arena. Thrall, as the victor, had the opportunity to meet Uther. At that time, Thrall was gentle and polite, and treated Uther with utmost respect.
Afterwards, Thrall, who killed the human lord who raised him and fled Durnholde, gradually gained fame and became a link between humans and Orcs, securing countless amounts of food and supplies for the Orcs.
At that time, Thrall was very polite to Uther and had wanted to Uther's godfather more than once.
Later, Thrall became Uther's apprentice, treating Uther with great respect and humility.
However, as the situation changed, especially after Thrall became the chieftain of the Orcs and unified Orcs with great power, Thrall became increasingly rude to Uther, even to the point of punching and kicking him and wantonly biting off a piece of flesh from his body.
Uther harbored deep resentment towards Thrall.
But he couldn't make a second choice, even if it meant being beaten up by Thrall every day.
Having power does not mean you can defeat your enemy.
Uther was not without courage, but the crimes he had committed against the people of Lordaeron were a source of concern for him.
Some people are used to stubbornly sticking to one path, refusing to turn back even after hitting a wall.
Unfortunately, Uther was that kind of person. Despite being advised countless times by his subordinates, he still used his Aura of Courage to send countless young men of Lordaeron into the bellies of Orcs.
The second option is tantamount to making Uther admit his mistake, which is even more painful than killing him.
Uther is extremely concerned about his reputation and is the kind of person who would rather die than admit his mistakes, just like the Guardian Medivh.
He chose the Deity Descension.
Boom!
In the distant Void, hundreds of Naaru chanted together, unleashing Holy Light.
A pair of golden wings unfurled from Uther's back, and he hovered in the air with his feet off the ground, a golden light flashing in his eyes.
He sensed a powerful Power of the Holy Light. It is said that everyone has their own Guardian Angel, and the power of the Deity Descension is enough to give humans power comparable to the Deity. The power that each person awakens is different. Uther's Deity power is called the Demon of Light.
Barthilas showed no surprise; he raised his eyebrows and sipped the wine.
"Uther, your choice doesn't surprise me."
"How do you know there's a choice?" Uther was stunned.
"Because the Naaru also gave me two choices," Barthilas said calmly.
"My first choice is to release Thrall and Eitrigg, lead the Orcs to raze Hearthglen, and then I can replace you as the leader of the Order of the Silver Hand, the Lightbringer. My second choice is for you to kill me, Hearthglen will suffer the same fate of destruction."
Uther chuckled, smugly stating the choice he faced, and emphasizing one point:
"It seems the Naaru are treating me much better. Hearthglen is doomed to destruction today. The Orcs will save the world, while you will only become a tiny speck of dust, a heinous sinner. I, the great Uther, am destined to be remembered in history."
"Preferring to believe lies rather than save his own people, he truly deserves to be called Light's Dead '."
At the same time, immense Power of the Holy Light erupted from their bodies, each condensing into a colossal sword that reached the heavens and stood tall.
Two golden holy swords clashed in mid-air, their light exploding like thunder, countless rays of Holy Light bursting forth and scattering, casting a thick golden hue over the entire Hearthglen.
Uther staggered back several steps, clearly at a disadvantage, but the Holy Light continued to empower him, and Uther's power steadily increased.
Tirion Fordring, watching this scene from the back hill, felt both envy and regret.
Although he hated Barthilas for ruining his plans, he hoped Barthilas would win, so that Hearthglen would still have hope, at least for the time being, and his wife and children would have a chance to survive.
Unfortunately, he had already realized that with the Naaru as his backer, Uther possessed virtually limitless power, and the Naaru would adjust Uther's strength according to Barthilas's power level.
Barthilas was destined to fail.
As expected, in the second clash of the holy swords, it was Barthilas who was forced back, his body swaying.
Uther took a deep breath, feeling a surge of exhilaration and immense satisfaction, as if he could already see victory beckoning him.
"Hehe!"
Barthilas was panting heavily, but he appeared calm and collected, as if everything was going according to plan.
"Uther, you probably don't know this yet, but there was simply no other choice. The Naaru are not capable of granting you power exceeding that of the Guardians; Deity Descension is the limit for the Naaru. They know you too well; they knew you would make that choice, and deliberately made you bear this burden of sin."
"Someone told me that I should win by any means necessary. If I lose, the people of Hearthglen will not survive. To win, I have to make myself despicable. The power of the Naaru is inexhaustible, but only I will win. My Deity is called Hope of Victory. I know how to achieve victory."
Barthilas suddenly disappeared; this ability had once terrified the Orcs.
"A trivial skill."
Uther was not afraid of this ability; his eyes gleamed with golden light as he searched for Barthilas's figure.
To Uther's surprise, Barthilas did not launch a sneak Uther.
He found a new weapon.