Karazhan.
The Undercity airship slowly approached the tower shrouded in shadow. In Sylvanas's view, the attack on Karazhan should be considered a small-scale raid.
Just like Sir Lothar of Stormwind City, Garona the Half-Orcs, and Khadgar, who was still an apprentice at the time, the three of them led a small number of soldiers and successfully raided Karazhan, killing Medivh who was possessed by Sargeras.
Although it was a fictional story, a flimsy excuse, Sylvanas was still unknowingly affected.
Karazhan is at best a large mage tower, perhaps larger than a typical Castle, but at most the size of Stormwind Keep.
The Elite team she brought now is a hundred times stronger than the original three people; there's no way they could lose.
The night wind blew Sylvanas's withered hair.
Before Silvermoon City fell, her beautiful hair shone like sunlight. Only thirty years had passed, and to the long-lived High Elves, all that beauty seemed like it had happened just yesterday.
"Plague."
Sylvanas gave the order calmly.
The green Plague rained down on Karazhan; it was the Undead's best weapon.
During the Plague, Undead soldiers are strengthened, while the enemy dares not easily step into the Plague area, ensuring that the Forsaken can move freely and remain invincible.
"Reality."
A deep voice echoed through Karazhan, and for some reason, Sylvanas felt a sudden chill run down her spine.
"Really? What kind of magic is this?" Sylvanas looked at Antonidas.
Antonidas looked slightly puzzled and shook his head gently. Although he had been the leader of Dalaran in his lifetime and knew Karazhan well, he had never heard of anything called "truth."
A bizarre flash of light and shadow passed by, and the shadows and mist enveloping Karazhan rapidly expanded. In an instant, Karazhan's form changed; what stood before them was no longer a tall tower, but a magnificent city!
Sylvanas and Antonidas both looked astonished.
The mage towers stand like a forest, along with various tall, unnamed buildings, including magnificent temples, pyramid-like structures, and towering stone monuments. Their style is completely different from that of Azeroth, and they are full of exotic charm.
This city is enormous, far surpassing even Stormwind City.
Antonidas raised his hand, his voice trembling slightly:
"I had heard that Karazhan was incredibly large, with a total of 3,600 rooms, many of which were enormous, enough to fit half a Castle! Keep in mind, Karazhan is just a mage tower. That's when I started to have my doubts. But now I see the truth; I've finally witnessed the true nature of Karazhan."
Sylvanas gasped, "Who would have thought Karazhan was a city? Medivh is truly formidable."
But we don't need to worry.
Antonidas pointed to the strange buildings, resembling pyramids or Coliseum, or even giant prisons, most of which were shrouded in a purple storm.
"That's a magical storm, filled with countless shattered Spatial Rifts, spewing out Fel, and teeming with all sorts of dangerous energies. Karazhan is a city, and it's clear that due to Aegwynn and her son's misuse of magic, some dangerous experiments failed, forcing the sealing of certain buildings. Most buildings are unusable, so there's nothing to worry about."
Sylvanas nodded. Although Karazhan a large city, there weren't many buildings in use.
A hurricane-like magical storm filled the sky above Karazhan, spatial rifts resembled black spiderwebs, and eerie, unpredictable Fel, appearing and disappearing like clouds and mist, acted as a massive barrier protecting the city.
Sylvanas observed for a long time, then said helplessly:
"The front gate and the back gate—these are the only two places we can attack."
The zeppelin unleashed a torrent of Plague at the front gates of Karazhan, and the green ground began to expand slowly.
The enormous airship slowly descended, and the royal guards of Undercity carried out more than a dozen coffins, arranging them in a neat line. Sylvanas and Antonidas stood at the front of the line, gazing at the towering city gate.
Antonidas was no stranger to Karazhan; when Karazhan became a city, the original Karazhan became the city gate.
This is an ancient tower, built of thick white bricks and stucco, which, under the bright moonlight, exudes a sense of vicissitudes that have lasted for a thousand years!
No enemies appeared, Karazhan was quiet, and strange visions occasionally appeared. Looking down at the Undead army below, Antonidas had a feeling that countless eyes were watching this place.
They concealed themselves, held their breath, and carefully observed the intruder.
Antonidas felt a chill run down his spine. He looked at Sylvanas, Dark Lady once confident, blood-red eyes were now filled with fear and unease.
Just then, on the balcony of the observatory atop the towering mage tower that pierced the clouds, a ghostly figure of a man suddenly appeared.
The man, like a phantom ghost, had broad shoulders, black hair and beard with the edges turning grayish due to his age, and wore a long black robe, looking down at the army of the Undead below.
"That's Medivh!"
Antonidas's teeth were clearly chattering; he was a Lich, after all, but even Liches experience fear.
Sylvanas was startled, her blood-red eyes also flashing with fear. She stubbornly growled, "Impossible! Medivh has become Orcs's Flesh-Eternal. Our information can't be wrong."
Antonidas pulled down his hood to cover his face and said, trembling:
"Your Majesty, I've heard Khadgar say that Medivh's image occasionally appears at the Karazhan Observatory. These are visions from the future, preparations before the final battle. Medivh looks down upon Karazhan's past, recalling its bygone days. Khadgar witnessed it twice, and once spoke with Medivh's vision. Flesh-Eternal is not the same as death; who knows what the future holds?"
Sylvanas was genuinely frightened and asked nervously, "You mean, Karazhan will still belong to Medivh in the future, so what's the point of us attacking Karazhan today?"
Antonidas hung his head, silent, his eyes dim, unsure of what to do.
It is said that the Forsaken are unaffected by morale, but this only applies to ordinary soldiers. Characters like Sylvanas and Antonidas, who possess free will, are still affected by fear and doubt.
Looking up at the bright sky above Elune and the dazzling moonlight, Sylvanas felt her confidence surge once more.
"Things have come to this point, we have no choice but to fight to the death. Forget about any illusions of the future, let's begin."
On the observatory, the phantom resembling Medivh sighed and said slowly:
"A bunch of doomed beings, I truly pity you. Did you really think that one in Orgrimmar was me? That was nothing but a disguise, a petty scheme. The future was already sealed, Antonidas. My only pity is you. Had you not gone astray, you could have achieved far greater things. As for that Banshee, she was nothing but a deceived wretch."
The ghost, proud and mysterious, gently shook its head, gradually fading away until it disappeared.
Sylvanas gritted her teeth and stubbornly said, "I will not yield, nor will I give up. I have endured all the suffering, the nightmare-like life, and this rotting body. Nothing can defeat me."
"Is that so?"
Suddenly, a green light shone on the second-floor balcony of the tower, illuminating a row of dark figures of varying sizes.
At the very center stood Prince Malchezaar, a massive Eredar, staring at Sylvanas with a mocking expression.
Duke Alpha, the Curator, the Netherspite, Nightbane, Illhoof, the Maiden of Virtue, and other extraordinary beings from Karazhan all gazed arrogantly at the Forsaken below.
Sylvanas scanned the faces of the people in Karazhan, but she was most concerned about the figure hidden behind them, clad in robes whose face was obscured. She sensed danger.
Prince Malchezaar's voice boomed. "Sylvanas, the enemy I've been waiting for is you! You've led a horde of the dead to attack Karazhan? I'll turn you into the real dead!"
Never underestimate a dead person.
Although Sylvanas was uneasy, as the leader, she had to maintain a tough expression and grinned maliciously:
"In my eyes, you are nothing more than raw materials for building an army, Prince Malchezaar. I look forward to the moment I resurrect you. You will be my loyal dog, and I will make you lick my toes, and you will consider it an honor."
Antonidas grabbed his staff and chanted incantations. He was Jaina's mentor, and although Jaina's magical achievements later surpassed Antonidas', Antonidas remained the undisputed authority in the field of teleportation magic.
A flash of purple light appeared, and a terrifying monster towering to the sky emerged, with a single eye, sharp teeth, rock-like skin, and sharp bone spikes protruding from its shoulders and elbows.
Behind the monster were seven smaller figures.
"Dragon Slayer Gruul and his seven sons."
Prince Malchezaar was stunned. He hadn't expected that this powerful being from the Outland wouldn't find peace even in death.
Gruul, the Undead Dragon Slayer Gruul, roared, slamming his fists into the ground as he lunged toward the front gate of Karazhan.