On the Eve of the Battle for the Broken Shore

In Theramore, Sylvanas sat barefoot on the beach, leisurely enjoying the sea breeze, while two royal guards served her fruit platters and wine.

Sylvanas was quite satisfied with the Fel body, the Fel energy flowing through its veins; compared to a rotting Undead body, this was a stroke of Destiny.

A putrid stench wafted over as High Archmage Antonidas appeared beside Sylvanas, presenting her with the latest intelligence on the worlds of Azeroth and Draenor.

Sylvanas casually flipped through the documents, the most important information being about the Broken Isles, Illidan's mad actions leading the Demons Legions, and Khadgar and Velen's open condemnation of the Burning Legion's invasion in Dalaran.

"It's exactly the same, the familiar taste."

Sylvanas curled her lip and sneered:

"Silvermoon City was conquered by the Orcs led by Medivh and Thrall, and your Dalaran was also destroyed by the Orcs, yet they claim it was the Scourge's doing. History is truly astonishingly similar. Before, they feared Medivh, and now they fear the Army of the Light. A bunch of cowardly bullies."

Sylvanas glanced at the names "Khadgar" and "Velen" and sneered, setting the intelligence aside. Her face was pale, and she seemed lost in thought.

Antonidas hesitated, Sylvanas, knowing he had something to say, said:

"Antonidas, I know your loyalty. There are no outsiders here, so please speak freely."

Antonidas said cautiously, "Your Majesty, based on my understanding of the Army of the Light, although they travel throughout the universe preaching and winning people's hearts, seemingly harboring ulterior motives, they must always maintain a facade of benevolence and justice. Now that Illidan has acted against the tide and committed such evil deeds, I think the Army of the Light must be very disappointed in him."

Sylvanas frowned slightly and asked, "You mean, if we stand up and point out Illidan's crimes, the Army of the Light might not only not oppose us, but could even support us?"

Antonidas nodded repeatedly. "Exactly. I suspect the Army of the Light is hoping someone will step forward. If that person does, she could be the new Savior. Khadgar is short-sighted, Velen is foolish. We must reveal the truth to everyone before them, and then march on the Broken Isles to defeat Illidan."

Unless one is Titans or Old Gods, no matter how strong an individual is, they are insignificant in a massive war. Even someone as powerful as Illidan Stormrage failed in the Black Temple.

If Sylvanas, the leader of the Horde, is willing to send troops, it wouldn't be difficult for Illidan to taste defeat at the Black Temple once again, and Sylvanas would gain a illustrious reputation and immense popularity.

Sylvanas placed her bare feet in the seawater, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly said:

"Antonidas, you only see the surface, but you haven't noticed the unusual nature of this. Illidan Stormrage, the Betrayer with a notorious record of siding with the Burning Legion. What makes him worthy of being called the Savior of Azeroth? Is there no one else in our Azeroth? Why would the Army of the Light choose such a guy?"

"This!"

Antonidas was startled upon hearing this; he had indeed not considered this aspect. It was quite intriguing.

Sylvanas narrowed her eyes and said in a low voice, "Illidan and Thrall are completely different. Thrall has a longer-term vision, while Illidan's madness is short-lived. The Betrayer's madness can't last long. I suspect he has a big conspiracy. Until we figure out why the Army of the Light supports him, we'd better remain still."

Antonidas sighed helplessly. The tragedy of history had indeed repeated itself; living beings never seemed to learn from their mistakes. King Terenas of Lordaeron, the Sun King of Silvermoon City, and of course, Antonidas himself, had all made errors because of their excessive concerns.

Sylvanas is repeating the same mistake now.

"However, this has given us an excellent opportunity." Sylvanas said, beaming.

"This world has never lacked Justice people, even if they will inevitably meet a tragic end. Go tell the Alliance, especially the Justice ones in Stormwind City who have sidelined Varian, that if they agree to open the Dark Portal and allow my Iron Horde to enter Azeroth smoothly, I am willing to fight Illidan."

Antonidas looked at Sylvanas with suspicion. "You're deceiving them, aren't you?"

"How would I know? I don't have any prophetic abilities." Sylvanas smiled slightly. "Whether my Iron Horde attacks the Alliance or vanquishes Illidan and Stormrage after entering Azeroth depends on how things develop."

Inside the secret chamber of Violet Citadel in Dalaran, Mother of Holy Light Xe'ra, was enraged. Even though she had enjoyed the delicious souls of the Orcs in Orgrimmar, she could not hide her fury.

It's important to understand that even a Naaru has limits to their tolerance. Xe'ra's attack on Suramar City can be seen as Illidan's capriciousness, Xe'ra Azsuna be seen as a revenge born from millennia of torment.

But now the entire Broken Isles are engulfed in war, and Xe'ra feels that Aman'Thul is no longer under her control. She absolutely cannot tolerate this, and she issues an order to Khadgar beside her:

"Khadgar, Illidan's madness has taken me very far. You must find out what drove him to madness. I suspect there must be some unknown reason behind it."

Khadgar thought to himself: Illidan's madness is definitely not an accident; he did the same thing back in the Black Temple. But he dared not voice his opinion in front of a Naaru, and humbly said:

"Please, Mother of Holy Light, guide me on how I should proceed."

Xe'ra's voice was no longer gentle, but rather harsh, due to her extreme anger.

"Khadgar, you must go to the Broken Isles immediately and meet with Illidan. Ask him directly why you did this. Don't worry, I will guarantee your safety. I will give you a token of Holy Light; he will know you were sent by the Army of the Light when he sees it."

A token radiating bright light slowly landed in Khadgar's hand. This token was composed of pure Holy Light and felt weightless in his hand.

Khadgar was meticulous, while Xe'ra was too angry and therefore did not consider things thoroughly enough, revealing some flaws.

This Holy Light Token proves that Illidan and the Army of the Light knew each other before, meaning that Illidan knew that the Army of the Light was helping him to become the Savior —a conspiracy that had been planned long ago.

Inside the magnificent palace of Suramar City the Broken Isles, Aman'Thul sat in Princess Theradras's lap, toying with the gleaming Holy Light Token, coldly gazing at Khadgar below, and chuckled wickedly:

"You ask me why I did this, how do I explain that?"

Aman'Thul pondered for a moment, then took the milk offered by the Tauren princess and took a sip.

"You know I wasn't like this before. Ten thousand years ago, I Consecration everything for the Azeroth Continent, probably because I couldn't have Tyrande. My love for her surpassed everything."

Khadgar's lips twitched upon hearing this. Looking at the many "beauties" surrounding Illidan, he wondered what this meant. Did they expect them to kidnap Tyrande and deliver her to Illidan?

"It's the Tomb of Sargeras," Aman'Thul suddenly said solemnly. "I sensed an Evil force emanating from the Tomb of Sargeras, affecting my mind and driving me into a frenzy of killing."