At the Docks, a battle with no suspense quickly came to an end.
After receiving the signal, the City Guards captured the previously impregnable stone bridge in less than half an hour—most of the Defias defenders had already withdrawn.
General Jonathan led the vanguard directly to the port, where he, along with Sophia's troops and the Silver Lion Knight Order, easily wiped out the bandit army covering the Docks at the dock.
Unfortunately, most of the enemy had already boarded ships and left the shore, taking all the vessels in the port with them, making pursuit impossible.
Unas and Sophia carefully surveyed the battlefield, and only put away their weapons after confirming that all the targets designated by VanCleef had been eliminated.
On the Docks, General Jonathan inspected the heads presented by his subordinates with satisfaction. They were heads of several wanted criminals. With these heads, he could consider the battle a success.
But his extensive war experience told him that tonight's victory was very strange, like a hazy dream, making it impossible to distinguish between reality and illusion.
As he was pondering this, a soft splashing sound suddenly came from beneath his feet, and a Blackfuse shot out of the water like lightning, instantly wrapping around Jonathan's ankle.
Before he could even scream, he felt himself lose his balance and was pulled into the water with a splash.
The guards around him were all focused on the severed head and were immediately stunned. They had no idea what had happened and only assumed that the general had fallen into the water on his own.
"There's a water ghost!"
It wasn't until someone cried out in alarm that the group jumped in. The water under the Docks wasn't deep, but it still took a lot of effort to pull the general and the assassin, who were entangled together, ashore.
The assassin's neck was twisted, already dead. Jonathan's chest heaved, and a deep knife wound appeared below his ear, the gushing blood immediately staining his neck red.
In the instant he fell into the water, he narrowly dodged a fatal blow aimed at his neck, simultaneously grabbing the assassin's head and striking back to kill him. However, he was not spared from a second blade piercing his ear.
"Oh no, it's poisonous!"
The soldier who rushed forward to examine the wound exclaimed in surprise and immediately sought help from his allies— the Silver Lion Knight Order had the best Priest in the entire city.
Adam had no reason to refuse and immediately sent several Priests up to detoxify the poison.
Unas approached to observe and saw the assassin's body lying beside him, dressed in black leather, with his mask removed. He had an ordinary appearance, but Unas was certain he had seen this person before; he must have been one of VanCleef's or Vanessa's assassins.
What exactly is the King of Thieves plotting? Assassinating General Jonathan is not part of their planned scheme.
The poison on the assassin's weapon seemed difficult to cure; it took the Priests a long time to stabilize the poison before the guards carried the general away on a stretcher. His injuries wouldn't heal anytime soon.
As dawn broke and the sky began to lighten, Defias' fleet disappeared into the horizon, becoming a black dot. The war was finally over, but unfortunately, the assassination of the city guard general made the ending less than perfect.
The mess he left behind was worse than imagined. VanCleef's initial goal was to conquer Stormwind City and become king himself, so he was relatively restrained by his subordinates.
Once the decision to evacuate was made, the looting became unrestrained. From the port to the fortress, all the houses along the way were looted, creating tens of thousands of bankrupt citizens.
The Dwarf District was not spared either; the agreed-upon peace agreement was torn up, and the Dwarf blacksmith shops on the outskirts were also looted.
The port's Warehouse District was destroyed by the Black Dragon, so the thieves couldn't loot anything. Therefore, Stormwind Keep became their main target, and anything that looked even slightly valuable was taken away.
The inner court's treasury was also emptied, but Stormwind City's finances had been stretched thin by corruption in recent years, leaving the treasury practically empty, with less wealth than that of a wealthy family, much to VanCleef's disappointment.
To make matters worse for Stormwind City, after Defias' fleet left, eight refugee ships that had been hiding on an isolated island outside the harbor returned to port that morning, drastically increasing the number of refugees in need of assistance.
Fortunately, the wealthiest Trade District was not breached, otherwise Stormwind City's economy would have collapsed.
Soldiers needed compensation, refugees needed resettlement, and damaged city walls and houses needed rebuilding. However, the Noble Council was wiped out, and the Archbishop and the city guard general were assassinated one after another. For a time, no one was in charge, and the situation was chaotic.
In the end, the old marshal had to step forward and, together with several senior officers of the City Guard, form a temporary administrative office to handle the complicated post-war affairs.
Unas the old marshal to make sure Luisa and Gail were settled in first. After not seeing her for several days, the princess looked a little haggard. In front of a large crowd, the two could not talk too intimately, so they parted ways after exchanging a few pleasantries.
Unas, along with the sailors on the Dwarf warship, guarded Master Omar and the Black Dragon to prevent curious onlookers from disturbing their efforts to refine their spells. Of course, he himself also needed to recuperate and recover from the fatigue of the great battle.
The busy daytime passed quickly, and all the homeless were fortunate enough to be accommodated in houses and Tents, preventing them from sleeping on the streets.
As for the huge financial hole, the old marshal had no time to worry about it, and even lay down with a frown on his face when he slept.
In contrast, Unas, who was resting on the warship, was quite pleased. Omar, Russell, and the Black Dragon had completed the initial improvements to the Soul Split spell after a day of discussion, and now they were just waiting for the Black Dragon to recover his strength.
The Elf Warlock was someone the Paladin specifically requested to stay behind, since the enemy was the Dreadlord, and having a demon expert as an advisor would be safer. Of course, there was also the intention of keeping him as a hostage.
After the demon is eliminated, then go find Luisa...
Suddenly, a soft knock on the door interrupted his reverie. Unas stood up alertly and asked, "Who is it?"
"I."
With a familiar voice, before the owner could even open the door, the hatch automatically opened a crack, and a tall, slender figure flashed into the room— the King of Thieves could pick an ordinary lock with ease.
"The leader is truly elusive." VanCleef had been gone for so long that Unas almost thought he had run away.
The King of Thieves, without a word, tossed over a small trinket. Unas caught it and saw that it was a silver metal Ring with a red gemstone set on each side, looking both ancient and exquisite.
"This is?"
"You don't even know this?" the King of Thieves sneered, "The Regent's Commandments."
Unas exclaimed in surprise, "You've caught him and the Little Prince?" The King of Thieves had disappeared all day; it turned out he had gone to deal with this matter.
"There is no Little Prince, only Bolvar."
"How could that be? Aren't they together?"
"He only shows he has any brains if they don't get together."
It turned out that after escaping from the palace's secret passage, the Regent knew that his group was too conspicuous, so he found a short palace servant to take with him and disguise him as a prince, while assigning several of the most elite Knights to protect the real Anduin he took another mountain path.
Defias's various ambush troops were indeed fooled and came to surround and attack the Regent's large army. By the time they discovered that the Little Prince was an imposter, the real prince could no longer be found.
"Our men are continuing to track them, but things won't be so easy if they enter the Burning Steppes." The Burning Steppes are the territory of the Old Horde and the Black Dragon, a harsh environment fraught with danger, making it difficult for human armies to advance.
Where is the Regent?
VanCleef sneered, "Why are you in such a hurry to find him? Consider the current situation in Stormwind City; his absence would be more advantageous for you."
"What's the meaning?"
Unas admitted that he had been a bit impatient, mainly due to the influence of his game memories. In the original history, Bolvar Fordragon, although temporarily bewitched by the Black Dragon Princess and not a qualified Regent, was still a respectable tough guy and hero.
Who governs Stormwind City now?
"The old marshal and several City Guard officers..." Unas suddenly understood what the other party meant. If the Regent returned, the old marshal would naturally have to relinquish power.
"You underestimate us. I didn't come to Stormwind City to fight for power, and the old marshal isn't one to crave authority. We're here only to eliminate the Black Dragon. As for who governs Stormwind City, I don't care."
"Bullshit!" VanCleef retorted. "You think our act last night was perfect? Jonathan was just temporarily fooled. Knowing his ways, he'll definitely conduct a post-battle investigation and review, and he'll easily discover that we tricked him. Then, let's see if he'll retaliate!"
"So you sent an assassin to kill him?" Unas suddenly realized that the assassination at the port was indeed not accidental, but a double kill. The city guard general was not seriously injured, and the old marshal was not necessarily qualified to take over, after all, he had not been officially reinstated.
"Don't pretend to be surprised. You wanted me to assassinate Benedictus, isn't that what you wanted?" VanCleef completely misunderstood the Paladin's intentions, thinking that eliminating the Archbishop was paving the way for the old marshal to take power, since the Archbishop was now one of the few high-ranking officials in the city.
Unas's explanation went unheard, so he remained silent, asking suspiciously, "What benefit would the leader gain from the old marshal taking power? You're so enthusiastic; surely you're not just doing this out of a desire to help others?"
"I always do things meticulously. Since you saved my life, I will naturally repay you in my own way." This sounds nice, but in reality, as the leader of the City Guard, Jonathan naturally had the blood of many rebel stonemasons on his hands. In the King of Thieves' revenge plan, he was one of the targets to be killed.
"So, what do you intend to do with the Regent?"
I've already killed him.
"What!?" Unas was shocked and couldn't believe it was true. History was about to change drastically again. If Bolvar was really dead, who would replace Arthas on the Frozen Throne?
VanCleef scoffed, "Your expression makes me wonder if Bolvar has a black-haired, black-eyed illegitimate son."
"Do you even know how serious this is?" Unas blurted out a curse. "You really killed him?"
"Want to see his head? I've hidden it away and treated it with medicine; I plan to take it back later to honor my fallen brothers." VanCleef gestured for him to see it.
Unas shook his head and sat back in his chair. It was too late to be angry now, but he was worried that with more and more history being altered, what unpredictable and terrible consequences might occur in the future?
He dared not think any further and sighed, "If we capture the Little Prince, I hope he is alive and well. Don't forget, you voluntarily agreed to be a hostage in exchange for them."
"Don't worry, I'll wait until he comes of age."
Despite having killed so many enemies, VanCleef's thirst for revenge remained undiminished. Unas thought to himself, "Luckily, he doesn't know about the appearance of the docile Varian. I must remind the old marshal that if the kidnapped king is recovered, he must be well protected."
"You only have one real enemy— the Black Dragon Princess. She's the one who stirred up the conflict between the Stonemasons' Guild and the Noble Council behind the scenes, all to create internal strife and seize power in Stormwind City. Not only that, the disappearance of the king and a series of other incidents were all her schemes. You didn't know that, did you?"
VanCleef's face darkened. "I will verify what you've said, but blood debts must be paid in blood. You don't need to say more; there are some people I won't let go, including the Countess."
"But we must spare her life for now. I have a very important matter to attend to in a couple of days, which I must take care of with Black Dragon. We will deal with her when we return."
Unas had long harbored murderous intent towards the Black Dragon, intending to eliminate it completely after using it—Master Omar's dragon-taming magic and equipment were, after all, only in the experimental stage and could not guarantee absolute success.
In Unas's mind, nothing other than the Demon Soul and the Old Gods could control such a powerful dragon. Rather than leaving a dangerous element around, it was better to deal with it as soon as possible.
With Russell's hint, VanCleef knew a little about the inner workings of the Soul-splitting Technique and nodded in agreement without asking any further questions.
Unas, fearing that the unbridled King of Thieves would wreak havoc in the city again while he was away, said, "Enough people have died these past few days. Stormwind City needs stability. Lord Chief, you should go and track down the Little Prince. You can use him to gain your freedom sooner rather than later, lest you be bound to me by a promise."
VanCleef gave a cold laugh, and in a flash disappeared from the room, leaving only a dark crack in the door.
Unas was deeply troubled. He had no means to restrain the King of Thieves, and agreeing to let him stay as a hostage might not be a good idea. In the meantime, he could only remind his men to be careful to protect themselves.
"Master! Master!"
"Master is back!"
On the beach, a group of green-skinned Goblins looked up at the enormous beast in the distant sky, chattering and screaming with a mixture of fear and anticipation.
"What's all the noise about!" A sharper shout silenced the rest of the noise. The Goblin chieftain remained calm. "Hurry up and bring out the tuna that floated up this morning to greet your master, you lazybones!"
The Goblins chattered in discontent. Tuna, such a delicacy, was not so easy to catch. This morning, several had been washed ashore by the waves, and the Goblins thought they had gotten a free, sumptuous lunch. But their leader wouldn't let them touch the fish, saying they were going to save them for later. Now, well, they were all gone.
"But Boss Verasok, something's not right! There seems to be someone on Master's back!" A Goblin handed over his binoculars.
Verasok snatched it away and, through the lens, saw that the once majestic Black Dragon master had lost both horns, his face was covered with crisscrossing wounds, a giant sword was stuck in his eye, and a gleaming silver metal collar was around his neck. Even more unbelievable, someone was standing on the dragon's back, pulling on something that looked like reins, like a legendary dragon Knight.
"Quick! Everyone hide! Anyone who shows their face will be shot dead!" As the Goblins, Verasok had a keen sense of danger than anyone else, and immediately ducked down when he sensed something was wrong.
The arrogant master could not tolerate humans riding on her back, but reality is what it is. No matter how much you disbelieve it, there is only one possibility left—the master has been defeated and captured.
The Goblins hurriedly scurried into the woods by the beach and vanished without a trace.
Riding in from the sky on a dragon was Unas, and behind him, Russell and Omar sat on the dragon's back.
After resting for two days in Stormwind City, the Black Dragon finally had the strength to fly, so the three of them immediately set off.
However, the Black Dragon got lost twice along the way, turning what should have been a half-day journey into a full day. They didn't reach their destination until the afternoon of the second day after they set off.
This makes one wonder if Black Dragon did it on purpose, whether it was to cause trouble or a conspiracy. Now that they have arrived at the island, all three of them are on high alert.
This island was clearly formed by an underwater volcanic eruption, and there is a towering, solitary Un'Goro Crater in the center of the island.
Onyxia landed heavily halfway down the mountain, kicking up clouds of dust. She let out a few weak growls, as if a day and a half of flying had exhausted all her strength.
Unas stepped on the dragon's neck and shouted, "All you rats, get out here! Otherwise—" He casually unleashed a burst of fire energy, blasting two trees at the foot of the mountain to smithereens.
The movements of the Goblins on the ground were clearly visible from high above, and naturally, he couldn't hide them from them. For these green-skinned little monsters, violent threats were always the most effective.
A short while later, a group of Goblins emerged from the forest at the foot of the mountain, struggling to drag several large fish that were longer than themselves. The leader of the goblins Goblin examined the tired Black Dragon, confirmed that it was indeed his master, and his legs went weak, so he knelt down.
"Master, host, and distinguished guests, this is a small token of our appreciation."
The wet tuna was foaming at the mouth and looked very fresh.
It turns out these Goblins are servants of the Black Dragon. Unas thought to himself, "If I left people to guard it, it seems this island isn't entirely Deserted Island; it's more like Black Dragon's stronghold."
"Enough talk, all of you get to the beach! No one is allowed near this mountain, or don't blame me for killing you!"
He kicked the Black Dragon, which, firmly bound by its collar, dared not resist and growled, "Get out!"
The Goblins had never seen their master in such a miserable state. They scrambled away without looking back, disappearing completely.
Where is the Magic Circle?
The Black Dragon ignored the Paladin, its eyes fixed on the large fish, a sound of liquid flowing from its throat.
Seeing her half-dead state, Unas said helplessly, "Stop pretending to be dead. Eat the fish and then take us to the Magic Circle immediately."
Master Omar kindly released his mage's hand, grabbing several fish and stuffing them one by one into the Black Dragon's massive mouth. She didn't even chew, practically swallowing them whole. After a while, she regained her composure and said, "The Magic Circle is inside the mountain."
The interior of the Un'Goro Crater is hollow, a natural Cave, which the Black Dragon uses as a temporary lair. The walls and floor have been smoothed by her servants.
After walking through a wide passageway, the group arrived at a huge portal. The Black Dragon recited a secret command, and the portal opened, revealing a spacious interior.
This must be the Black Dragon's bedroom. The air is unusually hot and dry. The stone walls are inlaid with dull gems, and you can vaguely see the messy symbols and patterns on the central ground.
"This is the Magic Circle?"
Omar released a luminous ball, bent down to carefully examine the patterns on the ground, and Russell set up a magical trap at the entrance of the cave to prevent the Goblins from sneaking in.
After questioning the Black Dragon, Unas found the dragon egg used as a sacrifice in the side chamber—it was indeed a double-yolk egg, twice the size of a normal dragon egg, with a warm surface and full of vitality.
Omar looked up and exclaimed in surprise, "This dragon egg is huge! It's rare even among twins."
"The bigger it is, the stronger the dragon inside is, and the better the spell's effect, right?" Unas guessed.
Master Omar shrugged, ignoring the paladin, Paladin. He stepped forward, touched and examined the object, and said, "I can feel two heartbeats inside. It should be fine."
The Magic Circle was partially destroyed by the Naga's sudden attack and needed repair and some modifications. More importantly, a binding array had to be placed inside it to trap the expelled demons, so it took quite a while. It wasn't until dusk that the group was ready.
"Let's begin!" Unas removed his armor, leaned against the dragon egg, and stood in the center of the Magic Circle, feeling both excited and fearful of the unknown.
Master Omar gave him an approving look, scattered magical materials, and immediately began casting a spell.
Russell stood by as a watchman, responsible for dealing with the demons as soon as they were split apart.
Following Omar's instructions, the Black Dragon obediently lay in the corner, and the Archmage's Dragon Taming and mind-controlling collar seemed to be quite effective on her.
Time seemed to stand still in the empty Cave. After an unknown amount of time, Omar's chanting grew louder and faster—the spell had reached its most crucial moment. The Paladin and the dragon egg merged into one in a burst of light, followed by the moment they split in two.
But at that moment, a sudden fluctuation Blink, and the Magic Circle became inexplicably disordered. Omar's heart trembled, and he immediately realized the source of the problem—the sacrifice.
The spell was originally meant to tear a person's soul apart, splitting it into two people. Since Paladins already have two souls within them, the spell was modified, primarily to locate these two different souls.
Unas knew nearly half of Bessarius's True Name Matrix, and although he only revealed a tiny fraction to the Archmage, it was more than enough to locate the demonic spirits.
Omar had just completed this step smoothly, having clearly located the two souls that were about to split. With just a final gentle push, he could infuse the souls of the Paladin and the demon into the two bodies that were about to take shape, and the spell would be successful.
But then, out of nowhere, a deadly empty space suddenly appeared—magic isn't like farming, where two radishes require three holes, and you can ignore the extra one.
These high-level spells have very serious and precise sequential processes. Once the spell reaches its final stage, it cannot stop. If there is an extra space, it must be filled.
The reason lies in the dragon egg; this enormous dragon egg is not a twin, but a triplets!
The sacrifice is the basis for the division of the body; twins split into two, triplets into three. From the very beginning, this was a trap set by the Black Dragon.
Unas felt as if he were trapped in a terrible nightmare, as if countless powerful hands were tearing him apart, and he was powerless to resist. Bessarius felt the same way. No matter which of the two of them was torn in two in the end, the extra space had to be filled by a third soul.
Interrupting the spell also comes at a dangerous price, and Omar was filled with regret, realizing he had been too careless and had failed to detect the problem with the dragon egg.
However, there is still a way to remedy the situation. As long as we do our best to help the Paladin stabilize his soul, and wait for the demon's soul to be torn in two, even if it ends up as three people, the result will not change. It will just mean killing one more demon that was split off.
"You don't need to blame yourself, little mage. When this dragon egg was first hatched, even I didn't realize it was a triplets," the Black Dragon Princess in the corner said mockingly.
The three lives inside the dragon egg were not growing evenly; two were strong and one was weak. The weaker younger brother was surrounded by the two strong older brothers and was difficult to spot. Moreover, triplets are extremely rare among Dragonflight. This dragon egg was not a prepared offering at all, but rather a piece of junk abandoned here by the Black Dragon.
Omar ignored her, Russell snapped, "Shut up! Or I'll cut your tongue out!"
"Roar!" The Black Dragon, contrary to its usual listless demeanor, roared angrily to the sky.
Russell was just about to teach her a lesson when several screams suddenly came from outside the cave—the magic trap had been triggered.
A jumble of footsteps suddenly appeared in the passageway, indicating that quite a few enemies had arrived. The Elf Warlock quickly summoned two Felguard to protect Omar, while he himself rushed towards the cave entrance.
The trap could hold off the enemy for a while, but if they recklessly charged in, Russell would have to hold them off himself.
Black Dragon had been waiting for this moment. She suddenly activated the medicinal power suppressed within her body, and a tremendous force surged from her weakened body. She unleashed a sweeping tail attack with a whirlwind towards Omar and the Felguard!