The fact that the Black Dragon still had the strength to resist was something no one had expected. The two spellcasters had been monitoring her physical condition the whole way—given her still-healing injuries and the long flight, the Black Dragon's weakness couldn't be feigned.
Omar's dragon-taming skills did indeed put her under considerable pressure, so the others became somewhat careless.
The reason she still had energy was due to the fish she ate after arriving on the island.
It turns out that during the fire in the Warehouse District, Black Dragon's most loyal male favorite Barbosa, did not die. He hid under the ruins and, taking advantage of the chaos of Defias' evacuation that night, secretly made contact with his captured master.
Under Black Dragon's instructions, he swam out to sea to seek help from the Tidemist Naga, and then boarded the Naga's sailfish speedboat to return to the island ahead of him— Black Dragon deliberately got lost to buy time for his men.
There was a small Goblin Horde on the island, left behind by the Black Dragon. Barbosa quickly made secret contact with the Goblin chieftain.
With the Naga monitoring underwater, they could roughly estimate when their master would arrive. So they specially prepared several large fish as a welcoming feast. Of course, the fish's bellies contained a Potions provided by the Naga: it could temporarily stimulate the body's potential, enough for the heavily injured master to unleash at least one attack, enough to disrupt the spell. So far, the plan had been executed perfectly.
"Cough!" In order to dodge the Black Dragon's giant tail, Omar was forced to interrupt his spellcasting and leap into the air, suffering a magical backlash and coughing up a mouthful of blood.
The two Felguard were swept away by the dragon's tail and rolled on the ground, unable to get up. The Magic Circle on the ground was also swept into a mess by the dragon's tail.
The Black Dragon roared and gasped for breath, its extremely weakened body nearly paralyzed after unleashing that attack.
The central ball of light suddenly emitted a dazzling light, then exploded violently, throwing three figures out.
As the smoke cleared, three identical Paladins appeared on the ground. Russell had returned to the cave after hearing the commotion, was dumbfounded and couldn't tell who was the demon and who was the Paladin.
"I am Unas," the two Paladins said simultaneously.
The remaining one paused for a moment, then immediately said, "I am Kressa!"
Even Unas hadn't anticipated that, at the most critical moment, his other soul— the Heroic Spirit Kressa— would step forward to fill the extra space and complete the spell at the last moment; otherwise, both his and the demon's souls would have been torn apart.
Russell and Omar were baffled. Although they had seen the Heroic Spirit Warriors summoned by the Paladins when they fought the Black Dragon, they did not know the origin of the Heroic Spirits. Kressa was clearly a female name. According to the Paladins, the demon should be called Bessarius.
Unas touched his chest, feeling a sense of emptiness and inexplicable fatigue, but the knot in his heart had finally disappeared, the trouble that had bothered him for so long had been cleared away, and he felt indescribably happy.
Seeing the other two versions of himself slumped on the ground, he started to get a headache.
But now that Kressa had revealed her identity, the other version of himself must be the demon. Unas, weak and exhausted from the split, could only sit on the ground and point, "I am Unas, he is the demon, kill him!"
The cunning demon refused to admit it, saying in the exact same voice, "I am Unas, he is the demon, kill him!"
"You damn broken record!" Unas cursed, activating his Sacred Shield, which radiated Holy Light to prove his identity.
"You're the one who's a broken record!" The demon even mimicked his tone perfectly, and actually simulated a Holy Light spell, almost to the point of being indistinguishable from the real thing. Omar and Russell couldn't tell the difference.
"Firekiss!" Unas produced his most signature weapon as proof.
The demon even pulled out an identical weapon— the Dreadlord's deceptive illusions were his specialty.
"Stop arguing, the enemy is about to rush in!" Russell stared blankly for a long time, just about to use magic to identify the two, when the sound of footsteps outside the cave became loud, and most of the magic traps had been dispelled.
In the outer passageway, Barbosa, the Tides Chieftain, and the Goblin Chieftain were urging their Warriors to launch a suicidal assault on the Elf traps set by the Warlock.
Omar suffered a backlash, his magical power surging wildly, and his combat strength was greatly reduced. All three Unas were in a weakened state, unable to fight, leaving only Russell. If the enemy rushed in at this time, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Russell, kill the Black Dragon!" Unas said resolutely. He couldn't let the Black Dragon's minions rush in and rescue her. It was better to make a decisive move and execute him directly. Anyway, the Soul-splitting Technique had been successful, and the Black Dragon had lost its usefulness. At this point, he couldn't care less about experience points.
Bessarius, the troublemaker, quickly retorted, "Don't listen to that demon! The Black Dragon can be our hostage, we can't kill it!"
Two Paladins, unable to discern the truth from the falsehood, offered contradictory advice, leaving Russell hesitant and indecisive. Omar, however, acted decisively, landing directly atop the Black Dragon's head. With the collar and reins restraining her, she was powerless to resist.
A sharp ice blade appeared in Omar's hand, and without hesitation, he pierced the Black Dragon's ear canal. Once it entered the brain, the ice blade would explode, and countless shattered ice spikes would instantly kill the Black Dragon.
Onyxia felt a chill pierce her mind, the intense crisis of death frantically stimulating her brain. The Dragonflight bloodline contained an unparalleled survival instinct, and with the remaining medicinal power as a catalyst, it ignited the last bit of power that burned her soul!
She roared, "Die!"
The entire Cave shook violently, and countless deep cracks instantly appeared in the ground, from which intense heat and red and yellow light shone through.
"Create Volcano" is a super-level magic spell that can create an erupting volcano out of thin air, destroying everything around it.
In this cave, which was originally formed by a volcano, the magma contained underground is more easily activated. This is Black Dragon's trump card, which he has saved for this final, desperate moment.
Boiling lava and deadly poisonous gases are gushing wildly from the ground. Perhaps in the next second, the volcano will erupt in full force, and everyone at the center will surely die.
"Go!" Omar shouted, haphazardly plunging an ice blade into the Black Dragon's ear, then Blink to the Paladin who called herself Kressa. "Gather around me!"
Russell hurriedly dragged the other two Paladins over, and with a flash of blue light, the five of them disappeared into the cave.
The Naga and Goblins finally rushed in through the tunnel, only to find the last glimmer of blue light from the teleportation spell, Black Dragon trembling in the corner, and churning lava.
"Lord—" The Goblin chieftain uttered only one word in his dying words before a violent explosion occurred, and the volcano finally erupted in full force!
A thousand meters away from the island, a ball of blue light suddenly appeared out of thin air on the sea, and the Paladin was thrown out and fell into the water with a splash.
The cool seawater gradually cleared his drowsy mind. He quickly splashed up, choked on some water, and gasped for fresh air. He then took out Pafeman's coffin from his Spatial Bag to use as a support for floating.
Loud explosions were emanating from the distant island. The upper part of the Un'Goro Crater was almost completely destroyed, and blinding lava was constantly being thrown into the air amidst thick black smoke. The entire island would soon be covered by lava and become a forbidden zone for life.
Omar's hastily cast Mass Teleport went astray, separating the landing points of the group, but they shouldn't be too far off.
Although still very tired, Unas felt his strength gradually returning. He tried to activate the Light Wings and succeeded. He put away the coffin, flew into the air, and soon spotted his comrades floating on the sea a hundred meters away.
Master Omar was already on the verge of death, his mana turbulence still unresolved, when he forcibly released Exploding Ice Blade and group teleportation, the mana backlash nearly cost him his life.
After Unas found him, he didn't care whether it was auspicious or not, and quickly took out the coffin and pulled him out.
"Master, are you alright?"
Lying in the coffin, Omar smiled bitterly and said, "I've really suffered enough this time. Why don't you just give me this 'boat'? It'll save my son some money on coffin expenses."
As far as Unas knew, Master Omar had no children, so this was clearly a joke and shouldn't be a problem. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Master, please rest. I'll go find someone else."
As soon as they took off, they saw Russell and another version of themselves riding a blue Voidwalker, swimming towards them.
The two sides met up and looked at the volcanic eruption site in the distance, both feeling a bit scared.
Embarrassingly, Kressa received a male body in order to save someone, and she never expected to be resurrected in this way, which made her feel strange.
Unas was also embarrassed, feeling violated, knowing that sooner or later his body would be seen and touched completely by Kressa.
Kressa coughed and said seriously, "That demon is gone. We'll split up to look for him. He also got one of your bodies; we absolutely cannot let him escape."
After the three regained some strength, they immediately began searching everywhere, but they found nothing by the time it was completely dark. The sea was vast, and if the demon was determined to escape, finding him would be as difficult as climbing to the heavens.
"Perhaps he has already sunk to the bottom of the sea and drowned." That was the only way the three of them could console themselves.
They moved to a small island nearby, caught a few fish, and the four of them finally settled down for the night at sea.
"Everyone, get some rest. We'll go check out the island tomorrow after the volcano stops erupting."
Unas wouldn't be satisfied without witnessing the Black Dragon's death firsthand. After all, the Black Dragon itself Create Volcano, and she might have a way to circumvent the magic.
Unas struggled to open his eyes. The blazing sun was overhead. He had eaten some fish and then fallen into a deep sleep last night, but he hadn't expected to sleep until midday. He hadn't slept for so long in a long time.
"You're finally awake."
Russell and Kressa sat beside him, Omar still lay in the coffin, Unas shook his groggy head, looking at the distant island.
The thick black smoke thinned into a thin stream, the explosions ceased, and the volcanic eruption stopped.
When did the volcano stop?
Russell said, "It stopped at dawn."
"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" Unas complained.
The sooner the investigation is completed, the sooner we can return. The environment at sea is extremely harsh and not conducive to Master Omar's recovery.
"I called out to him, but I couldn't wake him no matter what I did. I almost thought he was going to die."
"What a joke!" Apart from still feeling a bit tired from just waking up, Unas felt perfectly fine, but he noticed that Russell's eyes were quite serious, and he didn't seem to be joking at all.
"This morning, Kressa and I... um, Miss, examined you carefully and found the situation to be very serious."
Kressa continued, "You've already undergone several demonizations, which have caused some subtle damage to your body. However, thanks to the Life Essence of the Emerald Tree and the protection of the Holy Book, you were temporarily unharmed. But this time, the splitting spell made such a big mistake, causing irreversible damage to your body."
"But I don't feel any discomfort. Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Unas moved his limbs and even felt stronger than before.
Russell said, "It's like a piece of firewood that could burn for ten minutes, but burns out in ten seconds. The energy released in that short time is naturally several times greater, but your lifespan is already very short, perhaps no more than five years. During those five years, you will feel that your energy is getting stronger and stronger, but there is nothing to be happy about, because it is bought with the burning of your life."
"Five years?!" The devastating news struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving Unas completely bewildered.
"I will die with you," Kressa said, whether to comfort the Paladin or herself, "But we may not necessarily disappear."
If the Dreadlord didn't drown, he wouldn't wait until his lifespan ended; he'd definitely find a new body. Could Kressa become Heroic Spirit again? And what about me? Could I also find a way to transform into Heroic Spirit?
Or is there another way to prolong life in Azeroth?
Unas didn't know, but perhaps to dispel his fear, he remained resolute. "I will not be controlled by such a fate; I will live!"
"Well said!" Master Omar sat up from the coffin, excitedly encouraging, "We will all live well! Cough cough!"
He then choked on another mouthful of blood. The other three were both amused and exasperated, and quickly said, "Master, you should lie down properly, don't get yourself worked up."
In short, there's no use worrying about all that; what needs to be done now must be done. Russell stayed behind to look after Omar, Unas and Kressa activated their Light Wings and flew to the cooling island to search for him.
All life and vegetation on the island perished. A lava river flowed into the sea from the center of the island, creating a thick fog-like white mist. The Un'Goro Crater, which had been blasted in half, was still unbearably hot, but it was no longer deadly.
The two launched a thorough search, but found nothing. The numerous Goblins and Naga, as well as the enormous Black Dragon, had all vanished without a trace.
Whether it had completely melted in the high-temperature magma or escaped using teleportation, the two searched the entire ten-mile radius of the sea again, but still found nothing, and could only return dejectedly.
On the sea a hundred miles away, a human with bat wings on his back was staggering as he fell into the water, finally exhausted after nearly a day and a night of frantic escape.
He floated on his back on the seawater, panting heavily, his dark eyes gleaming with a sinister light, a cruel smile playing on his lips, "I won't let you go, Unas-Lawugade! Heh heh!"
Thousands of miles below the surface of the ocean, a colossal beast is plummeting rapidly, its body entangled with another terrifying monster—the Tyrannosaurus Octopus.
Onyxia's consciousness was already blurred. The human mage's ice blades had severely damaged her brain. Although she had escaped the volcanic eruption, she didn't even have the strength to swim. After sinking into the sea, she was dragged into the deep sea by this sea king as prey, and a cold death awaited her.
A series of gurgling echoes suddenly entered her consciousness. As she fell deeper, the sound grew louder and louder. Although she couldn't understand it, its meaning gradually became clear: Come, my daughter, return to my embrace!
Father!
Black Dragon Princess couldn't believe it, wondering if she was hallucinating—the great Black Dragon King was still alive!
Ever since her father was besieged by the other dragon kings and fell into the whirlpool, she had never imagined that she would hear his voice again. But now, the call was so real.
I have come, whether it be the legendary underworld or anywhere else, Father, I will come to follow!
The Black Dragon Princess, who had been resigned to death, was suddenly seized by a will to live. She cried out in her heart and plunged deeper and deeper into the ocean...
After that night's battle, Stormwind City returned to its usual order, and all areas bustled with activity once again.
The port was bustling with activity, as merchant ships from Ironforge, Southshore, Theramore, and even Darnassus lined up to ring their bells and enter the harbor, while a fleet of royal warships patrolled outside the port, safeguarding the shipping lanes—they had returned three days earlier.
The ruins of the Warehouse District have been cleared, and a large number of workers are working hard to build foundations and rebuild houses, making the whole city thriving.
An unassuming cargo ship docked, Docks swarmed to unload the cargo. On the deck, four passengers who had boarded midway were thanking the crew repeatedly. They were the Paladins, who, after a week's voyage, had finally returned to Stormwind City.
At that time, Master Omar's physical condition could not tolerate violent shaking, so it was inconvenient to fly with him. Fortunately, there were two high-altitude scouts, Unas and Kressa, who soon found a passing ship.
After a week of recuperation on the ship, Master Omar's injuries had healed, though he was still weak. He was helped onto the Docks by two people, with Russell following closely behind.
"It seems the old marshal has managed things well," Unas remarked, observing the port's bustling scene. "It's changed so much in just one week."
The group hired a carriage and inquired with the coachman, only to learn that many significant events had occurred during their absence:
The day after Defias's evacuation, Magni Bronzebeard arrived in the Dwarf District with a trainload of Ironforge soldiers. This was an aid agreement made between the Dwarf King and the Paladins, but unfortunately, due to the Naga's damage to the subway tracks, they were a step too late.
But the arrival of Magni, the wealthy man, relieved the old marshal's immediate crisis. The Dwarf King promised a large sum of aid and loans, which prevented the government's finances from collapsing.
The old marshal also cooperated with SI:7 to confiscate the property of a large number of nobles. These nobles had evidence against Military Intelligence Office, and now, with no one to testify against them and no one to protect them, the case was handled quickly, all the property was confiscated, and the large sum of money obtained was used for post-war reconstruction.
To everyone's delight, King Varian was rescued by the Mage Academy three days after the war ended. Although he has not yet appeared in public, the safe return of the nation's leader was a great comfort to the fearful citizens.
There were also two pieces of bad news: the whereabouts of the Little Prince, the Regent, and a group of royal guards they took with them were still unknown;
General Marcus, the commander of the City Guard, and Sir Shaw of SI:7 died one after another from their serious injuries, but their deaths were insignificant compared to the tragic deaths of the Archbishop and many high-ranking nobles.
Unas's heart skipped a beat. The deaths of these two men must be related to VanCleef. He hadn't expected that Van Cleef would still not let go of his old rival Shaw.
"There have been three or four more murders in the last few days," the coachman said, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he gossiped. "I have inside information that SI:7 is going to undergo a major reshuffle, and those who died were all high-ranking spies!"
These peddlers and laborers come into contact with all sorts of people every day, and their sources of information are indeed diverse, but they cannot be entirely trusted; the group simply laughed it off.
The carriage stopped at the fortress gate. Unas flicked out a Gold Coins and generously said, "Keep the change." After all, one shouldn't listen to gossip for free.
"Thank you for your generosity, guests," the coachman bowed and scraped. "The Marshal is handling state affairs at the fortress; you may have to wait quite a while to see him. I'll go buy you some drinks."
"Need not."
To the coachman's astonishment, the soldier who had gone inside to report hurriedly returned and respectfully ushered the passengers through the fortress gate. Only then did the coachman realize that he was carrying no ordinary people, and he couldn't help but feel proud—now he had something to brag about again.
After the king returned, the old marshal moved the Old Town's city hall to Stormwind Keep so that he could discuss political affairs with Varian in a timely manner.
To his disappointment, His Majesty did not come out of the palace after entering, nor did he issue any orders.
He was refused an audience several times, and the eunuchs told him that the king kept himself locked in his room and no one could see him except for the servants who brought him food.
Things in the city were gradually getting back on track, but this one thing remained on the old marshal's mind. If the king could not quickly recover, it would inevitably cause unrest among the people.
The best news today is that the Paladins have returned, and the old marshal has sent away all the lobbyists who came to persuade him. After the news of the massacre of the Noble Council spread, their relatives, both near and far, flocked into the city, coveting the titles that did not originally belong to them. At this time, the old marshal, who was in charge of the government, naturally became a hot commodity.
Since the marshal valued them so highly, the guards dared not neglect them and warmly invited the four of them to the living room.
Upon learning of Omar's injuries, they immediately arranged a room for him to rest, while the other three stayed behind to discuss matters.
"And who is this?" the old marshal asked.
Three people and a dragon went out, but four people returned. The extra person had his face completely hidden by a hood and mask, which aroused suspicion.
"My brother, you can call him Ula." Unas decided to keep Kressa's matter a secret for the time being, the fewer people who knew, the better.
The old marshal nodded and asked no more questions. Although he was puzzled by this suddenly appearing younger brother, after everything they had been through, he trusted the Paladin unconditionally.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two sides shared news from the past few days. The old marshal frowned and sighed, "It's a pity we didn't find Black Dragon's body. If she's lucky enough to be alive, she will surely come back for revenge."
Unas said, "I suggest building several high platforms throughout the city and installing anti-aircraft weapons such as dragon-slaying crossbows to defend against Dragonflight attacks." In the original timeline, Deathwing attacked Stormwind City, causing massive casualties, so it's always good to take precautions.
"That's right." The marshal frowned and nodded. Another budget increase was needed, but it was a necessary defensive measure.
He glanced at Russell, hesitated, and the Elf Warlock wisely rose to take his leave. Unas's "brother" Ula also left—having finally been resurrected, Kressa preferred to breathe some fresh air rather than participate in dull conversation.
"Have His Highness the Prince and the Regent met with misfortune?" the old marshal asked bluntly.
Unas was startled and asked, "Why do you say that?"
"After His Majesty returned, he pointed out the entrance to the secret passage in the palace. I sent men to explore it, and they discovered a bloody battlefield among the cliffs and mountains. Judging from the fragments of weapons and armor found, it was a fierce battle between the royal guards and Defias. That leaves only one possibility— the Regent's entourage was ambushed, but we did not find any bodies."
"VanCleef did mention this to me, but the Regent and the Little Prince were neither captured by Defias nor killed in battle," Unas concealed the Regent's death, "They seem to have escaped to the Burning Steppes."
"Really?!" A glimmer of hope ignited in the old marshal's eyes. In his view, the biggest reason for the king's despondency was the news that the Little Prince was likely dead. "Do you have any specific news about His Highness? Can you contact VanCleef?"
As an accomplice in the evacuation plan that night, the old marshal knew a little about the deal between the Paladin and the King of Thieves.
"Yes, that's why I kept Russell around."
"Excellent! I need to know the latest news about His Highness. Also, tell VanCleef to stop killing people in the city. It's pointless; he should stop."