Watch Me Humiliate You to the Utmost as a Victor!

Dick's debate on doctrine with Lady Ishana had been somewhat unfair.

After all, the variations and deeper interpretations of Holy Light Doctrine he had brought up were universal wisdom distilled by the Draenei—"The Exiled" in Eredar—from their long flight in True History of the Dark Portal, after ten thousand years of exile.

Compared to the present-day Eredar, who enjoyed freedom of faith, the Draenei exiles twenty thousand years later were all devout servants of the Holy Light.

To the Eredar, the Holy Light was merely an optional faith. To the Draenei, it was something that could save their lives from birth, even forming the foundation of the exiles' new civilization.

Naturally, their understanding and exploration of doctrine were not on the same level.

Dick was essentially using answers from a newer version to answer questions from an older one. It was only natural that he had shattered Lady Ishana's composure.

But logically speaking, the faith of the Holy Light had taken root on Argus for a thousand years and had even participated in treating the Broken plague that had nearly destroyed civilization. Its doctrines should not have remained so rudimentary. Yet one trait of those with Eternal Life was that they "changed slowly."

Without sufficient external stimulation, the pace of spontaneous change among the Eredar could only be described as a turtle's crawl.

The same held true on the level of doctrine and theory.

For instance, humans on Azeroth would have been associated with the Holy Light for no more than twenty-eight hundred years, yet their doctrines and techniques for wielding the Holy Light could rival those of the Draenei, who had wandered for over twenty thousand years.

The ability of short-lived races to learn, summarize, and iterate upon themselves was an inherent racial advantage that long-lived species could never match.

This world was fair in the end.

If you gained long life, then becoming an isolated creature unable to keep pace with the times—and eventually a lonely monster—was the price you had to pay.

From that perspective, the natural cycle of life and death within a race truly was a blessing. Because death existed, life became more valuable. Because death was always in pursuit, every minute and second of life needed to be given meaning.

In short, after Lady Ishana's Dao Heart had shattered and she had helped Dick unlock the priest class, the scoundrel happily followed Captain Neri to the underground detention facility where Sarkir was held.

"The official public statement is that evil creatures of destruction tempted several weak-willed Arcane Mages. Their conspiracy was discovered by Headmaster Archimonde and the Enlightener. The two brave Arcane Mages stood against evil, and with the support of the heroes of the Holy Light, they held out until the Grand Executor arrived.

"In the end, Headmaster Archimonde gave his life, while the Enlightener was forced into prolonged seclusion to recover from his severe wounds."

Captain Neri, looking as dashing as ever, described the official conclusion to Dick with unconcealed mockery. Clearly, this member of the Assassin Court had her own understanding of the affair.

She shook her head and said:

"I know the authorities are trying to reassure the public and prevent panic among the other Arcane Mage groups, but the truth is that a major purge targeting the Arcane Mage organizations and the Arcane Academy has already begun. For a long time to come, Arcane Mages will not have it easy. It may even implicate our Eredar's ancient arcane traditions.

"But don't worry.

"Advanced educational institutions on the level of the Arcane Academy should not be affected. However, from now on, the Academy will fall directly under the Seat of the Triumvirate. The position of academy headmaster will no longer be appointed."

"That is only proper."

Dick was not surprised in the slightest. He said:

"An institution as important as the Arcane Academy should have been directly managed by the leaders in the first place. It is the most important talent-training system in Eredar society. I simply cannot understand why it was left under civilian control for so long, leading directly to this chaos.

"Still, Lady Ishana didn't tell me about the Twins just now.

"They weren't implicated, were they?"

"Those two clever little devils?"

Neri flicked her injured tail. The bandages made it whip through the air with surprising force. She glanced at Dick's uninjured tail, still fitted with its golden tail sheath, then rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Well, aren't they right up ahead?

"They really know how to seize an opening. Commander Kil'jaeden had promised them they could join the Assassin Court, and those two clever little devils came over that very night to 'apply.' They do not even plan to return to the Academy to complete the rest of their courses.

"Your two disciples may be no less hungry for power than that Ambitious Person Archimonde. And they happen to possess genius talent just like him.

"If they go down the wrong path, there will definitely be another storm in the future."

Dick indeed saw the Twins chatting up several spellcasters from the Assassin Court. They had taken off their student robes and changed into the Assassin Court's standard protective gear. They looked less alluring and more stern and capable, but those absurd stockings had somehow been retained.

Hey, just how much do you two like such frivolous decorations?

"They aren't my disciples..."

Dick wanted to explain, but Neri said in surprise:

"Really? When they came to report in, they clearly wrote that you were their mentor in the 'relationships' section."

"It was to avoid suspicion," Dick said quietly.

"Their former homeroom teacher was Argon, the senior Enlightener. That man was the head of the Awakeners' Cult. They also personally killed Galasum, the Grand Chancellor of the Academy, and were directly involved in Archimonde's death.

"Although they helped set things right, that also meant they could no longer return to the Academy system.

"As their 'physical education teacher,' I have more or less cleared my name now, and I have made some impression on the Grand Executor. Of course they know how to weave themselves a new network of connections.

"You were right, Neri.

"Those two clever little devils really have not put an ounce of their genius toward anything proper."

"Oh? Then it seems they need to be trained properly."

Neri immediately narrowed her eyes and said:

"I do not particularly like having people who are too clever under my command, especially since most of our work cannot see the light of day. Their personalities need to be tempered. Leave them to me. I guarantee I'll train them into perfect obedience."

"You should take it easy."

Dick advised:

"The Twins may be rather calculating, but their talent is genuine. Do not let the fact that they have not graduated fool you. If a fight truly broke out, you might not be their match. Sigh, geniuses really can do whatever they want."

"Heh. I think you have no accurate understanding of the Assassin Court's methods, but I cannot be bothered explaining them to you! Go on. Sarkir is in the deepest cell."

Neri handed Dick a key and reminded him:

"Officer Talgas thinks highly of you. He knows there is no way to recruit a high-ranking guard officer like you into the Assassin Court, but we will still show you the goodwill you deserve. Sarkir's identity is very special, though, so it is best not to speak with him for too long.

"Also, the entire conversation will be recorded. It is part of our duties. Please do not take offense."

"It is fine. I only want to ask him a few questions."

Dick thanked Neri for making things convenient, then stepped forward with the key.

The Twins were delighted to see him approach and immediately came over to ingratiate themselves with him. Their warmth made Dick somewhat uncomfortable. He had not forgotten that the last time they had acted so intimately with him, they had been trying to pour poison down his throat.

"You two, come with me. Bring paper, pens, and an arcane image stone for the record."

After thinking it over, Dick said to the Twins:

"You will record my upcoming conversation with Sarkir. Consider it a way to build some visibility and performance metrics for your careers in the Assassin Court."

"Hehe, I knew you would never let your own people suffer."

The more outgoing Saloras burst into laughter. Her younger sister Oreses raised a brow as well. After gathering their things and obediently seeking Captain Neri's approval, the two followed Dick to the deepest cell.

The security here was absurdly intense.

Four high-ranking guard officers and two steel arcane sentinels guarded the entrance. Inside, two Naaru priests were cleansing the fel energy from Sarkir's body. Counting the Assassin Court guards throughout the underground detention facility, the resources devoted to watching a single Sarkir were enough to form an elite combat squad.

Dick estimated that the security he could see was not even the whole of it. There had to be people hidden in the shadows, watching this place at every moment.

If someone wanted to rescue Sarkir, they would first have to break through the priests in the Naaru Temple above, as well as Lura, the guardian Naaru who had watched over Argus year-round.

Not to mention legendary priests like Ishana in the temple, even a single Holy Light Naaru was a genuine demigod-level being. Under such circumstances, unless a Greater Demon of the Burning Legion came personally, Sarkir would spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Click.

Dick nodded to the four guard officers, and they moved aside. The key entered the heavy magical door. As it creaked open, Dick finally saw Sarkir as he was now.

The Enlightener looked even older than before.

His body remained twisted. Fel energy could be purified, but the physical mutations caused by contact with corrupting energy were permanent.

He hunched over with his head lowered. His twisted spine and the fel bone spurs on his back looked exceptionally grotesque, while his crystallized arms were tightly manacled by chains of Holy Light. Heavy chains also bound his waist, neck, and legs.

Under such restraints, Sarkir could not even move his neck easily, much less stand.

The two high-ranking priests left the detention chamber. They did not intend to participate in the coming conversation, lest they hear something they should not and have to undergo an Assassin Court investigation.

The cell itself was rather comfortable, however. The Eredar had never possessed the vile habit of abusing prisoners. The place was quite clean and even had chairs for resting.

"Enlightener, I'm here."

Dick pulled out a chair and sat before Sarkir.

"Can you still answer my questions?"

"You... came to interrogate me?"

Sarkir raised his head with difficulty.

Faint rings of fel-green light still lingered in his murky eyes, but even for the defeated, his current appearance was a little too exaggerated.

Only three days had passed, yet the already elderly Sarkir looked as if he had aged several thousand years. His hair had fallen out, dark blotches covered his body, and Dick noticed that his hands and feet had even begun to atrophy unnaturally.

This was not abuse by the guards. It could only prove one thing.

Sarkir's spiritual pillar had collapsed.

His mind had fallen into despair, causing him to enter the Eredar's unique and bizarre regression toward becoming Broken.

"This is neither an interrogation nor mockery. I merely wish to ask you several questions seriously."

Dick's tone was curt.

"Also, in your current state... you are not far from becoming Broken."

"You even know of the Broken. Those fools merely treat it as an absurd horror story, yet you know what form my end will take. Heh. I underestimated you, Diakum.

"Archimonde underestimated you too.

"This is the ending we deserve. After all, losers are always humiliated."

Sarkir did not care about his own fate.

He had essentially given up on everything. He seemed utterly indifferent, merely examining Dick from head to toe with those horrifyingly murky eyes. When he moved his head, the vicious scar on his forehead became clearly visible. Dick had made it with a flying axe before losing consciousness.

It was not a fatal wound, but it resembled a mark of shame.

"Ask. Neither of us has much time, so get to the point."

Sarkir lowered his head again and said indistinctly:

"If you know the right questions... then I will certainly give you the right answers."

"Why did you fall so quickly?"

Dick barely needed to think before speaking.

"In my experience, an outstanding Arcane Mage like you possesses the protection of the primordial force of order. Though blind arrogance does exist, under the protection of the Arcane Path's primal force of order, even pure fel energy should not have corrupted you so easily.

"It would be one thing if other spellcasters were beguiled by The Benefactor, but could you truly not see The Benefactor's real face?"

"Of course I know what It is. I also know what It wants. My duty should have granted me the will to resist, but I tried.

"I failed.

"That is all."

Sarkir sighed.

"What a terrible question. I feel that you are wasting the little time that either of us has..."

"But Argus was not completely powerless against the Dark Titan either! Our world possesses the most precious 'blessing' among the stars, and I am not talking about the Holy Light!"

Dick interrupted Sarkir. He stared at him and said:

"I do not believe that someone comparable to a 'world guardian' does not know of Its existence! You clearly know that if we make proper use of this blessing, we can escape the Dark Titan's grasp. We absolutely can!

"Their raw strength may be worlds apart, but in terms of the rank of their power, They are at least equally great forces, equally supreme powers."

"!!!"

Sarkir abruptly raised his head.

The movement was so violent that the Holy Light shackles binding him clattered loudly. The commotion alerted the guards outside.

Even Neri rushed over.

This was the first time in the three days since Sarkir had been imprisoned that he had shown such agitation. Dick must have asked some damned question that struck directly at the heart of things, provoking the despairing Sarkir.

But the old sorcerer did not care.

He stared fixedly at Dick. Surprise and delight gleamed in those murky eyes, and after several seconds of direct eye contact, he let out a strange laugh.

"Hehe, you know of It! You actually know of It! You know the deepest, oldest, most terrifying secret hidden within our world! Ha! A guard officer with no understanding of wisdom actually knows a secret that only the most outstanding Arcane Mages and shamans can know!

"Even Velen and Kil'jaeden do not believe it, yet you understand it so thoroughly. You even know of Its connection to the Dark Titan and Its incomparable potential...

"You truly are no ordinary Eredar, Diakum!"

"Could it not simply be that, at some moment, I heard the world's call?"

Dick said with a stern face:

"Since we both know of Its existence, let us stop hiding things, Sarkir. Tell me, why did you bow so resolutely before the Burning Legion when you knew perfectly well that the means to save us lay beneath our feet?

"Were you truly just a madman hungry for power?"

"Then go see for yourself."

Sarkir did not answer the question.

Perhaps he was concerned about something. He seemed unwilling to let too many people know of the "secret" he and Dick were discussing.

He lowered his head and returned to that despairing state.

He said:

"Go to the deepest part of the Petrified Forest in Krokuun. Go to the place where Eredar civilization was truly born. Go to the place where Primordial Sorcerer Augure made a 'contract' with the world of Argus. Find that holy stone and touch it. See the... despair that I witnessed with my own eyes!

"If, like Primordial Sorcerer Augure and I, you are one chosen by the world, then you will understand why I would rather abandon all my dignity and personhood than become the Dark Titan's loyal hound.

"I did not deceive all of you, child—children! I betrayed the sacred traditions left behind by the Primordial Sorcerer, buried all my reason and conviction, and brought fel energy into this world as a groveling traitor. It truly was only to preserve the last spark of our civilization."

"Become Aman'Thul, allow fel energy to corrupt your mind and body, turn yourself into a destroyer who rampages across the stars, and personally trample your final shred of dignity beneath your feet."

Neri behind Dick could not help rebuking him:

"You call that ending 'salvation'?"

"Heh. At least all of you will survive because of it. The dead cannot pass down civilization. A civilization without people has no meaning."

Sarkir had no intention of arguing with Neri.

Perhaps Neri was one of the fools he considered unworthy of his time. At last, he raised his head, looked at Dick, and said:

"The Holy Light cannot save us! Neither can the Arcane Path or the path of the elements. Child, in this perilous hour, do not be deceived by the light before your eyes. The Holy Light, arcane power, and fel energy are no different. All three came to Argus, displayed their power, and harbored the same purpose.

"They are not our allies. They are merely ill-intentioned 'treasure seekers.' The true strength of Eredar civilization does not come from these external things!

"If you truly wish to do something for our world and our people, then you must first transcend your faith!

"I faced that despairing question, and I gave my answer. You destroyed it.

"If you truly heard the world's summons, then that means you too must face that despairing question. I look forward to seeing... whether the answer you give will be different.

"Ah, the shell called 'Sarkir' has already burned out, children.

"He has burned and offered everything he possessed for you and this world. He will die when night falls, yet when the dawn of that desperate hour arrives, he will be reborn! Then, you will face the true 'Enlightener.'

"Good luck, children.

"And good luck to you as well, stranger... who calls himself 'Diakum.'"

Dick rose without changing expression.

From Sarkir's final words, Dick already knew that the old sorcerer seemed to have seen through his disguise. Perhaps it was because he had confirmed that the real Diakum had died in the assassination that night. Yet the old madman had not exposed him.

With just those words, he had bid Dick farewell and ended the interrogation. He clearly had no intention of answering any further questions.

He had completed every effort and attempt in his own way, only to reap failure. Therefore, he had enough resolve to selfishly keep everything that remained to himself and enjoy the little time he and this world had left.

"Your conversation sounded like it was encrypted!"

Neri carefully reviewed the questions and answers Saloras had diligently recorded, then said with a frown:

"What does the 'It' that kept appearing in your conversation refer to? And what is that secret Sarkir mentioned, the one only you, he, and Primordial Sorcerer Augure know? Why don't even the two Grand Executors know about it?

"And most importantly, if they don't know, why do you?"

"It's hard to explain clearly in just a few words, Neri."

Dick rubbed his broad forehead and touched his horns as he said:

"If you haven't seen that kind of thing with your own eyes, no one would believe me even if I told the truth."

"But you have to tell them, Dick. This record is meant for Commander Kil'jaeden to see. I don't think he'll let you gloss over it like this."

Concerned as a friend, Neri lowered her voice and said to Dick:

"You don't have to tell a nobody like me, but when the Grand Executor summons you, you'd better explain everything exactly as it happened. It's for the sake of your future."

"The future? If we really have a future to speak of."

Dick was not in a good state of mind right now.

From Sarkir's words, so steeped in despair and sounding almost like last words, he sensed a powerful omen of misfortune.

He believed he had already killed Archimonde, which should have shifted the fate of Eredar civilization somewhat. Moreover, according to historical records, several centuries would still pass after Sarkir and the Awakeners' Cult's coup was suppressed before the world of Argus reached that desperate moment when the Dark Titan and the Burning Legion arrived.

His original plan had been to use the remaining time to strengthen the Eredar as much as possible and prepare them for the coming disaster.

If several centuries were properly used, it might have been possible to reverse that tragedy. If he could contact the other great figures of the Army of the Light, which had not yet been formed, through the two Naaru stationed on Argus, then push the world of Argus to its absolute limits with an all-or-nothing attitude, they might truly be able to withstand the Dark Titan's apocalyptic descent.

Mortal self-improvement alone could never accomplish such a miracle.

The problem was that Argus was not an ordinary planet!

Though not as absurd as the chosen child, Azeroth, Argus also possessed a unique power of its own. The existence of that power was what gave Dick the confidence to try to defy fate.

That unique power was the "It" Dick and Sarkir had mentioned in their conversation.

Star soul! World Soul!

Strategic existences within the physical universe, independent of the Six Forces system. Only the most powerful and fortunate planets could possibly nurture such miraculous beings.

The future world of Azeroth would become the stage where the Six Forces converged precisely because Azeroth nurtured the Supreme Star Soul. Once It awakened, It would directly break the stalemate among the Six Forces and determine the ultimate course of the physical universe. Thus, all five forces other than fel craved It, while Sargeras, the Dark Titan and master of fel, feared the Supreme Star Soul's corruption and therefore sought to destroy It without mercy.

Argus also nurtured a star soul.

Though It was not as powerful as A-chan, that "gifted child," It still possessed power on the same level and therefore had the potential to resist the Dark Titan.

Even if they could not win, they could still run!

With the star soul's willing assistance, it would not be impossible to carry out a "Wandering Argus" plan using Eredar technology and magic with the aid of the Light.

If a star soul wanted to flee, even the Dark Titan would have to spend considerable effort tracking It down.

But now, it seemed that Sarkir had not failed to try using the star soul's power to turn the situation around. Yet the old sorcerer had ultimately chosen to embrace fel, which meant Sarkir believed that Argus's hidden power alone was not enough to alter the fate of this world.

If that was true, then Dick's plan had to be adjusted immediately.

First, under Sarkir's guidance, he had to see Argus's star soul with his own eyes and determine its current state.

Just as Dick was frowning deeply over all this, a Naaru priest hurried into the underground prison and said to him:

"Please come with me at once! The Grand Executor's envoy is already waiting outside the temple. The two Grand Executors await your audience."

"Mm, let me tidy up first. I'll be there shortly."

Dick nodded.

He glanced at Sarkir's holding area, forcibly suppressed the emotions and thoughts churning in his mind, and left the prison.

When he returned to the surface and saw those enthusiastic civilians undergoing the Light's baptism, Dick could not help wondering: faced with the approaching Dark Titan and Burning Legion, did the Eredar truly have no path but to abandon their homeworld and flee?

Was this cruel fate truly impossible to reverse?