Velen's Endless Zeal

The demons came quickly.

Almost at the same moment the first fully loaded Naaru ships set off, batches of fel portal signatures appeared along the outskirts of Mac'Aree.

With the entire population retreating, the Nathrezim spies hidden among the crowds and the demon worshippers they had deceived no longer needed to hide. The Arcane Mages implicated earlier by the Enlighteners and the Awakeners' Cult also seemed to have made up their minds.

Like rats reveling in the apocalypse, they emerged from the shadows, stretching themselves as they strode brazenly through a world that did not belong to them. These lunatics even opened portals directly in areas crowded with civilians, intending to create even greater chaos.

Although most portals were extinguished and destroyed by the local guards shortly after opening, there were always areas with weaker defenses—or those receiving special "attention"—that fell into critical danger.

Such as Oronaar City. Such as the Arcane Academy.

The situation in these two densely populated areas was extremely severe.

On one hand, their population density was immense. On the other, both places had once been major strongholds of the Awakeners' Cult. It was only natural for every sort of monster and madman to be gathered there.

Grand Executor Velen personally went to Oronaar City to protect the evacuation of its people, while Dick headed for the place where he had once worked and fought.

Apart from the remaining veterans of the Hand of Argus, all the troops under his command were elite guards from the Seat of the Triumvirate. Talgas had even assigned him the Assassin Court's finest, after all, Dick also bore the title of "Honorary Commander of the Assassin Court."

By the time he led his soldiers charging into the Arcane Academy, the place was already a complete mess.

Facing the swarming demons, the guards had been forced to activate every Arcane Sentinel. The massive constructs held back the vicious destroyers across the academy, and the shockwaves of their battles had already destroyed a third of the teaching district. Meanwhile, the civilians awaiting rescue had been settled in the dormitory district by the academy's Archon, Ms. Vilara.

The magical defenses here had been activated. The Auchenai Crystal Towers floating around the buildings spun in place, maintaining an arcane barrier that continuously repelled every attack.

From time to time, magical radiance burst forth like lightning. Those were the academy's Arcane Mages controlling the crystal towers to attack approaching demons.

The reality was exactly as Dick had expected.

After all the named Greater Demons had fallen in the wars of Krokuun and the Antoran Wastes, the destroyers that had poured into Argus from the demon planet Mardum had completely lost their command structure. These demons were like a pack of vicious roaming criminals, waging war in utter disorder.

There was no command, nor was there any need for command. There was no primary attack zone; every place was the primary attack zone.

Their overwhelming numbers and their brutal instinct for destruction became the perfect fuel for chaos. The demons seemed not to care about their own casualties. They appeared to have received some order: before the great Dark Titan descended upon Argus, they were to cause as much destruction as possible.

Such chaotic enemies would have been no match for a disciplined army, but that very disorder made the battlefield before them all the more frenzied and desperate.

Hellfire constructs wreathed in fel flames crashed down every second like meteors. They were no longer deployed in concentrated formations, but hurled everywhere in a wild barrage. Many even smashed into the mountains at the edge of the academy, but the demons did not care about wasting firepower.

They were enjoying this rare bit of "excitement" and relaxation.

For demons, the campaign to attack Argus had been unbearably stifling!

Though the Burning Legion had only just been founded and the Burning Crusade had only just begun, the number of worlds destroyed at their hands was already dazzling. Yet they had never encountered a planet as resilient and troublesome as Argus.

The complete deaths of every high-ranking demon commander and the total paralysis of the command system were enough to prove how dangerous this hedgehog-like world was.

However, chaos was a ladder upward, and demons had ambitions too!

The failures of the important figures were precisely the best opportunity for the lower ranks. As long as they performed well enough, perhaps they might earn the favor and rewards of Lord Sargeras.

For example, offering 999 screaming skulls to the Dark Titan during a slaughter...

Many ordinary demons thought exactly that, and they intended to do it.

Unfortunately, when Kazzak's Grudge in Dick's hand erupted across the battlefield for the first time as a cascading golden torrent wreathed in blazing Holy Light, those ambitious demons realized they would likely be unable to achieve the coveted "class ascension" they had hoped for today and become the elite of the Twisting Nether.

"It's Diakum Zastinus! The Doom Lord's nemesis! The soul-sunderer of Supreme Zakuun! The slayer of Banaszar! Run! The demon enemy is here! The Light Butcher is here! That Eredar madman who delights in slaughtering demons has come with his scorching Holy Light of destruction!

"He'll burn every last one of us alive with a vicious grin!

"Run!

"Run!"

The noisy, cowardly imps shrieked and chattered. These little devils who had shouted about burning through others' kneecaps were scared out of their wits the moment they saw Dick charging in with his troops.

They scattered in rout, small in stature but shrill in voice. Even the brainless felhounds seemed able to sense the spreading fear, howling as they fled from the charge of those trampling cavalry.

The savage, tenacious demon guards were not afraid.

There was no shortage of hotheaded fools carrying spinal axes who leaped out to challenge the legendary "Light Butcher," but most of them were "melted" by the cascading torrents of radiance Dick continuously unleashed.

It was merely an ordinary priest skill, usually used for group healing or to add some "lighting effects" while preaching.

Yet Dick had repeatedly used it throughout the brutal war, and it had now become as effortless as a passive skill, like a blazing Consecration. Coupled with the World Soul's exceedingly generous favor, his cascading torrent spread like an aura every second, "devouring" the lower demons around him who did not know their place.

The heavy thunder-elephant cavalry advancing in an unceasing charge with him as their spearhead barreled ahead like Holy Light bulldozers, miraculously slaughtering their way into the depths of the Arcane Academy.

For the first time, the elite guards from the Seat of the Triumvirate following Commodore Dick truly understood what it meant to be unstoppable. But for the Hand of Argus veterans, who wore expressionless faces as though completing a boring daily KPI, was this even worth mentioning?

As they kept charging and trampling forward, they quickly began to feel bored, just like Dick.

The scene before them looked massive, and the demons' screams remained as pleasing as ever, but compared to the meat grinder war of the Antoran Wastes, this place was as peaceful as charging into a "demon kindergarten."

"Split up and rescue them!"

Dick gave the order.

He needed no further explanation. The Five Little Powerhouses, now true elite officers, immediately dispersed, each leading a formation of veterans in a different direction to clear out demons and rescue civilians. Some elite guards split off to accompany them, while Dick himself continued toward the besieged dormitory district with several thousand soldiers.

Tens of thousands of people there were enduring terrible torment.

A Naaru ship was heading this way. Dick's task was to ensure these trapped civilians could safely board the vessel prepared for them.

"Reinforcements are here! Open the barrier!"

Atop a tower in the dormitory district, the exhausted Archon Vilara breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she saw the Holy Light shine. Leaning on her jeweled staff, she issued the command in a hoarse voice.

Soon, Dick and his warriors entered the area.

The Twins and the spellcasters were sent to replace the Arcane Mages maintaining the defensive counterattacks, while Dick entered the school building where the civilians were gathered with Vilara at his side.

He needed to calm them and make the final arrangements before boarding.

"Ms. Vilara, Grand Executor Velen has appointed you Governor of the Naaru ship Pure Light. You will follow the Naaru Mida in escorting our people to a world protected by the Holy Light, where you will rebuild cities and multiply.

"Because of the special nature of this mission, before departure, Lord Velen will grant you the title of Clan Grand Executor!"

As he entered the lecture hall, Dick spoke to the exhausted Ms. Vilara beside him.

"In the new world, you will be granted a clan of your own. You will have the right to name your clan, and you will enjoy all the authority and status of a Grand Executor. You must also select a guard commander from among your followers, and work with your companions to restore order among the people as quickly as possible and establish proper protections for them.

"His Eminence Mida will remain in that world to protect you for at least two hundred years.

"This is our agreement with the forces of the Holy Light.

"In exchange, you may no longer deliberately resist the spread of Holy Light education among the people.

"I know this is a difficult choice for an Arcane Mage who reveres truth, but you must endure it. This is for the people."

"So I am the 'price'?"

The fact that Ms. Vilara had become the Archon of the Arcane Academy was proof enough of this Arcane Mage's impeccable background and political wisdom. She understood at once.

Under Dick's silent gaze, she sighed.

"Fine. After boarding the Pure Light, I will accept the baptism and become a priest of the Holy Light. If that can protect our people, I am willing to give up my pursuit of arcane truth. Actually, I guessed long ago that once I became interested in the Holy Light Doctrine, becoming a believer would only be a matter of time."

"You may retain that pursuit. The Holy Light will not forbid you from continuing your study of the arcane."

Dick comforted her.

"But you truly must shoulder responsibility now. I know that among the tens of thousands of civilians here are some former lower-year students of the Arcane Academy. If you insist on preserving the arcane legacy, then remember to prevent the tragedy of the Awakeners' Cult from repeating itself.

"This is your letter of appointment and the Grand Executor's Seal."

He took a jeweled box from Captain Neri beside him and handed it to Vilara. When she opened it, she found a Grand Executor's signet within, representing the highest authority of the Eredar.

Although she was merely the governor of a clan of refugees crossing the stars, Velen had still transferred one of the authority signets he had once used to her, to facilitate governance.

It was not only Ms. Vilara.

The refugee groups assigned to different Naaru ships each had their own leader, all of whom had been granted similar signets. As governors, they wielded the authority of Clan Grand Executors. Every governor commanded no fewer than eighty thousand and no more than one hundred and twenty thousand people, most of them civilians, with only a small number of military and administrative personnel.

This meant the burden on every governor's shoulders was immense.

They had to lead their people in rebuilding a home in an unfamiliar world. Thankfully, the Eredar possessed the trait of Eternal Life. Otherwise, such a burden alone would have crushed an ordinary person's will.

Under Dick's gaze, Ms. Vilara put on the signet symbolizing supreme authority.

She reached out and touched a strand of fragmented light inside the box. The instant she made contact, the Seal of Arcane Truth floating above her forehead rapidly transformed into the Archon's Seal, symbolizing Eredar authority.

Or, in more exalted terms, the seal of an Eredar leader!

This uniquely Eredar "ornament" was indeed the clearest way to distinguish rank and identity among them.

Unfortunately, only Eredar could see the difference at a glance. To other races, it was simply a cluster of fragmented light floating above an Eredar's forehead.

"This is your Argus Heart artifact. Please keep it safe. After leaving your homeland, this will be your final connection to home."

Dick handed an Argus Heart pendant to Vilara as well.

Just days ago, these were supplied only to warriors on the front lines. Now, at the moment of parting, they were bestowed upon the governors and warriors who would lead the people to pioneer new worlds.

It was both a blessing and a restraint, both a duty and an inheritance of mission.

Vilara took the pendant and noticed the scratches left on its surface.

"This belonged to a warrior?"

"Yes. Its previous owner killed at least two hundred and seventy demons before dying in battle."

Dick said.

"May his courage be with you. May you inherit the mission he left unfinished. There is also an encrypted document here. You may only read it after reaching the target world. It describes the secrets of the Argus Heart in detail."

He handed Vilara a magically sealed scroll and emphasized:

"Only you may read it! Except in a crisis, or when you have selected a successor and are about to step down, you are not permitted to share it with other clan members!

"This is the burden of an Oathkeeper.

"Once you have read it, you will understand why we must send the people away from their homeland. You will also understand what our continued survival and multiplication mean for our homeland."

"Mm."

Vilara took the scroll and placed it inside her robe, close against her body.

Dick could not help but complain inwardly. Ladies really had no originality at all when it came to hiding important things...

After the brief instructions, Dick and Vilara entered the lecture hall together.

Many civilians were anxiously awaiting the moment when fate would be decided. The men of those families were full of courage at this moment, with simple weapons placed at hand. They had even formed militias to guard the doors and windows, ready at any moment to use their own strength to protect their families. Meanwhile, the Mistresses kept their children close at their sides.

The sight made Dick nod in satisfaction.

As long as the Eredar did not lose their courage, one day they would return to their homeland and witness its revival with their own eyes.

"Daddy! Mommy!"

Just as Dick was about to step onto the platform to reassure the crowd, a crying voice caught his attention.

Turning around, he saw a little girl clutching a teddy bear, standing helplessly nearby. She seemed to have just awakened and was looking for her parents. An Eredar woman beside her was awkwardly trying to lead her back.

But Dick narrowed his eyes at that moment.

He stepped forward and shouted:

"How dare you hide yourself before me! Demon, this is an illusion. What are you concealing?"

"?"

No one around them understood what had happened. They only saw Commodore Dick raise his hand and cast a blazing mass of Holy Light into a Smite, which slammed into the Eredar woman trying to take the little girl away.

She screamed and staggered backward, but her disguise shattered under the burning Holy Light, revealing the seductive, enchanting body of a high-ranking succubus.

Even her wings were trembling as she stared in terror at Dick, who strode toward her wreathed in Holy Light.

She had clearly heard of the glorious exploits of the "Light Butcher," but there was nowhere left to run. She could only stagger backward and try to take flight, only to be hacked to the ground by several well-trained militiamen wielding weapons nearby. Amid furious roars, all that remained was the succubus's miserable wail.

The little girl was terrified.

She clearly could not accept that the older sister who had cared for her these past few days was actually a demon.

"Search this place immediately!"

Ms. Vilara was startled as well.

But she reacted swiftly, turning to shout at the exhausted Arcane Mages beside her:

"Conduct an emergency Arcane Eye sweep! Those bastards must have slipped in during the chaos while we were receiving civilians. There must be other demons hiding here. Curse those mongrels!"

"This is perfectly normal. Similar incidents have happened in other civilian districts as well. Don't worry, Ms. Vilara. They cannot board the Naaru ships. Those are places protected by the Holy Light."

Dick gathered the terrified little girl into his arms and said softly:

"You should get to work. I don't think a sermon is necessary anymore. Once the people realize demons may be lurking beside them, they will naturally become vigilant. That vigilance is exactly what we need!"

"Mm."

Vilara turned and left with an apologetic look. Dick looked down at the little girl in his arms, picked up her toy from the floor, blew away the dust, and handed it back to her.

He asked quietly:

"Child, where are your parents?"

"They went to fight demons."

The little girl looked timidly at Dick. Perhaps the Holy Light surrounding this uncle made her feel safe, for she answered in a childish voice:

"My parents are the strongest warriors in town! They've already retired, but they still volunteered to go somewhere called Antoran after being called by a really amazing uncle named Diakum.

"They told me to be good and stay here with the people from town. They said they would definitely protect me and everyone else."

"Ah, Antoran. I just came back from there."

Dick revealed a complicated smile and reached out, using a little warm Holy Light to soothe the girl.

He said softly:

"The bravest people chose to stay there. Your parents must be there too. They will remain in our homeland and keep fighting demons, protecting our home until you grow up. When you return home in the future, you will surely see your parents again.

"Don't be afraid, little one.

"You know, Eredar can live for a very, very long time.

"For you, this is just... well, have you ever had a tea party with your little friends?

"This is like pretending you are an explorer traveling far away!

"When you return with fun and exciting stories, your parents will definitely be eager to hear about your adventures. And while they are not by your side, you must be good. I will ask Ms. Vilara to personally take care of you.

"You must trust and respect her as if she were your mother, all right?"

"Really?"

The little girl's eyes widened.

"After I come back, can I really see my parents? Will my parents really be proud of me?"

"Yes, of course. Everyone knows that believers of the Holy Light cannot lie, child, so you can trust me."

Dick smiled.

"What is your name? When I see your parents again, I can tell them that their daughter was good and brave, a remarkable little warrior."

"Yuna. My name is Yuna!"

"Very good, little Yuna. Be strong... During the years when your parents are not beside you, you must learn to be strong."

He stayed with little Yuna for a while and gave her one of his short swords for self-defense as a gift.

Only when Neri signaled with her eyes that they needed to leave for the next civilian stronghold requiring aid did Dick rise and bid her farewell. Amid the sounds of little Yuna and the other children waving goodbye, Dick and Neri walked out of the lecture hall. The ranger captain said quietly:

"As a priest and a model vindicator, you just told a terrible lie to a child. She'll definitely hate you when she grows up..."

"But the Holy Light didn't blame me."

Dick turned back to look at the Naaru vessel slowly descending from the sky. He said:

"Look, Neri. Even the Holy Light can forgive my little mistake, so why should you care so much? Come on, let's continue our war! I've decided to kill ninety-nine more demons today... hmm, in little Yuna's name!"

"Why not a hundred?"

"Because the last one is for Yuna. When she grows up, she can personally make up for that final one she owes. It's an unspoken promise between her and me."

"Mm, how romantic. A promise with a little girl. You really do have the makings of an orphanage director. In that case, I'll keep you company. I'll work hard too and try to kill ninety-nine more demons!

Leave the little girl two 'demon-slaying quotas.' A little pressure will help her grow better."

"Holy Light! Please protect this sacred land!"

As Velen roared, the already enormous Holy Light barrier expanded outward once again.

Like a miraculous thing with a life of its own, the blazing Holy Light formed a hemispherical dome. Like a stampede of a thousand troops, it swept through the streets and alleys of Oronaar City.

Wherever it passed, fel fire was extinguished, shadows retreated, and demons panicked.

Amid the cries of astonishment from the vindicators and priests, they watched the Grand Executor single-handedly raise this enormous barrier that covered most of Oronaar City.

Any lesser demon that struck the barrier was reduced to ashes the instant it touched it. Thus, after the barrier formed for a second time, all of Oronaar City was engulfed in a ceaselessly swirling Ash Storm.

With this, Velen alone protected every shelter in the city that had yet to be evacuated.

Compared to the spectacle the old prophet had created here, Dick and the warriors' battles and charges as they rushed about putting out fires seemed utterly ordinary.

The people saved by the expanding barrier supported one another as they headed toward the city center. Several Naaru vessels were loading evacuated civilians there at top speed, and every Eredar who approached did their utmost to express their respect and gratitude to their Grand Executor.

Amid the chaos of war, many painters used their drawing boards to record this scene from every angle. They knew this would be the last commemorative painting they left for their world.

The crowd wept.

Even If they realized they were about to be safe, about to head for a world temporarily free from demonic disturbance under the Holy Light's protection, bidding farewell to one's homeland was a tragedy no one could easily accept.

For some of the older Eredar, it meant they would forever lose the possibility of returning home.

The Eredar did possess Eternal Life, but from this moment on, fate would no longer be kind to those who had chosen to leave the cradle called Argus.

Holding his sacred staff, Velen maintained this terrifyingly vast protective barrier alone. He did not care about the strain caused by the demons' attacks upon it. All he could hear now were his people's weeping and mournful words. Their fear and pain reached him like a constantly swinging whip lashing at this old Good Person's heart.

It was because he, the Grand Executor, was useless...

When his people needed help, he could not offer a solution. He could only watch as his world fell into the demons' hands.

Even If he knew full well that this disaster, which was about to sweep across the entire sea of stars, was not something one person or one world could withstand.

"Grand Executor!"

Talgas, one arm in a sling, approached Velen as he maintained the barrier. He said softly:

"This protection will exhaust you very quickly. Please rest for a while and leave the remaining work to our warriors."

"I can still hold on."

Velen said quietly:

"How long will it take to evacuate the people of Oronaar City?"

"This batch of Naaru vessels is seventy percent full. They can't take all the people away in one trip. We still need to wait for the second batch of Naaru vessels arriving three days from now. That means we need to deploy heavy forces at the Seat of the Triumvirate and Oronaar City to buy our people a chance to escape."

"Three days..."

Velen nodded and said:

"Then I will hold this place for three days! Send the warriors where they are needed more. I will guard this place! Until the last Eredar boards a vessel, not a single demon will harm my people before my eyes!"

"But your wife and child are still at the Seat of the Triumvirate. That is the last evacuation point."

Talgas said softly:

"Should we arrange for Madam and—"

"No need!"

Velen shook his head.

"Proceed according to plan.

I believe the Holy Light will bless my wife and child, just as I protect others. As for you, Talgas, I'm sending you to protect my brother. Board that vessel and make sure Kil'jaeden reaches the destination safely.

Keep assisting him. Take good care of him for me."