Dark Revenge

"Orega, what have you done?"

Even when Aiur fell, the Dark Prelate Zeratul never allowed this cold rage to cloud his judgment.

"Why reopen the Gateway connecting Shakuras and Aiur, allowing the Zerg to advance unimpeded—so many of our people have died because of it!"

Zeratul's anger was not unfounded. The Dark Templar traitor Orega, who had escaped from his grasp long ago, had risked returning to Aiur and used his unknown and powerful abilities to control a Cerebrate and a massive Swarm.

After disappearing, Orega not only rallied more enraged Dark Templar and took control of a Zerg hive, but also recruited human mercenaries.

Orega then launched a surprise attack on the Daelaam guarding the Xel'Naga Gateway on Aiur, reopening it and unleashing the Zerg from Aiur to flood into Shakuras and launch an attack on the Daelaam city on Shakuras.

Shakuras is currently engulfed in endless war, with over a billion Aiur Swarm wreaking havoc in this land of eternal twilight. Moreover, the Xel'Naga Gateway remains open, and even more Zerg will enter Shakuras through Gateway.

It must be said that Orega chose the perfect timing. At this time, the main force of the Daelaam Fleets was at Char, leaving Shakuras with a correspondingly weak defense, making it the perfect opportunity to eliminate the Aiur Protoss on it.

"This is all for revenge against the Templar Knights —brothers." When Orega uttered the ancient Khala word "brothers," his voice was filled with only bitter mockery and gloom; the affection that this word represented among the Protoss had long since vanished.

On the sandy, soft wasteland of Shakuras, two equally powerful Dark Templar stood facing each other.

Beside them flowed a winding stream, its waters clear and ceaseless. The banks were lined with smooth, glassy rocks, piled high with clusters of deep purple crystals. The pale twilight of Shakuras, combined with the shimmering crystals, reflected a dreamlike glow in the swirling dust of the wind.

The Dark Templar had been fighting for some time, and their Silk- like robes were worn beyond recognition, covered with charred scratches and deep purple bloodstains left by their Warp Blade.

Zeratul's right shoulder armor, a broad, dark bronze color, and the fur lining it were completely cut open, revealing the bone. The Dark Templar Orega, facing Zeratul, was no better off, also covered in blood.

Under Shakuras's drowsy gaze, the hunt had continued for months, spanning multiple locations across the planet. Enraged, Zeratul once again found Orega and vowed that this time he would show no mercy.

Finally, here, the Orega stopped.

What you are doing is colder and darker than the void.

Zeratul raised his right hand, revealing an ornate and elegant bracer, wreathed in dark shadows, from which a vibrant green Psionics blade burst forth. "Who ordered you to do this?"

Previously, Orega had spent most of his time being relentlessly pursued and hunted by Zeratul, making it hard to imagine when he had amassed such a massive force to attack Shakuras. Zeratul believed that someone must be secretly supporting Orega, providing him with troops and information.

"The Orega I know would never do such a dark and evil thing. All my people are rational, wise, insightful, and discerning."

Across from him, Orega was dressed in a long, deep blue robe, the severed nerve bundles, like those of all the Shakuras Protoss, bound together with metal bands. Apart from that, Orega's appearance was vastly different from the devout, knowledge-seeking Protoss apprentice of Alessar that Zeratul had in mind.

His once-glowing golden eyes had turned a vivid red, and the void energy surging within him was filled with rage and hatred.

The Alasa Tribe is a branch of the Shakuras Protoss, comprised entirely of scholars who can be seen as guardians of the Great Library. This tribe is responsible for protecting the Shakuras Protoss's sanctuary of knowledge, preserving history, and preventing the misuse of sealed, dark, and forbidden knowledge by those with malicious intent.

In order to achieve his revenge, Orega has been proven to have secretly read forbidden knowledge in the Temple of Knowledge, thus becoming even more powerful and obsessive.

"Zeratul, I only do what I believe is right." Orega took two steps back, and a blood-red illusion that distorted space appeared behind him.

"Centuries ago I was the guardian of knowledge and wisdom, and I firmly believe that is my duty, and everything I am doing is for the benefit of my people."

"I used to think so too. Until you ruthlessly slaughtered your unarmed brethren in Aiur," Zeratul said.

"All that happened in the past, the persecution the Aiur Protoss inflicted on us, can never be easily forgotten." Orega's corruption had run deep, and the influence of darkness on him was clearly visible. For a race as perceptive as the Protoss, his hatred, his pain, and his resentment were as clear as light in the night.

Some hatreds must be settled.

"The Protoss of Aiur drove our ancestors from their homeland, and now they come to Shakuras seeking refuge? When our ancestors wandered desperately in the cold, dark depths, no one accepted them." As he spoke, even the wind around him was tinged black and red by the overflowing void energy.

"The Firstborn, the Templar Knights, are nothing but a bunch of hypocritical and despicable thugs."

"It was Chief Raszagal's decision to allow Aiur's people to establish a temporary home in Shakuras. She was a witness to that tragic exile, yet she has now chosen to forgive." Zeratul had given up all hope of persuading Orega to turn back, but he still tried to find some trace of the noble Protoss in her.

"Even if the female chieftain was being kind, don't the Aiur Protoss know what embarrassment is?" Orega was suddenly enraged by this remark, but his anger was not directed at Zeratul.

"And so they came. They built glittering cities on our sacred land, recklessly mining precious minerals and constructing Fleets. The culture brought by the Aiur Protoss is impacting our precious traditions, and now even the younger generation of Dark Templar are admiring that flashy, impractical art, indulging in affectation." He said:

"Can the Templar Knights' soft and affected sword swings really be called swordsmanship?"

"Cultural clashes are relative; Dark Templar and Templar Knights are learning from each other, and countless Templar Knights have adopted Shadow Walk," Zeratul said.

"The damage caused by mining has already had an irreparable impact on Shakuras, and the Council of Light and Shadow is urgently discussing how to make adjustments."

"The Council of Light and Shadow? They're nothing but puppets of the Templar Knights," Orega said bitterly. "Their election of one of our people as archbishop was merely a stopgap measure to eventually annex our race. Now that Raszagal has become archbishop, she can no longer favor Nerazim."

"What a brilliant plan."

"Trust the matriarch's judgment," Zeratul said.

"She has grown old, weak, and senile." In the past, Orega had respected Chieftain Raszagal, but now that respect had turned into utter contempt.

"The Aiur Protoss outnumber ours; this is simply inviting trouble. And Raszagal has readily agreed; he has betrayed the Nerazim!"

"All of Shakuras and Nerazim are united under Raszagal's authority, how could she betray us?" Zeratul could not tolerate Orega's slander of the matriarch.

"Even the greatest Protoss makes mistakes." Orega took another step back, stepping into the shadows, his figure quickly vanishing without a trace.

The sounds came from all directions, like ghostly whispers.

Amidst the churning black mist, Orega, wielding a Warp Blade, appeared behind Zeratul and unleashed a fierce attack. Zeratul, a master of his craft, simply turned and deftly deflected Orega's Warp Blade with his own blade.

"Zeratul —why are you so stubborn?" Orega then launched an even fiercer attack, wielding his Warp Blade with an aura that seemed capable of splitting mountains and rivers.

"What benefits have the Templar Knights given you? You're so eager to curry favor with them just because they agree with the Dark Templar's path. You know very well that if the two races merge, the Nerazim will no longer be Nerazim."

"It is you who are stubbornly clinging to your delusions, hatred begets hatred, and the cycle continues through generations." Even injured, Zeratul held his own in the battle against Orega.

"Further words are pointless." During a blink of an eye, Orega pulled back to create distance between himself and Zeratul.

At this moment, many Dark Templar dressed similarly to Orega appeared around Zeratul, numbering about thirty. The Hydralisk skull ornaments on their bodies and the symbols on their robes indicated that they were followers of Orega, the Fist of Ulrezaj.

"You lost your mind in the chase and have fallen into my trap with no way out." Orega chuckled softly. "Otherwise, why do you think I would come to see you alone?"

"Surrender, Zeratul."

"Is that so?" This seemed to be within Zeratul's expectations; he simply stared into Orega's eyes, which loathed everything.

"Humility is a virtue of the Dark Templar, and in abandoning it you have forgotten Adun's teachings. Never overestimate yourself, never underestimate your enemy. If I could turn back time, I wish none of this had ever happened."

More Dark Templar then appeared behind the Fist of Ulrezaj, numbering in the hundreds, all of them elite Dark Templar and Chieftain's attendants. Orega thought Zeratul had fallen into his trap, but it was also part of the latter's plan.

Only these exceptional Dark Templar masters, chosen from among thousands, can follow the marks left by Zeratul and silently approach Orega and his Fist of Ulrezaj without being detected.

"Orega! You have nowhere to retreat, submit and await your execution." Vorazun, daughter of the matriarch Raszagal, was the leader of these Dark Templar.

"Your numerous crimes will surely be judged!"

"Vorazun? Now that you're here, who will protect the chieftain?" Zeratul had only left a message for his people, but he hadn't expected that Vorazun would be leading the group.

Although the Dark Prelate of the Nerazim are currently leading the Dark Templar of Shakuras to resist the Swarm invasion, among the younger generation, only Vorazun is capable of leading such an elite force that originally belonged to the matriarch.

"My mother ordered me to come and help you," Vorazun said.

"You are no longer the little child who blindly obeyed your mother's orders and did whatever the chieftain said," Zeratul reprimanded Vorazun as an elder.

Marshal Augustus of the Revolutionary Army had previously warned the Protoss of Shakuras that he suspected a dark force was threatening the safety of Chieftain Raszagal. However, the Protoss did not believe that anyone could assassinate the Supreme Leader Raszagal within the temple of the Assassin Masters.

Augustus, even if he was the only human respected by the Protoss, was still just a human. Only Zeratul and Tassadar truly trusted Augustus's advice.

Even Raszagal thought such tight protection was unnecessary; she had long been the leader and Preservers of her people—even though her age was far too old for a long-lived race like the Protoss.

I, Vorazun, was speechless.

"Zeratul, don't think you've won!"

At this moment, despite being in dire straits, Orega showed no signs of panic. On the contrary, he burst into loud laughter.

To Zeratul and Vorazun's astonishment, raging void energy and coiling dark tendrils suddenly appeared and wrapped around Orega and the three Dark Templar around him.

In an instant, the Dark Templar, including Zeratul, felt an inexplicable urge to merge with another Dark Templar soul and become one with him. This urge stemmed from the Protoss' innate pursuit of knowledge, which they could not resist.

A dark, twisted void appeared where Orega had been, and substantial shadows and dark tendrils spread across the ground and sky, swallowing up the last vestiges of twilight and everything else.

The overflowing void energy brought about a dramatic change in the weather, with large swaths of dark clouds and lightning forming in the sky. Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and torrential rain poured down.

An unparalleled dark void appeared, as if it were the very embodiment of darkness. Only crimson lightning could outline its sharply defined, sculpted circular shape, and terrifying Psionics pulses, like the radiation of a neutron star, destroyed everything around it.

"How is this possible? The Dark Archon are forbidden powers. The knowledge that merges into the Dark Archon has long been sealed away and forgotten... Orega, the guardians of wisdom in Alessar are disgraced because of you." Zeratul led Vorazun and the other Dark Templar in a rapid retreat.

What truly alarmed Zeratul was that there was only one precedent in this group of two Dark Templar had merged to become Dark Archon, while Orega was a four-in-one entity.

"Endless torment!"

The two crimson flames that ignited in the heart of that terrifying darkness heralded the birth of a legendary Dark Archon. Scorched black marks spread beneath his feet, the ground crumbled, and molten sand boiled in the intense heat.

"You will become us."

"Darkness that will eventually devour everything."

"Rage! Devour! Annihilate! Burn!"

The moment the Dark Archon Orega was born, an unstoppable shadow spread like darkness following the retreat of sunlight. The Dark Templar closest to him, wielding the Fist of Ulrezaj, roared in agony, crimson light bursting from their burning eyes.

"I am darkness!"

Tamateros, the matriarch's bedroom.

Prince Tosh of the Blades was gripping Chieftain Raszagal's slender neck tightly, imagining it snapping with a crack. Tosh was invisible, so from the outside, it appeared as if Raszagal was desperately clinging to his neck.

For Tosh, a former human Psionics, learning invisibility would be no problem at all if he could capture a Ghost operative to study his equipment.

Protoss don't need to breathe through a trachea, so trying to suffocate them would be extremely foolish. However, Tosh wasn't trying to kill them; he merely wanted to use Raszagal as leverage to force the Dark Templar to obey him.

With the help of the Dark Templar, Tosh will be able to eliminate the Overmind in no time. As for whether the Aiur and Shakuras among the Daelaam will disagree on the issue of rescuing the Protoss, that's none of his concern.

Thinking of this, Tosh couldn't help but feel grateful to the Dark Templar named Orega —even though they were merely using each other.

Overmind.

It won't be long before I, Prince Blade, return to Char and reclaim my Swarm!

Orega was originally a four-in-one entity; it became a seven-in-one entity later.