Champion's Reward

BOOM!!! The massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. Silence fell over the surroundings. The once-noisy spectators seemed to have been struck by a wide-area silence spell, and the entire arena became utterly still. Only after quite some time did the host's voice come through in fits and starts:

"Satok has lost. What... what a spectacular fight! This bastard can really fight! Now then, villains, scumbags, let us welcome the birth of a new champion! Cheer for our newly crowned king of the arena! Whoa!!!!"

"Roar!!!" Spurred on by the host, the spectators who had finally come to their senses erupted into thunderous cheers. At the center of those cheers, Sargeras stood in the arena and felt a faint sense of exhilaration. He seemed to have fallen in love with battle. He enjoyed this feeling. All in all, it was not bad.

After the cheers had continued for a long while, the host spoke again. "All right, scoundrels, quiet down and let our champion receive his reward. Naturally, the one presenting it will be our most, most, most esteemed... Prince!"

As Sargeras stepped onto the award platform, he finally got a close look at the prince. Unlike the one he had seen before, who had been wrapped all over in bandages, this prince's body appeared more... condensed. His luxurious armor further emphasized how extraordinary he was. Yet the energy fluctuations radiating from him instinctively filled Sargeras with disgust.

"Well done, my warrior. That was truly a magnificent battle. Your killing techniques were quite a revelation." The Ethereal Prince seemed to be scrutinizing Sargeras with those unobservable eyes of his.

"One last question, then. Are you willing to join my guard? I can guarantee that once you join, you will receive the position of captain of my guard, just like that piece of trash you defeated." The Ethereal Prince continued speaking to Sargeras.

Just as Sargeras was about to refuse, a voice suddenly entered his ears. "Accept. The show is about to begin." It was indeed the voice of his elusive brother. Trusting his kin, Sargeras replied:

"I suppose I can accept."

"Wonderful. Your addition makes us even stronger. Come with me. Every new member requires a lively welcoming ceremony." The Ethereal Prince seemed exceedingly pleased by his acceptance, beckoning to him as he headed toward the exit.

"Hey, pal, we'll be colleagues from now on. You'll have to look after me, my powerful friend." Seeing this, the Gan'arg demon at the side hurriedly tried to curry favor with Sargeras.

"Oh, I will." Coldly responding to the little dwarf's flattery at his feet, Sargeras called out in his mind, Vanidak? Vanidak? Damn it, what am I supposed to do next? Receiving no response, Sargeras had no choice but to give up on communicating with his brother and followed the Ethereal Prince ahead.

Following the prince through various sections of the starship and passing layer after layer of inspections, Sargeras finally arrived at their destination: a luxurious palace. Though he had no idea how such a vast palace could be built inside a starship, his mind was already so full of confusion because of his brother that he had no interest in considering it.

Perhaps sensing Sargeras's silence and confusion along the way, the Ethereal Prince thoughtfully explained, "Do not worry, my warrior. A powerful warrior like you naturally deserves a grand welcoming ceremony. You are worthy of being promoted within my palace."

"Yes, thank you very much, Your Highness." Sargeras gave a lukewarm reply and continued calling for his missing kin in his mind.

The prince, apparently not noticing anything, merely shrugged and said to Sargeras, "Stay close. We will complete the promotion ceremony first." With that, he gestured for Sargeras to follow and walked into the palace.

With no further instructions from his brother, Sargeras could only take things one step at a time and followed the prince ahead.

After weaving through countless turns, the two stopped before a large door. The Ethereal Prince said to Sargeras, "The promotion ceremony will begin beyond this door. Are you ready, my warrior?"

"I think I'm ready." Feeling energy fluctuations seeping through the crack in the door, similar to those coming from the prince beside him, Sargeras instinctively sensed that something was wrong. Still, he forced himself to agree, all the while cursing his unreliable brother in his mind.

"All right, I thought you would be ready. Now, let us quickly proceed with this glorious promotion... He is probably already getting impatient. Too much to do, too little time." The Ethereal Prince muttered to himself and extended a hand to press a white gemstone on the door.

As energy rippled, a trace of black gradually emerged within the white-glowing gemstone. Finally, under the prince's continued output of energy, it completely transformed into a pitch-black gem radiating fluctuations similar to his own. Once it became black, the door slowly opened.

"All right, follow me." The Ethereal Prince, seeming somewhat exhausted after completing all this, called to Sargeras and entered. Sargeras sensed the fluctuations within, steadied himself, and stopped wondering where his brother had gone before stepping inside after him.

The scene beyond the door was completely different from what Sargeras had imagined. There did not seem to be a single ray of light in this area. Naturally, Sargeras, who possessed Titan power, could still see clearly in the darkness. Yet the surroundings seemed filled with black mist, making his Titan soul instinctively feel extremely uncomfortable—uncomfortable in every sense of the word.

After enduring it for a long time, the two finally seemed to reach their destination. Filled with doubts, Sargeras spoke up. "I do not understand. Why must this promotion ceremony be held in a place like this? This place is a little... strange."

"Ah, do not worry, my warrior. This location is necessary. Once you complete the 'promotion,' you will understand everything." Without directly answering, the prince pressed a black sphere in front of him. A burst of energy shot from the sphere, and not far away, a spatial gate covered in strange patterns slowly opened. An aura that made Sargeras's Titan soul continuously sound alarms emerged from within.

"Ah, my master, forgive me for disturbing your slumber, but it is time once again to increase our strength. Here, I hope you will graciously bestow your supreme power and complete this glorious promotion for our warrior!"

"Ah, my beloved servant, you have interrupted my critically important sleep again. If the creature you have brought is not as powerful as you claim, you know what punishment awaits you. You cannot bear the price of disrupting my recovery of strength." A voice came from beyond the spatial gate.

"Of course, my master." The Ethereal Prince became even more deferential. "This time, you will certainly be satisfied. He is powerful... terrifyingly so."

"I hope so."

"What exactly are you talking about?!" Sargeras, who had long sensed that something was amiss, gripped Gorribar tightly in both hands and demanded loudly:

"What is that thing behind there? It makes me very uncomfortable!"

"Watch your words, insect." The prince's attitude abruptly turned cold as he barked at Sargeras, "You dare speak disrespectfully of our master, who possesses supreme power? You will learn what true pain is. Now, my master..."

"Please let this insect experience your boundless power!"

A stream of pitch-black energy burst from the spatial gate at the prince's words, accurately striking Sargeras, who stood not far away with sword in hand. Sargeras had never felt such power before. After resisting it briefly, he realized that he was no match for it in this form and immediately removed his restraints, unleashing his original power.

"Oh? What an unexpected surprise, my servant." A startled, admiring voice came from beyond the spatial gate.

"I... I did not know, my master. He did not reveal this side of himself before."

"This is not your fault, my lowly servant. After all, World Souls are rare, much less a newborn World Soul like this one. You have brought me a tremendous surprise." The creature beyond the gate gave a soft laugh, seemingly in a good mood.

"Thank you for your praise, my master. Serving you is my honor!" The Ethereal Prince seemed to share in the glory, becoming even more deferential.

Having removed the restrictions on his power, Sargeras revealed his original Titan body. His magnificent, enormous form rivaled a planet, yet it caused no change whatsoever in this space. Even the originally massive starship should not have been capable of accommodating a Titan body this large. Sargeras therefore felt an even stronger sense that something was wrong.

"He is truly enormous, my master." The Ethereal Prince exclaimed in admiration before saying to his master, "He will certainly become the most powerful warrior under your command."

"Of course. A World Soul that embraces the Void will become the strongest weapon in our hands. He will help our cause sweep aside our enemies." After affirming his servant's remark, the master continued:

"Now, I must become serious. Such an excellent servant is not easily found."

The Ethereal Prince seemed somewhat surprised upon hearing that and asked doubtfully, "But... but, my master, would that not harm you? Your noble body should not suffer any injury."

"It matters not, short-sighted servant. This sacrifice is necessary." As the voice spoke, tremors came from the spatial gate, and an even greater surge of energy poured out, slowly gathering before Sargeras.

Sargeras warily watched the dark energy gathering before him, the unease in his heart reaching its peak. When the energy finally condensed into a humanoid figure roughly his own size, that unease reached its limit.

"Ah, my master, it is truly an honor to behold your body once more. Your pure and noble form is utterly mesmerizing." The prince beside him gazed at the condensed body and praised it loudly.

"Now, become my weapon." The enormous figure said this to Sargeras. With its words, the darkness around them surged madly toward Sargeras, forming a sturdy cage. Energy shot from the other's hand and slammed into Sargeras's sword.

"What exactly... are you?" Suppressed by the energy around him, Sargeras struggled desperately against the impact. He instinctively resisted any contact with that black energy.

"I am the ruler of the Void, the master of darkness. I am... one of the Void Lords." The other answered his question, but an even more powerful wave of energy followed.

"Damn it, I won't be able to hold out forever like this." Sargeras was frantic, thinking continuously, This damned black mist has restricted my movements. Sooner or later, my strength will run out. What should I do? What should I do?

Just as Sargeras was overwhelmed with anxiety, a familiar voice abruptly rang out in his mind.

"Yo-ho! Did you miss me, Boss Sargeras, my brother?"