New Enemies, New Trouble

"Crush the enemy ahead!"

On the battlefield, Odyn was ordering his army to wipe out the Aqir in the temple city ahead. As one of the Keepers' strongest warriors, blessed by Aman'Thul, Odyn possessed immense power. His heart yearned for battle, hoping to win victory for his creators through his own fighting and earn glory for himself as well. To him, glory was indispensable.

Watching the Aesir troops under his command charge into the enemy ranks and unleash their Stormfire, Odyn's blood boiled. Like a god descending upon the world, he leaped into the battlefield and poured the divine power he possessed onto his enemies. The feeling was as if he had found the meaning of life.

Just as the battle was reaching its fiercest point, a voice suddenly came through to him. It was familiar—the voice of a commander who served the same creators he did, the Formless One, Lord Vanidak. That familiar voice meant new orders had arrived.

"Hello? Hello! Hmm... I hope the signal is good. Keepers, you have done very well. No, I should say exceptionally well. Those Old God armies are utterly unable to withstand you!"

"Yes, Lord Formless. They cannot bear the wrath of the Titan-Forged!" That was Tyr's voice. He was leading his forces in battle from another direction.

"This is our duty. Glory to the Pantheon!" Odyn answered just as proudly.

"Mm, don't say that. I do not think we of the Pantheon deserve such glory when we do not even have the chance to participate in the battle. This is your glory. There is no need to be modest." Vanidak offered the Keepers a round of praise as well.

"Thank you for your praise, Lord Formless." Ra spoke up at the right moment. "You contacted us so suddenly. Do you have further orders?"

"Orders? Oh, oh! Yes, yes, further orders. I nearly forgot. There is something I need to tell you. From what I have seen, some big surprises are gathering in your direction."

"Uh... let me take a closer look at these things. What are they? Creatures made of flames or flowing water? Elementals? This world is truly strange. It actually has such bizarre elemental creatures."

"Do not lower your guard, Keepers. These fellows do not appear to come in peace, and they are heading straight for you. I suggest you prepare yourselves. They should be much stronger than the Old Gods' shabby armies. That is all. Over."

"I understand the situation. Thank you for your guidance, Lord Formless." After considering the news, Ra used Vanidak's communication channel to announce, "Keepers, finish the battle as quickly as possible. We need to gather and discuss how to deal with these new enemies."

"Understood, High Keeper!"

After ending the brief exchange, Odyn looked back over the battlefield and declared loudly, "Now, brethren, we must end this boring battle quickly and rendezvous with the High Keeper. A new battle awaits us! Glory to the Pantheon!"

"Roar!!!"

Having finished their battles in their respective directions, the Keepers hurried toward the central command post. Once Thorim and Hodir finally arrived, the gathered Keepers sat together around a map.

High Keeper Ra spoke first. "My brothers, I believe you have all heard Lord Formless's message. New enemies are approaching us, and we need to devise a plan to deal with them."

"They may be powerful, but we are stronger. These newcomers will not be able to withstand our wrath." Odyn spoke with fighting spirit burning high.

"Yes, my brother. I do not believe these fellows are our match either. Therefore, I intend to split our forces and lead our armies separately to defeat them one by one, so these enemies will learn that we are unstoppable!" High Keeper Ra was equally eager for battle, his eyes gleaming sharply.

"Now, let me explain what we know about these enemies, and then we can discuss who will deal with whom."

"First, this force here is, according to Lord Formless, an army composed of water elementals. They move at an average pace and may arrive last."

"This force here is an army of fire elementals. Wherever these restless elementals pass, the land is filled with flames. They are also the force that poses the greatest threat to us."

"This central force is said to be a wind elemental army of extreme speed. Given their speed, they should have made contact with us first. Yet we have not seen them draw any closer. That is suspicious. We must be wary that it may be a trap."

"The last force is a group of elemental creatures made of stone. They should be an earth elemental army. This army moves the slowest, but believe me, they should also be the hardest to deal with."

"That is the situation. Tell me your thoughts on who should deal with whom."

Odyn looked at the enemy forces and loudly declared:

"For glory, this fire elemental army looks like the toughest one. Let me handle this trouble!"

High Keeper Ra nodded slightly upon hearing that and said to Odyn, "I will have Tyr accompany you. You are the strongest warriors among the Keepers. We must ensure that the strongest enemy force suffers a crushing defeat!"

"I would be delighted, High Keeper. I also wish to face stronger enemies!" Upon receiving the order, Tyr's fighting spirit surged.

"Very well. Odyn and Tyr, lead your armies to defeat this force of fire elementals!"

"Your will, High Keeper Ra!"

"As for the remaining enemies, does anyone have any good suggestions?" Having assigned one force, Ra continued to ask.

"I believe I can handle this trouble, High Keeper." Keeper Archaedas pointed to the earth elemental army on the map. "Earth elementals are connected to the land. The Earth Power granted to me by the Shaper could not be more suitable for dealing with them!"

"Indeed! Archaedas, that is an excellent idea. In that case, I will send Freya with you. The two of you will deal with this trouble!"

"Understood. Your will!"

"I believe Hodir and I can handle this wind elemental army." Thorim spoke up voluntarily from the side.

"Yes. Their storms are no match for the Storm Power bestowed upon us by Golganneth the Thunderer!" Hodir said with full confidence.

"A wise choice. Hodir, Thorim, leave it to you!"

"We will not fail you, High Keeper!"

"Then Mimiron and I will take the last force. What do you think, Mimiron?" Loken, the Keeper who possessed the power of wisdom, spoke last. He looked toward Mimiron, who had likewise been blessed by Norgannon, King of Magic and Wisdom.

"Mm, of course. This water elemental force seems to harbor some sort of scheme, but our wisdom will easily see through it!" Mimiron rubbed his bald head as he spoke to Ra.

"Excellent. The water elementals are yours. Win us a splendid victory!" Finally free of this trouble, Ra let out a long breath. Looking at his brothers and sisters, he declared loudly:

"I will remain here and continue leading the army in its assault on the Old Gods' territory. I await your victories."

"Now, move out!"

In the Astral Realm, Vanidak watched with great interest from before a massive screen as the Keepers divided into several groups to face the different elemental armies.

"Hmm, it seems the little ones are brimming with confidence. They believe they can stand on their own now. That is good news. But it is not so good for me—which side am I supposed to watch?"

"Mm, this side looks the most explosive. This will do. What a rare spectacle!"

The place Vanidak chose was naturally explosive. Here, the army led by Odyn and Tyr finally encountered Ragnaros, Lord of Fire. The moment the two armies met, they tacitly exchanged no words and charged into one another with roars. Lightning and magic flew across the battlefield, while flames and magma burst from the earth's crust, turning the land into a living hell.

Of course, this hellish landscape posed no threat to the Titan-Forged army. Their bodies of stone and steel moved freely through the sea of fire. Odyn and Tyr, both fierce and valiant, led their troops like a sharp blade and drove straight through their opponents. The once-arrogant fire elementals were helpless before this army. It was practically a massacre—though naturally, there was nothing bloody about it.

Odyn and Tyr shattered the enemy vanguard in their first clash, but the opposing side's more elite troops soon appeared. They were creatures without legs, their lower bodies formed into strange serpentine shapes. Their entire bodies radiated the aura of fire elementals. Some wielded enormous tridents, while others cast flame magic. The arrival of this new force brought Odyn and Tyr no small amount of trouble.

"Gods, these things are ugly. I hope Azeroth does not have creatures that look like this. These disgusting flame creatures are ugly beyond belief." Even Vanidak, observing from the Astral Realm, was revolted by the appearance of these monsters.

Yet the moment these creatures appeared, they halted the fire elemental legion's decline and even began to show signs of counterattacking. Seeing this, Odyn decided to enter the fray himself and break open the situation for his army. Tyr followed close behind.

The battle between the two armies lasted for several weeks. After Odyn and Tyr fought fiercely, the fire elemental army bolstered by those strange creatures was ultimately beaten into complete disarray. The Titan-Forged army had won a glorious victory for themselves—provided they could defeat the final enemy.

Just as the defeated enemy began to flee, Odyn and Tyr had barely had time to savor the joy of victory when the ground began to quake. Scalding magma erupted from the shattered earth, and rolling waves of heat rushed toward them. In the distance, they saw what seemed to be a towering crimson pillar of fire surging in their direction.

"What is that, Prime Designate?" Tyr asked nervously. Since arriving on Azeroth, they had never seen anything like it.

"I am not entirely sure, Tyr. But one thing is certain: that thing is an enemy."

"An enemy that looks like quite a troublesome one!"