A Hard-Won Victory

The Keepers' Titan-Forged army had fallen into its greatest crisis. High Keeper Ra felt a force surge into his soul. He stood frozen in place, not knowing what to do.

To Mimiron, Freya, and the other relatively normal guardians watching nearby, black mist had begun to spread from High Keeper Ra as well. A strange black sheep was slowly taking shape above his head.

"This is terrible! The situation is a complete mess!" Mimiron shouted.

"Now isn't the time to complain, Mimiron! Think of something!" Freya cried anxiously at Mimiron as she tried to use life magic to purify the corruption on the Titan-Forged.

"I'm thinking! I'm thinking! I'm already trying my best!" Mimiron roared back at Freya in equal panic.

"Stop arguing! Something's wrong with the commotion!" Thorim suddenly shouted at them.

"Yes, look at that mountain. It seems to be trembling!" Thorim said to the two of them.

Following Thorim's indication, they saw that the mountain formed by Y'Shaarj was trembling slightly. Of course, it looked like only a minor tremor to them, but a mountain towering into the clouds could cause far more than a slight disturbance.

The mountains crumbled and the earth split apart, as if the world were ending. Mimiron hurriedly raised a magical barrier, trying to block the massive boulders sent tumbling down by the collapse.

Boom! Boom! Two tremendous impacts struck the barrier, and Freya immediately cried out in alarm:

"Odyn! Tyr! It's them!"

Thorim and Hodir quickly pulled the two returning guardians into the barrier. The two bravest warriors among the guardians were covered in wounds, their eyes tightly shut and brows furrowed. They seemed to be afraid of something; even unconscious, their bodies trembled faintly.

"Something is wrong with them. Freya, find a way to heal them!" After a brief examination, Thorim said to Athena, who had inherited the power of life and nature.

"I'm coming! Let me see what they went through to be injured this badly!" Freya hurried over and cast life magic to heal the wounds on the two warriors. Yet even after their wounds closed, their brows remained tightly furrowed, and they showed no sign of waking.

"Gods, what did they see? How could they have fallen into such deep terror?" Freya cried fearfully after examining them.

"I think I can explain!" Hodir, who had been standing watch nearby, said. "That mountain! Look over there, something new has appeared!"

Only then did everyone realize that the violent tremors had ended. The culprit behind the catastrophe—that great mountain—had revealed its true form: two enormous goat-like horns, seven huge eyes atop its head, and dense Void energy radiating from its entire body.

Y'Shaarj, the strongest of the Old Gods, had finally revealed its true form!

The corrupting voice rang out once more. "Warriors who seek to defeat an Old God, tell me now—can you still do it? You must be very confused. Let me tell you..."

"First came abnormal, excessive confidence," Norgannon said to the many Titans around him in the Astral Realm.

"It could even be called arrogance. Then came Ra's mistaken judgment. He arrogantly believed his power could easily defeat that Old God."

"Then there was the sudden fear that emerged among the Titan-Forged army, along with Odyn and Tyr's excessive rage. None of this is normal!"

"I think you missed a few other things, Norgannon." Vanidak, who had also watched the entire process from the side, said, "At the very beginning, Loken unusually questioned the lightning storm caused by Thorim and Hodir. He knew his brothers would never harm him, yet he still said those things."

"Besides that, Ra's final condition was also very wrong. After observing him for so long, I believe he is a qualified leader and commander. But after the situation fell into chaos, he took no action at all. And that little black sheep emitting dark mist above him proves it, I think. He was hit!"

"Yes, the guardians stepped into a trap! That disgusting Old God had already set its sights on them when they were purging the last of its servants. Cunning bastard!" Even the usually calm Norgannon had become somewhat agitated.

"Then, my brothers, what do you believe we should do about the current situation?" Aman'Thul asked after hearing the account of what had happened.

"We should help them. We cannot simply watch them fall into the Old God's trap and do nothing!" Eonar was the first to speak. This kind Life-Binder always cherished life and did not wish to see them perish like this.

"Yes, I agree as well. My creations merely stepped into a trap. We need to save them, and this will also be a valuable lesson. I believe they will remember it." Khaz'goroth spoke as well.

"But our power is too great. We cannot enter that world," Golganneth the Thunderer voiced his concern.

After hearing this, Vanidak gave a rare serious opinion. "My brothers, have you misunderstood something? If we Titans enter that world, it will indeed cause some harm to the World Soul. But do not forget—if we do not deal with this strongest Old God now, Azeroth will also be harmed, will it not? And it will be the most severe harm of all!"

"Vanidak is right this time." Norgannon, master of wisdom and magic, finally gave his thoughts.

"We definitely cannot all enter that world together. The burden on the World Soul would be too severe. But we can send one Titan to swiftly eliminate that Old God and then depart. That would keep the burden on Azeroth within what we can bear. The question now is who can achieve a killing blow. We cannot fight in that world for too long!"

"Me, me, me! I'll go, I'll go!" Upon hearing Norgannon's plan, Vanidak excitedly kept pointing at himself.

However, Aman'Thul completely ignored his brother, who had become strangely enthusiastic for once. Stroking his long beard, Aman'Thul thought for a moment before issuing his order. "Let me do it. I will resolve this trouble!"

"That's not fair!!!" A wail came from nearby.

The Titans set out together and arrived in the Astral Realm beyond Azeroth. Looking at the enormous world before them, Aman'Thul said to the Titans behind him:

"Then I will go deal with that trouble. While I am within that world, help stabilize the World Soul!"

"Your will, Father of Gods!"

The remaining guardians faced Y'Shaarj, whose body was as vast as a mountain, and found themselves at a complete loss. Their main fighting force had fallen unconscious, while the Titan army behind them had completely lost its ability to fight due to the strange terror. Only Mimiron, Freya, Thorim, and Hodir remained, desperately holding their ground. Under the Old God's near-playful attacks, the four guardians were almost at their limit.

"Fear, wail, pitiful creatures who dare challenge a god. You will howl within your own terror, and in the end, you will drown in your own blood!"

Seemingly finally tired of playing, the Old God gathered the Void energy around it, preparing to deliver a final blow to the exhausted guardians below.

"Now, I've grown tired of playing. Let me send you on your way."

"Feel... fear! What? What is this?!"

Along with the Old God's startled cry, the guardians saw an enormous figure descend from Azeroth's storm-ravaged sky. They knew this being, who radiated mysterious power all over its body. It was their creator, the King of Gods, Aman'Thul.

"A new creature. Are you also here to challenge a mighty Old God?" Y'Shaarj felt uneasy as it looked upon the powerful being that had suddenly descended.

Aman'Thul glanced at the utterly defeated guardian army, his voice booming like thunder. "I have no time to waste on your nonsense, lackey of the Void!"

With that, he extended his platinum right hand and grabbed at Y'Shaarj's enormous, writhing body.

"How dare you! Lowly creature, you dare touch the body of an Old God! You will—"

Before Y'Shaarj could finish its corrupt ramblings, Aman'Thul's powerful arm suddenly exerted force and tore Y'Shaarj from the surface of the planet. In that instant, Y'Shaarj's towering body was ripped into two.

The Old God was slain in a single strike by the mighty Aman'Thul. Its dying wail made the surrounding mountains shake violently, plunging even the many Titan-Forged nearby who had just awakened into danger.

Watching the enormous boulders roar and tumble down around them, the exhausted guardians no longer had any strength to resist. Mimiron muttered, "It's over, it's over. Great Mimiron is about to be crushed to death."

Just as the collapsing mountains were about to smash into the guardians, Earth Power surged forth and blocked the falling peaks. Freya cried out in delight, "Archaedas, it's you! You're all right!"

"Of course I'm all right. Otherwise, you would be in trouble, my brothers and sisters!" Archaedas emerged from beneath the ground. Looking at the guardians sprawled all around him, he said anxiously, "Come with me, quickly. I cannot withstand earthshaking upheaval of this magnitude. I can only do my best to get you out. Can you still move?"

"I think we can still walk." Thorim helped a guardian to his feet and said to the other guardians who could still move, "Take everyone and leave with Archaedas first. It's no longer safe here."

The many guardians carried or supported their companions who could not move and followed the passage Archaedas had opened, leaving the region that was continuously collapsing.

Although the guardians successfully escaped, countless Titan-Forged within those mountains were destroyed along with the Old God's fall.

Silently watching the guardians depart, a mass of shadow emerged from a corner. The figure, whose form and face could not be seen clearly, glanced toward the direction from which Y'Shaarj had been pulled and said in a grave tone:

"That fellow certainly caused a huge commotion."

"But the time has come. I need to hurry."