The End of the Old Gods

In a corner of the palace the Pantheon Titans had built, a figure hidden in the shadows was talking to his right hand, occasionally letting out a creepy "heh heh heh" laugh. The strange laughter added an eerie air to the remote corner.

"Mm, that's right. You catch on quick, little guy. That's what I want you to do. Of course, you won't be doing it for nothing. I'll give you a chance for revenge... You're asking how? I'll throw you back there. How you take revenge is up to you, isn't it?"

"What? You call that irresponsible? What the hell do I owe you, you ball? Cheating? Can a Titan cheating an Old God even be called cheating? This is called an intelligence gap."

"Heh, and let me tell you something—you don't get to cheat me either. I have plenty of ways to deal with you. See these two swords? They're not just for sucking up your disgusting energy. If you dare cheat me, I'll have them stab right through you."

"Bleh bleh bleh, this is how I do business. What, unhappy? Come out and fight me, then. If you can beat me, that works too. Bleh bleh bleh."

That figure was Vanidak. He seemed to have found a novel new toy and kept teasing the black orb, deriving immense pleasure from it.

"Vanidak, what are you doing here?"

His immense pleasure vanished instantly at the question. Vanidak told the black orb, "Then it's settled," before skillfully stuffing it into his crotch, utterly ignoring the screams coming from within.

"Tch, so what if your voice sounds nice? You say you're a cute girl? Like hell I believe you. Maybe yours is even bigger than mine when you pull it out. Pah, how could that be? Mine's the biggest. No one can compare to me!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" The speaker stepped into view. It was Aggramar. Looking at Vanidak curiously, he asked, "What were you muttering to yourself about in that corner? I saw you stuff something into... uh... that place. Your toy? Is that where you usually keep it?"

"Toy? You mean my deluxe figurine? I put it somewhere nice to upgrade it. Just now... just now, the position was a little off, so I reached in to adjust it. Don't get any ideas. How could I possibly keep my toy in a place like that?"

"Uh... fine. I won't discuss that with you any further. I came to ask you to help monitor Azeroth. The Titan-Forged have already begun their operation. We need to help them stabilize Azeroth and prevent the Old Gods from making a desperate last stand."

"Fine, fine. I really am born to work. Let's go."

"Why do I feel like you're the idlest one in the entire Pantheon..."

"Aggramar, you've changed."

"Hm?"

"You've become like Norgannon."

"???"

When Vanidak and Aggramar arrived at the Observation Hall, they immediately saw a screen in the center displaying a fierce battle. Walking closer, Vanidak asked, "Yo, where have they gotten to?"

Norgannon, acting as the overall commander, glanced back at him and replied, "I thought you'd run off somewhere to slack off again. I never expected you to come here. How rare."

"Actually, he really was..." Aggramar was about to explain how he had found Vanidak.

"Aggramar! Honest people die young!" Vanidak quickly interrupted Aggramar's impending bold remarks, then said to Norgannon, "Old man, stop keeping us in suspense. Spit it out!"

"Don't call me old man. I awakened after you," Norgannon said in the same tone and with the same expression that drove Vanidak mad.

"You... I...!!!" Vanidak was instantly slain by those words.

Seeing Vanidak's defeated expression, Norgannon smiled and began explaining the situation.

"With the help of Khaz'goroth and me, the Keepers' abilities have been strengthened. By the way, Vanidak, I truly have no idea how you trained these Keepers. Their fighting is utterly without order. They just roar and charge forward. If the Titan-Forged weren't stronger than the Old Gods' servants, I really wouldn't know how they won so many battles."

"What do you know? Charging headfirst is the true essence of combat! Charge out a new world, charge out a new future! Charge out—"

"That's enough. We all know your combat skills have nothing to do with charging headfirst!"

"You...!"

Ignoring Vanidak, Norgannon continued describing the battle. "In any case, the Titan-Forged first marched toward the Old God in the southeast. What was that Old God called again... N'Zoth, yes, that was the name."

"So far, they've been advancing triumphantly. Nothing along the way has been able to stop them. They are currently fighting the Old God's true body."

"Of course they are. I trained them!"

"It has nothing to do with you," Norgannon shot back. Seeing a change in the image, he immediately issued several commands. "Archaedas! That thing is trying to burrow underground. Bind it!"

"By your command, Lord Norgannon!"

Earth Power surged, and the fleeing N'Zoth was imprisoned in a cage formed by Archaedas's control over the earth.

"Mimiron! Use the device Khaz'goroth and you forged! The timing is perfect!" Norgannon ordered again.

"Yes, that was my thought as well, Shaper!"

Amid the roar of machinery, a strange mechanical device appeared. It encased the underground prison Archaedas had formed and locked N'Zoth firmly in place. The device had been built from Mimiron's design and Khaz'goroth's forging techniques. Its sturdiness was beyond question.

"Mm, you caught him, Norgannon. And then what? I don't think an Old God will be trapped that easily," Vanidak said, never missing a chance to mock Norgannon, just as Norgannon mocked him.

"Of course. Loken! Use the magic I bestowed upon you. This is the most important step!"

"Magic, answer my call!" Upon receiving the order, Loken unleashed powerful magic that completely sealed off the imprisoned Old God's energy. At last, this Old God that had taken root in Azeroth for countless years became the Keepers' first prisoner. Its sentence was forever—if that was possible.

"Uh... not bad, indeed. Well done, Keepers!" Vanidak could no longer continue mocking them, so he could only offer praise to the Keepers who had perfectly sealed the Old God.

"Of course. They were under my command, after all." Poor Vanidak still failed to escape Norgannon's mockery. Perhaps that was simply fate.

Seeing Vanidak's defeated expression once more, Norgannon chuckled and issued another command.

"Keepers, we cannot rest yet. The next target is in the southwest. That one seems to be called... C'Thun? Eliminate it!"

The Titan-Forged marched out once more, this time targeting the third Old God, C'Thun in the southwest.

Around the massive body of this Old God stood countless temple cities. It also commanded innumerable insectoid servants and an army of N'raqi.

Yet after countless battles, none of this could put up any resistance before the Keepers' army. The Keepers and their companions first easily swept away C'Thun's N'raqi army, then launched a fierce assault on its true body. Much like N'Zoth, C'Thun tried to flee underground once it could no longer hold out. The Keepers promptly dealt with it using a coordinated combination of techniques, imprisoning it deep beneath the earth, never again to see daylight.

At last, after sealing two Old Gods, the Keepers were left with only their final enemy. According to Vanidak's star map, the last Old God was in the north, where they had first landed—vicious and cunning Yogg-Saron had evaded their initial search and successfully survived until the end.

This would be a hard bone to chew. Numerous Titan-Forged slowly advanced toward Yogg-Saron's northern stronghold, and the Old God revealed its final trump card: its most capable subordinate—Kraxxi.

Kraxxi were the most frenzied and brutal warbringers cultivated by Yogg-Saron. They were larger and harder to deal with than the N'raqi. These behemoths of war possessed astonishing strength as well as exceptional intelligence. The dark power and curses Yogg-Saron bestowed upon them could even drive the Titan-Forged under the Keepers' command mad.

Incited by these huge, tentacle-faced Kraxxi, the Black Empire's hidden remaining forces began a frenzied counterattack. Remnants of the Black Empire that had escaped the Titan-Forged's pursuit emerged from every direction and besieged the Keepers' army, inflicting severe losses on the Titan-Forged.

By the time the Keepers finally defeated those remnants and reached Yogg-Saron, their forces had already been greatly reduced. Facing Yogg-Saron's powerful Kraxxi, they no longer had enough strength to contend with the Old God.

Watching the brutal battle, Norgannon furrowed his brow. Even he could not think of a way to resolve the current situation. Just as the battle became increasingly dire, a voice joined the communication channel between him and the Keepers.

"Hello? Hello! You can hear me, right? Who knows whether Norgannon changed the communication frequency. Can you hear me? This is Vanidak!"

"We can hear you, Lord The Formless," Tyr, who was struggling at the front to withstand the whipping tentacles of a Kraxxi, was the first to reply.

"Good. Norgannon suddenly has some urgent business, so I'll be taking command now." Ignoring Norgannon's glare beside him, Vanidak calmly issued his orders.

"The enemy's main strength is concentrated in those huge tentacle monsters. Those things are the greatest threat. Odyn, Tyr, you two need to unleash greater combat power. I need you to hold the front line for a while!"

"Your will be done!" Odyn and Tyr let out fierce battle cries and bravely charged toward the two largest Kraxxi.

"Good. Let's hope they don't charge in blindly, or that'll be another story. Enough nonsense. Loken, if I remember correctly, you received Norgannon's magical blessing, right?"

"Yes, Lord The Formless. What do you mean?"

"Do you have a spell that can make targets go berserk and attack friend and foe alike?"

"Uh... let me think... Yes! Yes, there is! My lord, I think I understand what you mean!"

"Good, but listen to me first. Thorim, Hodir! Unleash a storm and make the enemy unable to see their surroundings!"

"Storm, answer my call!" Thorim and Hodir wielded Storm Power, causing visibility across the battlefield to plummet.

"Good. Odyn, Tyr, your task is complete. Fall back! If you're too late, you'll be in danger!"

Boom! Boom! Two violent tremors rang out as Odyn and Tyr appeared among the Keepers. Both were covered in wounds, but they had successfully held back the Kraxxi's assault and bought time for their companions.

"Good. Loken, now! Cast your magic!"

"Very well. Magic, heed my call!"

As Loken chanted, illusions appeared among the Kraxxi. The massive creatures, their vision obscured by the storm, roared and attacked as soon as the illusions appeared. But they had not expected this to be precisely what Loken wanted. Those illusions were not Titan-Forged; behind them stood their own allies. Some particularly mindless ones even attacked Yogg-Saron.

Watching the tide of battle turn, Vanidak flamboyantly ran a hand through his hair and said smugly to Norgannon,

"Sorry, Norgannon."

"This time, I charged headfirst the right way!"

"Bet you didn't expect me to know how to charge headfirst with a little sense!"