The Fel flames that had filled the sky went out, and the green light was replaced by an energy darker than darkness itself. Broad demon wings slowly unfurled amid a cloud of shadow, their black bone spurs and coarse membranes unmistakably marking the figure as a Doomguard.
Belash? No, of course not...
With a slight flutter of his wings, endless shadow energy scattered on the wind, revealing a figure a little larger than an ordinary human.
Completely unlike before, Duan Ming was now wreathed in black flames. The shirt on his upper body, once made of soul energy, had vanished. Green markings that seemed chaotic yet somehow followed a pattern covered his chest and back, as if depicting a horde of snarling, clawing demons. They made anyone who looked at them instinctively avert their gaze.
Two thick black horns rose from his forehead, curving upward with defiant vigor. His once-frail body had grown noticeably stronger, solid muscle covering him from head to toe. Anyone could see the formidable power it held. His evil, chaotic aura struck fear into everyone around him, and Duan Ming's appearance had grown ever closer to that of a demon.
Most striking of all were the wings on his back.
An inexplicable fire smoldered in his chest, forcing Duan Ming to throw back his head and let out a hoarse roar. The demon wings behind him spread as far as they could, spanning a full five or six meters!
Overcome with a deep sense of exhilaration, Duan Ming finally calmed down and reached back to examine his demon wings. Seeing that his fingernails had grown long and sharp, he felt a faint unease and apprehension stir within him.
Where the Doomguard had stood was now only a pile of battered armor, just as had happened to Vihana.
Belash had been utterly destroyed—flesh and soul alike. After mastering the Soul Eater's knowledge of how to wield the power of souls, Duan Ming had discarded his chaotic, twisted memories, treating them only as nourishment, as food. The power left him deeply satisfied.
Fel, Shadow, and Arcane...
Shing!
A blazing streak of fire erupted from his hand, twisting and extending until it quickly took the shape of a long, crimson cross-shaped sword.
Duan Ming's eyes shone with unmistakable delight at his command of such mysterious power. But before he could analyze demon magic more thoroughly, the sound of hurried footsteps grew ever clearer.
"A demon? I've never seen..." An Eredar demon appeared in Duan Ming's sight first. When she saw Belash's remains, stark terror filled her emerald eyes. She then swept a hand toward Duan Ming and roared, "You treacherous bastard! Quick, kill him!"
As soon as she finished speaking, several towering Felguards charged forward with a roar. The Eredar stayed behind, murmuring an obscure incantation as scorching waves of heat gradually gathered in her hands.
"Perfect timing." Duan Ming grinned. His thick legs suddenly drove him upward like a cannonball, and with a fierce beat of his wings, he shot toward the Felguards like a meteor.
Boom!
Propelled by Fel, a roaring torrent of chaotic energy surged up like a wave and crashed into the demons. Before they could react, the Fel flames that had swept past them left behind a streak of blackness that instantly became a series of black whips, binding the demons tight.
Duan Ming reached into the air with both hands, and two blazing swords made entirely of fire appeared in his grasp. With a low shout, he drove a blade straight into the nearest Felguard.
Sizzle!
Scalding flames seared the demon's flesh, drawing one agonized scream after another.
Listening to his enemy's cries of pain, Duan Ming's face twisted once more with savage delight. Then he put his strength into both hands. A heart-chilling ripping sound rang out as two ghastly, charred gashes split open the Felguard's back.
With its spine severed, the Felguard's massive body toppled helplessly forward.
After killing an enemy with ease, Duan Ming didn't let it go to his head. Hearing a shrill whistle behind him, he immediately pushed off the ground and leaped into the air.
A basin-sized fireball blasted from the Eredar demon's hands. With Duan Ming no longer there to serve as its target, it slammed into the Felguard's back.
Boom!
Unlike in the game, this Pyroblast wasn't a single-target spell. Its power even exceeded that of a high-explosive grenade. Its blast radius was enormous, and its scorching heat was even more terrifying. A searing torrent of fire surged out of nowhere, its force tearing the Felguard apart and knocking the other demons off their feet. Even Duan Ming, up in the air, was sent soaring higher by the impact and slammed hard into the ceiling.
The pain in his back and the flames gradually dying on his legs made Duan Ming realize how dangerous the spellcaster was. He reacted at once, reaching out toward the Eredar demon. As she gathered her spell again, shadow energy silently crept over her ankles.
The instant he landed, Duan Ming yanked hard behind him. An extremely thin shadow whip had somehow looped around the Eredar demon's calf. At his pull, she lost her balance and crashed to the ground.
With a thought, Duan Ming shortened the shadow whip in his hand. Using its pull, he beat his wings hard and became a black-green bolt of lightning. His surging Fel flames knocked aside several Felguards that had barely managed to reform their ranks. While they were still howling in pain, Duan Ming had already reached the Eredar.
His sword carved a brilliant crimson arc through the air. With a soft pfft, the Blazing Longsword swept swiftly and decisively across her throat. As the stench of burning flesh spread, the Eredar demon breathed her last.
Duan Ming turned around. His emerald eyes seemed to burn with raging Fel flames, and he looked at the Felguards like a hunter gazing at his prey—mad and bloodthirsty.
But outside the window behind the demons, a growing flash caught Duan Ming's attention. A green meteor was racing toward them at tremendous speed. He quickly recalled what it was, and intense terror flashed across his face.
A Fel Cannon!
Boom!
A Fel Cannon shell wrapped in emerald flames crashed into Vihana's room. A deafening explosion rang out as countless chunks of steel and stone shattered in the flames and plunged toward the wasteland below.
Above, a much larger starship slowly drew near. The Fel Hammer—the future base of the Illidari—belonged to the Spider Queen for now.
Seeing that the Soul Eater's room had been completely destroyed, a winged demon leaped down from the deck, followed by a swarm of massive, terrifying Felbats.
Like a cloud of locusts, they soon surrounded the place where the wreckage had fallen, layer upon layer.
Beating her wings, the leading demon slowly descended. Strangely, despite having no wing membranes, Tyranna could fly without difficulty.
"The master's will must not be defied, traitor! You will face the Legion's judgment!" Tyranna's voice boomed like thunder. The moment she finished speaking, countless Felbats in the air let loose a continuous shrieking that pounded at their ears like crashing waves.
"Hand over the Sargerite Keystone, or I'll make sure you suffer in the eternal agony of the inferno, unable to live or die!"
The demons obediently quieted down, silently blocking Duan Ming's last escape route. Tyranna's words carried far across the silent wasteland.
Crash!
A pair of broad demon wings shoved their way out of the rubble first. Then Duan Ming shakily climbed up from the flames and ruins. As a spirit, he showed no visible wounds, but taking the full force of a Fel Cannon blast without warning had left him with unimaginable injuries.
"You're looking for this?" Perhaps because the desire for the demons' blood and pained cries had welled up from the depths of his heart, Duan Ming wasn't intimidated by the lord-level demon's imposing presence. He maintained his savage, violent expression and slowly held out his right hand.
Strands of Fel rose from his palm, weaving and gathering until they gradually formed a cone-shaped emerald crystal.
The Sargerite Keystone. As Duan Ming devoured Belash, the power that burst forth had also reached the Keystone itself. To his own surprise, perhaps because they had coexisted for countless years within the rift in space and time, he had absorbed the Keystone into his body as if it were Fel fuel.
"You stole the master's power?" Tyranna stared at the sight in disbelief. Then her fury erupted. "Fool, you've brought this on yourself!"
"I'll crush you to pieces with my own hands!"
At Tyranna's signal, a countless horde of Legion demons surged forward. The ground shook without pause as a gigantic Infernal erupted from the earth behind Duan Ming. Its thick arm came crashing down like a hammer, surrounded by a tremendous rush of wind.
Just as Duan Ming had thought from the beginning, against an endless demon army, he had probably had only one path: destruction.
But now he had another option.
Taking a deep breath, Duan Ming held the Keystone aloft with both hands, seemingly oblivious to the Infernal about to grind him into dust. Emerald streams of light surged from his body and raced toward the Keystone like rivers flowing into the sea.
He couldn't forget that the Sargerite Keystone was the key to the gateway between worlds. With enough energy, crossing time and space wasn't impossible. After all, that cursed thing was the reason he'd ended up here.
Of course, nearly all the coordinates within the Keystone led to worlds conquered and destroyed by the Burning Legion. All but one: Azeroth.
Boom!
The Infernal's massive hand finally reached the ground. With a world-shaking crash, the earth where Duan Ming had stood shattered, kicking up a sweeping cloud of dust and a gale.
But before the Infernal could pull its arm back, an even more violent storm erupted from within. The towering Infernal was struck by an extraordinary force and helplessly toppled backward.
As its body began to fall, a dazzling emerald light suddenly burst forth. Vast amounts of Fel surged outward like a flood, transforming in an instant into a wild storm.
It swept over the Infernal and across the hordes of demons. Just before the raging torrent reached Tyranna, it abruptly halted, then raced toward the center at an even greater speed.
Everything vanished. The space touched by the storm had been completely stripped of Fel. The green flames blazing across the Infernal went out, leaving only a pile of rubble. Felbats fell helplessly from the sky, and the demons dropped in rows like harvested wheat.
More importantly, Duan Ming was gone from the center of it all. The Sargerite Keystone was gone too.
"No—! Bastard, you can't escape the Legion! Even if you cross between worlds, I'll find you! I'll kill you..."
Now, only Tyranna's shrill roar echoed through the Shattered Abyss...
Before you continue