[Aegwynn vs. Modera]

In a valley on Fire Plume Ridge.

When Tonatiuh concealed his body, held his breath, and quietly drew closer, what did he see?

He saw a battlefield!

The valley was a complete mess. Frost had melted into water under the scorching climate, then evaporated into steam; terrifying yet profound arcane power had dissipated, leaving traces of altered terrain and warped air; and the landscape had been badly damaged, as if a group of giants had once fought here.

And at the center of it all—

Two figures, relatively petite compared to his current size, stood facing each other.

Those two mages?

Tonatiuh remembered the two mages who had flown over the troll camp three nights ago.

More precisely, they were women.

With his exceptionally keen eyesight, Tonatiuh could see from a great distance that the two mages confronting each other—who had likely just fought a fierce battle—were human female mages.

Frost, arcane, fire, and whirlwinds. Clearly, mages in the real world of Azeroth could use more than just the three kinds of spells portrayed in the game.

These two mages were powerful.

One only had to look at the aftermath of their battle to know it. Tonatiuh immediately activated the system's appraisal mode, which allowed him to see an approximate assessment of their strength.

Appraisal mode was extremely useful, but it had one flaw. Aside from activating it himself, there was no way to keep the system's appraisal mode permanently active.

After activating appraisal mode, the information on the two human female mages appeared on his retina:

[Aegwynn: Level 15 Archmage, danger level extremely high, indifferent]

[Modera: Level 16 Archmage, danger level high, indifferent]

"So it's them..."

If Modera's name was still somewhat unfamiliar to Tonatiuh, requiring a moment of thought before he remembered who she was, then Aegwynn's name immediately told him exactly what kind of figure she was.

Aegwynn, former Guardian of the Tirisfal Council, and perhaps the most powerful Guardian ever. She and another woman whose name also began with Ai were the strongest mages ever produced by Azeroth. As for who was stronger, no one knew, because they had never fought.

Modera, a future big shot in Dalaran and one of the six members of the Kirin Tor Council. She had also served the longest, and had always remained neutral.

"Something's not right... System, are you malfunctioning? Why is Aegwynn only level 15? Modera may be powerful, but no matter how powerful she is, she shouldn't be stronger than Aegwynn, right? She was actually rated level 16!"

Tonatiuh frowned and questioned it inwardly.

Unfortunately, his system was neither an old grandpa nor a little girl. It possessed no intelligence and could not answer his question at all.

For the first time, Tonatiuh doubted the system's appraisal mode. There was no way Aegwynn, one of Azeroth's strongest combatants who could kill Sargeras's avatar—even if he had held back—was weaker than a second-tier big shot like Modera.

However, the quick-witted Tonatiuh thought of another possibility. If that's the case, then it does seem possible...

Tonatiuh was still pondering.

The two powerful human mages in the valley had never stopped talking or moving.

When Tonatiuh appeared—

Aegwynn discreetly glanced toward where he was hiding, but continued to focus mainly on the young female mage opposite her.

Unlike the white-haired archmage who appeared in the game, Modera now had beautiful black hair and lovely features, her face still full of youthful collagen. Only the irritable expression on her face marred her beauty.

"Modera. Go back. Tell the Council that I have fulfilled my duty, and tell them not to bother me again!"

Aegwynn's tone was calm, as though she were simply stating a fact. Yet her words left the genius girl both frustrated and helpless.

"You cannot do anything to me. Neither can anyone in the Council. Although I no longer have the Guardian's power, unless the entire Kirin Tor and Silvermoon Council come together, sending young mages like you is utterly pointless."

Faced with the former Guardian's composure—

Modera gritted her teeth.

She had not expected this woman to remain so formidable even without the Guardian's power. During their battles over the past few days, Aegwynn had not used a single spell above the sixth circle, yet had effortlessly neutralized Modera's full-force attacks.

During their several exchanges, Aegwynn's applications of magic had made Modera think repeatedly:

So this spell can be used like this! So fireballs can be used not just to blast people directly—they can blast rocks and make them crash down for greater physical damage.

As expected of Lady Aegwynn.

Modera already knew she could not complete her mission, just like the other mages Tirisfal had sent before her.

But failing to defeat her now did not mean she could not catch up in the future. After experiencing that kind of power and guidance several days ago, Modera felt that her chance to surpass Aegwynn and become the greatest mage in human history lay right before her.

She decided she could not back down now. "Honored Lady. Your mastery of the arcane is far beyond mine. But I hope you will leave now and give it to me. I found it first. I took it first!"

"You cannot control its power."

"How would anyone know without trying? You once possessed Atiesh and Aluneth, and Lord Alodi once possessed Ebonchill... You made those artifacts even greater. I am only nineteen this year. Why can't I make it stand alongside those artifacts in the future?"

"I am doing this for your own good."

"My lady, I promise I will never work for Tirisfal again. Can you return it to me?"

"Child. This thing is far too ominous. Have you ever considered why it appeared?"

"My lady! You were once the most powerful mage. You know how far I have come on my path as a mage! I need a weapon like this. Perhaps it is the road to my future!"

"The path of exploring the arcane is long and arduous. Charging forward recklessly is not necessarily a good thing for a mage. More accumulation, more knowledge, and more curiosity are what you should possess. Let go of this obsession, child. I will seek out someone who may know it. If it is confirmed harmless, I will return it to you."

"Lady Aegwynn! Though I may not be able to defeat you, I can keep hounding you! Then the Council will send more people! You won't be able to get away then. Give it to me, and I'll pretend I never saw you. I'll return to Dalaran myself!"

Hearing the young female mage becoming increasingly exasperated, Aegwynn frowned and tightened her grip around something in her hand.

Just then—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, a burst of crackling combat sounds came from not far from the two confronting mages.

"Roar!"

With a resounding roar, Aegwynn and Modera saw two incredibly powerful "stone men" over ten meters tall chasing a somewhat bedraggled troll, all three locked in a chaotic melee nearby.

"Heh..."

Aegwynn sneered, seemingly mocking that troll.

But just then—

Perhaps believing that Aegwynn's attention had been drawn by the disturbance, Modera attacked.

An enormous bog appeared beneath Aegwynn's feet, trapping her within it. At the same time, three massive molten fireballs flew toward her.

Sorry, I couldn't sleep in the middle of the night and only then realized I had missed an update yesterday. I'll make it up today...