Slaying Kel'Thuzad, Arthas's Fury

"Wicked necromancer, your doom has come." Arthas raised his warhammer.

"Don't let him cast again! Distract that mage for me!" A trace of anger entered Kel'Thuzad's voice.

With a sweep of his staff, several swift gargoyles let out terrifying shrieks. Like black arrows, they broke away from the main battlefield and dove straight at Rod and Jaina's rear casting position!

At the same time, Kel'Thuzad muttered an incantation. Powerful shadow energy gathered at the tip of his staff, targeting Arthas, who was fighting bravely on the front lines! A dark green Shadow Bolt shot toward the young prince like a venomous snake!

"Arthas, watch out!" Jaina immediately cried out a warning.

But this vicious shadow spell was no threat to Arthas, because the paladin had already raised his Divine Shield.

Under Divine Shield, no shadow, undead, evil, or magic could harm him in the slightest.

Several Lordaeron soldiers guarding Rod immediately stepped in front of him, raising their shields high to protect the mages in the rear.

Rod took out two more mana potions and drank them, restoring his mana to full. Today, he would show them what firepower suppression meant.

With no windup at all, Rod cast Magic Arrow again. Gargoyles might have been flying units, but their health was nowhere near that of abominations. One Magic Arrow instantly took out four gargoyles.

The gargoyles circling in the sky were wiped out after taking only two Magic Arrows. As for the remaining three Magic Arrows—

Two destroyed two abominations, while Rod decided to send one Kel'Thuzad's way. It was only polite to return the favor. Let him have a taste of Rod's magic too.

Seeing the blue lightning-shaped energy flying toward him, Kel'Thuzad did not dare let his guard down. He immediately held his staff horizontally before himself and cast Arcane Shield.

With a thunderous boom, the Magic Arrow slammed into the Arcane Shield, sending ripples across it. Kel'Thuzad was shoved back several meters, but he successfully defended against Rod's spell. However, the Arcane Shield also shattered.

A wary expression appeared on Kel'Thuzad's face. The instant Rod cast his spell, Kel'Thuzad had used Counterspell, a spell that could effectively interrupt an opponent's casting.

But something strange happened. Counterspell could not find any flaw in the magic, nor could it find anything like an arcane leyline node.

That made Counterspell completely useless, and he had been forced to take the attack head-on. It was utterly humiliating.

Kel'Thuzad's defensive spell made Rod's eyes light up. This spell was no simple thing!

It was practically a life-saving divine tool. Hurry up and cast it a few more times. I'm going to steal this life-saving spell. Eagle Eye, this depends on you.

By now, Rod had run out of mana potions. Jaina took out her spell bag and gave all of her restorative mana potions to Rod.

"Take them, Mr. Rod. I believe you need these mana potions more than I do."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony, Lady Jaina. Just wait and enjoy the show!" Rod did not hold back either, directly accepting the female mage's mana potions.

He then downed two more potions, restoring his mana to full again, before firing three consecutive Magic Arrows at Kel'Thuzad.

Kel'Thuzad wanted to curse. You fucking cast without any windup!

There was not even an incantation or any magical fluctuation around him, leaving Kel'Thuzad unable to use Counterspell at all.

He could only raise another magical shield while casting the still-immature necromantic spell, Frost Armor.

The first Magic Arrow blasted apart the Arcane Shield, the second shattered the Frost Armor, and the third tore a huge hole through Kel'Thuzad's body, even blowing away half his chest.

The battle at the barn ended ahead of time due to Rod's powerful intervention and his precise strikes against Kel'Thuzad.

Kel'Thuzad stared wide-eyed at Rod in disbelief. Though he was meant to die today according to the great Lich King's plan, this death left him feeling deeply aggrieved.

You damned brat, do you think this is all my power amounts to? You know nothing of true power.

After I revive, you'll be the first one I deal with. Just you wait. Once I return as a great lich, I'll turn you into an undead creature.

I'll use the most evil spells to tear your soul apart. I'll torture you without end.

Kel'Thuzad could clearly feel his life slipping away. He did not have much time left and needed to complete his mission quickly.

He had to die at Arthas's hands. It was time to begin the plan.

"You think this is enough to stop the Scourge? Foolish prince!" Kel'Thuzad's voice sounded even more sinister in the cold wind.

"Lord Mal'Ganis has already prepared an even grander feast in Stratholme! The plague grain here has been transported to Hearthglen, then transferred to Stratholme.

"Your kingdom, your people—they will all become part of the Scourge! Young prince, you are destined to watch everything be destroyed with your own eyes!"

"Stratholme?" Arthas was struck as if by lightning. The name instantly magnified the unease in his heart to its limit.

If the plague grain had been sent there... then the hundreds of thousands of residents in the entire city...

Fear and rage instantly swallowed Arthas's reason. "No!! I'll kill you!"

Arthas let out a beast-like roar. His eyes turned bloodshot, and he no longer cared about defense. Holy Light erupted violently from his entire body as though out of control, carrying even a trace of savage fury.

Like a crazed lion, he charged before the heavily wounded Kel'Thuzad, then swung his warhammer and smashed the old mage to the ground.

Arthas's expression was twisted with hatred as he stared at Kel'Thuzad, planting one foot on his body.

He raised his warhammer high and brought it down on Kel'Thuzad's head. He kept swinging, battering Kel'Thuzad beyond recognition until nothing remained but a bloody pulp of flesh mixed with scraps of clothing.

Arthas's savage side shocked Jaina and the Lordaeron soldiers present.

"Calm down, Arthas! This isn't like you!" Jaina shouted anxiously.

Only Rod looked wistfully at Kel'Thuzad, whom Arthas had hammered into a pulp. He's been smashed into that state. Can he still be revived later?

"This evil necromancer is skilled in necromancy. His master, or those Cult of the Damned followers, will likely find a way to revive him. I think we should burn his remains on the spot," Rod suggested.