Zakaz's Shadow Crystal Core, Forging a Second Ashbringer

Powerful melee capabilities, combined with terrifying magic damage reduction, made these three powerful Gold Golem bodyguards the greatest aid for spellcasters.

Everyone had gained greatly from this adventure. He had obtained the Silver Hand Warhammer, while Rod had completed the Titan Keepers' mission.

As for Tyr's Guard, they had eliminated the greatest threat within the Tomb—the Faceless One Zakaz.

"Rod, I'll leave this sword to you. How do you intend to hand it over to the Titan Keepers?" Uther said as he picked up Strom'kar, the Warbreaker, which had been stuck in the ground.

The sword bore powerful magical runes, carvings from the high elves. In addition, a great deal of shadow power flowed through it. This shadow power came from the Faceless One Zakaz, and it was certainly no good thing.

"I was planning to... Wait, what is that?" After taking the emperor's sword, Rod suddenly noticed something in the deep pit.

At the spot where the Faceless One Zakaz had died, a black diamond-shaped crystal sphere had suddenly appeared. The crystal radiated what seemed like endless shadow energy.

"I had intended to ask you about this, to see whether the Keepers had any arrangements. After Zakaz was destroyed, part of the shadow energy on his body dissipated, while another part condensed into a crystal—this thing right here." Uther pointed at the black crystal on the ground.

Rod nodded at this. A black diamond-shaped crystal filled with shadow energy, a crystal formed after the death of a Faceless One general... Why did this seem a little like Alexandros's story?

However, what lay before him was not a corrupted Rizeb Crystal, but the purest shadow power. Rod looked at the Shadow Crystal and had an idea. He pretended to close his eyes and communicate with the Titan Keepers, while actually considering how to phrase it.

A moment later, Rod opened his eyes. "Lord Uther, I have just communicated with the great Titan Keepers. They said that the way the Silver Hand handled things was very good, so we should use the Silver Hand's method to deal with this crystal and this weapon."

"By the Light... Rod, do you mean that the Titan Keepers want me to follow Alexandros's example and purify it with the power of the Holy Light?" Uther suddenly understood and asked.

Alexandros had purified that terrifying Shadow Crystal into a pure Holy Light Crystal. Could the crystallized shadow energy left behind by this Faceless One general before them be purified as well?

"That's right. The emperor's weapon, as well as the Shadow Crystal left behind by the Old God general Zakaz, can both be purified with the power of the Holy Light. Think about it, Lord Uther. If we fail, we will purify this shadow-energy crystal so that it can no longer harm this world. If we succeed, we will gain a powerful weapon containing the Holy Light. We can fuse the crystal and the sword into one." Rod said.

A Rizeb Crystal, combined with some rare materials from Ironforge, could be forged into Ashbringer. Then what kind of divine weapon could be forged from the shadow remnants of a Faceless One general, combined with the weapon once wielded by Emperor Sthoradin?

Rod was greatly looking forward to it.

Uther pondered for a moment, then nodded. The Keepers were right. If they succeeded, they would gain a Holy Light Crystal; if they failed, they would destroy this Shadow Crystal.

"Let's leave this place first. Once we get to the surface, we can decide how to purify this crystal."

The other paladins and Tyr's Guard nodded as well.

"Indeed, Lord Uther. We can purify the crystal and the emperor's sword on the way," Rod said.

This trip to Tyr's Tomb had ended perfectly. His gains had been far from insignificant.

Everyone left the tomb of the Titan Keeper together. Before departing, Tyr's Guard once again used their Holy Light to purify the shadow energy within the cave, ensuring that no more shadow creatures would appear here.

Afterward, they sealed the Tomb's entrance and returned to the lake's surface. Once they reached the ground, all of Tyr's Guard breathed a sigh of relief. The secret they had protected for thousands of years had finally come to a perfect conclusion. From then on, there would be no more danger in this Mausoleum.

"Guardians of Tyr, you are also wielders of the Holy Light. I would like to invite you to join the Knights of the Silver Hand. What do you say?" Uther asked, looking at the members of Tyr's Guard.

These ancient guardians were all powerful warriors who had also comprehended the power of the Holy Light. They were the most suitable candidates to become paladins.

"The Holy Light guides us, but Lord Uther, we do not intend to join the Silver Hand. We will continue guarding this place and watching over the tomb of the great Tyr," said the leader of Tyr's Guard.

Although the Knights of the Silver Hand belonged to the Alliance, they had in practice become a military organization of Lordaeron. These guardians of Tyr did not wish to join the forces of any nation.

"I understand. May the great Holy Light bless you all," Uther said with a nod.

Everyone had their own aspirations. Since these guardians of Tyr did not intend to join, Uther would not force them. Besides, his gains from this expedition had already been great enough.

After chatting for a while longer and bidding each other farewell, Rod, Uther, and Jaina left with the paladins of the Silver Hand, parting ways with Tyr's Guard.

That evening, they set up camp several dozen kilometers from Tyr's Tomb.

The Shadow Crystal and the emperor's sword were placed in the center of the camp as Uther looked toward Rod.

"Child, how do you plan to purify this crystal? Are we simply going to pour the power of the Holy Light into it?"

"Yes. We will all infuse this Shadow Crystal with the power of the Holy Light. At the same time, we will summon Holy Light Elementals to assist in the purification," Rod said.

The paladins present had sufficient Holy Light, but summoning Holy Light Elementals would make things even more effective. In any case, these Holy Light Elementals would dissipate after twenty-four hours, so there was no reason not to use them.

"That is indeed a good idea." Uther nodded.

Rod immediately took out the magical scroll for Summon Fire Elemental. Using the power of the Holy Light as a catalyst, he summoned four powerful Holy Light Elementals before handing the scroll to Uther.

Uther took the scroll without another word. Like Rod, he summoned Holy Light Elementals, but Uther summoned a full six of them. It seemed that Uther had expended quite a bit in the cave, or perhaps he had held back before, which was why he had only summoned four then.

However, ten Holy Light Elementals were already enough. Under Rod and Uther's command, all ten Holy Light Elementals exerted their strength together, pouring terrifying Holy Light into the Shadow Crystal.