Frozen Throne

Frostmourne's blade flashed back and forth, clashing fiercely with the Crypt Lord's scythe-like claws. Though Anub'arak's carapace was exceptionally tough, it could not withstand Frostmourne's relentless slashes.

A small section of one foreclaw had been severed, and sword marks covered his body. Those were merely insignificant wounds to him, but Arthas remained completely unscathed, his breathing steady. The difference between them was clear.

"You're strong. Perhaps you really can defeat him."

Anub'arak's praise was sincere. He felt that today might finally bring his release from the Lich King's control and enslavement.

Arthas held Frostmourne without a word, but the runes lighting up along its blade made his intentions clear.

"Come, Arthas. Cut off my head and let my soul find peace."

"Are you truly willing to die like this? To die in a meaningless struggle?" Arthas suddenly asked.

Anub'arak fell silent for a moment, then gave a self-mocking laugh. "Heh... even if I'm not, what can I do? In my people's eyes, I'm a traitor king. I lost any claim to honor long ago."

"If you don't change things yourself, then yes, that shame will last forever."

Arthas raised his Runeblade and said gravely, "You have a chance at revenge."

"...How would that be any different from now?"

Anub'arak said nothing more. Instead, he swiftly burrowed underground, apparently beginning his escape. It seemed the Lich King did not want to lose a servant he had gone to such lengths to acquire.

But how could Arthas let Anub'arak escape so easily? Vast amounts of power of death poured into Frostmourne. The Runeblade shimmered with an eerie blue glow as he launched his final attack on Anub'arak.

Whether undead or living, anyone wounded by the cursed sword would receive a nearly permanent brand, making escape from Frostmourne's wielder almost impossible.

Anub'arak's burrowing abruptly stopped. His body began twitching against his will, and he returned to the surface.

He had traveled only a few dozen meters underground. Before he could reach the ground beneath Ironwall Dam, Arthas dragged him out of the earth.

The wounds on his body shone with the same light as Frostmourne. Even as the Runeblade wounded him, it had driven anchors into his soul.

Riding Invincible, Arthas slowly approached Anub'arak and rested his sword's tip against the Crypt Lord's head. He could sense something unusual deep within Anub'arak's soul.

It was a mark that Ner'zhul, the Lich King, had placed upon the Scourge's important commanders to strengthen his control over the undead.

Now, however, waves of utter fury surged from the soul of this "king," who had believed everything was under his control.

Without a moment's hesitation, Arthas destroyed the Lich King's mark, severing the connection between Ner'zhul and Anub'arak.

Anub'arak felt his body grow lighter. That crushing sense of restraint had finally vanished. Though he was still undead, at least he now possessed free will.

Yet he felt no joy. Arthas was clearly no less capable than the Lich King, and Anub'arak suspected that his fate might not have changed at all.

"You don't seem particularly pleased."

The Crypt Lord, former king of the Insect People, flexed his limbs without attempting a pointless escape. "Your power is exactly like the Lich King's. How could I be pleased?"

"True. I have my own goals, and you and your subordinates would be powerful allies," Arthas said bluntly. He had no reason to deceive Anub'arak. He intended to make him his subordinate.

"Then what are you waiting for? I have no strength left to resist."

Anub'arak had only just been freed from his connection to the Lich King, and Frostmourne was still corroding his soul. At his full strength, he might have escaped Arthas. Now, it was absolutely impossible.

"I have no interest in enslaving every part of you as the Lich King did. All I want is your loyalty."

"And surely you've noticed that some of your people... oh, your former people, have begun returning to their original faith."

Anub'arak was filled with confusion and surprise. Why would Arthas know about such a thing?

"They were our creators to begin with. There's nothing wrong with worshipping them." Anub'arak did not want to continue this conversation.

"Then why did you stop worshipping them for tens of thousands of years-until, in your frantic flight, you dug into their roots again?"

Arthas's question left Anub'arak speechless. Azjol-Nerub had been part of the Ancient Insect Empire, but they had long since abandoned the worship of their creators: the old gods.

Over the generations, the wise and perceptive Nerubian Insect People had come to understand the consequences of madness. With the old gods sealed away by the Titan Keepers as well, they had hidden underground and abandoned their faith in those primordial deities.

"Death means rebirth." Arthas lowered his blade before Anub'arak, and the Crypt Lord silently studied its runes. "At least you can still do something for your people and make amends."

Their meaning was: where power lies, despair lies.

Clearly, Arthas was currently the only one capable of standing against the Lich King. His power would bring despair to all his enemies.

Yet unlike the Lich King's abyssal hatred and malice, Arthas's power was utterly pure. Anub'arak sensed only one intent within his blade-death.

A fierce struggle raged within Anub'arak. In the end, he chose to submit to Arthas.

"I salute you, my master."

The corners of Arthas's mouth lifted. The instant Anub'arak finished speaking, a rune sank into his forehead, and the Crypt Lord heard Arthas's voice ringing directly inside his mind.

This power was purer and more deeply rooted than the Lich King's. Anub'arak no longer harbored any thought of resistance, for the rune's hold was far less oppressive than the Lich King's enslavement. At least Anub'arak retained his own thoughts.

"Good. Now, would you like to enjoy some revenge?"

"Nothing would please me more, master."

With the Crypt Lord's help, Arthas quickly took control of the sizable undead force Anub'arak had brought. The fanatics too deeply brainwashed by the Lich King were ruthlessly slain by the Crypt Lord.

As a former king, he understood one thing perfectly: a sovereign had no need for disloyal subordinates.

Those cultists were merely feigning compliance. Once they reached Icecrown Glacier, where the Lich King resided, they would do everything they could to warn their master.

Although Anub'arak was certain that almost no powerful opponents remained at Icecrown Glacier, there were still enormous numbers of undead and constructed puppets. Their own force was substantial, but it could not withstand the onslaught of an undead tide.

"Master, we should be wary of Icecrown Citadel's garrison. My former subordinate, Anub'Rekhan, is one of its commanders."

"Although many undead officers and senior leaders accompanied Kel'Thuzad to the Eastern Kingdoms aboard the floating city of Naxxramas, Icecrown Citadel still has defenses that must not be underestimated."

Arthas turned to glance at Anub'arak, who towered over him even while he was mounted. "Are there any Dreadlords?"

"I don't know where Tichondrius and Balnazzar are. Mal'Ganis should have gone to the Eastern Kingdoms, while Detheroc and Varimathras are hiding in some dark corner of Northrend. They aren't at Icecrown Glacier."

Arthas nodded. "Mal'Ganis is dead. His soul made a fine meal for Frostmourne."

"That is excellent news. They may be the greatest threats within the Scourge at present."

With Anub'arak's explanation, Arthas gained a general understanding of the current state of "Icecrown Citadel."

Though called Icecrown Citadel, the undead had only recently begun transforming the whole Icecrown Glacier region. Apart from some completed outer walls and fortifications, the innermost main citadel was still little more than a framework.

The Frozen Throne had not yet been completely covered in saronite. Most of it remained exposed above the glacier, resembling a spiraling tower.

Even without Anub'arak's explanation, Arthas could see countless souls forming a violent vortex in the distant sky from halfway across the glacier. There was no need to guess. That was the Frozen Throne, where the barrier between the Shadowlands and the physical world was weakest.

Under the pressure of Arthas's aura, the weaker undead did not dare obstruct the army's advance. They were merely the lowest ranks of cannon fodder, their self-awareness incomplete. Some were nothing more than "workers."

The other small forces stationed throughout the region were either annihilated by the troops Arthas and Anub'arak led or absorbed into their army.

Only when Arthas reached the foot of Icecrown Glacier's main peak, where the Frozen Throne stood, did he finally encounter a resistance force worthy of the name.

Large numbers of Crypt Fiends and Scourge Insect People poured out of the ground. Leading them was the Crypt Lord Anub'Rekhan, with many powerful figures from the former Insect Empire standing at his side.

Anub'arak gazed at his former subjects, overcome with emotion. Though he had been powerless to resist the Lich King's Scourge and had been forced into servitude, facing them as an enemy once again still left him with deeply conflicting feelings.

But he had already sworn loyalty to Arthas and would never return to the service of the Lich King, that cold-blooded executioner. As for his former people, he would welcome those willing to embrace rebirth through death on Arthas's behalf. As for those who refused...

He could only send them into eternal slumber.

"Master, we are greatly outnumbered." Anub'arak's voice buzzed, as it always did when he spoke.

Yet he felt no fear. The Lich King had brought out nearly every Scourge unit he could swiftly deploy to defend the Frozen Throne, proving that he sensed a threat in Arthas.

"If we can't finish this quickly, more undead will arrive," Anub'arak stressed. "Their numbers on this continent are endless."

"Of course I understand." Arthas estimated the difference in their numbers. His side had over ten thousand undead troops, while the enemy clearly numbered more than a hundred thousand, with more still arriving. "How long can you hold them off for me?"

"If we expend the Ghouls and skeletons without regard for losses, roughly two hours."

"Who is the strongest among them?"

"Anub'Rekhan, my master. Apart from the powerful figures of the Insect Empire, the Lich King has failed to find any other suitable corpses."

Arthas studied the Scourge, which contained almost every race: Trolls, Dwarves, humans, Orcs, Insect People, and even the skeletal remains of Elves from over ten thousand years ago. He also spotted the silhouettes of several Bone Dragons.

"Can you defeat him?"

Anub'arak seemed to laugh. "Master, the Insect Empire revered strength. I was its king. He was merely a commander."

"Good. Lead the troops and hold their main force here."

Anub'arak buzzed twice. "Your will is my wish."

"Let Ner'zhul, that unworthy 'Lich King,' see what true death is."

Arthas held Frostmourne level, and his command instantly reached the mind of every individual in his army: "Crush everything you see!"

Terrifying howls rang out. The skeletal Warriors opened their jaws, blue soul fire blazing within them. Raising their rotten, broken weapons, they charged the Lich King's army.

"Crush them, for His Majesty!" Anub'Rekhan led the counterattack himself. The instant he crashed into the sea of skeletons, white bones flew into the air.

Anub'arak could not allow a high-ranking Scourge commander to consume his cannon fodder like this. He was counting on those skeletons and Ghouls to buy enough time. The Crypt Lord quickly sought out Anub'Rekhan and pinned him down with his superior strength.

Since the process of transformation into a Lich had not yet been perfected, even the Undead Scourge had no true Liches. The casters on both sides were either Ghosts or Insect People Priests, supplemented by some Skeleton Mages, so neither side held much of an advantage in spellcasters.

Taking advantage of the absence of the Scourge's top fighters, Arthas tore through the entire battle line, practically trampling the undead cannon fodder beneath him. The Bone Dragons overhead unleashed their breath at him, but they were merely the remains of immature young dragons and could hardly cause him much trouble.

Instead, one Bone Dragon flew too low. Arthas dragged it from the sky with Death Grip, broke one of its wings, and Invincible crushed its skull under his hooves.

Even an undead creature could barely recover from such injuries. The Bone Dragon could do nothing but lie struggling atop the piles of skeletons and corpses.

Soon, Arthas broke through the Undead Scourge's lines and headed for the Frozen Throne. The Lich King's minions frantically tried to pursue him, but how could ordinary undead match Invincible's speed?

Even the remaining Bone Dragons were left far behind. After casually cutting down several Necromancers blocking his way, Arthas reached the ascending path to the Frozen Throne almost unimpeded.

Countless souls gathered here, and a considerable portion were beyond even the Lich King's control. He therefore dared not send large numbers of his undead troops into the citadel to defend it. Under the onslaught of that tide of souls, he would lose his hold over the Scourge.

That would accomplish nothing and only divide his attention. Thus, after Arthas entered the Frozen Throne, he encountered no more scattered undead.

The Lich King was ready to receive Arthas in his most "complete" form.