K'ure
As they ventured deeper into Auchindoun, they encountered more and more demons, but they were mostly minor minions. Initially, Nathanos was worried that Auchindoun might harbor leaders of the Burning Legion, but after walking for a long time, apart from seeing more artistic sculptures, they had not encountered any powerful obstacles.
"There's another Orc Warlock here." Nathanos kicked at the corpse lying on the ground; a few strands of white hair peeked out from the Orcs's black hood. This was clearly a young Orcs, yet his physique was so aged. Fel magic's corrupting influence on humans was insane.
"Nathanos!" Meryl stood in the doorway of a room, looking up at something. The Witherer walked over, his gaze probing into the room.
The facilities inside were simple, consisting of only a small platform. Nathanos finally saw what had astonished Meryl. On that platform, a pile of fragments of various shapes were flying around, forming a symmetrical puzzle, like a painting, or perhaps a mysterious mark.
The first thing Nathanos thought of when he saw it was the Kirin Tor, but the symbol of that mage organization was an eye, and he realized it was a living being, yet inexplicable by common sense. It floated slightly up and down, accompanied by bursts of music, its entire body emitting a faint bluish-green light.
"What is this?" The Witherer felt a pang of sadness; the music was disturbing him, as if it were expressing his pain.
"I don't know," Meryl replied, his expression relaxed. Nathanos wondered if the mage had heard the creature's voice, or if only he could hear it. "But this creature possesses two different powers, the Holy Light and Shadow. The Holy Light is weak, while the Shadow... is devouring it."
"I have some..."
Meryl's gaze shifted, noticing that Nathanos was in poor condition. "What's wrong?" The mage placed a hand on the Witherer's shoulder, who was leaning slightly forward, appearing as if he were about to collapse.
"I... I'm not feeling well!" Nathanos felt dizzy. Even though his eyes were closed, he saw a beam of holy light fly towards him, passing through his body, and countless images flooded his vision. In the vast universe, a spaceship crashed onto Draenor like a meteor. As it approached the planet, something was thrown from the ship. That thing hovered above Shadowmoon Valley. Nathanos wondered why he knew it was Shadowmoon Valley; the name appeared in his mind like a vivid image. At the site of the spaceship wreckage, only a crystal mountain remained.
This is it, this is Auchindoun!
What was that placed before him and Meryl? Surprisingly, as if someone had understood Nathanos's question, the image immediately provided the answer.
In the universe exist beings called Naaru, who wield both the Holy Light and shadow. When Naaru's the Holy Light is exhausted, it transforms into a Dark Naaru and recovers its power by absorbing souls. The Naaru before him is named K'ure. It was abandoned, a feeling Nathanos deeply understood, but to his surprise, K'ure had actively chosen to be abandoned. With its the Holy Light power depleted, it decided to remain there, left to fend for itself.
The Witherer's consciousness finally returned to his body. He opened his eyes wide and stared nervously at K'ure. "Watch out!" he shoved Meryl away forcefully. An ominous shadow ray shot out from within the Naaru, passing between the two Undead; being hit by it would certainly not be a good thing.
As Nathanos rose again, K'ure underwent a transformation, its body enveloped by swirling shadow vortexes from all directions. Gradually, K'ure's body compressed, and within the shadow storm, a taller and more terrifying creature emerged—a pure shadow energy being. Compared to before, it now possessed a basic humanoid form, but appeared in a state of evil and chaos.
"Prepare for battle, Meryl." Nathanos stood before the mage. "This is a powerful enemy; it will devour everything in its path."
"I have seen this power before, Nathanos."
The Witherer was surprised to find that Meryl reached out and pressed down the sword he was holding in front of him.
"This is a force that opposes the light."
"Do you have a way to deal with it?"
Meryl paused for a second, as if making a decision, "Let me deal with it." With that, the mage walked past Nathanos, tossing away the Atiesh staff in his hand. His shadow shifted; so much time had passed that Nathanos had almost forgotten that this Undead possessed another hidden power, the power he called "Xie Feng."
Can you control it?
"If I cannot..." Meryl's voice began to deepen, "Then kill me." The mage's body began to swell, enveloped in black mist. The Warlock's Demon Form appeared on the mage's body. Nathanos was sweating for Meryl; a Demon Lord was sealed within him, and once the demonic power was released, the two consciousnesses would fight for this body.
Meryl roared, raising his demonized hand, boundless magic surging between his palms. A scream erupted from the mutated K'ure as his entire body burst into flames, engulfing him in a sea of fire.
"Easy!" Meryl uttered these words, but a black hole appeared in K'ure's chest, sucking all his spells into it. Nathanos couldn't tell if it had become stronger as a result, but at least it wasn't harmed.
"Looks like that's not enough." The Demon Form mage cursed, raising his hands to begin a second spell, but K'ure was faster, extending a claw-like hand towards him. In an instant, Nathanos, outside the battle, felt the air around him solidify into a rope, wrapping around him, binding his hands and feet tightly, rendering him unable to move an inch. He opened his mouth, only to find that his voice had also been lost.
The spell covered the entire room, but Meryl seemed unaffected.
"Come at me!" Seeing Nathanos caught in the blast, Meryl's rage burned within him. He cast another spell, unleashing Pyroblast infused with Fel energy. The spell worked; K'ure was repelled, and the magic binding Nathanos dissipated.
"Someone else is approaching!" Meryl sensed something.
The Witherer struggled to his feet. "A new enemy? I'll stop him!" His voice sounded like that of someone who had just learned to speak. "Where will he appear?"
"On your right!" he said, and Nathanos, having received the prompting, turned his head. Sure enough, a moment later, a dark purple portal appeared out of thin air, and a bandaged man in a magnificent robe emerged from it. He appeared taller than his fellow wanderers outside Auchindoun, indicating that he was stronger. He wore a trident-shaped crown atop his head, with a purple gem set in the center. His shoulders, hands, and waist were clad in gold-trimmed chainmail.
"Who are you?" Nathanos asked warily. He didn't expect the other party to answer; he was simply looking for a weakness in the other party's defenses.
"I think you're aiming your sword wrong," the new stranger suddenly said. He could speak, and his tone was polite and gentlemanly. "I am not your enemy."
The author explains why there was only one chapter yesterday: the reason is simple—last night, while writing, the author... fell asleep!