The Passing of the Old and the Coming of the New

A group of elves emerged from the portal. They were Snyder and the Hand of the Bright Moon he had brought with him, returning from the blessing.

At the same time, more and more portals opened around the square. The allied forces led by Thalyssra and Oculus also appeared, along with the families of the rebel nobles.

Maiev had ordered this. Under Snyder's influence, she too had developed the habit of pulling up the weeds by the roots.

"Looks like I'm not too late," Snyder said, maintaining his elemental spell.

"Snyder? Even you can't stop me now. Everyone must die!" The old noble, who had already gone mad, was still desperately pouring energy into the magic eye.

"Insect, if you think a single divine artifact can bridge the gap between us, you're being far too naïve!"

Snyder increased the energy, and the weather changed in response to his anger. Fierce winds whipped up towering waves that battered the coast, undersea volcanoes began to erupt, and the land across the Broken Isles split open as rain poured down in a storm.

Everyone present was stunned by Snyder's power.

Snyder closed one hand, and a gigantic hand made of earth elements seized the magic eye and the old noble together. The hand then became a spherical seal, locking the magical energy inside.

"Hand of the Bright Moon, step forward! Help me cast the spell!"

Snyder shouted. Seeing so much magical energy, he abandoned his original plan to travel by ship. Instead, he would use the energy to raise the continent directly from afar, then open a portal to it.

The Hand of the Bright Moon stepped forward as one and began helping Snyder cast the spell.

The spectral forms of the four Elemental Lords also appeared behind Snyder and began helping him calm the elements of that continent.

Therazane the Stonemother directed the earth elements to slowly raise the continent, while Neptulon the Tidehunter guided the water elements and dispersed them to various places. Al'Akir the Wind Rider calmed the changes in the weather caused by the new continent's rise.

Ragnaros the Firelord looked toward the nobles' relatives whom Thalyssra and Oculus had brought.

"Hey! Snyder's partner, those people don't look like soldiers. What are they doing here?"

The Firelord's voice boomed like thunder. Hearing his question, Maiev wasn't afraid. She had seen this sort of thing many times while living and fighting alongside Snyder.

"These are the relatives of the rebels. They'll be handed over to Snyder to deal with shortly."

"No need for Snyder. The great Firelord will execute them for you." Snyder had authorized the Firelord to do so.

Hearing the Firelord's words, Thalyssra and Oculus ordered the troops to keep their distance from the nobles' relatives. They were also afraid of being caught in the attack.

Amid their screams, the nobles' relatives were consumed by the flames the Firelord summoned. Only ashes remained scattered across the ground.

The Firelord's methods were exceptionally cruel, and they also intimidated everyone present, including the civilians watching the spectacle. They all understood what kind of person their new leader was.

Meanwhile, Snyder's spell was nearing completion. A continent rose to the east of Northrend and north of the Eastern Kingdoms, three times the size of the Broken Isles.

The birth of the new continent drew attention from all sides. N'Zoth, sealed in the depths of the sea, opened his eyes and looked at his newly acquired servant.

"It seems your people are still quite powerful. I'm curious: with such powerful people, how did you lose?"

"He's an exception," said Azshara, who had already been twisted into a Naga, though a different light flashed in her eyes.

In Ashenvale on Kalimdor, Cenarius, as a guardian of nature, also sensed the birth of the new continent.

"It seems he has found a new home."

"Teacher, who is he?" Malfurion, who was studying under Cenarius, asked.

Malfurion had not yet reached the level of strength he would have ten thousand years later. For now, he couldn't sense the changes in the land.

"It's Snyder. He's found a new home. Once the Druids have been sent over, you can come with me to the Emerald Dream to study."

"All right, teacher." Though they were of the same generation, Snyder had already become an existence on the same level as his teacher, while Malfurion himself was still a long way from that realm.

"Who will lead the Druids there?"

"My disciple, Fandral Staghelm."

The new continent had been raised, but Snyder did not stop casting.

Using the energy left in the magic eye and the nobles' ashes, he used Shaman magic to create a gigantic portal. Snyder installed the magic crystal in its very center, and an identical portal rose on the as-yet-unnamed continent.

After doing all this, Snyder ordered Prince Tortheldrin and Elisande to calm the civilians and send an advance party to scout the continent.

With this battle, the reformists led by Snyder brought a complete end to the rebellion stirred up by the conservative faction.

"I've already spoken with Maiev about it. You don't need to blame yourself, Elisande."

"None of us knew things would turn out this way."

Snyder looked at Elisande, who was kneeling.

"I failed to manage my subordinates properly, and these were the consequences." As she spoke, Elisande lowered her head even further.

"It's not that serious. My plans weren't disrupted, and apart from the rebel nobles' people, there were no casualties, were there?"

"All right, Elisande. The early days of establishing a new kingdom are often busy. You're my capable assistant, and I know you're loyal."

Snyder helped Elisande to her feet.

"Thank you for your trust. I will prove my loyalty through my actions."

"Then go to the center of the continent and find a suitable place to plant a tree. I have an important use for it. That will be our new home."

"As you will."

With that, Elisande walked out. She intended to complete the task to prove her loyalty.

"You seem to have a lot of faith in your subordinates."

"I'm not like you, each of you constantly on guard against your subordinates, afraid they'll become a threat to you. Therazane is the exception, of course."

"Why? That one is extremely ruthless toward her enemies," Ragnaros retorted.

"Shut your mouth. I'm in a good mood and don't want a fight with you." The birth of the new continent had increased Therazane the Stonemother's power, so he was in a good mood. On top of that, Snyder had just praised her, which made her happy.

"Fight! Fight!" Neptulon the Tidehunter egged them on from the side.

Al'Akir the Wind Rider watched it all.

"Hey, Snyder, how about I give you my daughter in marriage? If you two joined together, you'd surely produce a more powerful creature," Therazane said to Snyder.

In fact, she really wasn't wrong. If the two of them joined together, the union of two powerful beings would surely create a new race.

"Forget it. I already have a partner."

If Snyder hadn't met his daughter Theradras the first time he entered the elemental world, he would have been tempted.

"Tch, you ungrateful brat."

"She turned you down, didn't he, fatty?" Ragnaros mocked.

"You dare insult me? You're dead!"

Seeing this, Snyder withdrew his consciousness from the elemental space. Just then, the guard at the door came in to report.

"Lord Snyder, Lord Dath'Remar requests an audience."