Recaps

After the blood elf fleet suffered heavy losses pursuing the water elementals, Leah Bloodmoon returned to Silvermoon City with Azathoth’s ransom demands. Lor'themar learned that the captured blood elves could be exchanged for a vial of water from the Sunwell and legendary treasures, but he balked at the scale of the demand.

• Lor'themar asked Sylvanas what Silvermoon City should do next, and she pointedly reminded him that he had rejected her earlier advice.
• A guard announced that Leah Bloodmoon had returned, and she told Lor'themar that she had sworn loyalty to Azathoth to protect the captured blood elves from his threats.
• Leah Bloodmoon claimed she had agreed to serve Azathoth for one year until negotiations concluded, earning Lor'themar’s gratitude and honored reputation in Silvermoon City.
• Leah Bloodmoon revealed that Azathoth wanted a vial of water from the Sunwell for Lady Liadrin and ten legendary items for the other captives and three heroes.
• Lor'themar read the list of requested treasures, including Thori'dal, the Stars' Fury and the Seed of Elements, and shouted that Silvermoon City could not afford to give up so many.

Lor'themar negotiated with Azathoth to exchange five legendary items and Sunwell water for the captured blood elves, securing a Soul Oath against using the items against Silvermoon City. The deal was set for three days later, and Xiao Yu watched a video of Azathoth's attack on Silvermoon City spreading through the player community.

• Lor'themar weighed the blood elves' losses against the need to rescue two thousand captives and bargained with Azathoth through Mirror Image.
• Lor'themar, Rodman, and Halduron selected five legendary items and a bottle of Sunwell water as the exchange.
• Lor'themar demanded a Soul Oath, and Azathoth swore he would not use the items to help the Alliance deal with the Horde or Silvermoon City, leaving himself a loophole.
• Lor'themar and Azathoth agreed to complete the exchange in three days and ended their communication.
• Xiao Yu watched an edited video of the flooding and invasion of Silvermoon City, which showed Azathoth killing players and drew attention across the game's forums.

Xiao Yu watched a video of Azathoth’s attack on Silvermoon City and saw viewers praise Sylvanas while mocking his retreat. He then discovered that forum users had exposed him as a player and found the Immortal Legion listed thirteenth in the Demon King Rankings, prompting him to plan a publicity push.

• Xiao Yu watched the battle video and read comments criticizing Azathoth for retreating from Sylvanas, though he thought his retreat had been necessary after exhausting his power.
• Xiao Yu browsed the forum and found a player’s post revealing that Azathoth was a player who led Hydra City and had recruited studio employees.
• Xiao Yu realized the person who exposed him was likely an applicant he had rejected, and he accepted that his identity had been revealed.
• Xiao Yu opened the Demon King Hall and reviewed new monster factions, including the Scarlet Crusade’s Scarlet Glory and the undead Nastke Grand Cemetery.
• Xiao Yu found the Immortal Legion ranked thirteenth and decided his studio’s publicity staff should improve its forum information before the competition.

Xiao Yu received the final Seed of Elements and faced a risky choice about which elemental power to generate. He chose earth, gambling that the unstable energies would transform him into a Chaos Elemental.

• Lor'themar exchanged five legendary items and water from the Sunwell for the blood elf prisoners, and Leah Bloodmoon returned to Silvermoon City with them.
• Xiao Yu prepared to absorb the Seed of Elements while Leah Bloodmoon watched in the water elemental temple.
• The system offered Xiao Yu four elemental choices, warning that generating earth power could cause an unpredictable mutation.
• Leah Bloodmoon estimated Xiao Yu had no more than a fifty percent chance of becoming a Chaos Elemental and said failure might turn him into an elemental hybrid.
• Xiao Yu chose to generate earth elemental power and took the gamble.

Xiao Yu’s attempt to gain earth energy turned him into an Annihilation Elemental Amalgamation, whose Annihilation status would steadily drain his health and trigger a massive explosion after seven days. He learned that reviving Amalarui and completing a Chaos Elemental ritual might save him, so he set out to retake the mage’s tower from the Scarlet Crusade.

• Xiao Yu’s new earth element destabilized his elemental powers, transforming him into an Annihilation Elemental Amalgamation with a deadly status that would build toward an explosion.
• Xiao Yu asked Leah Bloodmoon how to remove the status, and she explained that a Chaos Elemental ritual required powerful spellcasters, Amalarui’s knowledge, and a costly creation array.
• Xiao Yu contacted Estero, who said he could not resurrect Amalarui or help without first reclaiming the Tower of Amalarui from the Scarlet Crusade.
• Xiao Yu told Estero he would help defeat the Scarlet Crusade and set out to the Eastern Plaguelands with his forces.
• Xiao Yu’s bosses reacted with alarm and curiosity to his changed appearance, and he ordered them to gather for the march.

Azathoth led an elite elemental force into the Eastern Plaguelands to pursue his goal of becoming a Chaos Elemental, while the Elemental Will plotted against him. After joining forces with Estero, he prepared to reclaim the Tower of Amalarui from the Scarlet Crusade.

• Azathoth brought three thousand elite elemental troops into the Eastern Plaguelands, where Agnes reported that the lich’s forces were waiting in an abandoned village.
• A water elemental secretly logged off and reported Azathoth’s movements to the Elemental Will, whose lords decided to have Estero obstruct him and to attack Lost Island and Hydra City with the naga.
• Gonggong persuaded the Elemental Will to plan to betray the naga after Azathoth was killed and take their territory for themselves.
• Azathoth met Estero, who explained that the Scarlet Crusade had grown stronger after the Scarlet Glory Guild arrived and had seized the Tower of Amalarui.
• Azathoth urged Estero to set out immediately and take back the Tower of Amalarui.

Xiao Yu led his elemental army through the Eastern Plaguelands toward the Tower of Amalarui, where he intended to establish control. After demonstrating his overwhelming power against a Scarlet Crusade patrol, he reached the tower and found hundreds of adventurers gathered at its dungeon entrance.

• Estero explained how Scarlet Glory had built up the Dawn Knights and helped the Scarlet Crusade expand through the Eastern Plaguelands.
• Edward confronted Xiao Yu and demanded to know why he was traveling with undead, but Xiao Yu declared his intention to occupy the Tower of Amalarui and attacked.
• Xiao Yu's Fission Orb disintegrated Edward's soldiers, and the terrified paladin fled while Estero realized how powerful Xiao Yu had become.
• Xiao Yu's army continued toward the tower, with Agnes clearing away lesser Scarlet Crusade monsters as they went.
• Xiao Yu spotted adventurer parties in the valley and found hundreds of adventurers gathered outside the Tower of Alamarui's dungeon entrance.

Xiao Yu, as Azathoth, attacked the adventurers occupying the Tower of Alamarui and wiped them out despite their coordinated defenses. After recovering his health, he prepared to take the tower, while system announcements revealed that key Scarlet Crusade leaders had left and the instance’s raid size had shrunk.

• Xiao Yu realized the adventurers were allied with the Scarlet Crusade and declared that the Tower of Alamarui would become his territory.
• The adventurers ignored Azathoth’s warning, so he attacked with Fission Orb and killed several of them.
• The adventurers organized their forces and countered Azathoth’s Ice Barrier, but their attacks rapidly reduced his health.
• Azathoth used Furious Tornado and Deep Sea Maelstrom to destroy the adventurers, then restored his health with Elemental Absorption and healing spells.
• Xiao Yu turned toward the Tower of Alamarui as a system notice announced that Orland Fordring and Lilith the Holy had left, reducing the instance first to ten players and then to five.

Xiao Yu and Estero invaded the Tower of Amalarui, defeated its remaining Scarlet Crusade defenders, and reached the alchemy hall. Estero summoned Amalarui’s lost soul, which appeared before them.

• Xiao Yu ordered Big Water Cunt to guard the tower entrance while Agnes accompanied him and Estero inside.
• Xiao Yu and Estero fought through the tower’s Scarlet Crusade enemies as Estero resurrected fallen soldiers into undead servants.
• Xiao Yu killed Atak, the Scarlet Champion, and took his epic battle axe.
• Estero performed Soul Summoning in the alchemy hall, and the Soul of Amalarui appeared.

Azathoth offered Amalarui resurrection in exchange for loyalty, and Amalarui accepted. Estero used Sunwell water and Amalarui’s ashes to resurrect him, but the ritual returned him as a Reborn Flame Soul rather than a lich or necromancer.

• Amalarui recognized Azathoth, Estero, Agnes, and his former apprentice Leah Bloodmoon, then explained that his long isolation had made him eager to talk.
• Azathoth offered to resurrect Amalarui as an undead servant or let Estero capture and torture his soul, and Amalarui chose to swear loyalty.
• Xiao Yu accepted Amalarui’s oath, and Azathoth gave Estero the Sunwell water for the resurrection ritual.
• Estero used the Sunwell water and Amalarui’s ashes in a Raise Dead spell, transforming him into a level 60 Reborn Flame Soul.
• Amalarui explained that the fire and earth elements left in his body had merged with his soul, making him an elemental creature.

Azathoth arranged the preparations for Amalarui to refine him into a Chaos Elemental and guarded the tower while the magic array was rebuilt. On the second day, Linia Abbendis arrived as an envoy from Scarlet Glory and asked him to help defeat her boss.

• Amalarui listed the assistants, elemental materials, and spellcasters needed for the refinement ritual, and Esmehalda agreed to arrive the next day as the ice mage.
• Amalarui said he needed three days to rebuild the magic array and warned Azathoth that too much Power of Annihilation could make him explode.
• Azathoth had Agnes and his subordinates assist Amalarui, then sealed the valley entrance and stayed there to guard the tower.
• Azathoth's forces killed adventurers, undead, and Scarlet Crusade scouts who approached the valley.
• Big Water Cunt reported that a Scarlet Crusade envoy wanted to meet Azathoth, and Azathoth allowed the party to enter.
• Linia Abbendis introduced herself as Scarlet Glory's guild leader and asked Azathoth to help her take out their boss.

Xiao Yu learned that the Elemental Will had allied with the naga and an archlich to attack his faction, then heard Linia Abbendis’s proposal to kill Grand Crusader Dathrohan, secretly the dreadlord Balnazzar. He agreed to help the Scarlet Crusade in exchange for 500,000 coupons and a future military favor, with an ambush planned for the next morning.

• Linia told Xiao Yu that the Elemental Will had allied with the naga and was preparing attacks on Lost Island and Hydra City, while also recruiting Fulaimaosi’s forces against him.
• Linia revealed that Grand Crusader Dathrohan was actually Balnazzar, who had taken control of the Scarlet Crusade and intensified its purges.
• Linia explained that her guild could not confront Balnazzar because of its oath, the risk of internal retaliation, and the dreadlord’s overwhelming strength.
• Linia offered Xiao Yu 500,000 coupons, Dathrohan’s treasures and reputation, and a future force of 3,000 led by a skull-rank boss in exchange for his help.
• Xiao Yu accepted, and Linia arranged an ambush outside Tyr’s Hand the next morning while Dathrohan traveled toward Stratholme.

Xiao Yu chose Blazing Sun Ray and ambushed Dathrohan with Linia Abbendis’s help, intending to defeat him and gain the Scarlet Crusade’s allegiance. As Dathrohan mistook the betrayal for a power grab, Xiao Yu fired his new skill at him.

• Xiao Yu chose Blazing Sun Ray from four new skills, hoping its execution effect would help him defeat Balnazzar.
• Xiao Yu traveled to the Eastern Plaguelands with Leah Bloodmoon, Linia Abbendis, and his elemental forces while studio employees prepared to film the battle.
• Xiao Yu attacked Dathrohan’s marching party from a hillside, and Linia Abbendis pretended to betray Dathrohan for leadership of the Scarlet Crusade.
• Dathrohan urged Linia Abbendis to abandon her supposed coup, while Xiao Yu demanded that she honor their deal and pledge the Scarlet Crusade to him.
• Balnazzar realized he might need to reveal his true strength, but Xiao Yu fired Blazing Sun Ray at him.

Xiao Yu and Linia Abbendis ambushed Dathrohan, forcing him to reveal that he was the dreadlord Balnazzar. As Balnazzar prepared to kill them and manipulate the Scarlet Crusade, Abbendis summoned the Dawn Knights to surround him.

• Azathoth attacked Dathrohan while Doan teleported away to seek help, and Abbendis's planted Scarlet elites turned on their comrades.
• Azathoth used Deep Sea Maelstrom to trap Dathrohan in the current, then grabbed and burned him while Abbendis fought Herod.
• Balnazzar broke free of Azathoth's grasp and transformed into his giant dreadlord form, shocking Herod and the subdued Scarlet Crusaders.
• Linia Abbendis told Herod that Balnazzar had deceived the Scarlet Crusade, while Balnazzar vowed to kill his enemies and alter Herod's memories.
• Abbendis signaled for reinforcements, and the Dawn Knights charged in and surrounded Balnazzar.

Balnazzar summoned demons through the Gate of Hell and called down infernals with Rain of Chaos, turning Abbendis’s attempt to overwhelm him into a sprawling battle. Abbendis ordered her forces to split their targets and began using her own ultimate skill.

• Abbendis surrounded Balnazzar with the Dawn Knights, who struck him with a combined volley of Holy Light and dealt more than 400,000 damage.
• Balnazzar abandoned his plan to retake the Scarlet Crusade and opened the Gate of Hell, summoning a stream of demons.
• Balnazzar used Rain of Chaos to drop four meteors, each of which produced a level 60 infernal.
• Abbendis ordered her squads to fight the infernals, demons, and Gate of Hell while she kept Balnazzar occupied.
• Abbendis planted her sword, knelt, and began unleashing her ultimate skill.

Linia Abbendis and the Dawn Knights fought Balnazzar after discovering Dathrohan was a dreadlord, but the battle turned against them until Azathoth granted the knights fire protection. Balnazzar proposed an alliance, and Azathoth rejected it and demanded that he submit or die.

• Linia Abbendis empowered the Scarlet Crusade with Holy Spirit's Protection, and Herod led the Scarlet Elites in attacking Balnazzar.
• Balnazzar battered the Scarlet Elites and sent Abbendis flying, while she took up the Grand Crusader's Sword and used Titan's Grip to fight with two greatswords.
• Balnazzar unleashed Demon's Wrath, killing several knights, and Abbendis asked Azathoth for help after he demanded she beg.
• Azathoth applied Fire Zealot Enhancement to the Dawn Knights, granting them fire protection and other buffs.
• Balnazzar offered to cooperate with Azathoth and help him rule the world, but Azathoth demanded that Balnazzar submit or die.

Azathoth fought and killed the six-skull dreadlord Balnazzar in the Eastern Plaguelands, with Abbendis and the Scarlet Crusade holding off the infernals. Balnazzar’s attempted escape as bats failed, and the kill earned Azathoth 1,775 reputation.

• Azathoth froze most of the demons with Frost Barrier, while Balnazzar resisted the Freeze effect and struck him with Finger of Death.
• Azathoth took little damage from Finger of Death and countered with Blazing Sun Ray, then battered Balnazzar with wind, lightning, and a Fission Orb.
• Azathoth pinned Balnazzar down and continued burning him as the dreadlord’s curses and Soul Fire failed to turn the fight around.
• Azathoth’s Blazing Sun Ray triggered its execution effect, killing Balnazzar and forcing him to transform into bats.
• Azathoth froze the bats before they could escape, and the system recorded Balnazzar’s death and awarded Azathoth 1,775 reputation.

After killing Balnazzar, Xiao Yu watched the Scarlet Crusade defeat the remaining demons and learned that its commanders were struggling to choose a new leader. Linia Abbendis proposed Tirion Fordring, and the chapter left the Crusade considering his candidacy.

• Xiao Yu confirmed Balnazzar was dead, found the Orb of Darkness and Book of Evil Spirits among his remains, and stored the story items away.
• Brigitte Abbendis arrived with Scarlet reinforcements and ordered them to help Linia Abbendis eliminate the remaining demons.
• Linia told Brigitte and the Scarlet commanders that Dathrohan had long been dead and Balnazzar had impersonated him; Herod confirmed what he had witnessed.
• The Scarlet leaders realized their Grand Crusader was dead and debated how to choose a successor, but no one volunteered to lead.
• Linia proposed Tirion Fordring as the Crusade’s new leader, and his reputation and connection to Taelan Fordring won support from some commanders.

Linia Abbendis rallied the Scarlet Crusade to abandon its fanaticism, seek Tirion Fordring, and join the Alliance, while Xiao Yu publicized his solo victory over Balnazzar. The video reached the front page and alarmed Fulaimaosi, whose undead army was advancing toward the Eastern Plaguelands.

• Linia Abbendis proposed that the Scarlet Crusade join the Alliance and seek Tirion Fordring's leadership, while Scarlet Glory players rallied the soldiers to support her.
• Brigitte Abbendis agreed to find Tirion Fordring, and Xiao Yu realized Linia wanted to transform the Scarlet Crusade into a heroic faction.
• Abbendis thanked Azathoth and let him leave, planning to publicize her speech and promote her rise as a hero.
• Xiao Yu told his companion to post a narrated video of his victory over Balnazzar, and the video quickly reached the front page.
• Fulaimaosi learned from Bone Hyperplasia that Azathoth had killed the six-skull dreadlord Balnazzar and hurried to watch the video.

Fulaimaosi withdrew after learning Azathoth had killed Balnazzar, while the Scarlet Crusade joined the Alliance. At the Tower of Amalarui, Azathoth prepared to begin the Chaos Ritual with his unstable body nearing its limit.

• Fulaimaosi retreated to the Great Graveyard, and players spread a false story that he had been allied with Balnazzar and fled after the dreadlord’s death.
• Abbendis announced that the Scarlet Crusade would seek to join the Alliance under Tirion Fordring, prompting widespread discussion among players.
• Fulaimaosi told Zhurong and the other members of Elemental Will that Azathoth had killed Balnazzar and advanced to four-skull status, and they decided to seize his territory and lure him toward an Elemental King.
• Xiao Yu waited at the Tower of Amalarui for Fulaimaosi’s attack, then learned from the forums that the Great Lich had turned back.
• Amalarui confirmed that the Chaos Ritual was ready, and Azathoth ordered his forces to guard the valley before meeting Esmehalda in the transmutation hall.
• Amalarui urged Azathoth and Esmehalda to begin the ritual immediately because Azathoth risked exploding.

Xiao Yu completed the ritual that transformed him into a Chaos Elemental, gaining new skills and talents. After configuring a humanoid form, he regained movement and announced the experiment’s success.

• Amalarui directed Estero, Esmehalda, Leah Bloodmoon, and the priests through the ritual to separate and balance Xiao Yu’s elemental energies.
• The four spellcasters infused Azathoth with elemental power, and the alchemy array fused it into a sphere of chaos energy.
• The system changed Xiao Yu’s monster type to Chaos Elemental and granted him the title Source of Chaos, new skills, and new racial talents.
• Xiao Yu configured Chaos Shapeshifting and selected a humanoid form, allowing him to move again.
• Azathoth manifested as a black, human-shaped figure and told the gathered spellcasters that the experiment had succeeded.

After evolving into a Chaos Elemental, Azathoth learned of attacks on Hydra City and the Lost Island and set out to defend the island. On the journey, he chose three transformation forms and upgraded his skills in preparation for battle.

• Azathoth demonstrated his ability to control and transform elemental powers, impressing Amalarui.
• A subordinate reported that Hydra City had fallen and the Lost Island was surrounded by naga and Elemental Will forces, so Azathoth ordered the army to march there.
• Estero stayed behind to develop his base, while Esmehalda joined Azathoth to ask Amalarui about the Council of Sages.
• Azathoth selected human, Chaos Dragon, and Old God forms, then upgraded six boss skills and saved his final skill point for level 60.

Xiao Yu returned to Lost Island as the elemental forces and Azshara’s naga tightened their siege, then learned that the Moonlight Travel Group had completed his quest. He rewarded them with a legendary shield after they revealed that Medivh of Karazhan could open the Dark Portal.

• Xiao Yu summoned the Storm and tested his chaos dragon form during the journey back to Lost Island.
• Xiao Yu teleported to Lost Island with Leah Bloodmoon and Amalarui, leaving Big Water Cunt and Agnes with the troops.
• Wotkud told Xiao Yu that Hydra City had fallen and that Monari, an ice titan, wind elementals, and Azshara’s naga were besieging the island.
• The Moonlight Travel Group told Xiao Yu they had found an Eredar mage who could open the Dark Portal and named him as Medivh of Karazhan.
• Xiao Yu gave the group the Bulwark of Azzinoth, completing the quest, and Baoyue Liuguang handed the shield to their warrior.

Xiao Yu replaced the Bulwark of Azzinoth with a weaker knockoff, then chose to remain on the Lost Island while he assessed his chances against Azshara and the Elemental Will. While searching for Medivh, he discovered Merlin at a mysterious meeting and resolved to contact him.

• Xiao Yu spent 50,000 Adventurer's Remains Fragments to make a knockoff Bulwark of Azzinoth and gave it to the warrior in place of the original.
• Xiao Yu decided to stay on the Lost Island for now and investigate Medivh before making a move against the Elemental Throne.
• Xiao Yu used the Magic Mirror of True Knowledge to locate Medivh and saw him attending a meeting with Merlin and five other figures.
• Medivh detected the mirror's spying and damaged it, so Xiao Yu decided to contact Merlin for answers and a possible introduction.
• Xiao Yu asked Esmehalda about Medivh, and she said he was likely a member of the Council of Sages, leading Xiao Yu to suspect he had seen their meeting.

Xiao Yu gathered the Lost Island’s bosses to assess the forces surrounding them and bolster morale with a display of his new power. Outnumbered and losing adventurers as the island’s dungeons closed, he came up with a plan involving Lady Xiwadelin to keep them fighting for him.

• Xiao Yu summoned the Lost Island’s bosses to the Elemental Temple and showed them his evolved form, raising their morale.
• Wotkud reported that Xiao Yu’s side and its allies could muster about fifty thousand troops and ten thousand adventurers, while the enemy had roughly one hundred and fifty-five thousand troops, including Neptulon’s elite guard.
• Beautifully Freezing explained that the siege had closed key dungeons and made the island less attractive to adventurers.
• Xiao Yu realized Lady Xiwadelin might help keep adventurers on the island and sent for her to meet him that night.
• Xiao Yu continued the war council, planning to rely on adventurers in the coming battle and use quest rewards to compensate for their deaths.