Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen

The traitor was a wizard named Dar'Khan Drathir, who played a role.If it weren't for him, Arthas would never have known the secret of the March Key. This magical artifact is divided into three moon crystals, which are hidden in various places in Quel'Thalas and guarded by heavy soldiers. The elven traitor, proud of his people who had betrayed him, told Arthas that these temples, like the Sunwell itself, were built at the intersection of the ley lines.The energy line of the magic net is like the blood vessels in the earth, but the magic power flows inside instead of bright red blood.By connecting to each other in this way, the three crystals create an energy field called bandinoril - which means "gatekeeper".Arthas only needs to go to the three locations of Antelas, Andalos and An'owien, kill the guards and take the moon crystal.

But the beautiful elves, surprisingly tough, challenged him.Arthas straddled Invincible, stroking Frostmourne with his fingers, wondering how a race that seemed so weak could dare resist his army.Yes, this is a real army now, hundreds of soldiers, and they have all died once, so it is even more difficult to kill them completely. The ranger general really wasted Alsace's precious time by blowing up the bridge.The river stretches across Quel'Thalas to the hills to the east.To his war machines, however, mountains were as difficult to cross as rivers. It took some time, but they eventually crossed the river.When he thought of the solution, an indescribable tingling suddenly rose in the back of his mind.Painfully suppressing this strange feeling, he ordered his loyal soldiers to build a bridge for themselves - a bridge of their rotting flesh.Dozens of undead soldiers jumped into the river and lay in the water, building layer upon layer of their corpses until the meat wagons, catapults, and trebuchets could barely pass.Naturally, in this way, the corpses of some undead were too damaged to be used any longer.So Arthas "mercifully" granted them real death.On the other hand, their corpses will pollute the water, becoming another weapon of the Scourge.

Of course, he could easily cross the river by himself.Invincible jumped into the river without hesitation, and Alsace suddenly recalled that in the middle of winter, this horse also absolutely obeyed the master's will, slipped and fell on the icy rocks when he jumped into the air.The memory struck him unexpectedly, and for a moment he felt so guilty that it was difficult to breathe. However, the feeling came and went quickly.Everything is much different now.He was no longer the broken-hearted, shamed kid who sobbed in the snow and stabbed his best friend in the heart with his sword.No, invulnerability is no longer just a vulnerable living creature.They are all stronger now, more powerful.Invincible will live forever, without hunger, thirst, pain and fatigue, and will serve his master faithfully as always.As for Arthas, he will get what he wants, no need to face his father's silent denial, no need to listen to Uther's rigid reprimand, no need to see Jaina's dubious eyes, see her familiar frown Brow—Jina... Arthas shook his head violently. Jaina had a chance to accompany him.But she refused, even though she had sworn never to do so.He doesn't owe her anything.

Now he only obeys the orders of the Lich King.Arthas collected himself, smiled and patted the undead steed's jagged vertebrae, which shook its skull in reply. Undoubtedly, it was the beautiful and resolute Ranger General who made him uneasy, and even doubted the correctness of his own choice at that moment.And she had a chance.Arthas came here for a purpose, not to completely destroy Quel'Thalas and its inhabitants.If they give up resistance, Arthas will let them go.It was her fangs and defiant actions that brought destruction to the elves, not he. The river water seeped in through the seams of his armor, and the clothes and trousers under the metal plate armor and the soft body armor became wet and cold, but Alsace didn't feel it.A moment later, Wudi rushed out of the water and boarded the opposite bank.The last few meat grinder trucks rumbled past, and the undamaged zombies climbed ashore, while the rest continued to lie in the river water that was no longer crystal clear.

"Go forward," said the death knight. The rangers have retreated to Qingfeng Village.After the initial shock, the villagers did everything they could to help, from bandaging the wounded to taking up arms for battle.Sylvanas ordered those who were unable to fight to go to Silvermoon City immediately. "Don't take anything," Sylvanas said as a woman nodded to her and ran down the ramp to the upper part of the house. "But we have room upstairs—" Cirvanas turned around, her eyes sparkling like fire. "Don't you understand? The undead are coming for us! They don't tire, they don't slow down, and they use our dead to swell their armies! We delayed them, just a moment. Take your family and get out of here !"

The woman seemed taken aback by General Ranger's answer, but she still obeyed her order, and quickly gathered the whole family to run along the avenue towards the capital. Arthas won't be held back for long.Cirvanas glanced at the wounded beside him.They can't stay here either, they have to move to Silvermoon City.As for the few remaining healthy soldiers, she has to ask them to work harder, maybe give everything... They are all like her, they have sworn to defend the people, and now they are raising soldiers for a thousand days. Just between the Ellundar and Silvermoon stands a tower.For some reason, Cirvanas felt that Arthas would open up a path to continue his journey, continuing to extend that purple-black scar.This tall tower is perfect for setting up defenses.The narrow chute avoids being swarmed by the undead, and each floor is open to the outside.She and her rangers were able to inflict great damage on the enemy, and when they were - Sylvanas Windrunner, Ranger-General of Silvermoon City, took a deep breath, splashed his hot cheeks, and drank some The water calms down.She stood up and summoned all the soldiers who could still walk to prepare for the battle, and this would undoubtedly be their last battle.

They almost missed it. As the rangers entered the towers that were to serve as fortresses, the once-sweet and clean air took on the stench of decay.Horse-archers circled the dragonhawks, giants of gold and red that writhed their serpentine heads unhappily, straining their reins. These beautiful animals also smelled death. They had never faced such a bad situation, and the smell made them uneasy.A rider gestured to Sylvanas, and she responded. "Undead found." She said calmly to her men, and they all nodded. "Everyone on your marks, now." They obeyed at once, like well-oiled dwarf machines.The Dragonhawk Knights flew towards the enemy's approach to the south, followed by a group of archers and melee soldiers, who would form the first line of defense.Her best marksmen charged up the tower's spinning chute, while the rest lined up on the ground floor of the building.

They won't have to wait long. If there had been a dim hope she had had, that the decay of the corpse would reduce the number of enemies; now that hope was dashed like crystal on a stone floor.She had seen the vanguard of the enemy: rotting zombies, followed by skeletal soldiers and abominations with huge weapons in three arms.Gargoyles hovered above their heads like vultures. The enemy is about to break through the line of defense... This is really strange, Sylvanas thought with a tinge of ghastly humor.When death approached her, an ancient ballad actually echoed in her mind.She used to love to sing it with her sisters, when it was a good world and they were all together.Alleria, Vereesa, and their little brother, Lyras, sang in the twilight, and the lavender twilight was reflected on their cloaks, and the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of sea water and flowers.

In the name of light, in the name of daylight, Quel'dorei, the enemy is about to break through... (Anar'alah, anar'alah belore, quel'dorei, shindu fallah na...) Unconsciously, she raised Holding the necklace hanging around his slender neck.It was a gift from her eldest sister, Aurelia, not by Aurelia herself, but entrusted to one of her adjutants, Villana.In order to prevent the Horde from invading Azeroth or other worlds again, Alleria passed through the Dark Portal and disappeared. She never came back.Alleria melted down a necklace her parents had given her to forge three necklaces with different stones for the Windrunner sisters.Sylvanas's was studded with sapphires, and she remembered the small words engraved on it: For Sylvanas.Always love your sister, Alleria.

She gripped the necklace tightly, feeling the connection to her dead sister through it as always, and then she forced herself to let it go slowly.Sylvanas took a deep breath, and then yelled, "Attack! For Quel'Thalas!" This can't stop them.In fact, she didn't expect to stop them.From the serious and determined expressions of the rangers around her, she knew that they thought so too. Cirvanas's face was covered with sweat, her muscles were tired and sore, but she still kept fighting.She kept shooting, drawing and letting go of the bowstring, and then releasing the string again, so fast that it was almost impossible to see the movements of her hands.When hordes of zombies and monsters surrounded him, and the distance was too close to shoot arrows, Cirvanas threw away his bow and drew out his short knife and dagger.I saw her turning around quickly and stabbing left and right, roaring and fighting with the enemy.

Another zombie fell down, its head rolled off its shoulders, fell to its feet, and was trampled apart like a watermelon.However, two more monsters rushed forward to fill its gap.Sylvanas fought like a lynx in Eversong, channeling her pain and rage into strength.She had to kill as many enemies as she could before she fell...they were about to break through the defenses...they were closing in, and the stench of rotting was nearly overpowering her.There are too many of them.Cirvanas did not slow down the pace of the battle.She will fight to the end until they completely kill her, until... The attack of the zombies suddenly stops.They backed away, then stood still.Cirvanas held his breath and looked down the hillside. There he was, watching Sylvanas atop his death army horse, his long white hair blowing in the wind.She stood up straight and wiped the blood and sweat from her face.He had been a paladin, like the one her sister had loved.Suddenly Sylvanas was glad that Alleria was dead and didn't have to see what was happening before him, what a former Warrior of the Light had done to everything the Windrunner sisters loved and held dear . Arthas raised his shining runeblade and gave her a formal salute. "Hail your courage, elf, but the game is over." Oddly enough, he sounded admiring. Cirvanas swallowed, feeling her mouth was as dry as bones.She gripped her weapon tightly. "Then I will fight to the death, Butcher. In the name of the sun!" His gray lips moved slightly. "As you wish, General Ranger." He didn't even bother to jump off his mount, the skeleton horse neighed lightly, and rushed straight towards her.Arthas held the reins with his left hand, and swung the greatsword with his right.Cirvanas let out a soft breath, the sound from his lips was not fear or regret, only a short scream, with powerless anger, hatred and righteous anger.Because she couldn't stop them, even if she tried her best, even at the expense of her own life, she couldn't stop them.Aurelia, sister, here I come. She stepped forward, striking the deadly greatsword with her weapon.They snapped in the confrontation, however, and the runeblade stabbed her next.Cold, the sword was so cold, it pierced through her body like ice. Arthas leaned down and stared at her closely. Cirvanas coughed to get it, tiny drops of blood splashed on his bone-pale face.Is this her hallucination, or is there really a little apology on his handsome face? He drew his sword, causing her to fall to the ground, bleeding like a fountain.Cirvanas fell on the cold stone floor and trembled, every movement made her feel unceasingly painful.In vain, she stretched one hand towards the tearing wound in her abdomen, as if pressing it could stop the gushing blood flow. "Do it." She said softly, "Let me die... cleanly." She closed her eyes, listening to his faint voice. "After all you have done, woman, there is no way I can give you the peace of death." Fear seized her for a moment and then faded away, like everything else.Was he going to raise her as an undead, like those ugly, clumsy things? "No," she whispered as if from afar. "You do not dare……" And then it's over.everything is over.The cold, the stench, the burning pain.Sylvanas felt soft, warm, dark, peaceful, and comfortable; she let herself be enveloped in the oncoming darkness.At last, she can rest, and after so long protecting her people, she can finally lay down her arms. And then—pain hit her, pain she had never known before.Cirvanas suddenly understood that in the face of such torture, any physical pain she endured was like a dim candle.It was the pain of the spirit, the pain of pulling the soul away from the prison of the dead body, the pain of being... torn, shredded, dragged out of that warm haven of silence and peace.The violence of the action added to her pain, and Sylvanas let out a scream from the bottom of her heart, a cry of intense mourning through her disembodied lips, a sound that radiated more than just hers. The pain can freeze the blood and stop the heartbeat. The darkness faded from her eyes, but the color did not return, though it didn't take red, blue, or yellow to see her tormentor clearly.Even in a colorful world, he is made entirely of white, black, and gray.The runeblade that had taken her life and destroyed her soul shone in his hand, while Arthas' other hand made a beckoning motion and pulled her from death's peaceful embrace. "Banshee," he told her, "I turned you into a banshee. I allowed you to express your pain, Sylvanas, which no one else can get. And when you do, you will cause pain to others. Therefore, you troublesome ranger now serve me." With indescribable fear, Sylvanas hovered over her bloody and mutilated corpse, stared into his own unfailing eyes, and then looked at Arthas. "No." The voice was hollow and eerie, but it was still recognizably hers. "I will never serve you, butcher." He just moved one of his armored fingers.Sylvanas arched her back in pain and let out another heart-piercing scream.She realized with pain and anguish that she was powerless against him.She was just his tool, just like those rotting zombies and pale and rotten abominations. "And your rangers," he said, "and they will join my army now." He hesitated, his voice sincerely apologetic. "It needn't be like that. Know that your fate and their fate, and the fate of your people, depend on your choices. But I must march to the Sunwell.And you will help me. " Hatred grew in Cirvanas' intangible body, just like a living thing.She floated beside him like a pretty little doll, and her body was packed away in a meat grinder, and God knew what else Arthas wanted to do with it.She stayed close to the death knight, as if there was a thread between them. And she began to hear those whispers, too. At first, Sylvanas thought the terrifying new body was driving her mad.But it is obvious that even if you want to seek escape in madness, it is impossible.The voice in her head was indistinct at first, and she wasn't in the mood to listen carefully.But she soon understood whose voice it was. Arthas continued his relentless march toward Silvermoon, turning his head to watch her carefully from time to time.She heard the voice suddenly and distinctly as the host that had captured her pushed forward, laying waste to the land in its path. You will serve in my glory, Sylvanas.You will labor in death and obey in longing.Alsace is my favorite first knight. He will always command you, and you will find joy in it. Arthas laughed when he saw her trembling. She despised him when she first saw him outside the gates of Quel'Thalas, fresh, pure, and unspoiled in this perfect land; when his servants slaughtered her people, turning them into The lifeless puppet, and then slashing through her with that terrible runeblade, she hated him then—but that was nothing compared to how she felt now.Like candlelight is to the scorching sun, whispers are to howling banshees. no way.She said to the voice in her mind.He controls my actions, but not my will. Her only answer was a hollow, grim laugh. They moved forward, passed Qingfeng Village and the Eastern Temple, and finally stopped in front of the gate of Silvermoon City.It seemed unlikely that Arthas was standing in front of the city gate, but Sylvanas knew that his voice could be heard in every corner of the city. "Citizens of Silvermoon! I gave you ample opportunity to surrender, and you stubbornly refused. This very day, your entire race and ancient traditions will be destroyed! For death has come upon this beautiful land. The land of elves!" She, the ranger-general Sylvanas Windrunner, was presented to her people as an example of the end of a defiant endeavour.Yet they refused to surrender.This made Sylvanas love them even more, even though he was forced into battle by the master of darkness. In this way, the gorgeous and gorgeous magic city fell. Its glory was shattered, reduced to ruins as the army of the dead marched on.The Scourge, she heard Arthas call this army, with a certain unnatural affection in her voice.Arthas, as always, raised the dead to serve him. If Cylvanas still had a heart, that heart would have been broken long ago after seeing so many relatives and friends hobbling around as mindless puppets. A purplish-black death streak ran through the city, bisecting it.The residents of Silvermoon City staggered forward with broken heads and internal organs trailing behind them. She had hoped that the strait between Silvermoon City and the Isle of Quel'Danas would be an impassable moat.For a moment, it looked like a dream come true.Arthas pulled the rein, frowning as he looked at the blue water reflecting the sunlight.He straddled the evil war horse, furrowed his white eyebrows and thought for a while. "You can't fill this strait with corpses, Arthas." Sylvanas gloated. "Even if there aren't enough corpses in the whole city. You can't go any further, and your failure is so sweet. And that guy who was once a human being, who is said to be a good person, turned his head and smiled at her presumptuous words, which made her suddenly plunge into severe pain, and another soul-ripping scream burst out from his illusory lips. He found a way. Arthas tossed Frostmourne onto the beach, watching excitedly as it whirled through the air before driving the blade down into the sand. "Frostmourne said..." Sylvanas heard it too, the Lich King's voice coming from the wicked weapon.She was shocked to see that the sea water had frozen into ice in front of the rune-inscribed blade.A layer of ice that would allow his weapons and soldiers to pass through. He had taken her life, her beloved Quel'Thalas, Silvermoon, and now her King, and it wasn't the final blow.The elves put up a desperate fight on the Isle of Quel'Danas.Anasterian appeared before Arthas and destroyed the death knight's ice bridge with a violent magical attack.But Arthas repaired it right away, frowning, his eyes sparkling, he pulled out Frostmourne and slashed at the Elven King. Sylvanas desperately hoped that Anasteria would defeat Arthas, but she knew it was impossible.Three thousand years have passed on the Elven King's shoulders, and his hair is covered with silver threads hanging from his feet, but it is not because of the erosion of black magic, but because of his age.He had been a mighty warrior, and a mighty mage even now, but now Sylvanas, through her ghostly eyes, saw in the king weaknesses that she could not see in life.He stood there, holding the ancient magic weapon "felo'melorn" in one hand, and a powerful crystal inlaid in the staff in the other hand. Alsace slashed down with his sword, but Anasteria did not stand in front of the charging horses.For some reason, before Sylvanas could see his movements clearly, Anasteria had already knelt down, and the flame strike cut off the two front legs of the horse with a sweeping sword.The horse neighed and fell to the ground, and its rider fell too. "Invincible!" Alsace yelled, watching the undead army horse that had lost both legs struggling on the ground and trying to stand up.For a moment, Sylvanas felt that Anasteria had the upper hand, and almost wanted to shout.However, Alsace turned around, his face full of undisguised rage and regret.Now he seemed almost human again, a man who had seen his lover tortured.He rushed forward, looking back at his horse restlessly. For a crazy moment, Cirvanas thought it was possible, but it was just possible—the ancient elven warrior was no match for Frostmourne, Cirvanas knew this, it couldn't be compared.In the sharp sound of the blades intersecting, Lie Yanzhi shattered into several pieces and whirled away.Anasteria fell to the ground, and the shining Frostmourne drained and consumed his soul, as it had done to so many others. He collapsed lifelessly on the ice, pools of blood flowed from his body, and his long snow-white hair covered him like a shroud.Arthas hurried to his undead steed, repaired its shattered foreleg, and patted its skeleton.Invincible happily rubbed his head against him.Despite knowing that this would hurt her loved ones, Sylvanas couldn't bear the pain in her heart and the burning hatred for Arthas.She raised her head, opened her arms and opened her mouth to let out a scream, a melodious but terrifying howl from the throat of the incorporeal body. Cirvanas had also screamed when he was torturing her before.But this time it was all out of her own pain and despair.There's more to it than that. Torture, pain, yes, but above all, hatred that is deep down to the point of sheer purity.She heard the cries of pain echoed, and saw the elves fall to their knees clutching their bleeding ears.Their spells came to an abrupt end, and the sound of the incantations changed to screams of pain and horror.Some people fell down, the armor shattered into pieces and fell down, and the bones were broken under the flesh. Even Arthas stared at her blankly, frowning his pale brows and thinking about something in his heart.Cirvanas wanted to stop, trying to suppress the howling to silence herself, she knew that the sound of destruction could only benefit the person she strongly hated.Finally, she exhausted her pain, and the banshee Sylvanas fell powerlessly silent. "You are a fine weapon indeed," murmured Arthas, "and you may be a double-edged sword. I will keep an eye on you." The terrible army marched forward bravely.Arthas reached the Highlands, killed the Sunwell's defenders, and forced her to take part in the killing.Then came the final moment of terror for her people, when he reached the glorious pool of water whose energies had fed the Quel'dorei for thousands of years.Beside the Sunwell, there was a figure familiar to Sylvanas waiting for him—Dar'kan Drathir. So, it was he who betrayed Quel'Thalas.His well-kept hands were even stained with more blood than Arthas, the blood of thousands of people.She watched furiously as the golden light of the well water danced on Alsace's face, covering him with a soft and warm halo.Then he took out a beautifully crafted urn and dumped the contents into the water.The radiance of the Sunwell changed immediately, it spun and shone, and in the center of that disturbed magical radiance...a shadow—even if it had witnessed such a dark day, even if it had become what it is now, Sylva Nas was still in shock as a skeleton rose from the center of the tainted Sunwell.It had long horns on its head, and it laughed with its arms outstretched, with flames burning in its eye sockets.Chains swirl around it like snakes, and purple robes dance with its movements. "As promised, I am born again! The Lich King has granted me eternal life!" It's all for this?Just to revive such a guy?All the killing, torturing, and terror... contaminating this indescribably precious and important Sunwell, destroying the way of life that lasted thousands of years—for this? She stared at the lich and laughed, a wave of disgust rising in her heart.Only the sight of Dar'Khan's death eased her pain a little.The traitor who had betrayed his people, and now tried to betray his master, died by the sharp edge of Frostmourne, as she had then.