Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty-Three

"Hey guys!" Startled, Turalyon looked up.At that time, the clouds were densely covered, and a figure came out through the clouds, swooped towards the crowd, and crossed the dark sky.Alleria and her rangers were already on the line, and Turalyon was about to order his soldiers to enter a defensive stance. If it weren't for that roar, the alliance soldiers might have already started to attack.Instead, Turalyon paused, hands at his sides, smiling and waiting.Tianyi stretched her wings, swooped down, and landed firmly. Tianyi's claws were still digging the ground under his feet, but Kurdran had already climbed up from his mount and walked straight towards Turalyon and the others.Originally, when Turalyon saw the dwarves, he was very happy.But he felt a little lost when he noticed the dwarf's stiff, slow gait.When he saw the strange hunchbacked figure accompanying Kurdran, the loss turned into confusion again.

"Ah, it's good to see you all here!" Kurdran said, high-fiving Turalyon and Khadgar before bending down to kiss Alleria's hand. "I almost lost sight of you. Those green beasts took me alive." Turalyon frowned, studying his diminutive friend. "I'm glad you escaped." "That's not true, I was rescued, and then someone treated me," Kurdran corrected. "Danas appeared in front of me, and then we captured their great ruins. That place, what is it called Auchindoun. We found a strange looking buddy there, maybe he can teach you something about The trick to healing with the Holy Light. That's not bad—but I, uh, wasn't at my best at the time."

Turalyon looked at his old friend with admiration.He knew that this time Kurdran walked before the gate of hell."I'm very happy," he said happily. "Well, the next part wasn't anything to be thankful for, though. Ner'zhul ran away. He and his death knight minions cast a spell that took them straight to the place called the Black Temple. There was nothing we could do about it Stop them." Turalyon sighed, and put his hand on Kurdran's shoulder. "Don't worry, Kurdran. I know that you and Danas have done your best. The most important thing is your safe return." He ran his hands through his hair, thinking. "The Dark Temple... doesn't sound very ominous. Do we have any information about it now?"

"Not much. But this feathered creature will take us there." Kurdran pointed his thumb at the figure who came here with him on the Sky Wing.The creature bowed obediently. "This is Grizzek. It was he who brought Danas into Auchindoun and finally found me." "Grizzek knows!" it said, its voice high and thin. "I'm telling you about the Black Temple. I know what it's for, and I know where it is!" "Is this your benefactor?" Alleria asked. "The guy who healed you?" "No, no, it was a draenei. It's complicated." "So, what are you?" Alleria asked softly.Turalyon realized that Alleria's piercing elven eyes had seen through Gretzick's face beneath the hood.

"Me, the arakkoa!" Grizzek replied, taking off his hood.Although Turalyon had been prepared in his heart, he was still startled when he saw the long beak on the face of the arakkoa and the feathers on his head. "We, like the orcs, are the aborigines of this world. The arakkoa have never been in contact with the outside world, and have not dealt with the orcs and draenei much. Then, the orcs rose up, and they united to form a tribe to slaughter the draenei .” "Auchindoun is the city where the draenei bury their dead," Kurdran explained. "Grizick told me so."

"And the Dark Temple, which is theirs too," Gretzick added. "Although at that time, they didn't use this name. There, the draenei fought the orcs for the final battle; there, my fellow countrymen and I also went to fight the orcs." In Turalyon's view, the crow There should be anger in people's eyes, but there is some malice in that anger. "We failed, but not because of lack of numbers. The orcs had the conjurer, Gul'dan. He, very powerful. He changed the landscape and created a giant volcano out of thin air among us." Now, his little Anger was evident in the eyes.

"Gul'dan, huh?" Khadgar took his pack from his shoulders, opened it, and took the head out. "This is the last of him. He will no longer pose any threat to you." The old mage told the arakkoa, and then put Gul'dan's head back into his pocket, with a trace of Relaxed look. Grizzek's eyes widened. "You killed Gul'dan?" he asked, his voice barely audible. "No," Turalyon admitted. "Others did him first. But we took out the main force of the Horde and breached one of its main barriers. Now, all we need to do is reach the Black Temple, find Ner'zhul, and kill him too .”

The Raven Man nodded. "I can show you the way," he promised. Turalyon looked to Kurdran, and the leader of the Wildhammer dwarves shrugged.Turalyon understood—even a wise dwarf didn't know whether to trust Grizzek.But beyond that, what choice do they have? "Thank you," Turalyon said to the Arakkoa, "We welcome your help." He turned to Kurdran, "Tonight, we will draw a Rough map. Tomorrow, I want you to go back and find Danath. We need to decide where to meet in order to plan the final attack." Kurdran nodded. "Well, buddy, that's a good plan," he agreed. "Now, can anyone get me some ale, and some food? When I've had my fill, I'll tell you about our journey, and the Battle of Auchindoun."

Turalyon smiled. "I can't wait," he said.This statement is completely sincere.Alleria put her hand on Turalyon's, and they smiled at each other.Tomorrow, they'd be marching on, but tonight, at least tonight, they could sit down and drink and listen to the undoubtedly wonderful tale of the Wildhammer dwarves. A few days later they were walking between two lower mountains, and before them stretched an endless valley.When Kurdran found them, they were roughly parallel to Hellfire Citadel and the Dark Portal, as Turalyon now knew the orcs called them.For a few days, the Arakkoa led them all the way south and then east, bypassing the sea area that Grizzek called the Ocean of Devouring.The Black Temple stands just over the edge of the continent on the other side.It was there that Shadowmoon Valley stood against the churning sea and the surrounding mountains; it was there that Danath and the rest of the Alliance's armies awaited them.

Danas and the others did not sit idle either.Turalyon let his horse amble, and he himself watched the buildings ahead: a crude but functional camp stood at the southwestern corner of the valley, surrounded by thick wooden walls that hadn't yet been built. "It was Kurdran's idea," Danath said, coming to the crowd, and he shook Turalyon's hand in greeting. "He thinks we need a stronghold to monitor the movement of the entire valley. We all think that this place is beneficial to us both in terms of terrain and location." Turalyon nodded.As Danas said, from here, they could see the edge of the continent all the way, the giant volcano rising from the center of the valley, and the lava and ash constantly spewing around.

"Yeah, and preferably people who don't need to be on that ground," Kurdran added, joining the crowd. "The magma is green. You may not be able to see it clearly from here, but the ground here is full of this kind of material." Khadgar nodded.Turalyon noticed the pain on his friend's face. "Hell magic," he said hoarsely. "This is the purest hell magic I have ever seen." The archmage shook his head and said, "I don't know, and I don't want to know what kind of magic Gul'dan used to cause this phenomenon. This is against nature. Blasphemy... no wonder the world is about to collapse," he told Kurdran, frowning. "Keep your dwarves as far away from those things as possible," he warned. "If you don't have to, don't go deep into the valley without authorization." "Oh, okay, we'll be on the lookout," Kurdran assured him. "However, the good news is that we have scouted the entire valley for you." He took out a piece of parchment and showed everyone the map of the valley he roughly sketched. "This is the Temple of Darkness, at the easternmost end," he said towards a dark building clearly visible in the distance. "There's no easy way out there except across this valley. If you compare this to a riding boot, then this is its exit." "Any news about Ner'zhul?" Alleria asked. "Ah, here he is," Kurdran replied. "There are also those death knights, and some orcs, but there are not many of them." He laughed. "We've got them trapped here, they have nowhere to hide." Turalyon turned to Danath, who nodded. "As soon as everyone arrived, we started besieging them," he explained. "I don't want to wait until their reinforcements arrive." "Good." Turalyon turned to face the others. "We need to get there. Khadgar, you are central - we need you to kill Ner'zhul and stop his spells. Alleria, you and your rangers will protect Khadgar from The threat of ranged attack. If anyone looks his way, you will shoot him down. I will stay by his side and deal with those who dare to approach him. We will gradually break through their defenses and find Ner'zhul. Kill him, retrieve the relics, and get out of this damn place. Do you all agree?" "Absolutely," Khadgar said, and the others nodded. "Very good." Turalyon sighed softly and began to pray quickly, calling on the Light to protect them all.He immediately felt that the warm and calming power of the holy light enveloped the soldiers, and he silently thanked them in his heart. Turalyon went over, shook hands with Kurdran, Danath, and Khadgar, then turned to Alleria. She looked up and smiled at him, though both knew the dangers of the operation.Thanks to Shengguang, the two of them didn't avoid each other foolishly all the time.In fact, they both found comfort and strength in each other.He held her tightly for a long time.His cheek was on her soft hair, and then he lifted her head up, and he lowered his head to kiss her.He stepped back, trying to give her the best smile he could.Then, he raised his warhammer and said, "Let's go." They made their way across the valley, followed by the rest of the Union army—only a handful of soldiers remained behind to guard the new camp.After the main force circled the volcano, Turalyon finally saw the real Black Temple for the first time.If it weren't for his firm belief, he might have been at a loss at this moment and let his mount run away. Dark Temple, a huge existence.Even the volcanoes that rise from the valleys are small in comparison.The temple is made of monoliths, blocks that should have been bright but are now covered in ash and other filthy matter.It absorbed the light reflected on the surface of the boulder, as if it were a materialized shadow, ugly and dangerous, and terrified any army that dared approach it.Turalyon could see that the stone surfaces were all carved in various ways, though he couldn't see them very clearly.The central protrusion of the temple reminded Turalyon of a giant hand reaching for the sky. While Turalyon was still watching, his steed stumbled.The ground began to tremble, and he almost fell off his horse.Thunder, green thunder, loud thunder, pierced the sky with dark thunder.His horse neighed and backed away involuntarily.Turalyon was also frightened, but he still tried his best to calm the mount under his crotch. "What is it?" Turalyon called to Khadgar amidst the lightning and thunder. "There is nothing unusual in the sky," Khadgar also shouted. "I'm afraid it's—" The ground trembled again, the sky was shattered green again, and Khadgar's words were cut short. Turalyon saw another flash, and he jerked his head up. That part of the temple that conjures up a hand reaching out to the sky - it's glowing. "Oh no," he called, turning to Khadgar. "I guessed right," Khadgar called. "Ner'zhul has begun to cast spells." "Can we still stop him?" "I can," Khadgar replied gravely. "As long as I can get there in time." "Think you've arrived." Turalyon raised his hammer above his head, gathering his conviction and directing it into his weapon.The surface of the hammer began to glow, and as the light grew larger, it began to spread in all directions, until at last the light had dimmed the nearby volcano. The orcs and death knights fighting in front of the dark temple were blinded by the light and turned around, but the alliance soldiers were not affected by the light.The soldiers cheered as Turalyon rode past them on his steed, using his hammer to open a path for the soldiers to the temple. Until a figure appeared, blocking his progress. "Your insignificant light will not frighten me!" cried Talon Gorefiend, holding a jeweled scepter in his hand.Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this death knight is lying.The Gorefiend took off his hood, revealing his hideous, rotting face, and his burning red eyes.That face was distorted due to pain, and his body was also very restrained, as if he wanted to betray his will.He raised his strange weapon, and saw that the scepter shone with colorful light, which complemented Turalyon's brilliance, as if he wanted to compare him. "It's you, monster, that the Holy Light is attacking." Turalyon pointed his warhammer at the Gorefiend, sending out a beam of light like a missile. "If you're not afraid, open your arms and embrace it." The wave of light hit the Gorefiend, but just before the Gorefiend was hit, he flicked the scepter lightly to defuse the attack, scattering the bright white light into several rainbow-like colors.Then the death knight struck back—he raised his scepter to face Turalyon, and a shadow shot from the tip, engulfing the Alliance Lord Commander.Turalyon felt the darkness oppressing him, his power of the Light being suppressed, and he couldn't even breathe.He fought against the darkness, trying to set himself free.The air flowed under him, and he hit the ground hard and rolled to the side—the blow clearly knocked him off his horse, but the darkness still clung to him, pinning him down hard. on the ground. He was gasping for air, but his lungs were not obeying his commands, showing no sign of expanding.He fell.He didn't even manage to stay on his own horse.What kind of general is he?His soldiers would die too.He is going to lead his soldiers to the gate of hell like this.Lothar would be ashamed of him... Turalyon twitched on the ground, wishing he could breathe, but the dark tentacles wrapped around his chest, squeezing hard.These tentacles would wrap around him like snakes, hold his arms aside, and enter his mouth, his nostrils, his eyes... ah!It starts to burn!Tears flowed from tightly shut eyelids, but only fueled the flames. Then, he will die, fail, and suffer.All deaths will be counted on his head.Those innocents from other worlds, they will feel the real fear in this great green tide.Soldiers who believed in what he said, that the Light would be with them... what Light - where was it when it was needed most? Alleria! She, too, will die.After death, she will go to the afterlife that the elves believe to reunite with her family and curse him constantly.She had never loved him; he saw it now.He was just a toy, a toy that didn't live long enough for her, a toy that she would eventually throw away.Khadgar...Kurdran...Danas... The dark tentacles began to tighten.Turalyon opened his eyes, staring blankly into the darkness before him. Sorry Lothar, I let you down.I am not you.I will them- He blinked. He's done the best he can.No, he's not Anduin?Lothar, Lion of Azeroth.Only Lothar can become Lothar, and if others compare themselves with Lothar, they can only be too arrogant.He was Turalyon, and the Light had been with him; it hadn't failed Turalyon completely, provided he prayed with all his heart. Just ask.All you need to do is ask, with your pure heart.This is the reason why Lothar chose you.Not because he thinks you will be him, but because he knows you will be who you are. Turalyon was still pinned down by the tentacle.He took a shallow breath and began to pray.He opened his eyes.He knew that his eyes were shining bright white, though he didn't know how he knew.He looked down at the tentacles as they melted and retreated.In the face of the Holy Light, any darkness will retreat. He took a deep breath, stood up, grabbed his warhammer, and swung it towards the remaining darkness. The attack only lasted a few seconds, but to him, those few seconds seemed like an eternity.Gorefiend took this opportunity to get closer.When Turalyon was able to see and move again, he realized that the death knight was very close to him.Turalyon took a step forward.The Gorefiend watched, his red eyes wide - evidently he hadn't expected young Turalyon to be free in such a short time.Therefore, the Gorefiend was not prepared to parry Turalyon's heavy blow.So, his hammer hit the Gorefiend in the chest.Turalyon was sure that under the frayed armor, he heard the sound of the opponent's bones shattering.The death knight stepped back, but did not fall. "You can't beat me," the Gorefiend hissed, gritting his teeth. "I'm already dead—what worse could you do to me?" His staff thrust forward, hitting Turalyon in the stomach, causing Turalyon to bend over in pain.The Gorefiend's hand brushed against the back of Turalyon's helmet. Suddenly, Turalyon's head began to feel a sharp pain, as if a vise had clamped his helmet and was constantly squeezing inward.Turalyon began to see stars, and felt the world spinning wildly around him. He swung his warhammer again in despair, using all his strength with both hands.He felt that the hammer seemed to hit something hard.There was a rattling sound, followed by a gasp, and then the pain in his head went away. Turalyon blinked, chasing the stars away, and took a deep breath to calm himself.He looked up just in time to see the Gorefiend staggering back, one arm dangling limply.Before the death knight could regain his balance, Turalyon charged forward, hammer raised.Once again he mustered his convictions.Light emanated from his limbs and weapons, too bright to look directly at. The death knight roared and raised his palms to protect his eyes, but now, the light had already started to burn the carrion on his body. "In the name of the Light!" Turalyon shouted, and in that single sentence were praises, prayers, and promises to the Light all at once.The holy light shines again, so dazzling.He slammed the hammer down, and the holy light formed an arc, splitting the body, piercing through Talon Gorefiend, until finally, the corpse turned into a stinking pile of rotten flesh. A mournful howl pierced Turalyon's ears.He stepped back, watching in horror as the twisted screaming soul, that of Talon Gorefiend, rose from the corpse.The paladin raised his flashing hammer and swung it again.But he was only a second away, and the soul, screaming in pain and frustration, had already fled to the green and black shining sky. "Come on!" Alleria's voice came, making Turalyon shaken physically and mentally.He couldn't wait to see her.Turalyon mounted his horse and galloped toward her. At the head of the crowd was Khadgar, and the others quickly followed.The Death Knight is the last hurdle before the Black Temple.Now, they were already in the temple, facing the stairs leading to the top.At the top of the temple, that annoying light is still flickering. Alleria...Khadgar...Danas...Kurdran...they can't just die here.Turalyon shook his head, dispelling the last shadow that bound him, and clutching his hammer, he marched toward his destiny.