ebookland Chapter 575 The Return of the Death Knight
Chapter 575 The Return of the Death Knight
When Kel'Thuzad awoke, the Lich King noticed immediately, but he gave no instructions.
Upon waking, Kel'Thuzad immediately picked up his beloved kitten, Mr. Bigglesworth, who seemed to still be alive. However, he showed no fear of the lich with his icy, bone-chilling body, which seemed very strange.
Kel'Thuzad's mission failed, and he should have been severely punished. However, the Lich King did not do so. Instead, he accelerated the construction of Icecrown Citadel, ordered the undead army to further strengthen the defenses, eliminate the counterattack forces from underground, and suppress the rebels of the Spider Kingdom.
Kel'Thuzad was terrified. After much deliberation, he sent a plea for mercy to the Lich King...
The king treats any of his subordinates who fail to complete their tasks with the utmost care: they are thrown into the Soul Forge, ground into dust, and then remade...
He showed no anger or punishment towards the great lich Kel'Thuzad, but instead inquired whether the latter had regained his power and could lead his troops into battle as soon as possible...
The northern part of the Eastern Kingdoms needs to withstand the increasingly active Silver Crusade...
The disappearance of the Elder Mograine, the leader of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; the vanishing of the Faceless Ones whom he had previously failed to deal with; the escape of a particular individual; news concerning the traitorous Forsaken of Undercity; and messages from the Underworld and Storm Peaks—all these factors have prompted the Lich King to continuously strengthen his forces...
It seems to be afraid of someone's arrival...
As one of the few trusted and self-aware beings, the Lich King Cthulhu immediately carried Mr. Bigglesworth back to Naxxramas to prepare for war. His master tasked him with guarding the northern Deadlands and preventing the human alliance's northward expedition.
Speaking of the Northern Expeditions, a hint of sadness seemed to flash in the Lich King's eyes. The beginning of Prince Arthas's pursuit of the Dreadlord was a Northern Expedition destined to fail... A weak mortal went to challenge a demon, only to fall into a trap that had been set up in advance.
The instigator, the great lich Kel'Thuzad, was also an accomplice.
The relationship between the Lich King and his prime minister was not like that of master and servant, but rather one of mutual respect. Kel'Thuzad suspected that the Lich King, whose soul had previously dominated Ner'zhul, had completely transformed into Prince Arthas. The relationship between the two did not seem to be that of a monarch and his subject, but rather akin to the past when they served the forces of death.
"The Lich King is destined for destruction... everything must be repaid! And we will be immortal..."
Kel'Thuzad tried to avoid recalling the words that came before Ner'zhul issued his final order... His new master's attention was on the North Pole, so he remained stationed in Naxxramas, awaiting his master's ascension to a new army to once again sweep across the two continents...
The only thing that bothered and annoyed Kel'Thuzad was that a little fellow who had taken his gift dared to refuse this favor and obscure his attention...
This little fellow is naturally referring to Lorraine, the plague messenger.
......
They're called plague messengers, but they're actually traitors to the Scourge, holding positions within the Royal Apothecaries of the Forsaken. Those guys make terrifying potions that are rumored to kill the dead again.
Previously, the great lich Kel'Thuzad had scoffed at it, but this time he witnessed the power of the mysterious green poison barrier.
It couldn't help but feel apprehensive; reporting this matter to His Majesty the Lich King would be a sign of its own incompetence.
The Lich King, however, stated that he already knew about this...
The capture of the Faceless Ones was originally intended to deal with Sylvanas and the Knights of the Ebon Blade, as well as the ever-relenting followers of the Light, the Argent Dawn, the Scarlet Crusade, and now the Legion of the Light returning from Outland, the Shattered Sun Offensive, and the Draenei Paladins.
......
Kel'Thuzad learned that Scholomance had captured a type of death knight he had never seen before—a death knight unaffected by Scourge magic. It was said that this little fellow was behind it all. This news filled the recently awakened Kel'Thuzad with regret; how could he, a lich who was learned in life and even in death possess such supernatural powers, have been so blind...
In reality, liches do not have pupils; they only possess two blue, cold, spirit fire-like eyes...
These eyes can see more effectively than ordinary human eyes; the lich can sense everything between life and death, the realm of death, magic and soul.
Even from a distance of tens of thousands of miles, where the lesser necromancer Lorraine's techniques were barely discernible, the great lich could sense something amiss; the opponent seemed to be summoning the Lord of Death. This spell was similar to necromancy, but it utilized that evolving necromantic rune...
Looking back, it seems that everything began with that death rune, and his becoming the Lich King's Grand Chancellor was probably part of the prophecy long ago...
Upon realizing this, the great lich, Kel'Thuzad, who should have been immune to the icy aura despite being bathed in the chill of death, actually shivered... This was the fear and cold from the depths of his soul, traversing the other world.
"Have I truly achieved immortality? Is this the kind of immortality that mortals yearn for? A cosmic necromancer body?"
As the High Lich summoned the Lord of Death from afar in Lorraine, the High Lich, in a daze, raised his skeletal claws, the icy flames on them perfectly controlled, for anything touched by them would die instantly. Meanwhile, the little kitten, Mr. Bigglesworth, lay lazily in its lap...
"Mr. Biggsworth, you are the lucky one who crossed the threshold of life and death..."
Mr. Bigglesworth looked up in bewilderment, gazing at his master, now a skeleton. All he could see was the lonely, sorrowful, and cruel phantom of a kind-eyed, bald, white-haired old human mage, devoid of tears or regret, a trace of tenderness and longing remaining amidst his numbness...
Who would have thought that this was the soul of the infamous High Lich Kel'Thuzad, the chief commander of the Scourge... Its phylactery was in its master's hands; after its resurrection, it was a cold body, numb senses, a puppet tool that only obeyed commands...
It didn't know what the meaning of such immortality was.
Some things, once acquired, become worthless; they were merely pie-in-the-sky promises drawn by the Creator to stimulate the instincts of living beings... They are nothing but illusions, tasteless to eat, yet a pity to discard...
You can't live or act on just one thought; that's self-numbing and self-training... People become stupid and only do simple, meaningless, low-quality satisfactions that are fleeting and tasteless.
Are human desires too extravagant and arrogant?
Who are you asking?
.......
Human desires are multifaceted and cannot be summarized in a single sentence, but Lorraine's idea was simple: unleash the full power of her right eye to summon a new Death Knight to deal with the legendary shadow assassin, the half-orc woman Garona...
Rune's right eye emitted light, and the Realm of Truth pushed up to his forehead. The dark realm, which was already almost transparent, was re-colored with a trace of black as the aura of death surged, and the sunglasses regained some of their color.
There was no camera on Lorraine's head, so it couldn't see the magical changes.
Han Bing's left eye twitched wildly, as if a peeping tom wanted to see Lorraine's true strength... but unfortunately, there was a pair of glasses suppressing it.
Lorraine simply raised his right arm, pointed at Garona, and commanded, "Go, deal with that crazed orc woman for me!"
.......
Within the vortex of vengeful spirits, the owners of the three skeletal warhorses drew their black swords, each resembling a demon lord from hell. The skeletal warhorses spewed flames, perfectly complementing the surrounding environment of the Raging Flame Rift.
Lorraine also possesses the power of domination...
This is a gift from the Lord of Death, and also an ability he has striven for and strengthened.
The Lord of Death is fair; he has granted power to many, but only Lorraine has truly mastered it.
The Supreme Ring, the Ring of Souls, has played a hidden role; the vague description of a +1 to all attributes seems to be enhancing Lorraine's summoning power. A new Death Knight Commander, fully armed, riding a warhorse, and possessing a certain level of intelligence, has been born.
.......
Lorraine originally had twelve seats for the Death Knights to command their underlings, within its mid-level Necromantic Rune Prison Eye.
Legend has it that there is another warden-level figure, who is a high-ranking death enforcer from the other world... Lorraine has only heard about him from his chief underlings Yurev and Death's Oath. It seems that they also have the qualifications to be promoted, but the conditions are not yet ripe, most likely due to the restrictions of the intermediate rune prison.
This means the right eye of the rune hasn't been upgraded yet. The conditions for upgrading are unknown, but it's highly likely that not enough spirits have been killed or purified...
This was a previous speculation by Lorraine and her apprentice. Now it's confirmed that, aside from the runic right eye, it's also a naturally growing soul prison, comparable to the mysterious runic sword Frostfire Mourning. It seems Lorraine's eye is even more advanced than the Dreadlord's forging technique...
The Supreme Ring I obtained by sheer luck, along with that inferior version of the Crown of Will—this set seems to be a similar artifact set to the Lich King's...
Now, the three reborn Death Lords are about to prove whether they can withstand the legendary shadow assassin, Garona...