Chapter 290: Morning Star?

Ah!

After going through countless hardships, climbing the seemingly endless stairs, defeating numerous water elementals, they finally arrived in front of the [Frostcrown], receiving the power of ice.

Hmm, if Duke were a true native of Azeroth, he might have eagerly put on the crown without hesitation.

Unfortunately, Duke was not.

At this moment, whoever wore the crown would be cursed with a foolish aura, harming not only themselves but others as well.

"Yo, demon from the temporal rift, I don't know what kind of creature you are? But if you think you can trick me so easily, you must be dreaming!" Duke sneered coldly.

That's right!

The [Frostcrown], as a magical circuit model, couldn't possibly have so many twists and turns. The only explanation was that something had infiltrated Karazhan, lying in ambush in the area with the most abundant arcane energy, waiting for prey to take the bait.

It was likely not the main body, as it couldn't have bypassed Khadgar and Duke's defensive and alarm spells.

But a fragment of a soul was a different story.

This was Karazhan, located above the Astral Rift, where it wouldn't be surprising for anything to infiltrate. After all, Duke hadn't previously had enough power and time to completely cleanse this place.

Fortunately, Duke had always remained vigilant.

In the next instant, the Frostcrown suddenly had a new master.

A lich with a lower body like petals floating in the air, an upper body wrapped in constantly rotating chains, wearing a tri-color robe of purple, black, and red, and a skull-shaped head put on the Frostcrown with her claws.

For some reason, Duke found this evil being that appeared in his spiritual world oddly familiar.

Beside her, a group of warriors with purple eyes and ominous black and purple armor, along with a large number of half-human, half-ghost-like figures wearing purple and black robes, knelt on one knee, placing their left hands on their chests, showing the highest respect to the current master of the Frostcrown.

"Mortal—you don't understand the power and terror of the Burning Legion at all! Do you think that temporarily trapping the great Commander Sargeras could prevent the Burning Legion from invading the world of Azeroth?"

"You are too naive!"

"Nothing can stop the Burning Legion, not even the World-Shaper Titans! Let alone a mere ant like you!?"

"You've repeatedly obstructed the Burning Legion's advance and even tried to support the rebels in joining forces. You're simply seeking your own demise!"

"I am the daughter of frost, the embodiment of death, the great Lady Deathwhisper!" Seven huge ice-blue magic circles unfolded around her palm, one directly behind her and six forming a hexagon. As her last words fell, an unknown tremor emanated from the magic circles.

With a "crackle," countless ice pillars shot out from the center of the magic circles, piercing Duke's entire body with ease.

Duke hung there like a chicken wing waiting to be grilled, waiting for the Lady Deathwhisper to judge his fate.

"Duke Marcus!"

The Lady Deathwhisper's voice paused for a moment.

"Your sin of hindering the Burning Legion is immeasurable! You should have been tormented by the flames of hell for ten thousand years. But considering your youthful ignorance, I'll give you a chance."

"Submit to me—"

"Or let your soul suffer eternal torment!"

At this moment, Duke, who should have been on his last breath, suddenly raised his head, his face filled with indescribable exhilaration, and a flash of brilliance in his eyes.

"Fool, if I were truly scared by an illusion of your level in my own mental world, I might as well find a barrel of tofu and drown myself in it?"

"How dare you!" Lady Deathwhisper was furious!

She summoned an iceberg and sent it crashing towards Duke.

But Duke didn't even blink an eye. It was as if he was waiting for the moment right before the iceberg crushed him. He swiftly raised his right hand and, with a snap, grabbed the very tip of the iceberg's peak.

The next second, the iceberg disappeared, replaced by an icy whip that stretched from Lady Deathwhisper's hand to Duke's.

"Got you," Duke's face was filled with triumphant joy. With a gentle tug, he shattered the illusion into pieces.

Terrifying devastation spread from the whip to Lady Deathwhisper, and even to her followers and fanatics around her.

"Ahhhh—no—" Lady Deathwhisper let out a earth-shattering scream, and then she and her minions began to crumble. Like weathered statues, every part of their bodies and every cell turned to wind-eroded sand, quickly dissipating in the void.

Meanwhile, in the first layer of Karazhan's void portal, a sudden intense fluctuation occurred. An icebound chain connected from somewhere deep within Karazhan violently yanked a female demon, twice the height of a human and covered in icy blue, out of the void portal.

The Valorous Knight Michael immediately drew his sword, raising it high and shouting, "Enemy attack!"

Duke's voice echoed through Karazhan's space, "Khadgar, take her down."

"Understood," Khadgar replied unusually politely.

What followed was the tragic tale of a group of valorous knights, a valorous mage, and a boss named "Curator" beating up another boss who relied on minions to survive and hadn't brought any along.

Duke didn't concern himself with that. He didn't even want to know why Lady Deathwhisper, a boss who should only appear in Icecrown Citadel in the future, suddenly showed up here, and why she was a demon now.

The things that appeared in the Astral Rift had no logic or science behind them.

Delving deeper would only lead to insanity.

When Duke found that he could contact the system sprite again, the construction of the ice circuit magic model within him had resumed and become controllable.

Duke observed his body through the system.

His magical circuits finally looked decent. Each large circuit had countless thread-like circuits that resembled bundles of electric wires bound in a circle. The many small circuits formed a large one.

The ice, fire, and arcane circuits were like three interlinked rings, connected yet independent, sometimes complementing each other.

The Crown of Frost and Phoenix Flames could draw power directly from the elemental plane but still depended on the core arcane circuit for support.

Before practicing the Crown of Frost, Duke only had strong arcane and fire circuits; using too much ice magic would exhaust him. But now it was completely different.

The three circuits formed a true trident.

An indescribable surge of power rose from Duke's chest, a force unlike any he had encountered before.

It was not only stronger, more refined, and purer, but also... more self-reliant!

Could this be the Morning Star?!

...