Chapter 130: To Hell with the Demons

I am thinking of labeling the edited chapter as "reforged" as a cheeky wink and nod to Warcraft 3: Reforged but I'm not sure that would send the right message of the chapters actually being improved 😂

Should I go with it, just do the boring Editited* disclaimer in the title, or just repost the chapter with no indication of the update?

Also, this note is here because I wanted to use an emoji and damn author notes don't support it.

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"Unless?" The priestess lifted her head with dignity, divine radiance swirling ceaselessly in her eyes.

"Unless, the group that attacked Karazhan can land a fatal blow on the Demon Lord while we divert most of Sargeras' power."

"Can they do it?" The night elf expressed some doubt.

"Among them is a descendant of Thoradin!"

Even the most ignorant night elves had heard the name Emperor Thoradin. Although night elves and humans had little interaction, it didn't prevent them from knowing that there had been such a heroic figure on another continent who had driven away trolls, united various human tribes, and established a great empire.

Hearing this name, the priestess showed solemn respect.

"If Anduin Lothar can really do it, then he will be the hero of the entire Azeroth world..." Aegwynn's voice trailed off.

What was Lothar, the one in whom Aegwynn placed great hopes, doing?

Regrettably, this great hero was fleeing in a most humiliating manner.

Lothar was exhausted, and he could hear his own incredibly heavy breathing. That bellows-like sound indicated that his stamina had dropped to a very low level. His lungs, which no amount of oxygen seemed to satisfy, could no longer squeeze any more physical strength out of him.

He removed his helmet and, after the strap of his armor was accidentally broken, he had to take off and discard his armor during the chaos. All that remained on his body were well-fitted gauntlets and leg guards that he had no time to discard.

There was no choice. In front of the golem, whose power was beyond human imagination, 'strength' was meaningless. The only thing that could save him was agile evasion.

Among the twelve columns surrounding the workshop, Lothar rolled and crawled to dodge the golem's attacks time and again.

Gradually, his stamina and luck seemed to be running out.

Lothar glanced at his old friend Medivh, who should now be called Sargeras. The sunken eyes, the wooden pupils with evil red light, the exposed teeth that seemed ready to bite at any moment, and the dried, lifeless body all sent chills down his spine.

Sargeras paid no attention to Lothar, muttering a series of demonic spells that Lothar couldn't understand. He had no idea if they were spells to maintain the Dark Portal or something else.

Looking at Garona, who was still convulsing on the ground, and the cold corpse of Duke, Lothar's will to resist hadn't weakened in the slightest, but despair had unknowingly tightened its grip on his heart.

The insignificant power of humans was nothing before the leader of the Burning Legion, Sargeras. It couldn't even be considered a futile attempt to block him.

Even if Lothar guessed that Sargeras was being held back, what could he do? He couldn't even escape the pursuit of the massive golem behind him.

The giant lightning ball thrown by the golem flickered with blue-white electric light, emitting a piercing "crackle" sound, constantly stimulating Lothar's nerves and threatening him— if he dared step across the line, being charred would be his only fate.

Lothar seized a gap and exerted all his strength to dart through it.

He failed. The giant golem was more agile than he had imagined. A massive fist came thundering towards him, and Lothar had to perform an awkward roll to avoid it. The fist struck the ground less than a meter from Lothar, right where a huge column stood.

The destructive shock spread to the ceiling above Sargeras' head, and a large, winding crack appeared on the wall. The crack rapidly spread, and in a moment, it caused nearly half of the workshop to collapse.

"Crash!" Debris covered the ground, and unknowingly, it buried Duke's lifeless body as well.

Lothar had no time to worry, as another powerful punch from the golem was already on its way.

It's over!

Even before the fist arrived, Lothar knew he wouldn't be able to dodge it this time. Not only was he almost completely exhausted, but just moments ago, a piece of debris had struck his ankle, causing a sharp, piercing pain.

Perhaps a brief rest would have been enough, but the heartless golem wouldn't give its enemy any time to recover.

"Boom!" With a thunderous sound, Lothar was sent flying by the golem's massive fist. In that instant, Lothar felt as if all his internal organs had shifted.

Death was near.

Lothar... was so tired, both physically and mentally drained, that he couldn't even stand. The sword that a swordsman should never abandon had been knocked away during the previous attack. The Sword of Kings spun a few times before coming to rest silently behind Medivh.

Sargeras' face was filled with mockery. His mouth never stopped chanting spells, and he used a soulful voice to converse with Lothar, "Hehe! Lothar! Lothar, you've finally reached the end of your life. So, what are your thoughts?"

Lothar should have been utterly and completely desperate. However, at that moment, a mysterious figure appeared on the back of the enormous golem.

It was a ghostly apparition, but Lothar swore it was Duke. He could never mistake the face that had been flooding his mind since the beginning of the battle.

He clearly saw the spectral Duke make a gesture.

It was a signal he had taught Duke before entering Karazhan, meaning — I need cover.

Cover?

What cover?

Well, the only thing he could do was to taunt his enemy with words.

Lothar sat up in an overly dramatic manner, his left hand running through his hair, "Sorry, but my life hasn't reached the point where I need to sum it up. Because I have a shocking secret about the world of Azeroth..." His voice trailed off.

"Oh?" Sargeras became interested.

He had seen many people desperately trying to save themselves, and true heroes who persevered until the end were one in a million. He wasn't afraid of Lothar lying to him. In Sargeras' view, there would be no benefit for Lothar to deceive him. Moreover, as a descendant of the human Emperor Varian Wrynn, Lothar might indeed have some secret.

Sargeras continued chanting spells while approaching Lothar.

Beside Lothar, the massive golem raised its fist, ready to smash him into a pulp at any moment, awaiting Sargeras' command.

Standing before Lothar, Sargeras arrogantly lifted his chin, gazing down at Lothar on the ground.

"You may speak. Of course, you should know that angering me results in a fate far worse than death. In the face of my power, death is hardly the end for mortals."

"Alright, my secret is..." Lothar's voice grew weaker, but as he reached the latter half of his sentence, his volume suddenly increased, like the roar of a mighty lion.