Azeroth: Starting with Eagle Eye in the Necropolis

Page 116

Kael'thas immediately turned around and urgently ordered one of his advisors, "Quickly! Go and fetch the mages who are most severely affected by their magic addiction and the priests who have lost their senses!"

The order was quickly carried out, and soon several blood elves, pale-faced, trembling slightly, with eyes filled with pain and thirst, were helped in, along with several others who looked listless and wore worn-out priest robes.

The atmosphere inside the tent suddenly became tense yet expectant.

Rhodes walked to the Holy Light Elemental, placed his hand on its glowing "body," closed his eyes and concentrated. Under his guidance, the Holy Light Elemental's light became softer and warmer, like the warm winter sun, slowly shining on the blood elves who were suffering terribly.

Rhodes summoned powerful holy light energy, and even his voice had a soothing quality: "Relax, do not resist, feel the warmth of this light, try to accept it, let it flow into your body, soothe that thirst... It may not be able to completely satisfy you, but it is enough to bring you a moment of peace."

It must be said that the power of holy light is far more powerful than that of evil energy or death energy in bewitching people.

At first, the blood elf mages had some instinctive resistance, their arcane instincts making them uncomfortable with foreign energy. But when the warm holy light truly touched their skin and seeped into their bodies, an indescribable sense of relief replaced some of their heart-wrenching longing.

The pain on their faces lessened considerably at a visible rate. Although the root of their addiction remained, it was at least greatly relieved!

The priests, bathed in holy light, shuddered violently, their eyes filled with disbelief. They trembled as they reached out their hands, and a faint yet undeniably real wisp of holy light re-emerged at their fingertips!

They summoned the Holy Light once again.

"The light... the Holy Light has answered me again..." An elderly blood elf priest was so moved that tears streamed down his face.

"No need to be polite. By the way, Kayle, you've already seen my Phoenix, haven't you?" Rhodes turned to look at Kayleza.

“I have seen it. It is indeed a powerful creature, but it is different from the phoenix inherited by our Sunstrider family. Its regeneration ability is not as strong as our family's phoenix, and it is also slightly weaker in terms of strength,” Kael'thas said.

Chapter 187 The Sacred Phoenix, the Power of the Sun Chaser Family

This is why he felt comfortable leaving the phoenix with Caponey.

"I have an idea. Since fire element can carry holy light element and become a holy light life form, can't this phoenix do the same?"

"You should have noticed, right? This phoenix is ​​actually an elemental creature, mostly composed of fire, and it also possesses a trace of regenerative power, although not as powerful as your phoenix." Rhode shared his thoughts with Arthas.

“Rhodes, you want me to help you, right?” Kael'thas immediately guessed Rhodes’ intentions.

If we're talking about who has the most expertise in the Phoenix in the entire world of Azeroth, then the Sunstriders are undoubtedly the top choice, and Kael'thas is the best among them.

“That’s right, that’s what I’m thinking. I’ll summon a dozen more Holy Light Elementals, and together with your Blood Elf priests, we’ll try to see if we can transform a Fire Phoenix into a Holy Light Phoenix,” Rhodes said with a smile.

A strong interest and a mage's research desire flashed in Kael'thas's eyes; as a mage, he was naturally fond of studying these things.

Rhodes's proposal was indeed bold and unprecedented: to infuse pure holy light into a phoenix, a creature symbolizing fire and rebirth? This was a concept that completely overturned the common sense of magic!

“Theoretically… it’s not impossible,” Kael’thas said after a moment of contemplation.

"As you said, this phoenix is ​​essentially a highly condensed elemental creature, with stable fire runes and a trace of... strange life essence at its core. This may be the source of its ability to regenerate after death."

It is indeed different from the arcane phoenix inherited from our family and closely connected to the Sunwell; it is more like a... pure fire elemental incarnation.

"While your phoenix possesses some rebirth attributes, they aren't quite as potent. I can inscribe our family's inherited fire runes deep within its core, and then you can infuse it with holy light," Kael'thas analyzed, his academic expertise on full display.

This was originally a closely guarded secret of their Sunstrider family, and it required the power of the Sunwell. But now that Rhodes had spoken, he had no reason to refuse, because Rhodes was the only one who could help him repair the Sunwell. After all, he didn't know that night elf named Illidan.

"Thank you very much for your help. The runes of your Sunstrider family are of great importance to me."

Holy light and fire are not entirely opposites. They both contain the properties of 'energy' and 'purification'. The key is finding a balance so that the holy light doesn't annihilate the fire, but rather... sublimates it. Rhodes added, extending his hand. Fourteen holy light elements coalesced around him. With abundant magic, Rhodes could summon as many holy light elements as he wanted, as many times as he wished. Simultaneously appearing were two archangels of holy light, radiating golden light, their holy light power even stronger and more concentrated than the holy light elements.

The last time I converted the Archangel of Light, I only used a few. This time, I have more Holy Light Elements under my command, and there are also two Archangels of Light present.

“A very interesting idea, Rhodes.” Kael’thas finally showed his first almost excited smile of the day, a pure enthusiasm for facing the challenge of the unknown magical realm, which temporarily eased the sorrow between his brows.

"This requires extremely precise energy manipulation and a profound understanding of the nature of the two energies. Caponia, your phoenix is ​​spiritually connected to you. It is most appropriate for you to take the lead in calming it down and allowing it to accept this external force."

“I understand, Your Highness.” Caponia nodded solemnly, walked to her fire phoenix, and gently stroked its fiery yet harmless wings, conveying her feelings of comfort and trust through their mental link.

In truth, she had no way to connect with this Phoenix Star God. Rhodes had simply given her the right to use the Phoenix. Since His Highness had spoken, she had no choice but to comply.

“I will inscribe runes on his core and use the last bottle of water from the Sunwell, which I have treasured, to forge the Rebirth Core,” Kael'thas said.

Rhodes's phoenix has only a 20% chance of being reborn, and can only be reborn once. His own phoenix, once killed, will turn into an egg, and as long as the egg is not destroyed within a certain period of time, it will be reborn.

This number of uses is unlimited, only requiring a cooldown period. Moreover, even if the egg is destroyed, Kael'thas's magic is enough to resurrect the phoenix, but it consumes water from the Sunwell. He used the few remaining Sunwell waters he had for Rhodes.

“No problem. My Holy Light Elementals and two Holy Light Archangels will infuse them with Holy Light power. Blood Elf Priests, please guide the power of the Holy Light Elementals to make it gentler and easier to integrate,” Rhodes commanded.

Several blood elf priests immediately obeyed respectfully. They tried to guide the energy of the Holy Light element, like channeling a river, to make the surging Holy Light power gentle and calm.

Kael'thas then took matters into his own hands. With a flourish of his hands, exquisite arcane runes drew an incredibly complex alchemical circle in the air, enveloping the phoenix within it. The purpose of this circle was to stabilize the core energy within the phoenix and create a controllable energy fusion environment on the outside. He then took the water from the Sunwell and poured it into the phoenix's core, creating a rebirth core rune for it.

“Begin, Rhodes, slowly infuse the holy light and observe its reaction.” Kael'thas was completely focused, with fine beads of sweat even appearing on his forehead. Clearly, maintaining this magic circle and accurately sensing the energy changes was extremely taxing on him.

Rhodes took a deep breath, placed his hand on a holy light elemental, and carefully guided a trickle of holy light energy through the magic circle constructed by Kael'thas, slowly injecting it into the Phoenix's body.

"Wow—!"

The fire phoenix let out a cry tinged with discomfort and confusion. The flames on its body fluctuated violently, and the crimson flames and golden holy light began to intertwine and collide, emitting a faint "sizzling" sound.

Caponia tried her best to comfort her companion, as she could feel the burning sensation emanating from the phoenix and a strange, contradictory emotion of "repulsion" and "attraction."

"Steady! Priests, be gentler! Rhodes, control the flow of Holy Light! If it's too violent, we won't be able to absorb it," Kael'thas commanded urgently, his eyes fixed on the energy changes in the center of the magic circle.

"I understand, Kyle, just operate with confidence." Rhodes said, once again drawing upon his own holy light energy.

The fusion of Holy Light and Fire is more difficult than imagined. The ferocity of Phoenix Fire and the order of Holy Light seem to be inherently incompatible. Several times, the energy of Holy Light nearly annihilated a portion of the fire, causing the Phoenix to tremble in pain. On several other occasions, the fire attempted to devour the Holy Light, transforming it into pure flames. Now, the two energies must be kept in balance to complete the unit upgrade.

Rhode closed his eyes and conveyed to the phoenix with his mind: Accept it, embrace it, and it will make you stronger and evolve into a different kind of soldier.

Under the control of Rhodes, the highest-ranking master, the phoenix began to accept this power and actively used its flames to merge with the holy light. Rhodes could feel that the holy light seemed to want to completely transform the phoenix, but it was stopped by Rhodes' power. Whenever the holy light energy was about to dominate the wind, Rhodes would make the archangels, priests and holy light elementals stop outputting.

The water from the Sunwell and Kael'thas's fire elemental power will help the Phoenix regain the upper hand and further integrate with the power of the Holy Light. In this repeated tug-of-war, the Phoenix's transformation begins.

"唳——!!!"

This time, the phoenix's cry was no longer one of pain and confusion, but one of unprecedented clarity and eloquence!

The crimson flames on its body began to change color at a speed visible to the naked eye! Gold, white, and a dazzling holy radiance began to emerge from within, gradually replacing the original crimson!

The shape of the flames also seemed to be subtly changing, becoming softer and more expansive, as if burning wings had transformed into light-cast feathers!

The surging power of holy light and the scorching power of flames no longer clashed, but were perfectly combined to form a new energy aura that was both fiery and warm, powerful and sacred!

The entire tent was enveloped in an indescribable peace and warmth, even bringing a sense of tranquility to the blood elves who were deeply addicted to magic.

It worked!

What appeared before everyone now was no longer a fire phoenix, but a creature radiating a dazzling golden-white light, its wings seemingly formed from liquid light—

The Sacred Phoenix! Its size has increased considerably, with a wingspan reaching a terrifying 40 meters and a height of 20 meters.

It gracefully spread its brand-new light-forged wings and let out a cry full of holiness and majesty, a melodious sound with a soothing power.

“So…so beautiful…” Jaina couldn’t help but exclaim, her eyes reflecting the divine creature.

A hint of emotion appeared on Maiev Shadowsong's perpetually icy face. She could sense a powerful and pure force of light emanating from this creature, different from that of Elune, the moon goddess, yet equally strong and pure, along with a powerful force of fire.

Rhode checked the unit information: Holy Fire Phoenix, HP 500, Attack 40, Defense 42, Damage 65~75, Speed ​​21.

This unit's special ability grants it unlimited regeneration. After death, it needs to rest for one day before it can be activated again, guaranteeing 100% rebirth. It also deals double damage to undead, shadow, and demonic creatures.

It is also immune to all holy light magic and fire magic, and its attack method is the same as that of the phoenix.

As expected of something created using a bottle of Sunwell water, it is indeed incredibly powerful.

Chapter 188 Heading to the Ruins of Dalaran, Grand Marshal Garithos

Kael'thas looked at the phoenix of light, his face filled with exhaustion, yet an immensely satisfied smile—the joy of creating a miracle.

He accomplished what his Sunstrider predecessors had done: created a powerful phoenix that no longer possessed elemental power, but also the power of holy light, and was more powerful than both.

This phoenix's regeneration ability has reached the level of a pet, and following this pattern, Kael'thas could potentially upgrade his own fire phoenix in the future. (Actually, in Warcraft III, there are more than one blood mage; theoretically, many blood mages can summon phoenixes. However, in World of Warcraft, only Kael'thas can summon a phoenix to fight; other blood elves summon fire hawks.)

“We succeeded, Rhodes… We created a completely new… divine being.”

The successful transformation of the Holy Phoenix immersed everyone in the tent in a mixture of shock and joy. The sacred and warm radiance seemed to dispel the lingering gloom of the Silverpine Forest and temporarily illuminate the gloom in the hearts of the blood elves.

“Incredible… This is simply a miracle of creation.” Kael’thas murmured to himself, then looked at Rhodes. Once upon a time, he only wanted to invest in Rhodes, but now the other party had grown to the point where he could only look up to him.

“Rhodes, your ideas and power always transcend common sense. The potential of this sacred phoenix may far exceed our imagination.”

“This wouldn’t have been possible without your help, Kayle. Without your Sunstrider royal family’s runic knowledge and the Sunwell water, the Holy Light alone couldn’t have accomplished this ascension,” Rhodes said sincerely, while simultaneously feeling the new power of the Holy Phoenix through the system link. He was very satisfied; this was undoubtedly a powerful trump card.

The only pity is that upgrading such a powerful Sacred Fire Phoenix requires consuming a bottle of Sun's View Spring Water and cannot be done directly. The Fire Phoenix's strength has reached the level of an eighth-tier soldier, even stronger than the Sacred Phoenix in Elemental City, and its attributes are also superior to those of the Sacred Phoenix.

After the Sunwell is repaired in the future, Rhodes plans to ask Kael for some well water every now and then to upgrade his Phoenix army. If possible, he might even build his own Sunwell, since he can't rely on others for everything.

Jaina watched this scene with a smile. She was happy for Rhodes and relieved that the Blood Elves had found a new hope. Rhodes had now truly become a pivotal hero in the world of Azeroth.

Maiev remained silent, but her sharp gaze swept back and forth between the Holy Phoenix and Rhodes, as if reassessing the true weight of this "Grand Druid".

Caponia felt a surge of excitement as she witnessed the transformative changes in her companion, with whom she was mentally linked (though through a privileged connection).

“Your Highness Kael’thas, Your Excellency Regent,” a blood elf advisor stepped forward, unable to hide his excitement but still maintaining his composure.

"The success of the Olympic Phoenix is ​​certainly inspiring, but should we set off immediately?"

Grand Marshal Garithos's camp is just ahead. The sooner we rejoin the main force, the sooner we can plan our counterattack against the Scourge and complete our revenge against the undead Scourge as quickly as possible.

His words brought everyone back to reality. Indeed, the most important task now was to quickly join up with the human alliance army and then fight the undead Scourge together.

“That’s right.” Kael’thas nodded, suppressing the excitement on his face. He had no time to rest; he was an exiled prince burdened with the hatred of his country and family.

“We must set off immediately, Rhodes. You and your... companions will travel with my team. With the Holy Phoenix and your support, we will be more confident when facing Garithos.”

“That suits me perfectly, Jaina, Maiev, let’s set off. Caponia, let the Phoenix accompany the group; its radiance might boost everyone’s morale. My angel will also be with the group,” Rhodes said.

“Yes, Rhodes.” Caponia replied respectfully, issuing a command to the Holy Fire Phoenix through her authority. The enormous light-forged Holy Fire Phoenix let out a gentle cry, dimmed some of its light, and obediently hovered in the low sky, ready to follow.

The Blood Elf team quickly regrouped and gained hope of alleviating their magic addiction with the Holy Phoenix and Holy Light Elementals. The morale of this battle-hardened team was significantly boosted.

Led by Kael'thas and Rhodes, the group left the temporary camp and headed towards the Alliance's main camp, established by Marshal Garithos, near the ruins of Dalaran.

The presence of the Holy Phoenix could not be concealed. Its dazzling radiance, like a miniature moving sun, immediately made it the most eye-catching focus of the entire group. The other blood elf warriors cast awe-inspiring and curious glances at it, whispering among themselves about this miraculous creature.

The Holy Phoenix possesses an ability similar to that of the Archangel of Light: it boosts morale when it's in the party, granting +1 to both unit types and making the Blood Elves in the party feel more energetic and full of power.

During their journey, Kael'thas and Rhodes walked side by side, talking in hushed tones.

“Garisus is an extremely arrogant and stubborn human nobleman,” Kael'thas warned. “His prejudice against non-human races is deeply ingrained, especially against us elves. He is unlikely to relinquish command easily and may even question your identity.”

Rhodes sneered: "Question? He can try. The royal legitimacy of Lordaeron rests with Princess Calia, and I hold her regent appointment in my hands."

He, Garithos, was merely a military commander temporarily appointed during the kingdom's crisis. Legally, he had no right to question me; in terms of strength... he wasn't even qualified.

Rhodes didn't finish speaking, but his gaze swept over the soaring Holy Fire Phoenix and the Holy Light Elementals and Archangels following it, his meaning clear.