Nozdormu angrily waved his dragon claws, attacking Zilean.
With a 'poof' sound, Zilean's figure was shattered into dust. But in the next moment, he reappeared in another place, still looking the same.
Nozdormu pounced again, using even greater force, but the result was still the same. A third Zilean then appeared.
"Don't you understand, Nozdormu? I am not an invader. Your time powers are useless against me."
"Lies!" Nozdormu's dragon tail swept across, scattering this shadow.
"Mortals should not be allowed to glimpse the future. You are obsessed with the illusion of time, forgetting your true duty, thereby allowing all powerful mortals to have the opportunity to glimpse the future. You have failed in your duty."
"Absurd!"
"You cannot kill me, because I am not even in this world. Why not fulfill your original duty and repair the imperfect timelines?"
"Mind your own business!" Nozdormu roared angrily. The sands in the river of time danced wildly, stirring up this spiritual world into chaos.
Zilean could no longer maintain his image. His final words entered Nozdormu's ears: "You are the guardian of time, but you still haven't understood what you should really be doing…"
When all the sounds disappeared, Nozdormu roared until he calmed down.
Although this invader was full of absurd remarks, at least one sentence was correct: he must fulfill his duty and repair the timeline, undoing the damage caused by the invaders.
Then who is this Time Lord's pawn from another world?
He once again used his time abilities to search through countless time branches.
Nozdormu finally locked onto a person in this timeline.
In the future, he broke into the Nexus, Malygos the Spellweaver's lair, and killed the eldest guardian dragon, stealing the Eye of Eternity, an artifact that controls magic.
Later, he also killed Deathwing Neltharion, the former Earth-Warder.
He also sent an evil nightmare creature to invade the Emerald Dream guarded by Ysera the Dreamer.
He also stole the power of Alexstrasza the Life-Binder.
Finally, he even used the power of time to kill Nozdormu—
"This person! He wants to kill me!" Nozdormu roared, "He is destroying the order set by the Titans, murdering the guardian dragons personally blessed by the Titans!"
"No, no! I must correct this mistake!"
"You will not succeed!"
—
Liam had only seven guards left. The other five remained forever outside the gates of Ahn'Qiraj.
Those people questioned why the Scourge would help them.
Each of these warriors who followed him to sabotage the Alliance warships and travel to Northrend was told that the King of Gilneas was assassinated by the Alliance because the Alliance's true goal was not to rescue them, but to annex them; and the Queen and Princess were brutally murdered by demons.
This was a journey of revenge. Liam would find enough power in Northrend to avenge himself and allies to help him. When they returned to Lordaeron, he would have the opportunity to personally punish the betrayers and eliminate the demonic legions.
But they never expected that their so-called allies were the Scourge who caused the fall of Gilneas!
Liam personally killed those who questioned him. His sword was stained with the blood of his compatriots, but he had to do it.
'This is what must be done for revenge,' he told himself.
The remaining few were the most fanatical, willing to follow him regardless of life or death.
The frost dragon carried them to the front of this mysterious cave. Liam could already clearly sense the artifact inside calling to him.
He was finally about to succeed.
The overwhelming blizzard froze their limbs, making it almost impossible to stand, but this news still greatly encouraged these people.
"You will receive unimaginable honor!" Liam told his most loyal guards. "This will be the starting point of our cause."
He took the lead and stepped into the cave. The blizzard outside could no longer affect him.
"They went in," Vereesa couldn't help but ask, "Are we still waiting here?"
She and Khadgar were hiding behind the stone wall outside the cave. Khadgar's appearance yesterday startled her. After everything was explained, she handed over her duties to someone else and followed this terrifying-looking guy to track Liam's trail.
Khadgar took her through the void without being noticed by them at all. After determining their destination, he arrived here even earlier than Liam.
Then he opened a magical barrier, quietly waiting for Liam's arrival.
"It's not time yet," Khadgar replied.
"Are we going to wait until he pulls out that magic sword?" Vereesa frowned.
Liam walked into this dimly lit cave. Its walls, floor, and ceiling were inlaid with a luminous blue-green crystal, providing lighting for the group.
After taking only a few steps, Liam heard a cold, deep, and hollow voice in his ear: "Leave here, mortal. Only darkness and death await you in this forgotten cave. You must not pass!"
Liam ignored it and continued forward.
His Captain of the Guard, the court mage Remnantz, couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, did you hear that?"
"Ignore it, I know very well what's inside," Liam said without slowing his pace at all. The voice in his heart had already told him that inside was an artifact with infinite power—Frostmourne. Its power could help him fulfill his wish: revenge!
After turning the corner, he saw it.
Two ice elemental guardians patrolled this stone hall. Their bodies exuded endless coldness, wearing helmets but unable to see their faces; equipped with gloves, weapons, and shields, but unable to see their arms. These equipments seemed to grow on their bodies.
Liam only glanced at these elemental creatures briefly. His gaze was completely drawn to something else, the very reason he had come here—Frostmourne.
It floated in the air, entirely encased in irregular ice. The runes engraved on the blade shone with a ghostly blue light, appearing both mysterious and alluring. The hilt resembled a ram-horned skull, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't quite that; perhaps it was more like the skull of a demon. Beneath it was a base of an unidentifiable material, built upon a raised mound of earth.
The ice shards on the runeblade's body refracted the light, obscuring some parts while magnifying other details. The runes on the blade shimmered as if breathing.
Liam seemed to hear its call in his ear:
"Draw Frostmourne, and you shall fulfill your desires."
"You shouldn't have trespassed here." The ice elemental guardians drew their longswords of frozen ice, warning, "Leave now, while there is still time!"
"You wish to steal it?" Liam coldly stared at them, gripping the hilt of his sword, ready to attack these obstructors at any moment.
"No, it is of no benefit to us." The ice elemental guardian's voice was like a roaring wave, hollow and deep, "We only wish to protect the ignorant from its harm."
"No one can stop me!" Liam drew his sword, roaring furiously, "Death to those who stand in my way!"
He charged forward, venting all the pain, hatred, anger, and fear that had been suppressed within him onto these elemental guardians. His guards also rushed forward. Outnumbered, the elemental guardians let out cries similar to those of humans on the verge of death. Their armor, weapons, and even their bodies turned into frost upon death, eventually dissipating.
Now, no one could stop him from obtaining Frostmourne.
Court Mage Remnants felt that something was amiss. This sword… it seemed to have been obtained too easily. He was a mage, and even though he was loyal to the Greymane Royal Family, he was willing to die for Liam. However, he felt that this sword would make them pay a price heavier than death.
There was no reason, just a mage's intuition.
"There are words on the base!" Remnants' gaze was drawn to it. As a learned court mage, he recognized the Kalimdor script, the language of elemental creatures. He carefully identified the words, then slowly read, "He who takes up this sword shall wield eternal power. Its edge thirsts for blood, its blade steals souls…"
Was this the reason why the ice elemental guardians protected Frostmourne? They were using their language to warn ignorant intruders.
Remnants gasped, his voice trembling slightly, "Your Highness, I fear this is a cursed sword!"
Unfortunately, the obsessed Liam only heard the words "eternal power." He murmured, "That's right, with it, I will possess infinite power. The voice within me did not deceive me."
He stared fanatically at Frostmourne. This was the power he wanted to obtain. With it, he could exact revenge! He would no longer have to endure the hatred of a broken country and a destroyed home, no longer have to worry about the pursuit of the shameful Alliance, no longer have to worry about being completely powerless to protect those he wanted to protect in the face of demonic power.
He would avenge his dead father, mother, sister, and hundreds of thousands of Gilnean citizens!
"Your Highness!"
Remnants wanted to dissuade him further, but he saw Liam turn his head, staring at him with completely unfamiliar and icy eyes, "Remnants, I know what I am doing."
After dismissing the timid court mage, finally, no one stood in Liam's way. He strode towards Frostmourne, gazing at the divine sword floating in mid-air, and shouted loudly, "Listen! Now I summon the spirit of this place. Whatever you are, good or evil. I can feel you, I know you are listening. I am ready, I will accept my fate. I am willing to pay any price, as long as this sword allows me to complete my revenge!"
"Now, please bestow it upon me!"
Echoes reverberated in the deep cave. He felt his will travel deeper with the sound, to the sky or the earth. The being controlling Frostmourne must have heard his request.
'How will he respond to me?'
The waiting time was long and arduous, but nothing seemed to happen. Liam felt his breathing become heavy, the cold air sweeping across his throat and lungs like a blade, making him feel as if he was soaked in ice water.
'Was I rejected?'
'Did I… fail?'
He became angry and desperate, questioning the voice that always guided him in his heart, "Is this your purpose? To lead me here, and then leave me in complete despair?"
Responding to him was a low sigh.
Liam held his breath. He saw the ice that had completely sealed Frostmourne suddenly burst, the cracks spreading like spiderwebs in all directions. The divine sword was almost unrecognizable in its complete form. He staggered backward, and suddenly a loud noise made him cover his ears.
The scene before him didn't surprise him but delighted him—the ice on the surface of Frostmourne had completely shattered, and the sharp ice shards flew everywhere like shrapnel. Except for him, everyone standing in the cave screamed, struck by the ice shards and falling to the ground.
He couldn't care less about taking care of these people, because Frostmourne fell from the sky and was inserted into the mound in front of him.
Its true appearance was so perfect, making Liam dizzy and mesmerized.
"Pull it out, and I will gain the power of revenge!"