"What? They changed their minds?"
When Jaina heard this news from one of Eonar's servants, she instinctively paused for a moment, as it was different from the situation she had anticipated.
The messenger was a construct created by Eonar. Her appearance was similar to the female Stone Guardians Jaina had seen on Azeroth, but judging by the material of her body surface, Eonar must have used Natural Magic to modify the titan constructs originally present in the Burning Throne.
Although Jaina did not know why the Titans had suddenly changed their minds, the fact that they no longer needed to persuade or "force" them to assist the Combined Forces against Sargeras had met their expectations, and avoiding such trouble saved them a lot of worry.
After the servant returned to the Burning Throne, Jaina found Xal'atath and told her the news.
Xal'atath subconsciously countered, "Why? Isn't this good news?"
Even in her view, she thought avoiding a direct conflict with the Titans was a good thing. As a former Forerunner of Dimensius, she knew very well that these high-level beings of the universe fundamentally disregarded the will of mortals.
The Titans being so agreeable was beyond her imagination, although this might be a sign of friendliness resulting from their poor condition and the predicament of needing mortal assistance.
Regardless, Xal'atath was certain of one thing: the Titans' conduct was indeed different from forces like the Burning Legion and the Void Lords. At the very least, they were willing to listen to the demands and opinions of mortals, and the ability to converse was itself a sign of lowered status.
Unexpectedly, Jaina shook her head instead. "Ever since they entertained the thought of abandoning Azeroth, I haven't been able to trust them wholeheartedly. Perhaps they genuinely want to help us, but this also made me realize that we are ultimately not on the same level as them. Relying solely on them is not a good thing for us."
"It seems Arthas truly taught you a lot," Xal'atath said, somewhat surprised that Jaina held this view. "The relationship between the Titans and you is indeed quite delicate. Considering your origins, it would be perfectly reasonable for them to dispose of all of you as derivatives of the Old Gods, but the current circumstances and a common enemy have allowed you both to tacitly ignore this fact, insisting on viewing the problem from a single perspective."
"What perspective?" Jaina asked.
"Protecting Azeroth from falling into the hands of an ambitious person like Sargeras."
Having stayed on Azeroth for so long, Xal'atath understood that the essence of Azeroth was not the same as described in the circulating Titan Myths. The Titans concealed some truths, leaving what they wanted behind in the long river of Azeroth's history.
And far back in the untraceable Barren Era, the true appearance and origin of Azeroth had long been buried by the sands of timethat ancient age, the Primal Azeroth, which even the Bronze Dragons might not be able to glimpse.
Of course, as far as Xal'atath was concerned, she no longer cared about these matters. Since being liberated by Arthas from Dimensius, she couldn't be bothered to think about anything furtherno one wants to exhaust themselves fighting for something that is fundamentally unattainable, and Xal'atath was no exception.
Besides maniacs like Sargeras, there were beings like Zovaal and Dimensius who harbored other intentions, but even they were dealt with by Arthas one by one. Xal'atath felt there was truly no need to seek death when life was still manageable.
Xal'atath even speculated that Arthas already understood the primal essence of Azeroth, which was why he so confidently dedicated himself to the cause of opposing other Primal Forces.
"To be honest, I actually think Arthas is a bit too kind."
Hearing Xal'atath's evaluation of Arthas, Jaina stopped walking and stared at Xal'atath with an unfriendly gaze, as if an Arcane Cannon blast would immediately smash into Xal'atath's face if she didn't explain herself clearly.
Xal'atath said nonchalantly, "Don't you think so? He actually hasn't needed to care about Azeroth's fate for a long time. A benevolent being like him is impossible to find even if you search the entire universe. Look, even the Titans wouldn't risk their lives to help you for Azeroth's sake; they clearly wanted to pursue a safer method initially."
These words made Jaina sigh deeply. "Precisely because of this, we must not disappoint him. He never changes what he believes is right because of others' misunderstandings or accusationsand time has proven that he is always correct."
Whenever Arthas was mentioned, Jaina always felt an unspoken sense of debt. As one of the people closest to him, Jaina always felt that the help she could offer him was too little.
Since childhood, she had always tried to follow in Arthas's footsteps, but as she grew older, Jaina realized: although Arthas was always by her side, the distance between her and him was gradually increasing.
That was not a physical distance, but the gap Jaina perceived between herself and Arthas.
She believed Arthas was aware of this, yet the situation she worried about most did not occur. Even when Arthas was utterly focused on the goal ahead, he never gave up waiting for the people beside him.
From beginning to end, he was so stubborn, stubbornly moving forward, yet patiently waiting in place.
Whenever Jaina thought that the spirited Arthas would so carefully manage such a "relationship," she would find his awkwardness amusing, yet she couldn't help but worry that Arthas might be hurt by this kind of waiting.
As a genius of Dalaran, Jaina understood the sense of alienation caused by the gap with ordinary people. Often, it wasn't that they didn't want to patiently deal with everything around them, but everything has its own rules. Even when she wanted to wait, Jaina found that time and trivial matters constantly pushed her forward.
"The gap between Arthas and me is far greater than the gap between me and those ordinary mages, and how many people struggle to cross the chasm that mentors call 'ordinary talent' mages?"
Jaina paused by the viewport in the Spaceship corridor. She pressed her hand against the glass, feeling the coldness transmitted to her palm and her calm heartbeat. "So when I knew Arthas might keep waiting, I often felt afraid because of it. I fear that one day I will lose him, and I fear that all this pressure will cause him to make an irreversible choice."
"I desperately hope this day never comes, and I will use any means necessary to prevent this possibility from happening."
"Titans, the Legion, the Void... no matter who the opponent is, I will not give up."
With the Titans' guarantee, the Coalition Forces' cooperation efficiency noticeably rose a level; at the very least, they were more zealous in killing demons.
However, the thoughts of most Coalition Forces heroes were not so complicated; they only knew that for every demon they killed, one fewer demon would escape, thereby reducing the possibility of demons invading Azeroth again. This extremely simple preventive measure was the only thing they could do.
Most people did not possess particularly great power or eternal, immortal life; but most people had things they cherished and wished to protect existing on Azeroth.
And the demons' thoughts were even simpler: now that the high ranks of the Burning Legion located in Antorus were either dead or fled, if they could break through the Coalition Forces' lines and retake Antorus, wouldn't that prove they were stronger than Kil'jaeden, Archimonde, and even Sargeras, allowing them to command the entire Legion and sweep across the cosmos?
In any case, their nature was chaos and destruction; combat and death were commonplace for demons.
Thus, the war against the demons on Argus gradually evolved into a strange situation: even though the demons' main base, Antorus, had already been captured by the Coalition Forces, and even Sargeras's Throne had fallen into the hands of the Titans, the demons still rushed forward one after another toward the core of Argus, attempting to seize the Legion's remaining assets, delusionally hoping to become the next Lord of the Legion.
However, since demons destroyed on Argus had almost no chance of rebirth, they lacked their usual fearless aggression and actually fought more cautiously than the Coalition Forces.
Furthermore, the various levels of Demon Warlords could never unify their thinking; these Demon Warlords, each harboring their own schemes, found it difficult to pose a substantial threat to the Coalition Forces' defenses. Even the Broken natives, who were previously chased around like rats by the Legion, could now turn around and kick demons to death like stray dogs.
If Argus hadn't already been condemned to "death" by the Titans—meaning the planet could no longer be restored to its state before the Legion occupied it—Velen might have even started considering applying to Arthas for permanent residency on Argus to directly rebuild the Eredar homeland.
However, while Sargeras had yet to be defeated and the future remained shrouded in unseen shadows, no final conclusion could be drawn.
It was only after the Titans extended an invitation to Jaina that the final curtain truly began to rise.
"The Titans said they have finished calibrating the Burning Throne's equipment, and everything is ready, except..."
After Jaina received the invitation from the Titans, her expression became unnatural.
"Is there a problem?" Xal'atath was still unaware of the Titans' specific requirements.
"They said we don't need to commit the azeroth to this voyage, which means they don't want too many mortal involved in the final confrontation with Sargeras."
Xal'atath found it hard to judge this request from the Titans, but on this point, she actually felt the Titans' idea was sound, as it was questionable how much help mortal could truly provide in a battle against Sargeras.
To put it more harshly, mortal might very well become a burden in this fight.
The strongest members of the Coalition Forces might barely qualify to join this battle in the eyes of the Titans, and they clearly could not take all the elite combat forces away from Argus, as these individuals were essentially fulfilling the duties of high-ranking Coalition Forces generals. If all of them were transferred into the Burning Throne, it would likely leave the defenses on Argus vulnerable and unable to withstand the demon invasion.
Antorus still contained large amounts of dangerous Legion technology and knowledge that had not been processed or transferred, and the Coalition Forces clearly could not accept Antorus being occupied by demons again, or giving rise to another degraded version of the Burning Legion.
"In that case, we should draw some high-end combat power without compromising the defensive lines. After all, every bit of strength increases our chances of success."
Most people at this meeting held this attitude, but to their surprise, the person who disagreed with this proposal was Jaina herself.
"No... this portion of strength should be invested in something more meaningful."
Jaina's statement was quite subtle, but everyone understood her thoughts: the lady's meaning was clear. She believed that the strength drawn out would hardly affect the balance of power between the Titans and Sargeras, but the negative impact caused by losing these combatants would be far greater.
Because these powerful warriors, spellcasters, or Demigods represented the pinnacle expression of a certain skill, magic, or technology on Azeroth. Losing any one of them would mean an irreplaceable void appearing in the civilization of Azeroth.
This wasn't because Jaina lacked the courage to go all-in; on the contrary, she was clearer than anyone about the importance of this battle. But at the same time, as a survivor who had fought against Aggramar's Avatar, she was even clearer about the gap between mortal and Titan-level beings.
A single fallen avatar of Aggramar had nearly left them helpless. How much death could Sargeras, who was far more powerful than Aggramar, bring upon them?
"Hmph, though somewhat pedantic, what she says is indeed true."
Illidan stepped forward at this moment to support Jaina's idea. His contemptuous tone, however, drew dissatisfaction from the crowd—especially the Night Elves, who saw Illidan as nothing more than a temporarily reformed prisoner who had no right to participate in this meeting without the special permission of high-level leaders like Jaina.
The reason he supported Jaina was simple. Ignoring the murmurs in the hall, he immediately spoke, "I should be stronger than most people here, and coincidentally, I also have a score to settle with Sargeras."
Illidan tapped his eye sockets, which were wrapped in a layer of black cloth, yet it could not completely conceal the green fel energy escaping from within.
Maiev mocked him mercilessly, "That works out perfectly. It would be best if you charged right into Sargeras and killed yourself, that way we'd be rid of two scourges."
"Lady Maiev."
Jaina spoke up promptly, preventing the argument from escalating further. At the same time, she looked at Illidan, "Do you truly want to face Sargeras? This is very likely a journey of no return."
"If I were afraid of that, I wouldn't look the way I do now," Illidan replied succinctly.
"Alright."
Jaina had no reason to stop Illidan. Her only request was, "Just make sure you explain clearly to your Illidari before you leave."
Maiev grunted a few times, about to say something, but was restrained by Santis nearby. The Sentinel General shook her head at Maiev, "You cannot go."
"As for other candidates... I will announce them later. Everyone need not worry."
After Illidan, Jaina seemed to have no intention of finalizing other candidates. She hastily concluded the meeting, and surprisingly, the high-ranking members of the Coalition Forces had no objections. After watching Jaina depart, they also left one after another.
Ten minutes later, Velen and Khadgar knocked on the door of Arthas's office, and Jaina's voice came from inside.
"Please come in."
Khadgar pushed open the door and quickly walked to the desk, but suddenly paused, realizing he saw Xal'atath standing beside the desk, smiling.
But this did not stop him from continuing, "The Prophet told me you plan to go alone with the Titans to confront Sargeras?"
Jaina corrected the mistake in Khadgar's statement, "It's not just me alone; Illidan and Xal'atath are coming too."
Khadgar laughed out of exasperation. "How is that any different from being alone? Prophet, what do you say?"
However, Velen did not take Khadgar's cue. As if he had already known the outcome, he asked calmly, "How certain are you?"
"One hundred percent, Prophet. I have one hundred percent certainty that I can permanently eliminate Sargeras's threat to Azeroth."
"Ten percent?"
Khadgar exclaimed in confusion, "If it's ten percent, why aren't you letting us go with you?"
Velen, however, didn't show surprise. Instead, he lowered his head, seemingly pondered for a moment, then patted Khadgar's shoulder, "Khadgar... this is not the probability of survival."
The Prophet's brief statement plunged Khadgar into silence. He stammered for a long time, unable to form coherent words, only looking at Jaina, as if trying to discern something from her calm face.
Jaina ignored Khadgar's gaze, instead staring at Velen for a while, asking with some curiosity, "Prophet, it seems you've foreseen the future again?"
To her surprise, Velen smiled and shook his head, "Prophecy? No, I merely guessed it. Otherwise, you wouldn't be stopping everyone from going."
Jaina nodded, not asking further, "Khadgar, I've called you here because I have a mission for you. Xal'atath and I will follow the Titans to the battlefield against Sargeras. If... I don't return, the command of the return voyage will be yours."
The azeroth is a spaceship combining magic and technology. Engineers alone cannot fully utilize its capabilities; a Grand Archmage with sufficient magical attainment is required to assist in ensuring its normal operation.
"As for other matters, I'll have to trouble you, Prophet, as you are the one among us who knows this planet best."
Velen accepted the heavy burden without any objection. He softly recited an ancient Eredar prayer for Jaina as a blessing before her departure.
Compared to the Prophet's calm acceptance, Khadgar had not given up hope. He still wanted to try and persuade Jaina to abandon such a dangerous idea.
"No, this isn't right, Jaina. Perhaps there's a better way... You said it yourself, there's a huge disparity between us and the Titans. So why would you needlessly sacrifice your life?"
"Because Arthas is there."
This reason was so simple, yet so unassailable, that Khadgar was momentarily speechless. He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word for a long time. Even when he first became a Kirin Tor apprentice, being scrutinized by the high and mighty Archmages, he had never been so flustered.
"Then why is she going with you?" Khadgar asked finally, pointing at Xal'atath.
Xal'atath feigned surprise, saying, "Do you really trust an 'existence' like me to return to Azeroth with you all, completely unharmed? Hear that, Jaina? How about I go back with them? I promise nothing will go wrong, and I just happen to want to study the Dark Naaru within Alleria."
Jaina rolled her eyes helplessly at Xal'atath. She knew Xal'atath was joking, but Khadgar, after watching Xal'atath for a moment, conceded defeat.
"Alright, alright... I really can't be at ease. Everything about you is a mystery. If Arthas and Jaina don't return, your mere existence will cause immense controversy and upheaval..."
This was not false. Among those who knew Xal'atath's true nature, few could trust her, and her dangerous origins were enough to make her a thorn in the side of some conservatives.
This was a special period during the Legion War, so those people might still be restrained, but once Sargeras's threat passed, Khadgar had a hundred reasons to believe they would certainly try every means to restrict Xal'atath's freedom, and Xal'atath was definitely not a temperless puppet. Conflict was almost inevitable.
What frustrated him was that he no longer had any reason to stop Jaina's dangerous journey.
From Dalaran to Karazhan, and from Azeroth to Draenor, Khadgar had traveled a path far longer than most people, and the price was that he had lost too much along the way.
He simply couldn't bear to see another old friend depart, but just like the partings he couldn't prevent before, he couldn't stop Jaina this time either.
"Don't make it sound like I'm doomed, Khadgar."
Jaina punched Khadgar in the chest. She had practiced swordsmanship with Arthas, and although she considered herself to have given up halfway, the strength in her hands was not something an ordinary mage could compare to.
Khadgar clutched his chest, grimacing, "What more can I say? May wisdom always be with you, my friend."
The farewells with colleagues and old friends were brief and simple. Almost without most people knowing, Jaina and Xal'atath left the azeroth and arrived inside the Burning Throne.
At this time, this temple of the evil god had been initially transformed by the Titans. The deadly cosmic radiation had been isolated by the Titans, and the internal environment had become less oppressive.
A large number of constructs, whose underlying logic had been rewritten by the Titans, maintained the operation of the Burning Throne. The secret chamber, originally used to torture Titan souls, had been converted into a conference hall by Kargathros.
"You're here."
Eonar greeted Jaina, "Your friend arrived a little earlier, but he doesn't seem to like the atmosphere here and is getting some air outside the Throne."
She was naturally referring to Illidan. Jaina didn't say much. Regarding the Demon Hunter's choices, besides basic respect and admiration, she couldn't offer much more comment. After all, Illidan's actions had caused too many innocents to lose their lives, yet he had indeed indirectly contributed significantly to saving Azeroth.
At least without Illidan, they wouldn't have found the sargerite keystone's location so easily, and naturally wouldn't have been able to launch a counterattack against the Burning Legion's main base.
"Can you tell us your plan?" Jaina was more concerned with how the Titans planned to deal with Sargeras.
The Titans had already discussed it beforehand, so Eonar said quite directly, "Actually, the plan is simple. We must first find the Seat of the Pantheon hidden by Sargeras before we can proceed with the next actions."
"The Seat of the Pantheon is not just a temple; it is also our weapon against Sargeras. At the core of that temple, all Pantheon members once made an oath, an ironclad rule that even the gods cannot disobey."
Upon hearing this, Golganneth still snorted with some indignation, "If only we hadn't hesitated for too long when facing Sargeras's betrayal, leading to Aggramar's immediate demise and inability to unleash the power of the Seat of the Pantheon, all these messy things wouldn't be happening today."
Aggramar remained silent regarding Golganneth's dissatisfaction. It was precisely because he still harbored a sliver of hope, wanting to persuade Sargeras to turn back, that he was accidentally cut down by the other party with a single blow, losing his combat capability on the spot.
If they had abandoned such illusions from the start and prepared for the worst, Sargeras wouldn't have been able to annihilate all the gods so easily.
"However, there's still a problem. Aman'thul's soul was taken by Sargeras. Our current capabilities can only confirm that he should have been taken to the Seat of the Pantheon, but no other information is known."
Norgannon added a point, and this was also their main problem.
Stopping Sargeras was not entirely impossible. By combining the power of the Titan gods and the ancient oath preserved in the Pantheon, they could forcibly restrain Sargeras within the Pantheon. At that time, Sargeras would be powerless to harm the myriad worlds.
But the trouble was, they would probably have to retrieve Aman'thul's soul from Sargeras's hands before gathering the full power of the gods, which seemed to create an unbreakable loop.
To defeat Sargeras, they needed Aman'thul's soul, but to retrieve Aman'thul's soul, they first had to defeat Sargeras.