Chapter 1148: The Fall of the Lich King (Second Update)
Lord Fordring was also an old acquaintance of the players.
This legendary paladin was exiled by his own kingdom for his friendship with an orc warrior. During a conversation with his son Taelan, he spoke the widely quoted maxim: "Race does not determine honor. People should not make hasty judgments about those who are different from themselves."
Old Fordring lived in seclusion in the Plaguelands, surviving on carrion-eating insects. Seeing his son Taelan join the Scarlet Crusade and gradually lose himself, he hoped to use some mementos to awaken his son, who had become a puppet, and reignite the will of a paladin within him.
When the players brought the toy warhammer, the banner of glory of the Silver Hand, and the painting of love and family to Taelan, this High Lord of the Scarlet Crusade read Fordring's handwritten letter and wept bitterly.
However, Taelan was killed by Isillien during his departure. Fordring, devastated by the loss of his son, fully regained the power of the Light he had lost due to the Eitrigg incident, and swore to bring a new order to Lordaeron.
During the battle at the Chapel of Light's Hope, the Lich King ordered Death Knight High Lord Darion Mograine to lead the Acherus Death Knight order and the Scourge to attack the chapel, hoping to seize the remains of three thousand paladin spirits beneath it and turn them into undead forces.
In the moment of crisis, Darion threw the corrupted Ashbringer to Fordring. With the help of the three thousand paladin spirits beneath the chapel, Fordring used the power of the Light to purify this corrupted weapon, and the legendary weapon Ashbringer was reborn.
Thus, the Silver Hand and the Argent Dawn merged into one, forming the Argent Crusade. Fordring became its High Lord and the true leader in the campaign against the Lich King.
In the icy winds of Northrend, the players fought alongside the Argent Crusade. Starting from the Dragonblight, they recalled the full story of Arthas's fall, participated in the Crusaders' Trial, and ultimately, through the Ashen Verdict, stormed the Icecrown Citadel. Cutting through thorns all the way, they finally stood before the Lich King.
Subtle clues were laid far in advance, stretching across a thousand miles.
The ultimate battle with the Lich King had been set in motion a decade earlier. The threads ran through the entirety of Warcraft III and World of Warcraft, and one by one, heroic figures collided in the most intense sparks upon the Frozen Throne.
...
"Heroes, charge!!"
High Lord Tirion Fordring swung Ashbringer and charged forward, but the next second, he was frozen in a tomb of ice by the Lich King.
Zou Zhuo and the others were already used to this scene. Having raided the Lich King countless times, old Fordring had been frozen just as many times.
The players skillfully began the battle with the Lich King, following the established strategy.
Although they had endured countless team dungeon trials, defeating the mighty Lich King still required a long period of progression and relentless effort.
The twenty-five people carried out their tasks methodically. The tanks focused intently on the adds about to spawn. The DPS classes silently recited their rotation cycles, striving for the highest possible damage per second. The healers watched the entire raid's health bars and the various debuffs on their teammates.
"Defile! Run to the abomination quickly, get ready to dispel!"
"Infest! Discipline priest, prepare to shield!"
"Phase transition! Leave the central area, everyone find your positions quickly. Mirrors are spawning, pull them away fast!"
"Spread out a bit to reduce the damage from Sorrowful... Destroy the ice spheres quickly, don't let them get close!"
"Third phase, get ready for the Val'kyr! They grabbed someone, save the mage first! Give control, okay, switch target!"
"Three seconds until Black Water! Hurry, spread out, spread out! Those hit by Black Water, use rocket boots and sprint, quickly. Okay, very nice, now we can group up."
"Watch out for Soul Reaper, taunt swap immediately! Pop cooldowns to tank it, healers give spells, keep me alive!"
"Good, good. Fourth phase is going smoothly. Get ready for the fifth phase. Prioritize the Vile Spirits! Death Knight, summon your army! Paladin, pop Divine Shield and crash into them!"
"Get the whole raid's health up quickly! Melee, keep up the DPS!"
"Final phase, ignore everything, just burn the boss! Ignore everything, go all out on the boss!"
"We got it, beautiful!"
The players were still unleashing their maximum DPS, but the raid was already filled with cheers and laughter.
"We got it, awesome!!"
"Wow, that was so hard! Our guild finally took down the Lich King too!"
"Hahaha, we're too strong!"
But at that moment, the Lich King raised Frostmourne, instantly killing the entire raid.
A few players looked confused: "What the hell is this? A wipe?"
The raid leader explained: "No, no, this is just the normal script. Just watch the cutscene."
The Lich King walked to the center of the Frozen Throne: "You have trained them well, Fordring. You have delivered the most powerful champions of the world to me, just as I intended! Your silent sacrifices will be rewarded!"
The power of Frostmourne began to corrupt the corpses of every player: "Witness this! I will raise them from their remains as soldiers of the Scourge. Azeroth will fall into chaos and ruin at their hands! And you... will be the first corpse!"
"I will savor this irony!"
But at that moment, Fordring, trapped in the ice tomb, suddenly shouted: "Holy Light above! Bless me! Grant me the strength to shatter these bonds!"
An immense surge of Holy Light erupted from Fordring, instantly shattering the ice tomb. With Ashbringer in hand, he cleaved Frostmourne in two!
The Lich King stared at his broken blade: "This... is impossible..."
High Lord Tirion Fordring roared: "It's over, Arthas! Your days of slaughtering the innocent end today!"
King Terenas Menethil cried out: "Free at last! It is over, my son. The reckoning is at hand! Champions of the Light, rally!"
The players rose again, launching their final assault on the Lich King. Without Frostmourne, the Lich King seemed fragile, surrounded by countless vengeful spirits.
The Lich King cried out in agony: "I stand as a lion before the flock, yet they do not fear me!"
As the Lich King fell, two massive achievement panels popped up in everyone's vision:
The Frozen Throne (25-player)!
The Fall of the Lich King (25-player)!
At the same time, the guild channel was instantly flooded with a barrage of achievement completions. Other guild members also sent their congratulations.
"Wow! You took down the Lich King? Awesome, awesome!"
"Amazing! After all this progression, you finally got him!"
Arthas crashed to the ground. His helmet rolled away, and the broken Frostmourne lost its power.
A familiar melody began to play—a mournful elegy.
Arthas struggled desperately to stand, but it was all in vain. The spirit of the old king, Terenas, appeared before him. The blue light in Arthas's eyes slowly faded...
"Father... is it... over?" Arthas asked, looking at his father's spirit.
The old king said calmly: "No king rules forever, my son."
Arthas's eyes were filled with confusion and despair: "All I see before me... is darkness..."
Old King Terenas closed Arthas's eyes, then said to Fordring: "Without the Lich King's control, the Scourge will become even more frenzied and unstoppable. Control must be maintained over them. Therefore, there must always be... a Lich King..."
Watching the old king's spirit fade away, Fordring picked up the Lich King's helmet from the ground.
"This heavy burden... I will bear it... No one is more suited than I..."
Just then, a voice shouted: "Tirion! You hold a cruel fate in your hands, but it does not belong to you!"
Fordring turned in shock. He saw Duke Bolvar, who had been endlessly tormented by the Lich King, now horribly disfigured. Dragonfire constantly seared his body, but he was still alive.
"The world of the living has wearied me. Place the crown upon my head. This curse... I shall guard it!"
"Tirion! You and these heroes have your own destinies. This final task... will be mine to complete!"
Fordring's face was filled with complex emotions: "History will remember you forever, brother."
Duke Bolvar shook his head: "No! If the world is to be reborn from destruction, what happened today must be forgotten!"
Fordring's face was heavy with grief as he placed the Lich King's crown upon Duke Bolvar's head.
Ice rose up, freezing Duke Bolvar in a tomb of ice.
"Tell them... the Lich King is dead! Bolvar Fordragon died with him!"
"Go now. Leave this place. And never return!"