On top of the tower, sensing that Orion had just teleported away, Leonidas finally spoke up.
"Damn it. We got played this time!"
Arthas said nothing; he simply looked up at that Black Sun hovering in the sky.
"From the moment we entered this Godforsaken Land, I felt something was off. Turns out it was that thing."
Leonidas also raised his gaze, staring at the Black Sun.
"So, what do we do now? That Black Sun is definitely up to no goodâthereâs gotta be an evil being behind it on par with a demigod. Iâd bet my hide that itâs just waiting for us to forge the worldâs core so it can swoop in and snag it."
The more Leonidas spoke, the more worked up he got. His grumbling wouldnât stop. Inside that sealed space, theyâd not only slain three arch lords but also obliterated a will projection of that unseen evil entity.
That sliver of will projection had taken root in Mia, the night elf arch lord. Evidently, the sexy, enchanting Mia had long since become a plaything in that dark beingâs hands.
"Before the fight kicked off, I kept wondering why those three arch lords showed zero fear about us invading them. Turns out they were actually planning to ambush us."
"Woof⊠Dammit, I shouldâve known a huge Godforsaken Land like this wouldnât just fall into my lap for free!"
Leonidas vented loudly, practically roaring in frustration as if his beastly nature had overcome his reason.
"Leonidas," Arthas cut in quietly, "complaining now wonât fix anything. We need to pull our people out first to minimize losses."
Arthasâs words were cold and calm. He was calling for everyone to withdraw, yet he never once said he himself intended to leave Godforsaken Land.
"I already passed the order. One more quarter hour, and all my subordinates will be outta here."
Leonidas let loose another roar, his voice rolling across the battlefield.
Moments later, back in the central zone, a burst of spatial fluctuation flared, and all the subordinates of Leonidas and Arthas returned to their own worlds.
"If that will projection was destroyed and it hasnât fought back by now, there are only two possibilities," Arthas said.
"One: that evil being, like a demigod or a god, is in a deep slumber.
"Two: that evil being might be sealed away."
Arthas drew a huge greatsword from behind him and pointed it toward the Black Sun overhead.
"Demigods are hard to come by, and weâve been stuck at this level forever. Might as well see what that evil beingâs got to offer."
Standing on the tower, sword aimed skyward, Arthas looked rigidly upright, cloak billowing behind him.
"Sure. Thatâs exactly what I was thinking!
"WoofâŠ"
Half a day later, Leonidas and Arthas reached the deepest part of the underground, stopping beside the shriveled World Tree.
"Letâs begin."
Arthasâs voice held no emotion as it rumbled coldly through the cavern, tinged with a contempt for all living creatures.
Leonidas didnât answer. He reached out with his right claw and pressed it into the magic array inscribed on the floor.
In an instant, the void trembled, and runes lit up the air around them. A blinding beam of light shot straight upward, piercing rock and sky until it stood face to face with the Black Sun above.
Moments later, the beam vanished, and the entire Godforsaken Land began to shudder. In the span of a heartbeat, the world convulsedâcracks riddled the ground, lava boiled up from below, and palaces and houses everywhere collapsed into rubble.
Every creature still alive in Godforsaken Land was either obliterated in the natural disasters or buried deep beneath the earth. Even the seas around the continent seethed with monstrous waves and constant tsunamis.
It was as if some terrifying power at the heart of Godforsaken Land was sucking in all matter. Even the Black Sun overhead began sinking lower bit by bit.
This chaos continued for half a month. No one could say exactly when, but eventually not a trace of living things could be found.
Swish⊠swishâŠ
It was a strange, indescribable sound. At some unremarkable moment, all matter in Godforsaken Land suddenly broke down, dissolving into dust that floated in the void.
At the same time, within the source siphoning array, Leonidas held a worldâs core about the size of an apple in his palm.
As that core took shape, the Black Sun in the void quivered, flaring with a bright yet not blinding radiance.
Leonidas carefully stowed away the worldâs core. Together, he and Arthas hovered in the air, gazing impassively at the Black Sun.
Suddenly, a fissure appeared in the center of the Black Sun, splitting it right down the middle. As the crack widened, it seemed to devour everything, the Black Sun included.
When the Black Sun was gone, what remained in that patch of sky was a gigantic eye. It had no pupilâonly swirling stars glistening inside.
Leonidas and Arthas recognized it as an eye because they could feel the presence behind it, watching them from the shadows.
Hss⊠hssâŠ
A black beam fired out, crushing the surrounding space. Its faint hiss hiss echoed in the air before slamming into Leonidas and Arthas.
But both of them had relics that sprang forth and formed protective barriers, holding back the beamâs crushing force.
"Boney McBoneface, this is getting tough. The beamâs pressure is piling upâwe canât hold out for long!"
Arthas didnât speak. A moment later, a formless knife, a blade of pure nothingness, appeared in his grip.
With a single swish, it vanished.
"Hand over what I guard⊠I shall let youâ"
The beingâs will sounded from that massive eye, but it never finished speaking.
Slash!
Silence fell. The Black Sun turned dark and collapsed. Fine, radiant cracks splintered across that eyeâs inky surface.
Boom!
That giant eye was shredded by the void blade, scattering to darkness. In that blink, the void itself zipped closed and vanished into nothingness.
The second Arthas summoned the void blade, he and Leonidas had used some unknown items to teleport away to safety.
âŠ
Somewhere in the unknown reaches of the void, an evil entity jolted awake. Slowly touching its left eye, it felt a blade-scar.
"So, someone destroyed the Perpetual Night Continent?"
Sensing the cut across its eye, the being muttered in a low voice,
"That was power of a different law⊠A demigod who wields a blade, perhaps?
"I wonât forget this. Once I fully awaken, weâll settle the score."
âŠ
Elsewhere in the void, another mysterious realm.
Here slumbered Champions Alliance Commander Thresh, seated cross-legged, enveloped in a river of countless blades.
"So it was Arthas who used the gift I gave him. He mustâve gone up against a demigod-level opponent."
Commander Thresh still did not open his eyes, nor did he truly awaken, though his low murmur traveled unimpeded through this space.
That void blade Arthas had used was the life-saving ace given to him by Commander Threshâa blade that, beneath the level of god, could cut through anything.