Elisande felt incomparably shocked, and at the same time, incomparably joyful. The stronger the Master, the more it proved her unique and correct judgment. In her heart, she also admired Queen Azshara immensely. Truly worthy of being Her Majesty the Queen, she was the first to discover the Master's potential. If not for her being the Queen!
This is energy absorption, a unique skill combining that of a Demon Hunter and a Blood Elves Mage. It can simultaneously absorb both life and Mana. These two are the basis for any living being; Health sustains life, while Mana is essential for casting spells. Without Mana, any spellcaster can only stare blankly.
frostmourne appeared in his hand. With a gentle wave, an invisible sword qi struck the dilapidated pirate ship, the immense force colliding with the deck. The force was evenly distributed across the entire pirate ship, resulting in the spectacular sight of the entire vessel disintegrating in an instant.
Wiping out an army in a single move—this level of strength was already horrifying, something the adventurer 'Footman' could never achieve. This was a demigod, the strongest known tier of power in Azeroth.
After the pirate ship was destroyed, Arthas stared at the thick fog over the sea. He already sensed someone appearing.
The sea fog gradually dissipated, accompanied by a cold, deep laugh, grating like metal friction, yet carrying a chilling gloom. This laughter was very uncomfortable, especially in this cold, damp mist. It was no different from hearing howls in a haunted house, inexplicably making one feel nauseous.
After a while, a massive figure gradually appeared. A face that was quite handsome was accompanied by two ears covered in barbs. The physique was sturdy and plump, draped in tattered fishing nets along with armor, giving off a strange, underworldly vibe. The fingernails on both hands were long and sharp; in any case, she looked like an exotic creature.
"You are King Arthas of Lordaeron? Hmph, your fleet has harassed my territory time and again, and now you dare appear before me! If Elisande hadn't pleaded for mercy, you would already be dead!"
Hela spoke with an arrogant and overbearing posture the moment she appeared, looking down on Arthas from a superior height to create a psychological advantage in negotiations.
A demigod?
She had destroyed quite a few demigods. Weak demigods were not much stronger than Murlocs, and a powerful one like Odyn had been sealed by her in an alien plane. Sealing the Elemental Lords during the war against the Dark Empire was her doing; she found and fashioned those elemental planes into prisons.
She even participated in many of the seals placed upon the Old Gods. The phrase'skilled in battle' was perfectly suited for her.
Therefore, she did not take Arthas seriously. Even if he was strong, if she couldn't defeat him, she had ways to banish him to other planes—where he could see the affairs of Azeroth and everyone in it, but be unable to participate, making even conversation a luxury.
Arthas raised frostmourne level, his tone exceptionally cold and impersonal.
"Bring out your true form to speak with me. A mere illusion is not qualified to converse with me. Otherwise, I will flatten your Helheim, and you will face complete death. Don't think you can do as you please just because you rely on the Shadowlands. Fool, that is merely another cage set up by the Titans."
The first sentence made Hela very angry, but the latter sentence sent a chill down her spine. It wasn't fear of his power, but astonishment at how he could know the secret of the Shadowlands!
She could freely enter the Shadowlands and converse with a powerful being inside. The Shadowlands sounded vast, but she always felt a very strange order there!
That's right, order!
As the destination for souls after death, everything there was too orderly, as if manipulated by someone. From death to atonement, then self-salvation, and finally washing the soul to be reborn as another strange soul.
All of this was too orderly, vaguely sensing a familiar flavor.
Now that she thought about it, this seemed to be the work of the Pantheon Titans! The flavor was too right, too intense.
Bang!
The illusion instantly shattered and dissipated. This kind of illusionary trickery might fool Elisande, but trying to deceive Arthas, who possessed the strongest illusionist in Azeroth as his handmaiden, was simply not qualified enough.
The seawater suddenly parted. This time, Hela's true form appeared, still massive in size, but her demeanor was even colder.
She had originally intended to lure Arthas into her domain, Helheim, for a trial. Only after passing the trial would he be qualified to speak with her. But she hadn't expected everything to go wrong. His strength was immense, his judgment sharp, and his methods cruel enough to completely annihilate souls.
This forced Hela to change her strategy, deciding to personally leave her domain and meet Arthas face-to-face here. Since he possessed the qualification for equal negotiation, then they should talk. There was no need for a quest as a stepping stone.
"I need you to transfer Odyn's Hall of Valor to Ulduar to fight Loken. Name your price for what you require."
Arthas did not want to beat around the bush. Discussing matters was about discussing matters. This was also why he disliked negotiating with Gnomes. Those cunning Gnomes usually used chapters of meaningless nonsense to build sentiment and confuse people, hiding their petty schemes in inconspicuous corners, waiting to calculate a profit.
Hela fell silent, not replying for a moment. She and Loken were not allies, merely in a cooperative relationship. Dealing with Odyn was a common goal for both sides; neither owed the other anything.
The previously turbulent sea surface was calmed by the awe of immense power, resting without a single ripple, an almost impossible occurrence in the ocean. This also indirectly proved that Hela's strength was not as simple as it appeared.
"What can you give me?"
"Flesh transformation, to become a truly living being."
Arthas proposed an irresistible benefit. For a soul form, only possessing one's own body could be considered truly alive. It could also guarantee that the soul would not face the crisis of dissipation upon exposure. This was a very good thing.
Hela's pupils contracted slightly. This condition clearly tempted her. But what if she could fight for more? People are greedy!
"Not enough!"
"Then you can just die!"
Without any warning, Arthas suddenly flashed in front of her, bringing down his runeblade with a simple slash. It seemed utterly harmless, yet it easily pierced the fishing net armor. The power erupted tenfold, bringing a stun effect with it, splitting Hela in two.
Dead?
Elisande felt a wave of lingering fear. Her Master was not as kind as the rumors suggested. Perhaps friendliness was only reserved for his subjects, and smiles only for family and subordinates. As for enemies and strangers, the only greeting awaiting them was a single sweep of frostmourne.
"Ah! How dare you destroy my body! This is the body I spent ten thousand years forging! You will die! Ah!"
Hela exploded in rage. She never expected the other party to suddenly strike lethally. All this time, she had lived peacefully in a corner, with no one coming to provoke her. In this area, she was the absolute, unquestioned master!
The calm sea began to churn into towering waves, pressing down with the infinite might of nature.
"Freeze!"
As Arthas plunged his runeblade into the sea surface, an extremely strong cold current instantly spread out, freezing the sea surface for ten thousand meters around them. The depth even exceeded ten meters, forming stable icebergs.
Hela was frozen inside before she could react. She quickly broke free using the power of death, her eyes filled with shock and anger. In her soul state, she was completely unsuited for combat. She needed to return to Helheim to forge a new shell. By then, she would dispatch endless undead ships to attack Lordaeron to vent her fury.
Just as she was about to leave, she was horrified to find she couldn't move, unable to break free from this invisible restraint no matter what.
The next second, without any energy fluctuation, not even a spatial ripple was generated. Arthas simply appeared before her, grasping her soul in his hand. No matter how much she shrieked and roared, she could not break free.
"Let's go, back to Suramar."
Elisande then dazedly and mechanically opened the portal. She did whatever her Master commanded, without considering whether doing so was appropriate.
"Elisande, you bitch! I treated you as a friend, and this is how you betray me!"
"May you die a terrible death! I curse your soul to enter The Maw after death, to suffer torment without rebirth, to be burned by the flames of The Maw for eternity!"
Hela was still cursing; she had gone mad. A fanatical woman could no longer be dealt with rationally. There was only one way to handle such a woman: humiliate her, torture her with superior strength, until she was completely conquered.
Of course, there was another way: completely erasing Hela. Letting her become dust in history, and when enough time had passed, her existence in Azeroth's history would also be worn away, completely annihilated.
In the Nightborne Royal Palace.
Arthas personally prepared the materials and communicated with the world soul, the goddess Eonar, preparing to have her help Hela recast her flesh body. This body would not be too strong nor too weak, but fortunately, its potential was quite good, and such a recasting was insignificant for a world soul, something easily accomplished.
Now, the earth spirits responsible for overseeing the world soul near the Heart Chamber had all been corrupted by her, refusing the Titans' proposal, and becoming her loyal servants after flesh transformation.
"You despicable dog! What do you want to do to me? Ask me to help you? Dream on, Arthas, may you die a terrible death!"
Hela was still cursing. Her soul was imprisoned, yet she refused to recognize reality, still wanting to vent her anger. It was unclear where she got the courage; she showed no awareness of being a captive.
One day later.
The ceaselessly cursing Hela suddenly fell silent. When she awoke from her daze, she thought she had arrived in the Shadowlands. If she could ask a powerful being for help, she might still recover.
She subconsciously looked at the ceiling. It was a magic mirror, surrounded by magic mirrors. Through the mirrors, she could see herself, transformed from a soul state into a flesh body. Her size had shrunk from massive to slender, similar to those Vrykul. However, the female Vrykul were all broad and stout, whereas the one she saw was slender and graceful. Could such a body still possess combat power?
Incredulously touching her cheek and looking at herself in the mirror, she felt incomparably shocked. How had she become like this?
"I... is this me?"
"This is impossible! What did Arthas do to me!"
The 'her' in the mirror was completely unlike her former self; it was a woman with long black hair, somewhat resembling a female villain of the same name from a certain movie, who was also called the Goddess of death.
For half a day, Hela was immersed in astonishment. Surprise, relief, confusion, sadness, helplessness, and other emotions flashed across her. She didn't understand why he had done this to her.
After an unknown amount of time, Arthas finally appeared before her. He observed the newly constructed body, noting that the transformation was quite successful. He observed for a long time, confirming that Hela had adapted and accepted this new shell.
"It seems you are quite satisfied with this shell. Heh heh, this was constructed with the help of a powerful goddess I requested. While it isn't as sturdy as the titan constructs, its potential is limitless."
He reached out and pinched Hela's chin, forcing her head up to look at him. How Hela had treated him before, he was now returning in kind. Turns of fate, mountains and rivers meet again—wasn't this retribution?
Truly a petty man!
"You are now a woman of flesh and blood, returned from a twisted soul state to a normal soul. This cost me a lot of Anima. Now, kneel down and call me Master."
Hela felt humiliated. She was no longer as fanatical. Initially, she wasn't like a creature, nor like a soul, but a monster outside the three realms, not belonging to the five elements! Now that she had become a normal person, she hadn't adapted yet.
"Dream on!"
"It seems I must show you some color before you learn how to be a proper maid. Don't worry, I am very skilled at educating maids."
Arthas's smile carried a trace of ferocity, along with an unrevealable brutality. For opponents who refused to submit, he was happy to let them see just how far they could hold out.
Three days later.
On the palace balcony, Arthas leaned lazily on a sun lounger. Such a leisurely life had continued for several days. The Nightborne who formed a song and dance troupe performed in front of him, and he was the only audience—in other words, this was an exclusive entertainment program.
Hela, who had previously sworn to die rather than yield, was now obediently massaging his legs, even changing into a black and white short maid dress. She thought she could persist in her defiance, but it only took one night for her to surrender.
Flesh transformation affected not only the body but also the mind. titan constructs corrupted by the world soul would instinctively resist their previous commands and instead turn to obey the world soul, becoming its most loyal servants.
Hela was the same, only her soul was stronger, requiring a bit more time to complete the process.
All of this could be accelerated through unique methods and means, which accounted for her rapid fall into subjugation.
"I'll give you three days to familiarize yourself with your body and organize things. I want Odyn and Loken to fight until they destroy each other. Do you have any good ideas?"
Arthas was thoroughly enjoying himself, opening his mouth to swallow a peeled grape handed to him by Elisande. It was sweet with a hint of sourness—authentic Nightborne grapes, raw material for brewing excellent wine. Eating them was a waste, but supplying them to the King and Queen was not a waste, but an honor.
Hela's hands massaging his legs did not stop; instead, she nodded.
"Yes, Master. Allow me a moment to consider."