Arthas' current combat power can be said to be at the top tier of all Azeroth, and while his own strength may not be that great, the boost from frostmourne is enormous.
Frostmourne now wields power directly granted by the Lich King, and the source of the Lich King's power was originally said to be created by Kil'jaeden, but version 9.0 clarified that it was actually crafted by Warden Zovaal.
This weapon will grant Arthas power far beyond that of mortals; over ninety percent of Arthas' strength comes from frostmourne, which in turn draws from the Lich King and the Warden Zovaal behind him.
A few riders on wyverns quickly arrived at the Lordaeron dock, where a massive horde of undead creatures from the Scourge was present, clearly aiming to seize Rhodes's magic ships.
Rhodes's magic ships, like the medical tent, are essentially purchased war machines, and any hero who acquires them can wield them; thus, in the Azeroth World, whoever obtains these magic ships can use them equally.
To keep his magic ships, Rhodes can only repel the undead and then sail the vessels away.
Seeing the undead swarming like insects, Rhodes felt helpless; if only he could unleash an undead killer on them, that would be perfect!
It would absolutely thrill the undead here—low‑level undead would be instantly annihilated, and even higher‑rank ones would suffer severe damage.
Unfortunately, this magic specifically targeting the Undead Race never appears in the magic guilds of Necropolis City.
Another full‑screen area‑of‑effect spell, Doomsday Judgment, exists, but Rhodes can't learn this fourth‑level magic yet.
Rhodes summoned two angels from the sky, and once again called forth seven Holy Light Elementals, then began clearing the undead around several magic ships.
At this moment, a large crowd of Lordaeron citizens rushed here, along with many Lordaeron commanders and soldiers, all hoping to commandeer the four magic ships and depart.
"Hold fast, warriors of Lordaeron! Do not let these undead harm our families. All living people, board the ships immediately; we must leave." shouted a Silver‑Hand Paladin, brandishing his weapon.
Everything happened too quickly; Arthas' betrayal and the sudden appearance of the undead army caught them off guard.
Now they can only hope to hold the port and use these magic ships to evacuate as many civilians as possible. The single‑wheel dock is about ten kilometers from the capital; for Arthas and his undead army to reach it will take at least an hour or two, and they don't have much time.
At that moment, shafts of holy light rained from the sky, blasting the undead pursuing ordinary civilians into fragments, as Rhodes descended with seven Holy Light Elementals and two angels.
"Soldiers of Lordaeron! I am Baron Rhodes, and I will now command you to organize the civilian evacuation, preserve the flame of Lordaeron, and lead you west to Kalimdor." shouting while riding a wyvern, Rhodes declared.
However, the Lordaeron soldiers present, some paladins, and several nobles merely glared at each other, showing no intention of obeying Rhodes's orders.
There were still many nobles present, some of whose titles even outranked Rhodes's, but Rhodes's flashy entrance—riding a wyvern with Holy Light Elementals and two angels—made him look truly impressive.
"Baron Rhodes, I am Grand Duke Garren; by rank, I am currently the highest commander here!" a slightly overweight, bearded noble suddenly stepped out from the crowd of civilians.
"Lord Garren is right; these four magic ships of Baron Rhodes are our only hope of escape. Please escort us," echoed other nobles.
Although the titles were all personally conferred by the king, a baron clearly cannot command them.
In fact, these four magic ships were funded by King Terenas of Lordaeron and built by the Guardian, with usage rights belonging to Lordaeron, not to Rhodes.
"I am the supreme commander of this westward expedition, personally appointed by the king, and I will lead you to western Kalimdor to establish a new homeland," Rhodes said.
Indeed, nobles are the same everywhere!
Luckily I brought Princess Calia with me; otherwise, as a mere baron, I couldn't suppress all those nobles!
If the Old King were still alive, Rhodes leading some migrants to Kalimdor would be fine, since no one wants to become a pioneer on the western Kalimdor Continent.
The first generation of pioneers faced the harshest conditions; they had to start from scratch, clear fields, build irrigation, and construct homes.
It's a thankless, arduous task, but with the disaster striking the Lordaeron kingdom, these four magic ships have become everyone's lifeline, and the nobles naturally began scheming.
Everyone wants to seize these four magic ships.
Unfortunately, these four magic ships are indeed ownerless, but they require a hero‑level being to sit aboard in order to set sail.
"I am Princess Calia, daughter of King Terenas; my father, Terenas, was killed by the fallen Arthas.
Baron Rhodes was present before his death, and I have temporarily appointed Baron Rhodes as Regent of Lordaeron; you all must obey his orders." Princess Calia said, sticking her head out from another wyvern.
Now she must give Rhodes her full support and a suitable title, so that Rhodes can suppress these nobles; the Regent is the best choice.
Arthas' undead army is about to chase us, and now is not the time to play political games with these nobles.
Princess Calia's words rang out forcefully, attempting to vindicate Rhodes amid the chaos and grant him authority enough to subdue the masses.
Many in the crowd indeed recognized Princess Calia, but ordinary soldiers, some paladins, and civilians did not know Her Highness, as she had not appeared in the public eye for a long time.
However, chaos and greed have long corrupted some people's minds; Lordaeron is now leaderless, and whoever gains this princess will claim Lordaeron's legitimacy.
The princess herself is not important; her status is, as she represents the royal blood of Lordaeron.
Among the nobles below, the bearded Duke Garren, who spoke first, showed a flash of astonishment on his face, then unabashed sarcasm. He looked around and shouted at the equally scheming nobles, "Princess? Who can prove it? Who knows if you were coerced by this mysterious baron?"
As for the Regent? Ha! His Majesty the King has just fallen, who has the right to appoint a Regent?
I think you are trying to seize the kingdom's wealth and power! Kidnap Princess Calia.
These four magic ships are Lordaeron's last hope and should be allocated by us true Lordaeron nobles!
Several of his close noble allies immediately shouted, "Lord Garren is right!"
"A petty baron dares to command us?"
"Hand over the magic ships!"
"Princess Calia must have been coerced; how could a baron be suddenly appointed as Regent?"
Their agitation made the already frightened crowd even more chaotic, and some soldiers hesitantly looked to their officers, as the scene seemed on the verge of losing control.
Rhodes' gaze instantly turned icy; he knew that at this life‑or‑death juncture, any internal restraint or division would be a deadly poison.
Debate and elaborate noble etiquette? Those are luxuries of peaceful times! Now, every second means more lives lost; we must cut through the chaos swiftly.
As a great man once said, power springs from the barrel of a gun; sometimes one must kill chickens and make monkeys—it's necessary!
"Stubborn and unyielding! The undead army approaches, yet you still squabble for power, ignoring the lives of countless civilians behind you! You do not deserve to be Lordaeron's nobles!
Now, in the name of the Regent of Lordaeron, the Holy Light Guardian, I sentence you to death."
No further words are needed; a slaughter order has already been issued.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Two angels guarding Rhodes flapped their holy wings, turning into two brilliant golden streaks of light; they moved so fast that everyone present could only see after‑images.
"You—how dare you—ah!" The arrogance on Duke Garren's face was instantly replaced by boundless terror; he could only utter a brief gasp.
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
The muffled sounds of blades cutting flesh rang out in succession, and a sharp scent of blood instantly filled the air.
The angels' movements were precise, swift, and merciless.
Duke Garren's massive head, bearing an incredulous expression, flew into the air, and the most raucous nobles beside him were almost simultaneously pierced in the chest or decapitated by the Holy Light Greatsword. Scalding blood sprayed onto the cold dock stones like a sudden burst of blinding crimson flowers.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
The clamor abruptly ceased; no one expected Rhodes to act so immediately.
"Now, who still doubts the princess' identity? Who still questions my orders?"
Rhodes' sharp gaze swept over the crowd below, silenced as if by cold cicadas; everyone he glanced at instinctively lowered their heads, daring not to meet his eyes.
The nobles who had been itching to act turned pale as earth, trembling all over, fearing that they might be the next to be judged by the Holy Light Greatsword.
"I—We obey Lord Rhodes' command!" an officer who recovered quickly knelt on one knee and shouted loudly.
"Yes we obey Lord Rhodes' command!" an ordinary Lordaeron soldier said.
"Give the order! Great Holy Light Guardian." Some paladins knelt on the ground.
One can command the angels to wield the powerful Holy Light Element; Lord Rhodes' status as Holy Light Guardian is unquestionable.
At least Lord Rhodes' current actions surpass those of the nobles.