Ekseltus repeatedly examined these fragments:
The conviction of fighting alongside Malygos against Galakrond:
The responsibility and pride of guarding the earth:
The desire for eternal guardianship when creating the Dracthyr:
The pain and struggle of being crushed by the weight of the world;
Even on the brink of betrayal, that imperceptible shift towards Malygos, and the pale self-justification for a "greater order."
Each fragment had been repeatedly refined, removing the impurities of NZoth's whispers, restoring Neltharion's true emotions and motivations at the time.
He carefully confirmed their completeness, ensuring no other crucial fragments constituting Neltharion's "self" were missed.
Ekseltus didn't want to work for nothing, only to get a fabricated illusion.
After carefully selecting a dozen other smaller fragments from minor events and time points, Ekseltus began to piece them together.
When the last fragment fell into place, a spiritual entity, entirely condensed from memory and will, quietly appeared in Ekseltus's front claws in the real world.
The first step in saving Neltharion was complete; however, this spiritual entity still needed a substantial soul as a vessel.
Ekseltus gazed into the vertical pupils of Deathwing's body, and the golden-red divine flame within them suddenly surged.
Then, the dragon claw he pressed on Deathwing's head erupted in scorching flames!
These divine flames were not for destruction, but for the most thorough purification.
As there was no longer a need to protect fragile parts, Ekseltus only needed to increase the power while ensuring the soul itself did not dissipate.
The divine flame transformed into a torrent, instantly pouring into every corner of Deathwing's broken body, into the depths of his corruption-soaked soul!
"Ah—!"
Black and purple smoke gushed from Deathwing's scale crevices, mouth and nose, and even every wound.
That was the embodiment of NZoth's corruption, the whispers of madness, the obsession with destruction, the sin of betrayal.
They let out piercing screams under the scorching of the divine flame, like dirty snow exposed to the scorching sun, rapidly melting and vaporizing.
This purification was violent, and it was necessary.
It thoroughly incinerated everything in "Deathwing's" soul, making space for "Neltharion's" return.
Deathwing's body twitched violently under the divine fire's heat, and the golden-red divine light gradually dispelled the black and purple smoke, radiating out from every crack.
When the last wisp of foul black smoke dissipated, the purifying divine fire gradually receded.
What appeared in Ekseltus's other dragon claw was a pure, flawless soul core.
It was like a newborn infant, fragile yet containing the most primitive life force.
Immediately after, Ekseltus slowly guided the spiritual entity, composed of pure memory and will, towards that pure soul core.
Contact, fusion.
There were no earth-shattering anomalies.
It was as if a drop of water merged into the ocean, starlight converged into the Milky Way.
The pure soul core accepted the spiritual entity carrying the past, and from this, a new existence was born.
It not only inherited Neltharion's complete memories and will but also retained Neltharion's past soul.
Although this soul, after purification, had lost everything from its past.
Ekseltus gazed at this newborn existence.
It floated quietly in his claw, emitting a faint but resilient glow, seemingly still immersed in the dreams of the past.
An ancient philosophical question flashed through Ekseltus's mind:
Was this the saved Neltharion, or a completely new soul?
Undoubtedly, it carried all of Neltharion's memories and will, and its soul also originated from Neltharion.
But in terms of the degree of soul purification, it was hard to say what connection it still had with the "Deathwing" of the past.
He had no answer, nor did he need one. The outcome met expectations, and the rescue plan was essentially complete.
His gaze shifted to Deathwing's body—or rather, what was left of Deathwing.
It had long since shattered into pieces during the prolonged corruption and madness, barely maintaining its dragon form due to NZoth's power and the forceful restraint of its Elementium armor.
The battle with Ekseltus, especially the final crushing blow, further accelerated its collapse.
Now, under the lingering power of the purifying divine fire, its disintegration was irreversible.
Lava tentacles uncontrollably extended and writhed from cracks and wounds, and blood, after boiling, turned into viscous, lava-colored slime, emitting a pungent sulfurous stench.
This dragon body was a hotbed of corruption, a monument to madness, absolutely unsuitable as a vessel for the newborn "Neltharion."
Ekseltus made a decision.
His dragon claw again covered Deathwing's broken head; this time, it was to decompose and refine it.
There was no violent explosion, only the precise separation of matter and energy under the will of a god.
Under the radiance of divine power, the massive black dragon body, filled with lava and shadow energy, silently began to disintegrate and dissolve.
Finally, in Ekseltus's dragon claw, three distinct masses of energy and material essence floated:
A constantly twisting purple-black energy mass, emitting suffocating whispers and endless malice.
This was the Shadow Primordial Force NZoth used to corrupt Neltharion.
Its total amount accounted for a very small fraction of the total Shadow Primordial Force, about 0.1%.
Considering NZoth's title as the weakest Old God, the Shadow Primordial Force he possessed should be the least among all Old Gods.
From this, it was clear that NZoth had paid a heavy price to corrupt Neltharion;
Next, was a mass of Earth Titans Runes, corrupted and eroded into purple.
This was the power of the Earth-Warder after being thoroughly corrupted and polluted by NZoth.
It no longer carried the mission of guardianship and shaping, only the mad will of dominion and control remained;
Finally, a mass of pure black energy.
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