Gundrak Ruins, time seemed to freeze at this moment.
The aura of death permeated to its extreme, almost solidifying into a physical entity.
Mu'ezzala, the Loa of death worshipped by the Ice Trolls, stood silently amidst the stopped wind and snow.
He possessed many titles: God of Death, Son of Time, Father of Sleep, Friend of Night; yet, none of these could conceal his brutal nature.
Although also worshipped as a Loa by the Ice Trolls, his abilities and essence were closer to the side of the Death cosmic force.
There was also a more famous Loa of death—Bwonsamdi of Zandalar.
He was once Mu'ezzala's priest, elevated by Mu'ezzala in ancient times to be a new Loa, sharing his power.
"Rhunok," Mu'ezzala's voice echoed again, like countless sighs overlapping, so cold it lacked any fluctuation.
"Such immense death, so many restless souls—I only came to take them. Do you intend to interfere with this as well?"
He slightly raised his hand, pointing to the mountains of corpses piled on the battlefield, and the remains of the stitched monstrosity whose life force had just extinguished.
The gesture was elegant and indifferent, as if he were merely tallying his possessions.
Rhunok stared fixedly at him.
A low growl rumbled in his throat: "Drop your disguise, Mu'ezzala!"
"Taking these souls is merely a clumsy excuse of yours. In reality, what you truly desire are these remnants of the Loa, isn't it?"
"You wish to use them to enrich your realm and expand your Other Side!"
The air instantly grew heavy, and the pressure abruptly increased severalfold.
On Mu'ezzala's face, a subtle yet chilling curve seemed to spread.
He did not deny it, his gaze merely deepened.
"Death never negotiates, Rhunok," Mu'ezzala's voice remained cold, yet it carried an undeniable authority, "The destination of souls has its own laws."
"Since I am the Ice Troll's God of Death, the departed souls here should all belong to me."
"Laws?" Rhunok roared, stomping his bear paw heavily on the ground, making rubble fall, "This is the land of the Drakkari Frost Trolls!"
"It is a territory illuminated by the will of Emberglow Dragon Obsidian!"
"You can only take the souls that believe in you; the rest are non-negotiable!"
His body leaned slightly forward, adopting a defensive stance, his divine flame burning ever more fiercely, dispelling the encroaching cold death energy.
Mu'ezzala fell silent.
Even mere silence was like a cold wave, enough to make all mortals below feel a bone-chilling cold.
"Emberglow Dragon?" Mu'ezzala's voice finally sounded again, tinged with disdain, "An unknown entity I've never heard of dares to interfere with the laws of death?!"
The last syllable had not yet faded—
—
The world, solidified by Mu'ezzala's arrival, suddenly shattered!
Time began to flow again, and the wind and snow howled once more.
"What?!"
Mu'ezzala felt a grand and profound will, following the name "Emberglow Dragon," direct its gaze straight towards this place.
Just a single gaze completely disintegrated the domain he had constructed!
However, he had no energy to investigate what exactly had happened—Rhunok had already roared and charged forward!
"How dare you insult my Lord God!"
He was like a moving White Mountain, rushing towards the Ice Troll's God of Death with the momentum of a landslide, his giant paw raised, aiming directly for Mu'ezzala's chest!
Mu'ezzala's figure twisted and dissipated eerily the moment the bear paw reached him, then reformed a few meters behind Rhunok!
He did not rush to counterattack Rhunok, but instead gently tapped the ground.
Starting from his fingertip, shadows rapidly spread, flowing everywhere.
In an instant, they seeped into every street, alley, and crevice in the city.
The next moment, "Arise—" Mu'ezzala whispered.
The city's silence was broken.
The already cold corpses—whether Loa Guard, ordinary soldiers, or innocent civilians—began to tremble and convulse under the nourishment of the shadows.
Eerie blue soul fire ignited in their lightless eyes, severed limbs reassembled at unnatural angles, and bones grated with a clattering sound.
The undead rose, gathered, and then transformed into a torrent vowing to engulf all living things.
They surged along the streets, towards Skala, Toka, and the other living mortals!
Skala, in the distance, saw this scene, his eyes suddenly narrowing. He immediately organized his troops to begin ranged attacks.
Toka was more direct; he drew his weapon and, with the Paladins, charged forward to meet them.
"Emberglow Dragon! Protect us, purify these undead!" Toka roared, his voice hoarse, raising his weapon, which blazed with golden-red flames, and swinging a Holy Strike, standing resolutely at the forefront of the resistance against the tide of the undead!
Sacred flames clashed with the stench of the undead, emitting sizzling sounds, but the number of undead was simply too great, and they were fearless of death. The Paladins instantly fell into a bitter struggle!
Soon, Skala arrived with the remaining ranged soldiers and shamans: "Attack those undead! Don't let them get close to the wounded!"
Just as the mortals and undead were locked in fierce battle, the divine war above also entered a stalemate.
"Despicable creature!"
Rhunok roared, his divine flame instantly flaring, conjuring a torrent of golden-red flames from afar, incinerating a group of undead into ash on the spot.
Mu'ezzala's laughter came from the void, deep and cold: "You, too, will soon join them—"
As Mu'ezzala completed his next spell, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and even light seemed to dim.
Under Rhunok's furious gaze, a gate to the Other Side was opened.
Summoned by Mu'ezzala, more departed souls began to return to the mortal realm!
The King of the White Mountain roared and lunged at the gate, attempting to tear it apart with pure force.
His claw strikes unleashed violent shockwaves, causing nearby buildings to collapse with a rumble.
But the portal remained motionless; instead, even more undead poured out, screaming and lunging at Rhunok.
Mu'ezzala stood to the side, gently waving his hands, as if conducting a grand symphony.
With every movement, countless undead responded, either charging or encircling, slowly pushing the allied forces and Rhunok towards desperation.
A flicker of despair crossed Rhunok's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.
He was the guardian of the Drakkari Frost Trolls, a subordinate deity of Emberglow Dragon Obsidian; he absolutely could not fall here!
He took a deep breath, and the divine fire within him erupted fiercely, instantly clearing a space around him of the undead.
He no longer paid attention to the portal, but instead seized the opportunity to leap, charging directly at Mu'ezzala.
However, Mu'ezzala transformed into a shadow, constantly moving through spatial distortions, always maintaining a hair's breadth distance from Rhunok.
Mu'ezzala gently waved his hand, and a jet-black spear instantly materialized in the air, carrying the aura of death, piercing through the air towards the white bear.
Rhunok smashed the spear with his bear paw, but large patches of charred corrosive marks immediately appeared on his forearm, and his divine fire flickered unsteadily under suppression.
The two sides clashed, separated, and clashed again amidst the ruins and shadows.
Each of Rhunok's attacks was like a landslide, forcing Mu'ezzala to block with spells or teleport to evade.
But the corrosive death magic, time and again, left large patches of corrosive marks on Rhunok's fur.
Meanwhile, in the city, the number of undead continued to increase, and Skala and Toka's defenses retreated steadily.
Mu'ezzala's gaze finally fell once more upon the mortals struggling in bitter battle—a sinister curve slowly formed on his lips.
At this moment, the death energy in the air suddenly became suffocatingly dense, and an ominous aura began to coalesce.
Rhunok's round ears twitched violently.
He turned his head to look—only to see that at the defense line where Skala and Toka were, shadows were growing out of the ground, walls, and corpses, weaving into a giant vortex.
At the center of the vortex, an eerie green light condensed into a massive psionic orb, trembling unstably, as if it could explode at any moment.
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