The ocean of Azeroth is far vaster than its landmasses, and the deep sea, in particular, is boundless and immense. For Galen and Jaina, creatures of the surface world, everything here was a profound novelty.
As they descended, visibility diminished, and Galen soon discerned the colossal chasm on the seabed: the entrance to the Throat of the Abyss!
"The great catastrophe not long ago shattered the seals between Azeroth and the elemental realms," the naga ahead of them explained, twisting her lower body to address Galen and Jaina about the recent events in this submerged domain. "The master behind the Naga extended an invitation to Neptulon, the Water Elemental Lord, urging him to return to the embrace of chaos and forge a new dark empire together."
"But Neptulon did not respond with the same enthusiasm as the Wind Lord and the Fire Lord. We have been locked in constant dispute with the water elementals for thousands of years. Her Majesty the Queen saw this as an unparalleled opportunity to assert dominance over the ocean, so she began to orchestrate the elimination of the Tidehunter and his water elemental army."
"The Queen's plan received the full backing of her hidden master, and they unleashed the sea overlord Ozumat."
"Neptulon is almost invincible in the deep sea, but Ozumat possesses the blood of the Ancient Gods and can suppress the power of the Water Elemental Lord. This is why my legion and I were able to successfully invade the Throat of the Abyss."
"At present, most of the Throat of the Abyss has been devastated. Neptulon fled to the Tide Throne at the last moment to make his final stand. I was originally planning to launch a full-scale assault tomorrow, but the colossal octopus that ventured out to forage last night returned grievously wounded!" Lady Naz'jar spoke with a mixture of anger and shock in her voice. However, she had already deduced the identity of the one who had injured the deep-sea monster. The only individual possessing such potent Holy Light power was the Holy Spirit Lord riding the seahorse behind her! Where did Mistress Vashj find this powerful being? At this moment, Naz'jar was consumed by intense jealousy of Vashj, the Queen's chief handmaiden!
One must understand that the Queen commanded a multitude of powerful subordinates, including Commander Sivara, who led the vanguard, and Shirivaz and Pashma, who controlled the Queen's Court. Naz'jar herself had only managed to ascend to her current position after aligning with Vashj.
Galen was oblivious to Lady Naz'jar's thoughts, but his arrival at the bottom of the sea this time sealed the Naga's fate: she was destined to fail in her mission for Queen Azshara.
As they neared the rift, they could already discern numerous Naga and strange octopuses swimming around it. The Naga cast a mirror spell a step ahead, disguising Galen and Jaina as her subordinates, and then they entered the swirling vortex of the rift.
There was no water within the Water Elemental Plane's territory. No, it would be more accurate to say that the Water Elemental Plane was not entirely composed of water. A transparent barrier separated the seawater above, making it more akin to an underwater landmass interwoven with a dense network of waterways, much like Galen's childhood imaginings of Atlantis.
Most of the Water Elemental Plane had already been conquered. Looking around, Galen estimated at least tens of thousands of Naga were present. These were no ordinary Naga, but formations of Naga Thugs, Naga Royal Guards, and Naga Sea Witches, augmented by Bewitchers and Faceless Ones within the Naga ranks. This force, if unleashed on land, could have easily decimated any human kingdom before the orc invasion.
"Please follow me!" Lady Naz'jar led Galen and Jaina through several defensive lines. The elite Naga Thugs and Sea Witches respectfully made way, saluting the Queen's new favorite as they passed.
Finally, they entered a grand palace. Observing the marine fish and starfish adorning the walls, Galen knew they had arrived at the Tide Throne!
Led by the Naga, Galen and Jaina passed through the Hall of the Abyss and paused at a crossroads. Numerous Naga guards stood in the passages on both sides, and colossal black tentacles periodically emerged, indicating the extreme strictness of the security here.
Galen knew that their true destination lay beyond these passages. He was intimately familiar with the internal structure of the Tidal Throne, so he signaled the Naga to proceed.
Lady Naz'jar was surprised by Galen's apparent familiarity with the place, but she refrained from asking questions, moving directly into the central hall and stepping onto the translucent blue jellyfish elevator. The luminous giant jellyfish ascended swiftly, and Galen even felt it resembled a sightseeing elevator, allowing him to admire the vibrant underwater scenery outside the palace through the surrounding water curtain.
It wasn't long before the jellyfish elevator reached its apex, delivering everyone to the top level of the Tidal Throne: Neptulon's Palace.
"Master Galen, the innermost chamber holds Neptulon's throne. We bound him there not long ago," Lady Naz'jar explained, twisting her purple snake tail as she crawled, proudly recounting her great achievement: binding a powerful Elemental King!
"But Neptulon is too powerful. I cannot suppress him alone." Lady Naz'jar pulled a one-handed scepter from behind her snake-like hair. This exquisite staff, radiating the classical style of the Night Elf Empire, featured a circular head with a sphere of emerald green living water at its center.
The essence of the water from the Well of Eternity! Galen was intimately familiar with the source of this scepter's power. It was the energy essence of the Well of Eternity, destroyed ten thousand years ago. Galen had already deduced the weapon's origin: Sharas'dal, the Scepter of Tides! A magical weapon no less potent than Ashbringer!
"Her Majesty the Queen bestowed this Tidal Scepter upon me so that I might suppress the Water Elemental King on her behalf when Ozumat leaves to forage."
Galen cast a glance at Jaina. Jaina was no naive hothouse flower. She had experienced her share of trials and tribulations over the years. Her hands were already poised in a combat-ready stance.
Lady Naz'jar was the first to enter Neptulon's throne room, and Galen saw a water elemental hundreds of meters tall, bound by a colossal octopus. Some of those tentacles were incomplete, and even bore traces of golden holy energy. They belonged to the giant octopus Ozumat, whom Galen had attacked. But at this moment, Ozumat was like an observer outside a fish tank, with only the tentacles of its lower body reaching into the Tidal Throne. Its upper body remained outside the magic barrier, absorbing the power of water elements from the deep sea to repair its injuries.
The moment Jaina saw this deep-sea monster, she froze in stunned disbelief, and then, in the very next instant! The naga's Tidal Scepter swung! Two Water Prison spells instantly enveloped Jaina and Galen!
"Prince Ursok, come out! I have captured two spies who are attempting to sabotage the seal!" As Naz'jar spoke, a Faceless One emerged from the darkness! He was Commander Ursok, who commanded the Faceless Men. The Old Gods had sent him to aid Naz'jar in her invasion of the Tidal Throne.
"Hahaha! And I have not disappointed Her Majesty the Queen. I shall present this great victory to Her Majesty the Queen! The era of Vashj is over, and I shall become Her Majesty the Queen's most favored handmaiden!"
Indeed, just as Galen had thought, the Naga living along the coastline were a tribe not highly valued by Queen Azshara, making them easy to subdue by force. Although the Naga in the Eternal Palace also harbored their own minor ambitions, they were generally loyal to Azshara. Therefore, when Vashj entrusted this secret line to Galen, she had warned him not to trust them too deeply. Naz'jar was clearly a sea witch with an insatiable desire for power, but because Vashj was deeply favored by Azshara in the Eternal Palace and held a position second only to her, the other Queen's handmaidens were suppressed by her and had no choice but to submit. Now that Vashj had been sent on a "business trip" by Azshara, Lady Naz'jar intended to seize this opportunity to achieve a great feat and replace Vashj as the Queen's most trusted handmaiden!
But unlike the excited Naga, Galen was already contemplating whether it would be appropriate to bestow the Tidal Scepter upon a certain follower after "acquiring" it.
"Galen Trollbane, King of the Kingdom of Stromgarde, Speaker of the Alliance Grand Council!" The snakes on Lady Naz'jar's head flicked their tongues one by one as she spoke in a loud voice, and her six arms waved excitedly.
"Mistress Vashj is secretly colluding with humans on land. This is an act of betrayal against Her Majesty the Queen! Most importantly, you bear the same name as the individual Her Majesty the Queen despises most!"
"As long as I present you to the Queen, I will become the most trusted head handmaiden of the Eternal Palace, and I will command my own legion!"
Galen, trapped in the water prison, silently observed the rambling female sea witch. She had accomplished nothing, yet she was already lost in dreams of grandeur. It seemed Naz'jar would never achieve anything truly great. He had considered taking her as a subordinate, but it turned out she was far less capable than Zola, who hailed from the rustic Thornspine clan! Thinking of this, Galen decided to shatter her illusion himself.
He extended his hand and effortlessly breached the restraints of the Water Prison, seizing the Tidal Scepter, which was surrounded by swirling currents, from Naz'jar's grasp, and snatched it away!
"No!" Lady Naz'jar awoke from her self-created fantasy, instantly panicking as she saw her hands were empty! "Impossible! How did you do that?!" That was a Water Prison created with the aid of the Scepter of Tides. How could this human king simply reach through it? This was utterly fantastical!
Puff! The sound of bursting bubbles echoed in Neptulon's throne room as Galen stepped out of the water prison. "You mean this trick?" As Galen spoke, he stretched out his finger again and gently poked the bubble that trapped Jaina.
Puff! The water prison shattered once more.
"You see, this trick doesn't work on me." Galen spoke in the most relaxed tone, words that threatened to utterly collapse the Nagaworldview, causing Lady Naz'jar's heart to sink!
"Ursok! Quick! Capture them!" Upon hearing this, the Faceless General charged towards Galen and Jaina, his legs as thick as an elephant's. Meanwhile, Lady Naz'jar turned and fled towards Ozumat, as if only the Evil God of the Deep Sea could offer her sufficient security when facing Galen.
As Galen watched the Naga flee, twisting her waist in desperate flight, the mockery in his eyes intensified. "Jaina, take this scepter and deal with that evil nautiloid... the Faceless One!" Galen handed the Scepter of Tides to the female mage. After Jaina took the Scepter of Tides, he strode purposefully towards Lady Naz'jar.
A golden light flowed behind Galen, instantly catching up to the Naga and seizing her by the back of the neck!
"What!" Lady Naz'jar howled in terror: "God's messenger! Save me!"
Ozumat, the giant octopus, who had been concentrating on absorbing water elements, finally noticed the sudden upheaval within the Tide Throne. It moved its colossal head close to the transparent barrier that separated the throne from the seawater. It was a sight that, upon seeing, almost made the giant octopus soil itself with fright! Isn't that little guy the one who seriously injured me? Ozumat recognized Galen and swiftly retracted the tentacles that were still inside the Tidal Throne. At the same time, it did not forget its mission and dragged Neptulon, still bound, out with it!
"Oh no... your God's messenger has abandoned you!"
"Are you surprised??"
The wheel of history has an indescribable corrective nature. Before Galen could reconcile with Neptulon, he was abducted by Ozumat just like in the original history...
Galen's first reaction was to give chase, so he exerted force with his palms!
Click!
The snake heads above Lady Naz'jar's head, which had been struggling and dancing, suddenly lost their vitality and all drooped down. After Galen collected the Naga's soul, he threw her body into the corner, then turned to Jaina and said, "Anna, I'm going to step out for a while. After you deal with the Faceless One, return to the Flying Stromgarde and wait for me!"
Jaina nodded in understanding. Seeing this, Galen instantly transformed into a stream of light and shot off in the direction the giant octopus had escaped.
Commander Ursok also heard Galen's words. Being looked down upon infuriated the Faceless One, and he increased the ferocity of his attack. The Faceless Men are servants of the Ancient Gods. They inherited evil power from the Ancient Gods. When they attacked with all their might, the entire Throne of Neptulon was engulfed in shadow. Not only that, Ursok disregarded all martial ethics in a one-on-one duel, summoning several high-level Faceless Men to attack Jaina simultaneously.
Facing the siege, Jaina found herself in dire peril. Her left hand, hidden within her robe, tightly clutched the teleportation scroll Galen had given her. But in the next moment, she let go. She had to prove to Galen that she was no less capable than the Windrunner sisters! She was not a burden; she was already a powerful wizard who could stand on her own!
Jaina took a deep breath, steeling herself for a fight to the death. She first used all her strength to freeze two of the Faceless Men, then attempted to behead Ursok. But would the cunning Faceless Commander allow Jaina to succeed? Naz'jar was dead, and although Neptulon had been taken by Ozumat, Ozumat was clearly terrified of that human, so it was uncertain if it could even save its own life. If these two died, Ursok would bear the full blame! Jaina became his last chance to redeem himself! So, the Faceless Commander summoned two more high-level Faceless Men!
Jaina was in immediate danger!
Bang! The Faceless Man's arm swung, instantly shattering Jaina's ice shield. In desperation, Jaina could only raise the staff in her hand to block!
Next moment! The Torrent Staff that had accompanied her for nearly ten years was broken just like that! This was the eighteenth birthday present Galen had given her!
"Ah! I want you to die!" Jaina shrieked in fury, grabbing the Tidal Scepter in her other hand and injecting it with magical power! A wondrous sensation, as if she were surrounded by the sea itself, flowed from the scepter back into Jaina's hand. The female mage felt as if she had become a single drop of seawater, merging with the entire Endless Sea!
BOOM!
"Eternally frozen!" With Jaina as the epicenter, the entire throne hall was suddenly engulfed in a horrifying frost. It was as if tangible ice burst forth from around the sorceress's body, freezing all the Faceless Men solid! The Faceless Commander, frozen into an ice sculpture, had fear in his eyes. He hadn't expected to die faster than Ozumat, and thus wouldn't have to worry about punishment from his master at all!
Jaina was also stunned. She stared at the Tidal Scepter in her hand and didn't notice the fine ice fragments that had wrapped around her body like an ice armor. Not only that, her eyes shone with an icy brilliance, and her golden hair fluttered as if in a wind! The Princess of the Proudmoore family, the bloodline of the Daughter of the Sea, had awakened!
After a long moment, Jaina finally regained her senses. Her first sensation was pain. It felt as if all the bones in her body were falling apart. Every drop of blood, every muscle, every nerve, and every inch of skin seemed to have been scoured by waves and then reshaped. The severe pain made the female mage hunch her body, but concerned about her surroundings, she forced herself to straighten up and turn her head to observe, immediately feeling a sharp pain in her neck.
Hiss! She pulled at the corners of her pale mouth, breathing rapidly, but the air she exhaled was cold and frosty, and even the slightest movement of breathing was accompanied by severe pain. Fortunately, this place was the core area of the Tidal Throne. Only Lady Naz'jar and Ursok, two high-ranking commanders of the Naga and the Faceless Men, could enter. Otherwise, in Jaina's current state, she would have been utterly defenseless against any enemy.
Resisting the discomfort in her body, Jaina retrieved a bottle of Fountain of Life Water from her embroidered deep-sea backpack and drank it in one gulp. A sweet, cool, and relaxing sensation spread from her mouth throughout her entire body. Jaina finally recovered.
She turned her head, surveying the throne hall. Nearly ten Faceless Men had been frozen solid by her. From what she could sense, they had all lost their vitality!
"I did all this?" Jaina raised her hands in disbelief, and only then did she notice that the Scepter of Tides in her hand was different from before! It seemed that with the awakening of her bloodline, this weapon had also unlocked a new form? Never mind, let's leave here first, and then wait for Galen to come back and ask him! Jaina thought, and swiftly cast a teleportation spell, vanishing from the palace, which had been invaded by the Naga, in a flash of white light.
On the other hand, Galen used his copycat version of the Golden Light to pursue Ozumat. If it were on land, with his speed, he would have caught up with the giant octopus long ago. Unfortunately, this was in the deep sea, and Galen not only had to contend with tens of thousands of tons of pressure around him but also the oppressive water resistance. At the same time, he would never have imagined that the Scepter of Tides he had casually given to Jaina would help her awaken the power of her bloodline. It was undeniable that Jaina would become a top mage in Azeroth in the future. Even someone as powerful as Khadgar was far from Jaina without accepting the power of the Guardian. However, to reach that point, the price Jaina paid was enormous. The death of her father, the destruction of Theramore, and the death of her good friend Rhonin had awakened the strongest power within her. Now, she only needed to resonate with an artifact of the same attribute to unlock this forbidden power! Cost-effective!
After chasing for a long time, Galen grew weary. Looking at the unknown trench around him, he realized he had lost his way.
"This dog can run quite fast!" The holy energy in Galen's hand condensed, and he prepared to gather his power and fire again... the ultimate Holy Light Cannon to finish it!
The deep-sea monster fleeing ahead felt the murderous intent behind it. When it turned, its "anus" tightened! It had personally experienced the power of the holy energy in Galen's Holy Light Cannon, and if it were to be hit again, it would die on the spot! Ozumat's densely packed eyes were bloodshot; it couldn't hide. It turned its massive head and spotted a whale shark in the dark trench not far away! A gleam of cunning flashed in Ozumat's eyes. It, a creature of limited intelligence, seized the tactical high ground, and all its tentacles swung with all their might! An even brighter light flared behind it; the Holy Light Cannon was already firing!
Closer! Closer! The giant octopus suddenly accelerated, and before the whale shark could react, its tentacles shot out and seized this white overlord of the deep sea!
Next moment! As the Holy Light Cannon drew near, Ozumat hurled the giant whale shark behind him! The whale shark, with the size of a blue whale and the ferocity of a shark, was one of the ocean's true overlords. The Holy Light Cannon surged forward unstoppably, directly striking the whale shark. In an instant, a massive bloom of blood burst forth in the deep sea!
All this happened so fast that Galen hadn't anticipated such a dramatic outcome... But this was no time to be distracted. Ozumat capitalized on the whale shark's blood to accelerate again, attempting to shake off Galen's pursuit.
"Hmph!" Galen snorted coldly, and a shockwave erupted beneath his feet. Then, he was propelled forward like a torpedo, clinging tightly to Ozumat.
Finally, in a bottomless trench, Galen seized one of the giant octopus's tentacles! It felt cold and slimy!
Ozumat also felt Galen's touch. It shuddered violently and tried to break free! Galen was swift and decisive. He transformed his palms into claws, plunging his fingers deep into the tentacle!
"Stop it!!" The giant octopus struggled frantically, and the seawater in the trench began to churn violently. At this moment, Neptulon, who had been bound, finally found an opportunity to break free from Ozumat's restraints. After the giant water elemental regained its vision, it was stunned by the scene before it! What did it see?! A human being in the deep sea was flinging the Evil God Ozumat, whom even it feared, around like a rag doll!
The water flow in the entire trench was stirred up by Ozumat's thrashing, forming a colossal tornado. From the surface, a deep, swirling vortex eye appeared on the ocean.
"Ouch! Woo! Ouch!" Ozumat was thrown into a dizzying spin. This was the first time since its birth that it had felt the threat of death, which made it struggle with desperate frenzy! But the more it struggled, the deeper Galen's hand pierced, directly through the tip of its tentacle.
"Everyone, give up this broken body and embrace the power of Holy Light!" Galen's words were transmitted into Ozumat's mind through his soul. The next moment, dazzling golden light surged along Galen's arm into the pierced tentacle. The Holy Light entering its body caused the deep-sea monster to suffer extreme agony, and its wails reverberated throughout the trench! The power of Holy Light relentlessly dissolved the blood of the Ancient Gods within Ozumat's body, transforming the void's power into Holy Light!
The giant octopus continued to wail madly. If not for its incredible vitality, it would have collapsed long ago. Lightforging itself is a process of forcibly transforming the energy properties of the Lightforging . If it were any other human Lightforged, it might not be so painful, but Ozumat had been transformed by the bloodline of N'Zoth, and the power of the void and the power of Holy Light are diametrically opposed!
When Neptulon saw this scene, he began to contemplate escape. He feared he could not contend with either of the two beings before him!
"Did I let you go?" As soon as Neptulon thought of escaping, Galen's warning resonated. As the least powerful of the four Elemental Lords, he chickened out and remained rooted in place.
Time passed, minute by minute. In truth, it was not only the Naaru who could perform the Lightforging Ritual. Any demigod of the Holy Light could infuse any creature with Holy Light, provided the object could survive the entire process of Holy Light infusion. All past instances of Lightforging had utilized the skills of the Cathedral of Holy Light, and this was Galen's first time performing Lightforging himself. Not only was he not very skilled, but it was also quite rough. Furthermore, the object had been transformed by the power of the void, which prolonged the process considerably.
After an unknown duration, the trench, illuminated by Holy Light, became the only bright spot on the seabed; other lights dimmed as if the sun outside had set and Azeroth had entered night. And Galen's Lightforging neared its completion, the pattern of Holy Light having reached the crown of the giant octopus's head along its tentacles. With the final capstone, the Lightforging was a success! The dark Evil God of the Deep Sea had been transformed into a colossal golden octopus.
Galen was, after all, a human, and not adept at underwater combat. Additionally, most of the Heart of Origin's troops and units were designed for land combat; only submarines could be deployed underwater. Even with a large supply of diving equipment, they would still be outmatched by the underwater Naga. Therefore, a war machine capable of operating on the seabed was essential. Originally, Galen had set his sights on the whale shark, but he had accidentally obliterated it, forcing him to expend his holy energy to forge Ozumat.
But Lightforging alone was insufficient. Did not the Legion of Light themselves suffer infiltration by the omnipresent Nathrezim? To be truly foolproof, he had to employ the ruling power of the Heart of Origin to control Ozumat and truly make it his own.
After dealing with Ozumat, Galen turned his attention to the Water Elemental King not far away. No, soon he wouldn't be the Water Elemental King. Galen stood atop the giant octopus. At this moment, the giant octopus had just undergone a "major blood transfusion" and was still somewhat weak, but it obediently paddled its tentacles to approach the colossal humanoid water elemental.
Galen looked down at the ancient Elemental King. Like all water elementals, it possessed a human-shaped upper body, and its upper body was more defined than that of other water elementals. Not only did its arms have obvious muscle lines, but its chest and arms also bore azure scales. It wore water-cast shoulder armor on both shoulders, and its lower body was a jagged, vortex-like form composed of layers of constantly rotating elemental water. It could be said that Neptulon's physical form was the most human-like of the four Elemental Lords. Galen even discerned from the expression on that humanoid head that Neptulon was consumed by frustration. He claimed to be the master of all waters—lakes, rivers, and oceans—the protector of all living things in the sea, the king of water elementals, the ruler of the Throat of the Abyss, the great Elemental King. Yet, he was the most unfortunate of the four Elemental Lords. He had been imprisoned by the Titans. His Throat of the Abyss was perilously close to N'Zoth's cage, and the constant harassment and invasion following the rise of the Naga over the past ten thousand years had caused him to lose a portion of his dominion over the ocean.
"Neptulon." Galen's words reached the Water Elemental King's ears through soul fluctuations.
"Surrender or death?"
In an instant, Neptulon erupted in fury, all the negative emotions accumulated in his heart for tens of thousands of years bursting forth. He yearned to slay this mortal!