The First Fleet of Stromgarde breached the Naga blockade above the Shimmering Seabed and pressed onward. However, the Naga were far from a negligible force. They had multiplied in the sea for tens of thousands of years, their numbers swelling hundreds of times over from the initial tens of thousands of first-generation Naga mutated from the High Elves. Even the smaller Naga tribes that had splintered off were deemed unworthy of dwelling in the deep sea, forced to inhabit the shallow coastal waters.
The ruins of Vashj'ir constituted the Naga's second-largest city, after their capital Nazjatar, with its Naga population exceeding one million! Therefore, after the initial Naga forces were defeated, they swiftly organized a new army, stationing them in Silvertide Valley and the ruins of the Temple of Serlessa to halt the Stromgarde advance.
The Eternal Palace in Nazjatar.
"Waste!" Queen Azshara, seated on her throne, was consumed by fury, slamming her wine glass to the ground! "Bah!"
The handmaidens in the hall instantly fell silent, not daring to meet their Queen's gaze. Even in the absence of her chief handmaiden, Vashj, they feared being dragged out to suffer the Queen's wrath.
Azshara's upper body, the Queen of the Night Elf Empire, still retained the form of a Night Elf, with dark purple skin. Except for her face, which still possessed the peerless beauty once known as the Light of Lights, the rest of her body was utterly transformed from what Galen had seen ten thousand years ago! Her hair had become a mass of white tentacles coiling around her head. The two graceful arms on her shoulders had multiplied into four, and the slender thighs below her waist had morphed into three dark green, octopus-like tentacles! In addition to these three tentacles that served as legs, several smaller tentacles, covered with suction cups and barbs, protruded from her back, giving her a truly grotesque appearance!
The Queen was already incensed by Lady Naz'jar's defeat, which had not only thwarted the Naga's plan to seize the Tidal Throne but also resulted in the loss of the scepter symbolizing Azshara's royal power. Then, she received news that the Alliance was attacking the Vashj'ir region. All this adverse information left Azshara in an exceedingly foul mood.
"Galen Trollbane!"
"What a damned name! It sickens me!" The Queen's roar made the light in the entire throne hall flicker, illuminating her face where beauty and malice coexisted. The name reminded Her Majesty the Queen of the last gifted prince she had canonized in ancient times: Galen'Remar Sunstrider! Although in Queen Azshara's heart, Tyrande was the sinner who destroyed the Night Elf Empire and the glory of the entire Kaldorei, this prince had betrayed her at the last moment, just like the group of High Elves led by Dath'Remar. But unlike Dath'Remar's group, who were exiled, this Prince of Eldre'Thalas lived a prosperous life among the Night Elves. He even managed to overshadow Tyrande and Malfurion, becoming the leader of the Night Elves! Her Majesty the Queen was naturally displeased that the person who had betrayed her was thriving. Now, an Alliance leader bearing the same name violated Azshara's deepest taboo!
But soon, the anger on Her Majesty the Queen's face faded, replaced by a chilling calm. "But this might be my chance! A chance to get rid of Him!" Queen Azshara spoke to herself, and no one dared to respond!
"It's too boring to simply kill those invaders! If he wishes to deal with me, I shall see if he dares to come to my palace!"
"Send the order to Madam Grudge in Vashj'ir and tell her not to disappoint me!"
The emperor's wrath reverberates through mountains. The emperor's power governs the nation with iron and blood. The emperor's courage shines through the ages. The emperor's army crushes the emperor's enemies. There were not many emperors whose reigns were remembered in the history of Azeroth, but Azshara, as the former ruler of the Night Elves, who had brought the Night Elf Empire to its zenith during her reign, was certainly one of them! The most powerful queen in Azeroth's history was furious, and the entire world trembled. Under her command, Lady Grudge, accompanied by her two generals, Athisa and Pajesh, rushed to Vashj'ir overnight!
Born into a Naga clan known as Hatred, Lady Grudge was a powerful sea witch who commanded the forces of waves and sky. As a result, she was deeply favored by Queen Azshara herself and helped the Queen crush any enemies that dared to defy her will. Unlike the Naga stationed on the periphery, who were mostly weaklings from minor clans, the Naga Legion in the Glittering Seabed was quite formidable. Lady Sira's Koss, the lord of Vashj'ir, even directly activated the Nessir Pira Fortress.
Lady Naz'jar had previously informed Galen and Jaina that the Naga had slain Nesir'pira, a colossal ancient conch creature, hollowing out its flesh and leaving only its sturdy outer shell to create a mobile fortress. Relying on this immense fortress, the Naga held back the First Fleet of Stromgarde, buying precious time for the Queen's messenger, Lady Grudge, to arrive in Vashj'ir. However, this could only be considered the Naga's desperate last stand, as Galen directly launched a full-scale assault. This was his usual fighting style: he preferred to use overwhelming force to achieve a decisive victory, never engaging in a prolonged tug-of-war!
The Stromgarde fleet would conduct a feint attack on the surface to tie down the Naga's mobile fortress, while Neptulon and Ozumat would lead the Hydraxis water elemental army and a submarine brigade in the main assault! With the two demigods, Neptulon and Ozumat, leading the charge, Galen no longer needed to personally engage in the front lines.
Watching the army advance, Galen turned to the two individuals standing behind him and said, "Anna, Darion, let us observe the battle!"
"Let's go, Brother Galen!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
Then Galen led the way to the deck of the Flying Stromgarde, where a submarine was docked directly alongside the battleship. This submarine was twice the size of those built by Galen's Shipyard, approximately ten meters wide and twenty-five meters long. Its overall dark iron color and design were distinctly goblin-made. Galen leaped off the side of the ship, landing steadily on the submarine's deck.
"Oh, it's gonna hit me!" Galen had barely taken two steps when he heard a sharp scream. He looked down and saw a green-skinned goblin in a navy uniform. At this moment, the goblin also looked up: "Oh my god, you are so tall!" But after the goblin clearly saw Galen's face, his expression straightened, and he made a noble gesture to Galen: "Ahem! It's a pleasure to serve you, Your Majesty. I am Captain Wrench of Wrench X-2!"
"No need for formalities, Wrench, prepare to depart!" After seeing Jaina and Darion also land on the deck, Galen signaled to the goblin captain that they could set off.
"No problem, Your Majesty!" Wrench led the way into the submarine's hatch, followed by the others. The interior of the Wrench X-2 was compact, with only four goblin operators besides Captain Wrench. After closing the hatch, the submarine began its descent, heading towards the front lines of Vashj'ir City.
In the dim deep sea, a white searchlight beam cut through the darkness, and the Wrench submarine moved swiftly behind it. According to the goblin captain, it was thanks to the war between the Alliance and the Naga that he had the opportunity to navigate this sea area. In the past hundred years, no goblin smuggler dared to sail in the waters of Vashj'ir. Normally, they were silent and stealthy, terrified of alerting the Naga on the seabed and being captured and enslaved. And today, the Naga, who had been bullying others everywhere, finally met a formidable opponent and were, for once, suppressed by the Alliance army.
"Oh? Is the Naga race so universally disliked?" Galen didn't have strong feelings about this. Before reuniting with Vashj, the only Naga he had encountered were the Thornspine Naga living in the Palatine Gulf. This small Naga tribe had been unilaterally crushed by the Legion of Rage.
"Your Majesty, you must understand that we goblins aren't afraid of those small Naga clans along the coastline, but the Naga in this sea area are incredibly powerful. They will capture other creatures as slaves and wantonly plunder anything they set their eyes on." Captain Wrench glanced at the female mage next to Galen and added, "Over the past few decades, the Kalimdor Group, the Steamwheedle Cartel, and venture capital companies have all suffered losses on this route."
Jaina looked proud when she heard this. "Of course, Your Majesty, you are the most powerful. The navy of Stromgarde is now the strongest fleet in the Endless Sea."
Galen paid no mind to the goblins' flattery, instead pondering the Naga race's war potential. In terms of population, Galen estimated that while the Naga couldn't compare to humans, trolls, and other large races with populations exceeding ten million, there were still several million of them, and they also controlled a large number of murlocs. Additionally, they lived beneath the sea and enjoyed the protection of Azshara, the veteran magical demigod, which instilled in them the confidence to challenge all land creatures in Azeroth. Even when confronting the ancient Elemental King Neptulon, Azshara had only sent a war maiden to lead the attack, not even deploying the several guard legions protecting Nazjatar, yet she had still breached the Throne of Tides.
Thinking of this, Galen's initial intention of exterminating them all somewhat wavered. After the black dragons, goblins, orcs, trolls, and centaurs, no new races had visited the Holy White City for a long time. The Lightforge Square of the Holy Minas Tirith Cathedral and the Followers Conversion Hall of the Imperial City had also been deserted in recent years... It was time for new recruits!
The Wrench submarine passed through Silvertide Valley and soon spotted a colossal complex of buildings. These were the ruins of an ancient elven city, now submerged on the seabed. At this moment, a fierce battle raged outside the city. Ozumat, the Evil God of the Deep Sea, who had belonged to the Naga camp not long ago, now waved his golden tentacles, seizing surrounding Naga one by one and devouring them. From the high towers and platforms within Vashj'ir City, countless Naga hurled harpoons, attacking the giant octopus and the surrounding Hydraxis water elementals from a distance.
Galen noticed that the most threatening defenses in this city were likely the hundreds of Naga crossbows deployed on the castle's high towers. Many water elementals had been obliterated by the thigh-thick crossbow bolts fired from these weapons! Those ballistae were likely city defense weapons from the ancient Night Elf Empire. They were effective against ordinary water elementals, but they had no effect on Ozumat.
"Woo! Woo!" A rapid blast of horns sounded, and Jaina could sense the whisper of water within the sound. She was about to tell Galen about this discovery, but she found Galen staring intently at the dark seabed to the west! A pair of colossal purple lanterns were rapidly approaching them!
"Coming!" As Galen whispered, a deep-sea monster, a hundred meters in length, appeared in the periscope's field of vision! This was a salt sea snake, similar in size to Yu'long. It had stripes on its green scales and a pair of strange purple eyes on its head. It appeared silently on the outskirts of Vashj'ir like a ghost.
"Besides!" Just as Jaina was surprised by the appearance of the sea snake, Galen reminded her again! On the other side of Vashj'ir, a colossal fish of the same strange shape was approaching. Its body was covered with barnacles. Its ugly appearance was identical to that of the fish Zlatan in the Serpent Temple and Tethyr in the sea off Theramore that Galen had seen. They clearly belonged to the same species.
"Your Majesty! That's a legendary sea monster the Naga are raising!" Captain Wrench, familiar with the Vashj'ir sea area, quickly reported what he knew to Galen: "Please be careful with your new pet. I recall that in addition to the sea snake Wilska and the sea fish Krolas, they also possess an incredibly massive whale shark!"
Whale shark? That guy has long become Ozumat's scapegoat and can't come.
The two sea monsters surged forward, attacking Ozumat from both front and back. After the sea serpent approached the giant octopus, it directly sprayed a mouthful of dark green venom at Ozumat. The fish monster also launched a violent charge, ramming towards Ozumat's massive head like a battering ram! However, facing these two sea monsters, Ozumat showed no fear whatsoever. Relying on his sheer physical advantage, he withstood the combined assault of the two sea monsters. Although the void attribute in its body had been completely transformed into the power of Holy Light, it was still difficult for it to adapt immediately. However, the giant octopus was accustomed to using its tentacles to fight, so the change in energy attributes had little effect on its combat style.
The melee between the three behemoths plunged the quiet beach east of Vashj'ir into chaos. Seeing the dire situation, the Hydraxis water elementals swiftly retreated to the rear, while any Naga who failed to evacuate in time were directly killed by the sheer force of the battle's aftermath, bleeding from every orifice.
"It's too much of a bother." These three colossal sea monsters were indeed a deterrent in the sea, but when they fought, they indiscriminately attacked friend and foe alike. In a tacit understanding, the Naga and water elementals avoided the northeast beach. The Hydraxis water elementals chose to launch their main attack in the east, which was originally the main gate of Vashj'ir.
Through the submarine's observation window, Galen witnessed the densely packed water elementals charging madly through the sea. The Naga stationed inside Vashj'ir were unwilling to be outdone. Their war with the water elementals had lasted for thousands of years, and they had always held the upper hand. How could they tolerate their city being attacked by the Hydraxis water elemental army? Thus, the water elementals and the Naga Legions clashed! This rare scene reminded Galen of the time he had led the Alliance's Knights against the Orc Wolf Riders.
Just as Galen was reminiscing about the past, the Rapids Submarine Squadron, which had been lurking, seized this opportunity and decisively launched a surprise attack! Eighteen golden submarines arrived outside the southern city of Vashj'ir like swordfish!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Dozens of torpedoes launched from the submarines, all flying towards the ancient city.
BOOM!
BOOM!
The torpedoes exploded in the sea above the city, creating ripples, but the city below remained unharmed. As one of the top cities in the Night Elf Empire, Vashj'ir might not be as grand as Zin-Azshari and Suramar, but it was still formidable. City-level barriers were certainly indispensable. This situation was something Galen had anticipated. The submarine brigade collectively dived, reaching the base of the city wall, followed by another synchronized volley!
BOOM!
BOOM!
After a loud bang, the ancient city wall, which had been submerged in seawater for tens of thousands of years, its obsidian eroded into a honeycomb, quickly had a massive gap blown into it by a torpedo. After the submarines entered one after another, they dispersed in groups of two, wreaking havoc within the Naga city.
"Damn humans! Damn water elementals! How dare you invade the sacred city of Naga!" In the ruined mayor's hall of Vashj'ir, a purple-scaled Lady of Resentment watched the human ships wreak havoc in the city, so enraged that her back teeth threatened to shatter.
"Pajesh, Jingatar, summon Deepbeard and those sea giant slaves to destroy the human iron lumps before they destroy our city!" The two male Naga named by Lady Grudge were her trusted warlord, Pajesh, and the local Deepwater Lord of Vashj'ir, Jingatar. They were tall and powerfully built, a head taller than the female Naga. Their faces were distorted, resembling a blend of lizard and snake, no longer bearing any resemblance to Night Elves. They wore armor crafted from coral and wielded golden tridents, presenting a formidable appearance.
Upon receiving the order, the two male Naga immediately twisted their thick waists and tails, raised their weapons, and surged forth. Soon, they gathered their guards and then led a group of colossal sea giants into the city to pursue and intercept the large fleet of submarines. There were so many Naga in the city that from a distance, they resembled a fish pond teeming with new fish fry. They emerged from the shadows of the city's ruins, swimming silently through the water.
Whoosh! A dark anchor flew out from the shadows, directly hooking the stern of a submarine. The iron chain connected to the anchor instantly tautened, slowing the submarine's movement. Then, the Naga guards swarmed the submarine, lightning crackling on the tridents in their hands!
"F***!"
With the sound of electric snakes bursting, dozens of light spots appeared throughout the city, illuminating every submarine! Following the lightning chain, a shockwave erupted after the Naga Warlord and the sea giants had charged their power! After this ambush, at least one-third of the submarines were stunned, and the armored hulls of several submarines were even torn apart by the immense force!
The remaining submarines, with quick reactions, escaped the anchor's hook, and their crews immediately operated the two naval guns on the bow to launch a counterattack!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The shells fired at high speed, directly striking the Naga guards attempting to approach. Before the snake-like Naga could react, they were hit head-on by the shells and exploded into bloody plumes in the sea.