The surface of the scorching yellow sand appeared to have subtle, distorted ripples, a visual effect that occurs when the temperature exceeds fifty degrees Celsius.
The Ahn'Qiraj insectoids were fearless, devoid of complex intelligence, driven only by the primal instinct of hunger to devour everything. Any creature caught in the swarm would not only have its flesh consumed completely, but even its bones would be gnawed through by the larger Ahn'Qiraj insectoids, chewed, crushed, and swallowed.
The desert was too barren; every bit of food was incredibly precious, as evidenced by their willingness to even consume the corpses of their own kind.
The ruptured blood of the Ahn'Qiraj insectoids splattered, landing on the carapaces of other insects with corrosive hisses, accompanied by a nauseating, sour stench.
Whether it was blood mist rising from the heat or a problem with her own vision, everything appeared crimson, with only the massive dragon queen and her rider in the sky remaining distinct.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Unique, slender, sharp spikes, accompanied by piercing whistles, shot up from the ground, a curtain of black rain descending, attempting to envelop the man and the dragon queen.
The tips of the spikes emitted a purple glow, a reflection of the potent venom coated on them under the sunlight.
Sinestra snorted, her form abruptly accelerating as she shot out of the rain of spikes.
Behind her, the spikes reached their apex, then lost their momentum and plummeted downwards, not only missing their target but instead impaling their own Ahn'Qiraj insectoids.
Many Ahn'Qiraj insectoids let out hissing cries; even as insects, they were not immune to the venom of their own kind, and they died in agony, writhing.
This scene made Vashj and her companions' scalps tingle, and goosebumps continuously rose on their violet skin. They had truly never heard of such a massive swarm of Ahn'Qiraj insectoids here.
Compared to ordinary insects, these had already mutated. Their individual combat strength wasn't particularly high, but a dozen Ahn'Qiraj insectoids swarming an unwary warrior could easily overwhelm him, leading to the fate of being torn apart and devoured.
"There are so many disgusting insects at the edge of the Empire, hmph, what are those scouts doing?"
Vashj was furious. Even if the queen's glory didn't reach this far, such creatures were not permitted to exist.
Not only were they ugly, but they also emanated an aura that made her very uncomfortable.
The scent of the Old Gods naturally repulsed other creatures; their primary method was to devour other beings to strengthen themselves, which naturally made others feel very uneasy.
"Perhaps the scouts came, but sacrificed themselves before they could report. Those commoners couldn't possibly withstand such a massive swarm."
Elisande uncharacteristically spoke a fair word, not out of kindness, but because her disgust for these insects outweighed her disdain for commoners.
night elf commoners, at the end of the day, were still her kin, objects of subjugation, servants to make their lives better.
Though she looked down on them, they could only be bullied by their own kind. What right did these insects have?
Filthy, ignorant, and despicable.
If Arthas hadn't insisted on coming here, they probably wouldn't have known that such disgusting existences lurked in places untouched by the queen's glory.
Watching the cannon fodder being slaughtered, all methods exhausted, yet still helpless against the flying targets in the sky.
These were creatures that C'Thun had given a death order to capture alive. If they failed, the Twin Emperors would still exist, but they would likely be replaced.
At a command, a large number of insectoids resembling golden-ringed hornets took flight. These were the elites among the Ahn'Qiraj insectoids, the elite of the elite, and even a single casualty would be heartbreaking.
They were the main force, built up through countless meals and battles, intended to flatten Azeroth and conquer the world under C'Thun's dominion.
Arthas flicked his sword from afar, an invisible energy transforming into a tangible attack, striking a three-meter-tall hornet from a hundred meters away.
The hornet shrieked, its health only dropping by a third.
Given Arthas' attack power, it should have been an instant kill. How could it withstand that?
He unleashed several more ranged attacks, blasting apart over a hundred giant hornets.
"Marking complete. We're going back. It's time to go to Ulduar."
Arthas didn't linger too long. Having used his void power to absorb attributes for an extended period, he now needed to rest.
Rampant energy surged; eating until he was full all at once was also an extremely uncomfortable experience.
After digesting these attributes and making them part of himself, he would wait until he stabilized before the next wave of absorption and harvest.
He wasn't sure if it was because the Ahn'Qiraj insectoids were too disgusting, but he felt very uncomfortable; absorbing too many attributes from them was a bit nauseating.
Looking at Arthas, who was followed by a vast, dark swarm of Ahn'Qiraj insectoids, Vashj and her companion were utterly stunned.
Don't come any closer!
"What are you waiting for? Run! Head towards Uldum."
Arthas shouted, charging straight ahead without looking back. If he didn't run now, he'd be fed to the insects.
There was no need to fight to the death. Anyway, after digesting, he would kill them once, gaining a surge of attributes, treating it like a grass-cutting leveling game.
He had put in so much effort; what was wrong with enjoying the fruits of his labor now?
Seeing the overwhelming swarm of Ahn'Qiraj insectoids approaching, Vashj also jolted, controlling her magic carpet to follow closely behind. Even a slight delay could mean being devoured.
Thus, a bizarre scene unfolded in the desert: a vast, mighty swarm of Ahn'Qiraj insectoids covered the scorching desert, like locusts leaving nothing behind.
Their writhing insect heads, bared fangs, and disgusting appearance could instantly maximize fear.
Not long ahead, Titan facilities appeared. These were not only monitoring and weather research facilities but also stored immense energy, meant to purify the entire world when necessary.
If Azeroth's development deviated from the path set by the Pantheon, and correction was impossible, as long as the Guardians unanimously voted, they could use the reforging device here to destroy the entire world and reshape it again.
It sounded cruel, but in the eyes of the cold Titan constructs, executing the plan was the most correct course of action; they had no emotions and no empathy.
As for the millions of races and creatures that died, they felt no psychological burden whatsoever.
If you encountered them, you encountered them. If you couldn't stop them, you died. Don't blame them; blame yourself for being too weak.
"Mortals, this is not a place for you!"
A deep voice echoed, a warning from the Titan construct stationed there.
"Go around them. Let them deal with those Ahn'Qiraj insectoids."
Arthas commanded, riding the dragon queen in a wide arc to fly around.
Clearly, this was a case of diverting trouble!
Upon hearing this, Vashj's youthful and beautiful face showed a hint of confusion. The other party seemed very familiar with this place?
No time to think further, she hurriedly controlled her magic carpet to follow closely behind. She absolutely had to report this to the queen; there was something strange going on here!