Deep within the Dragonspine Mountains in the central part of the continent lies the Empire's largest energy and mineral mining base—"Titan's Jaw".
Beneath this earth lie abundant super-energy crystals capable of powering the Empire's war machines. For thirty years, countless races deemed "inferior" have endured endless, arduous labor here.
Among them, the most numerous are orcs and dwarves.
Orcs, because of their powerful physiques, are forced to perform the most arduous digging work deep in the most dangerous mines. Their fangs are removed, their bodies are branded with numbers representing their assets, and they wear high-energy collars around their necks that will detonate immediately in the event of any resistance.
The dwarves, because of their superb engineering and forging skills, were enslaved by the sunless underground furnaces, responsible for smelting the mined ore into various high-strength alloys needed by the empire. Their proud beards were shaved off, their rune warhammers, symbols of honor, were confiscated, and they spent their days with high temperatures, dust, and the empire's overseers.
This place is truly a living hell.
The supreme administrator of the "Jaw of Titans" is a high-ranking Purifier of the Empire, number 13. He is a pure racist who takes pleasure in torturing and tormenting these "inferior races." His proudest creations are the "Suppressor" legion, composed of modified giant mining robots, and his own powered armor—the "Bonecrusher."
On this day, Irelia's "Song of Hope" also drifted into this steel prison buried deep underground.
Garrosh, son of Grom Gorehowl, the orc chieftain, who was wielding a heavy pickaxe in the mine, suddenly stopped.
His father died fighting to cover the main force's retreat during the siege of the capital city of Aegis thirty years ago. As the descendant of a "war criminal," Garrosh has lived in this mine since birth.
He had never seen the sunlight, nor had he ever heard of any "alliance" or "hope".
However, when that melody played in his mind, his wild orc bloodline, which had been deliberately suppressed by the Empire, began to boil uncontrollably.
"What is this...?" he muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, beside the underground forge, an elderly dwarven craftsman—Barin Stonefist—also heard the song. He was Barton Bronzebeard's distant cousin and one of the few survivors of the Anvil Legion.
Thirty years of enslavement had worn down his edges, making him silent and numb.
However, when the song started playing, two beams of light suddenly shot out from his cloudy eyes.
"This...this is the battle song of the 'Sword of Dawn'! It's Her Majesty Irelia's voice!"
His memories were instantly awakened. He recalled the days fighting alongside his comrades of various races in the Alliance army. He remembered Barton Bronzebeard's hearty laughter and his unwavering figure.
"Did you all hear that, you bastards!"
The overseer's electromagnetic whip lashed hard across Garrosh's back, leaving a charred, bloody welt.
"Who told you to stop! Get back to work!"
Garrosh slowly turned around. His eyes, blazing with the heat of his blood, had turned crimson.
“I am not called a bastard.” His voice was deep and hoarse, like a volcano about to erupt. “My name is Garsh Bloodhowl!”
Before he finished speaking, he let out a deafening roar and slammed the heavy pickaxe in his hand, weighing hundreds of pounds, down on the foreman!
The foreman's sneer froze instantly. He never dreamed that these "beasts," tamed for thirty years, would dare to rebel. Before he could even activate the collar around Garrosh's neck, he was smashed into a bloody pulp by the unstoppable pickaxe.
"For freedom!"
Garrosh's roar became the clarion call of the uprising.
Upon hearing his roar and feeling the fighting spirit emanating from his blood, all the orcs in the mine broke free of their mental shackles. They attacked the overseers who usually swaggered around with their pickaxes, chains, fists, and teeth.
Beside the underground furnace, Balin Stonefist also threw away the tools in his hands.
"Children of the Anvil Legion! We are not slaves! We are dwarves!" he roared with all his might, "Take up your hammers! Let these imperial bastards taste the power of our runehammers!"
The oppressed dwarves also erupted. Although they did not possess warhammers, the iron hammers they wielded for forging, honed by their exceptional skills, were equally deadly weapons.
The entire "Titan's Jaw" instantly transformed into a battlefield of blood and fire.
"A bunch of ignorant ants!"
Purifier 13, upon learning of the riot, wore a cruel smile. He donned his five-meter-tall "Bone Crusher" power armor and activated all the "Suppressor" robots.
"Start the 'cleaning' program! Crush them all!"
The massive robot army, like a torrent of steel, surged into the mines and furnace areas. Equipped with enormous chainsaws and high-energy cutting beams, ordinary orcs and dwarves were utterly vulnerable before them.
After paying a heavy price, the rebellious slaves were forced into a series of defeats by the robot army.
Despite Garrosh's bravery, his pickaxe was unable to effectively damage the Suppressor's thick armor. His orc brothers fell one after another around him.
"Are we... destined to fail?" For the first time, despair welled up in Garrosh's heart.
Just then, a holy, warm light pierced through the rock layers thousands of meters thick, illuminating this dark underground world like a miracle.
Irelia's figure slowly descended in the light.
She saw the horrific scene unfolding here, and she saw her former allies being slaughtered.
An unprecedented rage ignited in her eyes.
"Your atrocities have come to an end."
She slammed the Starry Night Holy Sword in her hand into the ground.
"Holy Light! Hear my prayer! Heal this land stained with blood!"
Centered on the holy sword, a golden halo spread out like ripples on water.
Wherever the halo reached, the wounds of all the injured orcs and dwarves healed at a visible speed. Their stamina also recovered rapidly.
The Imperial "Suppressor" robots, upon contact with the halo, experienced disruptions in their energy cores. Their movements became sluggish and stiff, and ultimately, amidst a series of explosions, they were completely paralyzed.
"Who...who are you?!"
Purifier 13, piloting the "Bone Crusher" armor, watched this incredible scene, and for the first time, fear filled his voice.
“I am your… undertaker.”
Irelia appeared in front of the "Bonecrusher" armor as if by teleportation.
She reached out a hand and gently placed it on the heavy breastplate of the armor.
"Only judgment can suffice for the desecration of the deceased."
"boom--!"
Golden holy light erupted like a supernova.
The menacing "Bonebreaker" armor, forged from the Empire's strongest alloy, melted and vaporized inch by inch from the chest, like ice and snow under the scorching sun, under the holy light.
The Purifier 13 inside didn't even get a chance to scream before he and his prized creation were completely reduced to nothingness.
The battle is over.
Garrosh and Balin, leading the surviving orcs and dwarves, approached Irelia and knelt on one knee.
"Great Holy Lightbringer! Accept the allegiance of the Bloodhowl Clan!"
"Descendants of the Anvil Legion, we offer you our warhammers and our loyalty!"
Irelia helped them up.
“Arise, brave warriors.” Her gaze swept over their weathered faces. “Our enemy is that high and mighty empire. We need more allies.”
She looked toward the exit on the surface.
"Master Balin, I need your technology. Use the scrap metal left behind by the Empire to forge armor and weapons of vengeance for our warriors."
"Warchief Garrosh, I need your courage. Go and summon all the souls that still burn with rage."
“Our target,” Irelia’s voice echoed throughout the underground space, “is the city we failed to conquer thirty years ago—the City of Heaven!”
Irelia's "Song of Hope" also reached the other side of the Dragonspine Mountains, to the ears of the human descendants from "Bunker Zero" who had already submitted to the Empire.
They were placed by the Empire in a model community called "Harmony-3." Everyone there had undergone "genetic optimization," eliminating so-called "defective genes." They lived affluent lives, free from worries, but had also lost all passion and dreams.
When the song began, most of the "optimized" humans only felt slight discomfort, which was quickly suppressed by the "Will of the Sky".
However, there are always exceptions.
In the community library, a young girl named Li Yao is organizing historical documents that have been altered by the empire. She is a descendant of the girls sent to the "breeding center" twenty years ago.
She grew up in the empire's orphanage from a young age, where she was instilled with absolute loyalty and obedience.
However, deep within her genes, there seems to be something that cannot be "optimized" away. She has a strong curiosity about the long-forgotten history of the "old world."
As Irelia's voice filled the air, it was as if a long-sealed door in her mind was slowly being pushed open.
She saw blurry memories that didn't belong to her.
She saw an underground city called "Bunker Zero." She saw an old man named Zhao Keming, his face contorted with pain as he made the decision to surrender. She heard the desperate cries of her mother's generation of girls being sent to the "Breeding Center" on the transport ship.
"No...this isn't real..."
Li Yao's body trembled violently, and the books in her hands scattered all over the floor. At this moment, her worldview completely collapsed.
“Individual ID: h3-c-7701, strong emotional fluctuations detected. Determined as ‘atavism’. ‘Harmony Maintainers’ have been deployed.”
The community's alarm system immediately located her.
Several “harmony maintainers” dressed in white uniforms and carrying nerve inhibitors walked in from outside the library and surrounded her.
"7701, give up resistance and accept 'secondary optimization'," the lead maintainer commanded in a emotionless tone.
Fear filled Li Yao's eyes. She knew what "secondary optimization" meant. It meant she would completely lose herself and become a real puppet.
"No...I don't want to!"
She turned and ran.
However, how could a defenseless girl possibly escape this heavily monitored city?
Just as she was about to be caught, a golden beam of light descended from the sky and silently melted a large hole in the library's dome.
Irelia's figure, bathed in a pillar of light, slowly descended.
She looked at the panicked girl in front of her, her eyes filled with pity.
"Child, don't be afraid."
She just said it softly.
But those words seemed to possess boundless magic. Those "harmony maintainers" who were about to pounce on Li Yao suddenly froze, then, like puppets with broken strings, collapsed to the ground, losing all consciousness. Their minds had been directly "paused" by Irelia.
Li Yao stared blankly at the woman in front of her, who seemed like a goddess.
"Who...who are you?"
“I am Irelia,” Irelia said with a smile. “I’m here to take you… home.”
She reached out, and holy light surged into Li Yao's body, helping her sort through those chaotic memories. At the same time, it also completely removed the "shackles" implanted in her genes by the Empire.
Li Yao's eyes gradually changed from confusion to clarity, and finally, they transformed into a firm understanding.
“Irelia…Your Majesty.” She knelt down. “What…what should we do?”
Irelia helped her up.
"I can awaken your souls, but the path of resistance is one you must walk your own way."
She looked toward the center of the community, at the "Sky Will" terminal tower, which was larger and stronger than Silver Valley.
“I’m going to destroy that tower. But Gaia’s reaction speed is far beyond our expectations. After I make my move, we have less than ten minutes. Within ten minutes, you must organize all the awakened people, seize the community’s airport, and take control of the airships.”
"This...this is too difficult!" Li Yao felt immense pressure.
“Freedom has never been cheap.” Irelia’s eyes were sharp as knives. “Go, find those who, like you, still have a fire burning deep in their souls. Tell them that the power of choice has returned to their own hands.”
After saying that, Irelia's figure transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the central tower.
Li Yao took a deep breath. She knew this might be a path with a slim chance of survival. But compared to living like a puppet, she would rather burn her life for these ten minutes of freedom.
She turned and ran deeper into the community. Her steps were firm and powerful.
A race against time, an act of awakening and resistance, is quietly unfolding in the Empire's model community.
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