Chapter 461: The Frozen Road (Part 2)

Without warning, Arthas fell to his knees, holding his forehead. This time the pain was more intense than any other time. Arthas knelt down, his eyes filled with red. He once again saw the Lich King Ner'zhul trapped in the icy prison, and Anub'arak told him the Lich King's real name.

"Hurry up!" Arthas' mind echoed the Lich King's loud shout, "Our enemies are approaching! We are running out of time!"

"Are you okay, Death Knight?"

Arthas regained consciousness and found himself banging his head against Anub'arak's, if its insect-like face could be called a face... Anub'arak stretched out a spider-like leg to help him up. Arthas hesitated. His body was too weak to stand up on his own, but he didn't look down on him. He forced himself to stand firm, holding Frostmourne with both hands, but he still didn't stand up.

Anubara rumbled in his throat: "Arthas, it's useless to rely on yourself now. Only by helping each other can we get through the difficulties."

The thing felt as dry as a stick in his hand, and it felt almost like a mummy. He stood up and quickly let go of it.

"My strength is fading, but I'll be fine." He took a breath to calm himself, then looked around. "Where are those self-destructing clay figures?"

"Gone." Its voice was as cold as stone, with a hint of displeasure. "They used magic to teleport away before we could tear them into pieces."

Teleportation, another cowardly trick. But if the necromancers under Arthas also knew this trick, the Lich King would not be in such danger now. Arthas recalled the other corpses, knowing that the fate of Richard and his toys would be the same.

"They may have teleported to Icecrown," Arthas stroked his head and said, "Anu'arak, I saw another scene. The Lich King is in danger. They are approaching him, Richard and his toys. Icecrown is covered with scars. The large number of undead there did not protect the Lich King well. We can't get to the glacier in time!"

Anub'arak didn't seem worried at all. The huge creature agreed. : "Yes, but the journey on the ground is long and rugged. But we can choose another way, Death Knight. The ancient and ruined kingdom of Azjol-Nerub lies deep under our feet. I have ruled there for many years, and I know those corridors and secret paths well. Although it has fallen in the Darkness, it can provide us with a shortcut to the glacier."

Arthas looked up. For flying creatures, this road is not long. But to cross the snow-capped mountains in front of them...

"Are you sure we can reach the glacier through these tunnels?"

"Nothing is certain, Death Knight." Nerub's voice sounded like laughing. "Those ruins are dangerous, but it's worth a try."

Fallen in the Darkness. It was strange for an old dead spider king to say such things. Arthas smiled, he really wanted to know what this meant. He thought he would soon find out the truth.

Anub'arak and his subjects hurried northward. Arthas led the disaster army step by step, and soon left the ocean far behind. The sun hurried through the dim sky and passed low along the horizon. The long night came, and during the march, Arthas sent some soldiers to collect branches and sticks as much as possible; so that they could light many torches when they passed through this dangerous underground kingdom.

"Where is Arthas now?" Richard of Shadow Dome looked at Onyxia, who had just retrieved the self-destructing clay man.

"They have entered the tunnels of Ajol-Nerub. Should we launch another attack now?"

Richard shook his head. "All we can do now is wait."

"Wait?"

"Yes, wait. The best choice for us now is to do nothing and let them come here safely." In this way, Arthas can fall into the trap set in advance intact.

"Okay." Onyxia lay on the Shadow Dome and waited. "It's up to you."

Richard ignored her and quietly watched the Icecrown Glacier attacking everywhere.

In the distance, Arthas was marching hard. Although the undead do not feel cold, the wind and snow still slowed down their speed. After several hours of difficult and slow marches, Arthas realized that despite Anubara's almost sarcastic words, the facts were there. If he traveled on the surface, he would not be able to save the Lich King in time, and therefore could not save himself. After all, it was the instinct of self-preservation that made him so desperate. The Lich King discovered him, created him, and gave him great power. Arthas knew this and was grateful for it. But he did not owe the Lich King anything, and did not need to be loyal in return. If this great being was killed, there was no doubt that Arthas would be the next to die. And as he had told Uther, he wanted immortality.

Finally they arrived in front of the tunnel gate. Under the thick cover of ice and snow, Arthas could not immediately identify the location of the gate, but Anub'arak stopped, and the eight-legged creature stood up, stretched out two legs and pointed forward.

Sickle-shaped stone pillars rose up, and Arthas felt that they looked like the limbs of an insect. The tops of the stone pillars were connected to form the shape of a tunnel. He looked forward and saw the gate of the corridor, with a huge spider carved on it. Arthas curled his lips with a bit of disgust, he remembered the sculptures built at the gate of Stormwind for the heroes who went on the expedition to Draenor. Is there really a big difference? It seems that the entrance and the gate of this "tunnel" lead to the depths of an iceberg. Arthas glanced at Anub'arak's silent, massive figure, and for a split second, he thought of spiders and flies, wondering if what he was doing was right.

"Beyond this entrance was an ancient and powerful kingdom," Anub'arak said. "I was once the lord of that realm, with authority that counted for everything. I was a warrior and had the power to obey no one. But now, all that is gone. I serve the Lich King, and it is my duty to protect him."

Arthas remembered for a moment his rage against the plague; his burning desire for revenge... and the look in his father's eyes when Frostmourne fell.

"Time has really changed... but now is no time to reminisce about the old days." He smiled coldly at this strange new ally. "Let's go."