Chapter 462: The Frozen Road (Part 2)

Arthas didn't know how long he had been following Anub'arak. The underground tunnel was dark and Arthas's concept of time was completely taken away. He followed Anub'arak for a long time and finally saw the light. Arthas rushed up, just like a newborn baby blinking his eyes. Arthas now had only two thoughts in his mind. One was that he hoped he could rush to protect the Lich King in time, and the other was that he was deeply grateful to be able to leave that damn place. He never wanted to go back.

But it was obvious that the ancient kingdom of Nerub was once a beautiful place. Alsace's previous imagination of this place was a bunch of waste pits connected together, but it turned out to be something like this: the blue and purple murals were vivid and unforgettable, and the intricate geometric patterns marked the different rooms and passages. These were as beautiful as ever, but like a preserved rose - although it still looked lovely, it had already lost its life. As they walked forward, there was a strange smell in the air. Alsace couldn't identify the smell, and couldn't even find a similar smell to explain it. The smell was pungent and rancid, but not unpleasant, at least for someone who was used to carrying a large group of rotting dead.

Perhaps this passage is a shortcut as Anub'arak promised, but every step will be bloody. They were attacked not long after they entered. The attackers emerged from the darkness, countless spider-like creatures rushed down with angry cries. Anub'arak and his soldiers met them head-on without hesitation. Arthas hesitated for a moment, and also joined the battle with his troops. The spacious cave was filled with the shrill roars of the Nerubian Sharps and the painful cries of the Necromancers who were attacked by the venom of the Nerubians. Some fierce zombies were trapped in the sticky and tough spider webs, waiting helplessly for the Nerubians to cut off their heads with their jaws or to cut open their abdomens with their dagger-like front legs to dig out their internal organs.

On the battlefield, Arthas could hardly play his role. Anub'arak was like a nightmare, roaring horribly and hollowly in its harsh native language, swooping forward to bring destruction to its former subjects. Its legs attacked left and right, grabbing those unfortunate victims, piercing their bodies with its claws, and tearing their limbs with its large pincers. For a while, the sultry air was filled with screams, and even Arthas, who had long been accustomed to this, was moved by it. He trembled and swallowed a mouthful of non-existent saliva with difficulty.

The encounter was fierce and tragic, but the nerubians eventually retreated back to the shadows they had come from. Even though several of them were left behind, these unfortunate spider creatures twitched their eight long legs violently until they finally curled up and died.

"What is going on?" Arthas turned to Anub'arak, panting, and asked, "These nerubians are your kind. Why are they still fighting against us?"

"In the Spider War with the Scourge, many of us died and were resurrected to serve the Lich King." Anub'arak pointed to himself and then to the pile of corpses in front of him. "But these warriors have survived and continue to fight foolishly until now, trying to liberate nerub from the Scourge."

Arthas looked down at the dead nerubians. "Foolish indeed. They fought hard in life, but after death they can only obey."

Anub'arak glanced at him, and said nothing more. He continued to lead Colonel Arthas with his head down.

In this way, he finally returned to the dim sunlight of the world above his head, swallowing the cold and fresh air. His army was also stronger, and those creatures that had just died now completely obeyed him. Arthas stopped by holding Invincible. He was trembling violently, and just wanted to sit down and breathe some fresh air, but the rotten stench brought by his army soon made the air taste bad.

At this time, Anub'arak walked past him, stopped and looked at him mercilessly for a while: "No time to rest, Death Knight. The Lich King needs us. We must go and serve."

Arthas glanced at the Crypt Lord quickly. There was a kind of vague... resentment in its voice? Did Anub'arak swear allegiance just because it had to do so? If it had a chance, would it turn against the Lich King? More importantly, would it be an enemy of Arthas? The power of the Lich King is constantly weakening-and so is Arthas. If they are too weak... Arthas did not dare to think further. He looked at the Crypt Lord's receding back, took a deep breath and followed.

Arthas felt bored because they still had to walk against the strong wind in the thick snow, and continued their journey for who knows how long. Moreover, he was too weak now, and the closer he got to Icecrown, the worse the situation became. For a while, he almost lost consciousness on horseback. Then, when he was about to fall, he suddenly woke up, and was shocked by this, forcing himself to hold on. He couldn't move, at least not now.

They finally climbed to the top of a mountain, and Arthas finally saw the glacier in the valley and the army waiting for him. Seeing such a large army gathered together to fight for him and the Lich King inspired Arthas. Anub'arak left many warriors behind, and now they all gathered here, silently preparing for battle. Far below, near the glacier, more figures rolled in. Although the distance was too far to see clearly, Arthas knew who they were. He held his breath and moved his eyes upward.

The Lich King was here, buried deep in the glacier, and as Arthas saw in the scene, imprisoned in his prison. A Nerubian ran towards Anub'arak and Arthas and briefly reported the situation. Arthas listened casually.

"You came at the right time. The self-destructive mud men have captured the position at the bottom of the glacier, they..."

"Ah--" Arthas suddenly cried out, feeling an unprecedented pain, and the scene in front of his eyes turned blood red. Now that he was so close to the Lich King, the pain he could feel from that powerful being increased a hundredfold.

"Alsas, my warrior. You are finally here."

"Master." Alsas replied in a low voice, he closed his eyes tightly, and pressed his fingers hard on his temples, which could relieve him from the pain. "Yes, I am here, Master. I am here."

"There is a crack on my prison, which is the Frozen Throne, and my power is constantly draining from it." The Lich King continued, "That's why your power is weakening. Come save me and defeat those invaders!"