Andorhal is the largest town in Western Plaguelands, and the largest town in Lordaeron besides the capital and Stratholme.
It is located in the center of Western Plaguelands, in a transportation hub. The vast Darrowmere Lake in the east connects to the Thondroril River, which can directly reach Southshore by water.
The special geographical environment has made Andorhal the agricultural center and transit center of Lordaeron.
The reason why Kel'Thuzad chose to hide here is that it is convenient to transport grain mixed with the plague to all directions.
At this time, in a village not far south of Andorhal, Arthas and his troops had just finished a battle. They had just killed all the zombies and skeletons here and found the source of the plague in the village.
"There's something wrong with the grain in this barn!" Jaina was carefully observing the environment around the barn.
"Jaina, what did you find! Can eating these grains cause the plague?" Arthas's face changed drastically.
"I checked the surrounding water sources along the way, and there are no traces of the plague in it!" Jaina touched the soil around the barn and found that the soil had lost its vitality.
"There must be a plague in the grain, it has polluted the surrounding land," Jaina directed the soldiers to open the barn and scanned around. "These grains have the Andorhal seal on them. That is the material distribution center of your Northern Autonomous Province. If these grains are spreading the plague, then the culprit is likely to be there!"
After listening to Jaina's speculation, a feeling of fear instantly surged into Arthas's heart!
If the source of the plague is really the grain from Andorhal, then it is difficult to estimate how many villages have been infected by the plague!
The army was still burning the killed zombies and skeletons, and now there was another task, burning the barn.
When everything was done, Arthas issued an order to set off to Andorhal in the north.
At this time, their mission was gradually becoming clear, which was to find and destroy all the contaminated barns and kill the cultists who spread the plague in Andorhal!
As the team had just set off, Farique, the adjutant selected by Arthas, drove his warhorse to the prince's side.
"Did you find something? Captain?" Arthas's tone was familiar with the old friend, obviously Farique had been following the prince for many years.
"Your Highness, the number of people here is not right!" Farique's tone was full of certainty.
"How do you know?" Arthas didn't care. Before, the soldiers were facing disgusting undead for the first time, and they fought in a panic, so no one noticed the number problem.
"Your Highness, I am a Western Plaguelands native, and the number of people in the villages around Andorhal is not much different," Farique thought for a while and said, "But when I led the soldiers to burn the corpses just now, I found that the number of zombies was only a small part, and more were skeletons who had lost their flesh and blood!"
"This shows," Arthas was also a smart person, and immediately realized the problem: "It shows that the number of living people killed by the plague is not large, and more are the dead who died a long time ago, so long that the flesh and blood on their bodies have fallen off!"
"That's right, Prince Arthas!"
"Then, where have those missing villagers gone?"
This question, once raised, lingered in Arthas's mind, and clearly, even Captain Fareek, whom he trusted, couldn't provide the prince with an answer.
"Holy Light, please bless the people of Lordaeron!" Arthas silently prayed to the Holy Light.
The order Arthas received was to investigate what exactly had happened here and prevent the spread of the disaster.
Now, the mystery was gradually being unraveled. He already knew the truth and had arrived at the source of the plague. However, looking at the tens of thousands of undead in Andorhal, Arthas was somewhat doubtful whether he could complete the mission and save tens of thousands of people!
Heavens, this was not a simple task. Holy Light, please help me!
I must eliminate this disaster and save my people. I...
I can definitely do it.
Soon, they arrived at the entrance of Andorhal. At this time, their team included a squad of dwarves and two high elf priests. They met Arthas's team on the road, and the two sides traveled together to fight against the undead.
After entering Andorhal, Arthas saw the smoke rising over the town. If this town had been captured by the undead, then Arthas hoped that the grain in the city would at least be destroyed at the same time.
But this cruel thought quickly made him feel guilty. He buried this idea in his heart and began to concentrate on considering the actions before him.
He kicked the ribs of his mount sharply and charged through the city gate.
"Oh! No!"
"We're too late!"
Arthas was stunned by the sight before him!
At this time, Andorhal had become a realm of death. A large number of rotting corpses wandered on the wide streets. The entire city had no sign of living people, only a nauseating stench of decay, with no resemblance to a prosperous town.
"Welcome to the world of the dead! Prince Arthas!"
A middle-aged man wearing a black rune robe walked from the other end of the street, blocking the path of the group.
Behind the black-robed man was also a large, fat man, but what was truly terrifying was the appearance of the large, fat man. He looked like a large, pieced-together, ugly doll, his whole body covered with stitched marks.
"Who are you! Did you spread the plague in Lordaeron?"
Arthas was furious, his right hand tightly gripping the warhammer, the Might of Menethil, in his hand, his knuckles already white from excessive force.
"He is Kel'Thuzad!"
At this time, Jaina also entered Andorhal and came to Arthas's side. Arthas's troops had also all arrived behind the prince. They quietly surrounded Kel'Thuzad and that strange, terrifying fat man.
"He is a former member of the Council of Six of the Kirin Tor, a disciple of Archmage Antonidas. Half a year ago, he was imprisoned by the Kirin Tor for being discovered researching necromancy, but he soon mysteriously disappeared!"
Kel'Thuzad looked at the beautiful woman beside Arthas, his eyes changing: "Jaina Proudmoore? I didn't expect that I have only been gone for half a year, and you have already broken through to the legendary rank."
"Hahaha, no wonder that old guy Antonidas is full of resentment towards your mentor. He was not only surpassed by Gandalf in strength, but even his vision for choosing disciples was also surpassed..."
Kel'Thuzad's words made Jaina stunned, not knowing how to respond. Wasn't he cursing himself with these words?
After all, the disciple who was surpassed was himself!
"Kel'Thuzad! This plague was your doing, wasn't it! Your necromancy caused a rat plague in the sewers of Dalaran for three months. A group of us young mages were sent to exterminate the rats. I am now very familiar with the aura of undead rats!"
Thinking of this, Jaina's pretty little face turned red with anger!
Her mentor was good in every way, whether it was his teaching level or his treatment of her, Ronin, and Illyria, he was extremely good. It's just that sometimes, Gandalf would always assign some nasty tasks for them to complete, completely disregarding that she and Senior Sister Illyria were girls!
When Jaina finished speaking, Illyria's body couldn't help but tremble slightly among the trio hiding in the bell tower of Andorhal, as if she also remembered the fear of being dominated by the tasks assigned by her mentor.
"You're right, Ms. Jaina. I ordered the Cult of the Damned to spread plague-ridden grains everywhere, in order to transform the living into the undead and build a huge army!"
At this time, Kel'Thuzad's eyes were fixed on Arthas, constantly observing the Lordaeron prince's angry expression.
Then he chuckled: "The Dreadlord Mal'Ganis, whom I serve, will lead the Scourge to purify this continent and establish an eternal world of the dead, a dark empire!"
Tsk tsk, this old fellow is shifting the blame.
The houses of Andorhal were burning with raging flames,
Although the burning flames were behind them, the words of this necromancer made the surrounding Lordaeron army feel cold all over!
"Purify? Only the Holy Light can purify you evil ones, and it's not up to you evil mages to purify us!"
Arthas had had enough of being led by the nose during this time. He roared angrily, gripping the Might of Menethil with bloodshot eyes, and charged forward!
"For the Holy Light! For Lordaeron!"
Unfortunately, Kel'Thuzad was a former member of the Kirin Tor Council. Not to mention his outstanding talent, how could he become a high-level figure in Dalaran without some strength?
He released Blink, the surrounding space distorted for a moment, and then his figure disappeared in place, dodging Arthas's hammer blow with ease.
"Abomination! Go!"
Just as Arthas was stunned, the big fat man behind Kel'Thuzad threw out the huge hook claw in his hand, directly hooking Arthas's waist, and then pulled hard, directly pulling Arthas in front of him!
"Arthas!"
"No, quickly rescue His Highness!"
Jaina and the Lordaeron soldiers were in chaos. Fareek quickly led people towards the prince's direction.
At this time, Arthas was extremely embarrassed. The disgusting stench emanating from the big fat man named Abomination filled his nostrils, almost suffocating him.
Fortunately, Arthas's strength was not bad. He quickly broke free from the Abomination's control, swung the Might of Menethil, and directly smashed the monster's head!
But what Arthas did not expect was that this monster actually still had mobility. He continued to wave the large machete in his hand, trying to continue attacking!
At this time, Fareek arrived with the prince's guard, hacking the Abomination into eight pieces with a flurry of knives.
As the Abomination fell, Kel'Thuzad, who had already run to the street corner, still felt a bit regretful. The time was too short, the modification wasn't complete, and Arthas's armor was no ordinary thing, its defense was astonishing, and he hadn't received much damage.
"Haha, Prince Arthas, you should be glad my experiment wasn't finished, otherwise at least half of your loyal subordinates would have died!"
Kel'Thuzad had imagined that after the Abomination was killed, the plague and maggots inside its body would be blasted out, causing widespread casualties, but alas.
"That necromancer is over there!"
Arthas spotted Kel'Thuzad's figure in the distance, and his face fell into conflict.
After a moment, he made a decisive decision and issued the order: "Farith, take half the men to destroy the granary. Jaina, we'll take the rest to pursue that culprit!"
"Haha! Prince Arthas, the Scourge's cleansing of this land has already begun. Everything you do is futile. The Holy Light cannot save Lordaeron! Nor can it save you!"
Ah!
Arthas roared in anger, then quickly ran to his warhorse, leaping onto it, "I will have you die! I will bring you to justice!"
"No, don't be impulsive, Arthas!"
Jaina's attempt to stop him was useless. Arthas had already ridden out ahead, and she quickly led the remaining soldiers onto their horses, chasing after him along the main road.
At this moment, Arthas only had Kel'Thuzad's black figure in his eyes. His body trembled incessantly with the jolting of the warhorse, wishing he could grab him immediately and tear off his limbs one by one!
Galen and the others watched from the clock tower. At this time, Onyxia spoke, "That necromancer is provoking Arthas. A clumsy provocation, only a greenhorn would fall for it. Dividing their forces at this time is tantamount to courting death!"
"It is indeed a provocation. He's playing with Arthas, but one thing you said is wrong. Their target is Arthas, he won't be in any danger of life at the moment!" Galen added.
"Galen, senior brother, what about Jaina? She followed him too!" Illucia looked at Jaina's back with a worried expression.
"You shouldn't worry about Jaina even more. The gifts Gandalf gave you, those were all life-saving trump cards I carefully designed."
Galen was serious about life-saving.
Illucia reached out and touched the necklace on her neck, and stopped talking.
Logically speaking, Arthas was riding a warhorse, while Kel'Thuzad was running on two feet, occasionally using Blink to create distance. He should have been caught up long ago.
But along the way, a large number of undead kept jumping out of the houses, constantly blocking Arthas.
Arthas held the warhorse's reins tightly in one hand, while the other hand furiously swung the warhammer continuously!
The Light of Menethil enveloped the Holy Light, each swing smashing a ghoul, the foul blood splattering, staining Arthas's armor and the warhorse.
At this moment, Jaina also caught up.
"Kel'Thuzad, why did you betray Dalaran, betray the Kirin Tor!"
The newly adult Jaina didn't understand. Kel'Thuzad was already among the top humans. In terms of status, he was one of the leaders of Dalaran. In terms of strength, there were only a handful of mages who could surpass him. Yet, he chose to stand against humanity!
Kel'Thuzad's expression in his hood was stern, sneering at Jaina's question. The little girl completely didn't understand his pursuit!
In fact, Kel'Thuzad and Gul'dan could be considered the same kind of person. Both were willing to give up everything in pursuit of power, regardless of the cost. It was just that Kel'Thuzad's first half of his life had much better luck than Gul'dan's.
"You simply don't understand my pursuit."
Kel'Thuzad recalled how he had gone through countless hardships, all the way from the Hillsbrad region to Northrend in the Arctic, walking for three months in the bitter cold to reach the Frozen Throne. After listening to the Lich King's teachings, he felt his thoughts had been opened, everything in the past was but fleeting clouds, only loyalty to his master could allow him to learn the spiritual path that could sublimate his soul!
Kel'Thuzad's intuition was not wrong. The power of death, as one of the six fundamental forces of the universe, could indeed lead to godhood, even to the extreme!
Arthas and Jaina, who were chasing from behind, saw that Kel'Thuzad, who was running in front, seemed to be distracted. He no longer directed the surrounding undead to block their pursuit.
Jaina and Arthas exchanged a glance. Arthas nodded, instantly reaching out and pulling Jaina over from her warhorse, then instantly activated Holy Light Acceleration.
Seeing the distance closing, Jaina broke free from Arthas's arm and cast Blink!
Jaina's second Blink landed less than five meters away from Kel'Thuzad!
"Good opportunity!"
The magical girl fully activated the magic power in her body the moment she landed, releasing Frost Nova!
Kel'Thuzad's feet were instantly frozen by the frost.
With Jaina's assist in controlling him, Arthas fiercely slapped the warhorse's hind legs, quickly approaching Kel'Thuzad.
Arthas's warhammer, charged for a long time, finally smashed heavily on Kel'Thuzad's chest in a fit of rage. The necromancer, without any defensive spells on his body, was struck by lightning, his entire back caving in, and he crashed heavily into a dilapidated house on the side of the street!
Arthas rushed over with a ferocious expression.
With a violent roar erupting from his chest, he raised the brilliantly shining Light of Menethil, the hammerhead once again hitting Kel'Thuzad's knee.
Crack!
The sound of bones shattering came, the archlich's leg bones shattered, his pair of knees bent into a strange angle. His black robe was soaked with blood.
The other soldiers who followed rushed up, countless blades hacking and chopping, each venting the anger in their hearts.
The severely injured Kel'Thuzad did not die immediately. He raised his pale face and said mockingly, "My death is only the beginning, Prince Arthas!"
His chest was like a broken bellows, making a leaking sound as he spoke.
"You cannot stop the spread of the plague. I have already spread all the grain to all parts of Lordaeron!"
"Hahaha! The Holy Light cannot save Lordaeron! Prince Arthas, your people will die in fear and despair, and you, can do nothing!"
Kel'Thuzad was still stimulating Arthas before his death, constantly impacting his mental defenses with words!
Arthas, who had just been immersed in the pleasure of revenge, instantly lost his mood!
A burst of ferocity erupted from his body!