Dreaming for 10,000 years

Chapter 365 Reasons
At Asa's command, his personal guards surged out of the camp like a tidal wave. The clanging of armor and the clatter of horses' hooves mingled together, fading into the twilight.

Every soldier's eyes burned with unwavering resolve! This operation was not only for the royal family and for Stratholme, but also for themselves and their families.

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken!
Asa sat in his command tent in the center of the camp, the candlelight casting his shadow on the canvas. He reviewed the reports from the front and the soldiers he had met face-to-face with, his quill pen scratching on the parchment.

Several days of emergency control have transformed Stratholme, with strict demarcation between quarantine, isolation, and security zones, and soldiers patrolling every street.

Everyone's movement was restricted, and everyone's food was searched, identified by the priest, and then distributed to everyone every day.

Perhaps everyone in Stratholme is infected, perhaps Stratholme is beyond saving, but Asa still wants to give it a try.

The night was deep, and the flame of the oil lamp flickered weakly. Asa rubbed his sore eyes and continued writing to his father. The ink was spreading on the paper, and he had to gently press it down with absorbent paper.

The hourglass on the table showed that it was late at night, and Asar was writing a reply to his father, the King of Lordaeron, under the light of an oil lamp.

The king's reply lay open to the side: the main force of Lordaeron must be stationed on the border to defend against the orcs. This decision was reasonable; the painful lessons of the orc war were still fresh in everyone's mind.

For the human kingdoms, the war with the orcs nearly destroyed half of the human world. Plague could slowly destroy Lordaeron, but the orcs could destroy it outright.

However, Stratholme, as the kingdom's granary, is equally vulnerable. If the crisis in Stratholme is not handled properly, it will be a devastating blow to the Kingdom of Lordaeron, severely weakening it.

He paused for a moment and continued writing, saying that he had heard that demons appeared during the orc war.

The orcs are currently weak, and their sudden appearance on the border of Lordaeron may not be an attack on the Kingdom of Lordaeron, but rather they have other intentions.

Could we make contact with the orcs? Learn more about demons to better fight them. Knowing our enemy is crucial to deciding our next move.

He was writing in thought when suddenly his pen stopped. The flame of the oil lamp froze eerily, and the chirping of insects outside the tent ceased abruptly. A gust of cold wind carrying a putrid stench lifted the tent flap, and the papers on the desk rustled through the air.

Mal'Ganis's claws tore open the tent roof, and moonlight streamed down through the cracks. The demon lord's massive body landed as lightly as a feather, and the wind pressure generated by his folded bat wings extinguished the oil lamp.

Asa's white linen shirt remained motionless. He calmly took out the flint and relit the oil lamp. In the dim light, Mal'Ganis's eerie green vertical pupils gleamed with a dangerous light.

"Little Prince, where are your toy soldiers? You're all alone again!" The devil's claws sliced ​​across the ground, leaving three cracks in the dirt.

Mal'Ganis was not as calm as one might imagine. He obeyed Kil'jaeden's orders to corrupt the human kingdoms and weaken their power, and Aesir was the most important pawn he had chosen.

Everything had gone smoothly until now. He was young, impulsive, and passionate, still pursuing absolute justice. But even the slightest spark could set the prince off.

Mal'Ganis had always enjoyed this game; in his hands, Asa was like a young beast slowly walking into a trap.

But... just when it seemed they were about to lure Arthas to Stratholme, forcing him to face the extreme choice of either "massacring the city" or "letting the entire city turn into the undead."

Why has Asar suddenly become so calm and still? He was so close to the final step, yet he's stuck at that very last step! In addition, in the past few days, Asar's forces have taken control of Stratholme, wiping out many members of the Cult of the Damned, which has significantly reduced his number of minions.

He had no choice but to reveal himself and continue provoking Asa. But Asa's next words made his expression change drastically. Fortunately, he was a dreadlord, and his expression remained rather dark.

“I’ve sent them all out. You’ve arrived earlier than I expected, Malganis.” Asa lit the oil lamp and continued writing without even looking up.

The demon's bat wings trembled almost imperceptibly. The composed prince before him was a completely different person from the easily angered young man he remembered.

How did the Prince Assa, who used to be furious and wielding a hammer, become so composed?

“You must be wondering why I’m not as reckless as before?” Asa continued.

Mal'Ganis interrupted him, wanting to take control of the conversation: "Little Prince, what are you trying to impress? Your mentor, your sweetheart, your army have all abandoned you."

“I can kill you easily now. After you die, the entire Stratholme will become a city of the dead, and they will pour out like a flood to engulf your kingdom.”

“No!” Asa shook his head, put down the pen in his hand, and said, “You can’t kill me!”

"Ridiculous! Foolish little prince!" The towering figure of Mal'Ganis couldn't help but burst into laughter, saying, "Killing you is as easy as crushing an insect for me."

“But you’ve missed so many opportunities!” Asar said, sitting at the table and facing Mal'Ganis not far away. “On the contrary, you kept luring me to Stratholme, trying to make me seek revenge and let hatred cloud my judgment.”

Mal'Ganis's expression remained unchanged, but he was puzzled. How did this idiot suddenly become so clever!

How could such a profound plan be so easily discerned?
“Unfortunately, I know too little about you to guess the purpose of your actions.” Asar looked at the silent Mal'Ganis and continued, “The orcs suddenly appeared on the border, a plague suddenly broke out in the kingdom, and demons appeared during the orc war.”

"These pieces of information seem to connect. You or the people behind you must have other motives."

Limited by the information at his disposal, Asa could not guess Mal'Ganis's purpose, but he could indeed connect the dots through these events and had a guess in his mind.

He knew that when history unfolds, an event hundreds of kilometers away can have an impact on the entire world. From a historical perspective, no event is independent.

The occurrence of those events is a result, but why they occurred is the most crucial "cause".

"A mere show of deception!" Mal'Ganis suddenly raised his voice, and dark green energy appeared in his hand; a single shot would end the prince's life.

Asa simply stood up calmly, faced Mal'Ganis who was twice his height, pointed to his chest and said, "Come on, face it here!"

The demon's energy was aimed at the prince, seemingly intent on killing him instantly.

(End of this chapter)