Azeroth: Starting with Eagle Eye in the Necropolis.

There must be several thousand of these surviving humans and dwarves. Ordinary teleportation spells certainly won't be able to reach them; I'll have to send magic to teleport them there.

"We have learned of Marshal Rhodes's position. I will immediately send a message to the mages in Dalaran. As for the fleet, Kul Tiras can also provide some support."

"The Alliance admiral has already contacted us and will soon be leading the Invincible Armada to join us," said Old Mograine.

They have recently made contact with Kul Tiras, and the admiral has learned of his daughter's whereabouts and is currently on his way.

"Hmm, is there any other news?" Rhodes asked.

It seems his father-in-law is coming soon. This time, Rhodes doesn't plan to send his father-in-law to Kalimdor to die. He should just stay in the Eastern Kingdoms or manage Kul Tiras!

"Grand Marshal Rhodes, the Stratholme region is firmly controlled by Death Knight Highlord Scythek, Banshee Queen Sylvanas and her 'Forsaken,' who seem to be coordinating their defenses with a... new, more bloated undead creature (Abominations). There are no signs of large-scale deployments yet, but small-scale scout skirmishes occur from time to time."

"There's something else I'm not sure if I should report to you," old Mograine paused before speaking.

"Please feel free to speak your mind."

"Then I'll say it, Grand Marshal Rhodes. Not long ago, we captured an undead who claimed to have been a sentinel in Stratholme. He was slaughtered because of Arthas's evil deeds and eventually became a Scourge undead."

Until about a month ago, they escaped the Scourge's control along with the Death Knight Highlord, and now they want to request the Alliance's help.

“Oh! You mean these undead who call themselves the Forgotten Ones have sent us a messenger?” Rhodes asked.

Unexpectedly, this envoy was originally supposed to go to Stormwind, but now he has integrated the forces of all the Eastern Kingdoms, including the dwarves, elves, Dalaran, and the remnants of Lordaeron.

So Sylvanas sent this messenger to her side instead of going to Stormwind, but it's a miracle that the guy wasn't killed by the soldiers.

“Lord Rhodes, if you don’t want to see him, I will immediately order the priest to perform a ritual to release this undead. Our priest says that he has indeed gained free will, but he is still an undead. Perhaps returning to peace under the light of the Holy Light is the best fate for him,” Fairbanks said.

The other Alliance priests nodded in agreement. They had already tested the undead in front of them and found that it was indeed different from the mindless undead of the Scourge; it possessed memories of the time before it was killed.

However, his personality has indeed been somewhat distorted, and he now has an instinctive aversion to the living. These priests who follow the Holy Light suggested that Rhodes purify him directly with the Holy Light, so that this poor soul could return to the embrace of the Holy Light.

"Grand Marshal Rhodes, we have temporarily imprisoned this special undead, awaiting your disposal," said old Mograine.

Because he traveled to Outland with Rhodes, Ashbringer now has a different perspective on undead or demons, and Rhodes can cooperate with the demon hunter Illidan.

So perhaps these undead are not beyond redemption, at least my holy light did not sense any evil in them.

However, Old Mograine did not plead for mercy, because in the current situation, everyone hated the undead. Even though they had confirmed that the undead had regained its freedom, all of humanity believed that its best destiny was to return to the embrace of the Holy Light and be purified in its flames.

However, Mograine had a different idea. He had once realized from the Shadow Crystal that the ultimate form of Holy Light was Shadow, so why wasn't the ultimate form of Death also Life?

Originally, this messenger would have been completely purified before even seeing Rhodes, but by some strange twist of fate, old Mograine stopped everyone and decided to hand over the disposal of this undead to Rhodes.

"Ashbringer, what do you think we should do with this undead?" Rhodes asked, looking at old Mograine.

"Lord Rhodes, my thoughts may differ from others, but if you are willing to listen, I will speak boldly."

I used to think that the Holy Light was pure, but later, through forging the Shadow Crystal of Ashbringer, I realized that pure Holy Light can give rise to shadows, and shadows can also give rise to Holy Light.

Justice and evil are not absolute. I did not sense any evil in that undead, and even ordinary holy light could not harm him, which was something that would never have happened before.

I believe the ultimate form of Holy Light is Shadow, and the ultimate form of Shadow is Holy Light. Is it possible that the end of life is death, and the end of death is also life?

As the saying goes, "In war, one should not kill envoys." These were once citizens of Lordaeron. Imagine if one of us, after becoming undead, regained free will and came seeking help, only to be purified instead—how would you feel?

"What? My old friend, you've broken up with him? How could you have such a thought?" Fairbanks looked at old Mograine with disbelief.

What's wrong with my old friend? How could he say such nonsense? The end of life is indeed death, but how can the end of death be life?

“Lord Rhodes, Mograine may be a little tired lately, so he said some nonsense. Please don’t take it to heart,” Dathrohan quickly stepped forward and said.

“I’m not talking nonsense, and I’m not crazy. Lord Rhodes, these words come from the bottom of my heart.”

I spoke with the prophet Velen in Outland and witnessed your story with Illidan, as well as the Firstborn. We have no right to blindly take away the lives that others have worked so hard to gain.

"Life, what kind of joke are you making? Lord Mograine, so many of our companions have lost their lives to the Scourge, and now you're pitying an undead?" a paladin roared.

The other priests and paladins were also furious. If it weren't for the fact that Old Mograine was the Ashbringer and the Grand Lord of the Knights of the Silver Hand, they would have already erupted.

Upon hearing this, Rhodes waved his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.

"Quiet. I know you hate the Scourge, but who created the Scourge?"

It's the Burning Legion, it's the Lich King, and those ordinary undead creatures are actually the former subjects of Lordaeron, former humans, or people from other countries. Who would want to become a member of the Scourge undead?

Moreover, Mograine was right. The ultimate form of Holy Light is Shadow, and the ultimate form of Shadow is Holy Light. This has been proven by my Holy Judgment and by Mograine's Ashbringer.

And the end of death is life, I can tell you that this is also true, although it is hard to believe, but it is all true.

"All beings in Azeroth go to a place called the Shadowlands after death, where they will undergo a second life. But first, they will be judged. If their souls are guilty of heinous crimes and beyond redemption, they will be cast into a deep abyss. As for the other souls, they will go their own way. I cannot tell you too much about the specifics," Rhodes said.

As expected of the old Mograine, he might not have been able to comprehend these things before, but following me to Outland, seeing a wider world, meeting the prophet Velen, and even hearing about the Firstborn, broadened his horizons considerably.

Upon hearing Rhodes' words, the crowd immediately began to whisper among themselves. No one could believe that Rhodes, who was hailed as the spokesperson of the Holy Light and the savior of Lordaeron, would say such a thing.

Only Old Mo and Lennie's eyes flashed with a glint of insight, it seemed they were right, their ideas were correct.

"Lord Rhodes! Do you mean to spare these undead?"

"These free undead are unacceptable to us. We will not allow them to join the Alliance, but we will not harm them either."

"As long as they don't invade our land or harm our people, let them live in this world for now, until one day they return to the Shadowlands on their own." Rhodes made his judgment.

Chapter 246 The Forsaken's Way Out: Preparing to Attack the Royal City

"It's Grand Marshal Rhodes. How could these undead possibly want to return to that Shadow Realm?"

“Yes, Grand Marshal Rhodes, and Lord Mograine, we shouldn’t believe that those undead creatures were already being merciful by purifying them with Holy Light.”

"Only the Holy Light can guide us forward." For a moment, some of the paladins and priests present were filled with indignation.

The Shadowlands had never heard of such a thing before, and they had no way of knowing whether it was true or not, since no one has ever died and been resurrected.

But now the threat of the dead is real; these dead are the enemies of the living, and one day they will clash.

“But there is shadow even in the Holy Light. Are we to deny these things? Are there no Shadow Priests among all the priests?” Old Mograine roared.

To be honest, he was somewhat disappointed with his fellow paladins and priests, but with Rhodes, he felt like he had found a kindred spirit; Rhodes shared the same thoughts as him.

In some ways, both the Holy Judgment and his Ashbringer are Holy Light weapons transformed from Shadow.

“We will not clash with them for now. Bring this envoy to me, and I will handle this matter personally. If you still consider me the Grand Marshal of the Alliance,” Rhodes said.

The paladins and priests present fell silent. They had witnessed Rhodes' actions over the past few days and he was indeed a qualified Grand Marshal, but they could not agree with his handling of the undead.

"Marshal Luo, your kindness is admirable. Perhaps you are right, but what about Stratholme?"

"You said that after reclaiming Lordaeron, you would lead us to reclaim Stratholme. Are you saying we'll hand Stratholme over to those undead?" an Alliance paladin asked.

When Rhodes took office as Grand Marshal of the Alliance, he boasted that he would take back the capital city of Lordaeron and Stratholme and restore Lordaeron's glory. But if Stratholme is in the hands of those undead, how can we take it back?

"I will keep my promise to all of you. I will soon reclaim the capital city of Lordaeron. As for Stratholme, I will talk to those undead creatures."

"You can rest assured, I will persuade them to leave and live on the northern continent of Northrend, or find another place to settle down. If they don't move, I can assure you all that I will wage war against the undead, whether they are free or not," Rhodes assured everyone.

After receiving Rhodes's assurance, the paladins and priests in front of them calmed down. They had previously thought that Rhodes intended to hand over Stratholme to them, but now it seemed that this was not the case.

“We humans haven’t fully recovered yet. We need to rest and recuperate after we reclaim the royal city. Once all this is over, I believe Lord Rhodes will lead us to victory.” Dassohan took a deep breath, came to Rhodes’ side, and nodded as he spoke.

He and his old friend Mograine accompanied Rhodes on his expedition to Outland, where they defeated demons in the Black Temple and faced Kil'jaeden, the commander of the Burning Legion.

He still trusted this brave and decisive Grand Marshal, and even thought that the other place Rhodes mentioned for living was probably Outland. In any case, as long as they didn't live in the Eastern Kingdoms, they could go to Outland or Northrend.

“I also support you, Lord Rhodes,” Fairbanks stepped forward and said.

Old Mograine, on the other hand, stood firmly by Rhodes' side, believing that Rhodes' choice was correct.

After gaining the support of the Alliance members, Rhodes then announced the summoning of the undead who had come to the Alliance army camp.

A moment later, a ragged, ugly, and deathly gray undead creature was brought before the group.

After gesturing for the guards to remove his shackles, Rhodes asked, “Stand up, undead, tell me your name, tell me why you’ve come.”

The undead creature in front of him nodded, then stood up and bowed to Rhodes.

"Thank you for receiving the Grand Marshal of the Alliance, Lord Rhodes. My name is Sam. Before I died, I was a Sentinel of Som. After I died at the hands of Prince Arthas, I was transformed into a Scourge undead, but later I regained my free will."

"I was prepared to die again, but your generosity surprised me. I never even thought I would meet you when I came here." The ghost named Sam gave a brief self-introduction.

“Now that you have escaped the Lich King’s control, I will not kill you without reason. Now explain your purpose,” Rhodes said, nodding to him.

“Thank you very much for receiving me, Grand Marshal. I have come on the orders of Sylvanas, the Banshee Queen, and Highlord Scythek, the Death Knight. We Forsaken wish to rejoin the Alliance,” said Sam of the Forsaken.

These words caused an uproar throughout the Alliance's military camp. They never expected that these undead would want to return to the Alliance.

"You dead dare to try and join the ranks of the living? Are you kidding me?"

“You are already dead. Dead people should go back to their graves, not occupy our city.”

"Quiet down!" Rhode snapped at the noisy crowd, then looked at the undead creature in front of him.

"First of all, I sympathize with the plight of you victims, but in the eyes of your relatives and friends, you are already gone."

I cannot allow you to join the Alliance. None of the Alliance races would welcome you, and the city of Stratholme that you occupy must be returned to the humans.

"If you agree, we can avoid conflict," Rhodes said.

“Lord Rhodes, it’s one thing if you don’t accept our return to the Alliance, but are you going to take away our only place of refuge? Stratholme was originally occupied by the Scourge, and we took it back.”

“But that is still Alliance land. I can let you use it temporarily, but you must move out and convey my words to your leader,” Rhodes said.

“I understand, my lord. I will convey your words to the Banshee Queen and the Death Knight Highlord.” The undead before him nodded, then turned and left.

At Rhodes's signal, the guards did not make things difficult for him and let him leave the Alliance's military camp directly.

After he left, Rhodes shook his head. Even if the undead regained their freedom, they would still not be accepted by the Alliance. Their only fate was to stay away from humans and live in a quiet place. Northrend, or rather, the world outside of Azeroth, was their paradise.

"Grand Marshal Rhodes, do you think the undead will return Stratholme to us?"

“Whether they like it or not, I will take back Stratholme, but let’s talk about it after we’ve dealt with the situation in Lordaeron. Right now, I want to hear the intelligence from there,” Rhodes said.

At most, they can only stay there temporarily. The Shadow Fortress of Scythek, with its modified magic ship, can accommodate all the undead, so at least these guys won't be homeless. However, the Banshee Queen is unlikely to give it up easily. She should also send envoys to the Horde. Thrall will likely send some orcs to help guard Stratholme.

Old Mograine stepped forward and said, "Grand Marshal Rhodes, the number of undead entrenched in the capital city of Lordaeron is still enormous, but as you predicted, they lack unified and effective command. They are mainly composed of some low-level demons, crypt demons, and a large number of mindless skeletons and zombies. We have completed the initial clearing and encirclement of the capital city's outskirts. Now, only two dreadlords are entrenched in the city. These two dreadlords are Balnazzar and Detherlock."

There was also a dreadlord, which had already been killed by those traitorous undead, thus easing their burden somewhat.

“Very good.” Rhodes looked around at the generals present, his voice steady and powerful. “Gentlemen, in the war in Outland, we proved the Alliance’s courage and thwarted the Burning Legion’s plot!”

Now, it's time to use this power to save our own home!

Rhodes drew the Holy Light Judgment from his waist, its tip pointing directly towards the capital city of Lordaeron. (The Holy Light Judgment serves as the protagonist's sword when commanding the Alliance army, but is given to the Archangel of Light during battle.)

"Issue my order! The entire army shall rest for one day. At dawn tomorrow, we shall march on the capital of Lordaeron! We shall use holy light and sword to thoroughly purify that desecrated city and welcome our Queen back!"