Gazing at the shadow energy enveloping Marakas, Alaric found himself at a loss.
Moments ago, he had tried every method he could think of—fire, ice, storm, rock, and other elemental magic—but none had a significant effect.
He had even attempted light magic, but such spells only generated intense brightness; they lacked the purifying essence of Holy Light to counteract darkness.
Dispel spells had little impact on the shadow barrier, and anti-magic spells failed before the immense shadow energy.
Soul-damaging magic was useless as well—any attempt at brute force would only result in damage to his own soul.
As Alaric pondered a solution, a figure suddenly darted out from a corner near the temple, sprinting towards the shadow barrier at an uncanny speed.
It was Garona. As an assassin, she was of little help against massive creatures, which was why she had remained hidden, focusing on Marakas instead.
Unfortunately, even her daggers, the Kingslayers, couldn't break through the shadow barrier.
However, as the Kingslayers sliced through the air, Alaric could hear the anguished wails of tormented souls.
These were the vengeful spirits of the sacrificed troll warriors. Under the destructive power of the Kingslayers, even these lingering souls could not escape annihilation.
The barrier seemed to weaken slightly.
But it wasn't enough. The sheer number of slain troll warriors was too great; even if Garona continued her assault, she wouldn't be able to exhaust the barrier's power quickly.
Besides, would Marakas simply stand by and allow Garona to attack?
Eyeing her daggers warily, Marakas reluctantly tapped his totemic staff.
Immediately, several shadowy tendrils erupted from the ground around Garona, reaching out to ensnare the half-orc.
—Damn it! My girl won't be touched by these disgusting things!
Of course, these shadowy tendrils weren't the grotesque tentacles from a magical girl's nightmare, nor would they lead to any indecent encounters.
Yet, Alaric couldn't shake the eerie familiarity of the scene. Without hesitation, he used tactical teleportation to bring the assassin back to his side.
"Forget it, I'll handle this," Alaric said to Garona. "You should focus on assisting them against the God-Powered Warriors. Marakas' shadow magic is too dangerous for you to deal with."
"Sorry, Lif, I'm holding you back." Garona's voice was filled with frustration. "I'm too weak."
"Don't say such nonsense." Alaric patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Spellcasters should be handled by other spellcasters, don't you think?"
"But… aren't assassins supposed to eliminate defenseless spellcasters?" Garona countered stubbornly, staring at him with determined eyes.
"You talk about specialization, yet you insist on handling everything yourself… So, let me help you distract the witch doctor. I want to assist you, too."
Feeling the sincerity of the half-orc girl's guilt and her strong desire to help, Alaric let out a deep sigh.
"Yeah, but Marakas is hardly defenseless."
After a moment of thought, he added, "If you truly want more strength to help me in the future, I'll find a way for you.
But for now… listen to me. Your real opponents aren't the witch doctors—they need you over there."
After much insistence from Alaric, Garona finally relented.
Before leaving, however, she turned back with a serious expression.
"Lord Lif, remember to think of a way to make me stronger when we return! Any method, any price—I'm willing to pay it."
"I got it, I got it!"
The half-orc girl's sincere desire to help him moved Alaric, but he quickly urged her on. "Go complete your mission."
With Garona gone, Alaric resumed contemplating a way to break the shadow barrier.
For a moment, he regretted never studying the power of the Holy Light. Was it just because he feared the judgment of the Holy Light Church?
If he had mastered Holy Light, perhaps this shadow barrier…
Indeed, making Liadrin the first paladin had been a wise decision. Unfortunately, it had taken too long.
With that thought, his gaze shifted to another powerful high elf warrior. This warrior was not only formidable but also relatively low in rank.
In the original timeline, he had displayed a natural talent for the paladin's path.
Until Alaric's magic reached a near-divine level, Holy Light-like power would remain indispensable to him.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
Since a direct breakthrough seemed impossible for the moment, Alaric began considering alternative strategies.
How could he bypass the shadow barrier's power and directly disrupt the ritual? Or perhaps force the barrier to collapse on its own?
His eyes suddenly turned to the God-Powered Warriors battling his teammates.
Four massive beings were rampaging through the battlefield, their immense strength reducing everything to ruins. Chaos reigned.
Yet, his battle-hardened and highly skilled allies, empowered by Alaric's buffing magic, were performing at their peak.
They wove through the titanic blows, dodging and countering with finesse. Although the situation seemed dire, none had suffered critical injuries.
Garona, now rejoining the fight, utilized her incredible agility to its fullest. Even the lynx god, Halazzi, was left reeling under her ghostly movements.
And in her hands, the deadly Kingslayers—though unable to penetrate the shadow barrier—proved devastating against the God-Powered Warriors.
The enchanted flesh that could withstand the arrows of the Windrunner sisters and the heavy strikes of warriors crumbled like paper beneath her blades.
However, the life and nature energy of the Loa gods played its role.
Even as Garona inflicted wound after wound upon Halazzi, his powerful regeneration countered the Kingslayers' devastating effect, preventing fatal damage.
Observing the immense divine power imbued in these warriors, an idea suddenly formed in Alaric's mind.
If the Loa gods wielded such incredible strength, why not use it to his advantage?
Though he lacked the trolls' faith and the knowledge of Loa rituals, he knew one crucial fact—the Loa gods had not willingly given their power to Marakas and the trolls.
In Warcraft's original history, the Zandalari sought to revive the Troll Empire by spreading their knowledge and voodoo magic to the fallen troll factions across Azeroth, including Zul'Aman, Zul'Drak, and Zul'Gurub.
As a result, many Loa gods were enslaved, controlled, or even slain by their own followers. Rebellious Loa deities were not uncommon.
This widespread betrayal and abuse of divine power were undoubtedly resented by the Loa gods.
And that was exactly the weakness Alaric intended to exploit.
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