Arthas was also one of them, mobilized to attack those green-skinned creatures.
A glance at the panel showed their clan affiliation.
Dragonmaw Clan orcs!
It was them indeed!
This orc clan, nearly wiped out with only a few survivors, would continue to be hunted by the red dragonflight in the future.
The reason for their tragic fate was a foolish act they committed.
That was using the demon soul's powerful suppressive ability over dragons to enslave red dragon queen Alexstrasza, forcing her to produce more offspring to be raised and enslaved by the orcs as cavalry, to deal with the human Alliance and completely conquer this continent, turning the fertile land into a new homeland for the orcs.
What caliber is the red dragon queen?
She is one of the strongest known beings in Azeroth; how could she endure being enslaved by filthy orcs, and furthermore, allow them to enslave her offspring and force the red dragonflight to join the Horde in battle?
Proud dragons could not tolerate such humiliation; were it not for a threat to her life, she would absolutely not have submitted.
After the red dragon queen was rescued, such an egregious insult naturally transformed into a towering rage, leading her to slaughter the entire clan to appease her hatred!
Understanding the cause and effect, it seemed all too normal.
If it were Arthas, he would have to slaughter the entire Horde, choking the last orc in a cesspit, to quell his hatred!
Well, that was the red dragon queen, not him, so this assumption was invalid.
And there was another strange point: when he first met his brother-in-law Derek, he had a doubt. A person who should have died was still alive, which seemed off no matter how he looked at it.
After reviewing history and questioning those around him, the description of this past was that red dragons indeed appeared during the Second orc War.
However, shortly after appearing and engaging with the dwarven gryphon units, they withdrew from the battle and launched a retaliatory strike against the orcs.
This forced the main orc forces to disperse urgently, eventually gathering near Eastweald and uniting with the forest trolls to attack the high elf kingdom of Quel'Thalas.
The confusion here was that the red dragons were initially enslaved, but why did they leave so quickly?
According to the timeline and plot, they should have assisted the Horde in battle for two to three years, even destroying an elite Kul Tiras fleet and causing the heir apparent, Derek, to perish at sea.
Now it seemed the secret behind these changes lay here.
But even that felt off. Who exactly changed all of this?
A strange thought surfaced in Arthas' mind: could it be because of him?
As he was pondering, the dragonflight had already launched its surprise attack.
The crushing advantage of high-dimensional beings was fully displayed at this moment; a single Bash from an adult red dragon could flatten an orc into a meat patty.
A casual sweep of their tail, like a thousand-pound hammer striking the body, was enough to instantly kill even the stronger orcs who had consumed demon blood, as they couldn't withstand the damage!
Arthas was also in the main force, fishing in troubled waters, but his combat was quite unique.
In a way, he was like the other red dragons, engaging physically with paw strikes, clawing, tail Bash, and even curling up to become a high-speed bowling ball for a home run!
The only difference was that the slaughtered orcs were very clean!
Their weapons were gone, their armor was gone, anything that could be taken was gone.
An invisible little hand was stealing; this was not very clean!
You don't know the cost of living until you manage a household. These recovered weapons could be melted down and reforged into sharper, more durable, and sturdier weapons and armor, and even enchanted.
What was originally a pile of scrap metal worth ten copper pieces could be re-forged by the blacksmiths in the City of Hope, and an enchanted weapon could sell for over ten gold pieces, a truly exorbitant profit!
However, in this chaotic scene, if one didn't look carefully, it would be hard to notice.
Even if it were noticed, at most, it would only cause surprise; the battlefield allowed no time for dazing.
The red dragon queen did not participate in the battle but oversaw it from the rear.
Leading the charge was her mate, the old red dragon Talanisstasza. Despite his aged appearance, his combat prowess was genuinely strong.
His combat experience was also very rich; with each paw strike, while killing an orc, he also flung the corpse away to disrupt the charging orcs.
Opening his mouth, a scorching dragon's Breath spewed forth. Wherever the wave of fire swept, even the berserk orcs screamed in agony, the intense pain suppressing their madness and temporarily restoring their sanity.
The dragon's Breath extended all the way to the rear, blocking the orc charge while also engulfing the shaman spellcasters behind them.
With such an experienced old red dragon leading, the younger red dragons behind him charged into the battlefield with even greater excitement, wreaking havoc.
Besides orcs, there were also many ogres and Grol creatures, lacking intelligence but towering several meters tall.
For a time, even though the orcs were in a tough battle, they did not break, nor did any of them flee.
The charging orcs in the rear even pulled out their canteens, which contained diluted demon blood.
Whenever their courage faltered, a sip of demon blood would immediately plunge them into a frenzy, with only slaughter in their eyes, hands in their pockets, knowing no fear whatsoever!
If they weren't enemies, the orcs' fearlessness would indeed be worthy of respect; even as enemies, they would earn an equally high evaluation.
Alas, enemies can only die.
Countless dragon's Breaths swept in; the power unleashed by more powerful beings was a dimensionality-reduction strike for mortal races.
If nothing unexpected happened, this would be a one-sided slaughter.
The only mistake these orcs made was seizing the demon soul, an artifact they should not have taken!
No matter what they thought, intentionally or unintentionally, as long as they seized the demon soul, they must die!
This isn't right!
Arthas was somewhat puzzled; even at this point, he still felt something was off.
His mission was to save the red dragon queen. If the mission was completed this simply, wouldn't it be too easy?
It's not that easy isn't possible, but most of the time, what falls from the sky isn't a pie, but bait laced with poison!
The next second.
Behind the flames stood an ugly-faced orc with half a tusk broken, his crimson eyes filled with madness.
Unlike those orcs who had lost their minds and were dominated by instinct.
This orc, though mad, maintained extreme rational control, and in his hand, he held a brilliant golden disk. It was a pure and flawless jewel, yet it carried faint, eerie black lines, making it look extremely strange.
It was the corrupting power of the Old Gods fused within it that had stripped the jewel of its original luster.
"Dragons? Hmph! Soon you will become slaves of the Dragonmaw Clan, and the Horde will once again be great because of the Dragonmaw Clan!"
Roar!
All the red dragons present felt a wave of weakness. They didn't know why, but their breath, which could melt steel, could now only emit a faint spark, even weaker than a lighter!