They never sleep or rest, and they have no need for food or waste, which greatly reduces logistical pressure and support requirements. What could be more suitable as beasts of burden than undead who don't need to eat or drink? Robots can only perform simple tasks; achieving intelligence would require progress in Arcane magic.
Undead possess free will and the ability to learn and think, making them far superior to robots. The only drawback is that if they are exploited too harshly, it might lead to rebellious sentiments and uprisings.
However, none of this was a problem for Illidan; he had too many ways to manipulate these undead
until they were as obedient as dogs.
Soon, Illidan and Kaelthas went to make preparations together. First was the recruitment of Death Knights, followed by gathering awakened Nerubians during the attack on the underground Nerubian kingdom, along with various other servants. By using Blood Elves and Night Elves as commanders, the structure of a legion was established.
Thanks to the changes brought about by Maiev's marriage, the Warden team no longer pursued Illidan, allowing him to return and gather a group of followers. There would always be those who followed him either because they were bored and seeking excitement or because they were captivated by Illidan's personal charisma.
They would become Demon Hunters and then join the battle against the Burning Legion. Using Fel Energy to combat Fel Energy was a path never before imagined.
Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza looked at her mate's back, feeling that he was a very handsome man with a strong presence. His earlier action of attacking without a word seemed reckless, but upon closer reflection, she realized he wasn't reckless at all; in fact, his tactical vision was extremely precise.
One could tell if it was an act or not. Right now, the magic tower on the mountain peak had been directly destroyed, apparently by what were called Goblin Bombs. She didn't know much about such things, but she knew they were special supplies. That wasn't the point; the point was that the magic towers capable of long-range attacks to hinder the army's progress were no longer a threat!
Fortress siege warfare is nothing more than first taking out the enemy's defensive structures. Once magic fire support is lost, one's own mages can freely cover the ground with fire. Forget the Scourge—even the battle-hardened demons of the Burning Legion would be torn to shreds.
Furthermore, this protects one's own priests from being sniped. With warriors attacking fiercely in the front, priests healing in the rear, and long-range damage output, a standard raid composition could push straight through.
"Should we have the Dragonflights join the battle?"
Arthas looked at the battlefield and nodded.
"Then let them join. It will serve as a deterrence to those of The Ashen Blade. They are already undead, and in their minds, they still fear the strong. The stronger Lordaeron is, the more loyal they will be after they surrender."
Alexstrasza nodded and sent out a message using magic. A series of dragon roars echoed from the camp as a large number of dragons spread their wings, took flight, and swept toward the mountain fortress in the distance.
Generally speaking, dragons do not participate in such mortal wars, nor is it possible for them to do so, as there is little benefit.
But now, the reason was simply that the Red Dragon Queen was the mate of the King of Lordaeron, and that alone was enough to explain everything.
Not to mention that the Scourge, in order to expand its forces, had actually set its sights on dragons. They used necromancy to resurrect dead dragons, turning them into Frost Wyrms to fight for them.
Resurrected undead usually have their thoughts bound, becoming puppets for combat. It looks like resurrection, but it is actually more of a suffering. Even if they luckily survive, they won't be accepted by their former kin and will be ostracized as monsters. For creatures that value emotions, this is undoubtedly a terrible thing.
In the distance, the sounds of battle were deafening. The undead had also deployed Frost Wyrms for combat; a single breath of toxic frost from these dragons could freeze a building until it lost all functionality. As ultimate weapons, they were generally not used directly, also out of fear of attracting the attention of the Dragonflights.
Unfortunately, since the dragons had already joined the battle, there was no longer any point in hiding, so they simply entered the fray.
Darian hacked an undead servant in front of him into pieces and shouted to the rear.
"The Lordaeron army is here! Vas, take the Goblin Bombs and blow the gate open!"
"Understood, Commander."
An Orc Death Knight behind him responded. It was hard to believe an Orc would be resurrected as a Death Knight. However, considering that the Lich King Nerzhul himself was originally an Orc and the first generation of Death Knights was composed of Orcs, it didn't seem so strange.
On the other side, Taelan was engaged in combat with a Death Knight, with no other undead around them. The dissipating death energy and battle intent caused even the mindless undead to instinctively avoid them; this was a form of fear felt by inferiors toward their superiors.
"Give it up, Renault. You've made mistake after mistake. King Arthas has personally led the army to attack Icecrown Glacier. He is the first human demigod in history, and his strength far exceeds that of the Lich King. There is no need to follow a beast destined for defeat. Have you forgotten how the Lich King destroyed our home?"
Bang!
The two greatswords collided, sending sparks flying that flickered a few times in the cold wind before dying out. The two men locked in a struggle of strength, neither willing to retreat a single step.
Renault was the eldest son of Old Mograine. It was precisely because of his betrayal that Darian and Taelan had become Death Knights; otherwise, they wouldn't have had to die. Having been burdened with high expectations and treated strictly by his father, he had lived a very repressed life. While other noble scions could eat, drink, and play with various women, he was forced to learn warrior combat techniques and the Path of the Holy Light. Forget women—he wasn't even allowed to drink alcohol.
This wouldn't have been so bad, but as fate would have it, the younger son Darian was not eligible to inherit the Highlord's title. Consequently, supervision over him was relaxed, allowing him to eat, drink, and play, and Old Mograine didn't bother him.
In his father's eyes, the eldest son had to be capable if he was to inherit the title; he had to have ability, or else he would bring shame to the entire Mograine family.
The improper educational methods and long-term repression caused Renault to become psychologically distorted. Additionally, their family was very close to Sally Whitemane's family. In the original plot, Old Mograine had adopted Sally as his daughter, and she and Renault developed feelings for each other.
In this reversed timeline, Sally had been saved by Arthas in passing. At that moment, she fell in love at first sight and intended to devote herself entirely to the Prince.
Thus, seeing the girl he had known and liked since childhood throw herself into another's arms, Renault exploded!
Under the seduction of the Lich KelThuzad, and then being further manipulated by the Lich King after his death, Renault was successfully fooled into betraying Lordaeron, causing the deaths of many members of the Knights of the Silver Hand.
Having come this far, how could he possibly turn back?
Now in this state—neither human nor ghost—and with Sally being a Priestess of the Light, they were irreconcilable. His only option was to follow the words of the Lich King Nerzhul and turn all of Azeroth into a kingdom of the undead. Then, he could be with a Sally who had also been turned into an undead.
"Hehehe, Taelan, you're a stubborn fool just like your father. You should have persuaded your father to become a Death Knight instead. I cannot betray the Lich King, so please, just die! The Ashen Blade will be destroyed, and so will you!"
Renault's eyes showed unmasked hatred; he loathed and detested the other man. For no other reason than the fact that the other was more outstanding than him; from childhood, Taelan had always been ahead of him, and he had been beaten by his father many times because of it. His mindset was already twisted. For his dream of an undead kingdom, no one could stop him or persuade him!
"Why has it come to this?"
Taelan kicked him away, but in the next second, an extremely powerful force repelled him, even cracking his bones. He staggered and nearly fell, quickly using his runeblade to support his body, his eyes full of disbelief.
"How did you become stronger? This is impossible. Were you hiding your strength?"
Feeling the continuous flow of power into his body, Renault himself was bewildered, unable to understand the reason behind it.
If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't think about it; he knew his Master must have transferred power to him.
"Jie jie jie, Taelan, today is the day you die. A Death Knight dying again means even your soul will cease to exist this time. Hahaha, look into my eyes, bastard!"
Just as he was about to move further, the ground suddenly began to vibrate.
Many beetle-like Nerubians crawled up from underground. Without a moment's pause, they pounced on the members of The Ashen Blade who had defected with him. Caught off guard, the already small number of members in the knightly order was instantly halved.
A massive Nerubian, three meters high and five meters long, appeared. Its eyes emitted an eerie blue glow. It was none other than another of the Lich King's great generals, Anub'arak!
This Nerubian was the famous King of the Kingdom of Azjol-Nerub, who had once crushed the Lich King's plans to invade the underground Nerubian kingdom. Relying on the Nerubians' mental pact with the Old Gods and their unique physiology, they were immune to mind control and whispers, and also immune to the Scourge's Plague.
This forced the Lich King Nerzhul to use the undead's lack of fear of death for a war of attrition. By killing the enemy's warriors and resurrecting them as Crypt Fiends, he slowly ate away at the entire Nerubian Empire. Through a long, sleepless war of attrition, he broke the northern Nerubian kingdom and killed the bravest Nerubian warrior, King Anub'arak.
Resurrected as an undead, Anub'arak resentfully became his pawn, acting as a guide to dismember the entire kingdom. He also seized Nerubian eggs and corrupted them into undead soldiers.
Having lost their king, the Nerubians scattered and fled, digging downward as hard as they could, eventually waking the sleeping Yogg-Saron. Yogg-Saron dispatched an army of Faceless Ones to purge these insolent insects, not only because they disturbed his slumber but also because these Nerubians dared to resist the idea of becoming servants of the Old Gods—traitors must die!
"You've come at just the right time. The Alliance army has attacked; we must repel them and hold the fortress. Taelan, you're dead! Haha!"
Renault didn't care about any of that; he only thought about slaying his enemy with his own hands and then cutting off the head of his foolish younger brother. His father would surely laugh with joy upon seeing it, wouldn't he? The entire Mograine family could finally be considered extinct!
Anub'arak didn't even spare Taelan a glance. His mission was not to support the mountain fortress, but something far more important.
"Did you not hear the Master's words?"
"What words?"
Just as Renault finished speaking, the voice of the Lich King Nerzhul came through.
"Renault, follow Anub'arak immediately through the underground tunnels to the Frozen Throne. I need your support. My power is fading; I am giving it all to you now. Once you reach the Frozen Throne, you will receive all of my power and become the new Lich King."
Nerzhul's voice was very weary. He was forced to do this. The puppet he favored most was supposed to be Arthas, but the other man hadn't fallen for it; he had not only taken frostmourne, which served as a controller, but had even purified it.
Without Arthas, his idea of finding another vessel had to be passed down to the next best option.
It should have been Taelan or Darian before Renault. But unfortunately, the first two Death Knights had already awakened their free will, making it impossible to control them again; the Power of Domination could only be used once.
Choosing the unremarkable Renault as his new body was a move of desperation. This body's strength was too poor, and it didn't have much potential. If he had any other choice, Nerzhul wouldn't have looked at him at all.
In fact, he could have chosen KelThuzad or Anub'arak, his two capable lieutenants. But considering he would need manpower in the future—and since Nerzhul looked down on so-called liches and didn't want to become a Nerubian—he chose a human as a final act of Orcish stubbornness.
"But Master, the Alliance army has already attacked the fortress. The gates are destroyed, and the magic towers are also gone. If we don't stop the Alliance army now, Icecrown Glacier will be defenseless!"
Renault wanted to argue further, but in the next second, a severe headache spread from his soul, making him scream in pain.
"Ah!!"
Taelan didn't know what was happening; the other man had just been boasting, and now he was screaming incessantly. Was he insane, or had he lost his mind? Could even the undead go insane?
After the intense pain passed, Renault was staggering. His soul had been attacked, and he was not in good shape.
"I'm saying this for the last time: execute your orders!"
Nerzhul's voice was exceptionally cold. As a servant, he should obey orders instead of bargaining with his master!
"As you command, Master."
Renault gave Taelan a resentful look. He didn't dare face Arthas because he truly couldn't win and would die completely, but Taelan was different—he was a soft target. Killing him would also cause a psychological explosion for the Coalition Commander; he was one of the most suitable candidates.
Anub'arak watched coldly from the side. He didn't want to obey orders, but after being resurrected, his will was no longer his own. Moreover, having betrayed his kingdom and completely destroyed Azjol-Nerub, even if he regained his free will, his former life could never be restored.
"Can we leave now?"
"Yes, please lead the way."
"Climb onto my back. Do not keep the Master waiting."
The two undead finished speaking and retreated through the underground passage, leaving the heavily wounded Taelan behind. He wanted to stop them but no longer had the strength; he couldn't even stop himself.
A massive Abomination walked up to him and raised its huge cleaver, which was still stained with dried, dark red blood, who knows how many innocent lives it had taken.
Taelan fought back fiercely, but even his armor couldn't stop the blade, and he was still cut in half.
The Abomination raised its cleaver again, this time aiming for his head. Executing its Master's command: kill without mercy!