The Demigod legion exhausted all their strength to hold back the high-level combatants of the Burning Legion, while the mortal army of the Night Elves, inspired by high-ranking officers fighting on the very front lines to boost morale, finally endured through the most difficult period.
The main Pandaren force, arriving first under the leadership of High Commander Wang Dan, launched a surprise assault on the Burning Legion's flank without a word of hesitation.
The combat habits of the Pandaren were entirely different from those of the Night Elven Empire, which leaned toward individual heroism. Their formations remained perfectly intact, with a thousand-man unit moving as precisely as a single limb under an officer's command.
The Monk units striking the flank posed a significant threat to the Burning Legion. Suddenly facing an unfamiliar enemy, the demons were clearly ill-prepared. The assaulted flank was torn open by the fresh Pandaren forces.
To avoid being trapped and crushed between the two converging armies, the Burning Legion had no choice but to abandon the demons already engaged and retreat urgently.
The Pandaren did not pursue blindly; they knew when to stop while ahead. Their officers restrained their subordinates with iron discipline.
Jarod observed the Pandaren's rigid military formation and sighed in admiration. "An army that emphasizes discipline? It truly is a completely different way of fighting compared to ours."
Although Jarod was hailed as a genius commander, his talent lay more in field command and strategic vision. He was not particularly skilled at training soldiers or enforcing strict discipline; this was purely a matter of experience and habitual thinking.
The military bearing of the Pandaren army also brought some inspiration to Andreas, who at that moment was gazing thoughtfully at the two armies as they gradually merged.
A few days after the Pandaren reinforcements arrived, the chieftains of the various Tauren tribes followed close behind. The chieftains temporarily elected Huln Highmountain—who possessed the highest charisma and prestige—as the Tauren representative to discuss coordination with Jarod, the Resistance's Supreme Commander, and Wang Dan, the Pandaren Marshal.
Faced with a great enemy, the three military leaders did not spend much time bickering. They quickly agreed upon a suitable method of operation.
Because time was too short for the three races to conduct combined training, each military leader would command their own army. They would fight independently in terms of tactics but follow Jarod's unified dispatch regarding the overall grand strategy.
During the days the joint military council was held, Andreas took the opportunity to give Leticia some intensive training.
Leticia, after all, hailed from a prominent Highborne family. Having been bathed in the radiance of the Well of Eternity since childhood, she naturally possessed an exceptional affinity for magic.
When Andreas first began teaching Leticia, he had given her a choice: she could follow the path of a regular Druid, focusing on the power of nature supplemented by Arcane.
But Leticia firmly rejected this path. As a descendant of the Highborne, influenced by her parents since childhood, she inevitably held a somewhat negative view of orthodox Druidism. In the eyes of the Druids, the Highborne were noble lords who lorded over them; but in the eyes of the Highborne, weren't Druids rebels attempting to overthrow their rule by force? One couldn't say who was right or wrong in this clash of ideologies, as both sides had their own positions and demands.
Andreas' second choice for Leticia was to continue the Highborne tradition and specialize in Arcane magic. Leticia had been very tempted by this choice at one point. Having personally witnessed Queen Azshara wielding the Arcane with immense power, the young girl inevitably felt a bias toward it.
However, after much hesitation, she ultimately chose the path Andreas was currently walking—choosing Shadow power as her primary attribute.
Since she disliked the shapeshifting spells of Druids, everything Andreas had taught Leticia thus far consisted of pure Shadow spells. He taught the young girl foundational spells such as Mind Blast, Mind Flay, Shadow Word: Pain, and Psychic Horror one by one.
In truth, these systematic spells were not recreated by Andreas alone; Xal'atath had contributed significantly to the process.
This remnant soul of an Old God parasitic within the scimitar seemed to truly regard Andreas as the Divine Envoy of a Void Lord. At least at this stage, Xal'atath was wholeheartedly assisting and helping him, though she did not miss the opportunity to quietly scavenge on the battlefield in an attempt to mend her fragmented soul.
Due to the various ill-repute and legends surrounding Old Gods, Andreas did not trust Xal'atath entirely despite her current submissiveness. He remained appropriately vigilant toward her.
But to give credit where it was due, the systematic Void spells obtained from Xal'atath greatly enriched Andreas' previously meager magical offensive capabilities. The "Heart-Shattering Howl" that had shaken the surroundings earlier was an advanced version based on the basic spell "Psychic Scream," and its area-of-effect impact was outstanding.
Due to her worry over her mother and clansmen's safety, Leticia had been quite impatient in her studies recently. She often found herself dazing out on the battlefield. Fortunately, she had her two companions to support each other, so no major incidents had occurred. Andreas had reprimanded her severely multiple times, and the girl finally managed to barely control her emotions, turning her worry and anxiety into the drive for further progress.
...
The long war was like a massive forge. On one hand, it sent most participating soldiers back into Elune's embrace with an ultra-high elimination rate; on the other, it forged those with talent into shape at an incredible speed.
Although the losses of the Night Elf Resistance were heavy, many rising stars emerged during this battle. Within the Druid and Priesthood systems that Andreas was familiar with, several individuals stood out, including Fandral, Lensa, and Shaun, who had studied alongside "him" under Malfurion.
On the side of the Sisterhood of Elune, although High Priestess Dejahna had luckily survived the crisis of severe overexertion, her body had ultimately suffered immense damage. She was destined to never again lead from the front lines in her capacity as the High Priestess of Elune.
Under her intentional delegation of power and "duck-stuffing" style of intensive teaching, Tyrande grew extremely fast. With Maiev choosing to maintain a low profile, Tyrande stood out, gradually showing a trend of replacing Dejahna as the new generation's High Priestess.
Although Maiev did not publicly express a desire to compete with Tyrande for the position, the Battle Priestess units she led were deeply dissatisfied with Dejahna's blatant favoritism toward Tyrande.
Originally, Dejahna had intended to take a longer time to pave the way for Tyrande before naturally promoting her. However, plans couldn't keep up with changes; under the current circumstances, she had to force the issue.
To suppress dissenting voices and build momentum for Tyrande, Dejahna—after seeking Tyrande's own consent—announced her status as one chosen by the Moon Goddess.
Once this shocking news was released, the Battle Priestesses, who had been determined to seek justice for their leader, were instantly silenced. No matter what, the Sisterhood of Elune was ultimately a religious organization.
With the Goddess herself clearly stating her stance, the Battle Priestesses, even if they still harbored grievances, could only suppress their dissatisfaction. Otherwise, the label of "disrespecting the Goddess" would be pinned on them.
The Sisterhood of Elune, having basically completed the transition between the old and new leadership, did not gain cohesion. Instead, due to Tyrande's "parachuted" succession, a hidden spark of discord appeared. No one knew when the Battle Priestesses' resentment would erupt.
Throughout this power shift within the Sisterhood, Andreas—who was also chosen by the Moon Goddess—did not offer any opinions. He merely listened silently to the private complaints of the priestesses, occasionally offering them a few lukewarm words of comfort.
Even an outsider like Leticia could sense the resistance hidden in the hearts of the Battle Priestesses. It was impossible for Andreas not to notice, but he had no interest in cleaning up Tyrande's mess. More importantly...
If you don't stir up some trouble, how am I supposed to recruit people from the rock-solid Sisterhood of Elune?