The weather in Netherstorm was extremely bad… or rather, the harsh environment here could no longer be considered normal planetary climate.
The sky of the entire region was almost completely exposed to space, pitch black, with no concept of day or night, only a thin, barely-there atmosphere maintaining sparse air.
The soil on the ground was devoid of life, and nothing could be felt in the eerie purplish-blue land except chaotic Arcane energy.
As the naaru ship accelerated forward, dazzling energy arcs flashed in the air, seemingly ready to strike any object active in Netherstorm at any moment.
Rhonin, arriving on the bridge, looked at the flashing energy arcs around him with a sense of trepidation; he had never seen an environment so harsh. Even the Blasted Lands, with the most severe living conditions in Azeroth, were far better than this place.
Andreas continuously tried to discern the original appearance of Farahlon from Netherstorm as the ship accelerated, but unfortunately, he found nothing.
Farahlon Island in Draenor was content cut from World of Warcraft's 6.0 version. Because it died in its infancy, no one knew what Farahlon truly looked like.
The last time Elune threw them to Draenor, Andreas and Shandris couldn't spare time to visit the island due to their mission, and after Draenor shattered, there was no longer any opportunity.
Although Netherstorm was the remains of Farahlon, due to its long-term, semi-direct exposure to space, its topography had long been battered beyond recognition, showing no traces of its past.
As Andreas looked around, Celeste was the first to notice an anomaly at the far end of the ship's trajectory.
"Andreas, look!"
Following Celeste's pointing finger, a towering spire appeared before everyone's eyes.
The metal structure of the tower was clearly man-made. Centered around the spire, the land enveloped by a purple shield was surprisingly lush and green, adorned with exotic alien plants that made the area quite pleasing to the eye.
Andreas smiled with interest, "An Eco-Dome, is it?"
Having done his homework in advance, Andreas was prepared for the Ethereals' technological products.
It was truly rare to establish such a paradise in the barren Netherstorm. This technology is extremely important for any planetary civilization interested in leaving the embrace of their home star.
As long as they can establish a suitable pioneering base on a newly discovered alien planet, interstellar colonists can expand their influence at an incredible speed.
"I must find an opportunity to exchange this technology with the Ethereals."
Burying the fleeting thought in his mind for the time being, Andreas' expression became serious.
Fierce fighting had already begun at the edge of the Eco-Dome, with demons from the Burning Legion assaulting a defensive line constructed by a group of bandaged figures.
In terms of individual combat power, the Ethereals were no match for the main combat races of the Burning Legion; they could only stubbornly resist the Burning Legion's attacks by relying on the Eco-Dome's defensive facilities.
Behind the Ethereals' defensive positions, solid portals made of special materials were visible everywhere. Andreas' objective for this trip, the mana crystals, were piled next to these portals, responsible for providing power.
Ethereals responsible for logistical transport bustled back and forth inside and outside the portals, providing various supplies to the defenders holding the line from the other side of the gate.
Overall, the Burning Legion, covering most of the floating island, gained the upper hand in this battle. The Ethereal side could only barely resist with the Eco-Dome's defensive barrier and various pre-erected weapons.
Whenever the defense line was on the verge of being breached, the spire in the center of the dome would begin to absorb the surrounding free-floating Arcane storms, converting them into Arcane lightning to bombard the Burning Legion's positions, temporarily easing the tense situation on the front lines.
But this approach was destined to be unsustainable; Andreas could already see the chaotic energy arcs around the spire's body generated by the overload.
"Target the Burning Legion's main force, main cannon fire! Simultaneously send a contact signal to the Ethereal spire."
"Yes, main cannon firing!"
"Boom!"
Four beams of energy slammed into the demon horde, blowing up a large area of severed limbs and flesh. At the same time, the communications officer on Nethergarde Keep urgently tried to contact nearby signal channels.
"This is the reinforcement fleet from Azeroth. Can anyone hear us?"
"Static~"
Chaotic and sharp tuning sounds emanated from the communication device. About 5 seconds later, a hoarse voice used awkward Orcish to send a distress call.
"This is the Storm Spire of the Aetherial Consortium. We are under devastating attack from the Burning Legion. Request immediate assistance. The Aetherial Consortium is willing to pay corresponding compensation for this!"
"Heh~" Andreas smiled, "That's what I was waiting for."
"Prepare to launch carrier-based aircraft and initiate a surprise attack on the Burning Legion's rear formation!"
Andreas and Celeste exchanged glances; years as an old couple meant they immediately understood each other's intentions.
"Rhonin." Turning to the still somewhat bewildered red-haired mage, Andreas quickly adjusted his gear. "We're also preparing to attack. You can choose whether or not to participate in the battle."
"Captain, open the hatch, let's go!"
"Yes!"
Ignoring Rhonin's reaction, Andreas and Celeste tacitly accompanied each other to teleport into the hangar, leaving the ship with the moonwings that had already begun to deploy.
Celeste could not fly independently yet, so Andreas first cast a pair of Holy Light Wings on her before launching an assault on the Legion's position.
"You try to hide behind the arcane golems and act as a fort. I'm going ahead."
Celeste didn't waste words, nodding and beginning to prepare her spells.
"You be careful too."
Utilizing Nature Power to create strong winds for propulsion, Andreas plunged like a cannonball from high altitude towards the Burning Legion's rear positions.
Before landing, Andreas first prepared his initial spell.
A condensed golden orb floated up from the tear of Elune at the tip of the Staff of Ganir, splitting into countless golden rays in mid-air.
A large-scale Holy Light energy bombardment threw the unprepared Burning Legion's rear formation into disarray, causing chaos. Their previously orderly charging formation began to break, as demons attempting to advance and retreat couldn't agree, piling up and refusing to yield to each other.
Meanwhile, the main cannons of the four naaru ships had not ceased their bombardment, and Celeste also held her staff high, with fiery red light radiating from the large gem at its tip.
A massive crimson fireball coalesced in front of Celeste, flying at an extremely high speed towards the center of the Burning Legion's formation.
"Boom!"
The area where the fireball struck created a crater about ten meters in diameter. All demons within the range were vaporized by the superheated flames, and crystallized soil from the high-temperature scorching could even be seen at the edges of the depression.
Rhonin, flying in the air using a Dalaran Magical Device, unconsciously twitched the corner of his mouth upon seeing this scene. "This couple is too violent..."
As a fellow fire mage, Rhonin knew he couldn't achieve the small-scale destructive attacks Celeste could, but he had his own advantages.
A massive amount of mana poured out, and the purple ground beneath the Burning Legion began to change color. A super-large-scale Firestorm began to scorch the demons. Although its power was not comparable to Celeste's pinpoint demolition, its area of effect was much larger.
Successive area-of-effect spells landed among the demon hordes, and the Burning Legion's movements inevitably became panicked. At this point, officers were needed to step forward and stabilize the situation.
"Found them!"
Andreas, who had been searching for high-ranking demon officers, his eyes lit up. He saw a Fel Lord wielding a long-handled great axe shouting commands, attempting to reorganize the chaotic military formation.
"You're the one!"
The continuous bombardment from the naaru ships and the arcane golems that obscured the sky drew most of the demons' attention, making Andreas and the others, operating individually, smaller targets and harder to detect.
Celeste carefully hid under the protection of the moonwing, temporarily acting as a turret mage, continuously unleashing small-scale spells into the demon positions.
Rhonin followed suit, concealing himself and unleashing a barrage of spells, leaving the demon officers searching for a long time without finding the spellcaster's location.
In contrast, Andreas, rapidly descending, was quite eye-catching. The Fel Lord he targeted waved his battleaxe, signaling to the surrounding demons, and the Eredar Warlocks immediately redirected their fire to focus spells on Andreas.
Relying on his Holy Light Shield to withstand most of the hastily cast Fel Energy spells, Andreas, converting his kinetic energy into impact force, smashed directly into the ground stained with Fel Energy green.
"Boom!"
The rising dust briefly obscured most of the demons' vision. When they emerged from the smoke and dust, preparing to counterattack, the Fel Lord who had raised his battleaxe to kill was already headless, green blood gushing from his severed neck.
"Swish!"
Shaking off the Fel Energy blood clinging to the sword of the dark empire, temporarily ignoring Xal'atath's disgusted "Ptooey, ptooey" sounds, Andreas swung the Staff of Ganir horizontally, and the extending sharp light blade bisected all the nearby demons.
One of the Eredar Warlocks shouted an order, and a combined spell quickly formed, launching an indiscriminate attack towards Andreas' position.
Fel Energy flames with strong corrosive effects ignited everything within a certain range. The Fel Energy infused into the ground acted like fuel, catalyzing the Eredar Warlocks' spell, and the towering pillars of Fel Energy fire could be seen from afar.
Rhonin looked at Celeste's face and asked, "Uh... Speaker Moonshadow will be alright, right?"
Celeste merely glanced at the Fel Energy fire pillars, continuing to focus on guiding her spells to attack the demons.
"You should worry about yourself first, behind you!"
An instant Fire Blast scorched the Dreadlord grunt who had circled behind Rhonin attempting a sneak attack. Celeste warned with an unfriendly expression, "Don't expect me to always come to your rescue in time. If you don't want to die, stay vigilant!"
"Oh, oh! Thank you very much!"
Rhonin, still shaken, dared not be distracted again and focused on dealing with the surrounding flying demons.
The Eredar Warlocks believed their spell had eliminated Andreas, and cruel, triumphant smiles appeared on their faces.
It was no wonder they were so confident; even demons with high resistance to Fel Energy spells were ignited by the indiscriminate attack. They never imagined that the arrogant Mortal from before could still be alive.
"Clang!"
As a slightly dull air friction sound emanated, a golden light blade suddenly shot out from the center of the fire pillar. Some Eredar Warlocks who couldn't dodge in time were diagonally sliced by the light blade, falling with expressions of disbelief, only managing to let their souls escape back to the Twisting Nether to resurrect.
"Thud~"
Kicking away a charred demon used as a shield, Andreas patted off the black ash clinging to his body.
"Truly demons, they don't hesitate to sell out their own."
With Speed of Holy Light applied to his legs, Andreas charged forward before the Eredar, whose faces showed fright and confusion, could react further.
Andreas was certain he had found the right targets; these Eredar were elite Warlocks within the Legion.
With the commander dead, if this core group maintaining the battle line was also wiped out, the undisciplined demons would have no choice but to temporarily retreat.
The Eredar were slightly taller than the Night Elves. Andreas, submerged in the crowd, was completely invisible from a flat perspective; only the screams of the Eredar and severed limbs flying from the crowd could be heard, with light blades occasionally shooting out from the center of the battlefield.
After the Eredar with melee capabilities were cleared out, the spellcasters continuously retreated, leaving a large empty area in the middle of the battlefield.
Continuous rapid Fel Energy spells hysterically blasted towards Andreas, but they were all completely blocked by his pre-prepared sturdy Holy Light Barrier.
"It's useless."
"Slash!"
Wielding a golden sword ki again to sever an Eredar Warlock's head, Andreas pushed off the ground and vanished from everyone's sight.
When he reappeared, another bloody storm enveloped the Eredar.
"Haven't you learned your lesson from the previous Fel Energy fire pillar? Half-hearted attacks cannot break my defense; these small spells, though fast to cast, aren't even tickles."
"Thump!"
The Staff of Ganir struck the ground heavily, and the ground flowing with green Fel Energy water was gradually replaced by golden Holy Light. The large-scale Consecration spell made the demons jump in pain.
Weaker demons quickly screamed and returned to the Twisting Nether under the purification of the Holy Light. Andreas, using both spells and physical attacks, cleared out the Eredar forces, the backbone of the Legion, in less than ten minutes.
Without the command of their mid-to-high-ranking officers, the Burning Legion's offensive formation completely devolved into chaos.
The commotion in the rear also affected the morale of the front-line demons. The chaotic nature of the Legion demons began to manifest, and they started to madly retreat under the barrage of artillery fire, quickly sweeping a large number of demons into a panicked flight.
Although a surprise attack had shattered the Legion's command system, Andreas' judgment was not swayed by the heat of battle.
In terms of total troop strength, the Burning Legion still far surpassed the Ethereals. In a direct confrontation, even with the support of the naaru ships, they couldn't guarantee a decisive victory.
Fortunately, Andreas' Decapitation Tactic had destroyed the Burning Legion's command center. Until Kiljaeden supplied them with new commanders, the Burning Legion would find it difficult to rally their disorganized army and launch another attack.
The naaru ships symbolically pursued, forcing the Burning Legion to withdraw from the floating island where the Stormspire was located, retreating towards the Legion camp to the southeast.
Everywhere the Burning Legion passed was corroded by Fel Energy. Although it had been purified with Consecration earlier, the damage already caused could not be reversed in a short time.
After the Holy Light dissipated, countless cracks of varying sizes appeared on the land of this floating island, giving an unsettling feeling that it could collapse at any moment.
After reuniting with Rhonin and Celeste, they returned to the observation platform on the side of Nethergarde Keep. Four naaru ships slowly approached the Eco-Dome guarded by the Ethereals.
During Andreas' sortie, Nethergarde Keep's liaison had already communicated with the Stormspire's Ethereal command.
The ships docked in front of the defensive barrier outside the Eco-Dome, and Andreas, Hataru, and others took a small craft to the Stormspire.
"Welcome, welcome."
An Ethereal with many jeweled decorations on his bandages personally came to the landing pad to greet them.
"I am Prince Haramad, Node-Prince of the Aetherial Consortium. Thank you, esteemed guests from afar, for your support."
Andreas did not understand Ethereal etiquette, and due to cultural differences, the other party also didn't know how to sincerely express his gratitude.
After a brief, formalized exchange of pleasantries, Andreas directly led the conversation to the main topic.
"Prince Haramad, the situation is urgent, so let's get straight to the point."
"To defeat the Burning Legion's main forces at Kiljaedens Throne and turn the tide in Draenor, we need the Ethereals to provide mana crystals."
"Mana crystals sufficient to support the teleportation energy for a hundred thousand troops."
Haramad's movements paused for a moment. Though the Ethereals' eyes were invisible, Andreas could feel the hesitation he was projecting.
"Mr. Moonshadow, logically speaking, we should repay your side for providing assistance during a crisis, but your request... frankly, is a bit difficult."
Andreas nodded with a smile. "I understand. Even for Ethereals who have reserves, such a large quantity of mana crystals isn't something that can be produced on a whim."
"However, as I said before, these mana crystals are indispensable materials for crushing the main force of the Burning Legion."
"As long as we defeat the army of the demon lord Kruul stationed at Kiljaeden's Throne, the Azerothian forces trapped in Hellfire Peninsula will be free to move. At that time, the situation in all of Draenor will change, and Netherstorm will naturally be no exception."
"Hmm..."
Haramad was still very hesitant. "Mr. Moonshadow, the Aetherial Consortium is not a combat organization. We only fight back when forced into a corner. We have always prioritized harmony and profit."
"Though it may be hard for you to accept, the Burning Legion has actually been our client at certain times and on certain planets. If we completely offend Kiljaeden..."
Andreas shook his head and laughed. "Prince Haramad, if I may be blunt. The Burning Legion might be a rare and wealthy client for you, but as for this client's credit and volatile temper... you should have experienced it long ago."
"Since Kiljaeden chose to wipe you out rather than use wealth to buy you off, it proves he is determined to eliminate every race on Draenor that might pose a threat to the Legion, and the Ethereals are no exception."
The Ethereals' enemies are the void lords, and the same is true for the Burning Legion. This allowed the Ethereals to reach temporary cooperation with the Burning Legion in certain sectors of the universe to jointly wipe out Void forces.
But the Burning Legion is, after all, a demonic group determined to destroy the entire universe. Turning their backs on allies is like a daily routine for them, and the demons feel not even a shred of guilt for it.
Sensing Haramad's hesitation, Andreas struck while the iron was hot. "I know it's a bit difficult to ask you to abandon a client as unstable yet generous as the Burning Legion."
"As an alternative, Azeroth—the only world the Burning Legion has failed to conquer—will open trade rights to you."
"Oh?"
Haramad was a businessman after all, and Andreas' proposal piqued his interest.
"Though the Ethereals have fallen on hard times, our intelligence channels are still quite well-informed. It is said that Archimonde the defiler died in battle on Azeroth a few years ago. Is that true?"
"Absolutely true," Andreas admitted confidently. "Archimonde died by my hand. I can guarantee you that Azeroth, with its Titan protective barrier, is the safest planet in the universe."
"The Burning Legion has failed repeatedly on Azeroth. In the war ten thousand years ago, even the Fallen Titan Sargeras himself could only return in defeat."
'Though he didn't even have time to truly make a move...'
On one side was a wealthy but unstable tycoon, and on the other was a high-quality potential client.
Haramad was silent for a long time. Considering the current situation in Draenor and the predicament of the Aetherial Consortium, he finally made a decision.
"Mr. Moonshadow, you have convinced me. The Draenor branch of the Aetherial Consortium is willing to establish long-term trade cooperation with Azeroth."
...Now that the big picture was settled, the following issues were easy to discuss.
Although the total number of mana crystals Andreas requested was somewhat hard for the Aetherial Consortium to bear, as long as the threat of the Burning Legion could be eliminated, they would eventually recover the costs through the abundant energy of Netherstorm.
"By the way."
As Hataru led the technicians to carefully load the mana crystals onto the ship, Andreas curiously asked Haramad, "I heard that there are three factions of Ethereals in Netherstorm."
"Besides the Aetherial Consortium, there should be The Protectorate and The Ethereum, right? Why haven't you united to fight the enemy?"
A helpless, bitter laugh came from beneath Haramad's bandages. "The Ethereum are just a bunch of madmen whose brains have been fried by grief and rage. It's impossible to communicate with them at all."
"As for The Protectorate, they want to annex the Aetherial Consortium and take the funds the Consortium has accumulated over the years for their own use. There are many disagreements between the two sides as well."
The Aetherial Consortium is a trading organization founded to revive the homeland of Kareshi. The materials they collect through various channels are all to prepare the capital for reclaiming their home.
The Aetherial Consortium is spread throughout the universe, and there are multiple factions within the organization.
Many Nexus-Princes also cannot trust The Protectorate, believing that their philosophy cannot truly drive out Dimensius and rebuild Kareshi.
Haramad was just one of the Nexus-Princes, and not one of the higher-ranking ones at that; otherwise, he wouldn't have been sent to a desolate place like Draenor to develop business.
If he could establish trade relations with Azeroth, Haramad was confident he could raise his status and influence within the Consortium.
"The Protectorate is playing a game of watching from the sidelines, trying to sit back and watch us be driven to a dead end by the Burning Legion so we'll kneel and beg them for mercy."
"Any Nexus-Prince who joins The Protectorate will have all their personal property confiscated and will never be able to rise again. Unless it's absolutely necessary, I will never choose that path."
Andreas curled his lip subtly. 'No wonder the Ethereals haven't been able to reclaim their home for so long. They're already exiles, yet they still have the heart to play internal factional power games...'
In comparison, the Draenei led by Velen were very smart. At least they have remained united to this day. Even if there are ideological conflicts between the Exarchs, Velen keeps them within an acceptable range, preventing them from completely falling out.
The Burning Legion in Netherstorm had been temporarily repelled and should not be able to launch another attack in the short term.
After loading the massive quantity of mana crystals onto the ship, Haramad arranged for a "Technical Advisor" to return with Andreas and the others.
While called a Technical Advisor, it clearly carried the intention of monitoring the use of the mana crystals.
After all, the quantity of these mana crystals was too vast. If Andreas was a fraud, the Aetherial Consortium would suffer heavy losses without receiving any return.
Andreas didn't mind Haramad's wariness and gladly invited the Technical Advisor onto the ship. He had a clear conscience anyway.
After bidding farewell to the Nexus-Prince, the naaru ship began its return journey.
With the star map provided by Haramad as a guide, the speed of returning to Hellfire Peninsula was much faster than when they came.
When Andreas and the others returned to Hellfire Citadel, a heated argument was taking place inside this last fortress of the Hellfire Peninsula.
"Ah... so Illidan is back."
Seeing the group of Night Elves on the city walls with black cloth over their eyes and dual-wielding warblades, Andreas patted his forehead and sighed, "That guy is a total troublemaker. I wonder who he's clashing with this time."
Leaving Hataru to transport the mana crystals according to Moharadon's instructions, Andreas and Celeste strode into the fortress interior, quickly spotting the two conflicting parties in the main hall.
Illidan Stormrage stood with his arms crossed defiantly, his head tilted slightly upward as he looked at a female Draenei opposite him, whose face was flushed red with anger, with a look of disdain.
Yrel and Tamara held her back from the front and rear, preventing her from impulsively launching an attack on Illidan.
A somewhat pale Tyrande sat in a simple wheelchair, helplessly trying to persuade Illidan to exercise restraint.
Thanks to Tyrande's persuasion, although Illidan was extremely annoyed, he managed to control himself. However, his punchable posture and expression... even Andreas felt like hitting him after seeing it.
Andreas first approached Velen and asked in a low voice, "Prophet, what's going on here? When did Illidan get back?"
Velen was also somewhat helpless regarding the tense situation. He shook his head and said, "He just returned this morning, right as Ysera arrived to discuss military matters, so..."
Andreas suddenly understood. These two had clashed before due to conflicting ideologies; meeting again was like throwing a spark into a woodpile, and it had quickly ignited.
Andreas turned his head to look around. "Since the High Priestess of the Aldor is here, where is Khadgar?"
Velen explained, "Mage Khadgar is still guarding the defensive line at Telredor and cannot get away for the time being."
The farce had gone on long enough. Velen slowly walked toward Ysera, leaning on his staff, and lightly tapped his Prophet's Staff.
"That's enough, Ysera. Do not let anger fill your heart; remember the teachings of the Light."
Before Ysera could reply, Illidan beat her to it with a sarcastic sneer, "The teachings of the Light? Heh..."
"Demon! You dare question the Light!"
Ysera's anger, which had slightly subsided, flared up again. Velen couldn't help but twitch an eyebrow, but the well-mannered Prophet quickly controlled his emotions.
"Ysera, do my words no longer carry weight?"
Seeing the Prophet's still gentle but authoritative demeanor, Ysera took a deep breath to control her emotions.
*Inhale... Exhale...*
"Hmph! Consider yourself lucky, demon!"
The corner of Illidan's mouth twitched into a wicked sneer. "Heh... I wonder who the lucky one really is?"
Tyrande barked in a low, headache-filled voice, "Illidan! Stop the provocations!"
"Tch! Fine, I'll listen to you."
Andreas watched the still unsatisfied Demon Hunter speechlessly. 'With your talent for taunting, it's a waste not to be a Tank. Young man, want to respec into Vengeance?'
*Clap clap!*
Andreas clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention. "Everyone, please take your seats. Put aside personal grudges for now. Our primary task is to expel the Burning Legion."
As the leader of the Azeroth reinforcements, Andreas' prestige was sufficient to gain the recognition of all the racial leaders from Azeroth.
The Tauren, Tol'vir, and other spectator races were the first to take their seats compliantly. Ysera also sat down huffily at Velen's beckoning.
"Speaker Moonshadow?"
Illidan "looked" at Andreas for a few seconds with his green eyes behind the black cloth, finally sitting down at Tyrande's urging.
Andreas breathed a small sigh of relief and struck while the iron was hot. "First, report on your respective mission progress. Our trip to Netherstorm successfully established a partnership with the Ethereals of the Aetherial Consortium, and we obtained a sufficient amount of mana crystals from them."
'Ethereals?'
Illidan's brow furrowed. He always lacked focus on things he didn't care about, and it took a moment for him to recall the origin of those bandage-wrapped people wandering throughout the universe.
Andreas turned to look at Tyrande, who was leading the defense of Hellfire Citadel. "High Priestess, what happened to your body? Was Kruul's offensive that fierce?"
"No, quite the opposite."
Tyrande shook her head. "Just after you left Hellfire Peninsula, Kruul launched one major assault. After returning empty-handed, he has remained stationary. Prophet Velen speculates that he is waiting for the next wave of reinforcements sent by Kiljaeden."
"As for my body..."
Tyrande clenched her fist to feel her strength. "It's not a big problem. I just overextended myself using divine arts. I should recover in a day or two."
By now, Andreas had learned the details of the situation from Leticia, who was standing behind him.
'Using Wrath of the Moon Goddess twice in a row with a Mortal body only resulted in slight overextension?'
Andreas gave Tyrande a strange look. 'Truly Elune's favorite daughter; this affinity for divine arts is indeed extraordinary.'
Elune's displeased voice rang in Andreas' mind. "Who are you calling a favorite daughter? Given my life form, it is fundamentally impossible to have offspring. Stop spreading such rumors."
"Uh..."
Andreas hadn't expected Elune to be watching him at that moment. Being caught talking behind someone's back by the person herself made him feel a bit awkward.
"...I was just making a casual comment, don't take it seriously."
"Hmph."
*Cough.*
Pulling his attention back to the military council, Andreas gestured toward Ysera. "High Priestess, please tell us about the situation in Zangarmarsh."
Ysera nodded solemnly. "The defense of the eastern half of Zangarmarsh is fine. Khadgar remains at Telredor to command the operations. As for the western half..."
Glancing sideways at Illidan, who sat sideways with his legs crossed, Ysera said with a cold laugh, "That will have to be explained by the demon over there."
"Don't make it sound like my subordinates would make mistakes."
Illidan said dismissively, "The defensive line Vashj constructed remains intact. At the very least, I am certain her line will be breached much later than yours."
"No! We will hold out longer!"
"Impossible. You will definitely be breached first."
"Demon! What basis do you have for that!"
*Thud!*
Andreas slammed the table hard, his expression darkening as he reminded them, "Are you children bickering? Or are you treating my words as wind in your ears?"
He fully released his demigod-level aura. Everyone present felt the pressure on their shoulders mount. Even Illidan subconsciously sat up straight and adopted a guarded posture.
Under Velen's reproachful gaze, Ysera bit her lower lip and bowed her head to apologize to Andreas. "I'm sorry, I was impulsive. That is all for my report."
Andreas did not press Ysera further. After all, she was Velen's subordinate; it wasn't his place to overstep and punish her.
"Illidan, how is the progress of your operation in Netherstorm?"
"Hmph. Why should I tell you?"
Tyrande frowned and urged, "Illidan, speak up."
"Tch." Illidan tilted his head proudly and scanned the room. "While you were all arguing over trivial matters, I have already obtained core secrets regarding the Burning Legion."
"Netherstorm no longer exists. Countless spatial rifts have torn the Dreadlord's homeland to pieces. Kiljaeden was a step too late and failed to arrive in time."
Seeing Illidan's smug expression, Andreas reminded him coolly, "What are you laughing at?"
"Kiljaeden failed to catch you in Netherstorm and was instead played by you. Where do you think... filled with rage after being toyed with, he will go next?"
"Uh..."
The smile on Illidan's face froze. The others present also frowned, as they clearly sensed something wrong from Andreas' words.
Velen gripped his Prophet's Staff tightly, his expression grave. "He is coming to Draenor in person?"
"That's right."
Andreas rapped his knuckles on the table for emphasis. "While we can't be one-hundred-percent certain Kiljaeden will come, the odds are high enough that we have to prepare."
"Whether Kiljaeden arrives with reinforcements or not, once we smash Kruul's main army we'll seize the initiative—whether we counter-attack across Draenor or fortify and wait for Kiljaeden to come to us."
Andreas hooked a thumb toward the door. "The mana crystals have been delivered; pre-battle preparations are finished. All that's left is the final move."
Illidan stayed silent for a long while, offering no input as the faction leaders debated the assault on Kiljaeden's Throne.
Only when the meeting was nearly over did he rise and wordlessly head for the exit.
Tyrande called after him in a rush: "Illidan, where are you going?"
With anyone else he would have ignored the question, but Tyrande's words at least gave him pause.
Without stopping, the Demon Hunter glanced back at her and answered in three clipped words.
"Finding reinforcements."
After Illidan left the hall, Tyrande murmured in bewilderment, "Where could he possibly find reinforcements at a time like this?"
A sudden realization struck Andreas. Could it be…?
He rubbed his chin, weighed the pros and cons, and finally decided to feign ignorance.
'Let the dead pay the ferryman; I'll keep my own skin intact.'
…After two failed assaults on Hellfire Citadel, Kruul did not fly into a rage and fling his Legion blindly forward like a desperate gambler; instead he grew more cautious, pondering his next move.
Kiljaeden, racing toward Netherstorm, had suddenly gone silent, and there was no telling when fresh troops might arrive. Kruul opted to watch and wait, hoping other fronts might break through.
News of the defeat in Netherstorm had reached him, but a few hundred officer casualties meant little; the Ethereals lacked the strength to counter-attack anyway.
What truly concerned him were the four naaru ships that had set course for Netherstorm.
According to local Legion demons, the vessels had stayed at Stormspire less than a day before turning back—almost as if they had invented an excuse to relieve the Aetherial Consortium.
Kruul refused to believe the enemy would risk such a voyage merely to ally with the Consortium, yet for the moment he could think of no better explanation.
The battle for Blades' Edge Mountains was all but decided; within five days the demonic host would crush the local resistance.
Kruul resolved to endure those five days. The entire war hung in the balance; the fall of Blades' Edge would be the final straw that broke the stalemate across Draenor.
Legion scouts brought word that the turncoat Illidan had returned from Netherstorm and was already leading his core forces southwest across Hellfire Peninsula.
"Southwest… Tanaan Jungle or Shadowmoon Valley?"
Kruul could not fathom Illidan's objective. "That's Draenei territory, isn't it?"
In truth Illidan was merely passing through Tanaan Jungle, continuing west into the Mag'har Orcs' heartland—Nagrand.
After years of capture and corruption, the Mag'har and Fel Orcs had shifted numbers; now only Sunspring Post, Halaa, and Garadar in central Nagrand still housed Mag'har.
Woshao's ruins and the Ring of Trials had already fallen to Illidan.
After the death of former Frostwolf chieftain Garad, the hamlet that once sheltered Red Pox victims had grown into Nagrand's largest settlement. Garad's mother, Greatmother Geyah, served as spiritual leader, while three young, capable orcs guided the clan's expansion.
Each of the three youths bore an extraordinary background.
One, Jorin Deadeye, was the son of Bloodfury chieftain Kilrogg.
Kilrogg had met the prophesied death during the Second War's extension when the Expeditionary Force stormed Draenor, and the Bloodfury Clan was almost wiped out.
As the last of the Deadeye line, Jorin vowed to rebuild the true Bloodfury and keep his people from repeating past mistakes. Greatmother Geyah judged him fit to become both chieftain and army commander.
Among the other two young orcs, Dranosh Saurfang is the son of the new Horde's High Overlord Varok Saurfang. He showed the makings of a great general early on—fierce, decisive, and brimming with personal charisma—and enjoys the deep trust of the Mag'har orcs.
The last piece of deadweight is named Garrosh Hellscream, son of the late Warsong chieftain Grom Hellscream.
Garrosh is powerfully built, yet he remains haunted by the fact that his father was the first to drink the demon blood that brought calamity upon the orcs. He has never forgiven his father—or himself for carrying Grom's blood.
Of the three young orcs, Jorin and Dranosh each have their own strengths. Garrosh has no need to think so much; in battle he simply relies on the formidable physical gifts of the Hellscream line to charge and smash through enemy lines.
When there is no hunt, he sits in the village like a lifeless fish, and even Jorin and Dranosh cannot ignite in him the unending fighting spirit of a true Warsong orc.
Although the war-loving Warsong Clan is infamous among the Alliance nations, within orcish tradition it holds a place of unparalleled honor.
The former Warsong chieftain Grom once slew a mighty Gronn single-handedly, proving his unmatched combat prowess. Even though he led the clan into grievous error, many orcs still revere his sheer personal strength.
Among the three, Jorin is the most capable leader and Dranosh the most valiant warrior, yet the one with the highest prestige—Garrosh the younger Hellscream—is still tacitly regarded as their head.
Illidan has always acted with lightning decisiveness, and with the present situation so tense—and the conversion of the Mag'har requiring time—he sees no reason to delay.
After passing from Tanaan Jungle into Nagrand, Illidan did not pause for a moment; leading his personal force, the Illidari, he struck straight for Garadar.
The Illidari are the fanatical cadre Illidan recruited before leaving Azeroth.
These elves of every race share one trait: an unquenchable hatred of the Burning Legion.
Illidan exploited that obsessive hatred, forging them into Demon Hunters in his own image.
The attrition rate among Demon Hunters is terrifying; to gain the title one must first devour a demon's soul, draw Fel Energy into one's body, and master it.
Not everyone possesses Illidan's monstrous willpower; many elves lose control and fully demonize, while others are seduced by demons and defect to the Burning Legion.
Illidan cares nothing for those weaklings who fall by the wayside—he wants only the finest combatants.
Every Demon Hunter who survives the trials is folded into his personal force, thrown into the hardest battles, devouring ever more powerful demon souls to grow stronger.
The Demon Hunter's path is like drinking poison to quench thirst: the more demon souls consumed, the easier it is to lose control. Yet to satisfy their obsession with vengeance upon the Burning Legion, they must keep growing stronger—strong enough that no demon can ever defeat them.
The Illidari's sudden assault caught the Mag'har off guard; even Jorin never expected Illidan to break off his confrontation with demons at Hellfire Citadel and wheel about to attack Nagrand.
Jorin quickly grasped Illidan's intent: the ruthless Demon Hunter meant to transform every Mag'har into Fel Orcs, forging them into blades aimed at the Burning Legion.
Jorin and Dranosh tightened their defenses, carefully arranging fortifications, using crude walls to hold the Illidari outside the settlement while the mightiest fighter among them—Garrosh —led Warsong wolf-riders in hit-and-run raids.
No one imagined Garrosh would never return. The next day, when a frantic Jorin and Dranosh climbed the ramparts to look out, the scene beyond the walls nearly made them cough up blood.
Still brown-skinned, Garrosh knelt half-bowed before Illidan in an attitude of submission; the Warsong wolf-riders he had led were bound nearby, cursing him at the top of their lungs.
Jorin's single eye rolled white, and he nearly fainted on the spot. Dranosh's fists clenched so hard his tusks jutted savagely past his lips.
Garrosh ! Why surrender without a fight, you ball-less coward!!
Let alone Dranosh and Jorin's disbelief, even Illidan, who had personally come forward to incite the rebellion, didn't expect the plan to go so smoothly.
He had simply told Garrosh the truth about Grom's death as he had heard it from Tyrande, and used Grom's unfulfilled wish as bait to persuade Garrosh to join his ranks and fight on the front lines against the Burning Legion.
The great mistake his father had made due to recklessness had always been Garrosh's greatest heartache; the entire Orc race had become pawns for the demons because he was the first to drink the blood of Mannoroth.
Illidan had no talent for storytelling. His account of Grom's battle against Mannoroth was entirely straightforward, recounting the situation Tyrande had told him to Garrosh almost word for word.
For Garrosh , who was mired in shame and confusion, the most important thing wasn't the narrative style, but the content of the story.
At the end of his life, Grom killed Mannoroth, redeeming his past mistakes and saving all Orcs.
To this day, his statue remains in Durotar, and his heroic figure in the final battle against Mannoroth has inspired countless Orcs of the New Horde.
Illidan wasn't one to boast, but he could confidently guarantee that his army would always stand on the front lines against the Burning Legion, having the most opportunities to slaughter demons.
The current Garrosh had not yet received personal guidance from Go'el. Adhering to the traditions of the Warsong Clan, much like his father Grom in his youth, he was a man whose body moved faster than his brain.
Hearing that joining Illidan's command would provide the most opportunities to fight the Burning Legion, Garrosh —his head spinning from the news of his father's self-redemption—agreed to Illidan's persuasion without a second thought.
Illidan had coveted the Maghar Orcs for a long time, and he had already carefully read the intelligence regarding Garadar.
Garrosh was one of the three young leaders of Garadar. Due to his powerful personal combat strength and his status within the Hellscream Family, he held significant prestige among the Orcs.
Although he wanted to conquer Garadar in one fell swoop and capture all the Maghar Orcs for conversion, with Kiljaeden potentially descending at any moment, Illidan didn't have the time or inclination to slowly besiege the city.
Having secured Garrosh's loyalty, Illidan was temporarily satisfied.
Leaving behind the furious Dranosh and Jorin, Illidan swaggered back, taking Garrosh and his Warsong Wolf Riders with him.
To better convert Fel Orcs, Illidan had conducted extensive research on the Orc race; their tradition of seeking power had not changed even to this day.
As long as they were given a legitimate reason to convince themselves, drinking demon blood to become powerful Fel Orcs didn't seem entirely unacceptable.
With Garrosh, whose power would multiply after turning into a Fel Orc, as an example, Illidan believed more Maghar Orcs would join his army under the temptation of power... Long before Illidan led the Illidari south, Andreas had guessed the Demon Hunter's intentions, but he did not speak out to stop him.
Whether the Orcs had a bright future was irrelevant to him; if these stubborn fellows could focus all their attention on the Burning Legion, it would actually be a good thing for Azeroth.
After Illidan left, Andreas continued to set up the plan step by step.
Considering the countless Fel anti-aircraft guns installed within Kiljaedens Throne, the strike team could only try to break through the defensive line via low-altitude flight.
Low-altitude flight would inevitably encounter long-range attacks from demons on the ground. While still risky, it was better than foolishly taking hits from anti-aircraft cannons.
Time was tight, and Kiljaeden could arrive at any moment. Andreas did not intend to wait for Illidan's return before taking action.
The strike team could expect to face extreme danger. Even if they successfully broke through the Burning Legion's blockade, opening a portal would take time. During this period, the strike team had to hold their position at all costs.
The portal could only be opened by mages. As the most powerful mages in the allied forces, Archmage Adal, Rhonin, and Celeste all volunteered to join the strike team.
To ensure the strike team could adapt flexibly to any situation, the team size was small, consisting of only 200 people and 500 moonwing golems.
Since the numbers were few, the personnel had to be elite. Every member selected for the team possessed impressive personal strength.
Despite opposition from Tyrande, Velen, and others, Andreas decided to lead the team personally.
"What we lack in quantity, we will make up for in quality. As long as we can hold off the Burning Legion's counterattack and set up the portal as quickly as possible, the main army can bypass the highlands and enter Kiljaedens Throne directly, which will almost guarantee victory."
Andreas said nonchalantly to the worried group, "Don't worry. As long as Kiljaeden himself hasn't arrived, I have confidence in holding the position with the strike team. However, you must hurry and move through the portal as quickly and orderly as possible."
Velen sighed helplessly. "It seems we can't talk you out of it. Fine, please be extremely careful."
Tyrande glanced at Celeste, who was whispering with Archmage Adal, and gave a soft huff. "I didn't realize you were so considerate. Let's head out then; we will definitely arrange the reinforcements."
Once preparations were complete, Andreas transformed into a Golden Eagle and flew at the front, with Kurdran leading his hand-picked elite Gryphon Riders alongside him.
Over two hundred people on flying mounts, along with over five hundred arcane golems, advanced at a steady pace toward the northern highlands of Hellfire Peninsula.
Having fewer people had its advantages; the Shadow Veil maintained by Andreas could completely conceal the team members along the way.
But while it could hide them from sight, it couldn't mask the sound of the mounts' wings flapping.
While still at a distance, the Burning Legion's defenses were relatively thin. As they approached the highlands and began to climb, the density of demon soldiers rose sharply.
Soon, alert demon officers heard the strange noises passing overhead and shouted for their subordinate demons to launch long-range attacks into the sky.
Andreas glanced down at the commotion in the demon camp. "We've been exposed, but this was expected."
"Is everyone ready? I'm going to drop the Shadow Veil."
Kurdran thumped his chest hard and responded with the loud voice characteristic of Dwarves, "No problem! My boys have been waiting for this! Let's do it!"
"Very well."
Andreas took a deep breath, while Celeste and the others crouched as low as possible to reduce wind resistance.
"Full speed ahead! moonwings, dive and attack! Open fire!"
As the Shadow Veil dissipated, all the flying mounts unleashed their stored stamina in a single burst. The moonwings following the team dropped altitude collectively, their mounted magic cannons strafing the ground below.
Thanks to the intelligence Kurdran's Gryphon Riders had risked their lives to gather, the Expeditionary Force had precise data on the firing angles of the Burning Legion's Fel anti-aircraft guns.
The moonwings chose an altitude that was exactly in the blind spot of the anti-aircraft cannons. The massed strafing of their cannons suppressed the demons who were preparing to launch anti-air attacks, leaving them unable to fight back.
The large-caliber cannons mounted on the moonwings were not "gentle" weapons like machine guns; every bullet could blast a large hole in a demon. In high-speed rapid-fire mode, the cannons could shred undefended demons into piles of minced meat.
Under the cover of the moonwings' full-scale fire, Andreas led the charge into the highlands. The Legion Fel Bats that scrambled to intercept were shot down in large numbers by the wind blades fanned out by his wings.
"Hurry and construct the portal! Everyone else, help the mages buy time! Don't let any demons interfere with them!"
The speed of the Burning Legion's reaction after the surprise attack showed that Demon Lord Kazzak was quite skilled in military command.
Less than three minutes after Andreas and the others charged into the camp, a large number of demons had already left their standby state and moved, launching an organized encirclement of the assault team's position.
The fel cannons began to pour out shells frantically. Andreas, who had anticipated this, quickly drew a magic circle on the ground and plunged the Staff of Gan'ir, infused with a large amount of magic, into the center of the circle.
A solid barrier of Holy Light enveloped the mages who were setting up the portal. Kurdran and the other members of the guard force, in order to draw fire, moved outside the barrier and attacked the encroaching demons.
"Boom!"
The Wildhammer Gryphon Riders, flying at low altitude, hurled Stormhammers. The warhammers, accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder, exploded on the battlefield.
The staff, temporarily serving as a charging tool, was plunged into the center of the magic circle to provide energy. Andreas, now with a free hand, held the Sword of the Dark Empire in one hand and pulled out the flintlock pistol given to him by Magni and Gelbin from his waist with the other.
The red eye on the hilt of the Sword of the Dark Empire, fully activated by Andreas, opened completely, flashing with an eerie blood-red light.
Demons within twenty meters of Andreas simultaneously lost control of their bodies, suddenly turning their targets to attack their companions.
"What are you doing?!"
"Are you trying to rebel?"
Instances of desertion and insubordination were common in the Burning Legion, but Kazzak's army was considered to have relatively strict discipline.
Although the sudden attacks from their comrades caused some chaos, their resistance was quickly suppressed by a large number of demons.
Demon officers at a slightly greater distance noticed the anomaly; the source of the rebellion came from the mortal holding the strange longsword.
"Target the night elf with the sword! Fel cannon fire!"
"Quite a quick reaction, as expected of an army led by Kil'jaeden's direct general."
Andreas calmly swung out purple-black sword energy, detonating most of the incoming fel cannon shells in the air. For those he couldn't intercept in time, he used Shadowstep to shift his position and evade them.
"Swish!"
He decapitated a felguard at the exit of his Shadowstep, and a nearby dreadlord quickly lunged with its claws.
"Buzz!"
A faint sound emanated from the blade of the Sword of the Dark Empire. The dreadlord, who had been looking ferocious, instantly became dazed, and the sharp tip of its leathery wing unexpectedly slashed at a nearby doomguard.
"Again?!"
The Legion soldiers, who had been attacking in unison, fell into disarray due to the sudden rebellion. Some demons decisively turned their targets to their companions, while others, with hesitant expressions, continued to attack Andreas.
"Boom!"
A huge blast erupted from the muzzle of the flintlock pistol in Andreas' left hand. The powerful energy-based shotgun blast that sprayed out sent all the demons in a fan-shaped area in front of Andreas flying.
"Hesitation leads to defeat."
These demons were already far inferior to Andreas in individual strength, and after holding back a third of their power due to hesitation, they were even more vulnerable.
The flintlock pistol given by Magni and Gelbin had long been handed over to the R&D department by Andreas for modification. Rather than a pistol, it was more like a hand cannon.
After absorbing Andreas' energy, a thick, long beam of energy shot out from the muzzle, its powerful penetrating force piercing through a large number of demons in a straight line.
The flexibly switching firing modes left the Legion demons defenseless, not to mention the mental control they suffered when approaching the enemy.
Andreas alone diverted the attention of hundreds of demons, firmly holding back the demons encroaching from the northeast of the Holy Light barrier.
The demons on the northwest side were handled by Kurdran, Yrel, and other generals. With air and ground coordination, they shouldn't be easily breached in a short time.
Yrel was no longer the rookie watch officer she once was. With her Holy Light wings activated by Avenging Wrath, she held up her large shield at the very front, blocking most of the ranged attacks coming from the front with a fan-shaped Holy Light shield, while leaving the offense entirely to her comrades.
Although there was no need to worry about the southern demons, who were currently held back by the Wings of the Moon, the time the arcane golems could hold them was undoubtedly limited.
Under Kazzak's remote command, the arcane golems, which only acted according to predetermined procedures, had their movement patterns deciphered by the demons. The previous mowing-down situation was no more, and damaged units occasionally fell from the sky.
Ignoring the commotion outside, the mages enveloped within the Holy Light barrier focused intently on constructing the portal.
High-ranking mages, led by Rhonin, Othmar, and Celeste, initially opened the teleportation channel with their own magic. Other mages, with many hands, used Mage Hand to unload the mana crystals mounted on the flying mounts.
As the power supply system gradually stabilized, the portal began to expand, and the spatial channel within the gate rapidly took shape.
"The Earth Mother protects us, for Azeroth!"
Tauren chieftain Cairne and Ulan were the first to rush out of the portal, carrying heavy weapons. They shouted their battle cries and left the Holy Light barrier, joining the ranks guarding the portal.
The plan had proceeded smoothly so far. A continuous stream of troops entered the easily defensible Kil'jaeden's Throne highlands through the portal, and the Burning Legion's encirclement was being pushed back.
With large numbers of troops joining the battle, Andreas no longer needed to fight on the front lines personally.
Returning inside the Holy Light barrier to continue supplying energy to the barrier, Andreas suddenly noticed a strange aura and frowned, looking towards the fel altar directly north of the throne.
A massive doom lord stood in the center of the altar, raising both hands. A ghostly green gem floated above his head, and around the altar stood hundreds of demon spellcasters assisting the ritual.
Kazzak hadn't expected the enemy to adopt such an aggressive method to set up a portal, and his defenses in this regard were not deep.
Given the circumstances, he could only hope that the artifact given to him by Lord Kil'jaeden could turn the tide of the battle in one fell swoop.
"Uh~ that wouldn't be…"
The green gem looked very familiar, but if Andreas remembered correctly, it should have been shattered in Illidan's hands long ago.
"Sizzle!"
Two fel beams shot out from low altitude south of the highlands, aiming directly at the gem that was accumulating power.
"That's right, that's also the Eye of Sargeras. You didn't really think the one I broke was Sargeras' actual eye, did you? That was just a mass-produced artifact created by Sargeras."
The defiant and charming voice revealed the identity of the speaker: Illidan, who had just rushed from Hellfire Citadel to provide emergency support.
At this moment, his eyes continuously emitted fel beams, bombarding the altar and forcing Kazzak to intervene and block them.
"Tsk! Illidan, is it?"
Kazzak, distracted by blocking Illidan's attack, looked down at the surrounding Eredar warlocks and demon inquisitors.
"It's time for you to contribute to the Legion! Sacrifice your lives!"
Kazzak held high prestige among his subordinates. Although his command sounded highly unreasonable, these spellcasters hesitated only briefly before quickly beginning to burn their own lives.
The greatly accelerated charging rhythm caught Illidan off guard. The highly compressed fel beam sprayed from the Eye of Sargeras easily defeated his Eye Beam attack.
Gathering the power of the artifact and the fel infusion from hundreds of demon spellcasters burning their lives, a deep green pillar of light slammed into the barrier constructed by Andreas. Kazzak had grasped the key to turning the tide of battle, concentrating fire to destroy the portal that was still spewing reinforcements in one go.
Although Celeste and the others expanded the portal as much as possible to allow more reinforcements to arrive quickly, transporting an army of 100,000 was not something that could be completed in just a few minutes.
The mana crystals, now useless due to energy loss, had piled up next to the portal, and the other mages who had finished their transport duties joined in maintaining and expanding the portal.
"Boom!"
A Fel Energy beam suddenly struck the Holy Light Barrier, causing a tangible tremor, and the portal was forcibly shut down for a moment due to energy instability.
The Alliance soldiers passing through the portal screamed one after another, as the severed spatial passage cut some unfortunate soldiers in half, their lower halves still remaining in Hellfire Citadel.
Andreas, seeing the situation behind him out of the corner of his eye, solemnly pulled the Staff of Ganir from the ground and injected a large amount of energy to stabilize the magic array.
The attack from the eye of sargeras was a concentrated strike on a single point; the Holy Light Barrier Andreas had set up covered a larger area, and in the localized region, it was suppressed by the Fel Energy. The Holy Light Barrier showed a clear indentation, on the verge of being broken through.
As a last resort, Andreas drastically reduced the size of the barrier, barely managing to temporarily stabilize the situation, but the outlook remained grim.
Illidan pulled out a short staff from his spatial pouch and, without a word, infused it with a large amount of Fel Energy.
The Demon Hunter did not focus on a direct confrontation but rather used the scepter of sargeras to create a surging Fel Energy storm around the altar, attacking the root of the problem.
"scepter of sargeras!"
Kruul was very familiar with the Fel Energy artifact Illidan possessed; the scepter of sargeras and the mass-produced eye of sargeras were spoils of war Illidan had seized from Tichondrius.
Since he had anticipated his opponent's hand, Kruul was naturally not unprepared.
Translucent green shields rose around the altar, temporarily blocking Illidan's indirect attack.
"Tsk!"
Looking down at the Holy Light Barrier, Illidan clicked his tongue in displeasure, "Now it's just a matter of who can last longer, isn't it?"
Illidan had not come through the portal; he and his Illidari guards had flown all the way from Hellfire Citadel with the help of their wings.
At this moment, the Illidari Demon Hunters were clearing out demons south of the highland, and the few remaining moonwings also cooperated with their actions, continuing to attack the demons.
The Tauren pushed the front line out of the portal with all their might, and the Tol'vir who had just rushed out of the portal immediately joined the battle without a word.
They used their powerful mobility to move around the battlefield, destroying as many ground-unreachable Fel Energy anti-aircraft guns as possible, and the Legion Technicians guarding the anti-aircraft guns were largely shot down by the Tol'vir.
As the number of available anti-aircraft guns drastically decreased, Tyrande, who was commanding from the rear, finally ordered the naaru ship to take off.
"Boom! Boom!"
As the naaru ship's main cannon began to bombard the Fel Energy altar's shield, the tide of this battle finally became clear.
The eye of sargeras in Kruul's hand shattered on the spot after exhausting its energy. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, he led his personal guards, intending to retreat into a pre-prepared Fel Energy portal and escape to the relatively safer Netherstorm.
"Don't even think about running!"
As the beam bombardment dissipated, Andreas immediately retracted the Holy Light Barrier and used a long-distance Shadowmeld to reach the altar.
"Open!"
The altar's defense system, already at its last gasp, was forcibly split open by Andreas using the light blade of the Staff of Ganir. Kruul and his guards were intercepted before they could escape into the portal.
"Hehe~"
Illidan slowly descended from the air, looking at the grim-faced Kruul with a sinister charm, "Dreadlord, your soul will be an excellent supplement to enhance my power."
Although Kruul had mentally prepared for his end, he clearly had no intention of giving up the struggle.
He took down the massive Legion greatsword from his back and swung it with immense force at Andreas and Illidan.
"If you want to devour my soul, be prepared to chip your teeth first!"
The two, dodging to the left and right, took different courses of action. Illidan wielded the warglaives of azzinoth and engaged Kruul in close combat.
Andreas, on the other hand, turned and went to the vicinity of the Fel Energy portal, quickly dispatching Kruul's guards and throwing highly compressed Holy Light bombs into the portal, destroying Kruul's last hope of escape from within.
As a highly valued general of Kiljaeden, Kruul possessed excellent military command abilities and formidable personal combat strength.
Illidan, fighting alone, had plenty of room to dodge but found it difficult to inflict sufficient damage on Kruul.
The warglaives of azzinoth seemed to have little effect when striking Kruul's massive body; only the Demon Hunter's specialized technique for severing fragments of a demon's soul made Kruul somewhat more cautious.
Conversely, Kruul's effortlessly wielded greatsword attacks forced Illidan to focus more on dodging, leaving him with very few opportunities to counterattack.
With most of his attention on Illidan and Andreas, Kruul inevitably neglected his defenses from behind.
"Clang!"
Golden chains bound the unprepared Kruul from behind. The Dreadlord frantically tried to break free, the chains clanking loudly but never snapping.
Prophet Velen slowly walked into the battlefield, leaning on his staff, the gem at the tip of the Prophet's staff emitting a brilliant golden light.
"Velen!"
Kruul then realized he had been too focused on the two demigods in front of him, overlooking the usually low-key Prophet.
Illidan did not give Kruul a chance to turn the tables. He spread his wings and flew to Kruul's head, the green-glowing warglaives of azzinoth continuously striking his face.
Kruul's screams gradually subsided with Illidan's incessant "tickling" attacks. Andreas looked with pity at the Dreadlord as he crashed to the ground.
'What's the difference between this death and death by a thousand cuts...'
"Sip~"
Illidan absorbed the soul fragments of Kruul, sealed within the warglaives of azzinoth, into his body, a contented expression on his face.
"Not bad, a high-quality soul. My strength has increased again."
Velen's brows furrowed slightly, clearly disapproving of Illidan's cruel soul-devouring method.
But the well-mannered Prophet did not react, maintaining a calm expression as he looked at Andreas.
"The overall situation is decided. We have taken the Burning Legion's highland base, but the crisis is not completely over. What is your next plan?"
Andreas surveyed the battle on the highland. With Kruul's fall, although the Burning Legion was still stubbornly resisting, their morale and fighting spirit were inevitably greatly affected.
Just as Velen said, the overall situation was decided.
"We need to clear out the remaining enemies on the battlefield as quickly as possible. We will completely destroy this Legion base, which has been corrupted by Fel Energy. As for the next step..."
Andreas looked up at the strange sky above Hellfire Peninsula, "It depends on whether Kiljaeden arrives quickly or slowly."
...Due to the destruction of Netherstorm, Kiljaeden's flagship, which had lost contact for several days, finally re-established communication with Argus. The Fallen Titan Sargeras learned of Netherstorm's fate through Kiljaeden's report.
Illidan drew inspiration from his experiences on Draenor. At the core of Netherstorm's planet, he used the scepter of sargeras and the scepter of sargeras to tear open countless spatial rifts, completely shattering Netherstorm's planetary structure.
Illidan would not do things halfway like Ner'zhul; he watched with his own eyes as Netherstorm was torn apart by countless rifts until it could no longer recover before he withdrew, satisfied.
With their homeworld destroyed, the Burning Legion's Nathrezim were enraged, but Sargeras was completely indifferent to this; his focus was elsewhere.
"Kiljaeden, the plan to conquer Azeroth will temporarily be entirely your responsibility. I have more important matters to attend to."
Kiljaeden's eyes flashed as he communicated via holographic projection, "I understand. My fleet is on its way to Draenor. If all goes well, we should be able to eliminate Illidan's forces and the Azeroth Expeditionary Force in this shattered world."
"Good, go. Don't suffer a foolish defeat like Archimonde. My patience is limited."
The communication ended, and Kiljaeden's expression turned grim.
He knew very well what Sargeras' so-called important matter was.
'Indeed, are we outsiders ultimately inferior to our own kind...'
As the second-in-command of the Burning Legion, second only to Sargeras, Kil'jaeden had established a comprehensive intelligence network over tens of thousands of years of operation.
This network covered both external and internal affairs.
Archimonde had clearly become arrogant after receiving fel energy infusions, increasingly preferring to crush opponents with brute force rather than using his mind. He had also grown distant from Kil'jaeden, his colleague for many years, and the factional struggle between them was already a hot topic within the Legion.
Initially, the Deceiver had only deployed informants within the Legion to guard against Archimonde. He never expected this intelligence channel to accidentally uncover astonishing news.
Just last year, Sargeras had captured the souls of the Pantheon Titans, who were once thought destroyed.
Kil'jaeden had long known about Sargeras' 'righteous extermination' of his kin, and he believed the Titans had been completely annihilated by Sargeras' ruthless attacks. But now, it seemed that was not the case.
After capturing the Pantheon Titans' souls, Sargeras temporarily lost interest in expanding the Legion's power, spending his days with the Coven of Shivarra, researching how to make the Titans' souls submit to him and become powerful weapons in his service.
Naturally, Kil'jaeden felt a sense of crisis. Eredar and Titans were not of the same race, and although he had shed the limitations of a mortal body, there was still a huge gap between him and the Titans.
If all the Pantheon Titans were corrupted by Sargeras and brought under his command, what changes would occur to his position as the Burning Legion's second-in-command?
When Sargeras first persuaded the Eredar, he promised them they would witness the Legion's eternal monument to victory, and that no force in the cosmos could resist the Burning Legion's might.
Initially, the demons were indeed as Sargeras had described, sweeping through the boundless universe unopposed, with every planet encountered by the Burning Legion inevitably destroyed.
But after the Legion's failed invasion of Azeroth ten thousand years ago, the invincible Burning Legion's situation began to subtly change.
Not only did the Army of the Light's resistance become more intense, but Sargeras' repeated strategies against Azeroth all ended in failure, and Archimonde even died on that distant planet.
Kil'jaeden had received intelligence long ago that Velen, the traitor he had relentlessly pursued for tens of thousands of years, had also fled to Azeroth. This made the usually calm and calculating Kil'jaeden uncharacteristically feel a surge of excitement.
He was eager to break through Azeroth, which blocked the Legion's path, and let the faithless Velen feel the wrath he had accumulated over tens of thousands of years.
But Sargeras, at this critical moment, lost his ambition, focusing entirely on the souls of his Titan kin, which greatly angered Kil'jaeden.
'If Sargeras were willing to personally lead the charge, how could mere Draenor withstand his might?'
Kil'jaeden was not the only one with this thought; Anduin also saw clues in Sargeras' recent mode of operation, where he only sent his subordinates and did not personally engage.
Although the fallen Titan Sargeras was not lacking in strategy, as a general of the Titan race, he preferred to personally lead and seize victory.
From the War of the Ancients ten thousand years ago, to later sending a soul fragment to infiltrate Azeroth, and then controlling Medivh's body, one could roughly discern Sargeras' decisive mode of action.
But ever since Medivh's death, Sargeras had suddenly disappeared. Considering the content of the 7.0 expansion recorded in the memorandum, Anduin had a guess, almost identical to Kil'jaeden's.
Illidan, puzzled, questioned Anduin, "How can you be so sure Sargeras won't personally lead the charge?"
The demon hunter was well aware of his dangerous actions, and he had always worried that Sargeras would personally intervene. For this, he had made some preparations in advance, ready to escape to other prepared worlds through the spatial rift on Draenor at any time.
Anduin shrugged, "I can't be 100% certain, but based on the intelligence gathered, I'm over 80% confident that Sargeras won't make a move, at least not this time."
While fighting Kil'jaeden might barely inspire the mortals of Azeroth to bravely resist, Sargeras was an entirely different matter.
No matter how strong Kil'jaeden was, he had not transcended the realm of demigods. Anduin, Velen, and Illidan, three demigods, were constantly active before his eyes, and even the most nervous person should learn to adapt.
But Sargeras was different; as a Titan, he undoubtedly surpassed the level of a demigod, a living true god, with a fundamental difference in power level from demigods.
Even with Anduin's knowledge, he couldn't find many beings capable of fighting Sargeras. Perhaps Elune and the Void Lords could, but they couldn't interfere much with the material world.
Simply put, Titans, beings caught between the cosmic essence and true gods, were virtually invincible in the material world.
They were not like the Void Lords, who found it difficult to directly intervene in cosmic processes, and the light-and-shadow-sensitive parasites unleashed by the Void Lords were no match for the Titans.
If Sargeras hadn't suddenly turned traitor and established the Burning Legion, the Pantheon would have eventually conquered the entire universe, slowly training more nascent world-souls to join the Pantheon, gathering a vast defensive network that would leave the Void forces nowhere to hide.
Although Sargeras' Burning Legion also posed a significant threat to the Void forces, demons were clearly much easier to deal with compared to the Titans of the Pantheon, who left the Void Lords helpless.
If Sargeras were to descend upon Draenor in his true form, Anduin would absolutely flee immediately.
Forget Draenor; even if all the demigods of Azeroth were gathered, they would be nothing more than a rabble before Sargeras.
The best way to deal with a Titan was to use their own methods against them.
'The souls of the Pantheon Titans, huh...'
The counterattack on Argus was a plan Anduin had already put on the agenda, but the time was not yet ripe. The mass production of spaceships had not yet been completed, making it impossible to transport the Azeroth army to Argus for battle.
Moreover, there were still hidden dangers within the planet; the remaining two Old Gods needed to be dealt with as much as possible before the army embarked on the expedition to Argus.
'Forget it, I'll consider the Argus expedition later. For now, let's focus on dealing with Kil'jaeden.'
The operation to capture Kil'jaeden's Throne went smoothly. After eliminating the remaining demons, Anduin and Velen, after a full day of charging their power, unleashed a Holy Light Big Ivan that shattered the entire highland, letting the fragments of the crumbling land be flung out of Draenor's atmosphere.
With K'tharr's main army destroyed, the situation on Draenor became clear.
With the support of the Azerothian expeditionary force, the crises in Zangarmarsh and Blade's Edge Mountains were successively resolved, and the remaining demons frantically fled back to their last stronghold, Netherstorm.
Tyrande volunteered to lead the army to Netherstorm. Anduin, not bothering to join the excitement, went with Velen to Shattrath City to meet with the Naaru A'dal.
As the second-in-command of the Army of the Light, A'dal had witnessed countless planets destroyed by demons during his tens of thousands of years of struggle against the Burning Legion.
Azeroth was the only planet that had remained undefeated under the might of the demons and had the capacity to fight back.
Like Velen, A'dal placed his hope of defeating the Burning Legion on Azeroth, and naturally treated the Night Elves, who subtly held a leadership position on Azeroth, with great respect.
When mentioning Xe'ra, the Mother of Light, A'dal's tone was somewhat helpless.
"Xe'ra, as the last remaining Prime Naaru, has a grand vision and strong initiative. She is even willing to put herself in harm's way to defeat the Burning Legion, and her courage has inspired countless heroes of the Army of the Light."
"But her biggest flaw is her stubborn way of doing things, her excessive adherence to rules, and her lack of flexibility when necessary. I have advised her on this multiple times, but Xe'ra shows no intention of changing, still pushing her own set of rules."
Anduin also had a headache about this. If possible, he wanted Xe'ra to lead the Army of the Light to Draenor for support, to kill Kil'jaeden in one fell swoop, severing Sargeras' last remaining right-hand man.
However, according to A'dal and Xe'ra's communication, the Army of the Light had recently suffered a devastating defeat due to incorrect intelligence and was hiding on Argus to recover, unable to provide external support for the time being.
'No choice, it seems we'll have to deal with Kil'jaeden ourselves.'
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I don't know thy name so I shall name thee Jorin