Andreas looked up at Velen in surprise. The Prophet's face now showed a hint of hesitation; a connection stemming from their bloodline made him subconsciously feel that the other party looked very familiar.
"Boom!"
An explosion suddenly echoed from the lower levels of Hellfire Citadel, and the Holy Light shield maintained by the Naaru began to fluctuate.
As Andreas withdrew his Shadow Veil, Leticia hurried over to report the situation after receiving the relevant intelligence.
"Andreas, demons have infiltrated the interior of the citadel and are causing destruction near that giant cannon. The explosion just now affected Adal and the others."
Glancing worriedly at Velen and Rakish below the walls, Andreas ordered Leticia, "Leticia, take some people to the lower levels immediately to investigate and deal with the unrest in the city. Stay alert."
After sending Leticia off, Andreas rested his chin on his hand and thought in confusion, 'How did the demons get through the Holy Light barrier?'
When Leticia arrived at the lower level with nearly a hundred Sentinels, a small squad of Eredar assassins was already engaged in combat with the Draenei guards protecting the Naaru.
"Fire! Clear out these assassins!"
Once a Rogue reveals themselves, if they cannot kill the enemy and return to stealth within a single burst of energy, they are easily killed due to their lack of sustained combat power.
While ordering the volley, Leticia very craftily nocked an anti-stealth Flare to her bowstring and fired it.
The intense warm-colored light completely illuminated the lower hall, exposing several Eredar assassins who were still attempting to remain hidden in the shadows.
"Die!"
The moon wheel thrown by Leticia specifically targeted these hidden foes. Within just a few minutes, the Sentinels had cleared the assassins from the hall.
Before Leticia could breathe a sigh of relief, Adal issued a warning: "General Moonshadow, please be careful. The leader of these assassins is still alive. He left these subordinates to distract us and has disappeared."
Leticia's heart tightened. Under the influence of the Flare, there was no space to hide in the hall, which meant... "A diversion?!"
...Velen's mind grew increasingly dazed. His prophetic abilities were giving him hints, but he subconsciously refused to believe his own conjectures.
Stumbling slightly, Velen leaned against the city wall and stared blankly at the mocking Rakish. His steady hands began to tremble slightly.
'No, it's impossible. They died on Argus long ago. It's impossible for them to have survived!'
Andreas was hesitating whether to enlighten Velen about the truth. He vaguely sensed that the Prophet's emotions were unstable beneath his calm facade.
"Hmm?"
As a demigod of both Light and Shadow, Andreas was extremely sensitive to fluctuations in shadow energy within a certain range.
An imperceptible shadow was using a technique like Shadowstep to rapidly approach Velen. Andreas narrowed his eyes and stomped his left foot heavily on the ground.
"Thump!"
An Eredar wielding dual blades was shaken out of the shadows by Andreas. He struggled to swing his blades at the distracted Velen.
Before he could succeed, his control over his body was disrupted by chaotic thoughts suddenly popping into his head, preventing him from making the movements he intended.
"Hmph!"
The cold snort from behind intensified the mental attack. The assassin leader, covered in bone spikes, shuddered and collapsed limply to the ground.
Andreas stepped on the head of the immobilized assassin leader, causing the back of his skull to hit the city wall floor with a crisp thud.
"Stay down, or I won't guarantee your safety."
Startled by the commotion behind him, Velen finally snapped out of his daze.
"You are..."
Velen saw something familiar in the face of the immobile Eredar, and a look of anger gradually appeared on his usually gentle face.
"Talgath?!"
Andreas poked Talgath's forehead with the base of his staff, looking at the furious Velen in confusion.
"Prophet, you know him?"
"Hehe~ I know him. I certainly know him!"
Velen took a deep breath, barely managing to control his unstable emotions.
"He was once my most trusted lieutenant. Before we fled Argus, I entrusted my family to Talgath, asking him to bring my wife and son to the evacuation point. But this scum! He... *cough cough*—"
There was no need for the agitated Velen to explain further. Since Talgath had joined the ranks of the Burning Legion, it proved he had betrayed Velen's trust.
Andreas looked up at the anxious Rakish below the wall, and a flash of realization crossed his eyes.
'I see. A chain of diversions and feints?'
'It's a good thing I didn't go to the lower levels myself, or the distracted Prophet's life might have been in danger.'
Leticia happened to rush up from the lower level at that moment. Seeing the Eredar pinned under Andreas' foot, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
Andreas gave Leticia a reassuring smile, then looked down at Talgath, who was baring his teeth and trying to speak. He lifted the silence effect on him.
"Screw you, Velen! You spineless coward, you treacherous eunuch! Kiljaeden will—"
With an expressionless face, Andreas stomped Talgath's head back into the stone floor. "Fine, you'd better just shut up."
"Prophet, how should we deal with this guy?"
Velen looked down at Rakish with a complex expression. As intelligent as he was, once he straightened out his messy thoughts, he quickly understood Kiljaeden's scheme and, naturally, confirmed Rakish's identity.
"Smack!"
Velen, who always presented himself as kind and gentle, did not hesitate to smash his Prophet's staff onto Talgath's head. With his head reduced to a bloody mess, Talgath died on the spot.
"Uh..."
Andreas and Leticia watched in great surprise as Velen struggled to steady his breathing. Andreas subconsciously intercepted Talgath's soul as it tried to flee.
After a long while, Velen bowed his head bitterly. "...I apologize. I lost my composure."
"Not at all."
Andreas gently helped Velen up. "The murder of one's wife is an irreconcilable enmity. The Prophet giving him a quick end was already too merciful."
Velen heard the subtext in Andreas' tone and sighed as he looked at Rakish below the wall.
"It seems you've already guessed... Yes, Rakish is likely my poor son."
Leticia's eyes widened. She first looked at the scarred and fierce Eredar general below the wall, then carefully observed the refined and elegant Velen.
Noticing Leticia's expressive eyes, Velen shook his head with a bitter smile. "These are old matters from tens of thousands of years ago. We can discuss the details later."
With a casual wave, a highly compressed veil of Holy Light purified Talgath's wicked soul. Velen looked with distress at Rakish, who was jumping around trying to draw his attention.
"The problem now is how we respond to Kiljaeden's poisonous plot."
Kiljaeden's plan was now obvious. On one hand, he sent Rakish to draw Velen's attention, hoping for a father and son to kill each other. On the other hand, he had Talgath launch a sneak attack while Velen was distracted.
If everything had gone according to his plan, even if Velen didn't suffer a mental breakdown from Rakish's death, he would have been killed by Talgath's assassination.
It was impossible for Velen to take action against Rakish. Andreas considered it for a moment, then used Shadowmeld to appear below the wall.
Before Rakish and the demons surrounding him could react, Andreas swung his staff to create a wide arc of light, clearing the area, while simultaneously casting Holy Light chains with his left hand to firmly bind Rakish.
A large wave of highly compressed Fel Energy orbs suddenly streaked in from a great distance. Andreas quickly grabbed Rakish and dove into the shadow space, reappearing over ten meters away.
The position where Rakish had been was baptized by a round of saturated firepower, completely vaporizing everyone, friend and foe alike, within range.
Andreas narrowed his eyes as he looked in the direction the Fel Energy orbs had come from.'Such a high-intensity attack... Kiljaeden?'
The opponent didn't take further action after the failed sneak attack. Andreas looked at the struggling Rakish in his hand, a mischievous smile appearing on his face.
"Come on, little butcher. I'm taking you to see your daddy."
Andreas didn't know if Rakish, whose worldview had been twisted by brainwashing and torment since childhood, could still be saved. He casually tossed him to Velen and stopped worrying about the issue, as this was, after all, someone else's family matter.
Kiljaeden's assassination plan failed, and he quickly changed his approach.
The gate leading to Azeroth had already opened, and Kiljaeden no longer sat securely in the rear planning his strategies.
the Legion demons besieging Hellfire Citadel bypassed it like water flowing around stones in a river, heading directly for the Dark Portal at the eastern end of the Road of Glory.
Kiljaeden himself, however, led his personal Guard Legion to launch an attack on Hellfire Citadel.
The large-scale Fel Energy Storm, previously tested on a small scale, reappeared above the city walls, colliding fiercely with the Holy Light Barrier set up by the Naaru.
Dispersed small balls of Fel Energy clung to the edge of the Holy Light Barrier, fiercely gnawing at it like countless small predators. Andreas and the others could clearly see the Holy Light Barrier beginning to flicker unsteadily.
Andreas raised the Staff of Ganir, injecting his power into the barrier, doing his best to help the Naaru withstand this wave of attack from Kiljaeden.
"Illidan! Level that great cannon, and let's fire a shot first!"
"Don't order me around! I'm not your subordinate!"
Although Illidan remained stubbornly rebellious, he knew the current situation was critical. Despite his verbal resistance, he honestly manipulated the planetary destroyer, slowly leveling its angle of elevation.
The great cannon, which had almost annihilated the Legion fleet in a single blow, began charging again. As the ground at the edge of Hellfire Peninsula shattered, the wildly extracted planetary energy completed the charging of the planetary destroyer.
Kiljaeden, locked onto by the great cannon, felt an abrupt surge of danger in his heart. After confirming that evasion was useless, he immediately began setting up defensive measures.
Before the great cannon fired, three massive Siege Infernals descended from the sky.
The three Infernals lined up front-to-back, blocking the planetary destroyer's firing trajectory. At the same time, Kiljaeden summoned several strangely shaped stone pillars from an unknown space, surrounding himself in the center of this array of stone pillars.
The Eredar Guards beside Kiljaeden screamed as their life energy was drained. High-quality Fel Energy was injected into the array of stone pillars, and a seemingly sparse Defensive Magic Array rapidly took shape.
"Pfft~"
Almost instantly after the planetary destroyer fired, the impact forces of the cannon blast converged upon the three specially modified Defensive Infernals.
The three sturdy Siege Infernals were vaporized by the beam after blocking the cannon blast for less than three seconds, and the immensely powerful shot slammed heavily onto Kiljaeden's Defensive Magic Array.
Fel Energy of the same origin collided on Hellfire Peninsula. Beneath the ground where Kiljaeden stood, cracks appeared due to the fierce recoil.
Amidst the continuous earthquake, Celeste, who had just teleported to the city wall, barely managed to hold onto the wall to steady herself.
"Andreas, we can't keep drawing energy, or this broken land will shatter completely before the evacuation is finished!"
Andreas naturally saw the current tragic state of Draenor. Below the fractured ground, one could directly see the boundless dark cosmos, and the number of demons and allied soldiers swallowed by the ground fissures was rapidly rising.
Even the sturdy Hellfire Citadel began to collapse. Draenor's destruction had entered its final countdown.
"Celeste, you and High Priestess Tyrande are responsible for command. Have all the defenders inside and outside the city board the ships and evacuate."
The main force of the Burning Legion abandoned the attack on Hellfire Citadel and instead sped toward the Dark Portal, attempting to break through the Alliance Expeditionary Force's defenses before Draenor collapsed.
Hellfire Citadel, and indeed the entirety of the collapsing Draenor, had lost strategic significance. Continuing to hold it was just a pointless waste of life.
Celeste nervously asked, "What about you? You aren't planning on staying here and dying alongside Kiljaeden, are you?"
"How could I be."
Andreas forced a relaxed smile. "I tested it in advance on the way back from Netherstorm. A Demigod Body can survive in space for a period of time."
"Illidan, the Prophet, and I will stay behind to buy you time."
"The Burning Legion lost several great generals and countless demon soldiers this time. Counting the losses suffered when Archimonde invaded Azeroth, even if Sargeras wanted to resurrect them, it would take a considerable amount of time."
Andreas stood firmly on the city wall as if rooted, staring intently at Kiljaeden, who was stubbornly enduring the planetary destroyer's bombardment.
"Our strategic objective for the Draenor Expedition has been achieved. For a long time afterward, the Legion will not have the spare capacity to launch a large-scale attack on Azeroth. Next..."
As the planetary energy gradually ran out, the intensity of the planetary destroyer's bombardment slowly decreased. Illidan also gave up control of the great cannon, flapping his wings to fly onto the city wall.
"Clang!"
Drawing the warglaives of azzinoth and assuming a fighting stance, the Demon Hunter added with a wicked smile, "We just need to buy time to escape from Kiljaeden, right?"
Velen reached out and gently stroked the forehead of the unconscious Rakish. He closed his eyes to compose himself, and his previous hesitation and confusion quickly dissipated.
When he stood up again, the Prophet firmly planted his staff and walked over to Andreas and Illidan.
"Lady Celeste, Rakish is entrusted to you. Please take him back to Azeroth. Don't worry, we will follow shortly."
"Crack!"
An ominous cracking sound came from the foundation of Hellfire Citadel. Celeste had no more time to hesitate. Gritting her teeth, she resolutely turned around and began constructing a Teleportation Array alongside Rhonin and Adal.
"Andreas, I believe in you. Sister Shandris and Aurora are still waiting for you on Azeroth. You must return safely!"
Andreas' gaze remained fixed. He smiled and gave a thumbs-up behind him, "No problem, you guys go!"
"Whoosh!"
As the Teleportation Array activated by the three high-ranking mages, the Holy Light Barrier covering Hellfire Citadel finally vanished. The entire ruined castle was left with only three Demigods standing firm on the city wall, and four naaru ships began accelerating toward the Dark Portal.
"Hah!"
The gradually weakening planetary destroyer energy bombardment finally dissipated completely under Kiljaeden's furious roar and exertion of power.
Kiljaeden, his face covered in sweat, looked somewhat disheveled. He had indeed expended a significant amount of power to withstand this round of unavoidable locked bombardment.
"Boom!"
Hellfire Citadel was swept by the aftershock as Kiljaeden shook off the last residual attacks. Following the cracks in the ground, it began to fall into the cosmos. The planetary destroyer, having lost its energy, also disappeared amidst the collapse of the fortress.
Kiljaeden's expression was displeased, but his eyes, fixed on Velen, shone with fanatical brilliance.
"Velen! You finally dare to stand up and face me!"
Velen, floating above the shattered land with his two companions, remained silent for a moment before replying, "I only did what I believed was right. I have never regretted it, even today."
"Haha!"
Kiljaeden wore a smile of excitement and cruelty. "Can you tell that to your wife and children, and to the people who once trusted you, with a clear conscience? Traitor!"
"I am not a traitor!"
The usually gentle Velen roared, his hair and beard bristling, "It was you and Archimonde who betrayed our people and betrayed Argus!"
"I repeatedly warned you to beware of Sargeras' sweet words back then, and what was the final result!"
"Our homeworld Argus became a Den of Devils! Our people became accomplices in the Burning Legion's destruction of the cosmos. Is this the glory you desired!"
"Hmph!" Kiljaeden twitched his mouth. "More talk is useless. From now on, I will let you personally witness the great accomplishments the people you once abandoned can achieve. Your eloquent speeches end here!"
Illidan lowered his center of gravity with a cold laugh. "In the end, it still comes down to fighting. Kiljaeden, you've become more talkative."
Kiljaeden spread his hands, and countless small balls of Fel Energy appeared in the dark cosmos.
"Come! Since you willingly stayed behind to cover the retreat, let me use this opportunity to extinguish the last light and hope of Azeroth and the entire cosmos!"
"Thousand Soul Shadow!"
The violent clash of energies accelerated Draenor's shattering. Not only Hellfire Peninsula, every remaining fragment of Draenor now ticked toward annihilation under an endless tide of calamity.
The water stored in Coilfang Reservoir poured into the Dark Void as Zangarmarsh collapsed. Vashj led the Naga in flight from the marsh's great lake; Khadgar, long prepared, waited on the shore with Shattrath's refugees.
Seeing the brown-skinned orcs behind Khadgar, Vashj arched a brow. "Why are these orcs here? A gift for Lord Kiljaeden?"
Khadgar activated the great teleportation circle while shouting, "No time to explain—inside! We evacuate first, talk later!"
Every chosen race was moved to the Dark Portal and, under Ysera's direction, passed through in orderly fashion to Azeroth.
Tyrande's Azeroth Allied Forces fought desperately to hold the demon army, buying time for Draenor's evacuation.
Yet crisis loomed on the far side of the Dark Portal as well.
Crimson-skinned Fel Orcs hurled themselves against the defenses Navaz had thrown up before the Dark Portal.
Jarod's Second Sky Fleet hovered above, pounding the orcs with shells, but the fearless warriors ignored the explosions and charged headlong for the Portal.
The Alliance army behind them, unwilling to be caught in the indiscriminate barrage, stopped in bewilderment on the heights overlooking the Portal crater.
"What's going on here?"
Varian, newly arrived at the front, muttered in confusion. "What drug are these orcs on? Why are they frantic to get through the Portal?"
Niana, amid the Alliance host, sensed something strange and narrowed her eyes with a smile. "Perhaps someone baited them with a castle in the sky…"
"Bang!"
As her staff struck the ground, the golden gem set in Niana's staff blazed with brilliant light.
Caught off-guard, most Alliance leaders were blinded by the flash, their vision whiting out.
"Ugh!"
A grunt sounded behind Varian as he shut his eyes. Battle-honed, the king tensed to swing his twin blades.
"Clang!"
Niana caught Varian's swords on her staff of Nordrassil wood.
"Easy, King Varian—I've seized the assassin."
As the glare faded, sight returned to the group.
Before them stood a pale-green female orc, wrists bound overhead by a ring of light, other joints similarly locked; she could not move.
"You're…"
Varian stared in surprise. "Garona… the half-orc?"
Garona's eyes were blood-red, her body overflowing with savage bloodlust.
Niana tapped the golden gem against Garona's forehead; the light blow drew an inhuman shriek.
"This…"
Varian gaped at the solemn Niana and whispered to the general beside him, "Bolvar, isn't Lady ambassador a civilian? She looks…"
Duke Fu Tagen grimaced. "Your Majesty, recall Mathias' report—ambassador Starscar is no mere clerk."
Varian nodded thoughtfully. "Later, then."
Garona's screams ebbed; the crimson faded from her eyes.
"Cough, cough!"
After racking coughs she rasped, "Finally… back in control of my body."
"As I thought." Niana sighed. "I wondered why you, guardian of House Wrynn, would act so strangely—someone seized you."
Varian blinked. "Guardian of House Wrynn?"
"A-hem."
From the shadows Mathias murmured, "I'll explain later, Your Majesty."
Varian gave a slight nod and turned gravely to the stretching Garona.
"Half-orc Garona, tell us everything. Did you lure the orcs to open the Dark Portal?"
...On Draenor's side, refugees filed through the Portal while demons bore down on them.
Without Ysera's Aldor keeping order, the scene would have descended into chaos.
Hellfire Peninsula's rupture accelerated under distant energy pulses; Ysera stifled her urgency, focusing on funneling more souls to safety.
Thunderlord and Blackrock Orcs on the far bank raged to break through, while Mag'har on the near side fled their dying world.
The two streams met in Azeroth's Blasted Lands. Dranosh raised his weapon at the sight of red skin, fury rising.
"Wait!"
Jorin caught the enraged Dranosh, studying the Fel Orcs with a frown.
"No—these aren't the Fel Orcs we saw on Draenor. Look: their incompletely turned skin is green, not brown."
At Jorin's words Dranosh lowered his axe, puzzled. "Then what are they? Red paint? Triple speed boost?"
"No idea." Jorin glanced at the skyborne warships still shelling. "Not our concern right now."
"Our people need new land. Don't clash with Azeroth's natives."
Dranosh was no hot-headed Jarod; recognizing his mistake, he composed himself.
"I know. As guests we keep our heads down—no random blows."
Meanwhile, Varian's group learned the whole story from Garona; every leader frowned.
Queen Calia, coronation complete, mused, "So the one who controlled your mind was likely the demon king Sargeras?"
"Yet why so crude? Simply fling Thunderlord and Blackrock Orcs at the Portal and ignore what happens next?"
Garona shook her head. "I don't know, but Sargeras seemed less invested than when he possessed Medivh."
"Friends," Niana warned, gesturing toward the Portal, "my tutor is a master of mental defense. We can question later—look."
Following her staff's point, the leaders spotted brown-skinned Mag'har Orcs among the motley throng.
"More orcs!"
Muradin clanged hammer against axe. "Looks like fresh work."
"Hold on."
Gelbin Mekkatorque studied the group. "Am I wrong? These orcs lack the Fel savagery—almost… simple-hearted?"