Arthas had always considered Onyxia one of the most dangerous beings, not because of her immense power, but because of the complex web of forces she was involved with and her deep roots among human nobles.
It was not so much Onyxia herself that was dangerous, but rather what she represented.
Even though most of the Black Dragonflight had fallen and become synonymous with madness and evil, it didn't mean they wouldn't help each other, because an attack on one Black Dragon was an affront to Deathwing.
The insane Black Dragons would stop at nothing to kill anyone who dared to oppose the Black Dragonflight, destroying all those foolish enough to overstep their bounds.
However, Arthas was not a "foolish" simpleton; his power allowed him to confront even adult dragons without showing any fear. Even against the Black Dragon Prince Nefarian, Arthas, wielding Frostmourne, was confident he wouldn't be at a disadvantage in a one-on-one fight.
Onyxia's power was far weaker than her brother's. The reasons Arthas hadn't acted against her were, firstly, he was busy dealing with Ner'zhul, and secondly, he feared that cornering a Black Dragon in Stormwind would cause immense losses for Varian.
He didn't want his friend's city, rebuilt only a few years prior, to be ravaged by another Black Dragon.
Taking advantage of Varian's trip to Kalimdor, Arthas suggested that Tiffin and Anduin vacation in Lordaeron to prevent nobles from plotting against them.
Varian, concerned for his family's safety, agreed without hesitation. He clearly trusted Arthas more than his own nobles.
Although Bolvar was loyal, he was also a noble himself, making it difficult for him to directly confront other noble factions.
Arthas specifically arranged for Tiffin and Anduin to vacation in Caer Darrow because there were three layers of protection there.
The first layer was the elite guard in their manor, the second was the omnipresent Secret Intelligence Agency, and as for the third layer, it was Scholomance, known to no one but Arthas.
While Director Gading's strength was inferior to top-tier Archmages like Antonidas, Kel'Thuzad, and Kael'thas, he was no pushover himself.
However, Arthas hadn't expected the Black Dragon Princess to leave Stormwind so easily and come to Lordaeron, risking exposure to seize Varian's only weakness.
It seemed the Countess might have been provoked by something, leading her to act personally.
But no matter what the Black Dragon Princess was thinking, by appearing in Caer Darrow, she had walked straight into the trap Arthas had laid.
He immediately transmitted the command to Dark Dean Gandling via soul communication.
"Open the teleportation array in Scholomance. I'll send a few helpers to assist you—remember not to let your subordinates get too close; that Black Dragon will notice."
Gandling happily accepted the task assigned by the Lich King, but after a moment, he suddenly realized something was amiss…
"Black Dragon? What Black Dragon? Wasn't it a human Countess?"
The Lich King's voice rang out again, "That Countess named Katrana, her true identity is Onyxia, daughter of Neltharion, Deathwing, the master of the Black Dragonflight."
Deathwing's daughter?!
Gandling froze as if struck by lightning, his initial confidence instantly replaced by apprehension. Clearly, he had a deep self-awareness; the Dean believed he would not be a match for a Black Dragon…
Blessed by Neltharion's Earth Guardian authority, the Black Dragonflight also possessed special abilities. Although their race rarely had skilled spellcasters, they compensated with terrifying magic resistance and physical prowess.
Aside from the Blue Dragons, who were inherently Arcane manipulators, Black Dragons were virtually the bane of all mages; their magic lost most of its power upon encountering Black Dragon scales.
All research books on dragons in Dalaran basically had a note after the Black Dragons: If you are a mage, you had better find a way to escape with Blink and Teleport.
And now, the Lich King was telling him to deal with a Black Dragon?
Gandling was somewhat apprehensive, unsure how to complete this task, but fortunately, he quickly calmed down, remembering Arthas's promised assistance.
"I hope some reliable fellows are sent…"
If it were just a few Ghouls, Gandling might only be able to poison the Ghouls and see if Onyxia would get poisoned when she bit them.
… … … …
"Ogrim! We have work to do!" Lothar donned his runic armor, picked up his full-face helmet, and walked to the training ground.
Ogrim was wiping his warhammer with a rag. The Orc Death Knight snorted, "What is it?"
"Heh, I think you'll like this—we're going to deal with a Black Dragon."
Ogrim's motion of wiping his warhammer paused slightly. He looked up at Lothar, "Black Dragon? I remember those flying lizards preferring hot, volcanic places."
"Of course not in Northrend. We're going to Lordaeron."
Ogrim was silent for a moment, then gripped his warhammer and straightened up. "When do we leave?"
The Orc did not have a good impression of Black Dragons; these creatures had caused a lot of trouble for the Horde back then.
However, what Ogrim didn't know was that the remnants of the Blackrock Orcs who fled back to Blackrock Mountain, led by Red Blackhand, the son of the former Warchief Blackhand, had surrendered to the Black Dragon Prince Nefarian and become subordinates of the Black Dragonflight.
If Ogrim knew this, as a member of the Blackrock Orcs, he would surely rage and storm Blackrock Mountain, personally smashing the head of that idiot Red.
But for now, Ogrim simply wanted to test how strong his new body could be. If he were in Draenor, he might go hunt a Gronn.
However, Azeroth had no Gronn, but he thought a Black Dragon should also be a good choice.
Following Lothar out of the training ground and towards the teleportation area, Ogrim asked, "Just the two of us?"
"Of course not. There's also Anub'rekhan and Thassarian. The four of us should be enough."
"Hmph, that weak human boy? He'll only cause us trouble." Ogrim believed Thassarian's strength was insufficient to join this hunt.
"Bringing Thassarian is the Lich King's order, but as for whether he'll cause trouble, I believe Thassarian will prove himself with his actions."
Lothar looked at the Death Knight covered in black armor, his eyes burning with an undying blue flame beneath his mask-like helmet.
"I won't be picking up the pieces for a useless guy. If he gets eaten or torn in half by the Black Dragon, you can figure it out on your own."
Ogrim swung his warhammer onto his shoulder, standing beside the towering Crypt Lord Anub'rekhan, as the teleportation array beneath their feet gradually lit up, charged by the ghost of an Elven Archmage.
Thassarian stared coldly ahead, carrying two runic swords he had personally etched on his back, one named [Vengeance] and the other [Ruthlessness].
To Ogrim's words, his only reaction was silence, as if he couldn't hear the Orc's contemptuous tone. Having made two mistakes and faced death twice, Thassarian understood the consequences of impulsiveness and recklessness. That hot-headed recruit was dead, replaced by a cold-blooded Death Knight.
And his first target, ordered to hunt, was the fallen Black Dragon Princess, Onyxia.