The Goblin Airship was parked halfway up the mountain.
The five walked through the dense forest and arrived at a cave hidden by vegetation and huge rocks.
Kurdran said, "This is it!"
They cleared away the vegetation and rocks, revealing a dark passage.
Liadrin frowned, sensing a powerful and evil shadow aura deep within the passage.
"Is this a tomb raider's tunnel?" Kael'thas's expression was strange. Did Azeroth also have grave robbers? Southern style or Northern style?
"What tomb raider's tunnel? This is an enemy invasion tunnel!"
Kurdran snorted and said, "More than two hundred years ago, the sorceress Modgud led the Dark Iron Dwarves army to attack Grim Batol. In addition to having the main force assault the city gates, she also had people dig a tunnel from here directly into the city, coordinating from inside and out!"
The current Horde cannot break through Ironforge head-on. The Dark Iron Dwarves back then were not as strong as the Horde, so how could they break through Grim Batol head-on?
"This tunnel, no, this underground passage, leads directly to the deepest part of Grim Batol, and it's an abandoned area. Those green-skinned Orcs might not have discovered it."
"We'll go in from here, without anyone knowing!"
The five walked in, with Kurdran leading the way.
The passage was very deep and would take a long time to traverse.
Liadrin walked and asked, "Highlord, was Modgud very strong?"
Just the shadow aura emanating from the passage was already powerful enough to make her, a High Priestess/novice Paladin, feel uncomfortable.
This was just a tiny bit of leaked aura; how powerful must the shadow energy filling all of Grim Batol be?
And this was just the aura that had been dissipating for over two hundred years; how powerful must the originator of all this have been back then?
It was truly hard to imagine!
Kurdran's expression was solemn: "Very strong, extremely strong!"
"Unlike the Wildhammer and Bronzebeard Dwarves, the Dark Iron Dwarves' specialty isn't close combat, but magic!"
"Dark Iron Dwarves produce many mages. Modgud was the Dark Iron Queen, and like Emperor Thaurissan, the Dark Iron King of that era, both were the most powerful mages of their time, both legendary level."
"Later, Modgud somehow acquired a dagger, and from then on, she transformed into a Shadow Priestess, beginning to serve an unknown evil god and gaining unimaginable power."
"She was the most powerful Shadow Priestess in mortal history, mastering dark magic that manipulated nightmares and corrupted land."
"She could unleash shadow energy on a large scale on the battlefield, disintegrating enemy will and enhancing the combat effectiveness of Dark Iron soldiers."
"In that great war, the Dark Iron Clan split into two forces. One army was personally led by Emperor Thaurissan, who commanded tens of thousands of golems and siege engines to attack Ironforge, even advancing to the city's core at one point."
"The other army was led by Modgud. Their forces were actually inferior to our Wildhammer Dwarves, but they could still suppress us because Modgud's shadow magic strengthened the Dark Iron soldiers. One of them could fight several of us!"
"Her magic possessed the power to destroy hearts, easily crushing the rock-solid resolve of the Wildhammer warriors."
"What's even more terrifying is that her magic could even cause permanent distortion and destruction to the geographical environment of Grim Batol, transforming the once prosperous city into a realm filled with nightmares and fear."
"If my father, Khardros, hadn't personally led a unit to launch an attack and kill Modgud at the cost of many lives, the Wildhammer Dwarves would have been extinct over two hundred years ago."
"Although we successfully defeated the Dark Iron Dwarves, Grim Batol's shadow curse had already merged with the city. With our strength, we couldn't purify it, so we could only leave here and go to Aerie Peak, a thousand miles away."
Kurdran said, "She should be one of the strongest in the history of mortal races. Her spellcasting ability and energy level were at least equivalent to a High Legendary, or even a Demigod!"
Kael'thas nodded silently.
Modgud was certainly very strong, but what was even stronger was her dagger, Xal'atath, Blade of the Black Empire.
Sealed within that thing was an existence comparable to the Ancient Gods; it would be strange if it weren't powerful!
"It seems I need to find Xal'atath when I have time. Even if I can't use it myself, I must seal it and not let it continue to bewitch people outside." Kael'thas secretly made up his mind.
Xal'atath was too terrifying.
Allowing it to stir up trouble outside would harm not only humans and Dwarves but also High Elves.
"We're here!"
The five reached the end of the passage and found the exit blocked by rocks.
"After that great war ended, the passage was sealed, but we were in a hurry to evacuate, so only a small amount of rocks blocked it. Don't worry, it's not much." Kurdran reassured them.
The group quickly cleared the passage and entered Grim Batol.
As Kurdran said, this was an abandoned area, with piled-up rocks and collapsed buildings everywhere. No Orcs had come here at all.
"Which way do we go next?" Kurdran asked.
Kael'thas said, "Nekros is a Great Warlock, wielding the demon soul. His position in the Dragonmaw Clan must be very high, and it's highly likely he lives near the palace."
"In that direction!"
Kurdran led the way, and the five walked and stopped, killing over a dozen patrolling guards along the way, finally seeing the palace.
In front of the palace was a small square, densely packed with Orcs who were actually drilling.
Besides Orcs, there were also many Ogres, Goblins, and even Red Dragon Whelps.
Those Red Dragon Whelps were being whipped, fitted with saddles and reins; they were being tamed by the Orcs.
"No, the defenses are too tight. We can't sneak in. If we attack head-on, with just the five of us, it's impossible." Kurdran said.
"It seems we can only execute Plan B."
Kael'thas said, "First, we rescue the Red Dragon Queen! As soon as she is free, she will surely draw Nekros out!"
Kurdran nodded: "The Red Dragon Queen is extremely massive. Grim Batol is a mountain city, and there are not many open areas that can accommodate a Dragon Aspect, only a few. I'll take you to find them!"
He personally led the way, stealthily, searching several places in a row, and finally heard a shrill scream.
It was the sound of a Red Dragon!
"Found her!" Kael'thas's eyes lit up.
The five followed the sound and came to an open area, seeing an extremely massive Red Dragon lying on the ground, almost ten times the size of the Red Dragon Mage Krasus.
She was bound by over a dozen chains as thick as arms. One end of the chains was tightly wrapped around her body, and the other end was deeply embedded in the earth and mountain, with runes flashing on them, flowing with magical energy.
She was covered in wounds, looking very tired and in pain, constantly groaning. Blood flowed from her wounds; she seemed to have just endured a beating.
Suddenly, she seemed to sense something, slowly moving her head, her gaze piercing through a thousand meters to fall on Kael'thas, who was hidden in the darkness.
"The Red Dragon Queen, Alexstrasza!" Kael'thas smiled.
"Kael'thas, Prince of the High Elves, Kirin Tor councilor, Korialstrasz's colleague. He has mentioned you to me."
"So, are you the reinforcement Korialstrasz sent?"
A gentle yet pain-filled voice, like an ancient bell piercing through the mist, echoed directly in Kael'thas Sunstrider's mind. It was the Red Dragon Queen, Alexstrasza.
This Life-Binder, a Guardian Dragon blessed by the Titans, was one of the oldest and most powerful beings in Azeroth.
Even though she was currently bound by the power of the demon soul, enduring endless humiliation and torment, and was incredibly weak, her vast, ocean-like mental power still far surpassed Kael'thas's.
Mental communication at this distance was as natural as breathing for her.
"Yes, Your Majesty, Krasus is very worried about you, but he cannot come here himself, so he could only ask for my help," Kael'thas said in his mind.
The Red Dragon Queen continued, "He knows Deathwing is the mastermind and wouldn't send you to your death, so his task for you is to take the demon soul away. Without the demon soul's suppression, I can free myself. Is that correct?"
Kael'thas nodded slightly. "You are even wiser than I imagined. Nothing escapes you. However, I do not intend to take it away, but to destroy it."
The Red Dragon Queen's eyes, many times larger than a lantern, looked at Lanathel, her gaze falling on the earth guardian's scale and the shattered scale. "Deathwing's scales… You are very clever. You thought of the only way to destroy the demon soul."
"But I don't know where Nekros and the demon soul are, so—"
"So, you plan to rescue me first to lure Nekros here?"
"Everything is as you surmised, Your Majesty," Kael'thas said.
A Guardian Dragon who had lived for tens of thousands of years, her insight and wisdom far surpassed ordinary people. She understood everything the moment she saw him.
The Red Dragon Queen said, "Then I leave it to you all. But you must act quickly. Any movement here will attract Nekros's attention. There are tens of thousands of orcs in all of Grim Batol. If you alarm them, you are dead."
Lanathel was puzzled. "Dead? It can't be that bad, can it? His Highness is a legendary mage; he can teleport us away at any time."
Kael'thas shook his head. "Your Majesty is right. The entirety of Grim Batol is within the demon soul's sphere of influence. That artifact contains energy at the pinnacle demigod level. Its mere existence distorts the space-time here, severely interfering with all space-time spells. Teleportation spells below demigod level are useless here."
Strong, right?
A super artifact that brought together most of the guardian power of the Bronze Dragon King, the Red Dragon Queen, the Blue Dragon King, and the Green Dragon Queen—that's how strong it was!
It contained most of the authority over life, magic, dreams, and time. It was even more powerful than the focusing iris; it was already a pinnacle demigod-level existence!
Lanathel's face instantly turned pale. "Then aren't you in great danger?"
Kael'thas smiled. "As long as the demon soul is destroyed, I can use teleportation. Then, no matter how many orcs there are, they won't be able to stop us, let alone with the Red Dragon Queen."
A free and unsuppressed Red Dragon Queen could easily destroy all of Grim Batol with her own power.
Only then did Lanathel relax.
The Red Dragon Queen's deep dragon roar echoed in everyone's hearts: "The orcs have bound my body with eighteen adamantine chains. You only need to cut the four main chains binding my head and limbs, and I will be able to break free." However, her voice carried a hint of heaviness: "These chains were forged by goblins using fel-infused adamantine. They are indestructible, and they also have fel energy from warlocks. Even though you possess artifacts, it won't be easy to destroy them."
Those chains were too thick, even thicker than an adult's thigh.
Only such thick fel-infused adamantine chains could bind her, a Guardian Dragon, preventing her from using any spells or even shapeshifting.
Kael'thas's gaze sharply swept over the cell. "There are thirteen orc guards here, including two warlocks. We must kill them as quickly as possible and without making too much noise. That way, we will have enough time to cut the chains."
He briefly assigned tasks and said, "5, 4, 3, 2, 1, move!"
Before the echo of "move" faded, Kael'thas's figure, in a flash of arcane light, flickered behind the orc warlock closest to the Queen.
Flame Strike drew a deadly cold light, precisely slashing across the warlock's throat.
Throat slit!
At the same time, titanstrike released the power of lightning and fire, and an energy bullet accurately hit the center of another warlock's forehead.
Headshot!
Lanathel charged, her sharp shattered scale longsword piercing the heart of an orc footman.
Liadrin, on the other hand, used her one-handed sword as a hammer, a Hammer of Justice eliminating the distant orc footman.
Immediately after, they attacked their second targets in various locations.
A legendary team ambushing mere foot soldiers, where even great professionals were absent, was like cutting vegetables.
In less than five seconds, these orc guards were all eliminated and turned into corpses before they even had time to scream.
The five walked to the Red Dragon Queen and each chose a chain.
Kael'thas counted down again, striking simultaneously.
He held Flame Strike and slashed at the chain wrapped around the Red Dragon Queen's neck.
With a 'clink', Flame Strike was actually repelled, leaving only a shallow white cut mark on the surface of the fel-infused adamantine chain.
The attacks of the other four also encountered the same difficulty; the chains remained motionless, leaving only shallow marks.
"So hard, almost as hard as my hammer. If I hadn't summoned the power of lightning, I wouldn't have been able to damage it at all!"
"These chains have very strong magic resistance. Even titanstrike's lightning and fire bullets can hardly cause much damage. It's outrageous; Igrim wasn't this hard to deal with!"
"The magical energy on it is mainly fel, mixed with some shadow, which happens to be countered by the Holy Light. However, my power is not enough, and the oathbinder cannot cause too much damage to it."
"It's too hard. The shattered scale sword also has difficulty cutting it. Even with my strength, it would take at least a hundred—no, five hundred strikes!"
Everyone was amazed.
These chains were too hard, even harder than the chains that bound Zakajz deep within Thoradin's Tomb.
If Zakajz, who was no longer at his peak, were bound by these chains, he would definitely not be able to break them or escape!
"Again!"
Kael'thas transformed into a melee mage, wielding Flame Strike into a blur, striking the same point on the chain continuously like a storm.
With enough effort, iron can be ground into a needle.
If you cut fast enough, steel is like cabbage!
Meanwhile, at the Grim Batol palace,
"What? Warchief Ogrim and Chieftain Zul'rukh have again ordered me to personally escort the Red Dragon Queen and lead all Dragon Riders to reinforce the Lordamere Lake battlefield immediately?"
Nekros Skullcrusher suddenly stood up from his crude orcish throne, letting out a furious roar, "The Chieftain is confused!"
The Dragon Rider captain, who had come to deliver the message, knelt on one knee, his voice urgent and heavy:
"Sir, the situation at Lordamere Lake is very bad. Although you sent over two hundred Dragon Riders, including two Ancient Red Dragons, the High Elves and Wildhammer Dwarves have also reinforced that area."
"Now, the Dragonhawk Riders and Gryphon Riders in Silverpine Forest number over a thousand, and their aerial strength is even greater than ours."
"Especially the Gryphon Riders; they are well-trained and have fought the Forest Trolls of the Hinterlands for years. Their combat experience and skills are top-notch. Although our Dragon Riders are also excellent, the Red Dragons are uncooperative, and we are no match for them in battle."
"In just half a month, we have lost over a hundred Dragon Riders!"
"Now our aerial forces are almost completely suppressed, and the sky has become Alliance territory."
"As soon as our Dragon Riders take to the sky, they are immediately surrounded and annihilated."
"Unable to take to the sky, we cannot execute the strategy of burning Silverpine Forest!"
"We Orcs are not skilled in forest combat; as soon as we enter, we are attacked by the Alliance."
"Especially those damned long-eared Elves, they are too strong in the forest. One Elf Ranger is stronger than five Orc foot soldiers!"
"The casualty ratio between the Horde and the Alliance has reached an astonishing three to one. We cannot afford this, Sir!"
He said in a deep voice: "Sir, the Warchief is out of options. Only if the Red Dragon Queen participates in the war can we turn the tide and achieve victory!"
"Red Dragon Queen? Don't even think about it!"
Nekros gritted his teeth: "I have said it many times; once the Red Dragon Queen leaves Grim Batol, she will be ambushed by the Alliance at any time. Dragonhawk Riders, Gryphon Riders, and even the Red Dragonflight will take action. I will never take that risk!"
The Dragon Rider said: "But if you continue to defy orders, the Warchief will really kill the Clan Leader!"
Nekros snorted coldly: "Then let him kill him!"
"What?" The Dragon Rider exclaimed, "That's the Clan Leader!"
"The Clan Leader is important, of course, but the Clan is above the Clan Leader!"
Nekros said: "The Clan Leader will understand! The Clan Leader is the Great Shaman, second only to Ner'zhul among the Orcs. Death means nothing to him; he has long been prepared for death, long prepared to embrace his destiny!"
"You, return to Lordamere immediately and bring all the Dragon Riders back!"
"Needless casualties cannot continue. The defeat of the Horde is already certain; the Dragonmaw Clan must preserve the power to turn the tide for the Horde!"
"...Yes!"
As the Dragon Rider was about to leave, he suddenly heard a horn sound in the distance, three long and two short, signifying urgency and danger.
It was a horn for help!
Almost at the same time the horn sounded, Nekros's face changed drastically. He clutched his chest suddenly, as if sensing some invisible heavy blow.
"The chains, the magic I placed on the Adamantite chains is being destroyed!"
"The Red Dragon Queen is about to break free!"
"Everyone, follow me!"
He gathered all available forces along the way and rushed towards the Red Dragon Queen's cell.
Meanwhile, amidst the chaotic Orc settlement, an inconspicuous Goblin engineer quietly slipped into a dark corner piled with discarded parts.
He nervously looked around, and after confirming no one was watching, he tremblingly pulled out a magic pendant shimmering with a faint purple light from under his greasy leather apron, brought it to his mouth, and whispered urgently in an almost inaudible gasp:
"Master, Grim Batol has changed… the Red Dragon Queen… the chains…"
Thousands of miles away, deep within the earth's core.
Deathwing's massive body lay in boiling magma. His hundreds-of-meters-long body was embedded with a thick layer of heavy metal armor, all made of Adamantite, each piece imbued with terrifying magical energy.
Hundreds of Goblins were operating mechanical hammers, tapping and banging on Deathwing's body, reinforcing some loosened rivets.
Deathwing's eyes were tightly shut.
He was not sleeping, but thinking, pondering the current situation, contemplating the future.
"Those fools in the Horde, despite having stronger forces, are repeatedly defeated on various battlefields. All my efforts to help them obtain the demon soul and enslave Alexstrasza were in vain!"
"Kael'thas Sunstrider—all the variables stem from this damned Elf Prince!"
"I have been focusing on Anduin Lothar, on Terenas Menethil, on Daelin Proudmoore and Antonidas, on Medivh, whom I even fear somewhat, and on Korialstrasz, who infiltrated the Kirin Tor Council under the alias Krasus, but I overlooked him!"
"The defeat of the Horde is a foregone conclusion, but the Dragonmaw Clan still has value. They can continue to enslave Alexstrasza, hatch more Dragon eggs to deal with the Red Dragonflight, and also the Blue Dragonflight, Green Dragonflight, and Bronze Dragonflight!"
"After the war ends, the internal conflicts of the Alliance will inevitably surface. I can take advantage of this to infiltrate and control the Alliance."
"Where to start? Ah, yes, the Kingdom of Alterac, and the Stormwind Kingdom!"
"The Kingdom of Alterac will inevitably face territorial disputes after the war. I can disguise myself as a Human noble and find a way to become the King of Alterac!"
"Additionally, with the Stormwind Kingdom destroyed by the Horde, the noble factions will surely be whitewashed. Onyxia can disguise herself as a Human noble and approach the naive young King, thereby controlling the Stormwind Kingdom!"
"And, I also need to acquire Dragon eggs from other Dragonflights for Nefarian to experiment with and create even more powerful Dragons!"
"All of this is for the Twilight Judgment!"
Suddenly, a humble and familiar voice echoed in his mind: "Master, Grim Batol has changed! Someone has infiltrated and is destroying the chains binding the Red Dragon Queen!"
"What?!"
Deathwing's burning eyes snapped open, a furious rage almost erupting, threatening to turn the surrounding Goblins into ash.
His massive Dragon body instantly twisted and contracted in a vortex of shadow and flame, transforming in the blink of an eye into the form of an exceptionally tall and burly Human man with a cold, sinister face, clad in heavy black armor.
"Alexstrasza, Korialstrasz—"
"The Battle of Silvermoon City, Kael'thas—"
"The Hinterlands, Gryphon Riders—"
A flood of information converged in his mind, and the complex clues quickly sorted themselves out, ultimately pointing to one answer.
"Krasus asked Kael'thas for help to seize the demon soul and rescue Alexstrasza?"
"Dream on!"
With a flash of light, Deathwing teleported above Grim Batol, his brows furrowed: "What's going on?"
"I clearly locked onto Alexstrasza's position, so why was there a deviation in the teleportation?"
An invisible, powerful force permeated the sky above Grim Batol, like an invisible giant net, disrupting the stability of space.
"Not good, some force has twisted the space-time here, interfering with my teleportation!"
"Besides the Ancient Gods, Titan Guardians, Elemental Lords, Medivh, and Azshara, only a few possess such abilities!"
The feigned calm on his face completely vanished, replaced by fury.
Shadow and flames surged again, and his body rapidly expanded in a blinding light, instantly reverting to his terrifying Black Dragon true form that eclipsed the stars and moon.
"Roar!"
A roar capable of tearing the earth resounded through the night sky of Grim Batol. Deathwing's Dragon eyes, burning with endless madness and destructive desire, scanned the surroundings:
"My brothers, my sisters, I know it's you. Show yourselves!"
"Neltharion!"
A roar, filled with ten thousand years of resentment, echoed, carrying the fierce cold winds from Northrend, like the ancient glaciers of the ice plains crumbling.
"You are no longer my brother!"
"Ten thousand years ago, the moment you betrayed us, you ceased to be our brother!"
A cold voice resounded from the north, as a blue dragon, not much smaller than him, suddenly appeared.
Its entire body was covered in deep blue scales, like the endless starry sky, each one shimmering with a dreamlike arcane glow.
The energy fluctuations emanating from its body were as vast as the ocean, making even the Sunwell pale in comparison.
Every cell in its body was filled with arcane energy, as if it were an energy entity forged from arcane power.
Its huge dragon eyes were locked onto Deathwing, churning not only with deep-seated hatred but also with a madness born from ten thousand years of torment from betrayal and the near-annihilation of its race.
"Malygos, my brother, you may not acknowledge me, but I cannot not acknowledge you!"
Deathwing's voice was low, accompanied by a mocking, Laughing wildly:
"Azeroth's enforcer, guardian of magic, the eldest Aspect, my dear 'brother,' it was you who first attacked me ten thousand years ago, and the damage from your magic still lingers on my body to this day!"
"But you also suffered the most terrible attack. You and your Blue Dragonflight were the first to taste the power of the demon soul!"
"Your kin were almost completely wiped out by me, your offspring trembled and perished under the artifact's power, and even your most intimate mate, Sindragosa, also—"
"Silence!"
A powerful, focused beam of energy erupted from Malygos's mouth, transforming into a freezing breath capable of destroying an entire city, interrupting Deathwing's mockery.
Thousands of ice shards struck Deathwing's back, but were blocked by the thick, adamantine armor imbued with the power of the Earth-Warder.
Black and red shadow flames spewed from beneath the armor, instantly transforming into a sea of shadow fire that melted and evaporated all the ice shards.
"Ten thousand years, Neltharion!"
"For ten thousand long years, I have thought every day about how to tear your throat and crush your heart!"
Malygos's voice was cold, his gaze sinister, and a raging inferno burned in his chest.
In that battle ten thousand years ago, the Blue Dragonflight charged at the forefront, suffering the most devastating losses. All adult female dragons perished, causing him to lose his mate and his ability to procreate. Although some dragon eggs were preserved and hatched into a portion of female dragons, those female dragons were not old enough, too small, and had limited endurance, unable to withstand his violent energy. Mating would inevitably lead to their death.
Ten thousand years ago, the Blue Dragonflight was the most numerous and powerful among the five Dragonflights. Now, however, it had fallen to the last place, with hardly any capable members.
The strongest blue dragon of the younger generation, Kalecgos, was still far inferior to Krasus, miles apart!
The Blue Dragonflight even faced the danger of extinction, and all of this was caused by Deathwing!
"I was in Deepholm, in the Temple of Earth, in the Stonecore, yet you never dared to come find me!"
"Malygos, my timid and cowardly brother!"
Deathwing laughed heartily, clearly not taking Malygos seriously at all.
"Is that so?"
"I heard you were originally hiding in your lair in Highmountain, but were driven to Deepholm by the tauren there, and you've been hiding for ten thousand years, afraid to come out."
"Even now, you, who possess both the power of the Titans and the Ancient Gods, are clearly the strongest creature flying in the skies of Azeroth, yet you still only dare to hide behind the scenes, manipulating the orcs to deal with my sister."
"You're the coward, aren't you, Neltharion?"
A gentle voice suddenly echoed in Deathwing's mind, causing him a momentary trance, as if he had been pulled into one dream after another.
He was back tens of thousands of years ago, fighting alongside Alexstrasza, Nozdormu, Ysera, and Malygos, under the leadership of Highlord Tyr, battling the proto-dragon Galakrond in a bloodbath.
The scene shattered abruptly, switching to ten thousand years ago, when the heavens collapsed, the Well of Eternity exploded, and the world mourned.
The scene changed again, and he arrived at his lair in Highmountain, seeing an extraordinarily tall tauren wielding the Stormhammer, manipulating the power of the earth, and attacking him.
"No!"
Deathwing roared, all the dreams shattered simultaneously, and a thick dragon tail swept across, forcing back a giant dragon as green as emerald. "Ysera, Guardian of Nature and Dreams, do not use your ridiculous dream powers in front of me; they are useless against me."
Deathwing snorted, "You'd best go back to your Emerald Dream and sleep; that way, you might still keep your life!"
"It's time to end your madness, Neltharion," the Green Dragon Queen Ysera said calmly.
"You don't acknowledge me as your brother either, Ysera?"
Deathwing seemed provoked. "Open your eyes and face reality! No one can stop me from creating this new era that belongs to our kind!"
"You merely desire an era where you are the sole dictator."
Suddenly, another voice sounded from behind him.
Deathwing didn't even turn his head, sneering, "Nozdormu? Finally decided to pull your head out of the sand? Don't you remember who is the strongest here? Even if all three of you come at me together, you won't defeat me!"
"Is that so?"
"Then let your destruction prove it!"
Malygos roared.
Three distinct yet equally immense powers of the Dragonflights erupted.
The Blue Dragon was enveloped in the fury of tearing arcane magic, the Green Dragon was shrouded in the mist of encroaching dreams, and the Bronze Dragon manipulated the shifting sands of time.
The three Dragonflights transformed into three destructive torrents of energy, charging from different directions simultaneously towards the shadow of annihilation standing upon the earth!
"1234, 5678."
Kurdran yelled while grabbing the hammer and simultaneously summoning lightning.
The hundred-kilogram Stormhammer, imbued with the power of lightning, struck the chain again and again, as if forging a divine weapon.
Tiny yet fatal cracks spread like a spiderweb, and the entire chain was visibly weakening at an alarming rate.
"Hey, hey, Highlord, why are you shouting? Aren't you afraid the orcs outside will hear—BOOM!"
Vereesa stood three meters away, continuously firing. Lightning-fire bullets struck the chain one after another, emitting deafening roars, louder than Kurdran's hammering and shouting.
"Vereesa, what do you know? I'm just psyching myself up, cheering myself on!"
"If I don't shout, I can't put my strength into it!"
"And do you think the orcs outside are deaf? They heard us the moment we started—oh no, they're breaking in!"
Kurdran's face changed drastically.
Not far away, dozens of orcs charged over!
"Don't stop, keep going!"
"They're mine!"
Kael'thas was about to summon the Phoenix God to block the Orcs when he suddenly heard a crisp sound.
He quickly turned his head and saw Lanathel, drenched in sweat, panting, and her chest heaving, as she severed a chain with her sword.
"Lanathel, well done!" Kael'thas gave a thumbs-up. Kurdran was stunned: "Impossible! I'm the strongest here, how could she be the first one to break a chain?"
I, the Hammerfell Dwarves chieftain, Highlord of the Hinterlands, the strongest Gryphon Knight in history, am actually inferior to a High Elf girl?
Is this right? This can't be right!
If this continues, the Hammerfell Dwarves will lose all face because of me!
Lanathel smiled sweetly: "Your Highness, you all continue. I'll handle those Orcs!"
With that, she charged into the group of Orcs, her sword rising and falling to kill the nearest Orc.
Then a Cleave pushed back several other Orcs, followed by her spinning with her sword and shield, like a moving whirlwind.
Bladestorm!
However, more and more Orcs appeared, including both melee and ranged fighters, and she quickly fell into a hard battle.
"Phoenix God, go!"
Kael'thas quickly summoned the Phoenix God, which flew into the crowd, its wings, burning with Phoenix Flames, constantly flapping, sending a dozen Orcs flying.
The flames continuously scorched them, causing great damage to those Orcs.
However, more and more Orcs charged forward, and there were many spellcasters among them!
"Everyone, put in some effort, break the chains, and come help!"
Kurdran was stimulated. How could a dwarf be inferior to an Elf?
His blood boiled, entering a red-hot state, and the force in his hands increased by two points.
Clang!
Another crisp sound, from another spot, it was Liadrin.
"Your Highness, I'll go help!"
She first cast a shield on Lanathel, then charged over, standing back-to-back with Lanathel.
With two battle swords and two shields, the two female Elves were like two iron gates, blocking hundreds of Orcs outside.
"How is it an Elf again?"
"Damn it, if only I had the Mountain King's Avatar ability of the Bronzebeard clan, I could shatter this thing with one hammer swing!"
Kurdran continued to swing his hammer, and then heard another crisp sound, from Vereesa's side.
"Your Highness, you all continue, I'm going to help!"
She turned her gun to unleash thunder and fire, specifically targeting the Orc Warlocks hiding in the back and casting spells, to relieve pressure on her two companions.
"It's an Elf again! And a female one!"
Kurdran shouted: "Kael'thas! We two men are being outdone by women!"
Kael'thas smiled slightly: "As a Mage who never trains in strength, and wielding a magic sword, what's wrong with being inferior to two melee fighters with swords and one ranged fighter with a gun?"
"And do you want to take a good look? This chain of mine is binding the dragon's head, it's much thicker than your four!"
"...So I'm the only one with a problem, right?"
"You have reasons, and I have reasons too. You either have swords or guns, I'm the only one with a hammer, the least suitable tool for cutting and destroying. What am I supposed to hit with a hammer?"
"Break for me!"
Another crisp sound, and the fourth chain snapped.
"Kael'thas, you continue, I'm going to help!"
Kurdran grinned, finally not the last one, finally beating the Elves, sweet!
He swung his Stormhammer and joined the battle.
After a dozen more breaths, Kael'thas finally cut the fifth chain.
"Everyone, get back!" Kael'thas shouted.
Without thinking, everyone quickly complied.
With the chains binding her head and limbs severed, the Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza struggled to her feet, shook off the chain binding her mouth, opened her massive maw, and spewed forth the Fires of Life, engulfing a fan-shaped area hundreds of meters in front of her.
And in that area, there were several hundred Orcs!
"Defense!"
Someone shouted, and the Orc footmen immediately entered a defensive stance, but what good was that?
In an instant, the vast underground space turned into a sea of fire!
The Red Dragon's flames are the Fires of Life; this power can bestow life upon others, or ignite the lives of others, and at this moment, it was clearly the latter.
Even legendary magic armor would struggle to withstand the Red Dragon Queen's Fires of Life, let alone these low-level Orcs, mere laborers?
What strong muscles, what firm will, what corrupted souls—none of it mattered in the face of absolute power.
Hundreds of Orcs turned into hundreds of skeletons in the blink of an eye!
"Is this the power of a Guardian Dragon? So strong. The Firelord summoned by Emperor Thaurissan was probably not much more powerful than this, right?" Kurdran was dumbfounded.
"What is Zakajz? Well, at least Zakajz not in his prime is nothing. I suspect he couldn't even withstand a single spit from the Red Dragon Queen!" Vereesa's eyes widened.
"The aura emanating from her is equivalent to the combined power of a thousand Priests and Paladins at Thoradin's Tomb—no, it's much stronger!" Liadrin finally understood why His Highness the Prince was so determined to save the Red Dragon Queen.
"This is the power that can contend with Deathwing!" Lanathel felt the power of the earth guardian's scale emanating from the two artifacts. That power was on the same level as the Red Dragon Queen, but clearly much weaker.
Kael'thas smiled without speaking.
Because he knew, this was not the Red Dragon Queen's true power at all.
Most of her guardianship power had been tricked away by Deathwing, used to forge the demon soul, otherwise she would be even stronger.
"He's here!"
The Red Dragon Queen's voice echoed in everyone's mind.
Kael'thas suddenly turned his head, his gaze piercing through the raging flames, and saw a limping Orc Warlock holding a golden disc in his hand.
Nekros!
He rode a dragon, charging all the way, finally arriving here.
Seeing the Red Dragon Queen about to be completely free, he was both shocked and enraged, and quickly activated the demon soul, launching his strongest attack!
Four-colored energies surged within the demon soul, merging into one, transforming into a golden energy beam that shot out and fiercely struck the Red Dragon Queen.
This high-tier demigod, who had just burned hundreds of Orcs to death with a single breath, was actually firmly suppressed by the seemingly not-so-powerful golden energy, lying on the ground, twitching all over, her face contorted in agony, evidently experiencing unbearable pain.
"Now!"
Kael'thas shouted.
No sooner had he spoken than Lanathel charged out from the side, rushing between Nekros and the Red Dragon Queen.
She raised the earth guardian's scale, forcefully severing the golden energy, cutting off the demon soul's damage to the Red Dragon Queen!
At the same time, Vereesa's thunder-fire bullets and Kurdran's Stormhammer simultaneously struck Nekros, inflicting unprecedented physical and mental damage on this rare Orc Arch-Warlock, interrupting his spellcasting.
Immediately afterwards, Kael'thas teleported behind Nekros, piercing his heart with a sword!
"No!"
The Warlock, with the worst self-preservation ability among all professions, simultaneously dealt with by so many legendary-level powers, died on the spot.
The demon soul fell from his hand and landed in Kael'thas's hand.
He teleported in front of Lanathel.
The next moment, the Elven female warrior swung her scale-breaking longsword, piercing the demon soul!
Golden energy erupted from the artifact, then split into four, transforming into red, blue, green, and bronze energies, clearly the powers of the four great Guardian Dragons.
The red energy flew towards the Red Dragon Queen.
And the other three streams of energy passed through the thick mountain, flying towards the sky thousands of meters high.
Over Grim Batol.
Deathwing, with a Dragon Tail Whip, sent Nozdormu, who had ambushed him with the power of time, flying.
He endured Malygos's tons of magical attacks and charged in front of Ysera.
His sharp claws tore through the dream, reaching for Ysera's chest, directly ripping open her Emerald scales, tearing through her skin imbued with natural energy, leaving several deep bloody gashes.
Immediately after, he opened his gaping maw and spewed magma-flavored Shadowflame, clashing with Malygos on his left.
As always, the left side loses in a beam struggle!
Though both were spitting, Malygos's spittle was far inferior to Deathwing's. He couldn't even last five seconds before being engulfed by the Shadowflame, catching fire.
His Dragon scales became scorching hot, his Dragon skin charred, and his Dragon meat was seventy percent cooked, its aroma spreading everywhere.
"Neltharion!"
Malygos was both shocked and enraged. He opened his mouth and spat out a spherical orb, activating it with all his might.
In an instant, arcane energy from hundreds of kilometers around surged towards the orb like rivers flowing into the sea, forming a massive energy storm comparable to a typhoon.
This immense energy, ten times more powerful than the Sunwell, was rapidly compressed and condensed by the orb, finally transforming into a destructive pillar of seven-colored rainbow light that roared towards Deathwing.
"focusing iris!"
Deathwing's expression finally turned serious.
That thing was an artifact specifically crafted by the Titan Guardians for the Blue Dragonflight. Theoretically, it could mobilize all the arcane energy on Azeroth. It was truly Azeroth's strongest mage artifact, far superior to something like Flame Strike!
If Malygos had enough time to prepare, its power would be even greater than the demon soul, capable of destroying an entire planet, let alone killing him.
He dared not be negligent, nor did he dare to act as a stationary target. Instead, he endured the focusing iris's attack and charged in front of Malygos, raising his hand to grab the focusing iris.
Malygos would never dare let Deathwing get the focusing iris. He quickly swallowed it, taking a slap from Deathwing.
Then, he was hit by a headbutt from Deathwing, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. Even his scalp and Dragon scales were broken by the hard enchanted armor.
Just as Deathwing's claws reached out again, a golden flash occurred, and Deathwing seemed to fall into an endless sea of sand, every movement affected by the impact of time.
Malygos's speed, however, increased!
He quickly retreated tens of thousands of meters away, and another green light fell upon him, rapidly healing the wound on his forehead.
"Did you all bring artifacts?"
Deathwing glanced at Nozdormu, seeing a hourglass-like object in his claws, and Ysera with a crescent pendant around her neck. He snorted, "My dear brother, my dear sister, your artifacts are useless against me!"
Malygos's face was grim.
Deathwing would not give him time to accumulate energy, nor would he stand like a log, allowing him to unleash his attacks.
And if there wasn't enough time, the focused energy couldn't even break through Deathwing's defenses!
The focusing iris was theoretically the strongest among the five Dragon artifacts, but in practice, it was the most inconvenient and least effective.
He truly had no way against Deathwing!
Ysera was speechless, feeling terrible.
While the focusing iris could deal damage, the Green Dragon artifact could only manipulate the power of nature and dreams.
This thing could connect to the vast and boundless Emerald Dream with infinite energy, but the speed at which it could mobilize energy was even slower than the focusing iris, and it had no chance to deal damage.
As for the power of dreams, she had already tried it several times!
Deathwing's spirit was too powerful, too chaotic, and it was mixed with the twisted, dark mental power of the Ancient Gods.
She tried to pull Deathwing into the dream, but not only did she fail, Deathwing's mad will instead permeated the dream, almost corrupting her mind, turning the dream into a nightmare, and preventing her from ever waking up!
Among the five Aspect Dragons, she was originally the weakest in terms of solo combat. Now, Deathwing had also been empowered by the Ancient Gods.
How could they fight him?
To the south, Nozdormu sighed, knowing this would happen.
The Bronze Dragonflight was responsible for overseeing the timeline. He and his artifact manipulated the power of time, not only allowing them to travel through timelines but also to accelerate or reverse time in a specific area.
He had just tried to reverse time in the area where Deathwing and Malygos were, but he failed because the artifact's power was limited.
That thing had little effect on beings of the same level, let alone Deathwing, whose energy level was even higher than his?
Deathwing's energy level was so high that the spacetime in his vicinity was affected, essentially becoming an independent spacetime, rendering the Bronze Dragon artifact's effect almost negligible!
They couldn't win, they simply couldn't!
"Malygos, Nozdormu, Ysera!"
"If you were the you from ten thousand years ago, perhaps I would have been wary. "
"But now, having lost most of the power granted by the Titans, you are not fit to be my opponents!"
Deathwing, emboldened by his success, brazenly charged towards Malygos, intending to deal with his most threatening opponent first.
Just at this moment, three immense pillars of energy shot up from Grim Batol, precisely injecting into the three Aspect Dragons.
Their bodies rapidly expanded like inflated balloons, suddenly growing several times in size.
Before, they were roughly only half the size of Deathwing, appearing like elementary school students in front of him.
Now, they rapidly "grew up," entering their middle school years, reaching two-thirds the size of the high school-aged Deathwing!
In reality, this was their original size.
As high-level demigods, their bodies already possessed both material and energy attributes, a wave-particle duality. Whether they were material or energy was entirely up to them.
The more energy, the larger the size!
Ten thousand years ago, they sacrificed most of their energy to create the demon soul, which caused their size to shrink.
Now that portion of energy had returned, and their size had consequently recovered, not much smaller than Deathwing, who had gained the power of the Ancient Gods.
The true Dragon Kings had returned!
"Neltharion, your doomsday has arrived!"
Malygos, now enlarged, immediately swelled with pride and unleashed an Arcane Breath, equivalent to a youthful version of the focusing iris, but more convenient, requiring no time to charge. It was instant.
Yet its power was no less than the previous focused attack!
"Damn it, his power has recovered!"
Deathwing immediately sensed trouble and quickly retaliated with his own breath. Suddenly, his vision changed.
The blue sky turned green, the white clouds turned green, everything turned green.
He had been pulled into the dream by the restored Ysera!
"Dream power, huh? Mental power, huh?"
"This isn't unique to you!"
"The orderly power granted by the Titans, huh? Then I'll show you madness!"
"The Titans' order cannot contain the chaos of madness!"
"Break—for me!"
Deathwing was forced to use the power of the Ancient Gods, moving a step closer to madness.
The entire dream began to twist, and countless nightmares spawned.
Ancient trees grew flesh and blood, flesh and blood twisted into tentacles, dense eyes opened on the tentacles, and deep within the eyes, throats split open, revealing grotesque, struggling heads. Ysera felt her mind suffer intense corruption and hastily severed her connection to the dream.
However, Deathwing's Old God power had already infiltrated the Emerald Dream like maggots in bone, leaving endless future troubles.
"No!"
"After this, the Emerald Dream must be purified as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable!"
"If Deathwing takes this opportunity to invade the Emerald Dream, the destruction he causes will definitely be greater than that of Xavius, the Nightmare Lord, back then!"
Ysera was filled with regret.
Golden temporal energy enveloped the entire battlefield. Deathwing's body paused for a moment, unable to dodge Malygos's Arcane Breath.
But his demon-infused armor and Shadowflame, which covered his entire body, blocked the Arcane Breath, causing almost no damage!
"Corruption makes me stronger!"
"Madness makes me grow!"
"Even with all your power restored, you still can't do anything to me!"
Facing even stronger opponents, Deathwing fought with increasing ferocity, not losing ground in the slightest.
In Grim Batol, red energy drilled into the Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza's body.
She instantly glowed with health and vitality.
Her dull scales became dazzlingly bright, and her shattered dragon scales and wounds rapidly healed and regenerated under the surging life force.
Her already massive body swelled even further, forcefully snapping the enchanted chains that bound her.
Her power, restored to its peak!
And the first thing she did after breaking free was to seek revenge!
"Kael'thas, get out of the way!"
Alexstrasza took a deep breath and breathed fire again, many times more powerful than when she was in her weakened state.
Rolling flames engulfed hundreds of Orcs who rushed in, then continued to surge along the streets and alleys to other parts of Grim Batol, spreading for two to three thousand meters before stopping.
Along the way, whether Orc foot soldiers, Ogre magi, or Goblin engineers, all were incinerated to ashes by the Flames of Life.
"…"
"Such immense resentment. A vengeful woman is not to be trifled with."
Kael'thas looked up at the Phoenix God, then down at Flame Strike, feeling that in front of the Red Dragon Queen, so-called gods and artifacts were simply not worth mentioning.
They were completely not on the same level!
"I want an artifact, an artifact ten times stronger than Flame Strike!" Kael'thas roared internally.
"The Horde in Grim Batol couldn't have all been burned to death, could they?" Liadrin's heart pounded.
Is this the true power of a high-tier demigod? Was Zakajz, whom we killed earlier, also this strong at his peak? We're amazing!
"That's not likely. Grim Batol is very large; it's impossible for everyone to be burned to death. But at least a fifth of them, right?" Kael'thas wasn't entirely sure.
Perhaps only a fifth were burned to death, but those who died from high temperatures or were trampled in the panic would probably be more.
The Dragonmaw Clan is finished!
He picked up the damaged demon soul from the ground, examining it closely, and found that this item was not of Dragon craftsmanship, but made of gold by Goblins.
It wasn't much on its own; its power came from the Guardian Dragon's power contained within.
Which meant, this thing was worthless now!
"Seriously, a dignified Dragon King doesn't even use expensive materials, like Source Essence or something."
This small amount of gold was worth at most 100 gold coins. It was useless to keep and a pity to discard, a true white elephant.
"Ysera and the others are fighting Deathwing, but they can't win. I must go help them. Deathwing is the true culprit."
Alexstrasza, still furious, looked at Kael'thas: "Your Highness, please do me another favor."
"Please don't be so polite, just tell me what you need."
"My beloved Tyrannastrasz is imprisoned in another location. Please rescue him." Alexstrasza's voice was softer than ever before.
Kael'thas quickly said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, leave this to us."
"Thank you, thank you all, remarkable mortals."
Alexstrasza glowed with red light, transforming into a captivating woman in red, then vanished without a trace.
Kurdran finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been on tenterhooks, fearing that the Red Dragon Queen would directly fly out.
He wasn't worried that the Red Dragon Queen would hit the mountain above and be knocked unconscious, but rather that she would shatter the entire mountain, in which case Grim Batol would be completely ruined…
"Let's go, continue the mission!"
The five sprinted, casually eliminating any unsuspecting Horde members along the way, and soon arrived at another cage three kilometers away, rescuing the equally ancient Dragon, tens of thousands of years old, who was also chained up.
"Thank you, mortals."
Tyrannastrasz's voice was weak.
He was gaunt, his scales dull, his face dark, his lips pale, his eyes unfocused, and his limbs trembled slightly.
Liadrin raised her hand, and a Holy Light fell upon Tyrannastrasz, with almost no reaction.
Her small amount of healing was almost zero for an ancient Red Dragon over two hundred meters long.
"Bring out a larger quantity!"
Without the temporal interference of the demon soul, Kael'thas opened a portal, summoning the Tyr's Champion Igrim and the Runesmith Grissaïda.
Igrim's healing was clearly more than ten times greater than Liadrin's, finally restoring a tiny bit of the ancient Red Dragon's almost depleted health bar.
He and Liadrin cast dozens of times consecutively, almost exhausting their mental energy, before the health bar was full.
However, the ancient Red Dragon was only physically healed; his spirit remained low, drowsy, his eyes cloudy and unfocused, and his body emaciated.
"My time is almost up."
He said: "Even if I hadn't fallen into the Orcs' hands, I wouldn't have lived for more than a few decades."
The lifespan of Dragons is also limited.
In fact, there are no truly immortal species in this world.
Whether Night Elf, Draenei, or Dragon, their lifespans are all limited.
The lifespan of a Dragon is only tens of thousands of years.
Only demigods whose life essence has sublimated and possess the duality of matter and energy can achieve a certain degree of immortality.
He was a Red Dragon second only to the Queen in strength, possessing power not inferior to the Wild Gods, but he had not completed the sublimation of his life level.
Strength and level are not inherently linked!
Some demigods live long but are weak, while some mortals don't live long but are strong, isn't that right, King of the Forest?
"Kael'thas, well done!"
A group of Red Dragons flew in from outside, led by the Red Dragon Mage Krasus.
Seeing Tyrannastrasz still alive, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Kael'thas and solemnly promising: "Kael'thas, thank you for saving Her Majesty and Tyal. The Red Dragonflight owes you a favor!"
"From now on, you are the Red Dragonflight's eternal allies!"
Kael'thas was all smiles.
He had no doubt that even if he asked the Red Dragonflight to help upgrade Flame Strike, or forge other artifacts, the Red Dragonflight would agree, and could easily accomplish it.
But he wouldn't do that.
The Red Dragonflight's favor was more valuable than ten Flame Strikes.
Besides, it wasn't just the Red Dragonflight who owed him a favor, but also Malygos, Nozdormu, and Ysera.
"Let's not talk about these things yet."
Kael'thas looked up at the sky: "The four Dragon Kings have recovered their power, and working together they can certainly defeat Deathwing, but it's not enough to severely wound him. We must go help. This time, no matter what, we must make Deathwing pay a heavy price!"
As for killing Deathwing? Don't even think about it!
Top-tier demigods are not that easy to kill; a few more high-tier demigods would be closer.
Krasus shook his head: "Kael'thas, that is a battlefield for high-tier demigods and top-tier demigods. It's not something we can participate in.
Even if we get close, we'd have to use all our strength, and Deathwing could swat a large number of us to death with one claw."
The ancient Red Dragon's expression was solemn: "Deathwing's energy level is even higher than Lord Tyr's. Among the Titan Guardians, only Highkeeper Odyn and the Great Guardian Ra can barely compare to him. He is as terrifying as Galakrond was back then."
Kael'thas smiled: "He is indeed terrifying, but he also has a fatal flaw. As long as the four Dragon Kings cooperate, we can inflict unprecedented damage upon him."
"Fatal flaw?"
Krasus's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "What flaw? Why don't I know about it? How could an existence like him have a flaw, and a fatal one at that?"
Even the Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza has no flaws; her strength, speed, intelligence, spirit, endurance, defense, spellcasting ability, physical and magical resistance are all top-notch, with no weaknesses at all.
Deathwing is even stronger than her, how could he possibly have a fatal flaw?
"Deathwing's flaw is his body!"
Kael'thas said, "Ten thousand years ago, Deathwing fell into darkness and was infused with the power of the Ancient Gods N'Zoth. That power was too strong, far exceeding the limit a Dragon Aspect's body could withstand. His body was ripped apart!"
"Cracks appeared in his skin, revealing a molten heart. Magma and flames swirled around his chest, and his eyes burned with fiery red flames. He had completely plunged into the abyss of evil."
"And after touching and using the demon soul, the immense power within that artifact caused him to lose control even further."
"His body completely cracked open, and he had no choice but to have goblins forge a full set of armor for him to bind his body, which prevented him from exploding!"
Vereesa suddenly realized, "No wonder he knew the whereabouts of the demon soul but didn't go to retrieve it himself, instead sending the orcs. It's because he didn't dare to approach the demon soul, let alone use it, for fear of losing control again and his armor being ripped apart!"
She had always wondered why Deathwing didn't act personally; so this was the reason!
Krasus pondered, "You mean, if we can find a way to destroy the armor, Deathwing's body will collapse, and we can win without a fight?"
Kael'thas nodded, "Exactly! Deathwing can only barely contend with the four Dragon Aspects. Once his body collapses, he definitely won't be a match for the Dragon Aspects."
Krasus excitedly said, "I'll go tell Her Majesty the Queen right now! Her Majesty is the Life-Binder, her physical body is even stronger than Deathwing's, she could tear open that armor with one claw!"
Kael'thas shook his head, "It's useless. Deathwing is well aware of his weakness, so he will definitely be on guard and won't give the four Dragon Aspects a chance to destroy his armor."
Vereesa blinked, "Deathwing is so strong, he will only see the four Dragon Aspects as opponents and won't pay attention to us. This is actually a good opportunity for us; as long as we can get close to Deathwing, we can destroy that armor!"
Krasus frowned, "It's not that easy. Deathwing is too strong. If he targets us, we won't even be able to withstand a single blow."
Kael'thas said, "So, we need the four Dragon Aspects to create an opportunity for us. They have that ability."
Krasus still hesitated, "They do have that ability, but Deathwing's armor is made of the same material as the chains that bound Her Majesty the Queen, and it's thicker, with the added power of the earth and the Ancient Gods. Its defense is no less than any artifact. How can it be so easily destroyed?"
Tyrannastrasz, who was beside them, said, "The four Dragon Aspects can at most buy us one minute; that's not enough time."
He was older than the Dragon Aspects, and had fought alongside them more than once, so he understood the strength of the four Dragon Aspects and Deathwing very well.
Krasus said, "There's only one chance!"
Once they fail, Deathwing will inevitably attack them or flee, and will never give them a second chance.
Kael'thas smiled, "The armor is indeed difficult for us to destroy, but our target isn't the armor itself, but the connection points between them."
"Oh, right!"
Kurdran exclaimed, "The armor is made up of individual plates connected together, and the connection points are most likely rivets. As long as we destroy the rivets, or remove them, the armor plates will fall off!"
He excitedly said, "As long as we remove a few armor plates, the force will be uneven, causing a chain reaction, and the entire armor will fall off. Maybe we can take the opportunity to take down Deathwing!"
Kael'thas said, "Even if the rivets are made of the same material as the armor plates, they are much easier to deal with, right? The chance of success is very high!"
In fact, he was 100% confident.
Even Khadgar could do it, there was no reason why they couldn't.
Of course, this was the current armor plate, not the reforged Elementium-plated armor from the Cataclysm.
That stuff was integrated with Deathwing, somewhat similar to Wolverine's original Adamantium, connected by fibrous strands, and even had self-repairing capabilities, incomparable to what it is now.
The defensive capability of that stuff was several times stronger than it is now; it would indeed be difficult for them to destroy it with just their current strength!
Krasus was finally convinced and said in a deep voice, "Alright, we'll do as you say! Kael'thas, you will command the specifics, the Red Dragonflight will follow your orders!"
Kael'thas said, "Only legendary professionals and legendary weapons or artifacts can destroy those rivets. Most Red Dragons don't need to participate; they should still deal with the Dragonmaw Clan, we can't let them escape."
Krasus nodded, "Then Tyrannastrasz and I will go. The Dragonmaw Clan will be left to Valastrasz and Christastrasz."
He had brought several adult Red Dragons and two hundred Red Dragon Whelps this time. Dealing with the mere tens of thousands of Dragonmaw orcs in Grim Batol would be incredibly simple; a dragon rush would be an impossible loss.
Moreover, the Dragonmaw Clan must be terrified now; their chieftain is dead, and the Queen is free, so their will to fight is basically zero.
His presence or absence wouldn't matter.
"Alright, then it will be us."
Kael'thas thought for a moment and said, "We don't have flying abilities, and the Highlord's griffon wasn't brought. So, we need you two to transform into your dragon forms and carry us close to Deathwing. This might be life-threatening, so you need to think carefully."
Krasus said without hesitation, "Deathwing enslaved Her Majesty the Queen and killed so many of our kin. This grudge must be avenged, even if it costs us our lives!"
Tyrannastrasz was even more straightforward, "I have lived for tens of thousands of years, a few decades more or less doesn't matter. Her Majesty and I were imprisoned for months, whipped by orcs every day. I have never suffered such a great insult in my life. If this grudge is not avenged, I cannot rest in peace!"
Listen, is that even human talk? Decades of life, just thrown away!
Kael'thas said, "Alright, we'll divide into three teams. Krasus, you'll be with Igrim and Grissaïda. Tyrannastrasz, you'll be with Kurdran, Vereesa, Liadrin, and Lanathel. I'll be in my own team. We'll attack from high altitude, targeting Deathwing's back!"
The head and tail of the dragon are too flexible and difficult to attack; the back is the most suitable.
"Alright, let's do it!"
The two dragons transformed into their giant dragon forms, carrying everyone to an altitude of ten thousand meters, rapidly approaching Deathwing.
Kael'thas, riding the Phoenix God, looked down at the battlefield from above and saw that Deathwing was clearly no match for the four Dragon Aspects, being suppressed.
However, he was a top-tier demigod after all, and with his armor protecting him, even with the Dragon Aspects' furious attacks, they could barely cause him any damage.
The reason he hadn't fled immediately was clearly because he was waiting for an opportunity, waiting for the four Dragon Aspects to make a mistake in their coordination, so he could seize the chance to severely injure one of them.
"Krasus, Tyrannastrasz, Kael'thas, what are you doing here?"
"This is not your battlefield, leave quickly!"
Alexstrasza shouted while fully attacking Deathwing.
Alexstrasza, this is a rare opportunity. If we can heavily injure or even kill Deathwing, we can eliminate the greatest enemy of the dragon race, and the so-called Twilight Judgment will not descend!
Krasus explained the plan.
"Kill Deathwing? Impossible, our strength is not enough."
Alexstrasza said, "But Kael'thas is right. Deathwing has always been wary of us, but he won't be wary of you. Go ahead and do it; we will create an opportunity for you! Remember, there's only one chance!"
"Don't worry, we will succeed!"
The three teams quickly arrived five hundred meters above Deathwing.
"Where did these small fries come from—it's you!"
"Alexstrasza's closest consort and youngest consort, and you, Kael'thas, who ruined my plans!"
"I'll kill you first, then deal with my brothers and sisters!"
Just as Deathwing was about to change targets, the power of time and the power of dreams descended simultaneously, slowing down the flow of time in his area and dragging him into a dream.
At the same time, Alexstrasza and Malygos cast spells simultaneously.
The former released the power of life, which fell upon Kael'thas and the others, forming layers of life shields.
The latter, meanwhile, mobilized the energy of the focusing iris, summoning endless ice to deeply freeze Deathwing's head, tail, and limbs.
"Now!"
The voices of the four Dragon Aspects rang out simultaneously.
On Krasus's back, the runecaster Grissaïda mobilized all her magic, condensing it into a ten-meter-long super ice spear that flew towards Deathwing's spine.
Igrim, meanwhile, leaped down onto Deathwing's spine, his iron fists raining down like a storm, each punch precisely striking a rivet.
However, whether it was the ice spear or the iron fists, they were like mere tickles to the rivets!
"It's not working!"
"Igrim, Deathwing's power of the earth and Old God power are too strong. Even when spread across his whole body, the power contained in each rivet is still at a high-level legendary tier. It's very difficult for us to destroy them!"
"His magic resistance is too high, ridiculously high. My spells are completely useless!"
Grissaïda cried out.
"If we can't destroy it, then tear it open!"
Igrim plunged his hands into the gaps between the armor plates, pulling upwards with all his strength, but they wouldn't budge.
Instead, the shadow flames that covered his entire body, as if alive, spread along his hands and feet to his whole body, burning his steel body and soul, causing him even greater damage than Zakajz in Thoradin's Tomb.
"Igrim, quickly get off his spine, or you'll die!" Grissaïda shouted.
"I won't!"
Igrim's stubbornness flared up, and he continued to exert force, wrestling with the armor plates.
No sooner had he spoken than a Holy Light fell upon Igrim, helping him resist the shadow flames. It was Liadrin.
At the same time, a soft, bright voice rang out.
"Lord Igrim, catch!"
Igrim released the armor plates, straightened his back, and raised his right arm. The Paladin divine sword, oathbinder, fell into his hand.
He inverted the sword, holding it with both hands, and with a loud shout, the sword tip forcefully pierced into a rivet, pushing it down.
"Again!"
Igrim repeated the process, attacking the second rivet.
On Tyrannastrasz's back, Vereesa and Kurdran struck simultaneously. Thunderfire bullets and Stormhammer, one after the other, targeted the same rivet.
Lanathel also chose this rivet.
Like Igrim, she also leaped onto Deathwing's spine, attacking Deathwing with a one-handed sword and shield crafted from Deathwing's scales.
The three were old comrades, working together with tacit understanding and rhythm, maintaining continuous output. In a few seconds, they destroyed one rivet and moved on to attack the second.
Liadrin, meanwhile, returned to her old job, remotely healing Igrim and Lanathel, and resisting the shadow flames.
Kurdran shouted while attacking, "Come on, come on! There are four people in our team, and only one or two in theirs."
"The first armor plate is definitely ours—bang!"
A crisp, penetrating sound rang out.
He saw an armor plate not far away suddenly deform, its connection points breaking one after another. The plate armor, weighing over a thousand kilograms, fell off, revealing rolling magma and dark red blood.
Not far away, on the back of the Phoenix God, Kael'thas held Flame Strike, a brilliant smile on his face.
"What's going on?"
"I didn't see any evocation spells, didn't see his signature Pyroblast fireball!"
"How did Kael'thas get that plate armor off?"
Kurdran was dumbfounded.
"It's a spell, I sensed arcane energy fluctuations, it's a transmutation spell!"
"But, Deathwing's plate armor has massive amounts of earth power and Old God power. Even a legendary mage would find it difficult to deal damage.
And that spell of his, that spell—"
Tyrannastrasz was puzzled.
Kael'thas's spell, clearly not high in energy level, how could it cause the plate armor to deform and fall off?
This was neither scientific nor magical!
"This is—Khadgar's Lockpicking?" Krasus exclaimed.
"How did I not think of that!"
Lockpicking is an apprentice-level spell, on par with Fireball and Frostbolt. Any mage apprentice in Dalaran knows it, and its purpose is to open all kinds of locks, both ordinary and magical.
And the one who brought this spell to its peak, who made it shine, was Khadgar!
From ancient times, mages have been troublemakers.
Every mage is an exceptionally intelligent, unconventional, and uniquely thinking eccentric. In every generation of mages, a few such troublemakers emerge. The biggest troublemaker of this generation is the red-haired Ronin.
This guy loves adventure too much, his personality is erratic, he's not at all steady in his actions, and he often causes big trouble. More than one mage has died because of him.
However, compared to his predecessor Khadgar, Ronin is far behind.
Khadgar is steady in character, never rash in his actions, and can perfectly complete any task assigned by the Council. But this doesn't mean this "young confidant" is a good boy.
In reality, Ronin is "openly bad," while Khadgar is "secretly bad."
That guy was extremely curious about everything related to "doors," and his greatest skill was opening them.
He had extremely high attainments in teleportation, specializing in mass teleportation, capable of opening portals to thousands of kilometers away, surpassing even the Council members.
But this was not his strongest skill.
His strongest skill was lockpicking!
Even before he became Medivh's apprentice, Khadgar had already improved the Lockpicking spell, creating the more powerful "Khadgar's Lockpicking," which could open locks of all meanings. He had picked every door in all of Dalaran!
The doors of the sewers, the doors of the Violet Citadel, the doors of numerous mage towers, the doors of widows' homes, and even the doors of prisons—he had opened them more than once.
Why did the Kirin Tor Council unanimously agree to send Khadgar to Karazhan to monitor Medivh? It was because they simply couldn't stand him anymore.
If Khadgar completed the mission, that was good; if he was killed by Medivh, that was also excellent.
So, the question arises:
Aren't Deathwing's armor plates also like a series of doors, and aren't those rivets like a series of locks?
As long as it's a lock, Khadgar's Lockpicking can open it!
Of course, locks are not all the same. Deathwing's rivets are at least legendary-tier magical locks, which only a legendary mage like Kael'thas could open; others certainly couldn't.
The question is, how did Kael'thas's mind come up with such an absurd yet brilliant idea?
"When did you learn that?" Krasus was very curious.
"A few days ago."
Kael'thas cast another spell, removing another piece of plate armor.
Dealing with Deathwing was a plan he had made long ago, so he naturally had to prepare in advance.
Therefore, he specifically took the time to find Khadgar and exchanged his unique gravity spell for a unique lock-picking spell.
"Bang! Bang!"
With two more loud bangs, Igrim and Vereesa each removed a piece of armor plating from their sides.
A terrifying aura suddenly surged.
Alexstrasza cried out, "Not good, retreat quickly!"
Igrim and Lanathel immediately leaped off his back, caught by Krasus and Tyrannastrasz, and flew desperately into the distance with the Phoenix God.
Boom!
The power of the Earth and the power of the Old Gods erupted, and the super-giant ice instantly shattered.
"No!"
Deathwing broke free from the constraints of time and dreams, feeling the two forces within him gushing from where the plate armor had detached, causing a chain reaction as more plate armor continued to fall off.
His face changed dramatically, his eyes filled with fear, and his body trembled slightly.
He panicked, he was scared!
Since he and his siblings, and Tyr, had teamed up to eliminate Galakrond tens of thousands of years ago, this was the first time he had felt the threat of death, and this threat was caused by Kael'thas and his people!
"Kael'thas, Krasus, I remember you both!"
"Whether in dreams or awake, I will haunt you in my mind!"
"I will come back for you!"
"When I return, you will kneel and beg me to end your lives quickly, rather than live in eternal panic and suffer my torment!"
Deathwing uttered threats while furiously flapping his wings, flying west.
"How can a top-tier demigod be as dead-headed as Hakkar?"
"Alright, I'll be waiting!"
Kael'thas chuckled, "Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
"We can't let him escape, otherwise, once he repairs his armor, he'll be even harder to deal with than he is now!" Nozdormu exclaimed.
"Go after him, chase him!" Malygos responded.
"I agree!" Ysera looked at Alexstrasza, "Sister, what about you?"
Alexstrasza said, "You go first, I'll catch up soon."
"Understood!"
The three Dragon Aspects turned and flew away, continuously casting acceleration spells, using all their might to pursue Deathwing.
The Red Dragon Queen flew in front of the ancient Red Dragon, raised her claw to caress his face, wagged her tail and mated with him, gazing deeply into his eyes: "Tyran, it's good that you're alright."
Tyrannastrasz embraced the Red Dragon Queen in return: "I'm not important, it's good that you're alright, my Queen."
The two dragons exchanged sweet nothings, unsuitable for children.
On the Phoenix's back, Kael'thas couldn't bear to watch. Hugging and embracing in public, really? And in front of another mate.
"Hey, hey, hurry up, your Queen is about to be snatched away by your brother!" Rune Shaper Grisetta whispered into Krasus's ear.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Tyran isn't that kind of dragon! And he's our elder brother, he's been with Her Majesty the longest, their feelings are the deepest, it's perfectly normal for Her Majesty to be intimate with him first, it'll be my turn soon—look, look, Her Majesty is calling me!"
The Red Dragon Queen opened her left arm and beckoned.
Krasus immediately rushed into the Red Dragon Queen's embrace, resting his large head on her shoulder, his face full of happiness.
Not far away, Kael'thas sighed, "Indeed, it's more important for you three to live good lives than anything else."
On the backs of Tyrannastrasz and Krasus, Igrim, Vereesa, and the others looked embarrassed, able to feel the two dragons' hearts pounding furiously through their scales and skin.
You can be excited, but don't drag us into it!
They really didn't want to be a third wheel.
The problem was, they were tens of thousands of meters high in the sky, and they couldn't fly or teleport, so they couldn't leave!
Fortunately, the three dragons still remembered they had serious business to attend to, and after a moment of tenderness, they reluctantly separated.
"Your Majesty, the entire Horde in Grim Batol has been wiped out!" The young Red Dragon Valastrasz flew over to claim credit.
"Well done!"
The Red Dragon Queen rubbed the young Red Dragon's head, seeing thick smoke billowing from Grim Batol, with flashes of fire, the entire mountain burned red, turning into a super-giant furnace.
Over two hundred Red Dragons flew in and out, constantly breathing fire, treating Grim Batol like equipment to be forged. It would be a miracle if any flesh and blood life inside could survive.
"It's over, it's over, all the supplies inside must be burned up, tables, chairs, benches, doors, windows, everything must be gone, only an empty city remains!" Kurdran was on the verge of tears.
The Dragonmaw Clan had prepared to defend the city, surely stockpiling a large amount of supplies.
He had originally intended to take them over directly, but now they were all turned to ash.
Kael'thas comforted him, "Look on the bright side, Grim Batol has been purified by the Red Dragons' Flames of Life, and Modgud's Shadow Curse has also been largely purified, which is a good thing!"
"And with so much ash, you can collect it for planting, to add a touch of green to Grim Batol, which better suits your current habits and aesthetics."
Kurdran felt somewhat comforted, "That's the only way then—"
"Respected Queen."
Kael'thas flew in front of the Red Dragon Queen: "The Dragonmaw Clan still has many Dragon Riders at Lordamere Lake, and hundreds of Red Dragons are still enslaved by the Orcs. If they are not rescued quickly, I fear the Orcs will harm them!"
Krasus's expression turned serious: "That's right! Once the news of your escape reaches Lordamere Lake, Ogrim will surely order the death of the enslaved Red Dragons, we don't have much time left!"
The Red Dragon Queen looked deeply at Kael'thas: "I will gather the Red Dragonflight and go to rescue my people."
The reason she hadn't pursued Deathwing was because of this.
She naturally knew that Kael'thas had calculated all of this, but she didn't care, because it also aligned with her interests.
Kael'thas smiled, "Very well, I'll wait for you in Lordaeron."
The Red Dragonflight, vast and mighty, flew towards Lordamere Lake.
Kurdran couldn't wait and quickly said, "Kael'thas, that—"
"I know, I know, I'll bring your people over now."
Kael'thas immediately opened a portal, and tens of thousands of Wildhammer Dwarves and a thousand Ranger troops arrived at the summit of Grim Batol.
"My kin, below us is Grim Batol! With the help of the High Elf and the Red Dragonflight, we have reclaimed it from the Horde!"
"However, a large number of Horde have fled to the eastern highlands, and they could return at any time!"
Kurdran raised his arm and shouted, "Now answer me, what should we do?"
"Occupy Grim Batol, rebuild, and construct defenses!"
"Go east! Go east! Contact our kin living in the highlands and utterly destroy those damned Horde!"
"Not a single one shall live!"
The Wildhammer Dwarves shouted in unison.
Lor'themar walked up to Kael'thas and bowed respectfully, "Your Highness!"
"How are things in the Hinterlands?" Kael'thas inquired.