Gale raised his Golden Holy Sword high and activated the Flame Storm, striking the Hydra.
The Hydra cried out in pain and glared furiously at Gale. Its nine heads rose high, then violently spewed venom at Gale.
Gale was prepared; the Hydra's movements were clumsy compared to his. He instantly blinked backward, drawing the Hydra away into Stormheim.
However, the Hydra was not foolish. After chasing for a while and realizing it couldn't hit Gale, it immediately turned and charged towards the magic circle.
At this moment, the Priests' divine magic took effect, and the moonlight blocked the Hydra's venom.
Inside the magic circle, the Mages, still shaken, wanted to withdraw their spells. Tulan then said, "Persevere. No one is to stop casting without orders."
Seeing the Priests' divine magic take effect, Gale immediately cast Arcane Eye to survey the situation on the other side.
The First Legion and the Trolls had already engaged, and it was clear they also sensed something was wrong. They had seen Voodoo Shields before; their blades could not penetrate them, and they had to use Wind Power or kill the Troll Witch Doctor to break through.
Now that the Trolls and warriors were intertwined, using Wind Power was difficult. One wrong move, and they wouldn't pierce a Voodoo Shield but instead kill their own comrades.
"Retreat!" Moon Fury Legion Commander reluctantly gave the order.
He didn't know what the problem was; the fire rain was still falling, indicating no issue with the Mages. Could it be that the Trolls had dug tunnels, and the Witch Doctors were hiding within them, thus avoiding the fire rain?
The First Legion fought and retreated, and not long after they started withdrawing, they encountered Nasa, who had come to deliver a message.
"Retreat west!"
Moon Fury Legion Commander asked, puzzled, "Why?"
Nasa briefly explained the situation: "The energy bridge has been destroyed by a Hydra!"
"A Hydra!!?"
The warriors of the First Legion were all shocked. Looking out, they indeed saw a gigantic figure writhing in Weeping Wind Canyon.
Only then did Moon Fury Legion Commander understand what had happened. He immediately ordered: "Retreat west!"
To the west was Weeping Wind Cliff, and beyond Weeping Wind Cliff was territory the Kaldorei had never set foot in. However, at this moment, they couldn't afford to worry about such things. Facing the unknown was better than facing death.
The Trolls pursued them, quickly chasing them out of Claw's Rest. Once the Trolls were out of the range of the fire rain and Voodoo, the First Legion could inflict casualties on them. However, the Trolls charged forward relentlessly, their numbers more than ten times that of the First Legion.
On the south bank of Weeping Wind Canyon, Gale saw that the First Legion had retreated and immediately ordered the spells to cease.
Without needing to maintain the fire rain, the Mages could finally counterattack the Hydra. With hundreds of Mages attacking simultaneously, the Hydra couldn't withstand it. After holding on for a while, it submerged back into the water and disappeared.
Maiev organized the rescue. On-site, besides Turann High Mage, her status was the highest.
The Hydra's venom was extremely dangerous; its foul, fishy smell alone was enough to suffocate someone. Fortunately, there were many spellcasters present, and they quickly cast Arcane Breath on everyone.
However, this venom had to be cleaned up. The Mages had no choice but to personally collect it into clay pots or glass bottles.
Turann High Mage came to Gale's side, "How is the First Legion doing now?"
"They have already retreated west."
"West?" Turann High Mage took out a map and pointed to a spot on it. "Have them wait on this mountain peak below Weeping Wind Cliff. We will build a bridge across to bring them over."
Gale reminded him, "But we need to be wary of that Hydra."
Tulan nodded, "I have some information about the Hydra. It is the Trolls' loa, named Nash."
"Nash?" Gale raised an eyebrow. Wasn't that a basketball player?
"Nash is a powerful Hydra that can spew extremely potent venom and possesses incredibly strong regenerative abilities. It is said to be unkillable."
Gale sneered, "There is no such thing as an unkillable being."
Even powerful Titans were killed by Sargeras, weren't they?
Its incredibly strong regenerative ability was completely useless in the face of Sanction Blade. What truly needed to be considered was its enormous size and venom. Gale took this to heart, thinking about how to deal with Hydra Nash.
As a divine creature, Nash's entire body was a treasure.
Following Tulan's plan, everyone began preparations. Maiev led a team to stay behind in Heda'shal to prevent the main camp from being ambushed. Tulan led a team to head west along Weeping Wind Canyon to rendezvous with the First Legion.
As a Mage who could remotely control the Arcane Eye, Gale also went along.
The next night, the Mages used spells to cross the mountain and reached the designated location. While the other Mages prepared, Gale cast Arcane Eye, controlling it to fly to the opposite bank to search for the First Legion's whereabouts.
Soon, traces of the First Legion were found in a valley; they were engaged in battle with Trolls. The First Legion occupied a high ground, and the Rangers continuously used Wind Power to shoot down any Trolls who dared to charge up.
At the rear of the Trolls, a dozen Troll Witch Doctors followed a tall Troll. The shield held by that Troll caught Gale's attention; its style had nothing to do with Trolls, and it shimmered with a blue light.
This was... a Titan creation?
Gale instantly had a guess—Aggramar's Shield!
It was normal for the Trolls to have broken into Aggramar's vault and obtained Aggramar's Shield. But why didn't the Trolls use Aggramar's Shield in the last war? Could it be that they hadn't discovered the abilities of Aggramar's Shield?
The tall Troll waved its hand, and the Witch Doctors immediately cast Voodoo. Protected by Voodoo, the Trolls charged even more frantically.
In their current state, the First Legion could not withstand many Troll charges; they had to be evacuated as quickly as possible.
Gale controlled the Arcane Eye to fly over the battlefield and descend before Moon Fury Legion Commander, revealing a shadow.
"Arcane Eye? Which Mage are you?"
The Arcane Eye left writing in the air.
"Gale? Retreat south to the cliff? There's a bridge?" Moon Fury Legion Commander was overjoyed upon receiving the information.
"Excellent, we are saved! Alpha Squad will cover the retreat and withdraw after ten minutes. Everyone else, advance south immediately!"
The First Legion, hearing there was a way out, immediately rekindled their hope of survival. Although Alpha Squad was left behind to cover the retreat, they showed no resentment. They killed the enemy even more fiercely, arrows piercing through one Troll Voodoo Shield after another as if they were free.
After running for half a day, they finally reached the cliff edge. The Mages had already set up an energy bridge, and the warriors immediately surged onto it.
"Organize defenses to cover Alpha Squad crossing the bridge."
After crossing the bridge, Moon Fury Legion Commander continuously directed the warriors to form a defensive line. Alpha Squad was already in sight; as soon as they got on the bridge, they could retreat.
Just then, a towering tidal wave appeared again, and Hydra Nash burst out of the canyon, biting through the energy bridge.