Under Mannoroth's command, the soldiers and officers of the Burning Legion began to disengage from the front lines. They rampaged through the Resistance forces blocking their path, eventually merging with the main demon army on the frontal battlefield and slowly withdrawing.
"Whew..."
Although this wasn't Malfurion's first time fighting the Burning Legion, it was his first time facing the direct assault of one of their most powerful generals at such close range. The mental exhaustion caused him to lean heavily on his staff, gasping for air after the combat ended.
"It's a good thing Jarod's reinforcements arrived in time, otherwise the consequences would have been unthinkable."
"No."
Andreas gazed at the swaying trees in the distant mountains, his expression somewhat peculiar. "The main army's reinforcements haven't actually arrived yet. Jarod pulled a feint to scare the Burning Legion away."
In fact, a little thought led to the same conclusion: even if Jarod had mobilized his troops the instant he received Aviana's notification, it was impossible for them to arrive immediately behind the exceptionally fast Aviana.
Since the sounding of the war horns and cries, Andreas hadn't seen a single soldier emerge from the forest. The grand display of force was confined entirely within the woods, which reminded him of certain bluffing strategies.
Andreas marveled with admiration, "As expected of Jarod Shadowsong and his unparalleled military talent. To think he could intuitively come up with such a method to scare off the Burning Legion in such a short time."
"Heh~ To be able to figure out the reason so quickly, Andreas, your own tactical aptitude isn't half bad either."
A chuckling voice of praise came from above as Aviana descended before the Druids, surrounded by a multitude of birds like a queen among her subjects.
Andreas bowed respectfully, offering a wry smile. "Lady Aviana, you overpraise me. I just..."
Mid-sentence, Andreas suddenly stalled. He was currently playing the role of an amnesiac boy; he couldn't very well say he had seen similar tactics in history books before.
Andreas' deflection was taken as modesty by Malfurion, Aviana, and the others.
The Archdruid smiled and patted his shoulder encouragingly. "There's no need to belittle yourself. I have always believed that everyone has innate talents; the only difference is whether they discover them during their long lives."
"Long... is it?"
Andreas dazed for a moment, then shook his head with a chuckle. "True, it is indeed quite long."
After all, for the nearly immortal Night Elves, the word 'long' is perfectly accurate.
Knowing his own situation, Andreas didn't want Malfurion to continue praising his "talents."
He changed the subject and asked Aviana, "Lady Aviana, how long until Jarod's actual reinforcements arrive?"
"The Burning Legion does not lack brilliant strategists. Once they discover the truth—that the reinforcements haven't arrived—the enraged demons will surely launch another attack."
Aviana looked back at the dust-covered mountains and estimated the time. "Factoring in the time for the various factions to organize their troops and for the Highborne sorcerers to construct teleportation circles, it should take about ten more minutes."
Andreas nodded in relief. "Ten minutes should be fine. It's just hard on those Talon Druids who have to shake the trees and kick up dust."
A flash of surprise crossed Aviana's eyes. "You guessed that as well?"
Andreas shrugged. "It's a simple deduction. Among all the troops, the Druids who undergo Fandral's hellish training are always in a state of 'warm-up.' They can deploy at the fastest speed upon receiving orders."
"And the Talon Druids have the best mobility; only they could barely keep up with your pace in such a short time."
At this moment, the heavily injured Cenarius limped over. He first lowered his head to thank Aviana.
"Aviana, thank you for your timely assistance. If this ambush had continued, some of us would have surely perished today. That would have had a severe negative impact on the final battle to come."
The demigods were the strongest assets the Resistance could field; they carried the hopes of countless mortals.
If a demigod were to fall in an ambush before the final battle even began, it would deal a massive blow to the morale of the Resistance. This was undoubtedly the Burning Legion's intention in planning this ambush.
Andreas stole a glance at the sky. Ohn'ahra appeared to have sustained significant injuries from the overwhelming numbers of flying demons. Her flight path was somewhat erratic as she descended toward the ground.
Based on Andreas' knowledge of Azeroth's original history, the Eagle Goddess did not seem to participate in the final battle. Also absent was the Panther Goddess, Ashamane.
He couldn't be certain if Ohn'ahra and Ashamane had died in this ambush in the original timeline, but managing to pull a draw out of such a dire ambush meant this battle was at least not a loss.
...
Fifteen minutes later, Jarod arrived leading the main force. The Talon Druids, who had been working hard to create the atmosphere in the woods, finally retired with honor.
Although Jarod had a few words of criticism regarding the vanguard's unauthorized movement leading to the ambush, he couldn't actually punish the naturally proud and powerful demigods. He could only verbally advise them to restrain their restlessness as much as possible.
As the saying goes, "pull one hair and the whole body moves." Even a tiny change on the battlefield would bring a series of subsequent effects.
Because of the vanguard's unauthorized actions, Jarod had to push the main camp forward, expanding the previous vanguard camp and drawing closer to Zin-Azshari than originally intended.
"No wonder I felt the natural energy on you was a bit off; so you received the blessing of Elune."
Inside Malfurion's modestly decorated tent, Andreas and his mentor sat on the ground, exchanging the intelligence they had gathered during their time apart.
Andreas told Malfurion about the series of events he encountered at the Seat of the Sky after his memory loss. The Archdruid, with a furrowed brow, recounted the scene of Tyrande being kidnapped.
Although Xavius—who had been turned into a Satyr by Sargeras—successfully sent his subordinates to capture Malfurion's beloved priestess, the Chief Councilor, who had already died once by Malfurion's hand, didn't come out unscathed.
With the coordination of Koda and Shann, Malfurion had killed Xavius once more. He used an oak seed combined with Druidic magic to transform the Satyr Xavius into a massive, immobile tree.
However, killing Xavius again did nothing to help. Tyrande's capture left Malfurion in a state of deep anxiety; lately, he couldn't even lead the Druidic sect calmly.
The reason the demigod vanguard had marched toward the Burning Legion without orders was partly due to the Archdruid's subconscious indulgence. This left Malfurion feeling extremely guilty for his lapse in judgment.
Even though Andreas, having lost his memory, didn't feel a true bond of master and disciple with Malfurion, it wasn't difficult to get along with this famously kind-hearted man.
Even with a mountain of his own worries, Malfurion still tried his best to explain the doubts Andreas encountered while relearning Druidic spells.
"I can't say whether the mutation caused by the fusion of nature and shadow energy is good or bad. Perhaps, with the favor of Elune, you can forge a path entirely different from traditional Druids."
"But unfortunately, I fear I won't be able to provide much help in that process. This unknown path is destined for you to navigate alone. There is no one ahead of you who can offer constructive advice."
Andreas wasn't surprised by this. While he wouldn't say there would never be another like him, his situation was certainly unprecedented.
Since Azeroth's inception, no mortal had ever perfectly controlled shadow energy. Even Maiev only dabbled in it based on her own needs.
If there were anyone with a profound understanding of Shadow—or rather, the Void—it would likely only be the Old Gods who established the Black Empire in ancient times.