The process of restarting the Forge of Wills went through some twists and turns, but it was finally completed smoothly.
When the Tol'vir originally modified the startup program of the Forge of Wills, they left a backup explanation in the central chamber of the Hall of Origin.
Among the three major Tol'vir tribes, the Neferset had the strongest combat power and obedience, the Ramkahen were very skilled in national governance, and the Ossirian were specifically responsible for the external management of the Hall of Origin and the maintenance of the three Obelisks.
The Tol'vir who modified the startup program back then came from the Ossirian tribe. The ancestral backup records were quickly understood by the modern Ossirian, and many things they previously didn't understand were enlightened by this record.
As the energy transmission chambers beneath the three Obelisks entered high-speed operation, the Ossirian technicians nervously and expectantly pressed the start button on the top floor of the Hall of Origin.
"Boom~"
Uldum's surface shook for a moment, and the Forge of Wills, located at the deepest part of the Hall of Origin, finally resumed normal operation after ten thousand years.
The entire Hall of Origin was enveloped by the energy gathered from the three Obelisks. Many defensive facilities around this pyramid, which had been shut down due to insufficient energy, all resumed operation.
But before Thorim, with a gratified smile on his face, could be happy for long, the Neferset tribe, responsible for guarding the border, urgently sent intelligence.
A large number of Silithid flyers crossed the mountains from the northwestern border of Uldum adjacent to Silithius.
Before Thorim broke the seal, the entire Uldum region was shrouded in a magical barrier.
But as the barrier dissipated, the Qiraji of the Regal Hive in southeastern Silithius were the first to notice something was wrong.
Taking advantage of the temporary truce and standoff between the two sides, the commander of the Regal Hive sent flying insects to scout, finding, unsurprisingly, that the previously impassable southern mountains had suddenly opened up.
This discovery startled the Qiraji. As an ancient race that had existed for tens of thousands of years, they were well aware of Uldum's existence.
With Uldum unsealing at this critical juncture, the Twin Emperors immediately considered the worst-case scenario.
With the idea of striking first, the Emperor of Swords Veknilash, who was in charge of military operations, ordered the Regal Hive to send troops for an armed reconnaissance of Uldum.
"As expected, they've come."
Andreas was not surprised at all; with such a large barrier suddenly vanishing, even the stupidest would realize something important was happening next door.
Thorim had received his suggestion long before entering the Hall of Origin to arrange Neferset combat units along the western border, which allowed them to discover the Silithid flyers' invasion immediately.
Compared to the Iron Vrykul and the Mogu race, who were the most battle-hardened among the Titan Constructs, the Tol'vir's frontal combat capabilities lagged significantly behind.
After their original stone bodies and wings degenerated, the Tol'vir's lean, four-legged bodies grew stronger through constant running. Over tens of thousands of years, the three major Tol'vir tribes developed a combat style best suited for them.
Coincidentally, the Tol'vir's tactics were remarkably similar to those of the Centaurs, who had recently been wiped out by the combined forces of the Tauren and Night Elves.
These four-legged Cat-people were also skilled in mounted archery and guerrilla warfare, and as descendants of Titan Constructs, their magical talent and military discipline far exceeded those of the Centaurs.
The recently restarted Forge of Wills could not be lost, so Thorim personally stayed within the pyramid of the Hall of Origin to guard it.
Commissioned by Thorim, Andreas transformed into his Golden Eagle form and flew at top speed to the vicinity of the Obelisk of the Moon in northwestern Uldum.
As the local hosts, the Ossirian were defending against the invasion of tens of thousands of Silithid flyers alongside the Neferset tribe.
Although they lacked an air force, almost every Tol'vir could draw a bow and shoot arrows. Facing the enemies approaching from the sky, a large number of Tol'vir fired volleys into the air at their officers' command.
At the same time, the Tol'vir casters completed their incantations while running and dodging, and various types of spell effects lit up the dark night sky in a riot of colors.
King Kiljaeden of the Neferset personally charged to the front lines, bravely slaying the Silithids that landed. These dark-skinned Tol'vir were like panthers hunting under the cover of night, precisely and ruthlessly ending the lives of their enemies.
Kiljaeden revealed sharp canines at the corners of his mouth during battle, wielding a heavy lance in his hand. No Silithid could last more than one move against him.
"King Kiljaeden."
Andreas reverted to human form after landing. "How's the situation? Can you hold them off?"
"Ha!" Kiljaeden smiled excitedly. "Long-awaited actual combat has my blood boiling. Don't worry, these bugs are just winged small fry; the enemy's elites haven't appeared on the battlefield yet."
"That's good."
Andreas looked up at the night sky. The Night Elves' excellent night vision allowed him to see further and more clearly than the Tol'vir in this pitch-black environment.
Nearly twenty thousand Silithids were invading. Given the total troop numbers of the Regal Hive after receiving aid from Ahn'Qiraj, these weak flyers were likely just scouts for reconnaissance.
"Thump!"
Thumping the ganir staff heavily on the ground with his left hand, Andreas extended his right hand toward the sky, and erratic black gales began to appear on the night battlefield.
These sudden turbulences had a great impact on the flying Silithids, and their previously orderly formation was blown into disarray.
Kiljaeden did not miss this opportunity. He shouted in a booming voice, "Attack! Bring all these bugs down!"
Although low-level Silithids were expendable, meaningless losses at the Uldum border would still pain the commander of the Regal Hive.
After consulting with the Emperor of Swords Veknilash, the remaining Silithids turned around and left Uldum. Anyway, they had already gathered a lot of useful information... "The Obelisks have started running again?"
In the underground throne room of the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, Emperor of Magic Veklor's tone was very solemn.
"Continue monitoring. Find a chance to bypass the Tol'vir's defense line; I need more detailed intelligence."
"Yes."
"Phew..."
After ending the hive communication, Veklor leaned his head tiredly against the back of his throne.
Veknilash turned and asked, "What's wrong, brother? Is the situation very bad?"
"Yes. Although the Master didn't provide specific details, he mentioned before that a weapon of incredible power is buried beneath Uldum."
"Do you remember what happened more than twelve thousand years ago when Silithius and Ahn'Qiraj suddenly turned into deserts?"
Veknilash nodded solemnly. "Of course I remember. Could that great catastrophe be related to Uldum's weapon?"
"Most likely. Brother, you'd better prepare defenses toward Uldum. I have a bad feeling."
Veknilash was a bit troubled. "I'd like to do that if we had enough troops, but our forces are already at a disadvantage on the main battlefield. We can't spare many people to guard against Uldum."
Veklor looked around at the Anub'Rekhan guarding the underground palace. After a moment's hesitation, he said resolutely, "Then we will temporarily reduce the number of temple guards and push them all to the front lines."
"At the same time, I will call upon the nobles of the empire to take on more responsibility. We must not lose this war that concerns the survival of our entire race!"
Andreas had already obtained what he wanted from the Blueprint Hall of the Forge of Wills during this trip to the Hall of Origin, and he was just about ready to return to the Silithius battlefield.
Thorim, who presided over the Forge of Wills, handed over full command of the Tol'vir to Andreas, and a new reinforcement force was quickly formed.
With the reappearance of Uldum as the trigger, the movement of flying scouts sent by Regal Hive alerted the stationary Azeroth Allied Forces.
Before leaving, Andreas had told Jarod of his possible destination. Upon hearing of unusual movements in southeastern Silithius, Jarod immediately thought that Andreas' mission might have been successful.
"It is time for the war to resume. The eastern and western armies will strike simultaneously to breach Zora Hive and Regal Hive as quickly as possible!"
Zora and Regal were the last two special underground military strongholds the Qiraji Empire had established in Silithius.
Aside from these underground bunkers excavated by worker bugs, the entire Silithius desert was flat, with almost no significant terrain fluctuations visible.
The only high ground in the center of the desert was occupied by the Allied Forces and used to build Cenarion Stronghold. As long as the last two hives could be taken, the path to Ahn''Qiraj would be completely open.
Upon receiving the order, Shandris, commander of the western army, immediately ordered the already positioned moonlight radiance to open fire on Zora Hive. The eastern army, personally commanded by Jarod, launched an attack on Regal Hive almost simultaneously.
Both Shandris and Jarod were cautious, not committing all their troops to the battlefield immediately, fearing that the bugs might again use the suicidal tactics they had employed last time.
Fortunately, the two hives, which had support from the rear, did not immediately resort to such extreme methods to resist the attack.
While the hives in the front were under attack, the Twin Emperors received the news immediately through the hive mind network. The Obsidian Destroyers and Anub'Rekhan stationed in front of the Gates of Ahn''Qiraj also charged into the battlefield from both sides to provide relief.
The four-legged Tol'vir possessed excellent mountain-climbing abilities. Under Andreas' command, the Ramkahen were responsible for staying behind in Uldum to guard against the Qiraji crossing the border to attack the land again.
The Tol'vir led by the Neferset followed Andreas over the mountains, entering Silithius from the mountainous region in northwestern Uldum. They launched a surprise attack directly from the rear of Regal Hive, surrounding it along with the Zandalari Trolls and Night Elves.
The Qiraji near Regal Hive knew they could not escape and, faced with a massive numerical disadvantage, intended to launch a banzai charge.
But this time, Andreas and Jarod had prepared in advance. As the Qiraji army began to pour out of the hive, the moonlight radiance, which had been conserving energy, suddenly increased its firing frequency.
The continuous bombardment of arcane cannons blasted through the chitinous structures of Regal Hive, severing them in the middle. Except for the flying silithid, ground units like tank bugs were all trapped inside the hive, unable to exit.
The Allied Forces' casters and ranged combatants stood at the edge of the hive, picking off enemies one by one. Regal Hive fell quickly under the siege from all sides, and even the reinforcements of Anub'Rekhan and Obsidian Destroyers failed to arrive in time.
Veknilash was furious upon hearing the news, but he calmly shifted the focus of the attack immediately. The reinforcements sent to Regal Hive turned around halfway, striving to protect the last remaining stronghold, Zora Hive.
Compared to the quickly concluded battle at Regal Hive, the assault on Zora Hive was much more difficult.
Countless silithid poured out of the hive. Upon hearing of Regal Hive's fall, the commander of Zora Hive received strict orders from Veknilash to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
At this time, Andreas was hovering above the reinforcements, cautiously looking for the right moment to dive into the enemy ranks.
Although the Obsidian Destroyers belonged to the same race as the Tol'vir, after tens of thousands of years of separation, the two sides had long since developed completely different combat styles.
The movements of Obsidian Destroyers mostly relied on their wings. Compared to the Tol'vir, their bodies appeared thinner to facilitate flight, and their melee combat capabilities were not very good.
In contrast, these obsidian guardians, after being modified by CThun, possessed impressive magical combat capabilities.
When these reinforcements engaged the vanguard sent by Shandris to buy time, the large-scale Shadow Magic unleashed by the Obsidian Destroyers caused great trouble for the soldiers of the Allied Forces.
Meanwhile, the Anub'Rekhan were another extreme.
These low-intelligence constructs did not use any spells; they were created for the purpose of soaking up damage and dealing powerful area-of-effect physical strikes with their massive bodies.
Facing the Night Elves and Tauren, whose height didn't even reach their knees, these dog-headed colossi's most common attacks were stomping hard or charging into the enemy ranks swinging their massive stone greatswords.
Leticia and Lunara, who led the vanguard, were helpless against these giants. They were impervious to blades and spears and possessed excellent magic resistance; any attack that wasn't strong enough to breach their defenses was merely a tickle to the Anub'Rekhan.
Fortunately, Jarod had a trick up his sleeve, as the Dragonflights led by Malygos took to the skies from Cenarion Stronghold.
While the vanguard kept the Anub'Rekhan and Obsidian Destroyers away from the main battlefield, the dragons breathed out vast swathes of dragon breath from the air, effectively curbing the breakthrough speed of the construct legion.
"Chiii! Chiii!"
Leticia's moon wheel sliced across an Anub'Rekhan's neck. The sharp blade made violent contact with the hard obsidian skin, emitting a continuous, grating sound that set one's teeth on edge.
But in the end, the moon wheel failed to deal a fatal blow to the Anub'Rekhan. After retrieving the moon wheel, Leticia looked distressfully at the blade's edge, which was covered in stone fragments.
"It's too hard! How are we supposed to fight this!"
Supporting from the side, Lunara was also full of frustration. Her energy spears were always dispersed in mid-air by the Obsidian Destroyers. These magic-expert constructs were just as annoying to deal with.
"Roar!"
A team of over a dozen adult black dragons breathed out Shadowflame dragon breath from the sky, the ultra-high temperature finally causing some trouble for the Anub'Rekhan.
The obsidian skin on their bodies was burned red-hot by the flames. In this state, the Anub'Rekhan's defense dropped significantly, and Leticia took the opportunity to slice off the massive heads of two Anub'Rekhan.
The lethal attacks from the sky made Veknilash increasingly uneasy. Since the Anub'Rekhan and Obsidian Destroyers could not connect to the Qiraji's unique hive mind network, he could only remotely control these giants through the Qiraji who accompanied the construct legion.
"Screech!"
A sharp raptor's cry came from the air. After observing for a while, Andreas finally identified the commander of this construct legion.
On the shoulder of one hawk-headed Anub'Rekhan stood a Qiraji dressed in green gauze. All the Anub'Rekhan were acting according to the commands of this leading individual.
Ensuring he was fully prepared in the air, Andreas dove down rapidly and struck home. The Golden Eagle's sharp talons dug deep into the Qiraji's body, eliciting a raspy, unpleasant scream.
The first strike completely disabled the three pairs of insect wings on the Qiraji's back. Andreas then tossed the wingless Qiraji like a broken doll, letting him fall through the air in a free fall.
Without their commander, the leading Anub'Rekhan's movements became sluggish, causing the combat efficiency of the entire construct legion to plummet.
"Prioritize killing the Qiraji mixed in with the constructs!"
Finally finished the debt. I've had a cold these past two days—stuffy nose, sore throat, and not sleeping well—so my writing state has been very poor. I originally planned to keep writing six chapters a day to build up a backlog, but it seems I'll have to postpone that for now. I need to get over this cold first.
Receiving Andreas' reminder, the black dragons, led by Onyxia, were the first to change their focus of attack, their massive dragon bodies chasing after the insectoids responsible for command.
Most of the Anubisath, corrupted and modified by C'Thun, were relatively dull; with the exception of a few individuals, they would only act upon receiving orders.
Without the commanding insectoids, and apart from the hawk-headed Anubisath that Andreas had first noticed, the actions of most constructs became chaotic, losing the discipline they had shown during their unified attacks.
'Excellent, the watchful eyes have been completely removed.'
After repeatedly confirming that there were no bugs observing, the golden eagle suddenly changed direction in mid-air, flexibly dodging the hawk-headed Anubisath's weapon strike, cautiously looking for an opportunity to break into its attack range.
The aerial attack greatly annoyed this Anubisath; its large stone sword, swung with abandon, accidentally flew out of its hand and, by a stroke of luck, struck a passing, unlucky red dragon.
The sudden "attack" sent this red dragon, who was happily breathing fire in the sky, crashing to the ground, but its powerful draconic body allowed it to survive the irregular landing.
The fallen red dragon's wing was damaged, preventing it from flying again for a short time. It lay on the ground, dizzy, gazing at the stone sword stuck in the sand not far away, completely unaware that it had been struck down by such an unknown object from above.
The hawk-headed Anubisath's actions reminded its kin, and they all followed suit, throwing their weapons at the dragons in the sky, causing considerable disarray within the dragon army for a time.
Malygos, who was leading, had been leisurely watching his juniors gain combat experience, but the sudden turn of events caused his expression to darken abruptly.
Not many young blue dragons were sent, so their chances of being hit were relatively low.
However, one adult blue dragon was just unlucky enough to be struck by a stone axe, plummeting to the ground with panicked cries, and landing right in the middle of a group of Anubisath.
"Is it that idiot Kalecgos again?!"
Although Malygos was furious, being protective, he immediately intervened to rescue him.
The clear night sky was suddenly illuminated by arcane light, as large arcane missiles, like a meteor shower, successively fell into the Anubisath ranks.
The magic-resistant skin, which was difficult for ordinary dragons to penetrate, seemed like paper under Malygos' attack.
Soon, dozens of Anubisath were knocked to the ground by continuous arcane missiles, and the more weakly defended Obsidian Destroyers fell from the sky like dumplings, their bodies shattered.
Andreas shouted at Malygos, exasperated, "You could have more patience! What happened to waiting for me to make the first move?"
"Hmph!"
Malygos regretted his actions the moment he made them, but he stubbornly refused to admit his mistake.
"My kin are under threat. Are you asking me to watch them die before my eyes?"
"Then at least go easy on them," Andreas grumbled, annoyed. "These Anubisath are going to be our fighting force later."
Malygos turned his head and snorted lightly, "I'll give you ten more minutes. If you still can't handle it, don't blame me for dismantling your toys."
As he spoke, Andreas had already broken through the weaponless hawk-headed Anubisath's defense and landed on its left shoulder, where the insectoid had previously stood.
"Say cheese!"
Andreas, having reverted to his original form, took a round-headed warhammer from his back and smashed it upwards into the hawk-headed Anubisath's chin.
"Bang!"
The Anubisath, caught off guard, had its head forcibly tilted upwards, revealing a small patch of skin near its chin that was a different color from the rest.
"That's you!"
"Thump!"
The warhammer struck the Anubisath's chin again, emitting fine streaks of lightning from its body. Under this hammer blow, the Anubisath ceased all movement, its body stiffly tilting its head back as it fell to the ground.
Seeing Andreas' actions succeed, Malygos quickly led the dragons to block the other Anubisath attempting to provide support.
As the dust raised by the Anubisath's fall settled, a mechanical voice emanated from its mouth.
"Titan Guardian authority detected. Storm Guardian Thorim. Anubisath Unit 001 awaiting command input."
The warhammer in Andreas' hand was borrowed from Thorim; the Storm King had even specially miniaturized his hammer for Andreas' convenience.
Like Tyr's Silver Hand warhammer, Thorim's Thunder Hammer was also registered within the Titan Guardian network and recognized by the intelligent programs of all Titan constructs.
Earlier, while searching in the intelligent production factory of the Forge of Origination, Andreas found Raiden's holographic design blueprints for the Anubisath. The reset button for these dog-headed colossi was located near their chins.
That hammer blow just now triggered Anubisath Unit 001's intelligent reset program. While the dragon army was holding back the other constructs, Andreas acted with the fastest speed, following the descriptions on Raiden's design blueprint to make the Anubisath complete its self-check and restart.
"Self-checking... Fatal errors detected in intelligent thought module and friend-or-foe identification module. Restarting immediately..."
"Restart complete. Re-checking... Self-check passed. Retain stored content in Anubisath Unit 001's memory module?"
"Retain."
"Command received. Anubisath Unit 001 intelligent program back online."
"Hmm..."
As the mechanical voice faded, the hawk-headed Anubisath rubbed its chin and sat up from the ground. Having just completed its restart, it seemed a bit dazed, now searching through its memory module for stored records using its brand-new thought and identification modules.
"So... I was also corrupted."
The restarted Anubisath Unit 001 seemed a bit downcast. It had actually forgotten the commands given by Lord Raiden and had turned against him to help the Old Gods. This fact was hard for it to accept for a moment.
"Andreas! Once you've dealt with that guy, quickly restart them one by one!"
Malygos swatted away a massive Anubisath with his tail, his expression somewhat displeased as he urged, "I can't guarantee I'll keep my temper in check indefinitely!"
Although Malygos' personality had normalized considerably after Senegos led a large number of blue dragons back, as long as his final emotional knot remained, there would always be a thorn in his heart, preventing him from fully suppressing his violent destructive impulses.
"No need for such trouble."
Before Andreas could reply, Anubisath Unit 001, who had been sitting on the ground questioning "life," stood up.
"I am the command tower for all Anubisath units. Lord Raiden granted me authority to remotely control all Anubisath."
'Bingo...'
Andreas had suspected before that this Anubisath was different, and indeed, it was the central command unit for all Anubisath.
"Wait!"
Andreas called out to 001 before it started the remote restart, "For now, focus the restart range on this battlefield. As for the Anubisath inside the Ahn''Qiraj Temple... I have other uses for them later."
'The Hive... Heh, something too useful can sometimes be a double-edged sword.'
"Anub'Rekhan 001 uses the authority of the Command Tower to order all Anub'Rekhan units within a two-kilometer radius of me to begin self-diagnosis and reboot."
Following 001's command, all Anub'Rekhan Colossi on the battlefield ceased movement.
However, the authority of the Anub'Rekhan could not control the neighboring Obsidian Destroyers. The Dragonflights, who hadn't had their fill of fighting, quickly shifted targets, dismantling these Primal Tol'vir one by one into piles of rubble.
Now that Thorim had reclaimed the Forge of Wills, compared to the Anub'Rekhan Colossi, which required vast quantities of precious materials, the Primal Tol'vir were merely low-grade Titan Constructs that could be mass-produced with a single command. There was no point in keeping them.
The reinforcements, upon which the Twin Emperors placed high hopes, were intercepted halfway. The Qiraji commander of the Zora Hive waited in vain for support and finally collapsed under the combined assault of the Tauren and the Night Elves.
Veknilash, who had been remotely controlling the units from the rear, was utterly confused. Given the speed of the Anub'Rekhan, even if they were intercepted by Dragonflights, it shouldn't have taken this long for not even a single unit to reach the Zora Hive.
However, the truth was that the Anub'Rekhan only arrived belatedly near the battlefield after the Zora Hive had been frustratingly taken by the coalition forces, like a frog boiled slowly in warm water.
Seeing the holes visible everywhere on this batch of Anub'Rekhan through the Hive Network via the escaping Qiraji, Veknilash had nothing left to say.
If even the incredibly durable Anub'Rekhan looked this horrific, the complete annihilation of the less-defensive Obsidian Destroyers seemed unsurprising.
The Flying Silithid sent later to Scout the battlefield investigated the area where contact was lost. The massive craters left by the Anub'Rekhan's thrown weapons remained there.
The injured Dragonflights still couldn't move freely; the Red Dragon was using Life Energy to provide them with healing.
Noticing the approaching group of Silithid Scouts, Malygos gently moved a finger, and a small Arcane Singularity appeared in the center of the swarm, sucking all the insects into it in the blink of an eye.
Although a small squad of Scouts was lost, Veknilash had gathered all the intelligence he needed. It seemed the previous great battle had inflicted some losses on the Dragonflights as well, meaning the total destruction of the Obsidian Destroyers had not been completely in vain.
Some high-ranking Qiraji who escaped the Zora Hive re-established contact with the Anub'Rekhan, bringing these surviving powerful constructs back to the defensive position in front of the Ahn''Qiraj Gate.
The exhausted Night Elves and Tauren coalition forces did not pursue, merely watching the group of Anub'Rekhan retreat with vigilance.
"Sigh~"
Shandris rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache. "These incredibly defensive colossi will likely cause us significant trouble later. We must find a way to deal with them."
"Pfft~"
Leticia, who had just returned to camp, couldn't help but let out a small laugh, and the Dryad Lunara's expression was also strange.
Laynella raised an eyebrow. The behavior of these two young ones puzzled her greatly. "What is it? Did Shandris say something wrong?"
"No... it's just that we temporarily don't need to worry about the Anub'Rekhan problem."
Lunara's cryptic answer left Shandris and Laynella completely confused, and Dorn Bloodhoof and Yamon Highmountain, who were listening nearby, were equally perplexed.
Shandris seemed to guess something, turning her head to look in the direction the Anub'Rekhan had come from.
'Andreas, have you secretly placed another piece on the board?'
...The Regal Hive and the Zora Hive were finally breached. All large strongholds of the Qiraji Empire in the Silithius Desert were eliminated, and their defensive capabilities suffered heavy losses.
The remaining smaller hives did not even require large armies to suppress; they could be left for the Guerrilla Forces to slowly clear out.
Having completely secured Silithius and gained a batch of reliable reinforcements, the coalition's morale was extremely high.
The long phase of attrition warfare was over. Next, they only needed to invade Ahn'Qiraj and completely destroy the Qiraji Empire supported by the Old Gods, CThun.
However, the high command of the coalition, led by Andreas and Jarod, were not as optimistic as the ordinary soldiers.
Prisim's Rogue Scouts attempted to enter the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj multiple times, but almost every time they were caught by certain insects with acute hearing.
However, the Rogues who managed to return brought back some intelligence about other areas of Ahn'Qiraj.
"Ahn'Qiraj can roughly be divided into two areas: the civilian residential area on the surface and the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj located deep underground."
Andreas laid the map, painstakingly drawn by the Scouts, flat on the large table in the main camp.
"There isn't much to say about the Ahn'Qiraj civilian area. The terrain is relatively flat, and we can take it simply by marching the main army over and crushing the resistance."
"The main problem we need to face is inside the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj."
"Although we haven't received definite confirmation, many important targets, including the Twin Emperors and CThun, should be presiding deep within the Temple."
Andreas pointed emphatically at the entrance of the Temple. "This Temple was actually the prison built by the Titan Keepers for CThun back then. The Qiraji only settled here later under CThun's guidance."
Gongala, the Zandalar Prophet, asked thoughtfully, "CThun was sealed underground, and the Qiraji dug their master out of the ground while building their hive?"
Andreas shrugged. "While it wasn't quite that simple in reality, that's roughly the common explanation."
CThun's seal has still not been completely broken even today. He can only barely expose his core above ground to guide the Qiraji Empire in expanding its territory and influence, falling far short of the overwhelming power the Old Gods wielded during the Dark Empire era.
Jarod stated solemnly, "Today's United War Council is primarily to discuss the steps and methods for conquering Ahn'Qiraj."
"The Temple of Ahn'Qiraj is a super-giant hive that extends deep underground. Although the internal passages are much wider than other hives, it is still unsuitable for sending a large army inside."
"I plan to have the coalition's main forces capture the Ahn'Qiraj civilian area, while the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj will be infiltrated by elites selected from each race. The size of this elite force should preferably not exceed 2,000 people."
The military leaders of the various coalition races successively agreed with Jarod's strategy. Alger, the Zandalar War Druid, frowned and asked, "I have one more question."
"According to records passed down by the Zandalar since the Primeval Era, the Old Gods are a planetary affliction that even the Titans could not completely eradicate."
Alger scanned the people present. "I wonder if everyone has considered this problem. If CThun cannot be destroyed, sooner or later he will raise his army and return, and this war will fail to achieve its maximum strategic goal."
Andreas nodded approvingly. "Mr. Alger is absolutely right. We have certainly considered this issue."
"While I can't tell you how we will execute it yet, I do have a way to truly kill CThun."
While the Azerothian Alliance gathered in the front-line camp to discuss their next plans, a similar meeting was being held in the Temple of Ahn''Qiraj.
A muscular Qiraji covered in black chitin was the first to speak, "Our defensive strategy has failed. The Ahn''Qiraj civilian district, lacking any fortifications, cannot be defended. The immediate priority is to consolidate the defense of the temple district. At the very least, we cannot allow the temple, the core of the Qiraji Empire, to fall."
Another Qiraji with a pink carapace and a multi-legged spider-like structure slowly replied, "General Rajaxx, what you say makes a lot of sense."
Then he changed his tone, "But if we don't defend the civilian district above, how can we ensure the population growth of the Qiraji Empire? You wouldn't suggest herding all civilians and low-ranking Qiraji into the temple, would you?"
General Rajaxx retorted unhappily, "Prophet, that is exactly what I mean! Are civilians not our people? Without their contributions, the Qiraji Empire wouldn't be able to break out of this desert even in another twenty thousand years!"
"Hehe~ What noble sentiments. Perhaps General Rajaxx would like to go up and protect these highly contributing civilians?"
"You!"
"Enough!"
Veknilash impatiently shouted through the hive mind, "Rajaxx, Skeram, if you want to quarrel, then both of you go up and defend the civilian district."
"What we need to discuss now is how to repel the enemy, not for you two to fight amongst yourselves!"
Veknilash looked at a green flying insect that had not yet evolved into a humanoid form, "Huhuran, what do you think? Should we abandon the civilian district above and hold fast to the temple?"
Huhuran pondered for a moment before replying, "Father, the enemy's total forces are enormous, and their weapons are very advanced. If we engage them in the undefended civilian district, we have almost no chance of victory."
"I agree with Skeram's suggestion: retreat to the Temple of Ahn''Qiraj. As for the civilians above… they can only be left to fend for themselves."
Another royal princess, Aal'ki, quickly agreed, "That's right, we must first ensure the survival of the empire's core leadership. As for whether the civilians live or die…"
Princess Aal'ki hadn't finished speaking when Emperor Vek'lor reprimanded her with an displeased expression.
"Shut up! We haven't asked for your opinion yet!"
"But Father…"
Aal'ki's husband, Lord Kri, quickly stepped forward to stop her, "Don't interrupt. The final decision rests with the two Majesties."
Huhuran and Aal'ki were the daughters of Veknilash and Vek'lor, respectively, but their abilities were vastly different.
Princess Huhuran inherited Veknilash's bravery and cunning tactical mind, earning praise from all sides since childhood.
However, Princess Aal'ki inherited none of her father's wisdom and competence, being merely a pampered trophy wife whom a disappointed Vek'lor married off early.
Lord Kri's status was not high, but his abilities were quite good. Vek'lor marrying Aal'ki to him was, to some extent, to win over this rising star.
His words hit the nail on the head. In the Qiraji Empire, where the class system was exceptionally clear, no matter how many suggestions the important ministers had, the final decision always rested with the two emperors.
Veknilash was somewhat indecisive. Emotionally, he wanted to save the civilians above to preserve the foundation for the Qiraji Empire's resurgence.
But after rational consideration, Veknilash himself rejected this decision.
Regardless of the war's final outcome, the chances of the Qiraji Empire, having been pushed to its doorstep, turning the tide and winning were minuscule.
Even if the Temple of Ahn''Qiraj could be held, their remaining supplies would not allow them to keep too many civilians.
"Brother, what do you think?"
Vek'lor pondered for a moment, "If it comes to it, we can only abandon the civilians and concentrate all combat power to defend the temple."
"Deep within the temple, there is the Master's protection. If the enemy dares to rush in, the Master will show them what true terror is."
... After a major battle, the Night Republic needed to replenish its lost arcane golems, and the other allied races also needed some time to tally their losses and reorganize their remaining troops.
The Qiraji Empire did not launch any offensive during this period. Due to insufficient forces, they withdrew the Anubisaths guarding the Gates of Ahn''Qiraj back to the temple, giving the Alliance an opportunity to formally enter Ahn''Qiraj.
"It seems the high command of the Qiraji Empire has completely given up on the civilian district."
Atop the Gates of Ahn''Qiraj, Andreas and Jarod looked at the ordinary Qiraji in the distance, panicked by the approaching army, and drew their conclusion.
The civilian district had a large population, but very few possessed combat capabilities.
This was a war of life and death, leaving no room for soft-heartedness. After confirming the retreat of the enemy's main force, Jarod immediately issued an order to eradicate all bugs in the civilian district.
This task didn't even require generals to personally oversee it. Led by mid-level officers, the vast army quickly cleared all remaining Qiraji from the surface of Ahn''Qiraj, completely surrounding the heavily guarded temple entrance.
"As expected, all the defensive efforts are concentrated here."
Many previously unseen, tall Qiraji had now been pushed forward by the Twin Emperors. It seemed they were determined to gather all remaining forces and defend the temple to the death.
Guarding both sides of the temple entrance were two massive high-ranking Qiraji generals, one with a black carapace and the other with a flashy pink one.
Judging by the distance between them, it seemed these two Qiraji did not get along.
The Temple of Ahn''Qiraj was a downward subterranean structure, with its entrance directly on the surface. This was the most heavily defended part of the entire temple, and the two unfortunate individuals sent here were likely those not highly valued by the Twin Emperors.
Eager to end the war and return to continue nurturing his little blue dragon, Malygos, without a word, led the dragonflight to unleash their final burst of power.
The overwhelming five-colored dragon breaths enveloped the entire temple entrance. When the dragon breaths dissipated, only the two Qiraji generals were still barely standing; the elite Qiraji around them lay miserably at the temple entrance.
The pink-shelled fellow on the left was still struggling to maintain his single-person defensive shield. Onyxia charged up and delivered a reverse bicycle kick, her thick dragon tail sending the pink Qiraji, shield and all, flying.
Merithra was not to be outdone. Sensing the powerful mental fluctuations from the pink Qiraji, she felt a desire to compete and constantly tried to hypnotize this Qiraji, who specialized in mental magic.
With too many monks and too little porridge, Arygos, under his father's instruction, was the first to fly towards the strong black Qiraji, his dazzling arcane dragon breath sealing off all his escape routes.
This Qiraji showed exceptional toughness; he endured Arygos' attack and still stood, his two large pincers waving futilely at the sky.
This fellow was a typical melee combatant, utterly unable to attack anything in the air.
When Anachronos and Caelestrasz came up together to observe, he was quickly struck by the Bronze Dragon Prince's time magic. His once strong body visibly withered, and he soon aged until he lost all signs of life.
Most of the dragons ended their mission at this point; only Malygos would lead a few rising stars from various races into the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj to assist the Allied Forces in pushing deeper.
Although Jarod's command ability was outstanding, his personal combat strength was worrying, so he was left to lead the main army on the surface as a precaution.
The Night Elves dispatched 200 elites and 300 of the newest moonfist arcane golems, including high-level combatants such as Shandris, Fandral, and Andreas, to enter the temple together and eliminate the Qiraji Empire's final resistance.
Zandalar also sent all its elites, including the two loa who came along this time, dispatching a total of 400 elites from various classes to infiltrate the temple.
The Kalimdor Tauren and the Highmountain Tauren together dispatched 700 fully armed Tauren warriors.
Adding the 50-person investigation team from Dalaran, the remaining 300-plus slots were filled by King Neferset, who personally led the team.
Even after repeatedly streamlining the numbers, the 2,000-person team still felt very crowded upon entering the temple.
The narrow underground passage could only accommodate three people walking abreast, stretching the team's battle line very long.
The moonfist golems of the Night Elf Republic and the Voodoo Colossi of Zandalar scouted ahead together. This terrain, ideal for ambushes, made everyone feel somewhat nervous.
But contrary to the expectations of Andreas and the others, there were no ambushes near this spiraling downward passage.
However, during the descent, the Allied Forces elites discovered a fork in the road.
The second and third levels each had an exit. After discussion, Zandalar, the Tauren, and the Dalaran investigation team would explore the second level together, while the Night Elves, the Tol'vir, and several emerging talents from the Dragon race would enter the third level.
Several millennia had passed, and Andreas had long since forgotten the maps he had navigated when playing the game, but he vaguely remembered that the terrain here seemed very different from the map in the game.
Dividing the forces at this point was a necessary measure; the passages inside the Hive were simply too narrow. Andreas and the others waited for more than ten minutes in a relatively spacious plaza on the third level before the last of the Tol'vir finally exited the passage.
Just as the army at the front was waiting, the ground of the Hive suddenly began to shake, as if some gigantic creature were passing underneath.
Andreas quickly warned, "Stay alert! Steady your footing!"
"Boom!"
A colossal Burrowing Worm burst out of the ground. The dozen or so arcane golems leading the way were swallowed by the giant worm in the blink of an eye.
Andreas and the others had strange expressions. "Isn't this thing afraid of indigestion?"
The arcane golems of the Night Elf Republic used alloy armor plating forged from a mixture of truesilver and Mithril. Following the extensive development of Northrend and Wintergrasp, a small amount of incredibly sturdy titansteel was also incorporated into this batch of new-generation machines.
Even if the great worm's stomach acid had astonishing digestive capabilities, it would be impossible to melt the alloy mixed with titansteel in a short time.
Upon seeing this great worm, Andreas' already vague memory finally reacted slightly.
'This guy... I think he's called Ouro?'
After swallowing a dozen arcane golems, Ouro did not immediately show signs of indigestion.
When its body, which was at least five meters in diameter, emerged from the ground and shook, it always caused the ground to tremble violently, greatly testing the footwork of the Allied Forces elites.
However... seeing Andreas use wind power to float into the air, Fandral was stunned for a moment. Inspired, he quickly followed suit.
For agile generals like Shandris and Leticia, maintaining balance was not difficult, let alone for Lunara and the Tol'vir, who stood on four legs.
"Ah!"
Ouro's opening display of power ended. It let out a sharp shriek toward the sky, and contrary to its clumsy appearance, its body, extending from the ground, swiftly launched a sweeping attack. Many people did not even have time to react.
"Whoa!"
As the arcane golems in the front row were swept backward, many people were struck by their own intelligent war machines, crying out in pain as they flew backward.
Andreas, Shandris, and the others maintained high focus, and each managed to dodge Ouro's initial attack using their own methods.
After the fierce sweep, the area beneath Ouro's hideous maw noticeably swelled, and a large volume of sand swallowed into its throat was sprayed toward Andreas, who was directly in front.
The velocity of the sprayed sand was comparable to a sniper rifle bullet. Andreas only had time to deploy a Shadow Defense Shield in front of him before the crackling sand grains continuously pelted the shield.
The opening two-hit combo was over, and Ouro was very dissatisfied with the outcome.
Its head began to retract back into the ground, attempting to swallow sand again to launch a second wave of attack.
"Trying to run away!"
Andreas' instant-cast Mind Blast hit, and Ouro's movement paused. Having suffered a soul shock, it seemed to forget what it intended to do.
An arrow glowing faintly in Shandris' hand shot out at exactly this moment. The husband and wife, working together seamlessly, quickly completed a combined attack.
Shandris' Moonlight Arrow pierced Ouro's tough shell, and dark green bodily fluid spurted out from within it.
The pain caused the dazed Ouro to shriek. Although it had not fully recovered consciousness, it relied on instinct to continue burrowing. Before Fandral's vines could bind it, Ouro had already drilled into the ground and vanished.
Malygos, watching from the rear of the battlefield, shifted his expression. He was the first to sense Ouro's location.
However, Malygos had come to Silithius this time with the intention of training the younger generation, so he did not speak up to reveal Ouro's direction.
Maiev Na Shara, whose eyes had always been half-open, suddenly widened her charming emerald eyes and quickly lunged to the right in her Night Elf form.
"Boom!"
Ouro emerged from the ground right where Maiev Na Shara had just dodged. One second later, the Green Dragon Princess would have been eaten by the great worm... but being eaten might not have been good for Ouro, as the moment Maiev Na Shara reverted to her original form, the creature's abdomen would likely burst.
Andreas sensed Ouro's movement even earlier than Maiev Na Shara, who was the target. The instant the enormous Burrowing Worm left the ground, he consecutively cast three Shadow Magic spells aimed at Ouro.
"Mind Blast, Shadow Word: Pain, Mind Flay."
Andreas' casting speed had long surpassed the reaction time of ordinary people. Although the Quality Triple Combo had a sequence, in the eyes of Leticia and the others nearby, the three spells seemed to land on Ouro almost simultaneously.
The low-intelligence Burrowing Worm was once again stunned due to the severe soul shock, and this time it was worse than the last.
The great worm only broke free from Andreas' spell control after the Allied Forces elites swarmed forward and completely severed the part of Ouro's body exposed above ground, but by then, everything was already settled.
While the others breathed a sigh of relief, several major figures, including Andreas, remained calm and composed.
'Ouro attacked directly right from the start. It seems the so-called Boss order cannot be trusted at all.'
While the Night Elves side dealt with the Twin Emperors' great worm pet relatively easily, the Zandalar and Tauren side was attacked by a Giant Oozeling.
Although it took some effort, protected by the Nature Magic Defense Barrier released by Prophet Gongala using Voodoo Magic, the small Oozeling was finally frozen into a solid block of ice by the combined casting of the Dalaran Mage Investigation Team.
After moving deeper into the third level, the passage faced by Andreas and the others became significantly wider. After passing through a long corridor swarming with small bugs, the Qiraji Empire's first true core member appeared before the Allied Forces.
"...the three blessings?"
The three blessings of Ahn'Qiraj were very famous, and even after many years, Andreas still remembered them clearly.
The so-called the three blessings were actually a family of three: the father, Lord Kree, the mother, Princess Ya'erji, and their child, Vem.
There was no opening speech, nor any trash talk before the battle.
When Andreas entered the spacious hall, the arcane golem, acting as the vanguard, had already been attacked first by the three blessings.
Lord Kree was like a poison-burst bug storing infinite toxins within him, releasing large clouds of foul, greenish poisonous gas centered around himself.
The poisonous gas had no effect on inorganic matter like the arcane golem, but the allied soldiers who followed closely behind were inevitably affected.
Cough, cough!
The fierce toxicity made the afflicted soldiers instantly weak, causing them to fall to their knees, coughing painfully, and soon they were hacking up blood.
Fandral!
Hearing Andreas' call, Fandral, who had known him for many years, immediately and tacitly summoned a refreshing natural wind, scattering all the poisonous mist covering the area near the squad.
Healing Druids, follow me and cast Tranquility!
As Fandral was the first to raise his hands and cast, the Feral Druid, including Laynella and Vastann, also cast in tacit coordination, enveloping all the soldiers suffering from poison damage with immense Nature Power.
At the same time, the accompanying Priestess of the Moon released healing divine spells one by one to detoxify the soldiers.
While the poison-immune moonfist charged forward to hold back the three blessings, the elite squad, which had suffered the sudden toxin attack, quickly regrouped.
Looking at the 'poison gas canister' not far away, Andreas immediately gave the order: 'Fandral, the largest poisonous bug is yours. Drag him into a corner and keep him occupied. Don't let him interfere with the main battle.'
No problem.
Fandral, having finished casting Tranquility, switched tactics extremely quickly. Violent winds erupted from his hands, locking precisely onto Lord Kree, who was still casting poisonous gas.
Typhoon!
Caught off guard, Lord Kree was pushed back over ten meters by the explosive force of the wind. The instant the spell was cast, Fandral transformed into a massive brown bear.
Roar!
The brown bear roared and initiated a Feral Charge, its massive weight pushing Lord Kree backward again just as he managed to stabilize himself.
Poison spells were also an application of Nature Power. As an expert in using Nature spells, Fandral had already cast a layer of Nature Protection Barrier on himself before initiating the charge.
While Fandral dragged the poison gas canister away, Laynella immediately transformed into a streamlined black panther and pounced on the larger of the remaining two bugs.
During the previous skirmishes with the moonfist, Andreas had already discerned the unique characteristics of the three bugs.
Lord Kree was, needless to say, a poison-burst bug; he could not be allowed near the crowd.
Princess Ya'erji was a very rare healing-type among the Qiraji, and focusing the healer first was everyone's consensus.
The last one, Vem, was the smallest, but his fighting style was the most ferocious. He charged wildly through the encircling moonfist, his powerful impact having already sent several arcane golem flying.
However, a mere low-level fighter, unless ridiculously powerful, could not cause any fatal impact on the overall battle situation.
Shandris and Lunara used ranged attacks to restrain Vem, preventing him from rampaging through the military formation as he wished.
At the same time, Princess Ya'erji, who was under the combined attack of Laynella and Vastann, let out a piercing shriek toward the sky, and large numbers of low-tier insectoids surged wildly from the passages on both sides of the hall.
King Kiljaeden of Neferset frowned deeply, gripping the spear in his hand. 'A trap?'
'No, it's just expected.'
Andreas signaled, and the Night Elves elites quickly shifted formation, calmly blocking the large number of bugs surging in from both sides, keeping them out of the main battle area.
The last dozen soldiers with relatively severe poison damage had mostly recovered under the one-on-one healing of Kaelestraz and Maiev Na Shara. Kalecgos, ignoring Sthragosza's warnings, impatiently joined the siege on Princess Ya'erji in his human form.
Aside from summoning bug reinforcements and her healing capabilities, Princess Ya'erji's offensive power was truly unremarkable.
But while she couldn't carry the whole fight, she could at least continue to shine in a support role. Just as Kalecgos approached, preparing to cast, a soul-piercing scream invaded his mind, and the once confident Kalecgos' eyes instantly became vacant.
Smack!
Malygos, who was observing the battle, looked utterly embarrassed and smacked his own forehead.
Kalecgos, struck by the Fear spell, failed his magic resistance and Will save, spinning around foolishly, clutching his head like a headless fly.
Andreas, speechless, fired a low-power mental shock at Kalecgos. It caused him no harm but perfectly dispelled the mental attack Princess Ya'erji had cast on him.
Kalecgos, now awake, instantly turned crimson, whether from anger or shame was unclear.
Stupid bug, you are courting death!
The furious Kalecgos immediately turned into a turret, unleashing fire, ice, and Arcane spells onto Princess Ya'erji in rotation. His indiscriminate attack posture forced Laynella and Vastann, who were fighting at close range, to temporarily retreat far away.
Princess Ya'erji was not strong to begin with, and under Kalecgos' saturation spell bombardment, she quickly collapsed, covered in wounds.
Kree! Father! Avenge... me...
Ya'erji!
Ah!
Seeing Ya'erji die first, Lord Kree and Vem simultaneously entered a state of frenzy.
Lord Kree's physical strength could not match Fandral, who had transformed into a giant bear, but with bloodshot eyes, he forcefully squeezed past Fandral, creating a gap.
A beam of highly concentrated venom shot out from his mouth, aimed directly at Kalecgos, the murderer of his wife.
Vem completely ignored the ranged restraint of Shandris and Lunara, enduring the attacks as he charged toward the smug Kalecgos.
In the nick of time, a simple-looking Tauren voluntarily stepped in front of Kalecgos, taking the combined attack from Vem and Lord Kree for him.
Sizzle!
The sturdy Earth Shield instantly became tattered under the venomous arrow's corrosion. At the same time, the Tauren used his strong body to withstand Vem's impact.
Hah!
The instant the shield was completely corroded, the Tauren's heavily muscled hands lifted Vem off the ground, turning him precisely toward the direction the venomous arrow was being fired.
No!!
Although Lord Kree let out a terrified shriek, the venomous arrow he fired still struck Vem, the human shield, without losing momentum.
Screech!
A miserable shriek came from Vem's mouth. He struggled desperately in the Tauren's embrace, but within seconds, Vem's body lost all vitality, and the Tauren casually tossed the riddled corpse down at his feet.
Hehe~
The Tauren smiled innocently at Kalecgos and asked, 'Kalecgos, are you alright?'
Uh...
Not only was Kalecgos speechless, but Andreas, who was hanging back to stabilize the formation, also felt his mouth twitch.
Ebysian, this guy is actually quite cunning, isn't he? Truly worthy of being a Black Dragon with a thick skin and a dark heart...