The battle in Tanaan Jungle was not going smoothly. If Shadowmoon Valley could be considered a smooth push, then the Draenor Alliance and Khadgar's forces were evenly matched against the elite troops.
On the northern front, the Draenor Alliance faced the Bleeding Hollow clan led by Kilrogg and a coalition of several smaller clans, putting them at a disadvantage psychologically.
To the orcs, the draenei and ogres were their defeated enemies, the saberon were inferior races to be slaughtered at will, and the arakkoa were just a bunch of flying livestock. If not for their aerial advantage, they would have stewed these feathered beasts long ago.
Indeed, the Draenor Alliance races had been badly beaten by the demon blood-fueled orcs a few years prior, suffering a particularly devastating defeat.
During the confrontation, the orcs' morale was at its peak, constantly dealing critical hits, while the Draenor Alliance's morale was low, often missing their attacks.
Velen remarked that this team was truly difficult to lead. If not for his ability to foresee the future, placing the Shield of Velen and the seven sons of Gruul in the most vulnerable positions, the Draenor Alliance would have collapsed long ago!
On the southern front, Khadgar, after months of training, was strong on defense but weak on offense. Fearing causing significant casualties to the Crusade, he adopted a rather conservative strategic approach.
Although steady, the step-by-step, cautious strategy resulted in losing the initiative, allowing the Shadowmoon clan's 50,000 troops to provide timely support, missing the best opportunity for attack.
Fortunately, the seven legion commanders under Khadgar knew that the prince was cultivating a new commander, so they cooperated fully, stabilizing their own camps and preventing the Shattered Hand and Shadowmoon legions from breaking through their defenses.
The most successful progress should be Gandalf's eastern army. As the saying goes, old but not… As the saying goes, old but strong, the great archmage, with his mechanized land, sea, and air forces, followed the Path of Glory paved with draenei corpses, blasting all the way from the ruins of the Dark Portal to the walls of Hellfire Citadel!
The saberon alliance in Farahlon Valley was about to kneel. After the union of their eight tribes, their strength greatly increased. The chieftains of four tribes had considered breaking away from the control of the Crusade, but the appearance of this mechanized force shattered their dreams of independence.
A year ago, we were still using primitive bone spears and claws as weapons, while the Crusade could teach them a lesson with just a few shells!
We are convinced!
Completely convinced!
When Galen arrived at Tanaan Jungle from Shadowmoon Valley, it was already a month after the start of the war. Gandalf had already established two camps east of Hellfire Citadel.
The Glory Watch Post, near the southern edge, is located at the outer exit of Farahlon Valley and serves as the base for the tank army. Separated from the Glory Watch Post only by the Path of Glory is the Eagle Watch Post, which houses the gnome-led air force and the main force of the Tidefury Legion.
Galen arrived at the Glory Watch Post, but Gandalf was not there. It seemed that our great archmage preferred to be with the gnomes rather than the ugly, noisy goblins.
The distance between the Eagle Watch Post and the Glory Watch Post was not far. Galen did not wait for the teleportation cooldown and directly summoned his mount, the dread raven Woody, and flew towards the north, leaving Alleria to command the Gale Legion to take over the defense of the Glory Watch Post. Gandalf appeared in the center of the watch post with Millhouse; this was the most suitable place for Galen to land.
The dread raven landed, stirring up dust. Because of the presence of goblins and gnomes, Gandalf had to have the farmers build the outer walls and simple tents brick by brick.
This was also the normal way to build a camp. Not every army could build a complete camp fortress on the same day they were stationed, like the Crusade!
"Prince, you've arrived!"
"Greetings, Highlord!"
"Gandalf, is there anything unusual happening at Hellfire Citadel?" Galen nodded to Gandalf and Millhouse, then dismounted, waved Woody to go play. The surrounding Farahlon was still a good hunting ground; he had been cooped up these days, so let him have some fun.
"Your Highness, I suspect the Horde has rejoined the Burning Legion!" Gandalf's expression was somewhat grave. If the Burning Legion intervened early in this war, Galen's plan might encounter unexpected complications!
"What's going on?" Galen was a little strange. Based on what Galen knew about Ner'zhul's actions in the original timeline, he could roughly understand his personality!
He shouted: "Orcs will never be slaves!" In fact, this was also his heartfelt belief. Ner'zhul was once a highly respected great shaman among the orc clans, so after the Horde was established, he became the leader as expected.
However, he discovered that the orcs had fallen into a terrible conspiracy, and Kil'jaeden, the mastermind, was someone he couldn't afford to offend. Therefore, he took the opportunity to hide behind the scenes, trying to slowly break free from Kil'jaeden's control!
Because of his retreat, Gul'dan seized the opportunity to turn over and become the Burning Legion's spokesperson in the Horde.
Now the situation is that the Burning Legion has not yet noticed the changes in Azeroth and Draenor. Gul'dan's death and the near annihilation of the Shadow Council have allowed Ner'zhul to regain control of the Horde, a Horde that is temporarily not being remotely controlled by demons!
Isn't this what Ner'zhul wants?
With this doubt, Galen asked, "What have you discovered?"
"Highlord! We have discovered traces of demon lords on the periphery of Hellfire Citadel, and the skin of some orcs in Hellfire has changed from green to red, and the fangs on their mouths have become sharper!"
Millhouse preempted Gandalf in reporting this news. This was also the news that his gnome compatriots had scouted in the sky, for which they crashed three aircraft!
"Fel orcs?" Galen blurted out!
"Highlord, do you know the origin of those red-skinned orcs?" Millhouse was also strange. After coming to Draenor, he also learned that the orcs who invaded Azeroth originally had brown skin, and were polluted into green only after drinking demon blood. Where did these red orcs come from?
"After the orcs choose to drink demon blood again, their combat power will skyrocket again, and their skin will turn red, but the price is the loss of intelligence!"
This thing is like drug addiction. Depression is the sequelae of drinking demon blood. Once the source of the demon blood is killed, they can regain their glory after surviving, and their spirits will have faith and no longer be empty, and they will be able to return to normal, just like the orcs led by Thrall in later generations, with explosive combat power.
The orcs who choose to drink demon blood again will be completely corrupted by fel energy. Those with low strength will directly have their brains burned out and become killing machines that only know how to kill!
But why would Ner'zhul willingly walk into a trap and rejoin the Burning Legion?
Wasn't he originally eager to escape Kil'jaeden's control?
In the original timeline, from Hellfire Citadel to the Black Temple, Ner'zhul constantly claimed he would reopen the Dark Portal.
He feigned loyalty to obtain the Legion's forbidden knowledge from Kil'jaeden, but in his heart, he was always planning a daring escape.
He only took his confidants with him, betraying Kargath, betraying Kilrogg, abandoning the tribal warriors who once trusted him, opening the portal, and running away!
Unfortunately, everything he did was a joke.
Kil'jaeden caught him in the Twisting Nether, froze his soul, and threw him into Northrend of Azeroth to initiate the Lich King project.
Could it be that he learned about the Crusader's conquest of Shadowmoon Valley?
With Hellfire Citadel facing a three-pronged attack, did Ner'zhul realize he couldn't turn the tide and choose to gain power from the Burning Legion?
Galen tried to use a mental link to contact Gul'dan, who had infiltrated Hellfire Citadel for an undercover mission, but his call went unanswered.
"Regardless of the true situation, we must speed up our progress.
Gandalf, go to Shattrath City and bring Murmur and the Army of the Light to the northern front to help Velen accelerate the attack!"
"On the southern front, I will have Medivh replace Khadgar as commander.
We will advance on both fronts and break through to Hellfire Citadel in the shortest possible time!"
After issuing the orders, Galen planned to rest at the Sentinel Hill for two days.
Actually, he also felt that gnomes, who, like humans, were descendants of the Titans, were more in line with his aesthetic preferences.
The green skin and pointy faces of goblins were just too ugly.
In his previous life, when the new races came out, Galen and his best friend recruited goblin characters together.
One was a warlock, and the other was a priest.
After equipping the current version of the set, the two were elected by more than twenty other friends in the Dragon Soul raid as the ugliest characters of the current version!
Galen's goblin warlock defeated his friend's goblin priest and won first place!
That night, Galen was awakened shortly after falling asleep.
Nothing else, the four words sent by Gul'dan echoed in his mind: Magtheridon!
This explained everything.
The demon blood that led to the birth of the fel orcs came from Magtheridon!
Magtheridon is a high-ranking member of the Burning Legion and a bloodthirsty pit lord, commonly known as "Big Butt", and also a servant of the Destroyer Mannoroth.
Although his strength is not comparable to Mannoroth, he is also a demigod-level high-ranking demon.
But how did he come to Draenor!
Could it be that the Legion portal on the Kil'jaeden Throne can already transmit demigod-level powerhouses?
If the portal were a little bigger, wouldn't Archimonde and Kil'jaeden also be able to come in?
Galen once thought that Kil'jaeden and Archimonde, the two lieutenants of the Burning Legion, were at most high-ranking demigods, but from Deathwing's memory, he learned that the White Stag was so powerful back then, and Archimonde's demonstrated high-ranking demigod status was because Azeroth's barrier could only accommodate high-ranking demigod life forms!
How does that saying go: You get 100 points because your strength is only 100 points, while Archimonde's 100 points is because there are only 100 points worth of questions on the paper!
So, with Galen's current strength, he can kill Archimonde or Kil'jaeden in Azeroth, but he cannot defeat them on Draenor, a planet without barriers!
We must speed up our progress.
Expanding the portal is a huge and time-consuming project.
Ner'zhul has only reconnected with the Burning Legion for less than a month, and there is still a chance to prevent this from happening!
After the Crusaders went into full operation, the orcs retreated steadily.
Zeth'gor was captured, and the Temple of Karabor was breached.
Kilrogg and Kargath retreated to Hellfire Citadel!
"You said you would bring victory! Warchief!"
Kargath waved the scythe of death in his hands and roared angrily, "But now you are leading the Horde to destruction!"
Kargath was heartbroken!
A full 30,000 elite warriors of the Shattered Hand were slaughtered by that human mage who looked like a crow.
This was the accumulation of his ten years of selecting warriors!
"The Shattered Hand's warriors died in vain!"
Kargath's roar in the hall made the tyrannical color in Ner'zhul's eyes flash.
"Kargath!"
Ner'zhul suppressed the dissatisfaction in his heart and said, "It is not only your Shattered Hand warriors who have been sacrificed, but also the Shadowmoon Clan's warriors have suffered heavy casualties!"
"Moreover!"
"Shadowmoon Valley!"
"Is lost!"
After Ner'zhul finished speaking, the hall was silent, and even Kilrogg, who had been lowering his head, raised it.
The Bleeding Hollow Clan has a mysterious ritual.
By sacrificing one of his eyes, Kilrogg foresaw his death, and eventually he would die in Auchindoun!
Therefore, he took the lead in every battle, charging to the front, and won countless victories.
He slaughtered any dissidents, even his closest relatives could not escape death, because he knew he would survive these tribulations, and at the same time, he had been looking forward to his fate coming to him step by step.
Now that the Horde has even lost control of the Black Temple, and they can't go back to Shadowmoon Valley, do they still have a chance to counterattack?
"What should we do! Warchief? You still have a plan, right?"
Kilrogg's words made Ner'zhul stunned.
Then he thought of the weirdness of the Bleeding Hollow Clan, being able to foresee the time of death, he must have guessed something!
"I have contacted the demons on the Kil'jaeden Throne in the north."
Clang!!
As soon as these words came out, several core tribal chiefs in the hall, including Kilrogg and Kargath, were shocked!
After seven or eight years of torment by demon blood, these orc chieftains had long guessed the truth in their hearts.
What blessings of fate, what fate of the orcs, all of this is just a demon's conspiracy!
They are just sacrifices.
Whether it is orc warriors or the world of Draenor, in the eyes of the demon masters behind Gul'dan, they are not worth mentioning at all.
Their existence is only because they are brave and good at fighting, able to be manipulated to slaughter the draenei, and able to invade Azeroth and consume the living forces of that world!
"Warchief, you should know what the demons have brought us!
Our world is being destroyed, and they are the ones who caused it.
The demons will not let the Horde go, and our remaining people will either be killed or enslaved."
Kilrogg and Kargath stood up and questioned Ner'zhul.
They didn't want to be sacrifices and offerings for the conspiracies of higher powers!
"I hope you can give us a reasonable explanation, otherwise you will no longer be our Warchief!"
The Horde was no longer the Horde it once was!
Six years ago, the Horde that marched on Azeroth numbered nearly a million. Now, with the destruction of the Dark Portal severing their connection, the Mag'har clan of Nagrand had risen suddenly, absorbing the remnants of the Warsong, Laughing Skull, and Thunderlord clans, siphoning off nearly half a million people, leaving only a million remaining.
As if one misfortune wasn't enough, the fall of Shadowmoon Valley left Ner'zhul without even his foundation. Not only was his homeland lost, but of the 50,000 elite troops he brought, only about 30,000 remained. And the Bleeding Hollow and Shattered Hand clans, as the main forces fighting on the front lines, suffered even greater losses!
Moreover, during the retreat, Kargath even actively attacked several smaller clans, killing their chieftains and annexing their people to restore the strength of the Shattered Hand!
Following suit, the Bleeding Hollow clan copied the tactic, and countless small clans within the Horde perished!
The Horde was beset on all sides, and repeated defeats had left it teetering on the brink of collapse. Now, the actions of the two chieftains filled the Horde with suspicion and distrust, making Ner'zhul feel that 30,000 elite troops were insufficient to protect his safety. He had no choice but to consider revealing his plan!
"I have a comprehensive plan!"
"We will lure the demons of the north to help us resist the attacks of the Draenor Alliance, and we will sit back and watch them fight!"
But this argument failed to convince a veteran warrior like Kilrogg. As the saying goes, 'An old thief is a dangerous thief.' He was no younger than Ner'zhul, and he had seen his share of storms: "You will destroy the Horde! The demons will destroy our world!"
"Our world is already destroyed! Gul'dan did it!" Ner'zhul became agitated. Kilrogg's words reminded him of unpleasant memories!
"Draenor's life force is extinguished, and it is heading towards destruction. We need a new world!"
Ner'zhul stood up, his hunched body leaning on his staff: "The supreme commander of the Draenor Alliance is the Draenei prophet Velen! As long as we reveal this information to the demons, they will fight the Draenor Alliance to please their masters without us needing to do anything else!"
The chieftains remained silent. They could guess that the demons and the Draenei must have some deep-seated hatred for each other, based on their own experience of being remotely controlled to massacre the Draenei, so they did not doubt Ner'zhul's words.
"Then what about the new world you mentioned? Is it the world called Azeroth that Blackhand and Orgrim invaded?"
"No! Blackhand and Orgrim both failed in that world. With our current weakened strength, we have even less of a chance!"
Blackhand and Orgrim had single-handedly forged the Alliance from a scattered rabble into a terrifying force. Over the years, their scouts had traveled back and forth through the Dark Portal between Draenor and Azeroth, so they had a good understanding of the war situation in Azeroth!
"The Dark Portal was originally built by Gul'dan with the Shadow Council. Most of the Shadow Council followed Gul'dan to Azeroth, but some of them still remained behind."
"Vorpil! Come out!"
From the shadows, a tall orc warlock emerged.
"Master Vorpil?"
"It really is him!"
Vorpil, once the second-in-command of the Shadowmoon clan, was second only to the great shaman Ner'zhul in reputation among the orcs.
After the shamans lost contact with the elements and the ancestral spirits, Vorpil, who was filled with a thirst for power, chose to join Gul'dan and practice the way of the warlock.
Later, Master Vorpil persuaded Gul'dan to allow him to investigate the secrets of Auchindoun, hoping to master the terrifying cosmic essence energy that permeated Auchindoun.
After the great explosion in Auchindoun, he disappeared. All the orcs thought he was dead, but they never expected him to be alive.
Of course, the above is Master Vorpil's true background. The current Master Vorpil is just a disguise of Gul'dan!
"I have a way to open a portal, which is the same principle as the Dark Portal."
Vorpil's words attracted everyone's attention. No one wanted to wait for death if there was a way out. In the eyes of the orcs, Draenor was finished, and only going to a new world could continue the orc clans!
"The three stars in the sky of Draenor contain powerful forces. When the three planets are aligned with Draenor, the celestial phenomenon will be complete. Using a certain celestial ritual recorded in the ancestral Classics, we can induce the powerful power in the constellations to open a portal to a new world!"
"The prerequisite is that we can retake the Black Temple!"
"That is an important magic node in Draenor! We can use the power of the entire planet to cast spells!"
After Vorpil finished speaking, he silently returned behind Ner'zhul, just like a subordinate handing over the initiative to the boss after reporting the information, which made Ner'zhul quite satisfied.
"We don't necessarily have to win, or even fight the Draenor Alliance to the death, nor do we need to conquer Azeroth. We can go to a better place. A place far away from Draenor, far away from Azeroth, far away from the demons, and rebuild our civilization! !"
"As for this planet that is gradually unable to support us, let Velen and Kil'jaeden fight to the death!"
Ner'zhul's prestige as a former great shaman still had some effect. His guarantee and his plan made the chieftains below begin to take it seriously, and anticipation flashed across their faces.
"What is the feasibility of this plan?"
"Ninety percent certainty. If we can obtain some powerful artifacts, then it will be foolproof!"
"The ancestral staff passed down from generation to generation by the Shadowmoon clan can barely be considered an artifact, but it is not enough!"
The chieftains below looked at each other, and finally Kilrogg of the Bleeding Hollow clan spoke: "Perhaps the Blood Orb of the Bleeding Hollow clan can be tried!"
The chieftains of the other clans, including Kargath, did not speak. The Shattered Hand clan was a newly emerging clan. Their composition was, to put it nicely, gladiators, but in reality, they were orc slaves who escaped the enslavement of ogres. Apart from a body of tendons, they had no other family assets at all.
Only the other five of the seven major clans had a long heritage, such as Doomhammer, Gorehowl, and mysterious steles that could increase status, similar to the shaman stones of the Frostwolf clan!
"Very good, we will speed up our actions. There is not much time left before the celestial phenomenon this year!"
Boom!
Boom!
Just after Ner'zhul successfully persuaded the major chieftains, huge and dense explosions came from the periphery of Hellfire Citadel!
Then, a sentence spoken by soul magic spread throughout the entire fortress:
"Ner'zhul, surrender! You are already surrounded by the Draenor Alliance!"
When the news of Shadowmoon Valley's fall reached Ner'zhul's ears, the old orc's heart broke. The relentless pressure from the Draenor Alliance shattered his original belief that he could save the Horde.
Ner'zhul was actually a selfish person. When he was in a safe situation, with his life secure, he would ignite his ambition and begin to build his persona as the savior of the orcs. He would appear selfless and wise, hoping to gain the power and reverence he craved deep down.
However, once his own life was in danger, the Horde, the continuation of the race, and the protection of the orc's old, weak, women, and children became burdens that could not sway his guilt or shame. He would choose to abandon them and no longer think about his people!
Perhaps the only correct thing he did in his life was anonymously exposing Gul'dan's plot to have the orcs drink the blood of demons to the chieftains, although only the Frostwolf Clan avoided the corruption of the demonic blood!
Ner'zhul feared defeat and death, so without informing the other chieftains, he directly contacted the demonic army in the north.
Gul'dan, disguised as Warlock Vorpil, immediately discovered Ner'zhul's secret actions. After all, he had become complacent and believed that Ner'zhul, who had lost his power, was no longer a threat. That's why he allowed Ner'zhul to freely browse the Shadow Council's documents. Ner'zhul's warlock skills could not be hidden from him, the patriarch.
Gul'dan knowing meant Galen knew. In order to prevent Ner'zhul from leading the Horde to wholeheartedly join the demons, Galen had to fabricate information on the spot that the alignment of four stars could open a portal for Ner'zhul.
Of course, fabricated information could not deceive the cunning Ner'zhul. The method to open the portal was indeed real, and in the original timeline, Ner'zhul used the alignment of stars, with the help of the Scepter of Sargeras, the Book of Medivh, and the Eye of Dalaran, to recklessly open portals in Draenor, ultimately causing Draenor to be unable to withstand the energy of the portals and be blown to pieces.
With a path to survival, Ner'zhul's thoughts became active again. As a two-faced character who still wanted to rebel against Kil'jaeden when he was frozen into the Lich King, his heart of betrayal never stopped. He was determined to sit back and watch the Draenor Alliance and the Burning Legion fight like dogs, continuing to play the role of the Horde leader enduring humiliation.
"Ner'zhul, surrender! You are surrounded!"
Galen led the mechanized corps of the Eastern Front to the gates of Hellfire Citadel. Velen and Medivh also moved their troops over from the west. Seeing that Hellfire Citadel was surrounded on three sides, Galen began to persuade the orcs inside the fortress to surrender.
Of course, his words lacked sincerity and would likely strengthen Ner'zhul's determination to resist.
As expected, a fierce look flashed in Ner'zhul's eyes. He said to Vorpil, "Vorpil, quickly contact the Burning Legion in the north and tell them Velen has appeared!"
"Yes! Warchief."
Vorpil hurried away. Whether he would pass on the information according to Ner'zhul's original words was unknown.
"Kargath, Kilrogg, let's go to the city walls. We must defend Hellfire Citadel and wait for the arrival of the demonic army!"
"Ner'zhul! Surrender!"
When they arrived on the city walls, the eerie sound of persuasion became clearer. The surrounding orc soldiers did not dare to look at their Warchief, only the fel orcs, whose brains were fried by fel energy, looked around in confusion.
Ner'zhul became enraged and went to a catapult. He aimed it at the main force of the Crusader army and pressed the trigger. A huge rock flew out, only to be shattered in mid-air by a barrage of dense artillery fire.
"Ner'zhul, you have no chance!"
"Artillery!"
"Attack!"
The newly set up mortar positions began to load ammunition. Then, dense shells rose into the air and bombarded Hellfire Citadel!
"Counterattack! Counterattack!"
Ner'zhul activated a Shadow Shield to avoid being injured by the flying gravel from the artillery fire, while ordering the catapults on the city walls to counterattack!
"Warchief! The western city wall is under attack! Everywhere, in the sky and on the ground, it's densely packed!" A messenger ran over in a hurry, reporting anxiously.
"Kargath, go and lead your warriors to take charge of the western city wall!" Ner'zhul sent out his strongest chieftain.
"Report! Warchief, the southern city wall is under heavy attack. We can't hold on anymore!"
Kargath had just left when the messenger from the south ran over, infuriating Ner'zhul!
"Useless! You can't even defend a city wall!"
"Kilrogg!"
Ner'zhul finally looked at the one-eyed old warrior. He didn't have many generals he could use. The city walls were their last line of defense, and only this old warrior with excellent tactical awareness and combat skills could put his mind at ease. At the same time, Kilrogg was loyal to the orc Horde.
The only pity was that there were very few warriors left in the Bleeding Hollow Clan, and the new members were all warriors from the annexed small clans.
"Kilrogg, the defense of the south is entrusted to you. Hold on, the demonic army will arrive soon!"
Hellfire Citadel was a fortress built by the Horde with all its strength. Gul'dan used it as a logistics base for the invasion of Azeroth, so he put some thought into its construction. The outer walls were exceptionally strong, and even after half an hour of shelling, they remained impregnable.
Of course, the main reason was on Galen's side. He needed to wait for the demons to enter the field before launching the next step of his plan.
Moreover, the artillery was still destroying old and outdated shells. Once the latest technology ammunition was used, Hellfire Citadel would not be far from becoming ruins.
Suddenly, the earth trembled. A dark green mechanical giant was moving towards Galen's position!
Its height of over thirty meters and its exaggerated size, coupled with its unbelievably thick armor, were enough to plunge most people who saw it into complete fear. It looked like a steam-powered giant Gundam robot, but it was actually a fel-powered mana mech!
Galen's expression became serious. He could do whatever he wanted with the orcs, anyway, It was a walk in the park.
But he had to take the Burning Legion seriously, especially this huge mechanical and demonic construct created by the Mo'arg engineers. He had died under its trampling many times back then!
"Goblin Tank Corps! Listen to my orders!"
"Load the latest armor-piercing rounds!"
Gazlowe, who had been waiting in full battle readiness, directed his goblin subordinates to start loading ammunition, while using his hand to his forehead to shield the sun in order to see the approaching mana mech more clearly.
"Oh my god, you are so tall!"
The Mana-powered Armor originally only patrolled fixed areas, its main task being to guard Kil'jaeden's Throne, the Burning Legion's established landing point.
Who knows what that traitor Gul'dan said to get the demon commander on Kil'jaeden's Throne to deploy such a massive war machine!
Besides the Mana-powered Armor, it was followed by a large army of demons!
There were Doomguards, Doomlords, and Hellfires!
And many low-level Felhounds and Imps!
Galen thought, could it be that to resist the Burning Legion, my Crusade will need to focus on technology, magic, and population? All three aspects must be strong?
Although a man's romance is all about machinery, I transmigrated to a high-magic universe!
I can tolerate steam tanks and airships, after all, they are on our side, but how am I supposed to fight when the enemy deploys something like Cybertronian technology!
Galen couldn't stand seeing the enemy doing well and was complaining inwardly. In fact, he had already selected a large number of goblin tinkers and gnome mechanists from the hands of Therma Plugg and Gazlowe. At the same time, he also poached Romul, the highest technician among the surviving Draenei, and united him with the human engineers in the joint combat laboratory to light up Azeroth's tech tree.
There are currently two main research directions, one is the Sky Fortress project led by Ms. Aegwynn, and the other is simpler, which is the research and development of mechs, based on the arcane golems of the High Elves, the constructed guardians of the Draenei, and the solar constructs of the Arakkoa, to create mechs belonging to the Crusade.
In his later life, Galen had seen the gnome Grand Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque showing off his precious mech on the Broken Shore. Without even needing to add Azerite power, this mech, powered only by electricity, could beat Gallywix's expensive Azerite World Destroyer mech to a pulp, and twice at that.
Later, with various enlarging and shrinking technologies, magnetic railguns, super mobility, and endurance, it could not only blast through the walls of the Dazar'alor pyramid with three shots, creating an entrance to the Great Seal, but also confidently cover the Alliance's retreat after trampling the World Destroyer mech, and trample the Horde's footsoldiers into the ground hundreds of times.
From then on, Galen put his flying mount, which was so bumpy it could rupture your bladder, into cold storage, and never rode a mech mount again until the appearance of the Lightforged Warframe.
Judging from the steam tank's attacks, Galen guessed that the Mana-powered Armor in front of him should be a first-generation machine. Although it was still very powerful, it didn't have any magic-based ranged attack abilities and could only be considered a brute-force machine without intelligence, only following instructions to perform simple actions.
Their advantages now, besides their size, are their thick armor. Ordinary mortar shells only leave a few white marks on it.
The thirty-meter-tall Mana-powered Armor was already incredibly shocking just looking at its size. Its huge body caused the earth to tremble with every step it took.
The Mana-powered Armor was no longer an enemy that infantry could deal with using swords and blades. Besides having legendary-level mages launch powerful magic attacks, Galen also had a steam tank group. Besides the five hundred tanks transferred to the southern front as a deterrent, there were also a thousand tanks waiting for orders on the eastern front.
At this moment, thousands of cannons fired in unison. Even if the tanks' caliber wasn't enough, they could make up for it with numbers, provided they could achieve an armor-piercing effect!
Thousands of armor-piercing rounds roared and hit the Mana-powered Armor, erupting into sparks on its mana-steel body. The powerful impact forced the Mana-powered Armor back three steps, then its body moved again, continuing to approach the Crusader's position.
Galen saw that a large number of armor-piercing rounds were embedded in the Mana-powered Armor's chest and two huge arms, and cursed Gazlowe, that idiot, in his heart. The chest was where the Mana-powered Armor's fel energy reactor was located, the focus of the Mana-powered Armor's defenses. Not only was the armor thick, but its two arms could also firmly protect this vital point!
"Re-calibrate aiming!"
"Target, the joint of the Mana-powered Armor's right leg!"
Galen bypassed Gazlowe, the commander of the tank forces, and directly issued the order.
Boom!
Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After the tank group's gun barrels were adjusted slightly, they fired again, emitting a deafening roar!
This time the effect was significant. Most of the thousands of shells hit the lower half of the Mana-powered Armor, and the explosion caused dust to fill the sky!
When the dust cleared, the Mana-powered Armor was already kneeling on the ground, its right leg missing, fel energy leaking from the joint like engine oil, its right arm supporting the ground to prevent its entire body from falling!
"Haha! Cannons level the seas!"
Galen was extremely happy. It was a pity that the tank's caliber wasn't large enough, otherwise, there wouldn't have been a need for a second volley to take down the Mana-powered Armor!
In the distance, on Kil'jaeden's Throne, Kazzak, the Burning Legion's commander in Draenor, grabbed a Mo'arg engineer!
The Mo'arg are a powerful and intelligent demon race in the Burning Legion. They come in various forms, including the diminutive Gan'arg, the strong Doomguards, the giant Mo'arg Brutes, and the Fel Lords. As a demon from the Twisting Nether, the Mo'arg were Sargeras' opponents even when he was still the protector of the Pantheon. After Sargeras betrayed the Pantheon, these diligent and resourceful Mo'arg were recruited into the Burning Legion to serve as armorers, forging fel weapons and building fel structures to besiege the worlds.
Mo'arg engineers are similar to gnomes in the Alliance, belonging to logistics and technical personnel, and can be seen everywhere in the Burning Legion's strongholds. Their most outstanding works are the fel cannons in defensive positions!
Kazzak held the ugly engineer in front of him, "This is the great masterpiece you speak of? An unstoppable siege machine?"
"Lord! This is just a small accident! It's normal for the first-generation machine to have some flaws. Please give us a little time, and we will soon be able to produce an improved version!"
The Mo'arg engineer trembled under the overlord Kazzak's anger, worried that he would be crushed by this high-ranking commander in the next moment!
"Build another one?"
"Hmph!"
"The materials consumed by one Mana-powered Armor are enough for us to build twenty new fel cannons! Do you think our materials can be easily transported to Draenor!"
Even with the Kil'jaeden's Throne having weakened spatial barriers due to his master's magic, their Legion's teleportation portals still have great difficulty conducting large-scale personnel and material resupply because Draenor is too remote, so remote that it is still tens of thousands of light-years away from the Burning Legion's frontier supply points!
In the end, Kazzak did not kill the engineer. After all, the Legion's powerful technology relied on these engineers, and they were still useful to keep around.
"Eredar Warlocks! Prepare to summon Hellfire airstrikes!"
"Blow the Legion Horn! Don't worry about that mech, charge with the entire army, let them taste the Burning Legion's demon sea!"
The tank group shelled again, this time targeting the left leg of the Mana Mecha.
After only three rounds of concentrated fire, the Mana Mecha lost its ability to move. Unless Mor'ghor engineers had programmed the Mana Mecha to walk on its arms, it would be unable to participate in the upcoming battle!
At this moment, the demon army on the Kil'jaeden Throne had already begun its charge. A dense mass of demons poured down from the heights, estimated to be no less than a hundred thousand!
"Whirlwind Legion!"
"Tidal Fury Legion!"
"Prepare to form ranks!"
Over ten thousand heavy infantry from the two legions, under the command of Galen and Alleria, formed a thick phalanx, firmly protecting the mortar positions behind them!
"The number of demons is too great. Two legions aren't enough!"
Galen muttered to himself. Although he had hidden over ten thousand high-ranking knights in the Eagle Watch behind him, they were meant for breaking through enemy lines. For defense, he still needed infantry!
"Gandalf, go to the southern line and bring Omar and Hanni's legions over!"
"Artillery! Adjust direction! Target due north, switch to high-explosive shells, suppressive fire!"
Well-trained gunners immediately turned the muzzles of their mortars, and the loaders quickly inserted new shells!
In addition to the mortar positions, the tank group also changed its target, no longer attacking the Mana Mecha, but instead targeting the Hellhounds charging at the front!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Shells exploded in the demon army, and for a time, flames soared into the sky. A large number of Hellhounds at the front were blasted into the air, then fell heavily, subsequently trampled to death by the Hellhounds behind them.
Galen had the feeling of driving a tank to bomb a puppy swarm!
As the demon army approached, a large number of white lights lit up beside the Whirlwind Legion and the Thunder Legion. Gandalf had brought Omar's First Legion and Hanni's Second Legion. The two newly arrived legions immediately formed ranks under the command of their legion commanders. The infantry of the four legions formed a semi-circular defensive formation, ready to meet the impact of the demon army at any time!
"Flying Corps! Prepare for the first wave of airstrikes!"
Galen issued orders in an orderly manner. Today, he had to accumulate some experience in commanding mechanized units, even if the command wasn't perfect. He would gain experience after using it a few more times!
The gnomes piloted their aircraft and quickly ascended into the air. Their speed was extremely fast. After completing the first wave of strafing dives, they drew an arc in the air and dropped a large number of aerial bombs!
Boom!
Boom!
Most of Tanaan Jungle could hear the roaring of shells on the battlefield near Hellfire Citadel.
The green demon army charged forward under the artillery fire. Although the casualties were heavy, these Burning Legion troops were not afraid of death at all. Before long, they had crossed the still struggling Mana Mecha on the ground. The green tide swept across the large plain north of Hellfire Citadel!
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
As the demon army approached, a sharp whistling sound of violently frictioning air came from the northern sky!
Hundreds of green fireballs streaked across the sky. The Hellfire air raid had begun!
Alleria's expression changed. Obviously, she had never seen such a scene in her years of military service. Apart from reading the classics left by the High Elf ancestors, this was the first time she had personally witnessed the combat methods of the Burning Legion!
"Galen!"
Alleria looked at the backbone of the Crusade with a worried expression.
"Don't panic!"
Galen estimated the flight path of the Hellfires. The impact point should be the rear of the four legions, which was the position of the musketeers and wizards.
"The rear ranks disperse! The bodyguard prepares to meet the impact of the Hellfires!"
More than three hundred Paladin bodyguards, plus more than one hundred Royal Guards, were divided into nearly a hundred squads and entered the landing area of the Hellfires. They had already prepared a large amount of Holy Water blessed by the Naaru, waiting to drench the Hellfires after they landed!
Bang!
As the Hellfires landed, the heavy infantry were also impacted by the Demon Hounds. Fortunately, the tower shields in the front row were firmly fixed on the ground. The powerful impact knocked the dogs' brains out, but still failed to shake the Crusaders' defense.
The spearmen behind the shield soldiers immediately extended their spears from the gaps in the shields, killing the Hellhounds in front.
Hellhounds were known as mage killers, possessing the innate ability to devour magic. Devouring magic could also restore their lives, and their skin had strong magic resistance. They were veritable mage nemesis, but unfortunately, Galen had long been prepared for this, protecting the wizards in the back row, not giving these Hellhounds a chance at all!
In the rear, the Hellfires landed heavily on the ground, smashing out deep pits. A small number of musketeers and wizards were positioned poorly and were smashed to pieces, directly written off. They couldn't even be resurrected!
A stone arm burning with green flames stretched out from the deep pit, grabbing the edge of the land, about to climb out. A rush of rapid hooves came, and the nearest bodyguard squad quickly approached the deep pit, then took out a bag of Holy Water from behind their mounts and poured it on the Hellfire's small head!
The Holy Water, which Galen jokingly called Naaru bathwater, had excellent effects. The Hellfire made a sizzling sound, and a puff of green smoke came out of it. Then the flames on its body were extinguished, turning into a pile of rubble rolling back to the bottom of the pit!
It was as if he had prepared his own grave!
The rear of the Crusade was shrouded in smoke for a while. The hundred or so Hellfires that landed were quickly wiped out. Apart from making Alleria frown slightly, and the commotion created when they landed was a bit loud, and the musketeers who were accidentally crushed to death, they had almost no effect.
After the rear was worry-free, Galen's attention turned to the front row. The Demon Guards and Imps had also arrived, the basic infantry and fireball mages of the Burning Legion, in vast numbers.
"Notify the knights, prepare to launch the wedge!"
As three red signal flares rose into the air, Galen's remaining three hundred Paladin bodyguards, led by Arlodie and Mubar, took the lead in rushing out of Eagle Watch, followed by ten thousand high-ranking knights!
The charge of ten thousand high-ranking knights was no less spectacular than the previous dozens of tons of Mana Mecha. The red earth of Tanaan Jungle vibrated under the running of hooves, like a sharp knife piercing into the center of the demon army!
At this time, there was finally movement on the west side of Hellfire Citadel. In addition to attacking the citadel walls, Velen freed up Maladaar's Holy Flame Legion and his own Velen's Shield, as well as the Frostwolf Clan's wolf rider troops. The three units went around the north city of Hellfire and directly attacked the flank of the demon army!
When Maraad led the Light of the Flame Legion and the Shield of Velen Guard onto the battlefield, the demon army belonging to the Kil'jaeden Throne instantly seemed to lose their minds and changed direction.
Maraad's expression changed drastically as the spearhead formed by the high-ranking knights on the eastern front pierced through the demon's formation like a hot knife through butter.
The attraction of demons to draenei was something that Galen had not anticipated. It was like flies to… no, mosquitoes to blood. The draenei diverted a large number of demons, which greatly eased the pressure on the Crusader's eastern front.
Moreover, the Frostwolf Clan, which was supposed to attack in coordination with Maraad, was completely ignored by the demons, like bystanders on the periphery of the battle. The commanders of the Frostwolf Clan, Drek'Thar and Go'el, were dismayed. They had originally hoped to display their might in their first battle and establish the Frostwolf's reputation, but the demons didn't give them the chance.
Maraad struggled to hold on. The demon guards were going crazy to seize the military merit of killing draenei. Their master, Kil'jaeden, had promised that the head of a draenei civilian would result in a one-rank promotion, and the head of an elite draenei warrior would result in a three-rank promotion!
In the strictly hierarchical Burning Legion, this was almost the fastest way to advance. They didn't dare to dream of the ranks of high-level commanders like Mannoroth and Kaz'zak, but they could still strive for the positions of mid-level leaders.
A higher rank meant more fel energy infusion, greater strength, more subordinates, and greater power!
Strength was paramount in the Burning Legion. So many collaborators in the universe were willing to sell out their homeworlds to join the Burning Legion, just to possess greater power!
However, the demons behind them tried to snatch military merits, but they harmed their comrades who were at the front. They were divided by the high-ranking knights, and then the infantry began to compress their combat space. Musketeers and mages worked hard to output damage.
Usually, the demons relied on their numerical advantage, constantly charging the enemy's formation with troops to eventually exhaust them to death. But now, the offense and defense had switched. The more numerous Crusaders advanced with a heavily defended shield wall, followed by guns, cannons, and spells, engulfing the demon guards, felhounds, succubi, and doomguards who were still stubbornly resisting in the center!
As the battle circle continued to shrink, the demons were quickly cleared out. These demons, who were fearless of death, quickly fell into panic because they heard the terrified screams of the souls of their dead comrades!
Originally, demons would not truly die. After their physical bodies were physically destroyed, their souls would leave the fallen planet and return to the Twisting Nether to await the next round of resurrection. Although the time might be very long, it was still a form of immortality!
However, the souls of the dead demons discovered that their companions, who had died earlier than them, did not go to the Twisting Nether. Instead, they were drawn by a stronger suction force into the sky of Draenor and then disappeared!
Even when the demons opened their spectral vision, they could not find any kind of imprisonment formation around them to imprison their souls, which intensified their fear!
In the end, the divided demons contributed a large wave of experience and a large wave of soul nourishment!
Just as the high-ranking knights went to help Maraad, the southern wall of Hellfire Citadel was breached!
The bombardment of five hundred tanks collapsed the entire section of the wall. Medivh and Khadgar led five infantry legions from the southern front into Hellfire Citadel!
"Warchief! The southern front has been breached!" A messenger came to report in a panic!
"What! Where's Kilrogg!" Ner'zhul shot down a high-ranking arakkoa who flew over from the western front with a Shadow Bolt, and then destroyed a gnome flying machine that was trying to carry out an air raid with a Brain Sap. Then, he grabbed the messenger's neck and shook him, roaring loudly!
"I… I don't know!" The messenger cried with his ugly face. "The scene is too chaotic. Chieftain Kilrogg tried to block the gap with his men, but there were too many enemies. He was directly overwhelmed by the enemies!"
"Roar!"
Ner'zhul's heart was filled with anger, and a green light flashed from his palm as he grabbed the messenger!
"No! Mercy!"
The messenger turned from a strong orc into a dried corpse!
Ner'zhul panted heavily, trying to calm himself down and quickly regain his composure!
At this time, an orc warlock wearing a black hood ran over, quickly climbed the city wall, it was Vorpil!
"Warchief, let's break out quickly! Once the demons in the north are also wiped out by the Draenor Alliance, we will have to die in this fortress!"
"But, the south of the fortress has been breached! There are enemies everywhere, we can only run north! Kil'jaeden will not let us go!"
Ner'zhul looked terrified. Kil'jaeden's powerful pressure made Ner'zhul feel that he had no resistance.
"Warchief, even if we can't go to the Black Temple, we can still open a portal in the north! The spatial barrier near the Kil'jaeden Throne was pierced by Kil'jaeden ten years ago. Even after so many years of self-repair, the spatial barrier there is still weak. Relying on the power of the Blood Orb and the Ancestral Staff, I am very confident that I can open a portal to leave Draenor!"
Vorpilurged Ner'zhul: "Warchief, we must act quickly. The demon army and the Draenor Alliance are currently in a stalemate. Even if they discover our unusual actions, they will not have enough troops to stop us!"
Vorpil's persuasion made Ner'zhul a little hesitant, but he still found some of his words credible. Ten years ago, the Burning Legion made a big move in the north in order to send Mannoroth to Draenor to bleed, but at that time, he had been imprisoned by Gul'dan, and he did not know as much detail as Vorpil, a high-level member of the Shadow Council.
In the end, Ner'zhul's desire to survive took over!
I want to live, not only to live, but I am unwilling to let go of the rule of the Horde, and I don't want to be enslaved by Kil'jaeden!
Let's take a gamble!
"Summon all the warriors who can still move, and break through to the north!"
At this time, an orc chieftain next to him asked in amazement: "Warchief, why not concentrate all the forces to drive the enemies out of the south! Kargath is still fighting in the west, and we still have 400,000 women and children in the lower levels of the fortress. We cannot abandon them!"
"Abandoning them to break through is the most cowardly and timid thing to do! This does not conform to the honor of the orcs!"
Ner'zhul suddenly felt that the future of the Horde and the continuation of the orc race were too heavy, and he could not bear it. He needed freedom!
Bang!
A flame lit up from his palm, and a flame exploded on the chest of the chieftain standing in front of Ner'zhul, and then his body collapsed softly, his eyes filled with disbelief!
Ner'zhul looked around and saw the surrounding orcs staring at him blankly.
"These clansmen have lost their way, their mission has been completed. From now on, I am the Horde, I will live on, and you, will you choose to die in Hellfire Citadel, or follow me to live on!"
Ner'zhul raised the Ancestral Staff passed down from generation to generation in his hand and took the lead in running down the city wall. Vorpil followed closely behind, and then more orcs followed!
Ner'zhul's shoulders couldn't bear the future of the Horde; Galen had realized this long ago.
In the original timeline, Lothar's sword, Quel'Zaram, recognized Orgrim's noble character because everything he did was for the continuation of the Orcs, for the Orcs to regain their glory. He was a true, honorable Orc.
Unfortunately, Ner'zhul wasn't Orgrim. He didn't have the conviction to live and die with the Orcs. He hastily gathered the garrison troops from the eastern and northern walls of Hellfire Citadel, plus his own Shadowmoon Clan's base of over ten thousand, barely piecing together an army of sixty thousand Orcs. Then, he led them out of the city, breaking through to the north without looking back!
They didn't even notify Kargath, directly abandoning him to delay the Alliance of Draenor!
To the north, the Crusader High Knights were already engaged with the remaining demons. Ner'zhul and his forces followed the route the mana mechs had taken, heading north!
Galen symbolically had the Gale Legion at the front put up a token resistance before letting them pass, then focused his main efforts on besieging Hellfire Citadel.
This was the last essence of the Horde, hundreds of thousands of mining laborers! Even with the aftereffects of the demon blood, their brute strength was still far beyond that of human farmers!
"What are those Orcish remnants trying to do!"
On the Kil'jaeden Throne, many demons were still emerging from the Legion's portal, continuously rushing down the highlands to join the battle. At this moment, Overlord Kazzak noticed that the Orcs led by Ner'zhul were crossing the battlefield below, heading towards the mountains east of the throne!
"You, go ask them what they are doing!"
The Orcs were heading towards his sphere of influence. Kazzak didn't think these Orcs were trying to escape, and since the Orcs were his superior Kil'jaeden's important chess pieces, barely considered as his own people, he didn't expect them to rebel, so he wasn't deeply wary of the Orcs.
The Orcs entering the mountains stopped.
"Will this work! I see demons coming! I can't delay them for too long!"
Ner'zhul anxiously inquired.
"It's fine. This is also an important mana nexus of Draenor, and the energy is very strong. Otherwise, Gul'dan wouldn't have built the Dark Portal here!"
Vorpil felt a little awkward talking about himself, so he stopped speaking, took the Ancestral Staff from Ner'zhul's hand, and then took out the Blood Orb, placing them both on the ground.
He casually cut open the wrist of an Orcish warrior, and the blood floated up under his magical control, followed by a second, then a third!
The blood of dozens of Orcs was sprinkled on the ground, and soon a complex rune array was formed with the two treasures as its core.
Several remaining warlocks from the Shadow Council and spellcasters from the Shadowmoon Clan loyal to Ner'zhul stood together in the rune circle.
Vorpil cast his spell in the center of the rune circle, seemingly communicating with the mana of Draenor's ley lines to perform a ritual, but in reality, he was communicating with the damaged Dark Portal not far away!
The Dark Portal was built jointly by Gul'dan and the possessed Medivh. Gul'dan knew this portal too well. It had already been damaged, but the foundation was still there, and he could restore it at any time.
What he had to do now was use the Dark Portal's transmission characteristics to open a door to outside the planet of Draenor. As for where it led, he didn't care.
All of this was Galen's order. He only needed to act according to orders and complete his mission.
Kazzak's messenger had already arrived. Ner'zhul was stalling for time with empty words, telling the messenger that his side could not defend Hellfire Citadel and could only flee north to seek the protection of the demon masters!
After sending away the messenger, there were several more hours of difficult waiting, and the ritual was nearing completion.
Ner'zhul watched his Ancestral Staff and Blood Orb emit dazzling light. With his powerful spellcasting talent, he could even feel the weak veil on the periphery of Draenor, which separated Draenor from other worlds!
Then, Vorpil raised the Ancestral Staff, and the staff quickly and powerfully slashed through the space in front of him. He tore the veil, as easily as a knife cutting through a piece of white paper!
At this time, a rumbling sound began to be heard above them, and the mountains began to shake. Of course, this movement was much smaller than when the Dark Portal was opened, after all, this was just a small star gate, and the destination was unknown!
Ner'zhul projected his mental power into the opened star gate. He felt that the star gate was like a strong chain thrown into the void, then jumping and extending infinitely forward, eventually hooking onto something. Perhaps that was another world?
Yes, that was the feeling. The powerful ley line energy tore apart the barriers between the two worlds, and then connected the two worlds!
Ner'zhul's old face bloomed with a happy smile. A way out had come!
He would lead these last sixty thousand warriors to start anew in another world without demons or Crusaders, and rebuild Orcish civilization!
Yes!
It must be possible!
Fortunately, the Orcs had strong physical qualities. Even female Orcs could become qualified warriors. Therefore, a quarter of these sixty thousand Orcs were female Orcs. Otherwise, even if Ner'zhul arrived in the new world, he would have to sit and wait for these sixty thousand Orcs to die of old age without new life to continue and become extinct.
Ner'zhul turned his gaze to Vorpil, with a hint of distrust still in his eyes.
Vorpil knew his former teacher's nature of being greedy for life and afraid of death, and after his own betrayal, he must have learned to be clever.
Then, let himself pay the greatest price to make him believe in the authenticity of this passage!
Vorpil didn't say much. He jumped up and went straight into the space gate!
"Pass through the spatial rift! A new world awaits us, glory is ahead! For the Horde!"
This time, Ner'zhul finally let down his guard. With his understanding of warlocks, they would never joke with their own lives!
At this time, because the movement of opening the spatial rift was too great, Kazzak sent a second wave of messengers!
Enter or not?
If the demons discover the portal, it will be too late!
The Shadowmoon Clan's spellcasters around the spatial rift looked at their chieftain. With Ner'zhul's nod, they couldn't wait to rush towards the flickering spatial rift.
After all the elites of the Shadowmoon Clan entered, Ner'zhul also entered the spatial rift!
After Ner'zhul's direct line of Shadowmoon Clan troops all left, the remaining fifty thousand orcs were about to follow closely behind, when a team of sturdy wolf riders blocked the spatial rift!
It was the base wolf riders that Galen had given to Gul'dan!
"What do you mean? Are you stopping us from going to the new world?"
Orcs also respected the strong, and this wolf rider team looked like an elite force.
Moreover, they were the direct guard of Grand Chieftain's newly appointed confidant, Master Vorpil, so they chose to negotiate.
Boom!
The spatial rift disappeared, and the orcs were agitated and about to riot!
"We are saving you, saving the Horde!"
A voice came from the sky, the sky darkened for a moment, and a huge shadow raven flew over.
Vorpil, who had returned through the spatial gap using the Scepter of Domination, arrived, carrying a dying orc in his hand.
"Saving us? Saving the Horde? What's going on!"
These fifty thousand orc soldiers were brought along without knowing the truth, echoing what others said.
Moreover, because Ner'zhul was afraid of their rebellion, he had always arranged for Shadowmoon Clan warriors to guard the position of opening the portal in the center.
They were followers who knew nothing, and no one knew that Vorpil was the instigator of everything, and no one knew that Vorpil had opened the spatial rift!
"Let Chieftain Obrys tell you!"
Vorpil released the orc chieftain who had previously tried to dissuade Ner'zhul at Hellfire Citadel.
The surrounding orcs recognized Obrys, who had been guarding the Grand Chieftain's side in Hellfire Citadel.
"Cough!"
Obrys gasped, groaning in pain, a large part of his chest had collapsed, this was the flame impact damage caused by the warlock's burning skill.
The subordinates belonging to Obrys' clan in the orc crowd rushed out, supporting their chieftain, and one orc even took out a potion from his arms trying to heal him.
"Ner'zhul betrayed us, he rebuilt the Horde, promising to give us a new beginning, but once in crisis, he will abandon us, we are nothing!"
"He is a coward, he chose to escape, there are still four hundred thousand women and children in Hellfire Citadel, they are our relatives and children, the future of the Horde!"
"Ner'zhul abandoned them, abandoned Chieftain Kargath and Chieftain Kilrogg who are still defending the fortress!"
"I persuaded him to continue fighting, he attacked me! Right here! My chest! He attacked his own people!"
Obrys said painfully, a mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth, and then he lay weakly on the ground, with only his last breath left.
The orcs were silent, some of them wanted to run away, but most of them were acting on orders without knowing the truth, and Obrys was right, many of them were the husbands and fathers of the four hundred thousand women and children in Hellfire Citadel, it was not so easy to abandon them.
To be honest, there were not many strong people in this group of orcs, and there were even fewer who could take the lead.
Now that the Grand Chieftain had run away and the spatial rift was closed, where would they go?
"What should we do now!"
"Charge back to Hellfire Citadel!"
"Rescue our clansmen!"
Gul'dan sneered behind the wolf riders.
Heh! A bunch of idiots!
He pushed aside the wolf riders in front of him and stood out.
"Now the Draenor Allied Forces are powerful, and Hellfire Citadel has already fallen.
It would be tantamount to hitting a stone with an egg if we relied on the remaining fifty thousand of us to rush in!"
"Then what should we do! Master Vorpil, give the order, now you are our new chieftain!"
Gul'dan was quite satisfied with this shill.
"We can only pretend to rely on the demons now, become their thugs and vassals, and use their energy to fight against the Draenor Allied Forces!"
"And we must look for opportunities to open the Dark Portal in the east and go to the world of Azeroth, don't forget, Grand Chieftain Orgrim has not died yet!
Grom Hellscream and the chieftain of the Burning Blade Clan are still alive, the Horde is not extinct, we still have hope!"
Gul'dan was eloquent and successfully fooled these fifty thousand orcs, and then successfully took the top position!
For the second batch of demon emissaries who came later, they truthfully reported the news that the former Grand Chieftain Ner'zhul had run away with his confidants, and stated that the remaining fifty thousand orcs were absolutely loyal to the Burning Legion.
With the complete fall of Hellfire Citadel, Kaz'zak saw that he could not gain any advantage and issued an order to withdraw his troops, while fully defending the Kil'jaeden Throne.
The Draenor Allied Forces tried a wave of tentative attacks and were blasted back by the dense fel cannons around the Throne Highlands.
"Heh, a bunch of ants!"
Kaz'zak sneered contemptuously.
As a high-level commander of the Burning Legion, he was fully qualified to laugh at a group of Draenor natives who could not even overcome gravity and enter the space age.
However, he had to notify his superiors of the information that Velen had formed the Draenor Allied Forces, and that the number was not small.
"Go, prepare the Legion communicator, I have important information to tell Lord Kil'jaeden!"
"Yes! Lord."
The surrounding Mo'arg engineers hurried down to prepare.
At this point, Galen's plan was basically completed.
The last area of Draenor was successfully taken down, the Crusade got a large group of free strong laborers, the alliance headed by the Draenor tribes avenged the Horde, and at the same time compressed the power of the demons to the north of Tanaan Jungle.
As long as the demons were completely eliminated, their world could be preserved!
After going around for a long time, Galen was just trying to bring Ner'zhul's life trajectory back to its original trajectory: opening the portal and fleeing Draenor!
As for who opened the door, it didn't matter, as long as it wasn't Ner'zhul who opened it blindly and detonated Draenor.
As long as he left Draenor and entered the Twisting Nether, Galen was not worried that he would be able to help him escape Kil'jaeden's pursuit with his incomplete ten thousand Shadowmoon elites.
As long as he was caught by the Deceiver, Ner'zhul, who had a previous record of betraying the Legion, would inevitably suffer a torture.
The subsequent development was very likely to be that after being disciplined by the Deceiver, he would perform meritorious service to atone for his sins.
After all, Kil'jaeden, as the number one good person in the Legion, could always see the shining points in everyone and would not easily abandon every chess piece.
Therefore, it was very likely that Ner'zhul would be thrown to Northrend to carry out the Lich King plan, engaging in sabotage, division, and war before the Legion freed up its hands to descend on Azeroth, weakening the resistance of the world of Azeroth.
Galen was not afraid of the Lich King or anything, he had started planning as early as a few years ago, in order to prevent this.
Moreover, Galen vaguely felt that the existence of the Lich King was inevitable, not only involving the Burning Legion, but there was a greater conspiracy behind it.
Rather than letting the event get out of his control, it was better to artificially complete and correct history.
Ner'zhul was also an acquaintance anyway, if he was the Lich King, with his style of doing things, Galen would be able to grasp every step of his plan.
Perfect!
It was just hard for Ner'zhul, who didn't know where Gul'dan had thrown him.
Draenor, the Seat of Kil'jaeden. A pressure so immense that it was impossible for mortals to breathe descended!
"What is it? Kazzak!" A massive red figure appeared in the sky above the Legion's war machine. His appearance bore some resemblance to Velen, with two thick fleshy tendrils on each cheek.
Overlord Kazzak was prostrate on the ground, raising his head to respectfully address Kil'jaeden's phantom image: "Lord Kil'jaeden, the situation on Draenor has recently undergone a sudden change. The sinful Velen, with the help of an unknown force, has united the remnants of many races on Draenor, defeating the Orcish Horde. The Orcish leader, Ner'zhul, betrayed the Legion out of fear of battle and opened a portal to escape!"
As a demon lord and high-ranking commander, Kazzak wouldn't have reached this position without some intelligence and cunning. With a little linguistic artistry, he shifted the blame to Ner'zhul while concealing the dire situation on Draenor.
"Ner'zhul? Daring to betray the Legion again!"
Gul'dan, who was also prostrate on the ground with Kazzak, only felt a strong wind blowing from above. Argus, where Kil'jaeden was located, was hundreds of billions of light-years away from the remote Draenor. Even with the Legion's interstellar warships traveling at full speed, it would take tens of thousands of years to traverse the distance. Yet now, the pressure transmitted merely through a Legion war machine was so terrifying!
Kil'jaeden could literally punch people through the internet!
"I will send someone to hunt down this traitor, Ner'zhul. Kazzak, do your job. If you lose Draenor, an endless prison awaits you!"
At this moment, Kil'jaeden noticed Gul'dan beside Kazzak.
"Who is this Orc? I sense the aura of Gul'dan on him!"
Gul'dan's heart trembled. Although he had directly betrayed the Legion on Azeroth, he had felt at the time that he could obtain enough power from the Tomb of Sargeras to contend with Kil'jaeden!
"Great Lord of the Legion, I was once Gul'dan's deputy in the Shadow Council, named Vorpil. Now, I am the chieftain of the remaining Orcs on Draenor. This is the head of Gul'dan, brought back from Azeroth by our Orcish warriors!"
"Hmm?"
Kil'jaeden turned his gaze towards the Orcish skull, and under his mental control, Gul'dan's skull floated up.
Gul'dan's heart pounded, fearing that he would be crushed in the next second if he couldn't deceive him.
Now, he could only pray that Galen's plan would work, or that the Throne of the Primus could ignore Kil'jaeden's imprisonment magic and retrieve his soul after his current body was killed!
"Indeed, it is the aura of that traitor Gul'dan!"
"Now, the Legion is only one step away from annihilating the last base of the Titan Army. Aggramar's soul will soon become my prisoner."
As soon as these words came out, the amount of information was overwhelming, and Galen behind Gul'dan felt his heart beating faster uncontrollably.
Galen had always known that neither Sargeras nor the other two giants had ever considered Azeroth as their primary target, otherwise Azeroth would have exploded like Argus long ago, and Aggramar would have been corrupted by the Burning Legion with fel energy, becoming their powerful thug like Argus.
The Burning Legion's last invasion of Azeroth was ten thousand years ago. After an interval of ten thousand years, they launched a second invasion of Azeroth, and the third was only thirty years apart!
It turned out that Sargeras's former adjutant in the Pantheon, Aggramar, was holding back their main force. After Aggramar's defeat, the Burning Legion quickly launched successive invasions!
And Sargeras was missing, and the voices within the Burning Legion needed to be unified!
The time left for the living beings of Azeroth was running out!
At the same time, Galen was also glad that he had thrown Ner'zhul into the Twisting Nether!
With the Deceiver's style, he would definitely not use star destroyers or personally descend like Archimonde when attacking Azeroth. Once he had Ner'zhul's soul and Frostmourne in hand, he would definitely use the Scourge plan based on the characteristics of both!
In the original timeline, Kil'jaeden captured Ner'zhul, froze him in ice, and threw him into Northrend, then patiently waited for Ner'zhul, the operational genius, to gradually develop the Cult of the Damned, conquer the Spider Kingdom of Northrend, the Drakkari trolls of Zul'Drak, and the Vrykul, resurrecting their corpses to accumulate a foundation, and after a long period of accumulation, formed the foundation of the Scourge army.
When Ner'zhul possessed a systematic system of necromancy, plague technology, the Crypt Lords and Cult of the Damned, a necropolis built with Spider Kingdom architecture, and unlocked units such as ghouls, crypt fiends, stitched abominations, necromancers, and frost wyrms, he began to win over Kel'Thuzad to become a lich, lured Arthas to fall and become a death knight, resurrected the Crypt Lords of the Spider Kingdom, and added the dreadlords sent by Kil'jaeden to monitor him, forming the high-level combat power of the Scourge.
The entire process, from the eighth year of the Dark Portal to Arthas's father-killing in the twentieth year of the Dark Portal, took twelve years.
Galen suddenly had an idea!
If he inadvertently created difficulties for Ner'zhul on the Frozen Throne during this period, such as helping him conquer the trolls and the Vrykul in advance, extending the time of his operational strategy, and letting him work for a few more years, would it be possible to delay the time for Kil'jaeden to launch the invasion?
While Galen was lost in thought, the conversation there was coming to an end.
"During this time, you must keep an eye on Velen for me. The more miserable he is, the richer the rewards you will receive!!"
Kil'jaeden threw Gul'dan's head back and continued, "Don't bother me later unless it's important. Magtheridon will be stationed on the border of the Legion's forces, and he will provide you with assistance when necessary!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Legion war machine went dark, and Kil'jaeden's image disappeared.
Kazzak breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that Kil'jaeden had not noticed his dereliction of duty, then he said arrogantly to Gul'dan: "Mortal, go back. I will help you reclaim Hellfire Citadel, but! The Legion will not allow the Orcs to fail again and again!"
"Do you understand!"
"Understood, understood, Lord Kazzak. Can you provide these gifts to our warriors? They need to increase their strength to be of greater use!"
This was a test, to see if Magtheridon would be unable to resist descending to Draenor.
"I will ask Lord Magtheridon!" Kazzak replied dryly and dismissed Gul'dan.
Releasing demon blood was very physically demanding. A doom lord like Kazzak was obviously inclined towards magic and found it difficult to release blood on a large scale. Only an abyss lord with a strong body and large buttocks could withstand it and recover quickly.
It was clear from Kazzak's tone that he was unwilling to contact Magtheridon, which reassured Gul'dan.