Grommash panted as he pulled Gorehowl from the chest of the half-man, half-stag Forest God. His body was covered in bleeding wounds from thorn entanglements, but he didn't even frown, as if the injuries didn't exist.
The Forest God Cenarius's eyes were dim, clearly having been dead for some time. Grommash's fatal blow had almost pierced his chest, and his strong heart had been sliced open by Gorehowl's axe blade.
Even though Cenarius was a demigod with robust vitality, and also a druid close to nature, the abundant life energy provided by both failed to keep him alive from Grommash's axe blade.
Grommash's blood mixed with his red skin, making it impossible to distinguish. Having drunk the Pit Lord's corrupted blood, he had once again found his former self, that powerful feeling in his grasp.
Cenarius was strong. Grommash believed he was the most formidable opponent he had ever encountered in his life, but in the end, he still proved to be superior.
After the Warsong Clan's chieftain killed the Forest God, the Night Elves' morale plummeted to rock bottom.
Although some druids, seeing their revered and respected god desecrated and slain, frantically charged at the orcs, the Warsong Orcs, who had also drunk demon blood like their chieftain, were completely unafraid of the druids' claws and spells. Druids who rushed into the orc lines were quickly submerged by the crimson tide.
"Woo—"
A low horn blast echoed through the entire forest. The remaining Night Elf sentinels and druids heard the horn, their expressions becoming conflicted and downcast. Ultimately, they obeyed what the horn signified.
—Retreat.
Although the Warsong Clan had defeated the Elven forces in Ashenvale, this was still the Night Elves' territory. Their familiarity with the terrain and the help nature provided them allowed them to quickly escape the orcs' pursuit, like fish jumping into water.
The targetless Warsong orcs could only vent their rage and bloodlust on the Night Elves who lay on the ground, still breathing, and their allies.
Just as Grommash was leading his clansmen in "enjoying" the victor's revelry, two forces unexpectedly met at the entrance from the Barrens to Ashenvale.
On one side was the Alliance joint army led by Varian, and on the other was the orc army led by Thrall.
As the saying goes, enemies meeting makes their eyes burn red. If not for Varian and Thrall's strenuous efforts to stop them, the vanguards of the two forces would have already clashed.
Thrall frowned as he looked at the vast Human army and the Tauren warriors within it, his heart filled with questions: Why were Humans appearing on this continent, and it seemed they had gained new allies here?
Varian, on the other hand, was surprised why such a large Orc army would suddenly appear in this location. According to intelligence, they should be busy rebuilding their homes.
Unable to resolve the doubts in his heart through thought alone, Thrall rode his wolf to the very front and shouted in standard Common, "I am the Warchief of the New Horde: Thrall! Send your leader out to speak with me."
Varian and Muradin exchanged glances. The King of Stormwind also rode forward, and the well-trained army quickly made way for their King.
"I am Varian Wrynn, King of Stormwind. I didn't expect an Orc to speak Common. I thought you were all crude savages." Varian calmly faced Thrall. He could tell that this Orc was very young, but he didn't know if he was as easily angered as other young people.
However, Thrall was not angered by Varian's words. He stopped the Orc next to him who wanted to charge forward and challenge Varian, and calmly said, "We did not come here to fight. Our people are trapped in this ancient forest, and we are only here to bring them home."
Thrall did not want to engage in a skirmish with the Humans here; that would undoubtedly be a major blow to the newly formed New Horde. So, he wanted to resolve the current situation more peacefully.
"Is that so? My scouts told me that many unnatural things have been happening in the forest. We suspect some evil force is at work. It wouldn't happen to be you causing trouble, would it?"
Varian's words were full of doubt and sarcasm.
"We are also victims, from the very beginning," Thrall's voice deepened slightly. "The orcs now are not the same as the orcs before. I do not intend to provoke war again. So, please do not obstruct our entry into Ashenvale."
Thrall's messenger had told him that Grommash had encountered great trouble in Ashenvale. Concerned for his friend's safety, Thrall immediately led a portion of the Orc army, preparing to go to Ashenvale to rescue Grommash.
The continent of Kalimdor was full of mysteries for the orcs. If Grommash met with misfortune, it would undoubtedly be a major blow to the nascent Horde.
From both a personal and a Horde perspective, Thrall had to choose to save Grommash, but what he didn't know was that Grommash, having drunk demon blood, had long since become a killing machine, currently locked in battle with the Night Elves.
Thrall's shamanic abilities allowed him to foresee terrible changes occurring in the forest, which had kept his mind uneasy for the past few days. He had originally not intended to delve deep into Ashenvale, but he had no choice but to enter it now.
But he didn't expect to run into the Alliance vanguard led by Varian before even entering Ashenvale.
After helping the Tauren find new homes, Varian believed it was necessary to seize the pass from the Barrens to Ashenvale, otherwise the Alliance's plan to find the Night Elves would be very troublesome.
As luck would have it, the two sides collided on the plains outside Ashenvale, creating a tense standoff. Thrall was thinking about how to get rid of the Alliance and go rescue Grommash first, while Varian was considering whether or not to engage the orcs.
Engaging in a skirmish with the orcs on the plains offered no advantage to the Humans. Although the Tauren had joined, their numbers were somewhat small and did not significantly improve the frontal combat situation.
Just as Varian was hesitating, a dazzling blue light flashed behind the Human lines, and the soldiers erupted in cheers, as if welcoming some hero.
They made way, and a knight in exquisite armor rode his warhorse through the crowd. He came to Varian's side and whispered, "Let them go in first and scout for us."
Varian nodded imperceptibly and said to Thrall, "Perhaps the Light has taken pity on your fate. I will not trouble you further today."
With that, he rode back to the Alliance forces without looking back, leading his troops away from the pass between Ashenvale and the Barrens. Soon, the Alliance forces disappeared from Thrall's sight.
"Warchief, Humans are always cunning. Could this be a trick of theirs?" an orc asked beside Thrall.
Thrall shook his head, unsure if he was saying no or if he himself didn't know. In any case, he no longer brought up matters concerning Humans and led the orc forces into Ashenvale.