A week later, Azshara and Timbermaw Hold in Winterspring.
"Hold the line!"
Facing the endless tide of demons, the Night Elves had finally given up defending Felwood Forest several days prior, and even the line from Winterspring to Mount Hyjal was on the verge of collapse due to the overwhelming pressure.
Malfurion and Tyrande anxiously fended off the demonic invasion on the front lines, while Arthas, the Alliance commander, stood beside them, his expression grim.
The number of demons in Felwood Forest exceeded everyone's imagination; Tichondrius had erected Burning Legion portals at every center of fel corruption.
Upon entering Azeroth, the demons immediately set up camps and solidified the portals' existence, making them difficult to destroy. Now, Felwood Forest was the Burning Legion's staging ground, with all demons pouring in from those gates.
In just one day, under immense pressure, the Night Elves abandoned Felwood Forest, allowing the Timbermaw to destroy the passage connecting Felwood Forest and Winterspring.
Although the situation in Felwood was temporarily stabilized, the demons were not completely stopped. After being unable to pass through Felwood, they traveled south from Felwood to Ashenvale, and then entered Azshara to the east from Ashenvale.
That was where the gates of the Night Elves' allies, the Timbermaw's Timbermaw Hold, were located, and this fortress connected Winterspring, Felwood Forest, and most crucially, Mount Hyjal.
Although the demons were still marching and had not all reached Azshara, the situation in Felwood Forest made it clear to everyone that the fall of Timbermaw Hold was only a matter of time.
"Arch Druid, it's time to make a decision."
After dealing with another wave of demons assaulting the fortress, Arthas planted his warhammer on the ground. "The demons won't give us any more time to think of a countermeasure."
Malfurion looked at the chaotic scene in the fortress's canyon, seemingly lost in thought. "Prince Arthas, is the Alliance's support ready on Mount Hyjal?"
"Of course, Alliance engineers and mages have constructed several defensive lines in the shortest time possible. Now, from the foot of the mountain to the unavoidable path before the summit, there are heavily fortified positions," Arthas replied. "The orcs and trolls have also established their positions on the mountainside, but their numbers are not many; the battle with Mannoroth earlier caused them considerable losses."
Malfurion looked at the Timbermaw Hold, which was terribly damaged by the demonic assault, and estimated a result. "I'm afraid by sunrise tomorrow at the latest, Timbermaw Hold won't be able to withstand the demonic onslaught."
"It's unrealistic to stop the demons here; our last hope still lies on Mount Hyjal." Tyrande glanced at Malfurion. The demons' arrival was more swift and rapid than she had imagined. "Right now, it's just some low-level demons, but their attacks are very orderly. There must be high-ranking Legion commanders overseeing the battle."
"Tyrande."
"I'm listening." The Priestess gripped her longbow, Elun'ara, seemingly already aware of Malfurion's thoughts.
Malfurion gazed with complex emotions at his beloved, with whom he had supported and relied on each other for ten thousand years. "I need some time to prepare; I'll leave things here to you."
"I understand, Malfurion."
After speaking in riddles with Tyrande for a moment, Malfurion nodded to Arthas as well, then transformed into a massive Storm Crow and flew towards the summit of Mount Hyjal.
Arthas was not surprised by Malfurion's sudden departure, as he more or less knew what Malfurion was going to do. The next task was to buy enough time for the Arch Druid.
As expected, Tyrande and Arthas then said, "The fall of Timbermaw Hold is almost inevitable. We cannot waste our strength here in vain, Prince of Humanity, please trust Malfurion and me. Give us enough time, and the Kaldorei can repel the Burning Legion."
"Allies must, of course, trust each other, High Priestess," Arthas said without hesitation. Now was the best time to show trust. "We will do our utmost to buy time for the Kaldorei."
Tyrande said with a hint of gratitude, "Thank you, young Prince. May Elune bless you."
Arthas nodded slightly in response, and at the same time, he raised his arm and shouted, "Soldiers of the Alliance, we are retreating to Mount Hyjal! There, we will fight these demonic scum to the death!"
The Night Elves and Timbermaw, meanwhile, left "gifts" for the demons at the gates and defensive works of the fortress. After completing all of this, they followed Priestess Tyrande back to Mount Hyjal, where the Night Elves would fiercely defend the World Tree, Nordrassil.
Arthas gazed at the sky, almost covered by an ink-green cloud layer. The Burning Legion's momentum was more terrifying than he had imagined. Tichondrius seemed not to have died at Illidan's hands; instead, he had turned the entire Felwood Forest into a "sacrifice" for the Burning Legion's arrival.
Tyrande was wrong about one thing: the Burning Legion's commanders had not yet appeared. They were merely waiting for the arrival of a certain entity. That entity's appearance would be the beginning of the demons' true, insane charge.
"Archimonde..."
...
"Hmm?"
"Lord Archimonde, is something wrong?" Tichondrius displayed true humility for the first time. He respectfully bowed to a semi-ethereal figure, his tone as humble as a servant's.
"Nothing," Archimonde's detected anomaly was fleeting. He had not yet fully manifested on Azeroth, so he was not sensitive to certain fluctuations, but he did detect a gaze.
However, the observer's movements were very swift, preventing the current Archimonde from catching him, but such a thing was enough to pique Archimonde's "interest."
"Tichondrius, although the mission was ultimately completed, your losses seem a bit heavy." Archimonde's gaze caused Tichondrius immense pressure. "The souls of those three Dreadlords did not return to the Twisting Nether."
Are they truly dead?
Tichondrius's heart skipped a beat. "I am very sorry, Lord Archimonde, the Lich King's betrayal was something we could not have foreseen."
To his surprise, Archimonde did not pursue Tichondrius's responsibility; instead, his voice held a hint of amusement. "That Ner'zhul, he actually made Kil'jaeden stumble several times in a row? What an interesting orc. If he weren't already dead, I'd truly want to turn his soul into a toy myself."
Tichondrius secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although both were leaders of the Burning Legion, Archimonde and Kil'jaeden both viewed each other's failures as amusing entertainment.
However... this didn't mean Tichondrius was out of trouble. Something went wrong with the Lich King, and as Kil'jaeden's subordinate, he certainly had unavoidable responsibility. He only hoped that this time he could earn enough merit in the mission to destroy Azeroth to escape blame, otherwise...
As Tichondrius thought of this, his heart, which had just settled, rose again: he would rather face ten Archimondes than be held accountable by Kil'jaeden!