"Illidan, you have nowhere left to run! You must pay for your actions today."
Maiev's shout seemed to pierce the oppressive dark clouds, and several muffled thunderclaps responded to the Warden's rage.
Amidst the ruins of ancient Elven buildings stretching along the coast of Azshara, waves continuously crashed against the half-submerged relics and reefs, and incandescent lightning illuminated the gloomy sky.
A storm was brewing here, and at its center was a tall figure with wings on his back, horns on his head, and hooves that left trails of flame on the seaweed-covered marble floor of the temple.
"Maiev, you are truly persistent. I never expected you to chase me all the way here." Illidan looked indifferently at Maiev and her Wardens. "What, do you intend to send more of your subordinates to their deaths?"
"Illidan, you monster, we will show you no mercy this time!"
The female hunter Nasa faced Illidan's threat without fear, the fire of anger burning in her heart. She yearned for revenge for her fallen and wounded comrades.
"Nasa is right, Illidan. This time, it won't be that 'comfortable' prison awaiting you. Perhaps hell is a more fitting place for you."
Maiev gripped the hilt of her glaive tightly. To pursue Illidan, the Wardens had paid an extremely heavy price.
This Demon Hunter was stronger and more deadly than he had been ten thousand years ago. Each of his attacks was a heavy blow that ordinary warriors could hardly withstand, and countless Wardens were sacrificed or wounded under Azzinoth's furious rage.
Yet, they had only managed to delay Illidan, allowing Maiev to find him before he could move further away from Azshara's land.
Remember m in one second.
"You have nowhere to run, Illidan. Surrender, and perhaps I will grant you a swift death."
Under Maiev's covert instructions, the Wardens had already surrounded the temple. Once the battle began, Illidan would face an encirclement from all directions.
Illidan twisted his neck, looking up and down. He sneered twice, "Maiev, do you truly believe your laughable trap can threaten me?"
His eyes were indeed burned out by fel, but what he gained in return was a more efficient "vision"!
Those Wardens were well-trained by Maiev. They controlled their footsteps, suppressed their breathing, and even the timing of each person's exhalation overlapped with the sound of the wind. Anywhere, they were perfect warriors.
However, as long as they were living beings, they couldn't hide their body heat and life force. Illidan's vision easily penetrated the walls, seeing the hunters hidden in shadows and behind cover.
Moreover, this wasn't the full extent of Illidan's confidence. He kicked away the seaweed and other debris on the ground, revealing the tilted but relatively intact temple floor.
"Maiev, ten thousand years of imprisonment shouldn't have addled your brain, right? Take a good look, what is this?!"
A section of the temple floor appeared before Maiev's eyes. She subconsciously looked at the temple ground, and then her expression instantly turned extremely ugly—
This was a temple used by the Elves for sacrifices, but the patterns on the floor were not a magic circle for sacrificing to the Moon Goddess, but rather the magical patterns of the ancient Highborne!
"Feel the rage that has been imprisoned and suppressed for ten thousand years!"
Illidan hurled an Azzinoth Glaive, and the sharp glaive instantly plunged into two nodes on the ground. A massive amount of magical power began to gather within the temple.
"No, stop him quickly!"
At Maiev's command, a dozen elite Wardens flashed out from various angles. They held daggers, glaives, and sharp stilettos, and one even drew a hunting bow in mid-air.
Several sharp blades flew from the Wardens' hands, aiming directly for Illidan's seemingly unguarded back.
But a layer of green flames suddenly erupted, and the scorching winds knocked down all the thrown weapons. Two massive fel Flame Elementals roared into existence from the Azzinoth Glaives, fueled by Illidan's magical infusion, forming to protect their master.
In just this brief interval, the magical power Illidan was channeling had almost filled the greater part of the temple's magic circle.
The female hunter Nasa swung her Moon Glaive, ready to rush through the scorching fel flames without hesitation, but Maiev pressed a hand onto her shoulder.
"It's too late, this guy deliberately led us here!"
As Illidan's old adversary, Maiev immediately understood the whole situation. Illidan wasn't forced into this ruin by the Wardens at all; rather, he deliberately used the pressure from the Wardens to lure Maiev here.
Even in ancient times, Illidan was among the most excellent and ruthless mages. He probably had long anticipated that what he needed would be left here.
Realizing this, Maiev immediately ordered everyone to retreat from the temple. Illidan chuckled lowly at the sight, watching Maiev and the Wardens withdraw from the temple without making any attempt to stop them.
The cerulean Arcane radiance lit up like a sun, and the Wardens were directly propelled out of the hall by the expanding magical energy. Several unfortunate Wardens were severely injured on the spot by the violent magic.
But Maiev and her subordinates had not yet had time to help their fallen companions when the cerulean Arcane radiance suddenly shot skyward, then was swiftly dyed the dark green of fel.
A fel spear, piercing heaven and earth, formed once again in Azshara's Storm Bay.
Just then, Illidan's towering figure swiftly rushed out of the temple, his wings spread wide behind him. He swooped down like the fiercest eagle from Mount Hyjal.
"Mistress, danger!" Nasa stepped forward, throwing a Moon Glaive towards Illidan with one hand, and raising a shield with the other, attempting to block Illidan's sudden attack.
However, there was an insurmountable gap in strength between her and the current Illidan. The Moon Glaive Nasa threw was directly parried by Illidan with a swing of his glaive, while his other glaive drew a thin green line across Nasa's chest.
Accompanied by a scream, Nasa's shield was directly torn apart by the sharp Azzinoth, but this also saved her arm, leaving only a hideous wound on her arm from the fel glaive.
Watching Nasa fall to the ground to cover her, Maiev was consumed with rage. She channeled her magical power, instantly traversing a distance of several meters, appearing behind Illidan through a short-distance teleportation.
Her glaive was so fast that it almost left afterimages in the air, but Illidan deftly flipped over, his wings beating, and astonishingly, he hung upside down in the air, using an Azzinoth Glaive in one hand to parry Maiev's backstab.
After transforming into a Demon, Illidan's fighting style had undergone a massive change, and coupled with his powerful physique, even this casual block made Maiev's right arm tingle.
After parrying Maiev's attack, Illidan backflipped to the ground, taking a step, and with the vibration of his bat wings, the Azzinoth Glaive on his other side attacked again.
Although in battle, Illidan's stature was still much larger than an Elf's, every step of this Demon Hunter was as precise and deadly as a dance announcing the enemy's demise.
Under Maiev's faceplate, her brows were tightly furrowed. Illidan's strength was even greater than previously estimated. She somewhat awkwardly deflected Illidan's glaive with her own, then her figure instantly vanished, teleporting herself behind Illidan once more.
This time, she chose not to use her weapon, but instead swung her chainmail cloak, sending countless blades flying like raindrops.
A single attack could be parried, but with countless sharp blades, Illidan wouldn't be able to block them like before!