After the Blackrock Orcs and Dark Iron Dwarves had been entangled in Blackrock Mountain for over a day, the Alliance was finally ready to launch a real offensive against Blackrock Mountain.
The Dark Iron Dwarves quickly felt the pressure, as they not only had to face the Blackrock Orcs' assault but also deal with the Alliance's attacks.
Although defending was not difficult with the sturdy fortifications of Blackrock Mountain, General Angfer knew that if things continued like this, the Dark Iron Dwarves would eventually be defeated.
—It was all because of that fool Gaggan, who was tricked by Ironforge's feint into taking away so many troops, leaving the Dark Iron Dwarves in an extremely awkward position.
As things stood, General Angfer no longer hoped that the Dark Iron Dwarves who had gone out to attack would be able to return to defend. The Alliance seemed to have seen through all their thoughts; not only the Dark Iron Dwarves, but even the Blackrock Orcs had become part of their calculations.
The Blackrock Orcs' main force had just moved out at this time, giving the Dark Iron Dwarves an opportunity, but then they returned at this critical moment. If there was no Alliance interference here, Angfer would not believe it even if he was beaten to death.
"General, General, bad news! Messages from the canyon say the Alliance's offensive is too fierce; they won't last much longer!"
"What, how—"
Angfer was about to refute the messenger's news, but then he suddenly remembered that to counter the Blackrock Orcs' fierce attack, he had diverted a portion of his troops towards the Burning Steppes.
Because the Alliance had not actively attacked, Angfer's plan was to just hold them back and then launch a combined attack with the returning troops.
But Angfer now realized that he had only fallen into the Alliance's trap. They were actually forcing him to make a choice: either abandon the entrance on the Blackrock Orcs' side, be defeated immediately, and retreat to Blackrock Depths.
Or move the troops, and then the Alliance would take advantage of the void.
Both paths were dead ends for the Dark Iron Dwarves; it was just a matter of how quickly they died.
Realizing this problem, Angfer understood that now was not the time for impulsive actions. Having suffered a double blow from the Alliance and the Blackrock Orcs, the Dark Iron Dwarves were bound to lose.
"Since the Alliance likes to exploit weaknesses so much, let them wear themselves out with the Blackrock Orcs!"
Angfer hardened his heart, completely abandoning the fortresses and strongholds that the Dark Iron Dwarves had retaken, and quickly led his people away from the center of the battlefield.
Thoras, who was observing the Dark Iron Dwarves' movements, smiled slightly. "They're finally going to withdraw. Tell everyone not to pursue. Clean up the Dark Iron Dwarves' strongholds and fortifications immediately. Now it's our turn to give the Blackrock Orcs a taste of their own medicine!"
After controlling the Blackrock Mountain entrance on the Searing Gorge side, the Alliance's forces were able to quickly enter Blackrock Mountain. After defeating the remnants of the Dark Iron Dwarves, the Blackrock Orcs appeared in the Alliance's sight.
The two sides did not waste words, as they both already knew each other's objectives. The Blackrock Orcs began to attack the Alliance's forces, preparing to regain control of the outer part of Blackrock Spire.
But the Alliance, entering from the Searing Gorge side, already had the high ground. Coupled with the fortifications left behind by the Dark Iron Dwarves and partial control of the outer part of Blackrock Spire, the Blackrock Orcs found that defeating the Alliance was several times more difficult than defeating the Dark Iron Dwarves.
After all, the Dark Iron Dwarves were fighting on two fronts at the time, whereas now, the Alliance had no worries at all. They easily seized the throat of Blackrock Spire.
Whether it was the artillery units from Ironforge and Gnomeregan or the mages from Dalaran, the Alliance's ample firepower made it difficult for the Blackrock Orcs to advance. Even the hard iron-cast roads were left incomplete by the Alliance's bombardment.
Rend, eager to protect his master, prepared to open a breach with the Chromatic Wyrms and Black Dragons, but when those Dragons threatened the Alliance's firing positions, organized ranger corps units precisely shot down the Wyrmlings and Dragonmen.
For the Dragons, the Alliance could be said to be very respectful. The arrows were all specially made magic-piercing and armor-piercing arrows, and they were all coated with deadly poison, specifically prepared for Nefarian's Black Dragonflight.
The Gnomes also developed "large-caliber" weapons specifically for Black Dragons, but since they were still experimental products, the effect was not very good. After a few launchers were injured by backfires, the Gnome technicians were temporarily designing modification plans.
In any case, the Alliance was fully prepared, having thoroughly understood Rend and the Black Dragonflight's tactics. Whatever Rend did, there was a specific counter-plan.
This made Rend extremely frustrated. He felt constrained everywhere and simply couldn't exert himself. After trying all sorts of tactical maneuvers, he had no choice but to have his subordinates revert to their most primitive state.
That was to shout "Laktar!" and engage in close-quarters combat with the Alliance soldiers, attempting to open a path to the upper levels of Blackrock Spire with melee combat.
Rend's prolonged absence made Nefarian quite annoyed. Although the Legion led by Rend was not all of his forces, Blackwing Lair was essentially a large laboratory, and there weren't many personnel who could actually be deployed in battle.
The Alliance seemed to have even figured this out. They were trying to open a path to the upper levels of Blackrock Spire, preparing to pinpoint the location of Blackwing Lair.
General Drakkisath, stationed on the upper levels of Blackrock Spire, had already led the Dragonman Legion to meet them, but compared to the orcs, the number of Dragonmen was still too small. Plus, with the Alliance having specialized counter-methods, the effect was not ideal.
Nefarian sat on his throne at this moment, his face grim: his grand scheme hadn't even taken its first step before it was crushed in the cradle.
What he found most unacceptable was that he only knew that it was the Alliance opposing him, but he had no idea who had orchestrated all of this.
Nefarian felt like he was in a strange loop, with someone outside the loop observing his every move, yet he didn't know what was happening outside the loop.
To end all of this, he had to find a way to break this strange loop, otherwise, those inside the loop would never understand the intentions of those outside.
So Nefarian used most of the forces he could mobilize to deal with the Alliance's troops. Only by defeating this elite force could he create a breach in this strange loop.
However, the strength of this Alliance force was indeed somewhat formidable, and the opponent also possessed some "information they shouldn't know." Even if the targeted Blackrock Orcs and Dragonman Legion were to defeat their opponents, it would still take some time.
As the true master of Blackrock Spire, the King of Blackrock Mountain, Nefarian should have the patience to wait. After all, the Alliance was not fighting on their home turf. The overly long supply lines and intense battles would exhaust the mortal armies, but the Black Dragonflight and Blackrock Orcs would not have these problems for now.
It should have been a sure victory, just needing some time, but now it made Nefarian feel unusually irritated.
"Nefarian, your doomsday has arrived! On behalf of the Red Dragon and other Dragon Legions, I pronounce your final judgment!"
A roar that shook the mountaintop entered Nefarian's ears. He slowly raised his head and looked at the Red Dragon outside his throne's balcony.
"Valastrasz, who gave you the courage to speak to the master of Blackrock Mountain like that?" Nefarian didn't seem surprised. He had long known that a Red Dragon "spy" was investigating his movements, but he hadn't paid any attention to it.
Just a small Red Dragon, no match for the entire Black Dragonflight. What could he do, isolated and without aid? Or rather, if Valastrasz didn't come to stir up trouble at this moment, Nefarian should be alarmed.
To only come and bother him when the Alliance was on the move indicated that Valastrasz had not received any aid from the Dragon Legion at all, and had been acting alone all along.
If Valastrasz dared to challenge him without the help of others, that would be a real problem.
"Your evil plan ends today! And with it, your life!" After Valastrasz roared his declaration, he opened his mouth and a stream of Dragon's Breath swept directly onto the throne's balcony.
The breath of an adult Dragon was completely incomparable to that of a Wyrmling. The scorching Dragon's Breath almost completely covered the entire throne balcony. The metal used by the Dark Iron Dwarves to build the balcony was instantly burned Rend by the flames, and scattered stones and debris were directly melted into crimson fluid.
However, Valastrasz's attack did not land on Nefarian. He had already teleported away with magic before the Red Dragon's breath. Now, he had disappeared to an unknown location, leaving only a dark phantom in the center of the balcony, staring at Valastrasz.
"Although there are still some minor flaws, I don't mind letting you play with my new invention."
Valastrasz directly tore apart Nefarian's phantom. However, a roar that caused an instinctive repulsion in Valastrasz instantly made him alert.
This roar sounded like a Dragon's roar, yet it was somehow different.
Valastrasz did not wonder for too long. The confusion and bewilderment in his heart all turned into raging fury. "Nefarian, you damned bastard, you scum! I'm going to kill you! Let your hideous corpse burn in flames for ten thousand years!"
That's right, every part of the deformed experimental body in front of him was touching Valastrasz's nerves. A two-headed monster, pieced together from the corpses of countless Dragons, Wyrmlings, and even Dragon Whelps, appeared before Valastrasz. Its eyes gleamed with a rigid and evil light, and it stared intently at Valastrasz.
It was Nefarian's monstrous creation, Chromaggus!
Clearly, it had set its sights on Valastrasz as its target.
Valastrasz immediately gathered his breath, preparing to send his tragic kin into complete tranquility with flames, but he was shocked to find that the speed at which power gathered within him had slowed down considerably.
The experienced Valastrasz immediately reacted: This was the Bronze Dragon's power of time!
He hadn't expected Nefarian to not only piece together this monster from Dragon corpses but also give it the innate abilities of Dragons?!
At first, Valastrasz felt anger and sorrow, but now a sense of panic suddenly arose within him, a feeling that swept over his entire body like cold.
Nefarian's experiments truly possessed the ability to plunge the entire world into extreme danger. His twisted creations could even threaten Dragons!
This terrifying monster must be destroyed!
Valastrasz no longer held back because the opponent was the remains of his own kind. But when Valastrasz's Dragon's Breath landed on Chromaggus, the monster's skin glowed with an eerie light. The scorching flames failed to leave any mark on it, while chilling cold emanated from its stout limbs.
The Red Dragon's heart sank: Sure enough, Chromaggus could not only use the power of time but also the abilities of other Dragons. And under Nefarian's enhancement, Chromaggus's skin and scales were even tougher than those of ordinary Dragons.
The opponent was not only a terrifying monster but also a difficult opponent.
But this did not deter Valastrasz. He, who was quite remarkable even within the Red Dragon, was still confident in dealing with Chromaggus. However, his opponent was not just this one monster; Nefarian was still somewhere unknown, ready to attack him at any time.
Arthas had said he would hold back Nefarian, allowing Valastrasz to deal with Nefarian's minions first. Although Valastrasz doubted Arthas's strength, he could only trust Arthas for now.
If Arthas failed, not only would he not escape death, but the Alliance's army would also suffer a devastating blow.
On the other side of Blackrock Mountain, Arthas and Sylvanas rode two Gryphons across the sky. With Archaedas's power, Arthas could accurately pinpoint Nefarian's location. He was currently hidden somewhere on the mountain peak, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to Valastrasz.
"Sylvanas, do you remember what I said?"
In the strong wind, Arthas's hair flew wildly. Sylvanas glanced at him and said, "Are you sure you want to face an adult Black Dragon alone?"
"Believe me, I never do anything unprepared. And the key to defeating Nefarian is still in your hands. Once I attract Nefarian's attention, you must seize the opportunity."
"That's not difficult for any Farstriders, but I'm still very uneasy. You should have called more people, at least a few Archmages or Paladins."
Sylvanas pursed her lips. Even without having seen one, she clearly understood what an adult Dragon meant. She didn't want Arthas to die under the Dragon's claws like that.
But Arthas was even calmer than Sylvanas, which made Sylvanas feel that Arthas must have his own plan. This Prince was not an arrogant person and wouldn't rush into "melee" with a Dragon on a whim.
"Nefarian isn't stupid. If we really brought 'enough' power to defeat or even kill him, his first reaction wouldn't be to fight us, but to escape. He's not tied to Blackrock Mountain. He knows which is more important: his research results or his own life."
This was also one of the reasons. Nefarian wouldn't foolishly stay in Blackrock Mountain waiting to die. If he truly encountered a force he "couldn't handle," the cunning Black Dragon would surely choose to escape immediately.
And Arthas wasn't going to chase a fleeing Dragon on a Gryphon. So, this battle was both something Arthas wanted to undertake alone and something he had to undertake.
His gaze shifted, falling upon a rock platform higher up on Blackrock Mountain. There, he had already glimpsed Nefarian's corrupted soul.