On the throne terrace at the top of Blackrock Spire, the battle between the Red Dragon Valastrasz and the Chromaggus, a multi-colored monster, affected almost the entire Blackrock Mountain.
Even the Alliance soldiers and Blackrock Orcs fighting inside Blackrock Mountain felt the mountain shaking and trembling. This natural disaster-like phenomenon caused both the orcs and the Alliance to cease their fighting and retreat to their respective front lines.
Meanwhile, the Dark Iron Dwarves, who had been watching the orcs and Alliance fight each other with resentment in Black Iron Deep, temporarily gave up the fantasy of rushing out again. They knew that this strange shaking of the mountain must mean that the mastermind behind the occupation of Blackrock Spire had made a move.
That was a being on par with Ragnaros within Blackrock Mountain. Without the support of the Elemental Legion, the Dark Iron Dwarves dared not interfere in such a major upheaval.
Valastrasz was an excellent Red Dragon champion; his power was enough to annihilate an entire mortal Legion, and even destroy any non-core human city.
However, facing Chromaggus, Valastrasz did not feel relaxed. This terrifying deformed creature brought him immense pressure. Nefarian's dark power allowed the corpses of dead dragons to still exert powerful strength.
Valastrasz utilized his ability to fly, constantly dodging Chromaggus's magic, and then attacking from high altitude. Even so, Chromaggus still used new powers several times, causing trouble for Valastrasz.
But fortunately, the scales of victory still tilted towards Valastrasz. No matter how vicious Chromaggus was, it was just a mindless deformed monster, and its innate abilities were not inexhaustible. During the battle, Valastrasz had already figured out Chromaggus's abilities.
For ordinary mortal champions, even knowing Chromaggus's abilities, they would have to pay a heavy price to defeat this giant beast, because in addition to its unpredictable innate abilities, its twisted but powerful body was also incredibly fierce.
Nefarian used some method unknown, which allowed a monster pieced together from the corpses of dead dragons to possess monstrous strength far exceeding that of ordinary dragons. Even Valastrasz was unwilling to engage Chromaggus in close combat.
It was just that Valastrasz was actually a bit anxious inside. Although Chromaggus behaved like a beast acting on instinct, Nefarian, hiding in the shadows, was a competent schemer.
Remember in one second >
Nefarian was hiding somewhere unknown. Valastrasz, while dealing with Chromaggus, did not dare to completely ignore his surroundings. Although this made dealing with Chromaggus more difficult, it also ensured his own safety.
"I hope that human Prince can bring enough people to hold back Nefarian."
Valastrasz could only pray silently. As long as Nefarian could be defeated, even sacrificing his own life would be acceptable. After all, besides trusting Arthas, he had no other choice.
Just as Valastrasz thought, Nefarian was closely observing every move below. He was waiting for Valastrasz's stamina to drop before launching a fatal blow.
But before he could act, Nefarian's brow twitched, and he immediately used shadow magic to conceal his body, while also shifting his position.
It was only a blink of an eye after he left the spot where he had just stood, when a golden pillar of light, thick enough for a man to embrace, descended from the sky, making Nefarian's face turn ashen.
The power contained within this beam of light made the Black Dragon feel threatened, which meant that this attack could easily penetrate his defenses and harm his body.
The shriek of a griffon cut across the sky, and a warhammer with a golden tail flame suddenly entered Nefarian's field of vision, striking with the momentum to destroy all obstacles.
Nefarian erected a barrier made of shadows, but as soon as it touched the warhammer, he was shocked to find that the attack exceeded the barrier's tolerance limit.
With a crisp 'bang', the magic barrier shattered like a smashed mirror, and the warhammer whistled past.
He had no choice but to shift his position again, appearing on the other side of the rocky platform, but this time he was not unharmed. The golden tail flame of the warhammer grazed his sleeve, scorching his right arm black.
light of dawn landed heavily on the rocky platform. Nefarian personally experienced what it meant to be shocked. The entire platform swayed precariously under the heavy blow, and the ground showed exaggerated cracks. The warhammer stood in the center of the large pit, still spewing out scorching holy light.
At the same time, a figure plummeted rapidly from the sky, without any cushioning, striking the other side of the rocky platform like a meteor.
The dust stirred up by the impact obscured Arthas's figure. Nefarian frowned, watching the blurry figure within the dust, appearing somewhat confused.
— Of all the living beings he had seen, none matched the person in front of him. That warhammer was also a weapon he had never heard of, and the holy light emanating from it was so strong that Nefarian didn't even want to touch it.
"Nefarian, I greet you on behalf of Onyxia."
"You are...? Arthas Menethil?! How, how is this possible? What kind of power is that?!"
After the dust gradually cleared, Nefarian saw Arthas's true face, and his expression instantly became very vivid: a mere mortal, possessing such power?
But after all, he was an evil dragon who had lived for countless years and escaped the pursuit of other Guardian Dragons. Nefarian quickly calmed down, "Did Onyxia fall into your hands? No wonder that fellow disappeared without a trace after going to Lordaeron."
Nefarian thought he had figured it out. If Arthas himself possessed such power, coupled with the Alliance's vast influence in the North, it was not surprising that Onyxia would be killed if she rashly entered.
"It seems you are consistently cold-blooded towards your own sister, Nefarian." Arthas smiled, and with a flick of his right hand, light of dawn flew back into his hand.
Nefarian turned sideways to dodge the warhammer, "Sister... such meaningless emotions are useless for our cause. Onyxia indeed has her unique qualities, but she is merely a useful tool."
The Black Dragon Prince turned around and looked at Chromaggus trembling on the terrace below with Valastrasz, saying with a fanatical emotion, "Do you see it? That is what I have always dreamed of, and it is merely a defective product. Once my experiments are completely finished, neither Onyxia nor Chromaggus will be meaningless!
And my pathetic kin, as well as your fragile and ridiculous Alliance, will all turn to ashes in a sea of fire!"
Along with Nefarian's gradually gloomy mad laughter, the master of Blackrock Spire revealed his true form. The ferocious black dragon hovered outside the rocky platform. "As for you, Prince Arthas, your strength is good. I would be happy to invite you to watch a good show, to see how the allies you sought out will fall dead before my great power!"
With that, Nefarian flapped his wings, creating gusts of wind, and was about to leave the platform to deal with Valastrasz. Arthas was very indifferent; the more Nefarian underestimated him, the more convenient his actions would be.
However, it seemed Nefarian would not be able to give him a satisfying fight.
Arthas stomped the ground, holding light of dawn, and took off like a cannonball, shooting straight towards Nefarian's spine. Nefarian felt the wind behind him and immediately turned sideways, wanting to dodge Arthas's heavy blow, but several flying holy light chains firmly entangled the spikes on Nefarian's body.
Arthas tugged on the chains and easily landed on Nefarian's back. This action infuriated the Black Dragon, "Damn worm, you will pay the price for provoking me!"
Unfortunately, Arthas had no intention of heeding his threats. Arthas held the chains tightly with one hand, and raised the warhammer with his right hand, an endless stream of holy light power gathering on the hammerhead.
Nefarian suddenly realized the seriousness of the problem and began to frantically roll over, twisting his body, and igniting bone-eating shadow flames, wanting to completely destroy Arthas.
But standing on his back, Arthas's feet were as if welded to Nefarian's body, completely unaffected by the continuous tremors and shaking.
Nefarian's shadow flames were even more unable to cross the barrier of Arthas's holy light. When the holy light power on the warhammer reached its peak, Arthas swung his right arm and ruthlessly smashed down towards Nefarian's spine.
How terrifying was Arthas's strength?
It was pure physical strength comparable to, or even surpassing, that of an adult Guardian Dragon. This level of force, combined with the amplification of holy light and the inherent strength of light of dawn, was essentially equivalent to Nefarian taking a direct, heavy blow from a Guardian Dragon.
Azeroth is not some body-tempering fantasy world; most creatures still have normal weaknesses. Even dragons with powerful physiques are not invulnerable.
Even Guardians forged from steel and rock have their own weaknesses and vital points, let alone living creatures. Not all flesh and blood creatures are abnormally active individuals like the Old Gods and their servants.
The sturdy dragon scales and hide, and the protective shadow magic, were virtually useless under the onslaught of light of dawn. Nefarian's spine was directly fractured and shattered by Arthas.
Even with both magic and body resisting the severe injuries, trying to repair the wounds caused by Arthas, Nefarian still irreversibly plummeted from high altitude.
And as Nefarian fell from the sky, an inconspicuous black light shot out from the mountain, directly entering the gaps in Nefarian's scales.
Valastrasz was suppressing Chromaggus, preparing to end the monster's twisted life, when he heard a tragic roar, and Nefarian's massive body fell from the sky.
The Alliance forces guarding Blackrock Mountain naturally saw this scene. Although they were unsure who had struck down the dragon, before the battle, the Alliance had secretly spread the word that Blackrock Mountain might be ruled by an evil Black Dragon.
Seeing the enemy leader fall from the sky, a wave of cheers erupted from the Alliance camp. In contrast, most of the Blackrock Orcs looked ashen, especially Rend.
As one of the few orcs who had seen Nefarian's true form, his heart was now filled with shock and fear. The high and mighty Nefarian, who possessed extraordinary power, had fallen from the sky like a dead dog.
Nefarian's standing in his heart plummeted instantly. Looking at the high-spirited Alliance soldiers, he suddenly felt the urge to retreat.
Valastrasz was also startled by Nefarian's sudden appearance and disappearance, almost getting bitten by Chromaggus, but he immediately recovered. No matter what was happening over there, he had to deal with this giant beast first, otherwise, if it escaped Blackwing Lair, it would be a huge problem.
"This... how is this possible...? How can a human possess such power?"
Nefarian's fall from high altitude caused him severe secondary damage. His massive body lay on the plain below Blackrock Mountain, and foul blood continuously gushed from his wounds.
He had originally thought of ignoring Arthas for the time being, because no matter what, Arthas should not have been able to threaten his true body. But the result was exactly the opposite; just one blow shattered all his arrogance and pride as a Black Dragon.
Moreover, during his descent, he also felt as if he had been "stung" by something. That thing was rapidly reacting with the shadow power within his body, devouring Nefarian's gradually weakening life force.
"Compared to your father, you are nothing more than a lively maggot, not even a true enemy of the Alliance."
Arthas casually carried light of dawn, still stained with foul dragon blood, and jumped off Nefarian's body. Falling from high altitude seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever.
light of dawn emitted a strong holy light that instantly evaporated the foul substances. Arthas pressed the warhammer against Nefarian's dragon head, "You will die quickly, compared to the dragons who died by your hand."
Even if Nefarian had more anger and hatred, at this moment, it was merely self-immolation within his crippled body. Arthas did not waste any more words. light of dawn erupted with a grand holy light nova, directly obliterating Nefarian's brain.
The Black Dragon Prince's life immediately vanished, and as his soul prepared to escape, an irresistible suction force came. Nefarian's face showed horror, and his soul was directly pulled out from another plane, "You—!"
Arthas did not hesitate at all, turning around neatly, letting the phantom of the soul be completely swallowed by the Frostmourne at his waist. He himself held the warhammer, coldly watching the Orc camp in front of him, where quite a few Blackrock Orcs had already rushed out.
— Not even a warm-up. Now it's time to stretch my muscles.