Arthas changed light of dawn back into a holy relic and hung it on his waist. He casually moved his wrist, with dozens of Blackrock Orcs' corpses at his feet.
The nearby Blackrock Orcs' camp was small; losing dozens of corpses was an unbearable loss for them, yet Arthas was unharmed, like a monster.
The despair-inducing power gap was so vast that even orcs no longer dared to shout "Lok'tar Ogar!" because it would not be dying for victory, but simply throwing their lives away.
Not to mention the Blackrock Orcs, who had been brainwashed by the Black Dragonflight and had no sense of honor. Upon realizing that Arthas was an opponent they could not possibly contend with, they fled in disarray, fearing Arthas would pursue them.
Watching the fleeing rabble, Arthas had no interest in pursuing them. Defeating such orcs was an easy feat for both him and the Alliance.
Rend was merely a puppet; the truly formidable opponents were Nefarian and his Black Dragonflight. However, the master of the Black Dragonflight had already been slain by Arthas.
The remaining tasks would simply be cleanup according to the initial plan. Onyxia would take over the remaining Black Dragons and thoroughly purge Nefarian's loyalists. As for the Blackrock Orcs, in Arthas's view, they had no value whatsoever.
They were nothing more than opportunists. If they could side with the Black Dragons when the Horde's influence waned, then in a true crisis, there was no hope of them being useful.
Moreover, in the eyes of others, the upcoming battles would each be a death match gambling the fate of the entire world. In such circumstances, expecting these Blackrock Orcs to achieve anything was simply a pipe dream.
But they couldn't simply be all killed. Ogrim was still working for him for free; letting him handle matters here would also be a viable solution.
If it really didn't work out, then his Scourge forces could be expanded again.
At this moment, a whistling wind came from the sky. Valastrasz looked at Nefarian's lifeless corpse in shock, "You... How did you do that? Did you move the Violet Citadel and the Silver Hand Knights entirely to the Burning Steppes?"
He and Chromaggus were still entangled in a long battle, yet Arthas had already dealt with Nefarian? He hadn't even had a chance to see Nefarian's "last glance"!
"The plains here can't hide that many people, Valastrasz," Arthas replied with a smile, "Chromaggus didn't cause you any trouble, did he?"
"Nefarian's creation was indeed a formidable opponent, but..." Valastrasz wanted to elaborate more on Nefarian's issue, but he suddenly stopped himself, "Chromaggus has been eliminated by me, and its corpse has been completely incinerated by my dragon breath. No one will ever be able to misuse dragon corpses again."
Chromaggus no longer possessed the basic characteristics of a dragon. Valastrasz didn't even know how many of his kin's corpses had been used to piece it together. Bringing this evil creature back to Dragonblight was unrealistic.
Even if it was dead, its inherent characteristics as a Chromatic Dragon could easily contaminate other dragon bones. Valastrasz could only completely destroy its body to prevent any malicious individuals from continuing to exploit it.
Nefarian's lair was also surprisingly quiet, because Blackwing Lair was essentially Nefarian's laboratory. Most of its inhabitants were guardians tending to dragon eggs and drakonids accelerated by special methods, completely incapable of fighting an opponent who had defeated Nefarian.
Therefore, this was also why Arthas dared to use Onyxia to seize Nefarian's control over the Black Dragonflight here. Although the Black Dragons here were only a very small and weak portion, they were at least still under Onyxia's control.
And most importantly, Nefarian was truly dead this time. His soul was imprisoned within Frostmourne. Even if Deathwing took his son's corpse, it would be impossible to resurrect a soulless cadaver.
At most, the Old Gods could create a "substitute," a mere possession. Moreover, whether Deathwing could even take Nefarian's corpse was a question.
Arthas already planned to use Nefarian as a "stepping stone" to knock on Malygos's door. This was far more useful than hanging him on the city wall.
A dragon head hung on the city wall might boost Alliance morale, but it would also attract the attention of Deathwing and the Old Gods. However, using it to test the waters might just earn the friendship of a Dragon Aspect.
"Valastrasz."
"I am here, Prince Arthas." Valastrasz subconsciously responded to Arthas's call, then immediately became puzzled as to why he had replied to Arthas so naturally.
However, at this moment, he had no resistance whatsoever. Any champion capable of slaying Nefarian alone could become an honored guest of the Red Dragonflight. He would naturally accept the other party's requests with pleasure.
To show his respect, Valastrasz transformed back into his human form.
"Could I trouble you with a favor?"
"As long as it's within my capabilities." Valastrasz agreed readily. He saw endless potential in Arthas. At this moment, he suddenly understood why Archaedas was so friendly towards Arthas.
"You should be able to do it—help me deliver Nefarian's corpse to Malygos, the Blue Dragon Aspect."
"Lord Malygos, this..." Valastrasz immediately understood Arthas's meaning, but he truly had no confidence in this matter. "If you wish to see our Queen, I would certainly not hesitate, but Lord Malygos's situation is a bit... special."
"I have heard as much. After all, Deathwing has also done some unsavory things in my kingdom. However, I hope you can find a way to convey my goodwill to Malygos—because Northrend faces an extremely terrible crisis."
Northrend, facing a crisis?
Valastrasz paused, not quite understanding what threat Arthas was referring to. Arthas, seeing Valastrasz's confusion, explained, "Some things are inconvenient to discuss now, and please also keep Archaedas's existence a secret, otherwise it could cause great trouble. After you contact the Blue Dragon Aspect, please convey these words on my behalf."
Arthas whispered something into the ear of Valastrasz, who was in human form, causing Valastrasz's mouth to twitch.
"Are you sure what you're saying is true? If this information isn't accurate, I think it's best not to tell him. The Blue Dragon Aspect's mind... is a bit unstable."
Valastrasz advised quietly. Before, he certainly wouldn't have said such things to Arthas, but considering Arthas's strength and identity, he decided to explain thoroughly.
"Don't worry, if he thinks the information is false, then let the Blue Dragon Aspect come find me himself."
Arthas's chest-thumping expression made Valastrasz somewhat indecisive. He hesitated for a moment, then said to Arthas, "Alright, I will do my best to convey your message—and if I cannot, I will inform Her Majesty the Queen."
"That would be a great help."
"This is actually not difficult at all. Compared to your act of defeating Nefarian and thwarting his evil plan, it doesn't even count as payment," Valastrasz shook his head. "But rest assured, the Red Dragonflight will not mistreat anyone who contributes to this world. Even if we must remain hidden for now, you will certainly receive your deserved reward later."
With that, the little Red Dragon glanced at Blackrock Mountain, still towering as before, and reminded him, "My mission here is complete. Without Nefarian's protection, the Black Dragons in Blackwing Lair will naturally scatter and flee. I will help you deal with those fanatical ones—but I must tell you, you must be careful. Nefarian is not the only threat in Blackrock Mountain."
"Thank you for the reminder."
With that, Valastrasz, feeling he had no other business, used magic to collect Nefarian's corpse and vanished from Arthas's sight.
"Phew... Arthas, it's good to see you're alright."
A gryphon carried Sylvanas down from the sky. Arthas's gryphon also landed beside her under her guidance. She looked left and right, "Where's Nefarian? Did he escape?"
"No, he's dead."
"Oh, he's dead... Wait, dead?" Sylvanas was about to express her regret, but after realizing it, she was stunned for half a second. "Dead? Then where's his body?"
"Our Red Dragon ally took him away."
"That Red Dragon emissary called Valastrasz?" Sylvanas struggled for a long time before saying this sentence. Then she began to complain about Arthas's "prodigal" behavior, "Oh my goodness, that's an entire Black Dragon's corpse, and Deathwing's son at that! It's no exaggeration to say it's priceless. I bet someone in Silvermoon City would be willing to lose everything to exchange for it."
"Wealth and fame are meaningless to the Alliance now. What we need are true, powerful allies to protect our world."
Arthas felt no regret about this. Nefarian's corpse in his hands would only be a nuisance. It was better to hand this nuisance over to Malygos, the Blue Dragon Aspect, who just happened to need an outlet for his anger.
He felt that his "gift," coupled with some intelligence given to Malygos, might just move the often-crazed Dragon Aspect.
"Alright, alright, you're the one who slayed the dragon anyway. I just secretly shot a sneak arrow—honestly, it wasn't interesting at all, not even as interesting as target practice in Eversong Woods."
Sylvanas was a bit disappointed. She had expected a thrilling life-or-death battle, but the process was unexpectedly uneventful.
It was as if she had done nothing, yet received news of a powerful Black Dragon's demise.
Speaking of which, more than one powerful being like this had fallen before her, and those individuals all had one thing in common: they opposed the Alliance and Arthas.
"You're becoming increasingly unfathomable. When I first met you in Eversong Woods a few years ago, I thought you were just an ordinary paladin." Curiosity flickered in Sylvanas's eyes.
Slaying a dragon alone—this was a feat that even the Archmages of Silvermoon City had not accomplished. While it wasn't to say they absolutely couldn't do it, whether they could and whether they had were two different matters.
"Nefarian was not a particularly powerful being. His danger lay in his control over the Black Dragonflight and his endless evil experiments. His personal power was not insurmountable."
Arthas smiled, "And who said you did nothing? It was precisely that unknown arrow of yours that was the key to our victory with the smallest cost."
Sylvanas was a bit confused, "Speaking of that arrow... how did you get it? I feel like it's not a good thing."
"I once visited Northrend and stumbled upon it there. Besides, the arrow itself isn't important; what's important is its origin. Now that it has mysteriously entered Nefarian's body, it means our plan has begun."
Arthas's casual narration intensified Sylvanas's curiosity, but she managed to hold back from asking Arthas about his next move.
"It's getting late. Let's quickly take the gryphons back to the Alliance lines. If we wait too long, Blackrock Orcs' search parties might arrive."
Sylvanas chuckled, "The great Dragon Slayer Arthas, afraid of Blackrock Orcs?"
"Indeed, quite afraid—I'm afraid they'll disappear into the Burning Steppes before I can capture their Warchief." Arthas pulled on the gryphon's reins, looking pleased.
While Arthas was calm and collected, Warchief Red Blackhand, on the other side, was truly on the verge of collapse.
The Burning Steppes lacked all resources necessary for survival; everything was incredibly scarce except for minerals. The cracked land covered in volcanic ash and magma could not sustain any crops.
The Blackrock Orcs had survived here for so long partly by hunting animals on the plains, but the vast majority of their supplies came from the Black Dragonflight.
Now that Nefarian was nowhere to be found, Rend immediately knew something was terribly wrong. The situation the Blackrock Orcs were in was quite dire.
Without sufficient supplies and logistics, the Blackrock Orcs might be able to hold on for a while longer, but that meant they would surely run out of water and food before the Alliance.
The Blackrock Orcs could only barely suppress the Alliance, preventing them from counterattacking from their fortresses and strongholds. As the attacking party, their losses would definitely be much greater than the defending Alliance.
Moreover, Rend already knew that the Alliance had cut off the Searing Gorge, which meant the Alliance's supplies would face virtually no threat, unless Rend prayed that the Alliance's rear supplies would be exhausted within a week.
This was clearly impossible. Given the Alliance's arrogant level of firepower coverage, Rend doubted whether the Alliance's frontline supplies alone could be depleted within a week.
The enormous disparity and gap immediately made Rend think of escaping, but he also knew that he would be very difficult to escape, because it would not only incur the resentment of the Blackrock Orcs but also be equivalent to opening a path for the Alliance to charge in.
How could he retreat completely unscathed?