Under the command of elemental officers of various ranks, countless Elemental Creatures poured out of Molten Core, bypassing the Dark Iron Dwarves and directly launching an attack on the Alliance.
Ragnaros's minions frantically tore at the Alliance's defensive line; however, the Alliance was well-prepared for this.
Arthas had already informed Thoras of the Elemental Creatures' possible actions, and the battle-hardened King immediately put all his forces into a defensive state.
In the ensuing war, the Alliance was no longer the primary attacking force; their task was to hold the line and prevent the Elemental Creatures from breaking through the Alliance's defenses.
The true killing blow was already brewing, awaiting a suitable moment to decisively defeat Ragnaros and his minions.
The section of Darkforge City connected to Blackrock Mountain's fortress was filled with sturdy fortresses and high walls, and the structures built by the Dark Iron Dwarves now ironically provided cover for the Alliance.
Thanks to the Dark Iron Dwarves' unique construction methods and metal materials, these metal structures had excellent fire resistance, greatly reducing the threat posed by the Fire Elementals.
Coupled with the magical defenses of the Alliance's mage corps, most of the flames were nullified, leaving the remaining small embers virtually harmless.
Moreover, Exoratus made a very serious mistake: although the number of Elemental Creatures in Molten Core was extremely high, the entrance to Darkforge City could not accommodate so many Elementals at once.
Their sheer numbers, in fact, restricted the Elemental Creatures' combat effectiveness, forcing them to ultimately withdraw a large number of Elemental Creatures, leaving only the Fire Elementals and Molten Giants, most suitable for dealing with mortals, to contend with the Alliance.
Regardless, this was destined to be a fight to the death between the two sides; neither the Alliance nor the Elemental Creatures would withdraw until one side was utterly defeated.
One second to remember >
At this time, due to their previous losses and extremely poor performance, the Dark Iron Dwarves had been marginalized to the "periphery" by Ragnaros's trusted subordinates. The Dark Iron Dwarves could only sullenly remain inside Darkforge City, watching helplessly as the Fire Elementals and the Alliance "wantonly ravaged" their proud city.
Black Iron Emperor Dagran Thaurissan slammed his scepter fiercely onto the ground in front of his throne.
"This is too much! This is simply too much!"
Dagran could barely suppress the rage in his heart: these past twenty years had arguably been the most humiliating period for the Dark Iron Dwarves.
First, the Blackrock Orcs and Nefarian drove them out of Blackrock Spire, forcing them to build a new city in the abyss beneath Blackrock Mountain.
Now, the Alliance had invaded their homeland, massacred the Black Iron subjects, and once again brought the flames of war into their territory.
For Dagran, this was an utter disgrace.
Anger and resentment made the Black Iron Emperor's roar echo throughout the entire hall, and the Black Iron councilors and nobles all fell silent, not daring to provoke Dagran at this moment.
However, after the outburst of rage ended, Dagran surveyed the Black Iron nobles beneath the throne, who were cowering like timid turtles, and a profound sense of desolation rose in his heart.
—After summoning Ragnaros, the Dark Iron Dwarves became slaves to the Elemental Creatures, completely beyond their control, becoming sacrifices to Ragnaros's ambition.
Dagran certainly did not forget the humiliation the Three Hammers War brought upon the Dark Iron Dwarves. He also wanted to use Ragnaros's hand for revenge, but he sadly realized: for Ragnaros, whose power transcended the mortal realm, he and his people were nothing more than dispensable tools.
Ragnaros might destroy Ironforge and the Wildhammer Clan's Aerie Peak, but that had nothing to do with Dagran; it was merely because these "troublesome" flesh-and-blood creatures obstructed Ragnaros's plans.
Dagran, as the Emperor of the Black Iron Clan, the supreme monarch, could now only sit idly on a cold throne, with even the palace gates guarded by a Molten Giant.
And what about his councilors, those nobles?
In the face of Ragnaros and Twilight's Hammer's power, they were all nothing but cowering turtles!
Dagran closed his eyes, sighed deeply, and sat back on his throne.
As if realizing that his Emperor's mood had calmed somewhat, a councilor hesitated for a moment, picked up the Thaurissan Scepter from the ground, and handed it to Dagran with both hands.
"Great Black Iron Emperor, you need not be so angry. Ragnaros's army will crush our enemies, and the arrogant Alliance will surely meet its destruction under our might."
Dagran opened his eyes indifferently, took the scepter from the councilor's hand, and casually placed it on the armrest of his throne.
"Tell my generals and soldiers to welcome their Emperor. The Dark Iron Dwarves have already abandoned Hordemar City once; we will never lose a second city!"
The news that Black Iron Emperor Dagran was personally leading the army soon reached Arthas's ears. This didn't require any special reconnaissance, because the Black Iron Dwarf army, which had been absent from the battlefield for a long time, reappeared on the battlefield.
Moreover, the person leading the charge, riding a gray-black heavily armored war ram, wielding a warhammer and scepter, bore the Dark Iron Dwarves' iconic Black Iron Anvil mark on both sides of his shoulder plates.
"Dagran is personally leading the charge? Ha, I thought all the descendants of the Thaurissan family were cowards, only capable of whimpering and crying behind their masters!"
Magni also noticed Dagran's figure, and he made no attempt to hide his sarcasm—a mere puppet with the titles of "Emperor" and "King," no matter how splendid his armor and scepter, they were merely superficial manifestations of his hollow rule.
To be honest, to be a monarch to this extent, Dagran must be unique in Azeroth; he was both a king and a slave, the immense contrast making the title "Black Iron Emperor" sound so ridiculous.
Scoffing aside, Magni still cautiously discussed with Arthas and Thoras, "The Dark Iron Dwarves are on the move again? Do they think it's time for the final decisive battle?"
"Probably not." Arthas narrowed his eyes, his gaze piercing through the entire battlefield and landing directly on the Dark Iron Dwarves' formation. "Actually, the Dark Iron Dwarves shouldn't be here. The Fire Elementals have long been utterly disappointed with their capabilities.
In the offensive recently, not to mention the Dark Iron Dwarves, we didn't even see any golems made by the Dark Iron Dwarves, which shows that the Fire Elementals' trust in them has dropped to rock bottom."
"And even if it wasn't for that reason, the heavily damaged Dark Iron Dwarves should be recuperating in the rear, after all, Ragnaros does not lack minions." Thoras recalled the almost infinite number of monsters in Molten Core and truly couldn't understand why the Dark Iron Dwarves would appear on the battlefield at this time.
The Fire Elementals certainly did not lack troops; in terms of individual strength, the Dark Iron Dwarves were far inferior to the powerful creatures in Molten Core.
If anything, the Dark Iron Dwarves' only strong point was their tactics, but it seemed the Fire Elementals had no need for such a thing.
Ragnaros's subordinates consistently embodied one word from beginning to end, and that was "reckless"!
They cared nothing for casualties, only wanting to exert maximum pressure on the Alliance's front line, to break through the Alliance's barrier, and truly harm the Alliance's living forces.
After all, if Fire Elementals died, they could be summoned again from the Firelands, but the Alliance soldiers did not have a second life.
Dagran's decision to appear on the battlefield at this time was undoubtedly very intriguing.