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A magnificent Dark Portal stood tall on the site of what was once the Ogre Arena. Kargath led a group of orc slaves who had escaped from the Ogre prison, watching over the ogres who had become slaves after their defeat as they carried materials.
A metal blade was installed on his broken limbs, and the orc slaves who had gained their freedom by injuring their bodies with him were also equipped with various metal weapons.
They spontaneously formed a new orc clan, the Shattered Hand Clan.
They are passionate and free, unbridled and tyrannical. Once free, they are extremely difficult to control. The only one who can make them obey orders wholeheartedly is High Priest Held, who defeated the ogres and united most of the orc clans.
The elemental magic and its power, like a natural disaster, deeply shocked their hearts, liberated them, granted them freedom, and gained their respect.
Power and respect, as long as these two points are achieved, most orcs are willing to obey orders, even if the other party is not an orc.
Oshu'gun.
"Is this the Shadowmoon Clan's treasure?" Held gazed at the massive black mountain. Energy surged through her body, and as Ner'zhul and the others watched in astonishment, she lifted the massive mountain into the air. Sharp magical forces shaved away chunks of the mountain, revealing a black star.
Powerful shadowy forces emanated from the star, and the air seemed to be filled with the whispers of the void. Shamans like Ner'zhul were extremely sensitive to these whispers. These whispers reminded them of their own taboos.
"Shadow, Light, Fel, the arcane of Azeroth," Held whispered to herself. She thought it might be time to awaken the Apostle's Heart. But that would require sufficient energy of the corresponding attributes.
"You made the right decision." Held stuffed the Dark Star into the Sky Paladin's portal, turned around and looked at Ner'zhul and other Shadowmoon Clan shamans. As they bowed slightly, the portal in the sky fell rapidly, shrinking all the way, covering her completely, and then swallowed her up and disappeared, leaving only her few words in the ears of Ner'zhul and others.
"Take the warriors of your tribe and go to the gathering place. You will gain the power and knowledge I promised you."
…
Lordaeron.
"Your Majesty, the Archmage implores you to go to the Dragon Tower to witness." A court mage transformed into a flying bird and returned to human form under the throne. He bowed slightly to Terenas, who looked a little old, and reported.
"Is Kel'Thuzad going to succeed?" Terenas Menethil opened his slightly squinted eyes, a look of surprise on his face.
"Yes, the Grand Mage is about to completely control one of the floors of the Dragon Tower. The Kingdom of Lordaeron will permanently enjoy the resources produced by the Dragon Tower." The court mage also gave an affirmative answer with a smile.
"That's good. Tell him that I will bring people to witness it. Don't forget, he still owes me a secret that I want." Terenas stood up from the throne and said to the court mage who reported the news.
…
Dragon Tower.
"Your Majesty!" Kel'Thuzad bowed slightly to Terenas who came with his army.
"You did it, Master," Terenas said from his horseback. "I've bought you thirty years. If you don't succeed again, we'll have to wait for the next time. By then, you might only be able to hope to reach a cooperation with my successor."
"You will remain young forever. I promised you that!" Kel'Thuzad also knew that Terenas was not complaining, but stating an imminent fact.
After all, the Dragon Tower Key had a predetermined retention period, agreed upon by the original factions. Beyond the original ten years, Lordaeron had forcibly held it for over twenty more years under various pretexts. Lordaeron's military changes were impossible to conceal from the other kingdoms, leading to widespread dissatisfaction with Lordaeron's overbearing tactics.
Although they would not unite to do anything against Lordaeron now, various inquiries and pressures had been flying towards Lordaeron frantically and intensively in recent years. Even the elves had sent envoys to inquire.
Although the other party didn't express any dissatisfaction or inclination, it still made Terenas feel troubled. He even had to think about it. Now it was those kingdoms, the mages and elves of Dalaran. If he continued to make excuses and drag it out, would the guardian dragons come?
But at this moment, fate finally chose to stand on his side, and Kel'Thuzad's plan was successful!
"I hope so." Terenas was excited, but he didn't show it on his face. He came here to completely control a portal in the Dragon Tower with Kel'Thuzad's help.
From ancient times to the present, no other force has ever been able to achieve what he did. Kel'Thuzad seemed to possess many of the secrets and knowledge of the Dragon Tower.
"It's a vast energy completely different from the arcane. It's the convergence of human hearts! It's naturally suited to powerful monarchs. I believe the Tyrannosaurus King built this tower to harvest the power of human hearts. But unfortunately, he was exiled and sealed before the tower could reach maturity.
For millennia, its body has amassed the power of human hearts. These forces are unmarked by anyone; they are ownerless. What the Tyrannosaurus King failed to acquire, Your Majesty will now grasp in your hands.
You will ascend to heaven in one step and become a demigod!" Kel'Thuzad congratulated Terenas with enthusiasm.
"The power of human heart." Terenas repeated it in his mouth, his eyes shining slightly.
"You can also understand it as faith! This is a power that only the king can inherit, and it is also the limit set by the Tyrannosaurus Rex for this power." Kel'Thuzad said.
"When does it start?" Terenas was already a little impatient, but he still remained calm. He looked at Kel'Thuzad and asked.
"We have reached the final stage." Kel'Thuzad made way and motioned Terenas to enter the tower with him.
…
In front of the massive black portal, on the flattened and reinforced expanse of ground, lay a dense mass of orc troops. They were the most elite and powerful warriors carefully selected from within a clan. They were also the advance force sent to the new world.
All the orcs' eyes were fixed on the cloaked figure floating in mid-air in front of the portal. Even the most unruly of the Broken Hand Clan showed no impatience with the long wait. Instead, they were filled with anticipation.
Destruction, anger, tyranny, conquest.
They are more extreme than ordinary orcs, and are even more powerful with the power bestowed by Held.
Finally, under the expectant gazes of all the orcs, the tranquil black portal finally rippled, creating a wave. A huge teleportation light curtain opened from the portal, and with the humming sound of energy, it opened before the orcs.
"Go, conquer a new world for the orcs and for the life of Draenor!" Held's voice spread to the ears of all the orcs, as if it sounded in their minds.
As soon as she finished speaking, the orcs, who had been unable to wait any longer, immediately turned into a brown torrent, trampling the earth and shaking it, and rushed towards the black portal one after another.
…
"What is that?" Terenas, who was heading towards the Dragon Tower, suddenly seemed to see a flash of light on the tower. He guided it with the sword in his hand. While asking the question, a hint of uneasiness flashed through his heart.
"What is that?" Kel'Thuzad followed Terenas's blade and saw a portal in the Dragon Tower glowing brightly. A surge of energy gushed out, creating a massive portal in the void. Then, a swarm of brown monsters swarmed out from the portal.
As the only conspicuous life in the surroundings, Terenas and his army saw the brown monsters swarming out, turning a corner almost without stopping, and rushing towards them, waving weapons and roaring.
Seeing this scene, Terenas finally realized where his inner uneasiness came from. He first glared at Kel'Thuzad, who looked confused, while waving his sword, ready to deal with the impact.
At the same time, the court mage who came with the team also prepared materials and magic under his orders, preparing to open a large portal back to Lordaeron.
Terenas only hoped that this elite army, armed to the teeth, could buy him a little more time. At least, until the portal opened and he could lead his men away!
Whistling axes were thrown in the air, and a team of about thirty soldiers holding shields stood out from the team. Under the stimulation of the energy crystals embedded in the shields, the wind spells engraved on them rushed out from the shields, turning into strong wind waves that rushed forward and swept the whistling axes into the air.
This was a method specifically designed to counter long-range attacks like battle array arrows. Correspondingly, there was also the Rock Spell, which was used to counter powerful impacts and magical bombardments.
Over the past thirty years, the Kingdom of Lordaeron, under the control of Terenas, has plundered a vast amount of magical materials from the Dragon Tower at all costs, including the bones of more than a dozen giant dragons.
These resources equipped Lordaeron with its most powerful army. Even more magnificent than the military equipment were Lordaeron's court mages. Leveraging its vast wealth and the magical knowledge provided by Kel'Thuzad, the royal family of Lordaeron had recruited and trained numerous powerful mages over the decades, even catching up with the mage city of Dalaran in fame.
Of course, it was just catching up. Whether it was its heritage or other aspects, as well as its appeal to human mages, Dalaran was still the crown that was second to none.
Vast resources were poured into the mages, who in turn crafted numerous magical scrolls and equipment according to Terenas's specifications. Little by little, with the increasing number of mages, Terenas finally amassed a powerful army of magical equipment. Its opulence was unmatched by any other human kingdom today.
Perhaps only the kingdom of the elves can match his powerful army.
This was also the foundation of his ability to remain calm and composed despite facing an overwhelming number of orc warriors despite the disparity in numbers. This invincible army of a thousand men was the source of his confidence.
However, Terenas's confident expression soon froze. He realized that while the orcs' equipment was inferior to his own soldiers, their strength was formidable. Especially since among them were shamans, similar to human mages, who could harness the power of elements to harm them.
The human soldiers formed a circle, protecting the mages and Terenas in the center. The orcs finally rushed over and clashed with the soldiers.
The court mages of Lordaeron who did not participate in the portal spell also took action, resisting the attacks of the orc shamans and launching magical counterattacks against the orcs.
As the orcs poured out of the gate in ever-increasing numbers, the pressure on the human soldiers grew. Although they were always facing only a limited number of orcs, their fearlessness and strength somewhat offset the human soldiers' equipment advantage. This made the human soldiers' formation like a stretched string, ready to break at any moment.
Looking at the dead soldiers, Terenas's fury was almost unspeakable. These were the elite soldiers he had painstakingly selected and trained, at the cost of vast sums of money and Lordaeron's national strength. The death of even one was enough to cause him grief, but the loss of all that expensive magical equipment was even more than just grief.
It's the heartache that makes my eyes go dark!
The orcs obviously regarded those magical equipment as their trophies. Every time they killed a soldier, they would strip him of all his equipment.
In the end, before the defenses were breached, the court mages opened the portal to Lordaeron.
Terenas, with a gloomy face, led his men to gradually retreat into the portal.
Seeing them trying to escape, the orcs attacked the human soldiers' formation almost like crazy, but apart from saving the lives of some human soldiers, they could only watch as the light of the portal turned from bright to dim, and finally disappeared into the air with a crackling sound.
…
The Heart of the Apostle was activated by Held in the Dragon Tower. Under the spiritual energy stored in the Dragon Tower, its creator was embodied in the tower as a representative of energy.
Apostle Luke!
A Luke who cannot connect to the Internet, a Luke who can only play single-player games, a Luke who relies on the energy of the Dragon Tower, and a Luke who is just an energy clone and may not even know that he has been materialized and exists, was created by Held with the Apostle's Heart.