Kael'thas led the Mage Guard, Farstrider forces, and the elite troops brought by Lanathel and Liadrin, riding Dragonhawks high into the sky to survey the entire battlefield.
The Zul'Aman gate had already been destroyed by the combined spellcasting of the mages with the army, and the mixed forces and Amani Trolls were engaged in a fierce battle for the city gate.
At the front, there was close-quarters combat, while at the rear, spells clashed, and for a time, ice and fire intertwined, and arcane energy shot in all directions.
The massive city gate had become a giant meat grinder, claiming thousands of lives within less than half an hour of the battle's start.
Hundreds, even thousands, of corpses piled up at the city gate, frozen by ice and then ignited by fire, emitting a nauseating smell that wafted through the air.
Over two thousand mages were already in position, appearing on the mountains surrounding Zul'Aman.
They did not rush to cast spells together but instead arranged themselves using rune stones provided by Silvermoon City.
Medium-sized mana shields appeared, protecting over three hundred mage squads.
Immediately after, they inscribed hexagram arrays on the ground for spell positioning, helping them with mana coordination and spell synchronization to achieve combined spellcasting.
Combined spellcasting is different from single-target spellcasting; it's similar to a super-large magical ritual and requires a long time.
During this time, they would be completely unable to divert their attention and could only rely on mana shields to withstand the inevitable attacks.
Of course, there were also aerial forces.
Tens of thousands of Eagles and Dragonhawks soared into the sky from Zul'Aman; these were beasts tamed by the Amani Trolls.
These beasts were larger than adult High Elves, fast, powerful in attack, and extremely fierce in combat.
It was by relying on these beasts that the Amani Trolls were able to resist continuous attacks for 2800 years, despite being inferior to the High Elves in terms of numbers, military strength, and high-end power.
Dragonhawk Riders met them in battle.
These elite soldiers from various units, riding Dragonhawks tamed by the High Elves, circled in the sky, engaging in dogfights with Amani Eagles and Dragonhawks.
The Dragonhawk Riders carried longswords at their waists and longbows in their hands, their archery precise, able to accurately hit targets even while flying at high speeds.
Dragonhawk + Rider achieved an effect of 1+1 > 2, far surpassing what Amani beasts could achieve.
Fighting alongside them were some Rangers and mages.
After the Dragonhawks transporting the mages returned, they immediately carried High Elf Rangers and mages into the sky, making things even worse for the already outmatched Amani beasts.
The High Elves quickly gained most of the air superiority, taking the initiative.
They were the mages' greatest safety guarantee!
Deep within Zul'Aman.
Zul'jin, the Amani Warlord, gazed at the high sky and the gate, listening to the continuous sounds of battle and pained groans, his face incomparably grim, with endless fury and resentment intertwined in his heart.
This world belongs to the Trolls!
In the distant ancient times, Trolls once occupied most of the planet, even defeating the formidable Aki Insect Race and their masters, the Faceless Ones—
One of the Faceless One generals, Kihixes, was killed by the Amani Trolls!
Even the Night Elves are descendants of Trolls.
However, with the rise of the Night Elves, who established a vast empire covering most of the planet, the Trolls' living space was squeezed.
After the Well of Eternity exploded, the High Elves came to the territory that originally belonged to the Amani Trolls.
Not only did they occupy most of the land, but they also seized their holy city, tore it down, and rebuilt it, creating Silvermoon City!
2800 years ago, the Amani Trolls finally recovered their strength, and with the help of the Zandalari Tribe, summoned several loa, intending to eliminate the High Elves in one fell swoop.
However, they were caught in a pincer attack by humans and ultimately suffered a crushing defeat.
Over the years, the Amani Trolls had bided their time, slowly accumulating strength, and finally saw an opportunity with the Horde's massive invasion.
He led the Amani Trolls to join the Horde, ordering the Trolls of the Hinterlands to guide the Horde army over the mountains to rendezvous with him and attack Quel'Thalas, attack Silvermoon City.
But before the Horde army could arrive, the High Elves launched a preemptive strike, and such a fierce one at that!
"Pass down the order: we must hold on; we absolutely cannot let the High Elves break through!"
"As long as we persevere, there will be a turning point."
"Perseverance is victory!"
Zul'jin ordered sharply; although he was angry and agitated, he was not flustered.
Zul'Aman was easy to defend and difficult to attack; it would be impossible for the High Elves to break in within one or two months.
And the Horde army, currently in the Hinterlands, would arrive here in less than a month, and together they would launch a pincer attack, eliminating these hateful High Elves.
Victory would still belong to him.
Just then, Zul'jin felt something was wrong.
The arcane energy of Zul'Aman was being rapidly drained, converging from all directions.
Moreover, increasingly dense fire elemental energy was appearing on the mountains surrounding Zul'Aman.
He could even clearly sense the temperature rising; the entire Zul'Aman was getting warmer!
"Could it be..."
Zul'jin had a bad premonition and immediately dispatched his personally tamed Amani Eagles and Dragonhawks to scout.
Not long after, the beasts brought back definite news:
Thousands of mages, mostly human, had appeared in the mountains.
"Humans and High Elves have joined forces!"
"It's the same trick from 2800 years ago; they're going to burn Zul'Aman!"
Zul'jin realized the severity of the situation.
Zul'Aman was located in a valley surrounded by mountains, with the only entrance being the gate.
Now that the gate was blocked by High Elf forces, once it became a sea of fire, the hundred thousand tribesmen in the city would have nowhere to escape!
"What a vicious scheme!"
Zul'jin immediately gave orders, commanding all Eagles and Dragonhawks not to entangle with the High Elf aerial forces but to fully attack the mages, to prevent them from completing the combined spellcasting at all costs.
He knelt on one knee, muttering, "Great spirits, please heed my call!"
The next moment, at the four altars of Zul'Aman, space warped, and dense natural energy surged.
Immediately after, parts of the power of the four loa came from the Emerald Dream, passing through the barrier between the two worlds to Azeroth, condensing onto the four strongest Amani warriors, transforming them into divine avatars.
They left the altars and headed towards the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest, rushing to the winding and continuous mountains.
"Malacrass, don't go to the gate."
"If the spirits cannot stop those mages, you and I will leave immediately, head south along the eastern coastline to the Hinterlands, gather the remaining Trolls, and join the Horde allied forces!"
Zul'jin communicated with the Warlock Lord using a secret method.
They two were the true leaders of the Amani Trolls and absolutely could not be harmed.
As for the four loa?
They were merely avatars of the spirits; if they died, they died; they could always be summoned again!
Above Zul'Aman, Kael'thas, who was already prepared, discovered the commotion below at the first opportunity.
To the southeast, a Dragonhawk several meters long, with golden-red wings spread, flew through the sky. Its shadow covered a large area of the sky. That was Galaya, the Dragonhawk God.
Wherever it went, thunder boomed and lightning roared. Any enemy that dared to approach would be struck by continuous chains of lightning.
Its body was too large; a flap of its wings would stir up a fierce gale.
The Dragonhawk Riders on either side couldn't get close at all. As soon as they approached, they would be blown away by the gale, and a moment of carelessness would cause them to lose balance and fall from high altitude.
Some Dragonhawk Riders tried to intercept it head-on.
It opened its gaping maw and spewed forth rolling flames, like a Red Dragon's breath, instantly igniting over a dozen Dragonhawk Riders, burning them to cinders in an instant.
The Dragonhawk Riders had no choice but to keep their distance and attack from afar.
But with a flash of light, they were teleported next to Galaya.
Immediately after, they were struck by rolling thunder, blown over by fierce winds, and scorched by flames.
To the southwest, a bear spirit even larger than a mammoth elephant charged wildly towards the mountains, heedless of everything. That was Nalorakk, the Bear God.
It moved like a heavy tank, and every time its incredibly heavy body landed, it caused a small-scale earthquake.
No one dared to stand in its way; even if an adult giant dragon came, it wouldn't dare to face its charge directly.
Its hide was thick and tough, its defense extremely strong, and it even had high magic resistance.
Whether it was arrows shot by Farstriders or fireballs and ice arrows from mages, they landed on its body without causing any pain or itch, and it was even difficult to break through its defense.
To the northeast, a large cat several meters long raced like lightning, leaping over Zul'Aman's towering city walls in a few bounds to reach the mountains. That was Harazzi, the Lynx God.
Its speed far exceeded any human or elf mount, even faster than Dragonhawk Riders, and its movements were agile and nimble, dodging and weaving with incomparable swiftness.
Even if a dozen Farstriders shot arrows simultaneously, or a dozen mages cast spells at the same time, they couldn't hit it.
And once it set its sights on someone, it was difficult to evade, let alone block in time.
Its clawing speed was so fast that afterimages appeared.
Its claws were sharper than elven longswords, easily tearing through even elven Farstrider armor.
No one could survive if struck by it.
To the northwest, a giant eagle with a wingspan exceeding ten meters let out a high-pitched, resonant cry. Its speed was even faster than Galaya's. That was Aessina, the Eagle God.
Wherever it went, there was an endless barrage of lightning strikes and an endless storm.
No elf could lock onto it, neither Farstriders nor mages.
No one could get within a hundred meters of it, because getting close meant entering a lightning prison.
Even a veteran mage's mana shield couldn't withstand a single lightning strike.
Behind the four loa incarnations followed tens of thousands of Amani Bears, Amani Lynxes, Amani Eagles, and Amani Dragonhawks.
Those were their offspring, and also their servants.
They surged forward, forming four large armies, charging towards the mages in the mountains!
"loa, it's the loa gods worshipped by the trolls!"
Alleria cried out, immediately taking down her artifact Thas'dorah, drawing her bow and nocking an arrow, aiming at the fastest Eagle God.
With a whoosh, the specially made arrow, imbued with the Sunwell's energy, trailed a white wake of air, traveling a thousand meters in an instant, accurately hitting the Eagle God's left wing.
Then, an explosion!
This was an inherent skill of the artifact: Burst of Wind.
The power of wind continuously gathered at the arrowhead and shaft along the way, exploding the moment it hit, actually tearing through the skin, which was as tough as dragonhide, causing no small amount of true damage to the so-called god.
Skin torn, flesh exposed, blood splattered.
Blood-stained feathers floated in the sky, proclaiming the glory of this arrow and announcing the wrath of a god.
The Eagle God immediately cast Zul'jin's plea aside and charged towards Alleria!
"Is this what a god is?"
"Nothing special!"
"No wonder they were defeated by our ancestors 2800 years ago!"
Alleria took out a second arrow, nocked it onto her artifact longbow, and aimed at the charging god: "Your Highness, this wild beast is mine!"
"And us too!"
Sylvanas, Vereesa, Lor'themar, and Halduron cried out in unison.
They all drew their bows and nocked arrows, aiming at the Eagle God and its offspring.
And the Farstrider unit that followed them also emulated their actions.
Hundreds of arrows were fired simultaneously, accurately hitting giant eagles, wounding and killing them.
And the Eagle God's body gained five more arrow wounds!
"Well done!"
Kael'thas raised the quel'dorei golden staff in his hand and pointed at the Eagle God, saying, "Farstriders, heed my command! Intercept the Amani Eagles, and shoot down the Eagle God!"
"Be careful to avoid static electricity, lightning strikes, gales, and thunderstorms!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Hundreds of High Elf Farstriders mounted on hippogryphs, shot towards the flock of eagles like a gigantic arrow.
The five, led by Alleria, were the undisputed arrowhead.
Arrows shot from the gigantic arrow, killing the giant eagles that dared to approach in front and around them, sweeping all before them.
The gigantic arrow instantly pierced through the flock of eagles, killing over a hundred Amani Eagles.
The Eagle God's body gained several more arrows!
Suddenly, the enraged Eagle God let out a piercing shriek, and immediately gales howled, and lightning flashed and thunder roared.
Dark clouds gathered in the sky, covering an area of several kilometers.
The surrounding Amani Eagles immediately scattered in all directions like startled birds.
Alleria recalled Kael'thas's instruction and made a gesture: "Disperse!"
The well-trained High Elf Farstriders immediately split into four teams, scattering in four directions.
The Dragonhawks beneath them also sensed the change in the weather and the threat of death, frantically flapping their wings to escape the area.
Rumble!
The originally clear sky poured down with heavy rain, and a thunderstorm suddenly descended.
Tens of thousands of lightning bolts struck from the clouds, transforming the large area into a world of thunder, indiscriminately attacking the life within the range.
The Amani Eagles and High Elf Farstriders who couldn't escape in time, though they tried their best to dodge, were far slower than the lightning.
And once struck, they would be killed or paralyzed, falling from hundreds of meters high, still unable to escape death.
"Is this the power of a god?"
"Even if it's just an incarnation of a god, it still shouldn't be underestimated!"
Alleria's expression changed, and she said in a deep voice, "I'll tie down Aessina, you hunt the Amani Eagles!"
Only her artifact longbow could inflict significant damage on the Eagle God.
Only she could tie down the Eagle God; no one else could do it.
Even her two younger sisters, who possessed epic Windrunner combat bows, couldn't do it.
Arrows shot from the Windrunner combat bows could also wound the Eagle God.
However, that amount of damage was no different from a High Elf being bitten by a mosquito, insufficient to tie down the opponent.
She fired three arrows in quick succession, hitting the Eagle God's wings and chest, completely igniting the wrath of this loa god.
It charged recklessly towards Alleria; its eyes only saw Alleria!
Alleria remained calm in the face of danger, continuing to draw her bow and nock an arrow, this time aiming at the Eagle God's eyes.
As the distance grew shorter, the Eagle God had no choice but to dodge.
The Dragonhawk beneath her seized the opportunity to soar upwards, creating distance.
The Eagle God was about to give chase when another arrow came flying!
It dodged again, and the Dragonhawk on the opposite side once again created distance; it simply couldn't catch up!
In its fury, it had no choice but to cast spells, summoning gales and lightning strikes.
However, Alleria's senses were keen, her combat experience rich, and the Dragonhawk beneath her was the most elite, seasoned in battle, able to precisely avoid its attacks every time.
Meanwhile, the four detachments led by Sylvanas and the others were systematically hunting the Amani Eagles, achieving brilliant results.
In the sky, the number of Amani Eagles was rapidly decreasing.
Before long, they would be able to eliminate all these Amani Eagles and rendezvous with Alleria to besiege the Eagle God.
Above Zul'Aman, Kael'thas took in the battle situation to the northwest, knowing that the Farstrider unit was sufficient to cope, and so he continued to execute the predetermined plan:
"Lanathel, Liadrin, take your people along with Rommath, Solanrian, and Sephirel to intercept Harazzi, the Lynx God!"
"Thaelis, lead the mage guard to intercept Nalorakk, the Bear Demigod!"