"Yes, sir!"
Both units immediately set off.
Compared to the flying Eagle God, the Cat Demigod, Bear Demigod, and their offspring were much easier to deal with.
For the two units riding Dragonhawks, the Amani Mountain Cats and Amani Bears were just moving targets!
Of course, the two demigods were indeed very difficult to deal with.
However, the mages were all at the peaks of the mountains, while Zul'Aman was located in a valley embraced by the mountains.
These land beasts could only climb the mountains if they wanted to attack the mages.
And once they started climbing, even the swift Mountain Cats would have their speed drastically reduced, making it difficult to dodge arrows and spells!
The warriors and priests of the guard units worked together seamlessly.
The warriors, clad in full armor, stood on the only path up the mountain, looking down from above, blocking the ascent with their shields and greatswords.
The priests, positioned higher up, cast spells, applying protective measures like Power Word: Shield and Power Word: Fortitude to the warriors, and slowing down the Amani Mountain Cats, or even attacking them directly.
Damaging their flesh, and severely wounding their spirits!
Archmage Rommath, Grand Astromancer Solanarian, and Spiritmancer Sebisethere led a small number of elite mages, assisted by High Priestess Liadrin and the empire-like bulwark Lanathel, to actively attack the Cat God.
The Cat God, afflicted with multiple debuffs, lost its most relied-upon speed, becoming an oversized living target; its demise was only a matter of time.
On the other side, the Bear God and its offspring fared even worse.
The mage guard led by Thaelis Fellsong was the most elite mage unit in all of Quel'Thalas, not only possessing extremely powerful spellcasting abilities but also equipped with luxurious gear, all of excellent quality.
Most importantly: they had lived and trained together for many years, working in perfect sync.
Mages occupying the high ground were like undisturbed turrets, unleashing spells to their heart's content.
They summoned water to freeze into ice, making the mountain path incredibly slippery, slowing the Amani Bear's ascent, turning them into even slower moving targets than the Mountain Cats.
No matter how tough their skin was or how thick their health bars, they couldn't withstand the continuous bombardment from the mages.
The Bear Demigod received even more focused attention.
Wherever it went, trees were set ablaze, rocks were shattered, and mountain paths were destroyed.
Not only was it difficult for it to climb, but it also had to endure the scorching of mountain fires and an endless barrage of falling rocks.
No matter how thick-skinned it was, it couldn't endure such a brutal assault!
"Three gods are settled; only one remains."
Kael'thas turned his gaze towards the Dragonhawk God Galakras in the southeast, which was the other major threat besides the Eagle God.
And he had long prepared a formidable foe for it.
"Alright, if you summon a god, I'll summon a god too."
"Phoenix God, heed my call!"
Kael'thas chanted a spell, and a phoenix appeared out of thin air, its size even larger than the Dragonhawk God.
The Phoenix God, O!
This demigod creature from the Firelands had a contract with Kael'thas, serving as the High Elf prince's most powerful companion and the deity of the Phoenix race, possessing the ability to summon phoenixes.
Its flying speed was even faster than both the Eagle God and the Dragonhawk God!
It flew like a meteor towards the Dragonhawk God, shaking its wings, and fiery feathers shot out like arrows from a bowstring, striking the Amani Dragonhawks that dared to approach, igniting them with phoenix fire.
As an ancient wilderness god, the Dragonhawk God was clearly aware of the Phoenix God's existence and knew it had encountered a powerful enemy.
It also knew that its speed was inferior to its opponent's and that it couldn't avoid its attacks, so it had no choice but to engage in battle.
Since it wouldn't truly die anyway, it fought with unmatched ferocity, spitting flames from its mouth.
However, this level of fire attack posed no threat to a fire elemental demigod.
The Phoenix God didn't even dodge, crashing head-on into it.
Flame Strike!
The two massive gods collided in the sky, instantly scattering flesh and feathers, a truly horrific sight.
They separated upon impact, created distance, and then collided again!
Both the Phoenix God and the Dragonhawk God were beings that manipulated fire elemental energy.
The Phoenix God's flames could hardly inflict true damage on the Dragonhawk God.
Similarly, the Dragonhawk God's flame breath and lightning chains could not harm an elemental creature without a physical body.
They could only fight in this most primitive way.
And wherever the Phoenix God passed, a small phoenix would occasionally appear.
These small phoenixes flapped their wings, attacking the nearby Amani Dragonhawks.
They grew in number, quickly posing a significant threat to the Dragonhawk flock.
"The battle of the two gods, its outcome cannot be determined until the very end."
"And my opponents are Zul'jin and the Warlock Lord!"
Kael'thas looked down from above, scanning all of Zul'Aman, and soon spotted the two most magnificent structures.
They stood one after another, in the deepest part of Zul'Aman, which were the residences of Zul'jin and the Warlock Lord.
"loa gods cannot be truly killed by conventional means; even in death, they return to the Emerald Dream. As long as Zul'jin and the Warlock Lord are alive, they can be resummoned."
"Although the Amani Trolls are fierce and individually very strong, they are still in a primitive society and generally lack intelligence."
"The reason they have been able to resist until now is entirely due to the prestige, command, and voodoo magic of Zul'jin and the Warlock Lord."
"Only by killing them can we achieve a lasting solution and completely eliminate the Amani Trolls."
This was not some profound truth; anyone understood it.
However, understanding it was one thing; actually killing them was not easy.
Without the ability to fly, one could not enter Zul'Aman.
Without sufficiently powerful strength, it would also be impossible to kill Zul'jin and the Warlock Lord, as they were both legendary-level beings.
Normally, with four loa gods and tens of thousands of Amani Trolls and beasts protecting them, even a demigod would not fare well.
Only at this moment, with the High Elf's massive invasion, tying up most of their forces, and over two thousand mages luring the four loa gods and their offspring out of the city, was the deepest part of Zul'Aman unprecedentedly empty, making it the best time to kill these two Amani leaders.
Moreover, it had to be quick!
Once they escaped, it would be difficult to hunt them down again.
"If I remember correctly, the Warlock Lord Malacrass cannot teleport or fly."
"Zul'jin, on the other hand, is different. He has received blessings from four loa gods, possessing four animal forms, and can fly away from Zul'Aman at any time."
"Therefore, the first one to deal with is not the Warlock Lord, but Zul'jin!"
Kael'thas took one last look at the four battlefronts, ensuring that the four loa gods could not break through the defenses and threaten the over two thousand mages who were jointly casting spells, only then did he relax.
He rode a Dragonhawk, flying towards Zul'jin on the altar in the deepest part of Zul'Aman.
At the same time, Zul'jin also turned his gaze towards Kael'thas, his body tensed, his expression grave.
"Damn it, Kael'thas is coming for me!"
Without hesitation, he immediately communicated with the Warlock Lord through arcane means: "Malacrass, come quickly and help me!"
As an Amani Warlord, Zul'jin had always paid close attention to the High Elves, knowing all the details of their high-ranking members.
He had spies in Silvermoon City who regularly collected intelligence on the high-ranking members for him.
Whether it was the King, the councilors, the Chief Archmage, the Chief Priest, or the Ranger-General, their general strength had been proven through their various actions.
Only Kael'thas was an exception.
Because Kael'thas spent most of his time in the human kingdom of Dalaran.
That magical city was too far away and had powerful detection methods, making it difficult for his trolls to infiltrate.
Even if they did get in, they couldn't get close to Kael'thas—
Even among the mage community, who were generally homebodies, Kael'thas was a homebody among homebodies.
As a member of the Kirin Tor Council and one of Dalaran's actual power holders, this fellow not only didn't participate in teaching or make public appearances, he barely even attended meetings, spending most of his time in the library and laboratory!
Due to his noble status, Kael'thas had almost no combat records since he became an Archmage.
No one knew how strong his spellcasting ability was or how deep his mana reserves were.
It could be said that, besides the deceased Medivh, Kael'thas was the most mysterious mage in this world.
But one thing could be confirmed:
Kael'thas's personal strength could definitely rank among the top three in Dalaran, and it was highly possible he had reached the legendary tier.
Because the other two top-three existences, Archmage Antonidas and Red Dragon Mage Krasus, had both praised Kael'thas's magical attainments on more than one public occasion.
Even the culprit who single-handedly orchestrated the Troll Wars 2800 years ago, which led to the Amani Trolls' decline, the current King of Quel'Thalas, the living legend Anasterian Sunstrider, had proudly declared:
Kael'thas's magical attainments had surpassed his own, directly rivaling those of his ancestor Dath'Remar.
There were even rumors that Kael'thas's magical talent was no less than that of Illidan ten thousand years ago!
Of all of Quel'Thalas, Kael'thas was the one he feared the most.
So, from the moment he discovered those mages, he had been searching for Kael'thas, because he knew very well:
Anasterian, as the King and already old, would never go to the front lines personally; the High Elves' supreme commander must be Kael'thas.
He even prepared for a decapitation strike.
As soon as he found Kael'thas, he would transform into a Dragonhawk, quickly approach, ambush, and capture Kael'thas.
Using Kael'thas as a hostage, he would force the High Elves to retreat.
Of course, in his opinion, this was just wishful thinking.
How could that Prince, who had never been on a battlefield, risk going into battle?
He would definitely stay in the rear, protected by layers of guards, making an assassination almost impossible.
But he never expected that Kael'thas would actually come above Zul'Aman, and even charge at him alone!
"Kael'thas, you are seeking your own death!"
Watching the High Elf Prince get closer and closer, Zul'jin sneered incessantly.
Just a moment ago, he was still surprised by the High Elves' tactics.
To allocate the battle plan in such a short time, successfully block the four loa gods, preventing them from threatening the mages and stopping the combined spellcasting.
Zul'Aman's destruction was imminent!
At that moment, he truly believed it was all Kael'thas's doing, and deep down, he was full of apprehension towards this High Elf Prince who kept his abilities hidden.
But now, he deeply suspected:
All the plans originated from the High Elf Ranger Lirath Windrunner, or Anasterian, or Archmage Antonidas.
Kael'thas was just a prince who looked impressive but was empty inside, here to gain experience!
Clearly having victory in his grasp, yet adventuring alone—this wasn't bravery, but foolishness.
"Kael'thas, you delivered yourself to me, so don't blame me!"
Zul'jin concentrated, staring intently at Kael'thas, waiting for Kael'thas to reach the altar before launching an attack immediately.
He was experienced and knew that powerful mages must be proficient in Teleportation and Blink, able to escape at any time if the situation became unfavorable.
And he would never give Kael'thas a chance to escape!
He would use a continuous barrage of attacks to interrupt Kael'thas's spellcasting and keep Kael'thas here.
He didn't even plan to capture Kael'thas by himself, as the difficulty was too great.
As long as he could stall until Warlock Lord Malacrass arrived, then a legendary Troll Headhunter and a legendary Troll Priest working together would surely be able to take him down!
"Closer, getting closer!"
Zul'jin gripped the Twisted Prophecy Blade in his hand, but then saw the Dragonhawk suddenly stop a hundred meters away.
The High Elf Prince, whom he had initially thought to be reckless, was riding on the Dragonhawk's back, holding up the epic-quality quel'dorei golden staff, and chanting a spell.
Dense red elemental energy furiously gathered, forming balls of flame that landed on the wooden bridge between the two deepest buildings in Zul'Aman.
The already dry wooden bridge immediately caught fire from the elemental flames, crackling and sparking, cutting off the fastest route for the Warlock Lord's reinforcement.
Between the Warlock Lord's palace and the altar was Zul'Aman's largest inner-city lake, connected only by this one bridge.
At this moment, the Warlock Lord couldn't possibly charge through the fire; he could only take a detour, which would definitely cause a significant delay!
"Damn it!"
"I guessed wrong, Kael'thas isn't reckless at all!"
"He guessed I would summon Malacrass, and the reason he charged straight at me was actually because he was worried I would escape!"
"Seeing that I didn't escape, he immediately cut off Malacrass's path of reinforcement."
"Now, I can only fight alone... No!"
"Malacrass can't get over, but I can!"
Zul'jin made a decisive move, transforming into an Amani Eagle, flapping his wings, and circling around from the south side.
At the same time, the Warlock Lord also led his eight servants, circling from the south side, intending to rendezvous with him.
In mid-air, Kael'thas immediately noticed the two trolls' movements, continued his previous strategy, flew his Dragonhawk above Zul'jin, then cast a spell, launching a barrage of large fireballs.
Fist-sized fireballs, one after another, were fired in quick succession, blocking Zul'jin's front, back, left, right, and above.
Zul'jin quickly dodged.
Just then, Kael'thas disappeared.
Blink!
He flashed, appearing directly above Zul'jin, and swung the quel'dorei golden staff, striking Zul'jin's head!
The staff, almost as tall as him, wielded with the full might of an adult High Elf, moved extremely fast and with great force.
The edges of the metal staff head, specially sharpened at his strong request, were as keen as an Elven sword, and now heavily chopped into Zul'jin's eagle head, cutting through feathers and skin, embedding deeply into the skull.
With a crack, the Amani Eagle's skull, harder than rock, was forcibly split open, revealing the brain hidden within.