A massive bolt of Chain Lightning arced continuously across the sky, causing hundreds of Gargoyles to fall like dumplings into a pot.
Rhodes issued a series of clear commands, and everyone performed their duties perfectly. Although the defensive line was under immense pressure, it remained as steady as a rock. The thousands of Gargoyles in the sky were quickly annihilated under the combined strikes of Rhodes's long-range units: Thunder Elementals, Ice Elementals, Titans, Wyvern Monarchs, Fire Elementals, and the massive ballistae.
At the summit, Medivh channeled Thunderbolt once more. This time, his targets were several towering figures looming in the rear of the undead army—Dreadguards, who were commanding and urging the undead to advance from the back.
Terrifying lightning descended again. The Dreadguards tried to dodge or cast protective magic in horror, but how could a strike fueled by the Guardian's wrath be so easily blocked? After the blinding flash subsided, several Dreadguards who failed to dodge were reduced to charred husks amidst their screams. Two others were severely wounded and retreated in disgrace, causing a flicker of chaos in the undead offensive.
"Beautifully done, Lord Medivh!" Rhodes praised.
Giving the Thunderbolt magic scrolls to Medivh was truly a brilliant decision.
"Rhodes, my Fire Elementals are nearly wiped out. Stand back a bit; I am going to summon them once more," Medivh's voice transmitted directly into the ears of Rhodes and the others.
The group immediately retreated. Medivh produced a Fire Elemental Summoning Scroll and infused it with his mana. Over 200 Fire Elementals emerged, serving as a fresh force that successfully held back the undead tide.
"Truly worthy of being the Guardian. He alone, with just two spells, is equivalent to an entire army," Jaina said with a look of admiration. She wondered when she might possess such formidable power. Rhodes and Capurnia nodded in agreement.
"Lord Uther, Jaina, Capernia—don't lower your guard."
The group nodded in unison and threw themselves back into the fray. However, at that moment, an even more terrifying and fel aura emanated from the rear of the undead army. Dozens of massive meteors, burning with green fel-fire and trailing tails of flame, streaked across the sky, hurtling toward the first defensive line!
Infernals! The Eredar Warlocks had made their move.
The true test was just beginning. Rhodes's eyes narrowed as he took a deep breath; he knew it was time to deploy his "special" units. Following his arrangements, the Thunder Elementals and Titans fired lightning bolts at the meteors in the sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Most of the Infernal meteors were either detonated early or knocked off course by the violent lightning energy. Green fel-fire and blue electric arcs intertwined and exploded in the air, creating a display like a doomsday firework show. The few that slipped through were weakened; they crashed in front of the defensive line, causing tremors but failing to pose a fatal threat to the core positions.
"These creations... are interesting," Archimonde the Defiler muttered to himself. If he could capture these unique magical constructs alive, perhaps he could bring them back to the Burning Throne for his master to see.
"Great Lord Archimonde, perhaps we should attempt to capture these strange magical constructs."
"Hmph. These bags of bones are no longer of much use. Order the warriors of the Legion to advance," Archimonde snorted, issuing the command to attack.
At his word, a vast tide of Dreadguards, Felguards, Felhunters, Succubi, Imps, and observers surged forward behind the undead troops. Seeing the demon army finally launch their assault, a slight smile touched Rhodes's lips.
It was time to deploy his own undead army. They couldn't move too early, as that wouldn't cause enough chaos. The best moment was exactly when the demon army committed to the field. This time, Rhodes didn't need to leave. Long before the battle began, he had positioned nearly 7,000 undead troops in ambush at the edge of the battlefield. Among them were over 6,500 Skeleton Warriors and 500 other undead units.
Raising their blades and shields, they launched a silent, determined, and suicidal charge from the flank toward the Burning Legion's ranged ranks! The play of "betrayal" Rhodes had meticulously planned was about to begin.
As the demon army moved out, Medivh greeted them with two rounds of Thunderbolt, while Rhodes threw in several Magic Arrows. This hindered the demon advance, but the demons pushed through the fire. The combat strength of the Burning Legion's demons was on an entirely different level than that of ordinary undead; a common Fire Elemental could only fight a Legion soldier to a draw.
However, before the Burning Legion could achieve any results, a bigger "surprise" followed. Just as the Eredar sorcerers were momentarily stunned by the interception of their Infernals and were preparing their next wave of spells, dense clusters of green soul-fire suddenly ignited in the shadows of their flank!
Over 6,000 Skeleton Warriors, like an army of vengeance climbing from the depths of hell, charged silently but with unstoppable momentum toward the Eredar sorcerers and the Felguards protecting them! They raised their weapons and fell upon the lower-tier demons guarding the Eredar, catching the demons completely off guard.
What is going on? Aren't these undead creatures the Legion's cannon fodder? Aren't they our servants? Why are they attacking us?
"What's happening? Where did these undead come from?" an Eredar sorcerer shouted in a mix of shock and rage. These skeletons were acting completely outside their chain of command and ignored their orders entirely.
"Damned skeletons, stop!" an Eredar warlock roared, only to be answered by a Cloud of Death.
From the hilltop, Power Lichs raised their staves, launching ranged strikes at the Burning Legion. The Clouds of Death caused the bodies of countless demons to wither as they died in agony.
"What is this? Why are these undead attacking us?" "What on earth happened?"
"It's a revolt! The Scourge has betrayed us!" another sorcerer shouted, noticing the crimson glow in the skeletons' eyes—a light that did not belong to the Scourge.
"Block them! Fast!" The Felguards scrambled to meet the charge, their axes sparking against the skeletons' bone shields.
But these Skeleton Warriors, upgraded and reinforced by Rhodes, were exceptionally resilient. They fought in groups of three to five with perfect coordination, blocking with shields and hacking wildly with rusted blades. But even more lethal threats were coming. Over 150 upgraded Wraiths drifted through the battlefield like ghosts. They bypassed the Felguards' physical defenses and lunged directly at the Eredar sorcerers.
"Ah! My mana!" an Eredar sorcerer cried out in terror as he felt his fel energy draining rapidly. His body grew weak, and the fel glow around him dimmed.
The Wraiths' mana-stealing ability proved devastating. Countless Wraiths emitted green light from their maws, siphoning away the Eredar sorcerers' power.
"Damn it, why is my mana vanishing?" "Everyone be careful! These monsters can drain our mana; their ability is similar to Felhunters!" a High Warlord of the Burning Legion shouted.
Meanwhile, the actual Scourge forces on the battlefield were also bewildered. They hadn't received an attack order from their master, the Lich King! Why were so many undead rebelling?
Before the sorcerers could recover from their mana-drained weakness, over 80 Vampire Lords lunged into the formation like black lightning. Ignoring the Felguards, they struck the casters with precision. Fangs and claws tore into Eredar flesh; with every strike, the vampires healed their own wounds, growing stronger as they fought! These swift vampires could transform into small bats, instantly bypassing the guard units to fall directly upon the Eredar.
At this point, some demons of the Burning Legion, unable to distinguish friend from foe, began attacking any undead nearby—including those of the actual Scourge. This sudden backstab by the massive undead force completely shattered the Burning Legion's offensive rhythm! The Eredar sorcerers suffered heavy losses, their formation fell into chaos, and they could no longer organize effective magical suppression against Rhodes's defensive line.
"Useless! A pack of useless fools!" the Pit Lord Azgalor roared in fury. "You can't even control your own bags of bones! That idiot the Lich King—unreliable as expected!"
The demon commander Kaz'rogal also looked grim. "Lord Archimonde, it seems the Scourge has lost control entirely. We must purge these traitors, or the consequences will be dire."
Sitting upon his demonic throne, the contempt and amusement on Archimonde's face finally vanished, replaced by a burning rage. The Scourge's betrayal—especially happening right under his nose—was a severe provocation to his authority as the Legion's commander.
"Hmph! Ner'zhul... you were hiding your little schemes after all," Archimonde stood up slowly, his massive frame radiating a suffocating pressure. "Since these bones won't listen to their master, then crush them along with the rest of the ants! The Burning Legion is invincible; we shall prevail!"
Swarms of Felhunters, berserk Felguards, Succubi wielding flaming whips, and more Dreadlords and Eredar Warlocks began a systematic purge of all undead creatures around them.
Then, something even more terrifying happened. From out of nowhere, over twenty knights clad in black armor and wielding massive horse-slayer sabers charged into the Eredar sorcerer ranks. The Dread Knights had joined the fray.