#642game opening
Chapter 642 The Opening of the Chess Game
Kil'jaeden is a formidable opponent, and defeating him will be no less difficult than defeating Archimonde; there's no doubt about that.
The army that ventured to Draenor would be hard-pressed to field a lineup as luxurious as the one that faced Archimonde, but this doesn't mean there's no chance of victory against Kil'jaeden.
Draenor is not the homeworld of the Azerothians, and even the Fel Orcs aren't particularly concerned about the world's future.
It's already in such a terrible state, how much worse could it get?
Among the remaining intelligent races of Draenor, the Arakkoa, thanks to their good relationship with the Draenei, gained Andreas's approval, allowing them to relocate to Azeroth in an emergency on Draenor.
The shattering of Draenor caused significant harm to the planet's native inhabitants; the Arakkoa, who once numbered in the millions, suffered considerable losses during their evacuation from the rapidly disintegrating Spires of Arak.
Currently, the Arakkoa living in Auchindoun and Shattrath barely total over a million, which is already considered one of Draenor's better-preserved races.
The black dragons of Blade's Edge Mountains were long ago corrupted by Deathwing's mad blood. As for the Gronn, a small population, bringing them back to Azeroth would only cause trouble, so Andreas had no interest in them. However, the resilient Stonemaul Ogres of Blade's Edge Mountains did catch Andreas's attention.
Ordinary ogres have low intelligence, and most of the intelligent two-headed ogres were decimated during the fall of the Gorian Empire and the subsequent slaughter by the Old Horde.
With sufficient food and strict discipline, ogres would not be too difficult to domesticate. Their strong physiques make them decent fighters, and they could be trained into excellent cannon fodder in the future.
The Ethereal Consortium in Netherstorm had long received Andreas's promise that they could immediately relocate to Azeroth if the situation changed.
As for the Revantusk and the Wardens... in the words of Prince Haramad, they could go to hell.
Since there was no need to worry about Draenor's future, Andreas could set up his plans with even greater abandon.
With the support of the Ethereal Consortium, Andreas ordered a large number of weapons and mana grids from the Ethereals, turning the entire Hellfire Peninsula into an impregnable fortress.
Because Andreas had slaughtered the demons of Kil'jaeden's Throne, and with deliberate intelligence blockade, Kil'jaeden, who was on his way to Draenor, was still unaware of Kazzak's death.
Illidan scanned the memories in Kazzak's lingering soul and learned that he had a beacon placed inside him by Kil'jaeden.
Andreas used Kazzak's body as bait, feigning the continued existence of Kil'jaeden's Throne, deliberately luring Kil'jaeden's fleet to land on Hellfire Peninsula.
Draenor's historical mission was nearing completion. The three Naaru guarding Shattrath, Auchindoun, and Karabor Temple were all transferred to Hellfire Citadel, preparing for the final battle.
As Tyrande's army captured the Legion base in Netherstorm, at Andreas's behest, the local demons had already relayed the news of their defeat to Kil'jaeden's flagship...
"Netherstorm has fallen?" Kil'jaeden mused thoughtfully from his throne on the flagship. "That's somewhat within expectations. Any new messages from Kazzak?"
"None," an Eredar respectfully reported, kneeling on one knee before Kil'jaeden. "Ever since Illidan returned to Draenor, we've lost contact with Hellfire Peninsula. Some interference has cut off communication to and from the peninsula; we can only faintly detect the beacon within Kazzak."
Kil'jaeden frowned slightly. Though he had no concrete evidence, his extensive combat experience from conquering multiple worlds made him vaguely sense a threat from the sudden loss of contact.
"Maintain the planned course, but prepare for battle before entering Draenor's atmosphere. I have a bad feeling."
"Yes!"
"Also," Kil'jaeden's face showed a playful expression, "how is the other plan progressing?"
The Eredar messenger also smiled sinisterly. "Everything is going smoothly. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, our sleeper agents will act at the scheduled time."
"Good, continue to monitor the situation."
Kil'jaeden leaned his hand against the back of the chair, resting his cheek, a playful smile on his lips.
"Since you want to play a game of chess, I will see it through to the end. Let's see who the ultimate winner is."
..."A message from Azeroth?" Andreas raised an eyebrow after hearing Romul's report. "What's going on? What did the message say?"
Romul shook his head. "To be precise, the connection wasn't formally established."
"Ever since Kazzak launched a full-scale attack on Draenor, external communications from Draenor have been intermittent. The Burning Legion must have done something. This communication was the same; we could only hear chaotic'static' sounds."
Andreas had long been aware of the poor communication issues. Before departing for Draenor, contact between Azeroth and Shattrath City had become very unstable.
Turning to look at the demon hunter who was toying with the Skull of Go'el, Andreas asked directly, "Illidan, are there any memories in Kazzak's mind related to communication disruption?"
"No," Illidan replied flatly. "If there were, I would have already dealt with it. It seems to be a contingency secretly arranged by Kil'jaeden. Kazzak only knew that such a thing existed, but he was completely ignorant of the specific principles."
"A message from Azeroth, and at this particular time."
Andreas had a bad feeling. In modern warfare, smooth intelligence flow is crucial, which is why he deliberately spread signal jamming waves to cut off communication between Kil'jaeden and Hellfire Peninsula.
Without any concrete evidence, but with Azeroth suddenly sending a signal at this time, Andreas speculated that there must have been some unexpected incident internally.
With Jarod and Maiev and others stationed in Azeroth, there shouldn't be any major issues that would jeopardize the overall situation. But if an unexpected situation were to arise during the decisive battle on Hellfire Peninsula...
"Danath, take the Alliance Expeditionary Force to the Dark Portal immediately. Constantly monitor the gate's situation and report any problems at the first instance."
"If the Dark Portal suddenly reopens, you must stop the demons rushing out from the other side of the gate."
"Yes! But..."
Danath instinctively accepted the mission, but his expression seemed hesitant.
"The Dark Portal? It shouldn't be possible to open it from the Azeroth side, right?"
Andreas narrowed his eyes and said, "From our perspective, it is indeed impossible, but this gate was originally built using fel energy. It's hard to say whether Kil'jaeden left any contingencies when Go'el oversaw its construction."
"Go, just in case. It's best if nothing happens, but if we are attacked from behind without preparation..."
Danath's eyes sharpened; having experienced many battles, he was well aware of the consequences such a situation would cause.
"Yes! I guarantee the mission will be completed!"
Illidan chuckled, a slight smile on his lips. "No wonder Tyrande has always been suppressed by you. Tyrande would indeed find it difficult to possess such foresight and caution."
Andreas ignored Illidan's teasing. Although he had made targeted arrangements, the unease in his heart had not completely dissipated.
'When did Kil'jaeden make arrangements for Azeroth, or... was this one of the sleeper agents planted long ago?'
'And who is the insider? The Legion generals Archimonde brought into Azeroth should have all been wiped out, right? Could it be...'
Recalling Medivh possessed by Sargeras, Andreas thoughtfully stroked his chin. 'Was it a move from that time?'
There's no turning back now. No matter what tricks Kiljaeden had played in the shadows, things had come to a point where they could only deal with whatever came their way.
He had rushed to Netherstorm with his flagship and fleet for a rescue mission, only to unfortunately encounter the planetary rift caused by Illidan, which resulted in some losses for the fleet.
Coupled with the gloom and sense of threat he felt when contacting Sargeras, Kiljaeden's current mood was a mix of fury and anticipation.
The fury went without saying, while the anticipation came from Velen.
Before losing contact with Kruul, Kiljaeden had already obtained vital intelligence from him.
Velen had also returned to Draenor with the Azeroth Expeditionary Force, likely with the purpose of welcoming back the Naaru who had been diligently guarding the three fortress cities.
It was difficult for outsiders to grasp the complex relationship between Kiljaeden and Velen; even Archimonde, a fellow member of the Triumvirate, could not understand Kiljaeden's obsession with Velen.
Strictly speaking, Archimonde was actually a junior to Velen and Kiljaeden. The final member of the original Triumvirate was the former leader of the Arcane Conservatory, Thal'kiel, who was Archimonde's mentor.
At that time, Archimonde was not yet the brute who only knew how to crush others with power. As an apprentice, he had used a devious plan to scheme against his mentor, Thal'kiel, tempting him to be controlled by Fel Energy and leading him down a path of evil step by step.
Ultimately, Thal'kiel failed in the Eredar civil war, and his Fel-infused head was made into Archimonde's most precious collectible, displayed in his manor.
As the hero who personally suppressed Thal'kiel's rebellion, Archimonde was elected as a member of the Triumvirate, leading the Eredar forward alongside Velen and Kiljaeden.
But Velen had always remained wary of this rising star colleague, always feeling that there was something fishy about Thal'kiel's fall and death.
As it turned out, Archimonde was naturally predisposed to the temptation of dark powers. When Sargeras arrived disguised as a Bronze Titan form to persuade the Eredar, Archimonde was the first member of the Triumvirate to decide to join him.
Because of his suspicions about Sargeras, and seeing that he could not convince Kiljaeden and Archimonde to change their minds, Velen fled Argus at the final moment of the Triumvirate's vote.
Archimonde didn't really care about this; having one more Velen would have just meant one more competitor within the Legion.
But Kiljaeden, who had worked with Velen for tens of thousands of years, could not tolerate his betrayal. For millennia, the deceiver had been relentlessly searching for Velen's whereabouts, and most of the demons hunting the Draenei were his direct subordinates.
Velen, with his gift of foresight, had turned many crises into safety. Kiljaeden's fury burned ever brighter, fueled by an obsession that had gone unfulfilled for so many years.
This time, he had finally seized the opportunity to personally rush to Draenor to capture that traitor who had been perfidiously fleeing for tens of thousands of years... Velen was not unaware of Kiljaeden's hatred for him, but he had never regretted his original decision, even though he had lost many important things because of it, including his wife and son whom he hadn't had time to evacuate from Argus.
The brutality and corruption of the Eredar after joining the Burning Legion gave Velen the motivation and warning to constantly monitor the development path of the Draenei people. Because he had been personally involved in everything for so long, the Draenei had become somewhat overly dependent on his power of prophecy.
After the Genedar crashed on Draenor, Velen briefly lost his Prophet's ability to guide the Draenei. It was only then that he realized his mistake and established the Council of Bishops to mend the situation, delegating the task of leading the people to the outstanding juniors within the race.
Gazing at the sky of the shattered Draenor, where strange and magnificent bands of light drifted, an unusual light flickered in Velen's eyes.
"It is coming."
His slightly glowing eyes returned to normal, and Velen solemnly warned, "Kiljaeden's fleet is less than half a day's journey from Draenor. We can begin the final preparations."
Andreas let out a long breath, using it to regulate his emotions.
The leaders of the various races around him were also on high alert. This time, they were not fighting on their home turf of Azeroth, with the help of the Wild Gods and Aspects.
Against Kiljaeden, they could only rely on Draenor's existing resources and their own abilities. Everyone about to participate in the battle felt an immense pressure in their hearts.
"Let's begin."
After steadying his emotions, Andreas said in a heavy voice to Celeste, "Activate the equipment the Aetherial Consortium leased to us. Notify everyone to prepare for the decisive battle."
With Andreas' order, the entirety of Draenor began to move.
It wasn't just the intelligent creatures living on the surface of the shattered Draenor; quite literally, the entire "Draenor" was in motion.
Today's Draenor was long since incomplete. The planetary core had been lost when Ner'zhul tore the world apart, and what floated in the universe was merely the remains of the original planet Draenor.
Although these remains remained stable for the time being, no one knew when they might suddenly disintegrate or be destroyed by threats from space.
These threats could be man-made or natural forces, such as meteor showers and intense solar storms.
The Ethereal equipment buried throughout Draenor began to operate at full capacity. At the Throne of the Elements in Nagrand, the four Elemental Lords simultaneously felt something unusual.
The energy of the shattered Draenor was rapidly draining—not just the elements, but also the Arcane, the Fel Energy seeping into the earth, the Holy Light, the Shadow, and all other forms of energy.
The gathered planetary energy was concentrated in Hellfire Peninsula, where countless strangely shaped metal objects were erected on the barren land.
These objects looked very simple from the outside, consisting only of a base rooted in the ground and two symmetrical semi-circular tubes splitting from the middle.
Thousands of identical objects were densely distributed across the entire Hellfire Peninsula. As the planetary energy was injected, arcs of energy began to flicker in the central space between the semi-circular tubes aimed at the sky.
These unknown objects were weapons: anti-spaceship defense turrets urgently redeployed from other branches of the Aetherial Consortium.
Originally, these newly delivered turrets were prepared by Nexus-Prince Haramad for himself, just in case of the worst-case scenario.
But now that the crisis in Netherstorm had long been resolved, after Andreas promised to pay the fees, Haramad took the opportunity to sell these weapons to him.
When all the defense turrets buried in Hellfire Peninsula were fully charged and ready to fire, the ground of Draenor also began to shake violently.
With its remaining planetary energy being heavily drained, this shattered land began its countdown to collapse.
After precise calculations by technicians like Hataru and Romul, Draenor would not completely crumble in the short term, but the time left for the desperate Allied Forces was certainly not abundant.
Andreas and the others, staring intently at the sky, finally saw a flash of Fel Energy green light in the distance. An entire fleet of fel warships exited warp speed and appeared above Hellfire Peninsula.
The cautious Kiljaeden ordered all weapons to be activated the moment the ships decelerated, but the better-prepared Draenor struck first, giving the Burning Legion a preemptive blow.
Andreas raised his staff toward the hundreds of fel warships in the sky. "Fire! No need to conserve energy or weapon life; blast them until they're scrap!"
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"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Countless Ethereals' anti-air turrets, arranged like a hedgehog across Hellfire Peninsula, simultaneously began firing.
Slender energy blasts erupted from the center of the opened semi-circular tubes, launching a dense barrage from bottom to top, like a reverse rain of light.
Kiljaeden had indeed guessed that Draenor would be prepared to "welcome" his arrival, but he hadn't expected them to go to such extremes.
According to Kruul's last transmitted intelligence, the Azeroth Expeditionary Force had only brought four small Naaru frigates, which would be crushed by Kiljaeden's entire fleet.
The bombardment, fueled by the planet's energy, possessed extremely strong penetrating power. The fel warships had just emerged from warp travel, and their weapons had barely begun to warm up when they were met with a head-on, concentrated barrage.
The sky erupted with countless dazzling light effects like fireworks—the recoil light generated when energy blasts struck the fel warships' shields.
The allied soldiers operating the anti-air turrets had received orders: they were not to stop attacking for a single moment until the turret was destroyed or its energy was depleted.
The Ethereals' technological level was high; with the planet providing energy, their weapons could pose a sufficient threat to the Burning Legion's fel warships.
the Legion warships' shields visibly weakened under the relentless barrage, but at the same time, the fel warships overcame the initial one-sided attack and began to retaliate with their onboard weapons.
Beacons of war began to ignite across Hellfire Peninsula; fel shells hitting the ground would blast open massive craters, but the bombardment from both sides covered the entire sky, and more often, shells would collide in mid-air, creating dazzling fireworks.
Kiljaeden's flagship, the "Deceiver," possessed thicker shields and fiercer firepower than other warships. When the Ethereals' bombardment clashed with the deceiver's weapons, it was usually overwhelmed and defeated.
Most of the craters on the ground of Hellfire Peninsula were masterpieces created by the deceiver.
"Boom!"
The energy barrier above Hellfire Citadel was directly hit by the deceiver's secondary weapon attack, causing the Fel Orc warlocks, who were drawing Magtheridon's power in the basement to construct the defensive system, to simultaneously spit out a mouthful of fresh blood.
On the city wall, an exceptionally strong, red-skinned Fel Orc bared his fangs, gazing at the battle in the sky. "Is this what fighting the Burning Legion is like? It's world-destroying... When will it be our turn to move out?"
Illidan patted the Fel Orc's thick arm, reassuring him, "Don't worry, young Hellscream, there will be a chance. Kiljaeden can't rely on a continuous bombardment to break through Draenor forever, especially since his most desired sweet bait is here."
Ysera, hearing this, angrily accused, "Illidan! Show some respect!"
"It's fine."
The "sweet bait," Velen, smiled indifferently and waved his hand, signaling Ysera to step down.
Having lived for tens of thousands of years, Velen had a wealth of life experience and was long past the stage of being provoked by words. Moreover, while Illidan's statement was rather obnoxious, it was fundamentally true.
Andreas' eyes narrowed. "They're here, the Legion's landing craft."
The continuous bombardment, lasting nearly half an hour, caused significant losses on both sides. Over forty percent of the anti-air turrets on Hellfire Peninsula were disabled, and many fel warships outside the atmosphere were riddled with holes, drifting as derelict wrecks in space.
As the exchange of fire thinned, the remaining Legion warships dispatched suicide squads aboard landing craft, braving the gunfire to force a landing.
Most landing craft were destroyed in mid-air, crashing into the ground trailing black smoke, but some lucky ones managed to evade the aerial barrage.
Upon landing, the demons inside the craft immediately opened their hatches, planting fel beacons in the ground, quickly establishing a connection between the fleet and Hellfire Peninsula.
Since Andreas had siphoned all of Draenor's planetary energy, the Burning Legion's fel portal could only be powered by their starships.
To support the portal's operation, more energy from the fel warships was allocated to the ground, weakening their own defenses and counterattacks to varying degrees.
More warships were destroyed as a result, adding a large amount of space debris to the cosmic space outside Draenor.
Kiljaeden did not, as usual, calmly command from his flagship this time. After the demons infiltrating Hellfire Peninsula gradually formed a sizable force, Kiljaeden, roughly two times Velen's height, teleported from the flagship.
The size of Eredar typically represented their immense power; Archimonde, who loved grand displays, wished to maintain his maximum form at all times.
But the more pragmatic Kiljaeden was different; a large body meant a large target, and in the current fierce bombardment, he could easily become a living target for the enemy.
Although Kiljaeden was confident that the Ethereals' weapons could not penetrate his shields, he chose to land in a more agile posture to conserve shield energy for fighting Velen.
The moment his feet touched the soil of Hellfire Peninsula, Kiljaeden immediately understood where the enemy's incessant bombardment energy originated.
"Drawing on the planet's energy in a do-or-die fashion? Facing such a powerful enemy as the Burning Legion, their resolve is commendable."
Velen was close at hand, and Kiljaeden's heart was already burning with passion, but on the surface, he maintained his usual composure, personally directing the demons emerging from the portal to encircle Hellfire Citadel.
Illidan no longer wore his usual cynical, charming smile; with a serious expression, he clapped the strong Fel Orc on the back.
"Go, Hellscream, your long-awaited battle has arrived."
"Roar!"
The red-skinned Fel Orc let out a resounding war cry, hefted his two-handed battle-axe, and strode towards the city wall.
"Warsong Clan! Charge with me!"
A group of the most aggressive Fel Orcs ferociously charged to the front lines of the battlefield, engaging in close combat with the demons who had landed from the sky first.
Andreas looked at the powerful Fel Orc, whom Illidan held in such high regard, with a somewhat strange expression.
'Garrosh, I didn't expect his destiny to change so dramatically... but considering his single-minded brain, it's not that surprising.'
Just as Illidan had predicted, Garrosh possessed greater potential than other Orcs; after being transformed into a Fel Orc, his strength multiplied.
Leading by example, he returned to Garadar to persuade others. Many members of the Warsong Clan were attracted by his oath to gain immense power and destroy the Burning Legion, willingly leaving Garadar to become Fel Orcs.
Although Dranosh and Jorin tried their best to stop them, the Warsong Clan, born for battle, still found opportunities to leave the town despite strict precautions, taking many hot-blooded young Orcs from other Clans with them.
The Warsong Clan were the most valiant and skilled warriors among the Orcs, and their bravery earned Illidan's recognition.
Garrosh had not been a Fel Orc for long, and his control over his power was not yet perfect, nor was his mind particularly sharp, but this did not prevent Garrosh from becoming a highly valued general to Illidan.
The young Hellscream lived up to Illidan's trust; his bravery and skill in battle inspired his fellow Fel Orcs fighting alongside him, and even some of the Night Elves, who usually adhered strictly to orders, were stirred by their influence.
Andreas looked at the eager Night Elf soldiers behind him, sighing inwardly with some emotion, 'Is this the impact a vanguard general has on morale? There are both advantages and disadvantages.'
Andreas turned and signaled to Tyrande. Upon receiving the signal, the High Priestess loudly commanded, "Followers of the moon goddess, it's our turn to enter the fray! Don't let those red-skinned Orcs outdo us in spirit!"