Rhodes began to conserve his mana, sticking to basic Frostbolts and Ice Lances. He knew he would need every drop of energy later to deal with Grommash Hellscream.
The golden bodies of the Golems gleamed in the sunlight as they swung their heavy weapons. Each strike carried a metallic roar, parrying and shattering the crude orcish armaments. The Diamond Golems were even more terrifying—their translucent bodies were virtually immune to the Fel fireballs and Chain Lightning hurled by Orc Shamans and Warlocks.
The energy impacts, capable of melting iron, merely caused faint ripples on the Diamond Golems' surfaces before being refracted and dissipated. They were effectively magic-immune, though the Orcs couldn't even see the mechanism behind it.
"Magic immune! They're immune to magic!" an Orc Shaman shrieked in terror as his Chain Lightning was completely absorbed by a Diamond Golem, which then proceeded to cave in a nearby Orc warrior's chest with a single punch. This trait rendered the Orcs' ranged support useless; only a few spears thrown by Trolls managed to deal negligible damage.
The rampaging strength of the red-skinned Orcs slammed into the Golden Golem ranks like waves crashing against rocks—fearsome in sound, but unable to budge them an inch. Meanwhile, the Diamond Golems charged through the horde like mammoths among sheep. Their massive crystalline fists brought a rain of blood with every swing. Fel corruption was useless against them, and the inferior axes of the Horde couldn't even leave a scratch on their hardened surfaces.
"Damnable stone monsters!" Grommash Hellscream's roar exploded like thunder, drowning out the din of the battlefield.
He saw his proud Warsong Clan suffering heavy casualties under the pincer attack of these strange summons and the forest allies. The golden and crystal giants were nightmares for his Shamans and Warlocks (who, having drunk the demon blood, had abandoned their secrecy and fully revealed their Fel powers).
A frenzied rage consumed his last shred of reason. The veins beneath his dark red skin bulged like molten lava. Grommash leapt into the air, his weapon Gorehowl cleaving through a Golden Golem instantly—giving Rhodes no time to cast a heal.
This was the first time Rhodes had suffered a loss in his Golem ranks on the battlefield. Previously, as long as a Golem wasn't annihilated, Rhodes could always bring it back with magic. Seeing this, Rhodes quickly ordered several Golems to retreat. Though they were mass-produced, he wasn't about to let Hellscream waste them.
"Human mage! Your head belongs to Hellscream!" Grommash glared at Rhodes with savage intent. He had seen clearly that these magic-immune monsters were all controlled by this man.
However, Rhodes was not Grommash's ultimate target. His goal was clear: to strike the head of the enemy. If the Demigod fell, the forest's resistance would crumble. And it so happened that his two primary targets were standing right together.
Grommash roared, ignoring the Golems and Diamond Golems in his path. His speed and strength, catalyzed by the demon blood, had reached a superhuman level. With incredible agility, he dodged the massive fists of the metal giants, Gorehowl screaming through the air as he carved a path of blood.
A Diamond Golem tried to block him, but its body—which could withstand most magic—was cleaved with a deep crack by Gorehowl, which was now infused with Grommash's berserk will and Fel energy. Diamond shards flew everywhere. Though not split in two, the sheer force of the blow sent the massive crystalline construct staggering back.
Rhodes saw the red-skinned Orc execute a massive leap, soaring over a dozen meters toward him. He could almost feel the crimson aura of the axe pressing against his face.
"By the Light! I shall be your opponent!"
A golden figure charged like a comet, intercepting the space between Rhodes and Cenarius. It was Uther the Lightbringer. He was shrouded in Holy Light so dense it looked physical, resembling a golden god of war. Gripping the Hammer of the Silver Hand with both hands, fueled by the will to purify all evil, he swung it with pinpoint precision against the side of Gorehowl's blade.
CLANG—!!!!
Two legendary entities had truly clashed. The deafening sound of metal on metal rang across the battlefield like a death knell. A visible shockwave of gold and green erupted, throwing back nearby soldiers from both sides. Pure, faith-based Holy Light collided with the violent, abyss-born Fel energy in a magnificent explosion of power.
In this first exchange, they seemed evenly matched—no, to be precise, Uther had the upper hand. Gorehowl was legendary, but it paled slightly against a Titan-forged weapon.
Grommash felt an irresistible force, carrying an intense burning sensation, travel up his axe. For the first time, Gorehowl was forcibly parried in a pure contest of strength. His arms shook, his palms split, and dark red blood flowed down the handle. He stared in disbelief at the glowing human old man—this tiny "pink-skin" had actually blocked his killing blow.
Uther raised the Hammer of the Silver Hand, once again manifesting a gargantuan, ten-meter-long spectral hammer of light.
"Servant of demons! Your path ends here!" Uther's voice boomed like a bell. The Light converged on his hammer, forming a massive pillar of radiance that slammed down toward Grommash's head.
This was the power of Holy Retribution—the Judgment of Justice.
"ROAR!!!" Hellscream went completely mad. Shame and fury made the demon blood boil within him. He swung Gorehowl with both hands, meeting the hammer of light with a strike meant to rend the world apart.
Gorehowl focused all of his life force and insane will. As it clashed with the Titan weapon, the axe began to groan under the burden, and chips started to appear on its edge.
BOOM—!!!
The second collision was even more terrifying than the first. The explosion of Light and Fel energy looked like two small suns detonating at the center of the battlefield. The blinding light momentarily blinded everyone. Raging currents of energy swept the surroundings, uprooting trees and turning solid rock into dust.