Archimonde's words clearly provoked the demigod, but Cenarius did not lose his composure. After all, he was tens of thousands of years old; he was no child to be easily goaded by such taunts.
Facing Archimonde's Finger of Death, Cenarius dared not show any negligence. He swiftly summoned a shield composed of millennia-old bark and brambles. The moment the fel beam struck the shield, the bark let out a piercing "hissing" sound. Emerald nature energy collided violently with the pitch-black fel energy, creating a shockwave that instantly incinerated the surrounding trees.
The shield finally cracked. The fel beam grazed Cenarius's shoulder, turning his silver fur to ash instantly. Blood dripped from the wound, staining the ground.
"Father!" three Keepers of the Grove cried out, rushing forward to summon sharp vines to entangle Archimonde's legs.
But their attack was negligible to Archimonde. How could such a strike harm a supreme commander of the Burning Legion? With a mere wave of his hand, Archimonde wiped away the Keepers' assault, unleashing a burst of fel power that turned the grasping vines to ash.
"Utterly foolish. Do you think you are the demigod Cenarius or the Archdruid? Do not embarrass yourselves with such pathetic displays of nature power."
Archimonde raised a foot impatiently and crushed one of the Keepers beneath him; the sound of snapping bones was sickeningly clear. Cenarius hurriedly sent out countless vines to pull his three children back, realizing Archimonde's strength was not something ordinary beings could contend with.
Just then, several Dryads leapt out from hiding, throwing poisoned javelins at Archimonde, but Cenarius stopped them. "My children, you have done well. Now fall back; leave the rest of this fight to your father."
Cenarius knew that only he and Malfurion had any hope of withstanding Archimonde.
At that moment, a blazing pillar of Holy Light shone upon Archimonde, causing the Defiler visible discomfort, while a powerful frost force ground his footsteps to a halt. It was Uther and Jaina, opening with Divine Storm and Blizzard.
"Dogs of the Light, and frost mages... you think this can stop me? Laughable. None can defeat the Defiler. This world belongs to the Legion."
Archimonde raised his hand, and a massive Fel Firestorm erupted around Uther. Uther immediately raised his warhammer, and the Silver Hand released a Holy Aegis. A pale golden film of light held the firestorm at bay, but the fel erosion consumed the Holy Light rapidly. The shield grew dimmer, cold sweat beaded on Uther's brow, and his arms trembled under the sustained pressure.
Seeing this, Jaina chanted a spell. A massive ice wall rose behind Uther, while countless icicles fell from above, striking the demons within the firestorm. "Lord Uther, hold on!"
Frost and fel collided, creating a thick white mist that temporarily suppressed the spread of the flames. Meanwhile, Caponia flanked Archimonde, gathering a terrifying fireball in her hands before slamming it directly into his face. Simultaneously, a bolt of lightning—like divine punishment—struck Archimonde from above, making his body shudder.
It was Medivh, the Prophet. Though he could only use one type of magic now, for the Guardian, that was enough. Continuous lightning strikes rained down, causing Archimonde agony; every bolt from Medivh was powerful enough to obliterate a Tier 7 unit.
"Argh! You cursed bastard!" The invincible Archimonde was actually wounded. The Defiler of the Burning Legion had suffered his first true setback.
"Demon, today is the day you die," Medivh declared.
"The Burning Legion is destined for failure; you are destined to return empty-handed," Malfurion added.
"You insects! You cannot oppose the Legion! Let me show you my true power!" Enraged, Archimonde unleashed a massive fel storm that blasted everyone backward. His power still overwhelmed them all.
On the defensive line, however, the demons met fierce resistance. The battle raged from midnight until dawn, until a sliver of white appeared on the horizon. The Night Elf line was riddled with cracks: most of the Ancient Protectors had fallen, their broken branches still burning with fel fire. The number of Treants had dwindled sharply, the ground littered with wood chips and emerald sap. The Sentinels had suffered heavy losses. Tyrande's lunar power was fading from exhaustion, her face pale and her breath ragged.
Archimonde still stood in the center of the line, treading on a mound of demon and elf corpses, the fel flames around him burning even brighter. He raised his hand, gathering pitch-black energy in his palm—the "Fel Annihilation Wave," capable of wiping out the entire defense. The surrounding air was sucked inward, forming a massive vortex that even stained the distant clouds black.
"The game is over, mortals..." Archimonde's voice carried the pleasure of destruction. "Mount Hyjal will be your tomb!"
Just as the annihilation wave was about to erupt, a familiar magical pulse rippled from the distance. An earthy-yellow Shielding Stone Skin enveloped the exhausted Treants. Azure Haste swirled around the Sentinels' arrows. Golden Bless fell upon the crowd, and the life-force of a healing spell took hold of the demigod, mending his charred wounds at a visible rate.
Tyrande looked up, a flash of joy in her eyes. "It's Rhodes! He's awake!"
Caponia and Jaina were equally thrilled; without realizing it, Rhodes had become the group's backbone. Malfurion stopped and looked toward the source of the magic—a familiar figure was striding forward, surrounded by deep blue magical energy. Though his face bore a hint of fatigue, his gaze was as sharp as an hawk's.
Rhodes held a unique Magic Arrow in his hand, one entwined with the golden energy of the Holy Light. He was experimenting with injecting the principles of Azeroth into his Hero Magic. The Magic Arrow was Rhodes' most-used spell—he had used it from the day he arrived, costing only 4 mana. Boosted by Advanced Wisdom and 10 points of Power, it was his strongest move besides Chain Lightning.
While resting, Rhodes had thought about "upgrading" his Hero spells. Magic Arrow was the most receptive to change. He tried infusing it with Holy Light; though he knew Shadow and Fel magic, those weren't his style. The injection of the Light made the Magic Arrow burst with a brilliant, dazzling radiance, exponentially increasing its damage against demons and undead.
"Defiler, your game of destruction ends now." Rhodes' voice, amplified by magic, carried a cold killing intent across the field.
The fel energy in Archimonde's palm faltered. He turned to Rhodes, his eyes flashing with surprise before turning into a rage: "You insect! You dare appear before me? I will slaughter you!"
Rhodes didn't waste words. He fired the golden Magic Arrow. The energy bolt, shining with divine light, pierced the dawn, moving so fast it left afterimages. It tore straight through the shadow shield Archimonde hastily summoned and struck his chest. Blue mana erupted within him while the golden Light violently purified his fel essence. Archimonde let out a world-shaking roar as his dark flames momentarily dimmed.
Though it hit the Defiler, the golden Holy Magic Arrow was not a fatal blow.
"Lord Rhodes! We Orcs don't like resting either—we're fighting this one to the end!" Thrall's voice came from the flank. He led nearly a thousand elite Horde soldiers who had just finished their rotation. Orc warriors brandished anti-magic axes, Tauren held totem poles, and Troll Headhunters had their spears ready.
The "Lok'tar Ogar!" war cry echoed through the forest, slamming into the Legion's flank like a thunderclap.
Light returned to Cenarius's eyes. He summoned countless vines once more to bind Archimonde's legs and shouted to the surrounding elves: "Comrades! My children! Heroes of Azeroth! New allies! Together, we shall drive the Defiler from our home!"
The morning sun completely dispelled the night. At the peak of Mount Hyjal, the banners of the Alliance, the Horde, and the Night Elves flew again. Rhodes stood at the very front of the line, mana coiling in his hands. Beside him, the Titan stood once more, its sword gleaming with lightning.
Next to him, two brilliant golden Archangels appeared. These were the combat units Rhodes had kept hidden, reserved for a life-and-death struggle against Archimonde at the final moment.
A wild thought took root in Rhodes' mind. He wanted to break destiny. In the original timeline, Archimonde defeated the combined army and climbed the World Tree, only to be destroyed by the explosion of the Wisps. But now, Rhodes was saying "No!"
If Grommash, Khadgar, and Yrel could defeat Archimonde in another timeline, so could they.
Destiny was meant to be broken.