"You are a man of your word, Straker. At least you possess a sliver of knightly honor. So be it! A one-on-one duel to the death!" Arthas declared, raising Frostmourne high.
Feeling the long-lost power surging back into his cold frame, a twisted sense of confidence flickered across Arthas' pale face. He yanked the reins, causing his undead steed, Invincible, to rear up and let out a raspy, guttural roar.
"Straker! You will pay for your arrogance!" Arthas bellowed. Frostmourne erupted with an unprecedented, bone-chilling radiance, as if intent on flash-freezing the entire canyon. "Now, witness the true strength of the Lich King's champion!"
He spurred Invincible forward, charging like a bolt of silver lightning. Frostmourne swung down in a massive arc, trailing a wake of frost so intense that even the watching Banshees and Dark Rangers felt their souls shudder.
However, the moment Arthas initiated the charge, Rhodes—hidden among the zombie horde—moved his lips slightly. A silent incantation was complete.
Shield! An invisible, resilient field of force quietly enveloped Straker and his Bone Dragon, drastically bolstering their physical defense.
Stone Skin! Next, a flash of earthy yellow magic vanished into Straker's Saronite armor, turning it into an impenetrable rock-like shell.
Bloodlust! An almost imperceptible red glow sank into Straker's body. The nether-flames in his eyes flared violently as a primal, berserk strength flooded his limbs, skyrocketing his aggression and lethality.
Straker himself added Haste, calling upon a magical gale to sharpen his movements and speed.
I wanted Straker to appear 'fair' to Arthas, but I have buff magic—why on earth wouldn't I use it? Rhodes thought. As for hitting Arthas with debuffs, Rhodes decided against it; he wanted Straker to establish absolute authority in the eyes of the undead, not just provide a one-sided slaughter.
Facing Arthas' "guaranteed" strike, Straker burst into a wild laugh. He didn't dodge. He didn't even use a Death Knight skill. He simply swung his massive, blood-red runeblade upward in a direct clash!
"Bring it on!"
CLANG—!!!
A deafening roar of metal meeting metal echoed through the canyon, the shockwave from the collision blowing away the surrounding dust and debris. The crimson runeblade locked teeth with Frostmourne.
The scene Arthas had envisioned—cleaving his opponent in two—failed to materialize. Frostmourne struck Straker's blade as if hitting an unmovable mountain! The recoil sent a numbing vibration up Arthas' arms, nearly dislodging the hilt from his grip.
"What?!" Disbelief flashed in Arthas' crimson eyes.
The opponent's strength was monstrous, and his defense was harder than anything he had ever encountered. He had always believed Straker was beneath him, but it seemed he was gravely mistaken.
Straker gave him no time to ponder. Empowered by Rhodes' magic, his strength, speed, and defense now far surpassed an Arthas who was not at full health.
"Is this all the strength you have, Arthas?" Straker roared. With a flick of his wrist, he shoved Frostmourne aside and sent his blood-red greatsword in a savage horizontal sweep toward Arthas' midsection.
Arthas gasped, frantically pulling his sword back to parry.
THUD!
Another dull impact. Arthas and his horse were knocked back several steps, the hooves of Invincible skidding across the dirt. Straker gave him no breathing room, swinging again instantly.
CLANG! A piercing shriek of metal! Sparks flew as runic energy and frost-death collided!
But Straker's blow was too concentrated. Though Arthas successfully parried, the penetrating impact shuddered through his plate armor. Straker pressed the advantage, driving his Bone Dragon forward. He turned the duel into a relentless storm; every strike of his crimson blade carried terrifying power, death energy, and the power of Blood. Unlike Arthas, who specialized in Frost and Unholy strikes, Straker was a specialist in Blood.
"Hahaha! Take this, Arthas!"
Obliterate! The runeblade swung down with devastating shadow force.
Heart Strike! A cunning thrust aimed at the gaps in Arthas' armor, designed to detonate the death energy within him.
Death Strike! As he attacked, Straker siphoned Arthas' life force to fuel himself, growing stronger as the battle raged.
Arthas was forced into a desperate defense. Frostmourne flailed to keep up, but he was being systematically dismantled. His vaunted frost magic was useless against Straker's bizarre Blood Shield and rock-hard skin. Even his Death Coils were either sliced apart by Straker or simply shrugged off by his massive Resistance skill.
"What's wrong, Arthas? Where is your pride? Where is your power?" Straker mocked as he rained down blows. "Look at you! You aren't fit to hold Frostmourne, let alone lead the Death Knights!"
With a final, earth-shattering blow, Arthas was sent flying off Invincible's back! He slammed into the canyon wall, his impact carving a man-sized crater into the stone as spider-web cracks radiated outward.
Straker let out a thunderous war cry. His massive blade, [Soulshredder], seemed to come alive. The three runes etched into the blade—Blood, Frost, and Unholy—glowed brilliantly in sequence.
While this weapon was no Frostmourne, it had been forged by master smiths under the Lich King's orders using Saronite. More importantly, after Rhodes' return, it had been reforged with rare anti-magic metals and anti-magic crystals. In terms of sheer material quality, it was now a rival to Frostmourne.
"Come here, boy!"
Straker gripped the sword with both hands. With a move of pure, unadulterated power, he launched an upward slash against the frost-laden Frostmourne.
CLANG!!!! — BOOM!!!
Arthas was sent flying once again. He lay on the ground for a long time before struggling to his feet. Despite his undead nature, he felt a deep, structural "discomfort." The prince was too exhausted even to scream. Dammit, if Frostmourne was at full power, how could I lose?
His armor was shattered, and wounds covered his body. While he felt no pain, the loss of power and the trampling of his dignity drove him to the brink of madness.
On the sidelines, Sylvanas' brow was furrowed tight. The overwhelming power Straker displayed far exceeded her expectations. This wasn't an even duel; it was a total massacre. Straker looked like he was barely breaking a sweat. Why did he bother healing Arthas earlier? Just to make the punching bag last longer?
This brute... is he really this strong? Warning bells rang in Sylvanas' head. The stronger Straker was, the more dangerous her future plans became. She tightened her grip on her vial of poison, her eyes flickering with indecision.
Finally, after a violent collision, Frostmourne was knocked from Arthas' hand, spinning through the air before stabbing into the distant earth. Straker landed a massive punch directly onto Arthas' chest plate.
CRACK!
The chest plate caved in visibly. Arthas spat out a mouthful of black ice shards, flying backward off his horse and sliding down the canyon wall, unable to move.
Straker steered his Bone Dragon slowly toward the fallen prince. A massive shadow loomed over Arthas as Straker pointed the tip of Soulshredder at his head.
"What happened, Arthas? Is that it? I haven't even tried yet!" Straker sneered from atop his mount.
"You... you despicable wretch," Arthas wheezed, his body swaying. "You only challenged me because I am weak. Don't think I didn't see... you used magic to bolster yourself. And your mount is far stronger than Invincible."
"I healed you, didn't I? I gave you plenty of face. Losing in this state only proves you're a failure. The magic I used is my own. I didn't say you couldn't use yours. If you had cards left to play, you should have played them," Straker retorted.
Arthas managed a bitter smile. What cards did he have left? He was at the end of his rope. That earlier healing magic had sparked a flame of hope, but the ensuing duel had snuffed it out like a candle in a hurricane.
But Straker had hidden himself well. That healing magic... it worked on the undead. While Death Knights and Liches could heal with Death Coil, that was shadow-based. Straker's magic felt... alive. And yet, here he was, an undead with ice-blood in his veins.
Then there was the Bone Dragon—its presence alone seemed to drain the strength of its enemies. Invincible was just a horse; it provided no combat edge compared to that monster.