In this battle, I cannot use even a sliver of Holy Light. I must fight using pure magic to keep my identity hidden.
The moment the gates exploded, the scene beyond made everyone's heart turn cold. This was no longer the Queen's palace they knew; it had become a warped, twisted space constructed of pure Fel. Emerald-green Fel energy flowed through the air like liquid, forming countless floating runes. The ground was made of translucent green crystal, through which the churning Arcane energies of the Well of Eternity could be seen—though that azure power was rapidly being tainted by the Fel.
At the center of the chamber, a massive Fel vortex spun slowly: the core node of the portal. If Sargeras successfully descended, the Well of Eternity would transform from a well of Order into a chaotic well of Fel.
The guardians here were far stronger than expected—the elite of the Burning Legion. Twelve Eredar sorcerers hovered in the air, their staves glowing with lethal light. Several Fel Lords stood wreathed in green flames, and four Pit Lords loomed like moving mountains, their heavy breathing sounding like industrial bellows.
Standing before them all was a figure in extravagant Night Elf robes, though his body was largely demonized: Xavius.
"I sense... the scent of a traitor," Xavius hissed, his eyes locking onto Illidan. "Look who it is. Traitor Illidan. You failed Lord Sargeras's expectations, just like the one who recommended you. I will kill you all and prove that I was right—Rhodes is a traitor who has likely already fled."
Xavius's hatred for Rhodes was immeasurable. Before his transformation into a Satyr, he had been humiliated by Rhodes's magic and beaten down by his Holy Light. He had lost the Queen's favor and the respect of the Highborne. He had plotted for revenge, only to see Rhodes become the Legion's honored guest. In Xavius's mind, he was the one who opened the portal; he should be the favored one.
Illidan gritted his teeth, the Fel fire in his sockets flaring. "Xavius, your madness ends here. I will hunt you with the Twin Blades of Azzinoth."
"Madness? Hahaha!" Xavius laughed. He felt he finally had leverage. He had been the one to introduce Illidan to Sargeras, and now Illidan had betrayed them. To Xavius, there was no better proof that Rhodes's judgment was flawed. "I am more lucid than ever! The universe must be purged!"
Xavius raised a hand, firing a bolt of Fel energy. Rhodes countered with pure Arcane energy, forming a hexagram array that redirected the bolt into the crystalline wall.
"An Arcane-mastering human?" Xavius raised an eyebrow. "Who are you? A mage of your caliber shouldn't be nameless."
"Just an ordinary adventurer," Rhodes smiled slightly. "I'm just here to clear a dungeon. I even brought some friends."
With a wave of his hand, Rhodes performed a summoning. Four figures appeared:
An Archmage in red robes (a new unit providing a "Mana Reduction Aura").
A Gremlin (a "Master" unit from the Tower faction) clutching a small iron ball.
A Crusader in heavy "tin-can" plate armor.
A Priest in blue robes with a face obscured by golden energy.
Rhodes was pretending to be a player-character following Illidan in a "dungeon crawl." The Gremlin immediately threw its iron ball at a demon; the ball hit the demon's leg like a mosquito bite. The demon responded with a Fel-flame blast that turned the poor Gremlin into ash before it could even scream.
Illidan looked at Rhodes, speechless. "I thought you were summoning powerful reinforcements. You brought... a mob of weaklings?"
"Don't look at me like that, mate," Rhodes said nonchalantly. "Finding anyone willing to commit suicide with us was hard enough. That Gremlin died for a noble cause."
The Crusader actually performed surprisingly well, holding off several Felguards for a few moments before a swarm of demons closed in to tear him apart. Just as he was about to die, a Light Elemental (upgraded to the max version) appeared, casting Divine Shield and various Blessings on the Crusader.
Broxigar, the old Orc, shook his head and charged in with his oak axe to help the Crusader. "A warrior is a warrior, no matter how weak," he grunted.
"Fine," Illidan sighed. "They can buy us a few seconds." He lunged forward, his blades carving through a dozen demons in a single sweep.
The Breach of the Portal
Illidan's eye-beams incinerated two Dreadlords on the left. Broxigar, with ancestral fury, hacked into the leg of a Pit Lord. "Blood and Thunder! Strength and Honor!" the Orc roared. Meanwhile, Rhonin unleashed an Arcane Storm, suppressing the Eredar sorcerers with magical interference.
At that moment, a massive red silhouette began to emerge from the portal.
"You've lost! Lord Sargeras is coming!" Xavius shrieked in delight.
Broxigar looked at the portal, a look of finality in his eyes. "Lord Rhodes, tell the Warchief I did not fail the Horde's honor. I will buy you time." The old Orc leaped headlong into the portal.
Inside the gateway, Sargeras felt a tiny sting—like a fly—on his leg. A mortal life, tiny and insignificant, had struck him with a demigod-blessed axe. It did no real damage, but Sargeras was intrigued by the creature's courage. As the Dark Titan raised his burning blade to end the Orc, a teleportation rune Rhodes had secretly placed on Broxigar flared.
With a flash of gold, Broxigar was yanked back out of the portal to safety.
In a split-second swap, Rhodes didn't just pull Broxigar out—he pushed Xavius in. You wanted to see your god? Here he is.
"Now, Illidan! Blow the Well! Collapse the portal!" Rhodes roared.
Illidan didn't hesitate. He channeled a massive surge of Fel into the Well's core. The collision of pure Order (Arcane) and pure Chaos (Fel) hit the singularity of the vortex. The balance shattered. The portal didn't explode; it imploded.
In the chaos, Rhodes quickly swapped places with his double, Krasus. Reverting to his "Main Account" form, Rhodes suddenly appeared as if he had just arrived to "save" the situation.
"Xavius, you idiot! I knew you were unreliable!" Rhodes shouted, firing a "fake" Holy bolt at Illidan for Sargeras to see.
"NO! Xavius, you fool! You ruined my plan!" Sargeras's voice boomed from the other side. "Rhodes! Use your power to stabilize the portal!"
Sargeras cursed his luck. He should have trusted Rhodes from the start instead of that incompetent Satyr. Rhodes leaped into the fray, "fighting" Illidan and Rhonin in a choreographed display of power. With a perfectly timed "accident" during the duel, Rhodes allowed himself to be knocked into the collapsing vortex.
With a world-shaking boom, the Well of Eternity vanished, and Rhodes was sucked into the Twisting Nether.
When he opened his eyes, he was standing directly before the fallen Dark Titan, Sargeras himself.