Block and Counter was Arthas's most commonly used tactic. This was generally used to deal with warriors or physical-type skills. He usually felt a bit helpless against mages, but now this mage-type actually wanted to trade physical blows with him? Then he would have to teach the opponent that the world of combat is all about killing!
Bang!
Baron Geddon hadn't even been acting tough for a minute before he was knocked flying, slamming into a nearby mountain wall. He was hit so hard he felt dazed. In the next second, Arthas locked on and charged again, using his Holy Light shield to bash him over and over. The ricocheting shield constantly pushed back the fire elemental minions trying to come to the rescue; after a few bounces, they were killed outright.
Artemis flew over and happily swallowed the core dropped by Baron Geddon after his temporary death. Crystal Cores rich in energy essence were her favorite, especially those filled with fire elemental energy; it allowed her to grow faster.
Strands of Titan energy flowed through the patterns on her skin, helping her digest and absorb the core's energy. This prevented her stomach from bursting, allowing her to accelerate her growth within a reasonable range rather than through forced maturation!
Hiss! Whew! Roar! Artemis took a deep breath, and the dragon flame she exhaled turned the lava ahead into dry land. It was as if the thousand-degree heat simply vanished!
"This? How did you do that?" Arthas was somewhat surprised. This was practically reversing physical phenomena!
"Gua gua gua!" Artemis chirped happily. Only Arthas could understand her words.
"Papa, I can use... a portion of the... Law!"
"Good girl, keep eating. We're going to kill all these monsters!" Arthas patted Artemis's small head. He treated these two young dragonlings as if they were his own daughters.
The monsters of the entire Molten Core rushed out. This wasn't like a game dungeon; although there were many mini-bosses, these mini-bosses weren't idiots who just stood in place and waited to be hit. They weren't fools who would laugh while their teammates were being farmed; they were real creatures that would proactively provide support.
In just an instant, more and more minions appeared, and the pressure mounted. To deal with these elemental beings, the best way was to clear out their Crystal Cores.
"Papa, I need time!" Artemis began to channel a spell, seemingly preparing a big move.
"Fine, I'll protect you!" Arthas didn't ask questions. He entered War God mode, projecting clones of his shield out of Holy Light and throwing them constantly. Clang, clang, clang—the shields struck the Core Hounds and fire elemental minions. Those that got close were killed with Bloodlust, while those far away were struck with flying shields.
Sylvanas approached at some point, a magical bow in hand. She was constantly drawing and nocking arrows in one smooth motion. Every Core Hound hit was shot through the eye—a weak point—their brains turned into mush by the magical arrows. It looked unremarkable, but it was actually a series of instant kills!
With Alleria on the left, Sylvanas on the right, and Vereesa in the back, the three sisters formed a triangular formation. Their magical bows never stopped firing. Every shot was a "soul-piercer," entering through the eyes or other weak points. At the same time, because they used magical arrows, they weren't limited by ammunition counts. Their magical accessories absorbed fire elements to recharge, making them essentially human Gatling guns as long as their stamina held out.
In the distance, Majordomo Executus was mobilizing his troops, sending all the mini-bosses out to deal with Arthas. Especially after Baron Geddon was killed and his Crystal Core was devoured, he felt an immense sense of dread.
"Attack! Block them all! They must not disturb Lord Ragnaros! The Great Firelord will not permit the interference of these low-born wretches!"
Molten Giants also began to step forward with heavy strides. Compared to the formless elemental minions, the cores of these giants were encased in solid rock, and their bodies were covered in blazing fire. They could sear any melee enemy—a particularly disgusting tactic in reality. One had to endure high temperatures to fight them, and if one used ranged attacks, these volcanic ores happened to have excellent magic resistance. As for arrows and spears, they were even less effective!
"Sinestra, protect Artemis! I'm going to deal with those giants!" Arthas shouted, calling for his mother-in-law's help.
"Go. I'll watch over Artemis." Sinestra was quite fond of the dragonling. This was perhaps the hope of the Black Dragonflight; such powerful potential might even surpass Deathwing! Without the corruption of the whispers, this was the rebirth of the black dragons.
This also pulled her back from the wicked path of trying to revive the flight through dark means, preventing her from going further down a suicidal road. Now, she cared for Artemis with all her heart. Who knew? In the future, she might need to rely on Arthas to hatch other dragon eggs, or perhaps she could just lay an egg with him?
With no more worries, Arthas went all out. Dealing with these Molten Giants was purely for experience. The monsters here gave high experience—almost 1% per kill—while the elemental minions only took one Avenger's Shield to kill and provided 0.1% experience each. Their strength lay in their numbers.
The golden shields were thrown out continuously. Arthas was drenched in sweat from the effort, but his eyes were filled with excitement. Leveling up was what mattered most! What was more interesting than watching the experience bar swell rapidly after killing monsters?
In the rear, the Dark Iron Dwarves began building roads and bridges while aiming their prepared cannons at the surging army of elemental minions.
"Fire!"
Moira commanded in person, no longer caring about staying home to mind her child. This was a battle that determined whether she could maintain her foothold in Blackrock Spire; she had to oversee the front lines herself. There was one thing she was reluctant to admit: she didn't want to see Arthas sacrifice himself.
Although Arthas had coerced and violated her, even going as far as to finish inside her every single time, one thing remained crucial—Arthas was very important to her. It was because of this importance that she had tacitly allowed him to defile her. The pleasure derived during the process was merely an accident; getting a taste for it and becoming addicted were things that came later.