Every Old God is an expert at stirring up trouble; once they spot an opening, they never miss a chance to make life difficult for Azeroth.
After a moment's thought, Andreas said to Niana, who was following beside him, "Have Eversong throw everything it has behind Uldum. The Hall of Origin must be held—Hela mustn't be allowed to claim it."
"The Helagar are still souls at the core; send as many priests with cleansing powers as possible—physical attacks barely scratch them."
"As for Stormheim, let the Broken Isles coalition move out. Stop Loken from uniting the local Vrykul forces."
Andreas smiled half-mockingly. "Looks like he's planning to pull the rug out from under Odyn, cutting off his ability to draft Vrykul souls and swell his army."
Although Loken can't move openly against Thorim, using the excuse of disciplining the fractured Vrykul by sending Iron Vrykul and Iron Dwarves leaves little room for moral objection.
What Loken truly fears is the still-missing Loken, terrified that the Great Guardian will seize on some flaw in his actions and suddenly lead his host of creations back into Ulduar.
Though that old salted fish Loken has left the river, his legend still ripples across it; his only remaining value is the dread his name inspires after his complete dereliction of duty.
In the Storm Peaks Andreas wouldn't dare confront Loken's Iron Army head-on, but since Loken has marched his forces all the way to the distant Broken Isles, Andreas sees no reason to be polite—this is the perfect chance to chip away at his resources.
Although Loken, with the crafters engine and Uldur at his back, can mass-produce Iron Dwarves and Iron Vrykul at the push of a button, those iron bodies still consume mineral resources.
The ore Loken's forces mine is the saronite that grows abundantly across Northrend.
While planting the world-tree Andahsil has checked the saronite's spread, the ore already above ground can't be reversed; Northrend's surface is littered with saronite.
Yet even the greatest vein runs dry one day. Years ago Andreas ordered Suramar to purge every saronite deposit within Night Elves-held territory, leaving Loken to gather ore only in the Storm Peaks and Howling Fjord.
Thanks to Andreas' orderly response, Loken's schemes can't make waves for now, but Yogg-Saron's troublemaking is unquestionably tying down large numbers of Night Elf troops and attention.
Misfortunes never come singly; Malfurion chooses this moment to leave the Emerald Dream, anxiously seeking Andreas' aid.
"Andreas, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to make a trip to Zandalar."
Malfurion's eyes were shadowed with heavy circles, his face full of worry; clearly the situation inside the Dream has turned grim.
"The nightmare forces under Xavius are expanding like madmen, and the defenders' pressure is multiplying geometrically."
"Ysera has recalled most of the Green Dragons stationed in the Material World, and we'll have to draw druids from the army as well."
"Just in case, have the troll druids of Zandalar stand ready; these trolls are the only reinforcements we can find."
Although every Night Elf can enter the Emerald Dream through Nordrassil, that realm is saturated with Nature Power; only druids and Green Dragons, intimately familiar with its ways, can fight at full strength there.
Other classes aren't weakened by entering, but they need considerable time to adapt to the Dream's rules.
Never before have druids been unable to handle the Nightmare; clearly N'Zoth and Yogg-Saron are determined to pin the Night Elves down while the master of that powerful Fel Energy from southern Eastern Kingdoms makes his move.
"Haa—"
Exhaling slowly, Andreas nodded gravely. "Understood. Laynella and Lunara will soon lead the battle-druid corps into the Dream, and I'll find time to visit Zandalar—let's hope Rezan will still give me some face."
…The druid corps is one of the Night Elf Republic's mainstays; without their versatile support, the Republic's army will unquestionably be weakened.
Yet the lord of nightmares Xavius' fierce assault must be checked; once the Nightmare spreads through the Dream, forcing it back will be far harder.
As Andreas hurriedly set out for Zandalar, the Council of Kings in Dalaran finally reached a breakthrough.
The seven human kingdoms of the north agreed to confront the Tirisifal Council, denouncing its interference in their internal affairs and demanding it reveal the reasons behind Guardian Medivh's furtive movements in recent years.
The joint denunciation caught the meddlesome Tirisifal Council off guard; without the seven kingdoms' support, all its political ambitions would turn to moonlight on water.
Reluctantly, the Council reactivated the Arcane's mage-hunters, who—guided in secret by Brunhilde—entered Karazhan to confront the elusive Medivh.
Of course, the six human kingdoms led by Dalaran sought neither justice nor righteousness; they merely coveted the Guardian's wealth and wished to swell their own coffers.
In the Council's memory, Medivh, unlike his mother, had never been especially forceful.
Yet now Medivh was locked in furious anxiety, Sargeras' urgings from the depths of his soul clashing violently with his own will.
Every mage-hunter who entered Karazhan was brutally slain by Medivh, whose eyes were turning red; their very souls were bound as sentinels in the tower's upper reaches.
Among the apprentices previously sent to study in secret at Karazhan, only a young mage named Khadgar survived, witnessing Medivh's atrocities firsthand.
Troubled, Khadgar did not act rashly; he continued to lurk in Karazhan, quietly investigating the cause of Medivh's personality shift.
Just as King Llane began cautiously sending scouts into The Black Marsh, Medivh finally yielded to Sargeras; his own soul was pressed to the deepest corner of his mind, and his body was wholly usurped by the Fallen Titan.
Sargeras, unhampered by Medivh's scruples, teleported the very day he gained control to the portal site long agreed upon with Gul'dan.
Upon reaching Zandalar, Andreas was welcomed by the Pterodactyl loa Paku; as the two chatted amiably on their way to the loa gods' garden, the azeroth world-soul's wail suddenly echoed through Andreas' soul.
"Ugh—"
Clutching his head in pain against a towering tree, Andreas saw that Paku too sensed the violent disquiet, though her reaction was less severe than his.
From the mountains of Zuldazar came Rezan's anxious roar, answered in turn by the other loa; startled beasts and birds scattered in panic.
Zandalari priests felt their loa's unease, and Dazaralor erupted in commotion.
"The Dark Portal… has finally opened, has it?"
Pale-faced, Andreas at last endured the howl from the depths of his soul, and Elune's solemn voice entered his mind.
"I will soothe Azeroth; continue with what you must do."
"This world has now entered its destined orbit; where the future leads… will depend on the choices and struggles of you Mortal races who dwell upon it."
Southern Black Morass
Under the guidance of the red-eyed Medivh, Gul'dan, the orc warlock in Draenor, began to synchronously drain the life force of the captured Draenei prisoners to open the magnificent Dark Portal.
Thousands of Draenei had their life energy extracted by Gul'dan using fel energy, and this immense fel energy eventually converged into a giant stone gate. A ghostly green vortex began to appear in the center of the previously empty gate.
At the same time, Medivh clearly witnessed the formation of the portal on his side. A green light screen finally stabilized under the efforts of powerful spellcasters from both worlds.
"Hehe~ Hahaha!"
Medivh accomplished alone what Gul'dan needed to do by draining a large number of Draenei souls. His eyes were bloodshot as he let out a wild laugh.
"Come, Gul'dan! Let your orcs step into this fragile world. The Burning Legion will burn everything to ashes!"
"Whinny!"
"Hmm?"
The sudden whinny of a horse from the swamp made Medivh frown slightly. "Tsk! They came really fast, but it's still too late."
"Swish!"
Casting Teleport, Medivh disappeared from the Black Morass before Gul'dan entered Azeroth. When the scout cavalry of the Kingdom of Stormwind arrived at the scene, they saw a group of strong, green-skinned creatures exuding a brutal aura emerging from behind the light screen.
"Hmph hmph~"
The leading orc, a limping, hunched figure wearing a dirty hood, let out a sinister laugh as he looked at the human scouts, whose faces were filled with surprise and doubt.
"Fragile creatures, this pathetic world belongs to the Horde."
"Hmph!"
Following closely behind Gul'dan was a tall orc clad in black metal armor. His muscular right hand gripped a heavy two-handed warhammer, his formidable combat prowess almost visibly radiating.
Although the first Warchief of the Horde, Blackhand, was not highly intelligent, the tragic state of his homeworld still aroused his suspicion.
If Gul'dan hadn't promised to find a new home for the orcs, Blackhand would have long since followed Orgrim's advice and smashed Gul'dan's head in with a hammer, given his suspected role in destroying Draenor's ecosystem.
"Gul'dan, stop with the useless chatter. I want to see your practical actions in serving the Horde."
"Of course, of course."
A flicker of anger crossed the triumphant Gul'dan's eyes, but he knew he lacked the talent for commanding armies and had to rely on Blackhand's leadership to accomplish the task Kil'jaeden had given him, and to receive the reward he was promised by the demon lord—godhood.
Warchief Blackhand was born into the Blackrock Clan. Unlike other orc clans that used primitive weapons, the Blackrock Clan, with Gorgrond as their natural mine, built a large foundry in their homeland. Their weapons and equipment were far superior to those of other clans.
Following Blackhand into Azeroth was an expressionless Blackrock orc. He held a metal one-handed short hammer and wore equally fine black-gold plate armor. His gaze, as he swept across the Black Morass, held unease and worry.
'Abundant natural resources, indeed a new world suitable for survival, but...'
He subtly cast a grim look at Gul'dan, who was currently flattering Blackhand. 'If Gul'dan's warlocks are not stopped from using fel energy, this world will sooner or later follow in Draenor's footsteps.'
Blackhand impatiently waved away Gul'dan, who was still fawning. "Get out of here, warlock! Now it's our turn."
Pointing his grotesque human-faced warhammer at the human scouts who were preparing to turn their horses around, Blackhand shouted passionately, "Warriors of the Horde! Use the blood of these aliens to consecrate our banners, conquer this new world, for the Horde!"
"For the Horde!"
..."What did you say?!"
Hours later, King Llane of Stormwind Keep stood up in surprise and anger, his stern gaze fixed on the middle-aged female rogue kneeling before him.
"Wiped out? Did I mishear? Or is your intelligence incorrect?"
Pasonia said calmly, "The intelligence submitted by SI:7 is never wrong. Our cavalry scouts were indeed wiped out, and they couldn't even send back any information about who killed them."
Llane took a deep breath, then sat back on his throne with a grim face and said, "Continue to arrange scouts for reconnaissance, and find out what happened in the Black Morass as soon as possible!"
"Yes."
After Pasonia left, Llane looked at his friend beside him with some unease. "Anduin, ready our troops. I have a bad feeling."
"That rumor... I'm afraid it's not just a simple rumor anymore."
..."This... this is..."
In Medivh's secret library in Karazhan, the apprentice Khadgar entered the room without any obstruction, as it was unexpectedly unguarded. The Dark Portal diagram and explanation hanging on the wall made his pupils suddenly dilate.
"How is this possible?!"
Khadgar muttered incredulously, "The Guardian is preparing to open a portal to bring creatures from other worlds into Azeroth?"
Knowing that his actions could be discovered at any moment, although Khadgar was deeply disturbed at this time, he still managed to suppress his unease and quickly copied all the diagrams and texts hanging in the secret library.
As he feigned composure and left the library, Medivh happened to teleport back to Karazhan.
Khadgar composed himself and respectfully performed the apprentice's greeting to Medivh.
"Master, welcome back."
"Hmm."
At this moment, Medivh's eyes had returned to normal. He glanced indifferently at Khadgar, passing him without any emotion.
Khadgar felt the coldness and indifference in Medivh's gaze, and his muscles tensed. He had an ominous premonition that he might be attacked at any moment.
Fortunately, Medivh ignored Khadgar and instructed Moroes not to let anyone disturb him. The Guardian once again locked himself in his room.
"Phew..."
Khadgar let out a long sigh, covered in cold sweat. 'Master's personality and behavior are becoming increasingly abnormal...'
...Although he hadn't experienced it firsthand, the opening of the Dark Portal was truly conveyed to Andreas through Azeroth's inexplicable wails.
Under Elune's soothing, the intense signals from Azeroth slowly faded. Andreas composed herself and followed Paku to the Loa Garden of Zandalar.
Normally, this residence specifically provided for the Loa would always have many members out playing, but at this time, all the Zandalari Loa, led by Rezan, were gathered here without exception. The nearby Zandalari priests also waited with serious expressions for the Loa's pronouncements.
"Andreas, you've come at just the right time."
Rezan no longer had his usual friendly demeanor when meeting Andreas. He said sternly, "I felt a violent tremor from the Eastern Kingdoms. Do you have any idea what it is?"
"I have some conjectures, but I can't be 100% certain yet."
Andreas's face was still a bit pale. He first nodded to the Loa present. This rather impolite gesture caused dissatisfaction among some lower-ranking Loa.
"Mere mortal..."
"Shut up!"
Rezan glared sternly at the antelope Loa. "You shortsighted fool, can't you see that the 'mortal' you speak of has already ascended to demigodhood?"
As the mightiest of all loa, Rezan's perception far surpassed that of the lesser loa; in a single glance he saw the vast vitality and ascended soul within Andreas.
"Whoa~ whoa~"
A loa in human guise, masked, blinked beside Andreas and slung an arm around his shoulder, tone flippant. "A Mortal Demigod—impressive. Your soul must taste delicious, no?"
"Bwonsamdi!"
"Yes~ yes~ fret not, o mighty loa of kings."
Bwonsamdi waved a bored hand. "I won't court trouble; just a joke. Don't be so serious."
Andreas studied the hovering human-shaped loa with interest. 'Bwonsamdi, master of death and souls… wonder who outranks whom between him and Helya.'
Among the animal loa, Bwonsamdi was the lone oddity. Andreas had no idea how this fellow earned recognition from the primal animal spirits, yet his status seemed low—though his power was second only to Rezan.
"Ahem—back to business."
Andreas' expression sobered. "Not long ago I heard a wail from deep within my soul. After checking, I recognized it as the cry of Azeroth's World-Soul."
The loa present were primordial spirits who had lived countless ages; in ancient times they had accepted the Titan Keepers' commission to guard the three seals suppressing G'huun, so they knew a little about the World-Soul.
"A wail, you say…"
Worry thickened Rezan's voice. "Something grave indeed. Andreas, is that why you've come to Zandalar?"
"Partly."
The Old Gods' coordinated mischief stemmed from sniffing an outside invasion—different branches of the same crisis.
"loa of kings, I'm here to ask Zandalar for aid."
Andreas spoke gravely. "The Emerald Dream is in dire straits; the Old Gods' minions launch frenzied assaults. The dream-guardians struggle to hold. We need Zandalar's help."
Gonk, the raptor loa and source of all Zandalari Druids, was first to nod grimly. "I too sense danger from the Dream. I was about to relay the news to the God-King through my priests."
"The Emerald Dream?"
Rezan closed his eyes in thought; golden light suddenly rippled across his colossal Mogushan Raptor frame.
Seconds later, a somewhat dazed Zandalari troll soul hovered before him. Seeing the gathered loa, the gold-adorned troll jolted.
"Great Loa of Kings Rezan, what is—"
Rezan cut him off. "Rastakhan, hear me first."
'Rastakhan?'
Andreas' eyes glinted. 'So this is the longest-reigning God-King in Zandalari history?'
Past two centuries in age, Rastakhan was one of the few monarchs whose name Rezan bothered to remember.
The ambitious Rastakhan had even persuaded Rezan to lend power to extend his life and youth, and for the most part he had not disappointed the loa's expectations.
Though his drive had slackened of late, during his two-century reign Zandalar's might had grown—its navy fully modernized, its battle-prowess greatly enhanced.
"Azeroth faces upheaval; past caution can no longer shield the Zandalari Empire or the world. We must re-engage, as your forebears once did."
Being but a Mortal, Rastakhan stared in bewilderment.
"Upheaval? I don't follow. And also—"
He glanced at the arms-folded Andreas, eyes flickering.
"Who is he, and why tread my realm uninvited?"
Andreas gave an easy shrug. "Pleased to meet the new 'young' God-King. I enter with Rezan's leave, not by stealth."
"You—"
"Enough; irrelevant."
Rezan cut short the displeased challenge—no one had spoken thus to Rastakhan since his coronation.
"Gonk, explain to Rastakhan. I want Zandalar to dispatch Druids into the Dream at once, to aid the Green Dragons and other Druids against the Nightmare."
"Also, summon trolls the world over; in Zandalar's name demand intelligence and aid. We must learn where this crisis truly springs from."
While Gonk led the bewildered Rastakhan's soul aside, Rezan heaved a long sigh.
"Andreas, it isn't that Zandalar refuses to march, but just as the two Old Gods scheme, G'huun in Nazmir stirs as well."
After the War of the Shifting Sands we beat back the Blood Trolls, who then lay low for centuries, grievously weakened.
"Yet fear of G'huun's corruption stays our hand; we dare not send too many troops into Nazmir."
"Trolls breed fast, and after centuries the Blood Trolls have recovered. Under G'huun's guidance they strike our borders again."
"Regrettably, sending Druids to the Dream is the utmost Zandalar can spare right now."
Andreas frowned, disappointed but understanding—he could hardly ask Zandalar to ignore a threat on its own doorstep.
'Fine. Let's hope Brunhilde can unite the human kingdoms of the Eastern Kingdoms; this war… they'll largely have to fight it themselves.'
As for G'huun's meddling, Andreas wasn't overly surprised—an Old God, even if artificial, would seize such a chance; not doing so would be stranger.
Still, events soon outpaced his expectations: after the Helagar landed in Uldum, hordes of Naga followed, seizing beaches south of the Hall of Origin.
N'Zoth must have struck a secret pact with Yogg-Saron; C'Thun's final death spurred them to play their trump cards, angling for advantage in the coming chaos.
On the Lost Isles, the Draenei—still acclimating to Azeroth's air and gravity—faced their first trial since arrival.
South of the main island, at the Vashj'elan Ruins, Naga surged ashore, massacring native Pygmies and heading straight for the Draenei settlement in the volcanic plains.
Back in Astranaar, Andreas felt crises flare across the globe for the first time in ages.
"Heh—so you all want to play chess from the shadows? Fine—let's see who checkmates whom!"
Although the naga are prolific and numerous, their combat effectiveness on land is not very good; the sea is their true domain.
Even though the draenei fled all the way to Azeroth, this doesn't mean their soldiers are weak; a race that has been relentlessly pursued by the Burning Legion for tens of thousands of years and hasn't gone extinct cannot truly be weaklings.
With the opening of the Dark Portal, all of Azeroth was plunged into turmoil.
Not only did the Burning Legion launch another invasion with orcs as their vanguard, but the Old Gods, who had been lurking in the shadows, eagerly awaiting an opportunity, also seemed to reach a collective climax, impatiently dispatching their great generals to cause trouble one after another.
The Nightmare and the naga came from N'Zoth, Helya and Loken's actions must have been sanctioned by Yogg-Saron, and the Zandalari trolls were, as always, targeted by their old nemesis, G'huun.
The Wyrmrest Temple, as the guardians of Azeroth, was also unable to act freely.
The relentless assault of Xavius, the Nightmare Lord, consumed most of the Green Dragonflight's energy, leaving them with no spare hands to intervene in matters of the material world.
The Bronze Dragons hadn't seen their Boss for several millennia, and Queen Soridormi finally panicked, dispatching a large number of Bronze Dragons to infiltrate various timelines in search of him.
However, this search not only failed to uncover Nozdormu's whereabouts but also revealed a group of time-disrupters across countless timestreams.
These dragons, covered in inky black scales, called themselves the Infinite Dragonflight; they boldly declared their intention to alter past events in Azeroth, thereby achieving the goal of indirectly changing the future.
Bronze Dragon Queen Soridormi clearly took this seriously, and the Bronze Dragonflight is currently entangled with the Infinite Dragonflight across numerous branching timelines.
But Andreas, who knew the inside story, found this somewhat amusing yet frustrating; strictly speaking, the two factions of dragons were just fighting themselves.
The Infinite Dragonflight's original intention was to reverse the outcome of the End Time, but due to the timeline's causal convergence, the source of this outcome actually came from those who were determined to prevent it... or rather, the dragons.
Since the Infinite Dragonflight has appeared, it means that the End Time outcome has already manifested on Azeroth's branching timelines, though it cannot yet affect the main timeline; Andreas currently has no time to help the Bronze Dragonflight solve this problem.
The Black Dragons and Blue Dragons are both endangered species; Malygos and Sinestra are both busy expanding their populations, and they do not intend to participate in this war between mortals.
Moreover, there was a crucial piece of intelligence that held the attention of the remaining two Dragon Aspects—Deathwing.
Whether by design or accident, the fallen Black Dragon Aspect, Deathwing, who had been missing for thousands of years, was recently sighted in the Redridge Mountains.
If it were anywhere else, at most Malygos would eagerly rush over to seek revenge on Deathwing, but the Redridge Mountains were different.
After the War of the Ancients, the dragons tried various methods but could not destroy the Dragon Soul created by Deathwing, nor could they retrieve their respective powers from this artifact.
Left with no choice, Ysera and Alexstrasza decided to seal it, with the Blue Dragon Consort Saragosa leading the remaining Blue Dragons in casting spells upon the Dragon Soul, ensuring no dragon could use this artifact.
Deathwing, who had been lurking for thousands of years, reappeared, and very precisely manifested at the sealing location of the Dragon Soul, which caused Alexstrasza and Malygos to become highly vigilant.
Although Malygos had repeatedly confirmed the status of the Dragon Soul after regaining his sanity, they could not be certain if Deathwing had acquired some strange power from his new master that could bypass the Blue Dragons' seal.
To avoid causing panic in the mortal world, Malygos and Alexstrasza opened a portal and traveled to the Redridge Mountains in the Eastern Kingdoms in their mortal forms to investigate.
However, in reality, Deathwing's trip to the Redridge Mountains was merely a feint, a way to announce his return and draw the attention and vigilance of the dragonflights; he himself had already quietly moved north into Lordaeron City... Battlefields were erupting all over the world, and Andreas had originally planned to offer aid to the Kingdom of Stormwind when they sought external help, but now it seemed unlikely that the Night Elves could spare enough forces.
As Lothar's vanguard legions first clashed with the orcs in the Black Morass, the great battle in Uldum finally entered a fierce stage with the addition of the naga.
The naga and Kvaldir, belonging to different factions, temporarily united under the manipulation of their respective masters, and taking advantage of the delayed arrival of Eldre'Thalas reinforcements, the outer defenses of the Halls of Origination finally developed a breach under the onslaught of the swarming enemies.
The hot-tempered Thorim nearly picked up his hammer and joined the battle himself on the spot, but after being persuaded by the four Keepers of the Forge of Origination, the huffing Storm Guardian reluctantly agreed to stay and guard the most crucial core area of the Forge of Origination.
Although the combined forces of the Kvaldir and naga breached the defenses and entered the Halls of Origination, reaching the core area of the Halls was not so easy, as the Titan constructs guarding the halls were stubbornly resisting their attacks.
Andreas hadn't paid much attention to this particular front; perhaps the successful ambush of Odyn had given Helya a false sense of the Titan Keepers' strength.
Even without Ra, Isiset, Ammunae, and Setesh, the four Keepers of the Forge of Origination, the enraged Thorim alone could make them realize what a true Titan Keeper was.
Moreover, with the arrival of the Night Elf Southern Army, the situation in Uldum should quickly undergo further changes.
Next was Stormheim.
Loken's iron army was indeed vast, and the local flesh vrykul, due to their disunity, were almost powerless, completely suppressed by the iron legions.
The remaining resistance fighters, under the command of the Val'kyr, were all concentrated near the Vault of Aggramar, vowing to defend this sacred hall, which housed the Pillar of Creation artifact, to the death.
Armies from Suramar, Highmountain, and Black Rook Hold advanced into Stormheim in two directions.
Night Elf and Nightborne forces gathered in the Suramar region, pushing from the Crimson Thicket northeast of Suramar towards Helheim.
The Highmountain Tauren, along with the Unseen Path, joined forces and descended in elevation from the southeast of Thunder Totem into Stormheim.
The fighting on this front should be quite intense, as Stormheim is Helya's stronghold, and Helya, who calls herself the Goddess of Death, will undoubtedly cause great trouble for the allied forces.
In comparison, the counterattack of the Dragonflayer Vrykul in Northrend was very weak.
Upon receiving instructions from Zandalar, although the Drakkari Trolls were very reluctant, they eventually temporarily set aside their grievances with the Zandalari and unanimously directed their efforts against the Vrykul of Howling Fjord.
Andreas did not intend to interfere in the battle within the Dream; Malfurion and Xavius, those old adversaries, were locked in a back-and-forth struggle, and a victor had yet to emerge.
"So, the most important and dangerous battlefield is still the main front in the Eastern Kingdoms…"
Andreas, commanding from the center, simultaneously compiled battle reports from various locations; he certainly couldn't handle it all alone.
Jarod personally went to the Stormheim front to coordinate command, while the Southern Army, led by Sentinel General Shandris, rushed to Uldum for support.
Roughly speaking, none of the battlefields seemed likely to fall into a disadvantage easily, but achieving an overwhelming advantage in a short time was also not easy; only the situation in the Kingdom of Stormwind across the sea worried Andreas greatly.
And it was at this time that Brunnhildr delivered bad news.
The new round of the Kings' Council being held in Lordaeron City encountered a problem; the human kingdoms, led by Lordaeron, did not believe the rumors of an alien invasion in the Kingdom of Stormwind.
Under the propaganda of certain nobles, the kings seemed to dismiss the unrest in the south as minor skirmishes similar to the wars with the gnolls.
Andreas stroked his chin and mused, "Lordaeron nobles deliberately downplaying the impact of the orc rebellion, Deathwing missing again… I think I understand something."
When the Kingdom of Stormwind was at war with the Gnolls and the Gurubashi Empire, King Bailasern also requested assistance from the Northern Kingdoms.
However, due to the great distance between the two sides, aside from Kul Tiras, which morally transported some supplies to the Kingdom of Stormwind by sea, the other nations adopted a schadenfreude attitude, watching the Kingdom of Stormwind struggle desperately against the invasion of foreign races.
In fact, their attitude was easy to understand; it was nothing more than fear and jealousy.
Unlike the Seven Human Kingdoms who shared the northern territories, the Kingdom of Stormwind alone occupied a vast territory in the southern continent. In terms of land area comparison, only the most powerful Lordaeron could rival it.
Recalling their own cramped territories, it would be strange if the psychologically unbalanced kings actively rescued the Kingdom of Stormwind. They wished the Gurubashi Trolls could slow down the Kingdom of Stormwind's development, and ideally seize a few territories.
However, fate had other plans. Thanks to the efforts of three young men, the war against the Jungle Trolls more than a decade ago ultimately resulted in victory for the Kingdom of Stormwind.
The Kingdom of Stormwind, having taken Duskwood and most of The Black Marsh, now subtly exceeded Lordaeron in territorial size. Even the Northern Big Brother, who always maintained a haughty demeanor, was displeased.
In fact, this was caused by the Butterfly Effect brought about by Andreas.
If the Kingdom of Lordaeron could fully control the entire Tirisfal Glades, their territorial area would still be greater than that of the Kingdom of Stormwind.
But the Gilneas Kingdom, which held Lordaeron's throat, occupied a large area of Lordaeron's western territory, and Lordaeron dared not take it back from them.
Furthermore, Alterac had taken advantage of the situation to carve out a piece of territory from the Western Wilds, and Dalaran and Gilneas had occupied Lordaeron Lake as a condition for mediation, which resulted in the territory of the Kingdom of Lordaeron shrinking significantly compared to the original history.
Even so, Lordaeron's territory still ranked first among the Northern Seven Human Kingdoms, and it often brazenly put on the face of a big brother, which greatly annoyed the kings of the other kingdoms.
Andreas entrusted Brunhilde to secretly investigate the most active nobles, but at this time, the noble who had first stood up to denounce the Orcish Uprising as a rumor suddenly vanished without a trace.
What surprised Brunhilde most was that King Terenas Menethil of Lordaeron completely forgot about the noble who called himself Prestor and offered advice; everyone had forgotten his existence and traces.
Just as expected.
Andreas smiled knowingly. "Heh~ Is he fanning the flames from behind the scenes?"
...Deathwing had been very depressed lately. Originally, he wanted to continue posing as a noble in the Kingdom of Lordaeron to incite rumors, but his presence seemed to have been noticed by the true power behind the Gilneas Kingdom.
Left with no choice, Deathwing cautiously withdrew from the Capital City of Lordaeron and instead traveled to the capital cities of the remaining Human Kingdoms to continue his "lobbying."
Alexstrasza and Malygos must have received news from somewhere, as they ran right into him in the snow-covered Capital City of Alterac.
Although he managed to escape from Alterac due to his superior strength, Malygos personally removed the mind control he had placed on the human kings.
His identity as Lord Prestor was completely exposed, and all human nations became extremely wary of any suddenly appearing strange nobles, making it nearly impossible to deceive them using the same methods again.
However, Deathwing, hiding in the Alterac Mountains, unexpectedly discovered a strange group of Trolls containing faint Black Dragon blood. Driven by curiosity, he decided to temporarily settle there to study the abnormal reactions produced by mixing Mortal races with dragon blood.
Although his identity was exposed, Deathwing did not believe the Northern Kingdoms would send reinforcements to the Kingdom of Stormwind because of this.
Even if his existence was proven to be fraudulent, his manipulative words still resonated with the kings of various countries to varying degrees.
Brunhilde tried hard to facilitate the dispatch of reinforcements to the South, but given the extremely negative attitude of the Six Kings, she could only report her disappointment to Andreas across the sea, stating that she had done her best.
Forget it...
Shaking his head helplessly, Andreas sighed and said, "The Kingdom of Stormwind has its own problems. If they had strengthened ties with the Northern Kingdoms early on, they wouldn't be completely without reinforcements now."
When the good news arrived that the Draenei had easily defeated the invading Naga, the Kingdom of Stormwind delivered bad news at the same time.
As the number of Orcs passing through the Dark Portal increased, the vanguard army led by Lothar gradually failed to withstand the Orcs' sharp offensive.
Most of the Orcs' weapons and armor were very primitive, and their formations were disorganized during combat, but their individual fighting strength deeply alarmed Lothar.
During their initial contact, an Orc warrior wielding a Crude Iron Battle-Axe could fight so fiercely that he could take on ten opponents alone.
Lothar witnessed the enemy's monstrously powerful physical fitness, quickly adjusted the tactics of the front-line soldiers, and formulated special Coordinated Defensive Tactics to counter the Orcs. At this point, the loss ratio between humans and Orcs was barely stabilized at around 3 to 1.
Watching the Orc army continuously pour out of that massive portal, Lothar's heart grew heavy.
As an excellent military leader, he knew clearly that a full-scale war was likely unavoidable.
The Orcs fighting the humans were only the vanguard dispatched by Blackhand, composed of small and medium-sized Clans. The Orcs' true core fighting strength was still hiding behind the battlefield, observing human capabilities.
Although the individual fighting strength of this Pink-skinned race could not compare to Orcs who had drunk demon blood, their seamless coordination during joint operations made Great Chieftain Blackhand feel quite troubled.
Blackhand's subordinate, Orgrim, received significant inspiration from the humans' tactical deployment and fighting methods, and recently was discussing related topics with his good friend Durotan.
Just then, Andreas received news from Prisim, who was monitoring Karazhan.
Karazhan welcomed an unexpected but logical visitor—the former Keeper, Aegwynn.
Because she understood the Power of the Keepers better than anyone, after Aegwynn went to inspect The Black Marsh, she quickly confirmed that the one who opened the portal from the side of Azeroth was indeed the son upon whom she had placed great hopes.
This discovery left her both shocked and furious. She had never expected the successor she had painstakingly groomed would become a pawn of the Burning Legion.
The fiery-tempered Aegwynn brought along her Blue Dragon friend, whom she had met during the War of Northrend, to confront him. When the conversation turned sour, it quickly provoked a fierce resistance from Medivh, who was completely controlled by Sargeras.
By the time Andreas was delivered by Celeste to the gates of Karazhan, the battle between the two generations of Keepers was already drawing to a close.
Arcanaegos, the Blue Dragon called upon by Aegwynn to assist, was covered in wounds but still holding on, while Aegwynn herself was bound by magic by the red-eyed Medivh.
"Poor Aegwynn," Medivh, whose body was controlled by Sargeras, mocked, "You never expected your victory back then would be so meaningless, did you?"
A ghostly green flame erupted from Medivh's hand, aimed directly at the tottering Arcanaegos.
"No!"
The struggling Aegwynn could only watch helplessly as Arcanaegos was consumed by the fierce flames, letting out a cry of agony.
In the nick of time, a golden spherical shield enveloped Arcanaegos, whose scales were scorched black, and the Fel Energy flames immediately extinguished under the suppression of the Holy Light.
"Hmm?"
Medivh frowned and looked toward the distant continent beyond the main gate of Karazhan, where a Night Elf man was holding his staff high, pointing it toward the dying Blue Dragon.
Driven by a woman's natural desire for beauty, when Aegwynn passed the power of the Keepers to Medivh, she retained a small portion of magic for herself to maintain her lifespan and youthful appearance.
It was precisely because of this small portion of the Keepers' power that Aegwynn was able to hold out for so long against Medivh, who was controlled by the demon king.
However, there was still a significant gap in strength between the two sides. When Aegwynn was restrained by Medivh's spell, Arcanagos rushed forward to save his friend, but in doing so, he became Medivh's target.
Just because Medivh did not recognize this strange Night Elves clad in a gold and black robe did not mean his mother, Aegwynn, failed to recognize him.
"Andreas!"
Aegwynn looked with surprise at the serious-faced Andreas, who was accompanied by another unfamiliar female Night Elves mage.
"Celeste, step back first."
Andreas gravely watched Medivh, whose entire body was overflowing with powerful Fel Energy. Due to Sargeras' subtle influence, Medivh's original Arcane power had completely changed.
Celeste knew she could not intervene in a battle of this magnitude; she had merely served as transportation to bring her husband from the distant Astranaar to Karazhan.
"Phew~ Fortunately, Prisim's intelligence arrived just in time."
Andreas gently exhaled, turning to look at Arcanagos, who had completely passed out inside the protective spell.
Saving a Blue Dragon was a good thing; the number of Blue Dragons was already sparse, and losing another one would undoubtedly cause Malygos great distress. Andreas did not want to face the maddened Blue Dragon Aspect again.
With a slight clench of his left hand, a golden energy longsword slashed through the air, instantly severing the Fel Energy chains restraining Aegwynn.
"Swish!"
After breaking free, Aegwynn immediately used Blink to appear in front of Andreas. The Keeper, who had once been so proud and spirited, now wore an expression of shame and dejection.
"I apologize, this is all my fault. If it weren't for my arrogance, Sargeras' soul wouldn't have been able to hide within me so easily, and Medivh wouldn't have..."
Andreas waved his hand, stopping Aegwynn's self-recrimination. "We can talk later. The main task is urgent."
Medivh... or rather, Sargeras, was staring at the Night Elves with a look of surprise.
"You, I remember you. You participated in the War of the Ancients ten thousand years ago!"
"Heh~"
Andreas gave a mocking smile and dramatically bowed to Sargeras with a hand over his chest.
"Long time no see, demon king Sargeras. I didn't expect you to still remember my appearance. Did Azeroth not teach you enough of a lesson ten thousand years ago?"
"Arrogance!"
Although he was possessing Medivh, Sargeras' overwhelming presence had not diminished. He sneered proudly, "Are you so pleased with yourselves over one lucky victory achieved by sacrificing the Well of Eternity?"
"Azeroth will eventually submit to me, and all worlds infested by the Old Gods will be cleansed by my flames!"
Andreas wasn't just making small talk with Sargeras; he smiled meaningfully. "The fact that you didn't attack immediately means you aren't completely confident of victory. You still can't fully control Medivh's power, can you?"
Sargeras' brow twitched slightly. Andreas had hit his biggest sore spot.
After all, he was only possessing Medivh and could not fully command Medivh's power.
Furthermore, Medivh's soul had been struggling constantly within the body. It was this resistance that had previously prevented Sargeras from killing Aegwynn, forcing him instead to restrain her and use Arcanagos as a sacrifice.
However, the demon king had reigned supreme throughout his life, and even if his strength was temporarily lacking, he would never bow down or show weakness to anyone.
"Hmph! Let me see how much you've improved over the past ten thousand years!"
During the War of the Well of Eternity ten thousand years ago, Sargeras had only entered Azeroth for a brief time. However, he had constantly observed the world from the Twisting Nether through the eyes of high-ranking demons invading Azeroth, and certain outstanding Mortals had long been placed on his blacklist.
Naturally, Andreas, who had left an impression on Archimonde and Mannoroth, was one of them.
Sargeras was somewhat unsure about the power he could currently exert. If Rezan could instantly recognize Andreas' demigod status, there was no reason Sargeras couldn't.
'A demigod promoted from a Mortal, huh.'
With a wave of his hand, the Fel Energy flames he had drawn back from Arcanagos struck toward Andreas. The crude and expansive manner of the attack made Andreas curl his lip.
As an incomparably powerful Titan, whether before or after his corruption, Sargeras rarely encountered beings who could match him in strength. Consequently, his precise control over power lagged behind that of Mortals who were born weak and grew strong step by step.
Intent on testing Sargeras' strength, Andreas stood his ground without moving, a thick golden shield protecting him securely.
Aegwynn originally intended to flank Sargeras alongside Andreas, but Celeste pulled her back, pointing to Arcanagos, who was unconscious and completely scorched nearby.
"Save the person... save the dragon first. Leave the corrupted Keeper to Andreas."
Green Fel Energy flames slammed down upon the Holy Light Shield. Based on the intensity of the attack, Andreas roughly assessed the power Sargeras' fragment could exert.
'He's not even as strong as Medivh was when fighting on his own. It seems Medivh's soul is still struggling. If that's the case...'
"Clang!"
His staff struck the ground heavily, and an outward-spreading golden light wave extinguished the Fel Energy flames released by Sargeras.
Using Nature Power as a conduit, the Holy Light within Andreas seamlessly switched to Shadow.
"Mind Blast, Shadow Word: Pain, Vampiric Touch."
Three consecutive Shadow Magic spells aimed directly at the soul landed on Sargeras without any incantation. Andreas saw the skin on Medivh's face twitch violently.
It was Sargeras' soul that was struck heavily. The damage to his soul meant that Medivh's suppressed soul had found an opportunity.
"Ugh ah!"
Medivh's body clutched its head and wailed in pain. Half of the Fel Energy that had surrounded him extinguished, replaced by pure blue-purple Arcane energy.
Seeing this, hope surged in Aegwynn's heart. "Medivh! Hold fast to your conviction! Don't succumb to the dark temptation in your heart!"
Andreas gave the excited Aegwynn a speechless look. 'If you knew this, why did you let it happen? If it weren't for your hands-off approach to raising him, how could Sargeras have so easily seized control of Medivh's body?'
Having succeeded with one strike, Andreas seized Sargeras' weakness and continued his relentless attack.
"Vampiric Embrace, Mind Plague, Mind Flay!"
Sargeras' face contorted fiercely as he used Fel Energy protective spells to strengthen his mental defenses, but Andreas' Shadow Magic still hammered his soul, causing it to shake.
"The Void! It's the Void again!"
Sargeras roared and slammed his temples forcefully. Since this body wasn't his anyway, he didn't care if he damaged it.
"A dignified demigod of Azeroth actually using Void Power! This planet truly has been completely corrupted by the Void!"
The expression on Medivh's face was bizarrely split down the middle: one half was fierce and raging with fury, while the other was anxious and weak.
"Mother! Speaker Moonshadow, quickly! Destroy my body!"
"No! You cowardly fool, give the body to me!"