Chapter 674: The Last Resort

Unbeknownst to them, the orcs began to scatter.

"Hurrah!"

"Praise you, great mage lady!"

The morale of the cavalrymen surged instantly. Who would have thought that the delicate noblewoman they had rescued would turn out to be a sorceress?

A Paladin spoke, "We thank you; you've bought us more time."

Just more time?

If it's just this entrance, I can hold it for three days and nights!

Feeling the terrifying spell damage and mana regeneration boost from the "Smokestream Gloves," Jaina decided to cast a "Wall of Fire" to thwart the orc onslaught.

Indeed, Jaina did just that. After a five-second incantation, a massive wall of fire, 10 meters wide and 2 meters high, appeared in front of the chapel.

Instantly, over twenty orcs were engulfed by the blazing inferno, turning into human torches.

The knights cheered, but the Paladin could only muster a bitter smile.

"What's wrong? You have a problem with my magic?" Jaina asked, a bit miffed, turning to the captain.

"If it were orcs from any other clan, perhaps they'd be scared off. But alas, these are from the elite Warsong Clan!"

Every knight's body trembled at the mention.

The Warsong Clan, even Jaina was somewhat familiar with the name.

Yes, the Warsong Clan!

Starting from Southshore, they made a notorious name for themselves, daring to confront flamethrowers, devastating Silverpine Forest, and even once advancing to the gates of Lordaeron City.

The Warsong orcs had dispersed, but it didn't take long for Jaina and the others to realize what they were up to.

Abruptly, the sound of shattering glass, "Ping Pong," rang out above.

Then a second, a third... countless torches were hurled in, smashing the chapel's glass windows, which stood at least two men high, and fell to the interior floor of the chapel.

Since many areas inside the chapel were already covered in frost, it didn't cause a large fire, but it did throw the wounded knights into disarray.

When a few brave knights climbed up to the high and narrow windows to stealthily survey the outside, one nearly had his head pierced by a thrown spear.

The next moment, the sound of earth-shaking impacts came from all around the chapel.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom—"

The dull thuds, like the tolling of the death knell.

The Paladin cursed, "Damn it! I knew they'd use logs as battering rams!"

Indeed, the orcs had used their immense strength to shake the large trees in the town, uprooting them to serve as siege rams.

Though the chapel was built of blue stone, it wasn't a dedicated fortress. In fact, unless it was a bunker made of concrete, most traditional fortresses were of no use against the sheer force of these brutes who firmly believed in 'strength creating miracles.'

The impact against the chapel walls sounded as if mountains were crumbling. To Jaina, it felt as if the trees were slamming into her chest, flattening her ribs, and the collapsed lungs could no longer expand to breathe in fresh air.

"To the death!" Bereft of any hope for luck, the Paladin raised his warhammer high.

"To the death!" Even the wounded, struggling to rise, echoed the call, raising their weapons in solidarity.

Jaina had never imagined that in just a few minutes, they would be driven to such a desperate corner.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The orcs outside were professionals; they stopped just before breaking through a wall. They were waiting for more entry points to be ready.

The rigorous discipline of these orcs made it hard to believe they were just a barbaric race from a distant planet.

Finally...

With a coarse command, over ten breaches were blasted simultaneously on both sides of the chapel, each carefully avoiding the pillars. Almost at the same moment, a dozen slender trolls leapt onto the high chapel windows, brandishing sharp spears. From their split-open mouths, two elongated tusks jutted out, and they wore a cruel smile.

"Heh heh heh!"

"Lok-tar!"

Amidst the scattering rubble and rising dust, burly orcs charged in, wielding their huge weapons and bellowing fiercely.

Jaina, wrapped in a white protective shield, became the focal point of their attack. She barely managed to cast a "Fire Blast" that sent an orc flying, but the next moment, over ten spears were hurled at her.

In her panic, Jaina still successfully performed a "Blink." The place where she stood half a second ago was now pinned with countless spears.

Her luck ran out half a second later.

The following five spears easily pierced her magical shield.

"Ah—" Jaina let out a dying scream, futilely shielding her face with her arms!

Duke! I won't forgive you even in death!

Cursing so with her last breath, Jaina faced her end.

In the very last moment, without any warning, a miracle occurred.

A dazzling arcane brilliance burst forth from Jaina's gloves.

Time seemed to freeze.

Jaina opened her eyes, her pupils clear with astonishment.

"Roar—" A fierce and majestic roar erupted from the gloves she wore.

The wooden spears thrown at her silently turned to sawdust, then to fine powder, vanishing into thin air.

Accompanied by this non-human roar, everyone on the field, whether it was the orc poised to smash down with his warhammer or the human knight ready to thrust his sword with his remaining arm, froze in their actions.

In that moment, everyone felt their strength and courage fleeing their bodies in terror.

A foreboding sense told them that something was about to descend, a mysterious entity with supreme, unchallengeable power.

When it arrived, it would dominate everything, take over the entire battlefield.

In the blink of an eye, everyone knew who 'it' was!

A massive, illusory flag made of purple and blue arcane energy rose from Jaina's gloves.

The flag was so vast that it transcended the chapel, rising above it.

The orcs and knights instinctively looked up at the flag.

Then, in either the imperfect Common tongue or the thick accent of Lordaeron, both orc and knight uttered the same name—

"Duke Marcus!"

As if hearing the call of hundreds, a blue glow suddenly appeared beside Jaina.

Before anyone could react, a young man dressed in a blue and white mage's robe was already standing beside Jaina, who was kneeling on the ground.

Supporting Jaina's arm with one hand, Duke laughed and said, "Ah! So you've finally activated the last resort of the 'Smokestream Gloves'!"