Chapter 255: The Second Phase

The battle against the peons was easy and relaxed. Apart from the real bloodshed, it was almost like training with spears against straw-man targets.

Some soldiers even joked, "If the so-called champions of the Horde are like this, one of our platoons could kill ten thousand of them."

At that moment, after casting the second round of [Lightspell], Abidis noticed huge transport ships approaching the shore, and many larger figures with distinct armor outlines appeared on the coast.

The main force of the orcs had arrived.

Mograine ordered, "Sound the horn, archers provide cover, and have the sword and shield infantry and spear infantry fall back. The second phase is about to begin."

The unique horn call of the Lordaeron army rang out, and the soldiers who had been enjoying the battle at the front lines suddenly realized it was time to retreat. Under the guidance of good lighting and their commanders' shouts, the soldiers orderly retreated, following the predetermined path to the higher-altitude second line of defense.

As the soldiers retreated according to plan, Marshal Abidis raised his sword and shouted, "First Javelin Squad, throw!"

Long, dark shadows shot into the sky, tracing a beautiful arc before screaming downwards, impaling many orc warriors at the base of the hill.

However, many more continued their charge.

Abidis noticed that a significant number of orc warriors had better equipment than reported. They were no longer the naked, brute-force giants described by the Stormwind soldiers.

Their right shoulders, the arm wielding their weapons, were typically adorned with large spiked shoulder plates, horned helmets on their heads, and a metallic breastplate covering their chests. Their forearms were protected by leather vambraces. They wore no armor on their lower bodies, often just a loincloth-like piece of armor, but they all wore large boots, allowing them to traverse the complex terrain of the battlefield more effectively.

Abidis quickly summoned a Dalaran mage responsible for communication and sent this information to Duke.

Upon receiving the news, silence fell over the command center.

Lothar smirked, "Gentlemen, at least we have confirmed that our enemies are an evolving intelligent species."

No one could laugh at this cold joke.

It wasn't funny at all.

Duke glanced at the exquisite clock hanging in the command center; it was 4:30 in the morning.

"Tell Alleria and Sylvanas, it's time for their rangers to take the stage." Before Duke could finish, two voices echoed through the command center.

"Heard you loud and clear." Alleria the demonic Huntress's voice echoed.

"I was getting moldy waiting." Queen Sylvanas's complaint.

Then, the tumultuous noise from the beach seemed to diminish significantly.

Neither Llane and Bolvar on the eastern hill, nor Mograine and Abidis on the western hill, could believe their eyes.

It had been far too long since humans had witnessed the elite rangers of the high elves.

If the definition of a master archer was one arrow, one enemy, then these rangers were super master archers, almost monstrous in their prowess. The sound of bowstrings echoed continuously from higher positions on the hill.

In a matter of moments, the dense Horde forces on the beach were all shot dead, their arrows almost seeming to have eyes, automatically navigating to the orcs' throats and other vital areas.

.

In an instant, the entire beach was empty.

"Oh my, what kind of reinforcements has our second-in-command brought back? This is equivalent to a ten-thousand strong archer legion," King Llane Wrynn murmured to himself.

Marshal Bolvar comforted Llane, "I've heard that the Windrunner family is the top ranger family in Quel'Thalas."

Llane felt slightly reassured.

Bolvar was right; the Windrunner rangers were indeed the best among the high elves, without a doubt.

Throughout the entire human world, including high elves and even the more powerful night elves, no other force could compare to the Windrunner archers. Perhaps, only the legendary force directly under High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind could be compared to the Windrunner rangers.

However, the terror of the Horde was not only in its powerful individual strength but also in its overwhelming numbers.

When they noticed more and more ships docking on the western coast, the irritable orcs decisively ignored their orders and started to direct the ships toward any available docking location.

For example, the eastern beach with higher terrain and better human defenses.

Or, the Southshore harbor itself.

At dawn, the main force of the Horde's beach landing battle finally arrived. The enormous ironclad ships crashed into the stone harbor, causing the entire dock to tremble. Duke saw through his telescope how the deep-water harbor, which took a long time to build, was being damaged by the orcs, and he wished he could exterminate them all.

"Damn it, my private savings…" Duke muttered to himself.

On the other side, Turalyon was also grumbling, "In the name of the Holy Light, they're so ugly!"

Even though Lothar and Duke had described them before, seeing them in person was quite different. Turalyon, who had observed the Horde's deceased peons, initially thought they were similar in size to a burly human, with light green skin and two huge tusks in their mouths.

But now, Turalyon realized he was completely wrong.

The true Horde warriors were even larger and more hideous.

Their bright green skin and rabbit-red eyes were striking.

And those massive tusks that couldn't be covered by their lips! Turalyon swore he had only ever seen such size on wild boars.

But wild boars didn't walk on two feet, didn't carry huge weapons, and certainly didn't wear heavy armor.

Duke pretended to observe with a single-lens telescope and then announced the answer marked in the system's prompt, "Alright, Marshals, I have good news and bad news."

Everyone immediately perked up their ears.

"The good news is that the Horde is finally willing to commit its main force. Lothar, you can consider recalling the reserve forces you've deployed outside."

Lothar smiled faintly. For safety's sake, he had divided about one-third of the forces assembled in Southshore and stationed them in the central part of Hillsbrad Foothills, roughly between Southshore and Sorrow Hill.

Lothar didn't respond to Duke's suggestion. Withdrawing the forces wouldn't necessarily help, but keeping them there could act as insurance. At most, they would receive complaints from the two kings later, saying their forces couldn't gain any merit.

Lothar asked with a smile, "What's the bad news?"