Chapter 504: Is Duke Still Alive?

The mission had failed. Lordaeron had not only lost its forces but also its dignity. Dalaran too was having no good days.

Archmage Antonidas nodded and gestured to the field below. Suddenly, a magical stir began to spread.

"Everyone, be ready!"

"Portal opens in five minutes!"

"Begin the countdown!"

On the square, the attendants responsible for the preparations began to withdraw in a fluid motion. Soon, only the departing soldiers remained.

Unrelated individuals were quickly escorted away from the scene.

The Dalaran guards responsible for security swiftly sealed off the entire square.

Squads of Dawnstar Mages stepped into the magical circles beside the portal, moving into their designated positions.

All eyes turned to Archmage Antonidas on the high platform.

With the guards ready, Antonidas quickly began to cast. After a brief spell, his consciousness began to enter the bewildering void.

He was searching for the spatial coordinates of Grim Batol Fortress.

Spatial teleportation was never an easy task. Unless it was a capital city, it was hard to have complete spatial coordinates. Most of the time, the mage had to explore and lock on to the target himself.

One slip-up could lead to a human tragedy.

To avoid alarming the enemy, the Alliance hadn't even sent a mage to Grim Batol to set the coordinates in advance. Naturally, they were relying on the Sunreaver Archmage, Antonidas.

And he found the target without much difficulty.

It was a flat area to the east of Grim Batol, near the Dragonmaw Gates leading to the afterworld.

He couldn't set the portal on the mountain's peak of Grim Batol. First, there was limited space on the peak, and second, facing continuous assault from the Red Dragons would leave the assault team very vulnerable.

He didn't have Deathwing's cheat ability to find the secret path directly to the Dragon Queen. He could only choose a spot most suitable, right between the Horde's large army and Grim Batol Fortress.

He found it!

Almost the moment Antonidas locked onto the coordinates, a massive portal on the square began to emit intense waves. First ripples, then a tumultuous surge formed of an unknown substance.

In a few moments, the portal revealed the scene on the other side.

It was a vast corridor, with torches lining both sides. The Horde warrior responsible for guarding was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the portal before him. Then he saw the Alliance soldiers, already prepared to charge.

General Abbendis, the highest field commander for this mission, raised his greatsword high: "In the name of Lordaeron—charge!"

A tremendous roar erupted on the square, and the assault team, led by the formidable Silver Hand, rushed forth.

The leading Abbendis and Saidan Dathrohan, like two sharp swords, cut through, throwing the orcs into chaos.

But it was only momentary chaos.

Unexpectedly to the Lordaeron people, the orcs seemed... quite prepared.

Hundreds of well-equipped orc warriors of considerable strength charged from the main roads of the fortress, clashing with Lordaeron's elite.

A few orc captains desperately rallied their kin, hoping to use the relatively narrow terrain to contain the Alliance's momentum and turn the tide. But he soon realized his thoughts were wishful thinking.

Facing him were two of the Alliance's most ferocious warriors. Although the warriors here were also considered elite, the same title in different clans meant a fundamental difference in strength.

Physique, resilience, and many other factors determined combat power. If Orgrimmar's elite Blackrock clan had a strength of 100, these fellows would be at most 70.

Before Lordaeron's battle-hardened elite, they were simply no match!

Their prized strength was useless against swifter foes. Often, just as an orc had swung his arm, a sharp sword had already pierced his awful face.

Especially the Silver Hand Paladins leading the charge; against them, killing these orcs was like cutting through melons and vegetables.

Saidan wielded a hammer imbued with Holy Light, like a titan wielding supreme divine power. With a swing, beams of Holy Light swept like thunderbolts into the orc crowd. The platinum-colored Hammer of the Light radiated a holy aura, easily sending hundreds of pounds of orc flying like high-flying balls.

Under the Paladin skill "Consecration," Saidan's every charge infused the ground with Holy Light, which then erupted from the surface. Any weaker orc that came close had their legs burned and carbonized by the Holy Light.

But that was not all. General Abbendis, fighting alongside, grew more ferocious, reaching a state akin to divine possession.

His flaming red armor sparkled with something resembling Holy Light, a manifestation of the Warrior's special energy, "Rage."

His two-handed sword surged with red power, majestic as the arrival of the Titan Odin himself.

His battle cries, like thunder, killed even without the sword's strike. Merely the "Rage" transformed into might, unleashing the Warrior's special attack "Thunder Clap," directly shook the grievously wounded orcs to death.

The assault team was so fierce that the observing kings gazed in awe, feeling a strange sense of transcendence, as if this elite of elites could slay the entire Horde.

King Terenas's face bore an unspoken pride.

His ash-white hair fluttered in the wild wind, exuding an indescribable aura.

Antonidas remained silent, watching the assault team divide into two paths. One path hastily constructed defenses on the spot, using debris as cover, attempting to seal off the largest entrance to the fortress.

The other continued to press deeper into the fortress.

It seemed... promising!

At that moment, Antonidas's perception spread within the fortress, checking for danger, such as warning in advance where Red Dragons might be.

At that moment, he suddenly sensed an odd presence, specifically, the aura of a magical loop.

He swore he would never forget this aura in his life, because of its origin, its root.

It was the aura of the "Arcane Throne" and the "Crown of Ice," although very faint, Antonidas was sure he was not mistaken.

After all, in the world, aside from that young man, no third person would possess these two arcane loops.

Damn it!

Was Duke Markus still alive!?

For a moment, Antonidas's mind went blank, forgetting entirely why he had extended his perception in the first place.