Chapter 151: The Hammer of Annihilation

Just how strong are the orcs?

Before this day, none of the young nobles in Stormwind Fortress had a clear understanding. Their parents had originally arranged for them to evacuate in advance. But for one reason, not a single noble dared to defy the unspoken rule and withdraw their offspring early—Queen Tiffin hadn't left, and as the kingdom's only legitimate heir, Prince Varian Wrynn hadn't left either.

The saying goes, "as above, so below."

With the queen and the prince remaining in Stormwind Fortress, who would dare to send their children away first? As a result, almost all the nobles had sent their female family members and underage children to the fortress. To put it nicely, they were sharing the kingdom's fate; to put it bluntly, they were hostages.

Of course, adult children were given "important missions," sent to Southshore on the other side of the sea to set up evacuation points, but that was a different story.

Nobody expected that the supposedly safe rear, with its strong defenses, would be raided!

When the alarm bells rang out, most people panicked.

"Your Majesty, you should evacuate with Prince Varian first. At the very least… at least hide somewhere," said the captain of the royal guard.

"Retreat? To where? We stand our ground. Either we hold until the king returns, or we're killed by the orcs beforehand. I am the queen of Stormwind, and I will not hide in a secret chamber, only to be dragged out and killed like a rat plucked from the gutter by filthy orcs."

The queen spoke the truth. There was nowhere to run. Stormwind Fortress was located to the northeast of Stormwind City, deep in the heart of the valley. Its original design made it the last bastion of defense; if it couldn't be held, then it was the end.

Although the fortress was strategically located, even the sturdiest fort needed enough soldiers to defend it. Now undermanned, the entire fortress was like a paper tiger.

At this moment, the noblewomen and children all looked to the queen. If she, as queen, led the way in hiding in a secret chamber, even if King Llane eventually returned, the people's morale would crumble, and the king's authority would vanish. Instead, it was better to stand strong in the throne room.

If they were truly invaded, then perhaps it was the end of Stormwind!

With trembling hands, the queen, assisted by her ladies-in-waiting, donned her royal attire, and sat beside the elegantly dressed Prince Varian on the thrones reserved for the queen and the prince. Around them were hundreds of terrified noblewomen and children.

Every ear was straining to listen.

Outside the fortress, the distinct sounds of orcish roars and clashing weapons could be heard. The harbingers of death were drawing ever closer, louder, and clearer.

Then, the sound of hundreds, if not thousands, of heavy footsteps distinct from those of booted soldiers echoed through the air. The brutal sounds of monstrous feet lifting and falling sent a bone-chilling fear through the eardrums and into the deepest recesses of every woman and child's heart.

Soft sobbing spread throughout the throne room.

"Enough! If annihilation and death are our fate, then we must accept them with courage. If our destiny is not yet sealed, we must not let today's disgrace become a lifelong shame!" The queen stood up with determination, her left hand clutching the royal scepter, her right hand tightly holding Prince Varian's left.

The young prince gripped a magnificent dagger in his right hand.

Everyone anxiously listened to the sounds outside, watching the guards positioned before the throne room doors.

There, Sir Windsor, the king's most trusted knight, led the last twelve royal guards. In Sir Windsor's hand was the renowned King's Protector sword that had recently caused quite a stir. The floor of the throne room trembled, as if a cup of water was being carried by a servant. The heart of each person shuddered just like the floor.

The fierce fighting and roaring grew closer. Until a vicious, crimson hammer smashed through the iron-reinforced wooden doors of the throne room—it was a hammer covered in blood, entrails, and bits of flesh. The hammer resembled a perfect cube, with crimson droplets sliding down its surface, making Prince Varian think of it more as a bloody throne held high.

As the doors of the throne room fell with a mournful cry, a monstrous figure, seemingly from ancient times, appeared at the entrance. With dark red skin, terrifyingly bulging muscles, and four tusks protruding from its lower jaw—two long on the outside and two shorter on the inside.

"Ahhhh!" The mere sight of this terrifying creature caused many noblewomen to scream in horror before fainting.

"Charge!" Sir Windsor ordered, and all the royal guards rushed forward. Ogrim Doomhammer smirked contemptuously. His right shoulder armor, adorned with large tusks, slightly lifted as a whirlwind of black energy gathered at his elbow.

So fast! The first guard to reach Ogrim barely had time to process the thought before he saw the hammer grow larger in his field of view, filling his entire vision in less than a heartbeat. His movements were flawless, reaching the absolute limits of a human's ability.

However, facing such an inhumanly powerful opponent, he was utterly terrified, unable to do anything but open his mouth wide and watch as the hammer reached his face before his sword could strike. "Bang!" Time seemed to pause and then suddenly resumed.

The massive Doomhammer struck the guard's forehead like a game of whack-a-mole. A torrent of force traveled from the top of the helmet through the guard's skull, shattering his neck vertebrae and causing them to collapse into a single mass.

The remaining force continued downward. In an instant, the guard's facial features twisted as all the ribs in his chest cavity crumpled together, and the pressure within his skull caused his brain matter and eyes to burst out of every opening in a spray.

The hammer continued to descend, flattening the guard's skull into his chest and crushing half his body. The soldier, once a tall man, was reduced to a 'dwarf' as his body convulsed and then collapsed to the ground.

Blood spattered violently across the marble floor of the throne room, with a few crimson droplets even landing on a thirteen-year-old girl nearby, who was momentarily suffocated by fear. (To be continued.)