In an unexpected twist, Ysera and Malygos engaged in melee combat, catching Neltharion off guard. Before he could react, Malygos had already clamped onto the nape of his neck, his magical essence pouring into Neltharion. Simultaneously, Ysera ferociously bit into the back of Neltharion's neck, her claws pinning Deathwing's wings, as dream-infused power flowed through each contact point.
Suddenly, the ever-fearless Nozdormu lunged forward. Composed of sand and metal, he remained undying as long as his chronal essence was intact. Embracing with fervor, Nozdormu aimed a bite at Neltharion's rib, the affected area disintegrating into dust.
"Roar, roar, roar, roar!"
Desperately, Neltharion writhed. In his functioning right eye, he could only see Alexstrasza, the life-giver.
To everyone's astonishment, while her breath was crimson, it appeared as a peculiar green flame.
The hue of life!
Power that awakens the earth and blooms myriad flowers!
From her elevated position, a breath imbued with life narrowly missed Nozdormu's neck, striking Neltharion's left chest with force.
The Earth-Warder let out his most agonized cry since the battle began. Instantly, his scalding dragon blood erupted from every wound.
Such a blow could have critically wounded the two guardian dragons behind. Yet, Duke's timely warning of "Scatter!" allowed Ysera and Malygos to evade.
Relying on his resilience, Nozdormu was slightly tardy in his evasion. To his astonishment, Neltharion's blood drained a substantial portion of his time essence.
For him, it was life itself.
Regret consumed Nozdormu.
Battered and bleeding profusely, Neltharion plummeted.
Like a meteor, he streaked through the clouds, crashing into Lordaeron's southern wall. His colossal form effortlessly shattered the fortification, which even the mightiest orcish trebuchets hadn't breached, akin to toppling a stack of toy blocks.
The fallen black dragon carved a vast trench, stretching over a kilometer, between Lordaeron's southern wall and Lake Lordamere.
At this moment, Lordaeron seemed to groan in anguish. The southern wall crumbled, inducing a significant ground subsidence. This shockwave spread, causing proximate buildings to explode and topple.
This spectacle was magnitudes more dramatic than any plane crash.
Neltharion continued his devastating descent, toppling towering trees with ease.
Crashing, Neltharion bulldozed his way from the city walls to Lake Lordamere. A gargantuan wooden dock, accommodating the Alliance's grandest warships, splintered upon impact, its debris soaring skyward.
Then, Neltharion submerged into the lake.
A thunderous "Boom!" resounded.
Neltharion's plunge raised towering waves.
As the waters settled, the entire lake began to boil, as if an underwater volcano had erupted.
The guardian dragons exchanged glances.
Dominating the scene, Alexstrasza commanded, "Drag him up and finish him!"
Battles in deep waters were never a forte of flying dragons.
Firstly, this wasn't truly the deep sea.
Secondly, how could mere meters of water deter the King of Magic?
Malygos's eyes blazed, magic runes cascading within them.
With a roar echoing across the heavens, he declared, "I pronounce this an icy realm!"
A sight unforgettable.
A miracle for bards to sing for millennia.
From a thin layer of ice, a blue-white shockwave transformed the lake into a thick icy expanse. The unparalleled cold reached the lake's depths, freezing its vast expanse within moments.
"Shatter!" Malygos commanded.
The frozen lake exploded, the shards soaring before dissipating in the chilling wind.
Before their eyes, Lake Lordamere vanished, replaced by a vast icy chasm. At its base, a heat-emitting black dragon writhed in death throes.
The four guardian dragons circled again, their gaze unwavering on Neltharion.
"The end is near, Neltharion. Your millennia-old treachery will soon be over," proclaimed the Red Dragon Queen.
"For my kin and kind!" Malygos roared.
"You, lost to time, will be my trophy," Nozdormu declared.
"Rest, my brother," Ysera whispered.
Duke interjected, "Hurry up. I fear complications."
"There'll be no complications!" Malygos retorted.
On Lordaeron's terrace, Duke smirked, "Then proceed! I'd rather not face the same foe thrice."
After their deliberations, the guardian dragons finally acted.
They dismembered Neltharion... but quickly sensed something amiss.
Their surroundings blurred.
"Ysera! What did you do!?" the dragons exclaimed.
"No! It wasn't me," she replied.