Chapter 161: I Am Your Nightmare

"Of course you must remember me, for I will be your nightmare!"

Duke's words in fluent Orcish still echoed in Orgrim Doomhammer's ears. It felt like mockery, as well as a nightmare that could never be escaped.

Warchief Blackhand, accompanied by his guards, approached Orgrim. With a roar, he demanded, "Do you know that human mage?"

"Of course! It was Duke Marcus who repelled my surprise attack and my forces! I was already at the human Warchief's throne!"

Blackhand's facial muscles twitched. He knew the best way to deal with spellcasters was to find stronger spellcasters. But he couldn't find even one warlock, as orders from the Shadow Council remained unbroken.

Roughly gripping Orgrim's shoulder armor, Blackhand pulled him closer, roaring, "It's time for you to wash away your disgrace, my lieutenant! To prevent your escape, Kilrogg Deadeye will keep an eye on you! Go!"

Orgrim's face spasmed, like it was shocked by electricity. The word 'disgrace' deeply stimulated his nerves.

He didn't argue. In the eyes of the orcs, failure was failure. There was no room for argument.

The fact that the Warchief didn't execute him immediately was already merciful. Though Orgrim still harbored deep-seated anger over the death of his friend Durotan, he knew this was not the time to challenge Warchief Blackhand.

"Follow me!" Orgrim raised his hand, and the elite orcs under his command surged like a brutal tide of slaughter towards the small hill near Mirror Lake.

Beside Orgrim's Blackrock clan elites, another formidable army marched with them.

Kilrogg Deadeye's Bleeding Hollow clan elites.

The Bleeding Hollow clan - once the most powerful clan in the Horde - still boasted an astonishing number of warriors and formidable strength.

Unfortunately, they faced Duke without warlocks to restrain him.

If they were a malevolent darkness drowning the land, then Duke was the dawn's light that washed away the shadows.

Duke, bathed in the morning light, shone with a golden aura, the lion banner of Stormwind flying behind him.

He stood atop the small hill, proudly looking down upon the thousands of orcs crawling towards him like ants.

"Hahaha! Daniel, hold that flag high for me. I'll show these scoundrels that Stormwind isn't to be trifled with. Hahahaha!" Duke's laughter reached Daniel, who was holding the flag.

Unknowingly, Daniel felt emboldened as well.

Having often heard tales of Duke's prowess without seeing it firsthand, he had never felt it so vividly.

How many orcs were there below?

Tens of thousands, at least - a force that could destroy the entire kingdom.

But could Duke face them so defiantly?

As he looked at Duke, radiant in the morning light, Daniel became captivated. It was a near-fanatical hero worship.

Duke? A great general holding ground on the battlefield?

No! With his power alone, he shook the terrifying orc army of countless thousands. This had already transcended the realm of a mere general.

If the simple-minded Daniel had to find an adjective, it would be... a god!

The guardian deity of the entire kingdom!

At the foot of the hill, orc warriors experienced, for the first time on the Elwynn Forest battlefield, a human mage unleashing his full power without being restrained by their own warlocks.

Huge fireballs released all their energy upon impact, the terrifying force easily ripping up grass and roots, spreading flames onto the orc warriors.

Fear of fire is an instinct shared by most creatures.

The sensation of burning beyond one's physical tolerance is not something every warrior can conquer with courage alone.

Thirty-six massive fire magic circles continuously hurled barrel-sized fireballs at an angle. This was a firestorm even more devastating than a meteor shower.

Numerous orc warriors were blasted into the sky by the fireballs, and after howling in pain as they fell back to the ground, they were swallowed by the flames, turning into charred corpses that gave off a nauseating smell within moments.

The explosion's fiery glow flashed incessantly, and Daniel, who was behind Duke, couldn't help but squint his eyes. In his line of sight, although many orcs were burned alive, even more of them had entered the final charge. Their lines spread out into an arc, neither too dense nor too sparse, as they encircled Duke.

Of course, the forty-degree incline of the mountain path had slowed them down somewhat. However, for orcs who found climbing mountains as effortless as eating and drinking, this wasn't a significant problem.

Their advance was hardly slowed down.

"Cover your ears!" Duke suddenly commanded.

Daniel obeyed.

In the next instant, a river of flames appeared at the base of the mountain, instantly separating the incoming orcs from the rest.

Then, a series of explosions rang out.

These were the shells Duke had scattered on the hillside before dawn, nearly exhausting Stormwind Kingdom's already limited supply of griffins in the process. Since the Horde had discovered a new direction of attack, the cannons stationed at Stormwind City's main gate had lost their purpose.

Under such strained circumstances, the shells couldn't be transported away, so Duke decided to put them to use.

As they stepped onto the hillside, the explosive shells were set off by the intense heat, sending columns of fire and debris into the air. One by one, brave and determined faces fell in the explosive flash, while enraged orcs continued to advance toward the summit, stepping over the bodies of their fallen comrades.

They were still nearly 200 meters away from Duke. At this distance, the orcs could do nothing to him.

However, Duke could rely on his control over the surrounding elements and unreservedly open the arcane fire magic circuit, pouring magic onto the hillside.

The deafening noise of the explosions startled the entire orc army and even the human warriors on the outer walls of Stormwind City more than a kilometer away.

Even the most basic Fireball spell created an astonishing spectacle. The exploding fireballs threatened to overturn the ground, and every branch on the lush hillside by Mirror Lake was snapped by the scorching blast. Broken branches were constantly tossed into the air, only to fall and be thrown up again.

The banners symbolizing glory and power of the Blackrock and Bleeding Hollow clans fell one after another among the charging forces.

At the foot of the mountain, Warchief Blackhand stared in disbelief.

"This can't be possible!"

In contrast, the cheering soldiers of Stormwind City erupted like thunder upon seeing the roaring flames and hearing the screams of the orcs. On the city walls, every warrior wore an ecstatic expression.

They knew their new guardian deity, Duke Marcus, was teaching those orcs a lesson in humility. (To be continued.)