Chapter 692: The Skull of Gul'dan

Nefarian declared loudly that dragons were the strongest creatures in Azeroth. The orcs, inexperienced and unacquainted with the formidable elemental lords, titanic creations, and the even more terrifying Old Gods, were easily intimidated by his proclamation.

Their faces clearly expressed admiration and agreement, greatly satisfying Nefarian's vanity. He pointed to a particularly large black dragon with two huge horns on its forehead.

"Sabellian!" he called out the dragon's name, and all other dragons bowed their heads. "He is my lieutenant, in charge of all matters. He and a few others will transport your orcs to the island you mentioned. As for the journey to Dalaran, I will personally accompany you."

None of the orcs or death knights dared to defy Nefarian's command. The days of using the [Demon Soul] to control a guardian dragon or an entire dragonflight were long past.

In the past two years, Zuluhed the Whacked, the former chieftain of the Dragonmaw clan, who dared such a feat, would have weeds over his grave by now. In reality, his body, along with the remains of two hundred thousand orcs, was dumped into the Searing Gorge, right into the lava fissure once emerged by the giant fire elemental, Baron Geddon.

The orcs silently absorbed the power in every simple word uttered by Nefarian in his human form, keenly observing as he issued direct commands to each chieftain, bypassing their new Overlord. Compared to his father, the former Black Dragon Prince, now the Black Dragon King, seemed to have a better grasp of ruling.

Sheer pressure cannot earn loyalty, and even obedience comes at a discount. Nefarian's lips, full of masculine charm, curled up slightly as he spoke again, "Of course, I have no intention of becoming your master unless you insist. For now, we are merely... allies with aligned interests."

This statement significantly eased the minds of the orc chieftains.

Nefarian's smile grew more mysterious. "You will not be the Alliance's only challengers. The Black Dragonflight will take you to Tirisfal Glades to find Grom Hellscream's Warsong clan, and I will also have the Blackhand brothers' Black Tooth Grin clan attack from the Burning Steppes, striking at the Alliance's rear."

"Blackhand brothers? Rend and Maim!?" Ner'zhul was astonished at this unexpected news.

"Yes! After completing the task of the late chieftain Orgrim Doomhammer in the Tomb of Sargeras, they came to Blackrock Mountain and foolishly occupied the Blackrock Spire. Had I not guided them, they would be dead by now. Now, they are my servants," declared Nefarian, his chin held high with arrogance.

For the Horde forces trapped in the Cursed Lands, this was excellent news. Without supplies and confined to the lifeless red soil, Ner'zhul couldn't imagine surviving here with hundreds of thousands of orcs.

The Alliance might not even need to fight them; starvation or internal strife would lead to their doom. But Nefarian's surprise didn't end there. He magically produced an object from a spatial storage bag.

As the orc chieftains discerned the item under the dim moonlight, they collectively gasped in uncontrollable astonishment. What had they seen?

The Horde was presented with the skull of Gul'dan, the traitor believed to have directly led to their defeat in the war against the Alliance. His grotesque visage, frozen in a horrifying expression, encapsulated the terror and despair of his last moments, when his ambition to seize the power of the corrupted Titan Sargeras turned into a deadly backlash.

Somehow, Nefarian had preserved Gul'dan's head without any decay, presenting it intact before the Horde. "May I see the head of this traitor?" asked a voice.

"Of course," Nefarian replied nonchalantly, tossing Gul'dan's head to the ground like a piece of garbage.

Orc chieftains surrounded the head, inspecting it with a mixture of anger and fascination. Ner'zhul, Gul'dan's former master, recognized the head immediately. "It's him! Gul'dan! So this is your ultimate fate?" he laughed uproariously. The chiefs erupted in triumphant cheers, momentarily forgetting their recent defeat by the Alliance.

Nefarian, savoring their reaction, revealed that Gul'dan could still serve the Horde posthumously. With a gesture, he caused the head to wither rapidly under the chiefs' watchful eyes. What remained was a sinister orcish skull, radiating powerful dark energy.

"This is..." Ner'zhul began, his hand trembling.

"You may call it the Skull of Gul'dan," Nefarian declared, his smile widening. Ner'zhul, overcome with a sense of vindication and power, laughed maniacally, holding the skull aloft.

As the orcs celebrated, Nefarian instructed Ner'zhul to use his new artifact against Dalaran and the human mage, Duke Marcus, in Karazhan. Empowered by the Skull of Gul'dan, Ner'zhul felt rejuvenated, ready to unleash its might for the Horde's cause.