Chapter 698: The Arcanum of the Unrestricted Staff

Ah, a duel between two individuals.

One on one.

It sounds fair, doesn't it?

But in truth, this is utter nonsense!

Warlocks may possess talents in the Demonic, Destruction, and Affliction schools, but forbidding a warlock from summoning demonic pets is akin to asking a karate practitioner to chop off their hands and then fight in 'handless style'.

Ner'zhul's strength was halved in an instant!

Historically, warlocks have triumphed over mages by siccing their Hellhounds on them. These infernal beasts not only bolster the warlock's resistance to all forms of magic but also periodically interrupt the mage's spellcasting.

But alas! The newly summoned Hellhound was swiftly eradicated by the hand of Alexstrasza.

Then, attempting to summon a Void Demon to cast a magical shield, the demon was instantly obliterated by the Queen upon its arrival.

Such blatant favoritism brought tears to Ner'zhul's eyes.

Is this what they call a fair duel?

Is this the so-called one-on-one!?

Ner'zhul's nose twisted in rage.

He discerned Duke's malevolence, and more bitterly, realized that his plan to overpower Karazhan was ruined. Having encountered Nefarian before, how could he not recognize the 'slender' elf lady before him as the Guardian Dragon, Alexstrasza?

Even if she did not strike him, he was still at a disadvantage.

The future Lich King was never a brave soul. Unlike Grom Hellscream, who believed in 'no fear, just fight', Ner'zhul...

Was not just cowardly.

He was utterly spineless.

Where other villains would at least utter a fierce line before their 'strategic retreat', Ner'zhul, without a word, raised his chin, and his warlock minions rushed forward to cover his escape. He turned and left without looking back, as if he had broken down your door and left without a word of apology.

"Hey! You come and go as you please! Even those who steal brides at least leave a red envelope! Aren't you ashamed to leave without sacrificing your life and artifact?" Duke sneered, absorbing the warlocks' destructive spells with a massive Ice Shield, and with a gesture of closing a door.

In the void, it seemed as though an invisible pair of giant hands forcibly closed the portal created by Ner'zhul.

A grating noise irritated everyone's eardrums.

Ner'zhul's beard bristled with anger. Turning abruptly, his face paint, a white skull, began to flake off due to the trembling of his angry muscles. He spoke in a muffled Common tongue: "Duke Marcus! Dragons may be powerful, but they're not qualified bodyguards. Don't think I can't kill you under her protection!"

Duke beckoned with a crooked finger, a mischievous smile on his face: "Come on! Who's afraid of who!"

His gesture was also a signal. Almost instantly, including the Windrunner sisters, everyone behind him struck. Since Ner'zhul disregarded the 'rules of fair play' in a duel, when it came to a brawl, it was unclear who would be more frightened.

Alleria's fierce Thunder Arrows easily struck down a high-ranking warlock without a shield. Without the protection exchanged for the sacrifice of a Void Demon, they could only rely on their equipment and frail bodies. They were not Ner'zhul, adorned in seemingly bizarre yet opulent epic gear.

Dependent on shields, the warlocks, bereft of protection against physical attacks, were like lambs to the slaughter.

A Thunder Arrow burst a warlock's head, charring even the snapped vertebrae. On the other side, Vereesa's Wind Arrows lacked her sister's thunderous power, but were no less efficient in killing.

Nearby, the ghostly Khadgar, having just emerged like a rogue, slew a warlock with a Blade of the Guardian from behind, only to find that all of Ner'zhul's minions were already dispatched by the Windrunner sisters.

The warriors who rushed out either joined the fight with the Maiden of Virtue and the Curator or became spectators, retreating to shout encouragement from a distance.

If Ner'zhul's face wasn't covered in thick white powder, it would have surely been black with rage.

Ner'zhul was afraid of death, but when he found no escape, he was the kind to unleash boundless potential.

Perhaps this is the human survival instinct.

Above his head, a cloud of fire, large enough to encompass a small villa, roiled, accumulating a storm. However, this fiery maelstrom seemed more than just a gathering of elements; it was alive.

The flames of destruction circled methodically, pulsating powerfully like a heart in a human chest. The fire cloud absorbed energy from the elemental plane of the void, each pulse resembling the deep breaths of a dragon, mixed with thunder and flame.

Ner'zhul's staff in his right hand directed the fire cloud, while his left hand clutched the Skull of Gul'dan, pouring even more potent magic into the maelstrom. Even though it was not dragon's breath, it matched the might of a Guardian Dragon's breath in its formidable power.

"Oh!?" Alexstrasza, sensing her oversight, finally wiped the soup from her mouth and turned her attention to Ner'zhul.

A mystic of the Solar Order already possessed the ability to harm a Guardian Dragon. With the aid of an artifact, they could even pose a threat.

The Queen half-closed her eyes: Duke, it's fine to show off, but don't get carried away!

Due to alterations at the entrance of Karazhan, the battle now took place near the vast terrace where the Midnight once roamed.

At this moment, the sky above the terrace seemed distinctly divided into two.

One side was dominated by the oppressive, destructive flames, painting the sky red. The tongues of fire from the roiling fire cloud seemed capable of piercing the heavens of Karazhan, setting even the ethereal space behind it ablaze.

The other side was shrouded in illusion, half the sky twinkling with arcane blue and purple lights. Delicate Mage Hands emerged from the shadows into reality, slowly but clearly, revealing not just palms but also staves, both familiar and unfamiliar to the onlookers.

"Duke has so many staves!?" Vereesa wondered in confusion.

"I only recognize the Grand Marshal's Battle Staff and the Staff of Jordan!" Alleria was equally puzzled.

Duke, holding the four-pointed, black, and blue-white glowing Staff of Titháhak, the Time-Lord's Step, was surrounded by staves long buried in the corners of his memory.

With a sharp command, Duke declared, "This move, Ner'zhul, is a special gift for you, fittingly named the Unrestricted Staff!"