Chapter 154: Repelling Orgrim

"Human! Tell me, why did you hold back!?" Orgrim keenly sensed this, feeling insulted. Another magical blow sent Orgrim's Doomhammer flying to the front gate of Stormwind Keep. Duke stood at the entrance, sneering, "I have no interest in facing you when you're not at your strongest!" At this moment, several of Orgrim's direct subordinates, having escaped the frenzied human warriors defending their king, charged towards Duke. "Don't go!" Orgrim suddenly realized his mistake and tried to dissuade his subordinates. But it was too late! Orgrim was an outlier among orcs, having never consumed demon blood. As a result, he had the traditional reddish-brown skin of his kind. His subordinates, however, had consumed demon blood, making them more powerful but also more violent and irrational. They didn't heed Orgrim's roar, rushing forward in a heated frenzy. From afar, King Llane and Bolvar, galloping on their horses, witnessed a scene they would never forget. One by one, circular magical arrays emerged in the void around Duke. The arrays rotated clockwise in an orderly fashion, and purple-blue lines filled with arcane energy expanded along the arrays, quickly forming intricate patterns. Simultaneously, more "Mage Hands" appeared around the magical arrays, twinkling like stars. To onlookers, it appeared as though Duke had unfurled gigantic magical wings, fifty meters long. With a gentle flap of the wings, the normally calm river that ran through Stormwind in front of the Keep surged backward, its towering waves forming a waterspout that few would ever see in their lifetimes. A cacophony of piercing screeches rang out. Like a torrential downpour, countless water arrows transformed into lethal ice spears as they broke free from the waterspout and rained down upon the charging orcs. Orgrim was stunned. This was the first time he had seen magic on such a grand scale. Even he had to swing his hammer with all his might, shattering the incoming ice spears. He could withstand the onslaught, but what about his subordinates? "Ahhh!" Countless screams merged into one. In the blink of an eye, at least two hundred brave orcs were impaled on the Keep's front plaza. Just as they had slaughtered human warriors, now they had become the slaughtered. The human mage's power far exceeded Orgrim's expectations. Orgrim pondered how to kill this young human mage. However, what good would it do to kill him? In the distance, thunderous hoofbeats resounded, causing the stone bricks on the ground to tremble slightly. Orgrim turned his head and saw an array of raised lances, their gleaming tips radiating an indescribable menace. Orgrim recognized them as the human cavalry, an enemy the orcs rarely wished to confront head-on. Under the tremendous force of a charging cavalry, the piercing power of their lances was something even the hardiest orc would hesitate to face. Leading the charge was a man clad in dazzling golden armor, a beacon for the knights who followed him with equal urgency and fury. Orgrim recognized him as the human chieftain, realizing that this battle was lost. Not too disheartened, Orgrim contemplated the failed assault: the weak spot in the human city had been found. If he could lead his forces over the mountains once, he could do it ten times, or twenty. The flimsy defense on this side paled in comparison to the hardy front. Orgrim glared at Duke, who still stood defiantly at the entrance of Stormwind Keep, an imposing presence that seemed to say, "With me here, none shall pass." "Human! Tell me your name!" Orgrim bellowed, holding his Doomhammer aloft. "Duke... Duke Marcus!" Duke replied with a faint smile, speaking in the Orcish tongue. "I will remember you!" Orgrim snarled menacingly. "You certainly should remember me because I'll become your nightmare!" Duke's smile was filled with an enigmatic mystery that Orgrim could not comprehend. "Hmph!" With formidable foes approaching, Orgrim had no time for a war of words with Duke. To the Orcs, true victory was always won on the battlefield, not in pointless verbal sparring. "Retreat!" Orgrim raised his warhammer and roared. The remaining Orc warriors abandoned their skirmishes with the human soldiers and began retreating in the direction they had infiltrated Stormwind. Duke initially wanted to pursue them, as he believed that the only good Orc was a dead one. But an unexpected event disrupted Duke's plan. Not far behind him, young Prince Varian had recklessly run out of the Keep. "Attack the human child with throwing spears!" Orgrim opportunistically commanded a group of rear guard suicide squad members. Unlike Duke's finely crafted javelins, the Orcs had developed their own crude, heavy throwing weapon — spears made by sharpening tree trunks. While they appeared unsightly, they became incredibly dangerous when propelled by the astonishing arm strength of the Orcs. Duke had no choice but to grab Varian with one hand and summon an ice wall with the other to block the incoming spears. "Phew," Duke sighed. If Varian had stayed inside, he could have pretended not to notice. But now that Varian had emerged, he couldn't possibly take King Llane's only precious child with him to chase down the Orcs. Varian, aware that he had caused trouble, looked at Duke with an uneasy and fearful expression. Duke held a finger to his lips: "Shush! If your father asks later, I'll answer. Otherwise, you'll be spanked when you get back." The young prince shuddered and nodded vigorously. The golden lion's head on the banner of the Kingdom of Stormwind drew closer and closer. Looking at Llane, it was as if one could see the ancestors who led the kingdom to this valley a thousand years ago. Duke stood quietly, watching Llane speed towards him on horseback like a bolt of lightning. Llane leaped off his horse before it even came to a stop. "Oh, my God! Varian, you're okay! Where's your mother?" Llane, who had not shed tears when his kingdom was invaded or when enemies were at his doorstep, now cried like a child, genuine and pure. "The queen is safe!" But in the next moment, Llane raised his arm, about to slap Varian. "Damn it, you almost got Count Marcus killed!" A Mage Hand gently stopped Llane. "Apologies, but all the guards inside have perished. I couldn't just leave the sole heir of the kingdom in danger," Duke shamelessly explained. (To be continued.)