Chapter 557: Living Bomb

In truth, it's no wonder they emerged.

For this was originally their territory.

In defense of the Old God they revered, Ragnaros, along with the three other Elemental Lords: Therazane the Stonemother, Al'Akir the Windlord, and Neptulon the Tidehunter, led their vast armies against the Titans. However, they were eventually defeated and imprisoned in the Elemental Plane.

While the Elemental Lords had faded from the sights of Azeroth's sentient beings over many, many years, the War of the Three Hammers erupted among the dwarves some two hundred years ago.

Emperor Thaurissan of the Dark Iron clan instigated the war. But facing the combined might of Ironforge and the Wildhammer clan, the Dark Iron dwarves were continuously pushed back. On the brink of defeat, Emperor Thaurissan attempted to summon a powerful elemental being. Tragically, instead of a mere elemental, he called forth one of the most potent beings from the Elemental Plane: Ragnaros, the Firelord!

After causing the massive explosion that shaped the Burning Steppes and the Searing Gorge, Ragnaros, to recuperate, entrusted the core of Blackrock Depths, the Molten Core, to his lieutenant, Majordomo Executus, and went into a deep slumber.

In truth, Majordomo Executus, an immense creature resembling a male naga with large, curved spikes protruding from its back, remained alert all along.

During the endgame of the Second Dark Portal conflict, the Alliance did not receive aid from the Red Dragonflight. The indifferent forces of Ragnaros, caring little for the struggles of mortals, ignored what was a catastrophic war in the mortal realm.

However, now that Duke had preemptively saved Alexstrasza and repeatedly leveraged the Red Dragonflight to crush the Horde's resistance, this very act was cunningly used by Orgrim.

After the Dark Iron dwarves revealed their servitude to Ragnaros to Orgrim, he became intrigued. He had the Dark Irons establish a connection for him.

Initially, the Firelord's forces barely acknowledged Orgrim. But in his quest for victory, Orgrim deftly posed a question: What if the Red Dragonflight invaded the Searing Gorge?

"The servants of the Firelord will naturally obliterate those audacious dragons," Majordomo Executus responded.

As a result, the entire Alliance got deceived.

Alas, Orgrim inadvertently ensnared his Horde as well. He had no inkling of which servant would arrive. Even Duke, an individual who transcended time, couldn't deduce who it would be. After all, as many as eight bosses could be dispatched from the Molten Core!

Now, witnessing the Horde's left flank, which was up against the Alliance's right wing, being incinerated, Orgrim's heart bled. But he couldn't afford distractions.

At present, with the humans' well-organized formations, ten thousand charging orcs could be crushed by a mere five-thousand-man square formation.

Now that the human formations had utterly crumbled, wasn't it the Horde's golden opportunity to press their advantage?

"Cheer for the Horde's new ally — the Firelord's servant! The dragons in the sky are no longer an issue! Charge, brave orcs —!"

Victory or death!

"!" The entire battlefield reverberated with the earth-shattering cheers of the orcs.

Every orc's morale soared, their fervent eyes fixed on the silhouette of their Warchief, holding aloft the flaming war hammer.

The infamous Doomhammer's head blazed with searing flames, seemingly reflecting the distant massive fire elemental.

Amidst the flames, Orgrim's robust silhouette seemed to be crowned with a burning cloak and a flickering crown of fire.

That intense fervor of battle infected every orc.

"By our ancestors!"

"With our Warchief commanding even this terrifying fire elemental, what enemy can't we defeat?"

"For the Horde — Charge!"

The Horde's battle spirit surged, causing almost every Alliance commander to lose their bearings.

"Your Majesty! Please evacuate!" King Terenas's chief court wizard sternly opened a portal to Lordaeron City.

"No — fleeing now, how will others perceive me? Moreover, I refuse to use a portal!" Terenas argued.

"Your Majesty! I must remind you, your physique isn't suited for combat evacuation. I can't guarantee your safety during retreat."

To put it mildly, the wizard felt the Alliance was on the verge of a crushing defeat.

"But I am a general of the Alliance!" Terenas protested.

"Generals Mograine and Abbendis lead this battle," another minister reminded, implying that in the chain of command, Terenas was merely a figurehead.

However, the implications of a king fleeing battle were severe. Terenas was torn.

Just then, a mage nearby suddenly screamed in agony, clutching his head.

"Ah—"

One, then two...five in total. Though few, it alarmed the Alliance's top brass since Dalaran reported the same.

The court wizard's face turned ashen: "No! It's a Mana Burn!"

"Mana Burn?" Terenas, unfamiliar with magic, asked in shock.

"It's a mysterious method causing chaos in a caster's mana circuits, forcing them to harm themselves with their magic. It affects priests too." After the explanation, the wizard turned, "Priest! Can this magical effect be dispelled?"

"It seems so!" The priests began their incantations.

To the horror of Terenas and the wizard, this Mana Burn was advanced. Only high-ranking priests could dispel it. Due to the previous ambush involving most regional bishops, many of whom perished, the dispelling effort was bleak.

Of the five mages, only one was saved. The rest were tragically consumed by their chaotic magical surges.

The next moment, a worse event unfolded. A soldier, suddenly engulfed in flames, caused panic around him. Unaware of his predicament, he exploded a few seconds later, causing terrifying secondary explosion damage within a hundred-meter radius.

Duke instantly recognized it — Baron Geddon's signature move, the Living Bomb!