Chapter 540: Chapter 540: A Melodramatic Victory
The three sisters hadn't expected Duke to do it - he didn't teleport, didn't dodge, didn't use any magic. With his own flesh and blood, he resolutely met the arrow head-on.
His face, which wasn't exceptionally handsome but still pleasant to look at, bore an expression of... relief.
Yes, relief!
In the eyes of the two sisters, the 17-year-old Duke shouldn't wear such a look.
His homeland had been destroyed by the orcs, yet he never gave up.
His capital city occupied by orcs, still he never gave up.
Even when the Alliance was at its weakest, with the capitals of over three kingdoms razed, and even Lordaeron, the leader of the Alliance, nearly obliterated, he persisted.
Even when faced with the devastating might of the red dragonflight, or when he was cursed with a life-draining hex, he never once surrendered.
But now, due to emotional turmoil, Duke chose for the first time in his life to give up - to give up his life.
This choice left the sisters in utter shock, a profound tremor from the core of their souls.
"Ye fool! Blink away!" shouted Queen Sylvanas, anger giving way to genuine surprise on her face.
"Duke, don't be daft!" cried Alleria, her thoughts racing to Duke's marvelous spell, the Mirror Image.
"Don't—!" While Vereesa screamed, she recalled the magical moment when Duke conjured an Ice Barrier at the last second.
So both Alleria and Vereesa hesitated for a moment.
But in their heightened senses, Sylvanas's arrow pierced Duke's chest unhindered.
The sound of the arrow tearing through his mage robes was unbearable to the elven sisters. Blood splattered everywhere.
A trick?
No! This was real!
No trace of magic!
Duke was genuinely prepared to die for love!
All because the sisters pushed him too hard.
The greatest hero the Alliance ever knew, Duke Marcus, who didn't fall to the vast orcish horde, or the enslaved breath of the red dragons, or Deathwing's pursuit, was now seeking death over love?
No! This cannot be!
Whether out of emotion or reason, the sisters had never intended to push Duke this far, nor did they imagine he'd be so deeply hurt by their pressure.
In the end, lightning fast, the two sisters acted in tandem.
A flash of lightning, and time seemed to freeze.
In the garden, everyone seemed stuck in time. Sylvanas, a distance away, stood rigid, her bow still drawn. Vereesa, at the forefront, had grabbed the arrow's tail, the power of the thunder mostly channeling into her seemingly delicate arm, her fingers blackened.
In between, Alleria's hand gripped the middle of the arrow shaft. The friction nearly burned off her fingertips, leaving a horrifying trace of blood.
And Duke stood tall, the slender arrowhead piercing through his pectoral muscle and rib, just half an inch away from his heart.
Yet, he was alive.
"Have ye lost yer mind?!" The sisters yelled in unison.
"Mad? Maybe. But it's better than choosing between the two of ya. Sorry, I really can't choose..." First his left eye, now his right, Duke's tears streamed down.
Seeing the expressions of her younger sisters, Sylvanas realized she'd played the villain for nothing. The once-feared Dark Lady gritted her teeth, stamped her foot, and stormed off, leaving only a curse: "You got lucky this time, whelp!"
Such a commotion in the State Guesthouse couldn't be hidden. Fortunately, Gavinrad did his duty, letting Vanessa VanCleef drive away the onlookers and reluctantly playing the third wheel, helping Duke heal.
In truth, Sylvanas had held back. Otherwise, the sisters couldn't have healed him so easily.
Late into the night, the guesthouse finally quieted down.
On the balcony, Duke shared a farewell kiss with the sisters.
Alleria took the lead, leaving Vereesa to begrudgingly watch, then took her turn, making sure not to be outdone.
They seemed to have an unspoken agreement.
"Rest early. You have an Alliance meeting tomorrow morning, right?" Alleria inquired.
"Mhm."
"Think of me." Vereesa was more succinct.
"Mhm."
After finally sending off the Windrunner sisters, Duke could finally rest.
Lying on the soft bed, Duke sighed, thinking, "Good thing I'm clever. Even risking my life, I'd rather give up my dignity than choose between them."
Yes, it was all a scheme.
Who could blame Duke for being able to resurrect?
Losing face can be redeemed later. But if he truly hurt one of them, pushing any to a path of sorrow, he'd never forgive himself.
Duke quickly drifted off to sleep, but it lasted... less than five minutes.
Suddenly, he was ambushed.
Opening his eyes, a golden mane filled his vision. "Alleria?"
She sneaked in? Didn't the sisters have an agreement about this?
Duke was about to reject her advances, thinking it hypocritical after just declaring his inability to choose, but Alleria's slender finger pressed against his lips.
Duke could've come up with a million reasons to resist, but one simple sentence from Alleria silenced him.
"I missed you."
Such a simple phrase, as powerful as "I love you". No author could adorn it any further, no words could be more direct, more potent.
It invoked a storm of emotions, and Duke's suppressed feelings burst forth.
System Notifications:
"You have used Rend on Alleria's armor!"
"You have executed Overpower!"
"You have unleashed Duke's Sword 999 Combo!"
...
"BOSS Alleria is defeated, now in Paralyzed state."
At last, victory!
Suddenly, a pair of arms encircled Duke's neck from behind. In the corner of his eyes, he saw a glint of silver hair.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone