Bab 155: Chapter 155: Inevitable Destruction, Destined Rebirth

A world-ending crisis loomed on the horizon. A beloved family member faced death at close quarters. Which of these dealt the greater blow to one's spirit? Naturally, it was the salvation of a loved one! Though he had not experienced the perilous battle in Karazhan firsthand, King Llane was immensely grateful to Duke on both an intellectual and emotional level. However, the impact on his spirit from this rescue was far more potent. Unbeknownst to him, Duke's youthful figure had merged with the image of Medivh in Llane's mind. Equally wise, equally benevolent, equally dependable, coming to the rescue in the most crucial moments. As the years waned, how much longer could Llane and his friend Lothar maintain their physical prowess? Duke was different. Not only was he extraordinarily talented and powerful, but he was also only 15 years old. Even after suffering part of Sargeras' curse, Duke was still 18 or 19 years old. If he were to become a pillar of the Stormwind Kingdom, Llane would not have to worry about the magical or even commercial realms for a long time. For a moment, Llane's heart was filled with eagerness. Unfortunately, there was a more pressing issue at hand. Where did those damned orcs come from!? This greatly pained Llane's heart. Not only were all the defenses at the south gate rendered useless, but this also meant that the fall of Stormwind City was imminent. Without defensive fortifications, the human-to-orc casualty ratio would be three to one for soldiers of equal caliber. This was the ratio for professional soldiers who had undergone long-term military training. Even if the farmers who had been tilling the fields just a few months ago were fully armed when they encountered orcs, the exchange rate would be at least ten to one. The entire kingdom had fewer than 70,000 soldiers remaining. According to the latest reports, the orcs had a force of at least 400,000. This was a terrifying number that would not be satisfied even if the entire Stormwind Kingdom were to be sacrificed. King Llane's face twitched, and he turned to give orders: "Lud, you take your men to pursue the orcs, at least until the city walls. Andrew, you have your people take over Stormwind Fortress and clean up the orcs inside. Jarmach, you lead the city guard to clean up the city." Then, Llane turned to Duke and spoke seriously: "I am extremely grateful to you, Duke. Although I would like to promote you to the rank of Duke immediately, we have more important matters at hand. I need your counsel from this day forth, and I hope you will attend every military council." Duke bowed slightly: "It is my honor, Your Majesty." "I'll wait for you in the Stormwind Fortress Council Hall in an hour," Llane patted Duke on the shoulder and hurried off to see his queen. Duke knew that from this moment on, he had truly become a core member of Stormwind Kingdom's upper echelons. Not only because he held the maritime lifeline of the kingdom, but also because his repeated acts of valor and loyalty had earned him Llane's complete approval. Especially this time, without Duke, Stormwind City's core fortress would have been occupied by the elite of Orgrimmar. If there had been collusion from both inside and outside, Stormwind City would have fallen today. Of course, all Duke had done was repel the orcs' surprise attack. They wouldn't be so lucky next time. Even so, wherever one looked, there were corpses, and houses burned to the ground. The half-hour invasion of the orcs had caused significant damage to Stormwind. Not only in terms of material losses but also mentally. At this very moment, Duke could still faintly hear the screams of the citizens in the distance. "Stormwind has fallen! Stormwind Keep has been captured!" However, these matters were not Duke's responsibility. Just as Duke was about to check on Windsor, another group of Stormwind soldiers rushed over. Although they looked no different from the other Stormwind soldiers, Duke noticed that the emblem on their left chest representing their unit and affiliation was a black insignia, with a hooded death's head skull in the center, surrounded by numerous mage hands subtly emerging. Huh? Aren't these my people? Duke was taken aback and then saw that the leader was none other than his chief steward, Marco. A quick glance revealed many familiar faces, at least all of them were captains from the mercenaries who had accompanied him to the Westfall. "Master!" Despite his high status in the eyes of outsiders, Marco still maintained the same demeanor as the small mercenary leader he was in front of Duke. He clearly remembered that all his glory came from the extraordinary Sea King Duke. Without Duke, he would have remained a nobody mercenary leader for the rest of his life. "Huh? This outfit?" "Well, we are officially your noble private soldiers on paper, Master Marcus. However, due to the emergency in Stormwind and your absence, those of us with combat experience were temporarily conscripted by Lord Lothar. He promised to release us once you returned." Duke smiled, not minding such a small matter, especially since the one using them was Lothar. "Windsor is seriously injured, Marco. On my behalf, bring the best priests of Stormwind here. The rest of you, follow Marco to clean up the remaining orcs in Stormwind." Half an hour later, after receiving treatment from the Archbishop of Stormwind, Windsor's life was saved. The priests' healing spells were very effective for physical injuries, even able to heal damage to internal organs. Of course, the essence of healing spells was to use divine power to stimulate the body's potential. Healing wounds came at the cost of consuming one's life potential, in simpler terms, shortening one's lifespan. There's no future without the present. Everyone understood this. Beside the bed, pale-faced Windsor looked at Duke, showing an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Master. Am I useless? I couldn't even withstand a single blow from that guy." Duke smiled. Windsor was still inexperienced, loyal, and courageous, but he was far from the steel-willed, fearless hero of later generations. "If you knew that the orc wielding the square-headed hammer was named Orgrim Doomhammer, and he is considered the Horde's greatest warrior, would you feel better?" "Really!?" Windsor seemed pleasantly surprised but soon became gloomy again, "Damn, being relieved after losing to the strongest only proves that I still have a long way to go." Duke laughed, "Please, in the entire kingdom, aside from Lothar who can have a fair fight with him, no one else can stand against him." "Even you, Master?" Duke pondered for a moment, "If there are no distractions, and I have at least half an hour of ample time, I might have a fifty percent chance of wearing him down." In his heart, Duke secretly added: Assuming I don't resurrect. Unexpectedly, Windsor asked, "Will Stormwind be destroyed?" "Stormwind City may fall, but the Kingdom of Stormwind will inevitably be reborn after defeating the orcs!"