บท 572: Chapter 572: The Dark Portal
The human soldiers cheered in unison, forming a tight shield formation. With the help of the "Flameguard Brigade" flamethrowers, they herded the orcs towards the Blood Slope – a path more brutal than any they had known, using torrents of flame.
Every inch of that land bore the brunt of relentless artillery fire.
The dwarves scarcely had to aim. Merely pointing in a general direction and firing their cannons would do; if a single cannonball didn't take out more than thirty orcs, it was considered unfortunate.
As the onslaught continued, the Windrunner sisters lost interest in drawing their bows. This kind of massacre, akin to shooting at stationary targets, wasn't a feat worth boasting about.
Observing the innumerable layers of orc corpses covering the entire slope, Alleria played with her beautiful golden locks while seated next to Duke.
"Duke," she asked softly, "will the war end after this battle?"
Gently pulling her into an embrace, Duke's gaze seemed to look beyond the scorched lands before them, past the Redridge Mountains, over the mucky Swamp of Sorrows, and finally resting on the Dark Portal in the Blasted Lands.
"There might be a few guardians left at the Dark Portal," Duke murmured, "but yes, the war... it's over, for now."
Everyone could sense the faint melancholy in Duke's voice. No one contested his statement. In matters concerning the Horde, Duke held the highest authority within the Alliance.
"I've heard from the generals and kings of the Alliance that we must destroy the Dark Portal," whispered Vereesa.
Duke responded with a scornful chuckle.
"Why, can't it be destroyed?" Sylvanas inquired with a smirk.
"All I'll say is this," Duke began, "a construction forged by the combined efforts of two demigods and the blueprint of a demon lord isn't easily destroyed by mere mortals. If it were, those three entities would have wasted their time."
Just imagining the combined might of Guardian Medivh, the demigod warlock Gul'dan, and the designs of Sargeras was enough to give one a headache.
Suddenly, a deafening cheer erupted nearby.
"For the Alliance!"
"For Azeroth!"
"We are victorious!"
Duke and the Windrunner sisters then realized that the bombardment had ceased for a while. The battlefield was devoid of any standing orc. At least a thousand orcs lay prostrate, trembling in fear, discarding their weapons and begging for mercy in their guttural orcish language.
But many more were dead.
Perhaps a mere few hundred managed to retreat to Blackrock Spire. They posed no significant threat, especially since Muradin Bronzebeard had already begun leading the elite Dark Iron defenders into the spire for a final sweep.
At that moment, Anduin Lothar, dressed in casual attire and supported by Turalyon, approached Duke's steam tank. He seemed to have recovered from his wounds thanks to the priests' Holy Light, but the blood he lost hadn't been fully restored.
"Duke, thank you... for your armor," Lothar said, still weak but with a radiant smile.
Jealous of Lothar's undying charm, Duke thought to himself, How can someone still look so handsome at this age? Maybe I should get him out of the picture. Outwardly, Duke joked, "Uncle Anduin, you're getting old. Leave the charging to the younger ones."
Lothar grinned, flexing his right arm, "Even in ten years, I bet I could still best you in an arm-wrestling match."
"If I can channel my mana circuits into my arm muscles," Duke retorted, "even your 18-year-old self wouldn't stand a chance."
As Duke and Lothar bantered, Alleria's face reddened, recalling her first night with Duke, who had done just that. Angrily she interrupted, "Enough! Both of you, focus on recovering. The Alliance isn't helpless without you two."
Chastised, Duke and Lothar looked like two mischievous children getting scolded.
Laughter echoed around them.
After a while, Lothar asked, "Have we truly won?"
Duke nodded, "We have. The matter of the Dark Portal can be entrusted to Magni and Archmage Antonidas."
"And what will you do next?"
Duke glanced at King Terenas Menethil II, who had just emerged, and sighed, "Though I hate to admit it, another battle awaits me."
Understanding Duke's implication, Lothar said, "Stormwind will always be your staunchest ally."
"Thank you."
Most didn't grasp their cryptic exchange, but that mattered little; their understanding was what counted.
In this battle, the orcs suffered a staggering loss of 238,000 warriors. Apart from the remnants of Kilrogg Deadeye's Bleeding Hollow clan who retreated earlier, almost no structured clan managed to escape.
After a brief rest, the pursuit squads prepared to move out again.
Originally, Anduin and Duke intended to delegate the pursuit to Magni. To their surprise, all the kings, save for Terenas, voted against Magni leading the charge.
Reluctantly, the duo teamed up again, leading elite forces of the Silver Hand and Wildhammer paladins, along with 20,000 dwarves. Magni, with the main Scarlet Crusade forces, followed three days behind.
Lothar's vanguard took roughly a week to follow the retreating Horde forces, crossing the Redridge Mountains. They then regrouped with the Gryphon Legion from Elwynn Forest and Duke's private army. The combined force of 120,000 soldiers boldly traversed the desolate Swamp of Sorrows to arrive at the withered, crimson wastelands drained by dark magic.
"We've located the target," reported a scout.
Following the scout's path, the Alliance army advanced quietly.
A vast chasm emerged before them, its walls towering high. At the center of the valley stood a monumental gate, not attached to any wall or structure but seemingly floating in mid-air.
Upon seeing the full view of the Dark Portal, everyone gasped in astonishment.
The Dark Portal, almost 40 meters in height and over 30 meters wide, was constructed from a mysterious blue-white stone. The portal's structure consisted of three massive rectangular blocks. Atop the portal was a colossal serpent, its mouth agape, revealing vicious fangs. Flanking the gate were two enormous humanoid statues, dressed as mages but holding giant swords. Their faces were shrouded, revealing only glowing eyes amidst the darkness.
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