Stormwind Wizard God-Chapter 646: Enough

Before Duke traveled through time, how earth-shatteringly important was a rare mount in the eyes of a rabid player?

A gut-wrenching real-life example paints the entire bloody picture:

There was once a guild leader of the Blackhand named "Guide of Light". Before defeating the final boss Arthas, he declared with the solemnity of a death oath: "I'd sooner let you ride my wife than let you ride the first Invincible that drops!"

Well, that lunatic's girlfriend was also in the raid at the time, and by some miracle of the Light she didn't dump his sorry hide on the spot. Against all odds, these two deranged lovebirds actually tied the knot in the end.

By the beard of Magni! What absolute madness!

Ahem, but I digress into tales of romantic lunacy.

However, a mount of legendary power is more crucial than a dwarf's beard for elevating your status among peers.

Duke seethed with righteous indignation that mages were denied their own exclusive mount - a cosmic injustice that gnawed at his very soul!

If he actually managed to topple Arthas against all probability, Duke would absolutely relish commandeering that magnificent undead destrier Invincible - the very steed that had carried Arthas since boyhood and been transformed into an unholy nightmare mount upon the prince's damnation. What delicious irony that would be!

Of course, none present could fathom the delightfully twisted schemes churning through Duke's mind as he faced this apocalyptic enemy.

No matter - sometimes fate works in mysterious ways. As they say, "Don't count your wyverns before they hatch."

With the blazing aura of Duke's past miraculous victories surrounding him like a legend made manifest, everyone assumed Duke possessed unshakeable confidence in the face of certain doom.

"Grom!" Duke bellowed in flawless, throat-shredding Orcish.

"What sorcery is this!?" Grom Hellscream bared his tusks like a rabid wolf. A human - sworn enemy of all orcish blood - speaking their sacred tongue with such fluency was an abomination that made his very bones itch with discomfort.

"I've heard the Hellscream clan specializes in butchering mighty Gronn, so what say you about this pathetic wannabe-Gronn before us?" Duke's lips twisted into a contemptuous sneer as he gestured mockingly toward Arthas, his disdain thick enough to cut with Gorehowl itself.

"Gronn? Bah! That whelp barely qualifies as an oversized ogre - wouldn't make a decent Gronn's bootlicker!" Grom expelled a breath like a volcanic eruption, hefted his legendary axe Gorehowl, and thundered forward with earth-shaking determination.

"Hold on..." Thrall attempted to counsel restraint, but discovered Orgrim had already restrained him with an iron grip.

No matter how the chips fell, in this precarious alliance built on mutual desperation, whoever struck first would inevitably bear the heaviest casualties - a lesson learned in blood across countless battlefields.

"Stand down, Thrall!" Orgrim spoke in the ancient shamanic tongue - rusty but comprehensible to Thrall, though likely gibberish to Duke's ears: "Duke may be a scheming snake, but he's a competent one. Haven't you realized Duke already made the opening gambit?" freēwēbηovel.c૦m

"He merely spouted meaningless words..."

"Look closer, young Warchief. Arthas appears monumentally powerful now, but he's actually weaker than moments before."

Thrall's heroic features froze as understanding crashed over him like a tidal wave.

Exactly right! Judging purely by raw power, Arthas at this moment was absolutely terrifying - so overwhelmingly mighty that lesser beings couldn't maintain their footing in his unholy presence.

But Duke's carefully chosen words had clearly rattled Arthas's will and corrupted soul to their very foundations.

Orgrim spoke truth - moments ago, Arthas had been far more dangerous. Though lacking his current overwhelming power, he'd possessed limitless potential for growth.

Why had the four of them managed to survive this long against a monster wielding such a catastrophically powerful runeblade?

Even Thrall's pride rebelled against admitting it - Arthas had been treating them as mere training dummies.

Initially, the four Horde champions, even common centurions, could wound Arthas. However, this enigmatic death knight employed the crimson aura surrounding him and servants summoned through dark sacrifice to continuously regenerate his mutilated flesh and restore his supernatural strength.

From beginning as a helpless punching bag unable to withstand their coordinated assault, to occasionally holding his ground, to now matching their combined might blow for blow - Arthas's combat prowess was evolving at a pace visible to the naked eye.

This nightmarish method of accelerating growth by absorbing opponents' fighting techniques like a blood-thirsty leech made seasoned warriors like Thrall's soul crawl with primal terror.

Now Arthas's strength had crystallized. Though it felt like staring up at an insurmountable mountain peak, the mountain had finite height. With sufficient numbers and determination, there remained hope of reducing the entire edifice to rubble.

Thrall couldn't fathom why mentioning 'Calia' achieved such devastating effect, but Duke had demonstrated an alternative strategy that opened young Thrall's eyes to previously unimaginable possibilities.

The Horde's most fearless warrior, Grom Hellscream, charged forth with characteristic recklessness.

Magnificent as always - a sight to inspire legend.

The earth-quaking crouch followed by his physics-defying vertical leap remained jaw-dropping no matter how many times witnessed.

As an army commander, Mograine rarely faced Grom in direct combat, but whenever confronting the orc berserker, Mograine remained constantly vigilant against Grom's signature beheading strikes. After all, Mograine had witnessed this absolute maniac cleave a dwarven steam tank completely in half with a single leap-powered swing.

The devastating force behind this assault was beyond mortal comprehension.

Arthas raised Frostmourne horizontally to intercept, but Gorehowl's tremendous impact proved so overwhelming that even his supernaturally enhanced muscles couldn't withstand it. Arthas's massive frame buckled, and the earth beneath his feet suddenly cratered.

No clean victory, as Grom immediately utilized the rebound force to engage in savage, relentless combat with Arthas.

"Advance, Mograine! Abendis! Don't concern yourselves with our orcish allies. As long as we avoid backstabbing treachery, the orcs will never strike first. I strongly recommend blessing several orc champions with Holy Light and granting them divine favor."

Mograine and his companion gritted their teeth and surged forward in unison.

As they charged, Duke simply raised his hand...

When brilliant radiance washed over Grom's battle-scarred form, the Warsong Chieftain momentarily tensed with alarm. Duke's orcish voice immediately followed: "Fear not! This power mirrors your shamanic blessings!"

Blessing of Might

Blessing of Kings

The holy light's power enhancement was undeniably beneficial for a berserker of Grom's violent temperament.

"Hah—" A horizontal slash three times swifter than the previous strike sent Arthas staggering backward.

"Enough!" With a bone-chilling snarl, Arthas swept his cursed blade in a wide arc, unleashing a howling gale of freezing death. That was the Death Knight's signature Icy Touch - this frost-plague bearing supernatural chill had brought considerable torment to the four orc champions.

Grom hadn't expected golden radiance to suddenly envelop him the next instant. Abendis's holy light helped purge the numbing cold from his limbs.

"Outstanding!" Even his stubborn pride couldn't deny that human holy magic provided substantial aid to Grom's war effort.

At that moment, Rexxar and Orgrim exchanged meaningful glances before charging forward simultaneously.

Suddenly, five mighty warriors surrounded and pummeled Arthas in coordinated fury.

The orc heroes remained primary attackers, while the two human paladin champions employed Consecration as their main assault, supplemented by devastating Holy power.