Chương 106: Chapter 84

Tichondrius did not approve of the Scourge launching an attack on Dalaran.

It was only thanks to his own cunning that all signs now pointed to the attack being a success that would cripple one of the most important cities in the Alliance. Had matters been left solely to that fool Gul'dan, then the Scourge would have broken itself uselessly assaulting one of the most fortified locations in the Eastern Kingdoms for little strategic benefit.

It was Tichondrius who had formed the strategy to pin the Alliance naval forces to Kul'Tiras, while using saboteurs to weaken Dalaran.

It was Tichondrius who had actually succeeded in that sabotage, while Gul'dan predictably lost sight of his objective in favor of focusing entirely on killing a single mortal.

It was Tichondrius who had made every single plan that was necessary to ensure Gul'dan's incompetence was mitigated as much as possible.

Naturally, his efforts were why the Scourge was currently in a superior strategic position compared to the Alliance. This was in spite of the unexpected speed with which the defenders of Azeroth had managed to pierce the veil surrounding Pandaria and begin a surprise assault on the Scourge's forces.

Still, Tichondrius did not approve of this assault and would have chosen another path if not for the Lich King's intransigence.

"Damn those fools and their obsession with power," Tichondrius cursed hatefully as he beat his wings and studied the enemy preparations from afar.

"Kil'jaeden should have never allowed Detheroc to share what he discovered with Gul'dan. It has made him far too difficult to control."

A complex invisibility spell more sophisticated than any the mortals of this world were familiar with had allowed him to fly away from the Council of Six while they dealt with the wake of destruction he'd left behind. Now, Tichondrius was maintaining position a decent distance away from Dalaran, exploiting his magically enhanced sight to monitor a city which had completely shielded itself from all scrying attempts.

"I see little reason for you to be so concerned, Tichondrius," said Varimathras, who was flying by his side and looking down on the mortal city with disdain.

"Even if the Alliance transfers their most powerful defenders to Dalaran via portal, they clearly lack the means to hold off the Scourge offensive."

"The Lich King has grown in power faster than expected. Without the Aspects, these mortals have few means of defeating him," said Balnazzar, unsurprisingly quick to agree with his brother.

"His hatred has made him strong and focused, as predicted."

Tichondrius was silent for a moment as he watched a group of mortal mages use geomancy to erect obstacles along the only waterway connecting Lordaeron Lake to the ocean. Nerubian Viziers, Kirin Tor mages, and quel'dorei magisters all worked in concert to do what they could to delay the Scourge advance as much as possible. Such paltry efforts would not deter a creature as massive as Shen-Zin Su for long, but it was emblematic of the problem he felt like only he could see.

"The nations of Azeroth have grown far more interconnected and cooperative than we accounted for," said Tichondrius, glaring at the mortals as his mind raced.

"We should have made more efforts to weaken and fracture the Alliance before confronting them. It would have made it much easier to predict their capabilities and ultimately destroy them. That we have been forced into this confrontation so early by that meddlesome seer and Gul'dan's impulsivity is a mistake that threatens to cost us dearly."

Tichondrius had been quite surprised when he'd been informed of Detheroc's death at the hands of Illidan, but even more so when Detheroc reformed in the Twisting Nether and shared what he discovered.

Apparently, one of the nerubians had somehow known far more than he should have about the Burning Legion and was responsible for warning the Dragonflights of Gul'dan's plan to raise the Tomb of Sargeras, resulting in the warlock's death. This was something that not even the Burning Legion had known about, and pointed to the likelihood of the nerubian being some manner of seer.

Of course, Gul'dan would have failed in his pathetic ambitions and been torn apart by the demons within the Tomb even if he successfully raised it, but Tichondrius had not bothered to inform Gul'dan of his likely fate.

Instead, Gul'dan blamed this 'Krivax' for sharing his prophetic knowledge and denying him of his rightful destiny to become a god. It was a laughable notion, but the hatred and focus Gul'dan developed after this revelation was useful in furthering the Burning Legion's machinations, at least in the opinion of Kil'jaeden.

The Lich King had grown significantly in strength due to these events, his abilities growing more potent in general, and he had also learned how to possess and empower his undead servants without leaving his frozen prison.

Tichondrius had reminded Kil'jaeden several times that this would make Gul'dan more difficult to control, but he simply didn't care. So long as the Lich King served his purpose as a weapon meant to lay waste to Azeroth, little else mattered from Kil'jaeden's perspective.

Personally, Tichondrius speculated that Kil'jaeden's normally cunning mind was compromised by his obsession to deny the Draenei any homeland which they could rebuild on, but he would never dare voice such a thought aloud.

"You would do well not to underestimate our enemy, lest you suffer the same fate as Detheroc and Mal'Ganis," Tichondrius warned as he directed his attention back to Dalaran.

The city was a flurry of frantic activity as the mortal civilians were rapidly being evacuated via the portal hub. Tichondrius watched as the mortal who had caused so much trouble, Krivax, helped organize the city's evacuation as well as directed the nerubians from the local enclave.

Meanwhile, the Council of Six and the Kirin Tor were busy establishing layer after layer of arcane barriers around their forces.

A wide variety of mortal siege weapons were being placed strategically around the city's perimeter, everything from trebuchets and enchanted high elven ballistas to the primitive gunpowder cannons and mortars of Ironforge. A decent number of aerial forces were gathered as well, which was expected given that they could relocate from Kul'Tiras to Dalaran far quicker than Shen-Zin Su.

It was a good defense given the limited amount of time that the Alliance had to prepare, but it wouldn't be enough. Even now, Tichondrius could feel the fabric of reality growing dangerously fragile due to the sheer number of portals being opened by the Alliance. Simultaneously evacuating the city's non-combatants and reinforcing it with additional ground troops was straining the limits of the Alliance's logistical capabilities.

"Even you can't deny that Gul'dan's hatred has helped him to become more powerful than we could have imagined," said Varimathras, not sharing his concern.

"No amount of luck or preparation can withstand the overwhelming force he can bring to bear after augmenting that overgrown turtle."

Tichondrius scowled as he was once again reminded of how short-sighted otherwise intelligent creatures could become under the influence of Fel magic.

Still, he couldn't deny that Varimathras had a point.

Looking behind him, Tichondrius bore witness to a sight that would be considered impressive on even the most advanced of worlds that the Burning Legion had conquered.

Surrounded by a veritable flood of undead that blanketed the landscape, the gargantuan form of Shen-Zin Su was shrouded in a perpetual blizzard and surrounded by the shrieking souls of the Lich King's victims as it made its way down an icy path toward Dalaran.

The Averass River, which connected Lordamere Lake to Azeroth's ocean, had burst its banks because of the large ocean waves created by the gargantuan turtle's mass and been entirely turned to ice by Gul'dan. Given that Shen-Zin Su was too large to fit within even the largest of rivers, freezing the water on the ground allowed for a mostly-frictionless path cleared of obstructions.

The normally waterbound creature had been able to traverse almost all the way to the lake while also preventing the Alliance navy from harassing their rear.

It was truly an impressive sight… even if this course of events wasn't the most tactically sound.

The lack of a maritime route to Dalaran capable of holding Shen-Zin Su's size combined with the creature's immense mass and it's ineptness when traveling across land meant that the Scourge's attack would be significantly delayed.

The added travel time moving between the coast of Silverpine Forest and Lordaeron Lake had given the enemy many extra hours to prepare when they very easily could have already attacked several more convenient targets instead.

The only benefit to this ridiculous course of action was that the mortals had not expected or prepared for it either. Without the Violet Citadel, Dalaran lacked any form of defensive infrastructure to protect it from this unexpected avenue of attack.

"I suppose we'll learn soon just how wise it was to indulge Gul'dan's folly," said Tichondrius, knowing that there was little point in further debating the matter. Glancing back to see Shen-Zin Su finally entering Lordamere Lake with a great splash of displaced water, he knew that it was time for the Scourge to begin their assault.

"Varimathras, you're assigned to lead our aerial forces and prevent the enemy from exploiting their greater strength in that arena. Balnazzar, you will take a group of Kvaldir and launch an attack on Capital City, forcing the Alliance to split their focus."

Tichondrius didn't trust Gul'dan not to somehow ruin an assault that should otherwise be a straightforward victory, so he would ensure they won this battle by any means necessary.

"I see little need for this when these mortals will all soon join the Scourge, but very well," Varimathras said with a dismissive gesture as he looked toward a barely perceptible group of Alliance aerial fighters approaching the Scourge's flank.

"I suppose that while we're busy fighting on the front lines you'll be moving throughout the battlefield and orchestrating everything as always?"

"Obviously," said Tichondrius, disappearing in a swirl of shadows from the skies and reappearing in the Scourge's headquarters on Shen-Zin Su.

Varimathras and Balnaazar were far inferior to him in terms of strategic insight and cunning, a fact of reality which often caused them to resent his leadership. As he appeared in the headquarters, a room atop the former Temple of Five Elements that was now filled with maps, scrying mirrors, and some of the most intelligent members of the Scourge, he was greeted with a litany of reports detailing the current state of their forces.

They had suffered minimal losses during their battle at Kul'Tiras due to their mostly defensive posture, but that wasn't to say they had suffered none at all. The Burning Legion had evaluated Azeroth as a world of relatively primitive technology that relied heavily on the abnormal magical strength of its inhabitants, and concluded that it would most easily be conquered through sowing division and discord.

However, circumstances had been moving in exactly the wrong direction as the creation of the Alliance fostered cooperation among its member nations and the Keeper Archaedas shared Titan technology with Gnomeregan. Naturally, this dissemination of technology was fairly slow due to the inability of the mortals to fully comprehend its complexity and the obvious chaos that would come from too rapidly spreading such advancements.

These factors, combined with the enemy's surprisingly capable aerial forces, had resulted in the Scourge losing a few important assets during the initial moments of their attack.

After he finished reading the reports, Tichondrius took a few moments to consider the best path forward.

"Tell the Kvaldir to summon their mist to blanket our approach," Tichondrius absently said to one of the nearby undead after he'd reached a decision, certain his orders would be followed.

Ignoring the undead being as they began to relay his orders through a series of scrying mirrors, Tichondrius reopened his telepathic connection to the Lich King.

"Position Shen-Zin Su close enough to Dalaran that the siege weapons on its back are within range to launch the plague containers," Tichondrius commanded, his tone brokering no argument."

But do not draw too close to the city until the Alliance has revealed what they have prepared."

While Shen-Zin Su was undoubtedly the Scourge's most powerful asset, it was also one of its greatest vulnerabilities. The creature was completely incapable of protecting itself from any enemy forces that managed to land on its shell, and any serious injury could prove catastrophic to the Scourge's ambitions.

The only reason that the Lich King had not been killed shortly after his arrival on Azeroth was due to the mobility provided to him by Shen-Zin Su. Should the creature be rendered immobile or seriously harmed, the defenders of Azeroth would almost certainly launch an all out assault to exploit that vulnerability and end the Lich King permanently.

Tichondrius had no intention of allowing this to happen, and would compel Shen-Zin Su and the Lich King to retreat the very moment it became clear that the Alliance held a significant advantage.

Gul'dan's response to his orders was as predictably furious as always, though this time it also carried a trace of disdain that had Tichondrius wishing the orc still had flesh so he could savor tearing it apart.

"I had not taken you for a coward, demon. My forces are more than capable of shattering their defenses, yet you expect me to stay back like a cowering child?!"

Gul'dan had become increasingly defiant recently and would almost certainly attempt to betray the Burning Legion soon. Fortunately, even a creature as dull minded as Gul'dan realized how much he was relying on the cunning of Tichondrius and his fellow nathrezim.

Without their plans, the Aspects would have already found the Lich King and destroyed him with little effort.

"I expect you to do as you're told, Gul'dan," Tichondrius immediately responded.

"Unless you've grown arrogant enough to believe yourself capable of defeating the Alliance while also withstanding the Burning Legion's wrath."

Tichondrius could also tell that the tortures Gul'dan suffered under Kil'jaeden's hand still lingered and caused the Lich King to wisely consider the potential consequences of betrayal. Even with the Lich King's impressive strength, there were many ways that the Burning Legion could punish him should he choose to go against them.

Sure enough, it only took a moment for Gul'dan to do the sensible thing and fall back in line, albeit grudgingly.

"Fine. So long as we turn Dalaran to rubble, and I'm given the chance to peel apart that loathsome nerubian's soul, I will tolerate your needless caution. For now."

Tichondrius scoffed at the Lich King's worthless posturing and immediately cut the telepathic link, satisfied that his commands would be followed, and turned his attention to the scrying mirrors to watch the battlefield. It wasn't long before the Kvaldir received his orders, and the sound of a loud horn could be heard blowing across Lordamere Lake.

The horn's sound, deep and foreboding, marked the beginning of the Kvaldir's attack and the Scourge's assault on Dalaran. An eerie mist rolled across the waters of Lordamere Lake, obscuring the view of the Alliance as a few dozen Kvaldir longboats began making their way to Capital City with Balnazzar openly flying above them.

Tichondrius paid little heed to the diversionary attack, trusting that Balnazzar was capable enough to at least handle this, and instead focused entirely on the assault on Dalaran. Under the cover of mists, Shen-Zin Su continued its slow, inexorable advance toward the city as the Alliance sent its aerial forces to intercept them, likely with the goal of seizing control of the skies over Lordamere Lake.

Although the Dragonflights were all occupied elsewhere, there were still several individual dragons participating in Dalaran's defense, such as Archmage Krasus and several others too unimportant for Tichondrius to have gathered information about them. These dragons led the charge of the Alliance's aerial forces and were followed by large numbers of gryphon and dragonhawk riders, as well as flying nerubians and some mechanical flying devices.

Archmage Krasus was competent enough with magic that he could dispel significant areas of the Kvaldir mist with little issue, rendering them vulnerable to attack.

Tichondrius knew from experience that the combination of dragonfire, alchemical explosives, and magical attacks that they threatened to unleash would obliterate the Kvaldir longboats if left uncontested. This was why he had not only specifically assigned Varimathras to lead the aerial defense, but also to prepare a strategic countermeasure.

Knowing that this would be the beginning of the battle for Dalaran and that their ambush would be far more deadly with two nathrezim compared to one, Tichondrius teleported by Varimathras' side under the cover of an invisibility spell.

"Wait for me to give the order before you move," Tichondrius ordered after establishing a telepathic connection to Varimathras, just in case the enemy forces included someone with abnormally sharp hearing.

Tichondrius sensed a combination of acknowledgement and bloodthirsty anticipation through the connection. Turning his attention back to the Alliance's approach, Tichondrius observed them closely and waited until they were nearly directly above the line of Kvaldir longboats before giving his fellow nathrezim the signal.

Instantly, Varimathras fell upon the Alliance aerial forces like a dark meteor, Felfire wreathed claws tearing through a Gnomish aircraft with little effort as his invisibility spell faded. Meanwhile, Tichondrius unleashed a wave of Felfire down on the mortals that burned through their flesh, preferring to stay at a higher vantage point to observe the battlefield more effectively.

The sudden and fierce onslaught from two nathrezim caused pandemonium among the Alliance, which the Scourge was quick to exploit. Several dozen undead cloud serpents emerged from the mists while a group of naga sea witches used their magic to send multiple streams of water surging toward the Alliance.

Unfortunately, the enemy was not as unprepared as Tichondrius had hoped, and Archmage Krasus specifically showed himself to be a formidable opponent.

"Demon vermin!" Krasus shouted as he used his mastery of magic to freeze solid the water that threatened to engulf the Alliance forces while also moving to intercept Varimathras with a furious roar.

"Kalecgos, you handle the other!"

At his call, Tichondrius found himself being attacked by an unexpectedly young blue dragon who was most likely 'Kalecgos.' While he had no doubt that his vastly superior experience would allow him to slay the whelp eventually, a few bouts of exchanged spells was enough to make clear that doing so would take more time than he wished to invest.

He had already succeeded in his goal, assisting Varimathras in turning the skies above Lordamere Lake into a frenzy of combat as the Scourge and the Alliance clashed in a massive aerial battle.

"I'll search for your corpse when this battle is over, dragon. You'll make for an excellent servant," Tichondrius promised as he teleported back to Shen-Zin Su and turned his attention back to the scrying mirrors.

This was how he preferred to wage war, leveraging his superior magical abilities to tip the scales in key battles before retreating to a safe location where he could analyze and plan further.

However, the analysis of this particular battle was less favorable than it seemed on the surface.

Tichondrius scowled as he watched the battle for several moments and concluded that the Alliance forces were superior in this arena.

The nerubian fliers proved themselves to be a particular annoyance, descending upon the Scourge in great numbers without the normal hesitation shown by most mortals. While each of them individually were easily dispatched, the nerubians quickly swarmed any member of the Scourge who threatened to gain an advantage against them, effectively neutralizing the threat. A few of those fliers also seemed to carry explosives that allowed them to attack targets substantially larger than them and cause immense damage.

It was only due to the naga spellcasters lurking beneath the waters that the Scourge was able to protect the Kvaldir as they approached Dalaran's shores.

Not for the first time, Tichondrius cursed how much more difficult his plans had become thanks to Azjol-Nerub's inclusion in the Alliance. The Burning Legion had wrongly believed that the nerubians were too different and isolationist from the other races of Azeroth to work with them.

Tichondrius couldn't help but wonder how much responsibility for their misconception could be laid at the feet of the same nerubian who had arranged for Gul'dan's death.

I suppose I'll find out soon enough, Tichondrius thought with dark promise.

Tichondrius' thoughts were interrupted by one of the undead pandaren monks in the command center monitoring the undead on the gargantuan turtle.

"Lord Tichondrius, our siege weapons are within range of the enemy city and ready to fire on your order."

"Then fire immediately," Tichondrius said without hesitation, not bothering to look away from the scrying mirrors.

"Let's see just how well they can withstand our plague."

Tichondrius observed with a detached interest as massive plague containers were launched from the back of Shen-Zin Su by the Scourge's trebuchets. Although the siege weapons themselves were primitive, the plague itself was one of the worst magical concoctions that Tichondrius had encountered in his many millennia of conquering worlds.

The Alliance had a significant amount of time to react to the containers as they emerged from the mist and slowly arced toward their positions. This meant a large number of them were intercepted by a dazzling display of well-aimed spells from the Kirin Tor, causing them to explode in a thunderous boom well before reaching their target. However, there were simply too many of them, and a dark cloud of pestilence eventually began to settle around Dalaran's outer defenses.

Tichondrius watched with grim satisfaction as he saw several mortals around the very edges of their defensive formation begin to succumb to the effects, their bodies collapsing in grotesque, twisted forms. It was a delightful sight, and a fate he hoped to deliver to the entirety of Dalaran.

Sadly, those hopes were soon dashed as the Alliance quickly deployed their Light wielding forces to counteract the plague. There were far more than Tichondrius had expected. Previous scouting report had indicated that most of the paladins of the Silver Hand had already been deployed to other locations. The only explanation was that Azjol-Nerub must have sent their so-called 'Guardians of Nerub' to help guard the city.

Cursing under his breath, Tichondrius was beginning to truly hate those meddlesome creatures. He had been counting on the plague to weaken the enemy's defenses and leave them disorganized, and knew that the Scourge would be far more vulnerable to the Alliance's own siege weapons without it.

"Your plan is failing, demon," Gul'dan snarled through their telepathic link."

If you expected our enemy to simply die obediently with our first strike, then you're even more of a fool than I expected," Tichondrius responded derisively as he studied the battlefield before deciding on a plan.

"Send all of our ground forces to join the Kvaldir.

Overwhelm them, and focus on opening a path into the city."

It was an inelegant plan, but one that he felt held the highest chance for success. Anything more complicated would risk Gul'dan ruining it, and this would allow the Scourge to leverage its greatest strengths.

For once, Gul'dan didn't bother to argue with him.

When the Scourge's forces stepped onto Dalaran's coast, where the Kvaldir's mist could not reach due to the Kirin Tor's wards, his prediction was quickly proven true. Kvaldir, Sea Giants, and naga alike were cut down by a combination of spells and more mundane projectiles coming from Dalaran's walls.

Everything from cannon fire, absurdly effective alchemical weapons, or massive balls of fire thrown by an Archmage rained down on the Scourge as they approached the city. It was a fairly impressive sight… but one that the Scourge would inevitably overcome by relying on its most powerful asset.

The Alliance's attacks were simply not enough to overcome the innate resiliency of the undead and the sheer numbers the Scourge possessed. Injuries meant nothing to the undead, and they continued to charge relentlessly against Dalaran's walls, threatening to overwhelm the Alliance despite their valiant efforts.

The heavily enchanted walls surrounding the city and the powerful magical wards of the Kirin Tor caused the Scourge to suffer significant losses, but there was inevitably a breaking point.

Seeing a potential opportunity, Tichondrius once again teleported to the battlefield right above a particular section of Dalaran's walls, intending to tip the scales in the Scourge's favor. The Light being wielded by the Alliance's forces made Tichondrius wince in pain and prevented him from casting an invisibility spell, but it didn't matter.

"Dreadlord! Kill it, quick!"

Tichondrius ignored the shouts of the mortals and opened several small portals to the Twisting Nether along the wall's ramparts. Several Felhounds immediately poured through the portals, jumping on mages and tearing out their throats. The Felhounds, with the affinity for consuming magic, quickly began to wreak havoc as they tore through arcane barriers and disrupted the focus of spellcasters.

"Now, Gul'dan," Tichondrius commanded as he unleashed a stream of Felfire on a Light wielding nerubian who attempted to save one of the mages.

Responding to his orders, the Lich King used his ability to empower his undead to great effect on one of the Sea Giants, allowing it to destroy a section of the wall with a thunderous crash. The breach served as a beacon to the undead horde, causing them to surge into the city through the gap in the wall with renewed vigor into Dalaran's streets.

Satisfied with his contribution, Tichondrius recast his invisibility spells and flew high into the skies so that he could watch the scene below. The battle would be too chaotic to monitor by scrying mirror from this point forward, so there was little sense in returning to the command center on the central pagoda on Shen-Zin Su.

As Tichondrius surveyed the battlefield over the next several minutes, he very quickly realized that the Alliance was far from defeated.

While the mortals had lost the advantage of their walls, they had obviously relocated their most powerful members to help defend Dalaran and were well prepared to face the Scourge head-on.

This became exceedingly clear as Tichondrius watched a twenty-foot-tall nerubian Spiderlord glowing brightly with the Light clear an entire street of undead by trampling over them and swinging his scythe-like arms in wide arcs. Meanwhile, the Council of Six and the elite members of the Kirin Tor unleashed devastating magical assaults, their spells weaving through the Scourge with deadly precision.

Tichondrius would normally have trusted the Scourge's relentless assault, the raising of each freshly made corpse and constant attrition to eventually exhaust the Alliance, but he wasn't sure that would happen in this case. Not only due to the Alliance's extensive usage of the Light, but also because the focus of Gul'dan ire, Krivax, was reinvigorating and healing wide swaths of mortals with Life-infused flames.

The sight was enough to convince Tichondrius that Krivax needed to be dealt with if the Scourge wished to make progress. Besides, the mortal had caused him far too many problems already, and Tichondrius eagerly looked forward to ending that threat permanently.

The Lich King should have little problem capturing the soon-to-be-dead nerubian's soul given his proximity to Dalaran, so there was no need to capture them alive.

"Gul'dan, send your most powerful undead to my location," Tichondrius commanded, deciding to handle the matter himself as he flew closer to his target.

"Also, focus your efforts on destroying another section of the wall. We can't allow our forces to become stuck in a narrow point of entry if we wish to maintain the momentum of the assault."

Surprisingly, Gul'dan was silent for abnormally long before responding, his voice carrying a mixture of malice and an uncharacteristic solemnity that made Tichondrius pause.

"This plan of yours better work, demon. Should you fail to kill that mortal and deliver me his soul, then you will have proved your ineptitude, and I will no longer have any reason to tolerate your presence."

Tichondrius could tell Gul'dan meant every word of his threat and would doubtlessly attempt to fulfill it if given the opportunity. He and his fellow nathrezim had established plenty of countermeasures for that potential outcome, but those countermeasures would do nothing but hurt their cause if it came to that.

"Just do as you're told, Gul'dan. I will succeed where you failed," Tichondrius responded with forced calm.

A tense silence lingered between them for several moments before Gul'dan suddenly closed the telepathic connection and set off to do as he was instructed. Refocusing on the matter at hand, Tichondrius turned his attention back to his target as he began planning the best way to kill him.

Tichondrius was confident in his ability to slay the nerubian on his own, but the mortal was currently nestled safely to the rear of the Alliance forces. Even he would find himself overwhelmed should he act so recklessly, especially with so many formidable individuals nearby capable of intervening at a moment's notice.

Not to mention the fact that Gul'dan had already revealed his interest in Krivax to the nerubian and the Alliance was well aware of how important he was. In their place, Tichondrius would have prepared several traps around such a high value target, and he had no doubt that the Alliance had done the same.

This was why he had ordered Gul'dan to send his most powerful undead and had not wanted the orc to participate directly by possessing an undead.

The Alliance needed to be thoroughly distracted so that Krivax could be killed in a single, swift motion.

Still hidden under the cover of his invisibility spells, Tichondrius landed on the roof of a building on the same street as Krivax, watching the mortal warily for any reaction. He knew from his experience during the War of the Ancients fighting against Alexstrasza that the mortal likely possessed extraordinary sensory abilities.

This was almost certainly why their sabotage had been only partially successful, but the sheer volume of magic being expended on the battlefield should cover his approach.

Not seeing any immediate reaction from the nerubian, Tichondrius saw this as a sign to proceed and silently walked over to the two members of the Kirin Tor stationed on the roof and launching spells at undead below.

With practiced ease, Tichondrius wove an illusion over them at the same moment that he buried his claws within the chest of one of the mortals and casually launched a sphere of Felfire at the other, killing them both in seconds. Anyone outside of the illusion would neither hear nor see anything suspicious.

Continuing his plan, Tichondrius began to weave stronger and stronger concealment spells over the rooftop, knowing he could not risk being discovered if he wanted his assassination to be successful. Once he was done, Tichondrius looked back toward the battlefield and saw that Gul'dan had done as he'd commanded and sent dozens of undead monks to put pressure on this location.

None of them were as powerful as Shang Xi, who Gul'dan had lost needlessly with his incompetence, but they were all formidable in their own right. Their presence resulted in the Alliance spreading their forces even thinner, creating the opening that he needed.

Even for a natherzim as powerful as Tichondrius, it typically wasn't easy to open portals to the Twisting Nether capable of summoning any demons of note, especially on Azeroth. However, the Alliance had made things slightly easier for him through their frantic use of portal magic to reinforce their city.

Never one to miss an opportunity, Tichondrius exploited the weakness in the local fabric of reality. With a series of complex incantations, he tore several rifts to the Twisting Nether around his location, allowing demonic reinforcements to spill through into the city.

The most powerful of which were naturally around his target.

"Krivax, be careful!"

The warning shout came from one of the strange winged nerubians as a group of Tichondrius' personal elite Felguards charged toward the mortal from a nearby portal. Each of the hulking demons were veterans of countless conquests, and used their massive axes to maim and dismember Krivax's guards with brutal efficiency.

Tichondrius grinned with content as he saw that most of them died far too quickly for the mortal to use his healing flames.

Unfortunately, his assumption that the mortal would have more protection than was readily apparent proved to be correct. One of the guards around Krivax quickly transformed, revealing themselves to be a Titanic Watcher as they descended on the Felguards with overwhelming force. Another, a nerubian Vizier who had been fighting by Krivax's side, showed themselves to be an exceptionally skilled spellcaster as they sank the ground beneath the Felguards feet.

"Brat, search our surroundings! Find the demon creating these portals!"

"I'm trying, Vizier Hadix. But there's too much interference," Krivax called out as he desperately healed the few mortals who had survived the initial assault.

"Masruk! Go find Fordring. We need his help."

Not wanting his enemies to successfully contact reinforcements, Tichondrius immediately opened another rift above the winged nerubian as they took flight, sending several Infernals crashing toward them. However, they managed to dodge the burning constructs in an act of surprising agility and continued flying north.

Scowling, Tichondrius focused his efforts on killing Krivax before any reinforcements could arrive. This proved to be infuriatingly difficult as the nerubian seemingly realized that he was being targeted and began fighting more defensively. The empowerment given by Alexstrasza was perfect for such a tactic, granting the nerubian extreme endurance and allowing him to heal his allies.

Not to mention the growing number of unusually skilled mortals who seemingly flocked to protect him.

Thoroughly enraged as wave after wave of demons failed to kill a single mortal, Tichondrius couldn't help but summon an illusion of himself within view of the nerubian on top of the opposite rooftop.

"Why won't you simply die?" Tichondrius asked through his illusion as he ignored the volley of projectiles that passed through it in response.

"This city's fate is sealed. You've resisted for longer than expected, but even this is only a fraction of the number of undead to descend upon Dalaran. More and more of your allies join the Scourge with every moment. This is not a battle that you can win."

While Tichondrius' words were meant to break his enemy's resolve, they were not necessarily a lie. Gul'dan had destroyed another section of Dalaran's walls nearly ten minutes ago and allowed another vector for the Scourge to enter the city. The Alliance had many powerful individuals within its ranks, but they would not last forever against such sheer numbers.

Even now, large portions of the city had been completely overrun by the undead and emptied of all life. It wouldn't be long before the rest followed.

"And I thought the Lich King was arrogant. Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?" Krivax taunted back even as he continued to fight the waves of demons and undead alongside his allies.

Tichondrius' illusion scowled down at the nerubian with open disdain.

"I am the most intelligent of my kind. Which is why I know your fight is futile. Surrender now, and your death will be painless."

That was a partial lie, of course. He would indeed make the mortal's death painless, but his undeath would be excruciating. Gul'dan had made it quite clear that he intended to make sure of it.

Predictably, the ungrateful mortal spat on his mercy as he replied.

"You might be smart, but your hubris means that you never considered that we would have prepared for you, demon. The one that should surrender is you."

There was a confidence in Krivax's words that momentarily caused Tichondrius to hesitate, but he quickly brushed it off. He was certain by now that the nerubian was just bluffing, and it would be safe to end this farce by slaying the mortal directly.

However, just as he had resolved to do so, Tichondrius suddenly sensed an enormous spike of arcane magic emanating from Lordamere Lake. Almost immediately afterwards, there was a blinding flash of violet light which momentarily forced him to look away. Once it dissipated, Tichondrius was greeted to a sight that caused him to freeze completely in shock.

High above Shen-Zin Su was a massive structure that looked…

frightening similar to the flying necropoli of Maldraxxus. Shaped loosely like a pyramid, its sides were completely covered in webs that were themselves covered in thousands of nerubians skittering across it. Any undead who attempted to fly close to the structure were immediately shot out of the sky through a combination of magic and projectile weaponry being fired from every possible angle.

It was a feat of magical engineering that was within the means of the Burning Legion, but should be impossible for a world as primitive as Azeroth.

Even teleporting the structure from Northrend to the Eastern Kingdoms should have been beyond the Alliance's capabilities with Malygos trapped on Pandaria. That was unless they had the assistance of some other incredibly powerful spellcaster who the Scourge was unaware of.

Tichondrius was pulled from his shock as he realized he could see some small objects falling from the flying necropolis and quickly cast a spell to enhance his vision. The next moment, he almost wished that he hadn't as he saw that those objects were in fact heavily armed mortals descending on Shen-Zin Su's back with magic to slow their falls.

The vast majority were nerubians, but there were also many heavily armored Draenei as well.

Tichondrius knew that the Draenei had settled on the same continent as Azjol-Nerub, so it would make sense for the damned nerubians to invite them to the assault. When he spotted Prophet Velen himself among the descending figures, shining so brightly with the Light that the perpetual blizzard roaring around Shen-Zin Su parted in his wake, Tichondrius knew that the Scourge was in trouble.

"Gul'dan, submerge Shen-Zin Su beneath the waters. Now!"

Tichondrius commanded urgently.

The Lich King understood the danger he was in and immediately followed his orders without complaint. As Tichondrius watched the turtle slowly descend into the murky depths of Lordamere Lake, he nearly let out a breath of relief until the situation suddenly changed. The very earth shook and rose beneath the enormous turtle, forcing it to rise back up in an astonishing display of earth manipulation.

Tracing the magic back to its source, Tichondrius spotted a dwarf with what looked like metallic skin among those descending from the necropolis. Unless the Aspects had passed on Deathwing's powers as the Earthwarden, there was only one individual capable of such a feat.

Keeper Archaedas was considered by the Burning Legion to be one of the weakest Keepers in terms of direct combat… but he was still a Keeper.

The Lich King was by far the most powerful necromancer Tichondrius had ever encountered, and he was surrounded by countless undead and the heaviest fortifications the Scourge could manage to establish on an incredibly mobile platform.

He would normally be completely unassailable, but the reckless decision to attack Dalaran had opened a vulnerability that the Alliance hadn't hesitated to exploit. Now, Shen-Zin Su would need to flee back to the oceans and disappear into its depths before the Alliance managed to successfully destroy the Lich King.

Once again, Tichondrius cursed the incompetence of everyone around him as the Scourge was placed in a race against time.

Tichondrius' thoughts were cut short by the mocking voice of the mortal who he had been attempting to kill.

"Would you like to surrender now?"

Tichondrius grit his teeth as he restrained his utter fury. The enemy's morale had been greatly bolstered by the arrival of the necropolis, and he would be quickly overwhelmed if he allowed his anger to control him. Instead, Tichondrius offered the mortal a promise that he meant from the bottom of his soul as he prepared to teleport back to Shen-Zin Su and organize the defense against the invasion.

"I don't know when, but I will ruin you and everything that you have ever built," Tichondrius replied coldly, fully agreeing with Gul'dan for once as he felt a surge of hatred for this particular mortal.

"I swear it."

With that, Tichondrius disappeared from Dalaran in a swirl of dark magic, more determined than ever to bring death to this infuriating world.