Beside them, Highlord Mograine rested the Ashbringer on his shoulder and let out a helpless sigh. Good grief, girl! Please don't go getting any grand ideas about a man who already has a fiancée. Actually, between the Princess of Kul Tiras and the Princess of Lordaeron, his situation is already a tangled mess—don't go sinking into that bog yourself.
He knew his son Renault would be heartbroken; he could see the spark between the two youngsters, who were practically childhood friends. He could only hope Whitemane's admiration remained that of a junior for a senior. I really should have brought Darion instead of this girl, Mograine thought, sighing again as he hoisted his blade to charge yet another demon.
However, the guardian of the second portal was visibly more formidable. A massive Doomguard Lord stepped through the gateway, brandishing a flaming greatsword as it roared and lunged at the Paladin line.
"Not on my watch!" Rhodes's eyes narrowed. He drew a deep breath, funneling even more massive Holy energy into his next spell. Against these monsters, the Light was always the most efficient tool.
"Gather, Holy Arrow! Pierce through all evil!"
A spear of light—larger, denser, and more radiant than any before—coalesced above his head before screaming toward the Doomguard Lord below. The demon attempted to parry with its burning blade, but the purifying force within the spear surpassed its comprehension. The greatsword melted upon contact, and the spear punched through its chest without resistance, detonating violently from within!
"AIEEEE—!" With a shrill cry, the Doomguard Lord was torn apart by the internal expansion of Holy energy, dissolving into a cloud of drifting green ash.
The death of their leader sent the demons around the second portal into a brief panic. "Now! Illidan!" Rhodes shouted.
Illidan was ready. Beating his wings, he shot forward like a green meteor. Under Vashj's command, the Naga smothered any stragglers with a hail of Frost Arrows and Chain Lightning, buying Illidan his window. He gathered the Fel energy once more, beginning the ritual to seal the gate while the Paladin army and Rhodes's summoned host formed an unbreakable iron wall against the counter-attack.
Ten minutes later, with a violent shudder of energy and the sound of collapsing structures, the second portal followed the first into oblivion, its remains scoured away by Illidan's Fel Storm.
The coalition didn't pause for a second, pivoting immediately toward the third portal. The battle reached a fever pitch. Mana, stamina, and Holy Light were being consumed at an alarming rate. Priests cast healing spells without a moment's rest, and mages were burning through their reagents. However, with the experience of the first two gates, the team moved with lethal efficiency.
The third portal sat atop a plateau, a natural fortress. The demons held the high ground, raining down Fel Fire, Corruptions, Chaos Bolts, and searing arrows, stalling the Paladin charge.
"Rhodes, we need a breach!" Prince Kael'thas shouted, frowning as he looked at the obstacle.
"Leave it to me!" Rhodes stepped forward. "Dalaran mages, focus your mana! Let's give these demons a 'Triple Threat: Ice, Fire, and Light'!"
Led by Rhonin, the mages unleashed a devastating combined spell. First, a Blizzard blanketed the plateau, slowing the demons and brittle-ing their armor. Next, a roaring Wall of Fire rose from the ground, cutting off their retreat and reinforcements. Finally, Rhodes unleashed his "Gate of Babylon" variant once more. Countless massive Holy Weapons trailed streaks of fire as they fell from the sky, subjecting the plateau to indiscriminate saturation bombing!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The entire plateau shuddered. The demonic defense line crumbled under the weight of the combined sorcery.
"Charge!" Mograine seized the opening, leading his Paladins up the slope. The Ashbringer was peerless, its blade wreathed in sacred fire as it cleared the remaining resistance. Illidan moved in once more, expertly closing the third gate.
By the time the fourth and final portal came into view, the exhaustion of the troops was evident. But the demonic backlash reached its peak—several massive Infernals were summoned, their flaming stone bodies shaking the earth with every step.
"Hold the line! This is the last one!" Rhodes cast a massive Cure spell, a ripple of magic that washed over the Paladins, the Blood Elves, and even the Naga. In his system, Cure didn't just mend wounds; it restored stamina, proving even more effective than standard Holy Light for keeping allies in the fight during critical moments.
He then summoned a fresh wave of Light Elementals and ordered his Archangel to go all out. "For the Alliance! For Azeroth!" the Paladins roared, launching their final desperate charge.
Jaina's mana was nearly dry, but she gritted her teeth, using her last reserves to cast a Frost Nova that anchored an Infernal's feet, creating an opening for the Paladins. Kael'thas's phoenix slammed into another Infernal, shattering it before reverting into a giant flaming egg to begin its rebirth.
Mograine was covered in blood, but the Ashbringer's light only grew more fierce as he held off several Felguards alone. Dathrohan's shield was webbed with cracks, yet he stood firm. These Paladins were incredibly reliable—as long as they breathed, they stayed at the front. And with Rhodes's magic, even death was a temporary state.
Rhodes took a breath and unleashed one last Chain Lightning. The massive arc jumped through the crowd, leaving nothing but broken husks in its wake. Finally, the area was cleared, and Illidan landed to perform the final seal.
As the last portal collapsed and vanished, a brief, heavy silence fell over the battlefield. The surviving demons, realizing their retreat was cut off, were easily mopped up. Illidan flew back to Rhodes, his burning eyes surveying the tired but resolute warriors.
"Well done, Rhodes. Your troops... are worthy of their glory. The path to the Black Temple is clear. It's time for Magtheridon to pay for his arrogance."
Rhodes looked at his exhausted men. "We rest for one hour. Tend the wounded, eat, and recover. Then, we march on the Black Temple."
"Understood," Illidan nodded. "Recover quickly. The next fight will be a brutal one." He looked toward the temple summit, where rows of Fel Cannons stood. They would need to be neutralized before the Paladins could cross the killing fields.
Rhodes felt a wave of nostalgia. He remembered playing this mission in the RTS game—the Blood Elf Spellbreakers were basically cannon fodder until Akama's Broken used their stealth to disable the gates. He remembered the Burning Crusade version of the raid, entering through the sewers to face High Lord Naj'entus, Supremus (a gargantuan Infernal), and the rest.
Now, he was the protagonist of this historical event.
The hour passed quickly. As the troops rested, a group of oddly-shaped beings approached. They had tusks and a warped appearance but still resembled Draenei. Their leader was a towering figure, nearly 2.5 meters tall, wielding a massive scythe-like hammer. It was Akama and his Broken.
"Akama, you have arrived," Illidan said.
"As promised, I am here, Lord Illidan. You have closed the portals; now, let me and my people lead the way to reclaim the temple," Akama said.
"Not just yet," Illidan said, gesturing to Rhodes. "This is my friend, Rhodes. He says he has a very specific spell he wishes to try on you. He thinks it might... help."
Rhodes stepped forward. It was time to see if he could indeed purge the Fel from the Broken and make them "whole" again.