His massive bat wings were tucked behind him, and his heavy-armored body sat like a small mountain. His four thick arms gripped savage, giant weapons, while his tail lashed restlessly against the ground, leaving deep fissures in its wake.
In terms of pure physical intimidation, Magtheridon's frame was not much smaller than that of his superior, Mannoroth.
Sensing the arrival of intruders, Magtheridon lifted his ugly, monstrous head, his burning eyes locking onto Illidan at the vanguard.
"Who are you? Are you demons sent by the Burning Legion? Has the Legion come to replace my position here?" Magtheridon's roar was like thunder, echoing through the entire lair and making eardrums ache.
At this moment, the Pit Lord didn't even realize that Illidan wasn't part of the Burning Legion. In his eyes, Illidan was a demon through and through. The fel power radiating from the opponent made even him tremble, so his first thought was that the Legion had dispatched a more powerful demon to take his place.
This scene left the coalition forces following Illidan into the Black Temple utterly speechless.
What is this guy doing? We closed the portals outside the temple and then fought our way in with a massive fanfare, and you didn't notice a thing? Are you sure you're not here for comic relief? How did a person like this become the Lord of Outland?
Rhodes was equally exasperated. According to the Chronicles, when Magtheridon first met Illidan, he did indeed mistake him for a Legion envoy. But did you really know nothing of what was happening outside? Or is this just the custom of the Burning Legion—the new boss has to kill the old boss before taking office?
Well, there was no point in discussing logic with these demons. You can't judge them with a normal mindset. Moreover, in a strict sense, Illidan was technically working for Kil'jaeden at the time, so to these demons, he likely counted as being "half" Legion.
"The Burning Legion? No, no, no... you've got it wrong. My name is Illidan. I am the fool sent to replace you, and I am not of the Burning Legion," Illidan sneered.
Only then did Magtheridon realize something was wrong. It seemed... perhaps... he had been "backdoored"?
He saw a certain Shivarra Matron standing beside Illidan with a large number of female demons. Furthermore, Illidan was surrounded by humans, elves, and Draenei.
"Illidan! You cursed traitor! And Shahraz, you shameless wench! You dare step into my domain!" Magtheridon roared, grabbing his weapons.
Mother Shahraz looked at the fat oaf on the throne with utter disgust. What right does this idiot have to rule a territory? He's nothing but a simple-minded brute with more muscle than brains! Serving such a person was an insult to her. Thinking of this, she looked at Illidan with adoration, her eyes full of infatuation. Only a powerful demon like Lord Illidan was fit to rule her.
Seeing the Matron's gaze, Rhodes was more certain than ever that those two had a "thing" going on. Who would have thought? Even in Azeroth, you could witness a "Domination Aura" so strong that enemy female officers defected on the spot. This treatment made Illidan look like a typical "Gary Stu" protagonist from a web novel.
Illidan flew forward without a trace of fear, confronting Magtheridon from a distance. "Your domain? Magtheridon, you have sat in this seat for too long. It is time for a change! Today, I have come to take your place!"
"Arrogance! I will grind you all into meat!" Magtheridon rose up in a fury, his massive body exerting a terrifying pressure. He raised his giant twin-headed polearm, and dense fel energy began to gather around him.
"All forces, assault!" Rhodes gave the order without hesitation. "Paladins, hold the front! Mages and Rangers, attack his flanks and back! Shahraz, have your sisters interrupt his casting!"
"As you wish, Lord Rhodes," Mother Shahraz giggled, leading the Shivarra as they fanned out, weaving weakening curses and spells of agony around Magtheridon like vipers.
The great battle erupted instantly!
Some of Magtheridon's loyalist demons clashed with the coalition. They were strong, but against Archangels of Light, Light Elementals, and the elite coalition warriors, they were outmatched. Magtheridon swung his polearm, smashing it into the ground—[Flame Crash]!
A massive shockwave, cloaked in fel fire, expanded in a ring, attempting to blow away the surrounding coalition forces.
"Divine Shield!" The frontline Paladins activated their survival skills, their golden shields remaining unshaken within the fel flames. Akama led the Draenei in casting a collective [Devotion Aura], drastically boosting the armor of all nearby allies.
At this moment, Rhodes had a very familiar feeling. This is exactly like a raid boss fight!
You had the Paladins as tanks, Priests as healers, Mages as DPS, and Demon Hunter Illidan and Rhodes as the main carries of the war.
"Attack his joints and wings!" Prince Kael'thas commanded the phoenix and mage units, concentrating fire on Magtheridon's relatively fragile wing-joints and leg-hinges. Arcane Missiles, Pyroblasts, and Frostbolts fell like rain.
Rhodes's modified [Holy Magic Arrow] proved its worth again. One brilliant spear of light after another was fired precisely at Magtheridon's eyes and mouth, forcing him to dodge or close his eyes and tank the hits, roaring in pain.
Illidan was the primary damage dealer. The Demon Hunter's agile form darted through the air, dodging Magtheridon's heavy swings. The Twin Blades of Azzinoth danced in a green storm of death; every strike left deep gashes in Magtheridon's thick carapace, with fel fire searing the flesh within.
Shahraz and her Succubi played a key role, constantly using [Charm] to cloud Magtheridon's mind. While they couldn't fully control him, they severely disrupted his judgment and casting rhythm, causing the Pit Lord's devastating [Chaos Nova] and [Fel Nova] to be interrupted or fired wide.
To be honest, this Pit Lord couldn't handle being ganged up on by so many high-tier combatants. Rhodes felt that if Illidan went full Demon Form, he might even be able to solo him. But that would take the fun out of the "raid"! The excitement comes from the loot dropped after killing the boss. Let's see what good things you drop, Magtheridon!
In the sky, the Light Elementals focused their spears and swords on Magtheridon's joints. Rhodes's [Holy Magic Arrow] acted like a precision scalpel, repeatedly striking Magtheridon's mouth as he tried to chant, forcing him to abort his large-scale fel spells.
Magtheridon fell into an unprecedented predicament. He had Illidan's insane output in front of him, a solid wall of Paladins and Draenei around him, constant bombardment from mages and rangers in the distance, and insidious curses from Shahraz's team in the shadows. He possessed world-ending power, yet he was stuck in a quagmire, unable to use it effectively.
The two Archangels of Light and the Holy Fire Phoenix hovering above added immense pressure. They hadn't even joined the fray yet, and he was already failing. My life is over.
"No! I am the Lord of Outland! I will not be defeated by such insects!" Magtheridon roared in desperate madness, recklessly drawing upon the underground fel magma for a final counterattack.
"Feel the hatred of ten thousand years, Magtheridon!" Illidan let out a war cry, spinning rapidly in the air, his blades carving a cross—[Metamorphosis: Fel Storm]!
A storm of green energy instantly enveloped Magtheridon's head, the exploding fel energy forcing a scream of agony from him. The battle reached its climax. Magtheridon's vitality was incredibly stubborn; even though heavily wounded, he could still burst with terrifying power. He took a deep breath, his chest swelling as he prepared to exhale a devastating [Fel Breath].
"Magtheridon! Your era of ruling Outland ends by my hand!" Illidan grinned savagely. Powerful fel energy instantly bound the demon lord, pinning him firmly to the ground. Illidan didn't actually intend to kill this powerful Pit Lord; he planned to use his blood to mass-produce a new army.
But man proposes, and God disposes. At that exact moment, a Holy Spear plummeted from the sky, detonating Magtheridon's head instantly.
The one who struck was none other than Rhodes. Snatching the "last hit" is a mandatory skill for any main carry. Rhodes successfully landed the killing blow, taking Magtheridon's First Blood.
Illidan's head turned stiffly, looking at Rhodes with a completely speechless expression. I haven't even finished my victory speech yet! I was going to imprison him! Why did you kill him?
"Don't mention it. I like to see things through to the end," Rhodes said with a grin.
"Rhodes, why did you kill him? I didn't intend to kill him. I was going to imprison him for another use. You should know that killing a demon in the physical plane is meaningless," Illidan said.
"Hahaha, is that so? Why didn't you say so earlier? Why didn't you say so? You should have said so earlier. Why didn't you say so? If you had said so..." Rhodes teased, being a bit of a brat.
"So it's my fault then," Illidan's voice was very low, clearly quite angry.
This brat was making fun of him again. Dammit!