The bad news came one after another. First, Gul'dan fled with the Stormreaver Clan and the Twilight's Hammer. Then, Perenolde's betrayal was discovered. Once Lothar realized what had happened, he immediately sent troops to block the other routes, which meant it was now impossible to bring the remaining half of the reinforcements over from the Hinterlands.
Furthermore, the port in Hillsbrad had been occupied by the Kul Tiras fleet, cutting off their only hope of escaping by sea.
Just before this, everything had been developing according to the Horde's plan. Why had it turned out like this? An irrepressible rage rose in his heart. Orgrim understood that the Horde's defeat was already sealed. Even if he could take Lordaeron now, he would never be able to withstand the Alliance armies closing in from all sides!
"Gul'dan! GUL'DAN!!!" Orgrim roared in fury. The Horde had been just one step away from total victory! Now, they had lost everything! This was war, a situation that could change in an instant! He had the urge to tear Gul'dan to shreds, but the most pressing matter was not revenge, but preserving the flame of the Horde, preserving the hope of the Orcs!
As if struck by an idea, Orgrim ordered, "Call off the siege! The Ogres will cover our rear! Retreat to Khaz Modan!"
Khaz Modan was where the main dwarf city was located, and it was also an area heavily garrisoned by the Horde. To prevent the dwarves and gnomes from causing trouble, he had ordered the Bleeding Hollow Clan to stand guard there and secure the Horde's retreat route.
Arthas had already anticipated the Horde's defeat. He leaped from the sky, using a warrior's charge to lock onto a powerful Orc.
Swoosh!
A strong gravitational pull guided Arthas's charge, sending the Orc warrior flying as he himself landed in the middle of an Orc encirclement. He used his longsword and shield to block attacks from all sides, the rebounding Holy Light forcing the Orc soldiers back. His longsword once again slit their throats, killing the Orcs one by one.
Roar! Emeriss, still in her dragon form, breathed fire, splitting the Orc ranks in two. After landing, she cast a spell, forming a trench of fire that forced the Orcs into two separate groups. Her jade-like hand caught an incoming throwing axe and crushed it with a squeeze. Her unique eyes gazed at an Orc soldier attempting a sneak attack in the distance, and in the next second, the attacker fell into a deep sleep.
"It seems Emeriss has bet everything on him. She hasn't fallen in love with that human prince, has she?" Chromie, still in her gnome form, shook her bun-adorned head. Her eyes watched Arthas, who had entered a killing frenzy. It was better for dragons not to get involved in human battles. Taking such a clear side was likely to cause trouble.
"We should contribute a little. Her Majesty the Queen needs Arthas's help." After speaking, Keristrasza also transformed into her dragon form, using her scorching dragon breath to once again engulf the Orc lines in a sea of fire. By placing a small bet now, how else could they obtain that precious Life Essence!
Tarecgosa hesitated for a moment before also transforming into her blue dragon form and flying out. She felt she had to do something, so that Arthas would hasten to fulfill the Blue Dragon King's task.
Only Chromie did not act, nor was it her habit to do so. Except when dealing with the Infinite Dragonflight, you couldn't expect her to lift a finger. She quietly hid herself, took out some popcorn, and enjoyed the show. What did the wars of mortals have to do with dragons?
Meanwhile, Orgrim dispatched the Black Tooth Grin Clan to hunt down Gul'dan. He had already forgiven the monstrously sinful Gul'dan once. This time, for the honor of the Orcs, he would not let him go again! Any Orc who betrayed the Horde should wash away this shame with their blood!
With defeat a foregone conclusion, there were no more scruples. He directly sent a pursuit team to kill the traitor. Gul'dan must die! As for the Burning Blade and Bleeding Hollow clans, it was likely impossible for Orgrim to eliminate them now. Leaving a portion of his Orcs behind to hold the line, he hastily retreated with the rest toward the Hinterlands. He had to at least preserve the spark of the Horde! Before leaving, Orgrim glared resentfully at Arthas. It was this little brat who had ruined his plans again. If he had the chance, he would have smashed this meddlesome human with his hammer!
Arthas led the Expeditionary Force to surround the orc clans that had been left behind, letting the other Alliance armies pursue the Horde while he stayed.
"Surrendering to my master is your honor! The Horde is finished. Orgrim is in league with Gul'dan. Following him will only lead to death! Think about how we used to herd sheep and farm. After coming to this world, we became bloodthirsty beasts. This is not honor! Stop fighting for demons. We should fight for ourselves, for the future of our clans, for honor! Surrender!" Azuka stepped forward, holding a long blade that glowed with a faint magical light. As a follower, her trust in her master, Arthas, was blind.
The surrounded Orcs looked at each other. Some had already surrendered and were even calling it an honor. This left the already not-so-bright Orcs even more confused.
"Don't waste words on them. Just kill them. These honorless creatures don't deserve to live. Let them shed their last drop of blood for the demons and become the shame of the Orcs!" Kargath licked the blood from the blade on his severed arm, a hint of madness in his eyes. Was this the feeling of honor?
Thud!
The sound of a weapon dropping to the ground. An Orc raised both hands to surrender. Surrendering to an Orc was not shameful. If it were surrendering to the Alliance, that would be somewhat unacceptable. But they had no idea, nor could they imagine, that the difference between surrendering to Azuka and surrendering to the Alliance was not much different.
Arthas had Marlene command the Expeditionary Force to continue clearing out the Orcs and reclaiming lost territory, while also settling the prisoners and beginning their re-education. This was a tedious task. Brigitte might have done it better; Marlene was more suited to being a commander, formulating strategies and tactics. But there was no helping it. Arthas lacked top-tier talent, though he wasn't short on mid-level managers.
"Father, are you all right?" Arthas looked at Terenas, now clad in his battle armor, and felt a strange sensation. He didn't acknowledge this man as his father, but the debt of being raised by him was real. He might be a beast, but he still had a sliver of conscience. He couldn't stage a rebellion to seize power, so he could only go and carve out his own territory.
Besides, he wasn't used to living under someone else's roof and being constrained. He was fed up with his old life, where everything was arranged for him, leaving him no time for himself. Now, he would fight for his own freedom!