Originally, Garrosh had assembled an army of 200,000 Orcs, an unprecedented Orcs Legion. Although only 100,000 remain now, it is still an incredibly large Legion.
At a single command, a massive army of 100,000 Orcs marched toward Icecrown Citadel.
At a glance, outside Icecrown Citadel, the mountains and plains were covered with green-skinned Orcs, and the snow-covered land was only left with this ominous green.
The vanguard of ten thousand Orcs charged into the first level. Facing the powerful Undead Vrykul, Garrosh adopted a piecemeal approach.
Whenever an Orcs soldier falls, the same number of soldiers replace him.
Under this terrible and cruel tactic, the elite Undead Vrykul were quickly wiped out after paying a heavy price.
The Orcs rushed up to the second level, where they saw Arthas standing on the high platform at the entrance, coldly speaking to Garrosh:
"Foolish Orcs, you've finally learned your lesson, but it's too late. Retreat before the elite Scourge forces. If you were willing to withdraw to Orgrimmar, perhaps we could still maintain peace; the Scourge can promise not to launch an offensive."
The Orcs' nature is such that the more their opponents back down, the more they push their luck. Garrosh, who was initially distressed by the loss of so many soldiers, immediately understood when he heard Arthas seemed inclined to peace. He grinned coldly and said:
"Arthas, does the Invincible Scourge also yearn for peace? You seem different since we last met; you appear much weaker."
The cunning Garrosh had intended to test Arthas, but to his surprise, Arthas acquiesced. Instinctively, Garrosh took a few steps back and shouted:
"Orcs, you will pay the price for your arrogance. No one can defeat the Invincible Scourge."
To Garrosh's astonishment, a large number of Undead Vrykul rushed out.
Arthas had indeed been hiding his true strength, but Garrosh's confidence had soared. He realized Arthas wouldn't last much longer and ordered the Orcs Legion to launch another attack.
Garrosh continued to employ the piecemeal attack tactic, a tactic considered a cardinal sin in warfare but the most effective at the moment, relentlessly launching attacks despite the heavy losses suffered by the Orcs.
The Blood War on the second level was extremely brutal. Thousands of Undead Vrykul were quickly wiped out. Garrosh clearly noticed that Arthas, who was overseeing the battle, struggled a bit, but still wielded Frostmourne, and thousands more Undead Vrykul charged out.
In that instant, Arthas's strength was clearly weakened, and the hair peeking out from the gaps in his armor was like withered grass. Garrosh immediately saw hope and was overjoyed.
"Arthas, your end has come."
It was another incredibly brutal and bloody Blood War. On the second level of Icecrown Citadel, there was a thick layer of flesh and blood, and mutilated corpses were everywhere.
"Another thousand Undead Vrykul have fallen, "Arthas said with difficulty.
"Alright, Garrosh, I sense the Orcs' bravery. If you have any requests, just say so. As long as they're not too unreasonable, the Scourge is willing to grant them."
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by the Orcs, Garrosh was in high spirits and coldly mocked, "Did I hear you wrong? Lich King Arthas, are you surrendering to me? I will ruthlessly reject you. All I want is your death. Azeroth belongs to the Orcs."
"You will regret this, you foolish Orcs. You will face the terrifying Scourge warriors. I will show you how merciful and childish your last battle was."
"Arthas" uttered a harsh remark and ascended to the third floor alone.
Garrosh would not give up and would lead his Orcs army in pursuit.
Upon reaching the third level, Garrosh was horrified to find it filled with Demons of the Burning Legion, including towering Dreadguards, Doomguards with enormous wings, and Pit Lords as large as small mountains—it was as if he were facing the Burning Legion itself.
Fortunately, these Legion Demons are different from the real Burning Legion; their bodies are not complete, many parts have been repaired, and most are pieced together.
The Demons's eyes were empty, its expression numb, lacking the arrogant ferocity of the Burning Legion.
"Arthas" stood on the high platform, looking down at them, and said:
"Foolish Orcs, before they succumbed to old age, the Scourge annihilated countless Burning Legion soldiers, using their remains to create the Undead. Yes, they were failed products, less than a tenth of their former strength, originally sealed deep underground. But how many more Orcs are you willing to sacrifice? It's better to stop now, lest you damage your very foundation and regret it later."
It seems that Arthas is truly in dire straits, resorting even to using defeated Undead Demons in battle.
Looking at the densely packed Undead Demons, Garrosh felt a chill run down his spine. Although the Emissary given a death order, Garrosh still had a way to refuse, as he did not want to sacrifice too many soldiers.
Upon hearing Arthas's plea for peace, the Orcs' old habits kicked in again. Garrosh grinned smugly and said:
"Even your failed creations have been sent out; these must be your last soldiers. I'm sorry, Lich King Arthas, you cannot stop the Orcs from conquering this world. You tirelessly pursue peace, but I still say no. The Scourge's end has come."
"Arthas" said viciously, "You'll regret this, Garrosh. There are tens of thousands of Undead Demons here."
Garrosh waved his hand, and the Orcs charged forward with howls, engaging the Undead Demons in battle. The Undead Demons were clearly weaker than the Vrykul, but they were evenly matched with the Orcs, with the advantage being their superior numbers. The casualty ratio between the two sides remained at one to one.
Undead Demons and Orcs soldiers kept falling, and Garrosh almost went mad, no longer caring about the lives of his soldiers and replenishing the fallen Orcs without hesitation, as if he were only dealing with cold numbers.
Arthas seemed to have gone mad as well, stepping down from the high platform and personally leading his army in Charge. The battle quickly escalated to a fever pitch, with corpses piling up like mountains.
Garrosh felt like a gambler, betting on when the Scourge would collapse. In the end, Garrosh was the victor, and all the Undead Demons of the third layer perished.
Arthas fled alone to the Frozen Throne, Garrosh let out a triumphant laugh, but his laughter soon faded.
After a series of battles, the Orcs soldiers numbered less than ten thousand.
In this terrible war, a total of 190,000 Orcs perished at Icecrown Citadel.
Fortunately, Garrosh was the ultimate victor, and under the protection of a large number of Orcs soldiers, Garrosh ascended the Frozen Throne.
The open-air Frozen Throne was swept by a biting wind and was extremely cold. Its smooth, circular ice surface lay beneath a bottomless, pitch-black Abyss.
Dozens of Orcs slipped and fell into the Abyss with howls.
Arthas sat alone on the Frozen Throne, clutching the renowned Frostmourne in his hands, seemingly muttering to himself:
"The path to becoming a king is fraught with peril, destined to be filled with hardship. Do you see this Abyss? A single misstep will lead to a fall. This constantly reminds me, and I dare not slacken my vigilance in the slightest. Below this Abyss lies a strange world, which some call the Shadowlands."