Durotan was cautious enough, but unfortunately, his understanding of magic was not comprehensive enough.
At the entrance of the Oshu'gun spaceship, Durotan led the Lightforging Orcs past the Ogre army, and Ogre Mage secretly left Magic Mark on him.
This was magic from Azeroth, taught by Khadgar, Durotan failed to detect in time.
It would be unwise to attack Durotan at the Oshu'gun construction site; there are too many Lightforging Orcs, especially the New Lightforged Orcs, who seem endless.
The best opportunity is to launch a surprise attack while Durotan is out alone.
Khadgar cast the Underwater Breathing Spell on everyone. The group included Velen and Amado, the nameless Ogre Butcher, the ancient incarnation of the Chaos Earth Elemental Tectus, the ancient Abyss giant Brackenspore, and a few elite Ogre wizards.
The team's main force is Kelage, who is almost immune to all magic and has a mountain-like physique, giving him an absolute advantage against Durotan, who is Shadow power.
Highmaul sent out its elite forces, assembling an incredibly formidable team.
"This operation must succeed; failure is not an option."
Khadgar looked serious, eager to impress the Imperator. If Cho'gall hadn't been seriously injured, he wouldn't have been in a position to lead the team.
"My plan is this: I will join forces with the wizards to set up a magical barrier, turning the floating island into a magical no-go zone. This is the worst-case scenario plan; without magical support, Durotan has no chance of turning the tide."
"If we are discovered setting up the magical barrier, I need you to hold off Durotan. You don't need to defeat him, just prevent him from leaving the floating island while we complete the barrier. Then we can easily tear Durotan apart. I will perform Soul Summoning, using his corpse to resurrect him as an Undead creature that obeys our every command. Durotan and his Lightforging Orcs will all be ours."
Kelage said in a muffled voice, "Why bother with all that? I can turn him into mincemeat with one punch."
Khadgar said coldly, "Never underestimate any opponent. The Imperator would rather leave Highmaul vulnerable than send you all here; he doesn't want any unexpected events to occur."
Now, the only people by Imperator Mar'gok's side are the Cyclops Twins, Pol and Phemos.
Of course, this is only the surface of his strength. The Imperator still has many trump cards up his sleeve. How terrifying his own strength is is a core secret of the Highmaul. No one has ever truly tested the Imperator's strength.
Let's begin!
Under Khadgar's direction, the Ogre Mages joined forces to cast a spell.
Durotan and Draka were chatting about everyday things when they suddenly sensed a change in the shadow element. There seemed to be some resistance, making the flow of magic less smooth.
"Someone is casting a spell in the shadows, probably Anti-Magic Array or something similar."
Durotan immediately understood; the enemy had infiltrated the floating island. Unperturbed, he smiled and said to Draka:
A few little mice have come in; I'll be right back.
Draka's expression changed, and he tried to control his fear as he whispered, "Be careful."
Durotan was not worried about Draka's safety; he was a ruthless leader, though he valued his family highly.
But it would be incredibly naive for the enemy to think that controlling Draka would make Durotan surrender.
Durotan might be sad, but he will definitely not lose his mind.
The binding force originated from the pool on the floating island. Durotan, shrouded in intense Shadow power, cautiously approached the pool.
"Go to hell, you little dwarf!"
The pool water suddenly parted, Kelage burst out of the water, throwing a punch at Durotan.
A layer of earthen-yellow shield, called the Nullification Barrier, surrounds Kelage, making Kelage immune to all magic.
"Kelage!"
Durotan gasped, knowing how terrifying this Ogre was, and quickly and nimbly retreated.
Kelage's punch missed its mark, and at the same time, the ground collapsed, sending Kelage's massive body plunging into a pit that resembled a vertical shaft, from which he couldn't climb out for a while.
Durotan used Sinkhole Technique to bind Kelage, but he didn't get carried away. He knew that what he should do now was to escape as soon as possible.
Suddenly, the ground trembled, and Durotan nearly fell.
"Mountains, let's move!"
The terrain of the floating island changed, with many wrinkles appearing on the once flat ground, causing Durotan to sway up and down like a roller coaster.
The Earth Elemental Tectus leaped out of the water, pounding the ground with his fists. With his help, Kelage successfully gained his freedom.
Facing the charging Kelage, Durotan reacted swiftly, countless gray tentacles dancing and coalescing into a pair of enormous wings on his back.
Durotan flew into the air, and had barely risen ten meters when a stern voice rang out:
Flights are prohibited in this area.
This is No-Fly spell; with Khadgar's power, he could cast it with ease.
You're asking for it!
Durotan flapped his wings repeatedly and landed back on the ground, pulling a golden disc from his robes that shimmered with intense Power of the Holy Light.
The golden disc unfolded, forming a Portal radiating golden light, and several shadows appeared on the other side of the Portal.
"This is a spatial spell. Durotan needs to summon helpers. Tectus, devour that Portal!" Khadgar shouted as he cast the spell.
Tectus pounded the ground again. "Mountains, devour."
The folds converged, forming two small mountains over ten meters high, which slammed into the Portal.
The two small hills collided and, under the influence of the Earth Elemental, merged into one, successfully enveloping the Portal.
Within the mountain peak, golden light shone through numerous cracks, countless dazzling streams of light flashed, and powerful Power of the Holy Light blasted open the mountain, bringing the figure inside ever closer.
Tectus's magic failed, and Khadgar nodded to Velen beside him.
Velen's original intention was for the Ogres and the Lightforging Orcs to weaken each other, but he hadn't anticipated Khadgar's decapitation plan. Now, he had no choice but to step forward.
"Holy Light, obey my command!"
Velen's resounding voice echoed across the floating island; Durotan's understanding of the Holy Light was far inferior to Velen's.
The Holy Light enveloping the golden Portal was drawn in, struggling to join Velen.
Brackenspore jumped out of the pool, forcefully raising his right arm, and the pool of Fresh Water converged towards him, forming a giant water sphere.
At the same time, Tectus shouted:
"Mountains, surrender your dust."
With a rumble, the ground trembled, and the golden Portal, suspended in mid-air, fell into the pit. Countless clods of earth gathered from all directions, and Brackenspore threw out a Fresh Water, forming a muddy swamp. Layers of silt spread towards the Portal until it was completely swallowed up.
The Butcher carried two meat-cutting axes, and two black wild boars followed beside him, spewing out black, foul-smelling filth that mingled with the mud.
The Holy Light of the golden Portal finally went out.
How did they manage to Corruption the Holy Light?
Durotan's eyes widened in disbelief. He thought he knew the generals of Highmaul very well, but it seemed he didn't know them as well as he thought.
Unfortunately, Khadgar didn't know enough about Durotan either.
Durotan planned his actions carefully; the golden Portal was merely a decoy.
Behind Durotan, a hidden Portal had been opened, and several tall figures emerged from it.