Illidan swayed as he returned to his throne. He was the backbone of the Black Temple; as long as he remained on the throne, his generals would fight bravely.
"The terrible Draenei curse."
Illidan sighed inwardly, a strange sense of fatigue washing over him; his opponent's conspiracy was finally coming to light.
The Draenei curse was just a seed; the deaths of over a million Orcs were the true mastermind behind the conspiracy.
Their vengeful spirits targeted Illidan through the Draenei curse.
Fortunately, the opponent's spellcasting success rate was low; only one vengeful spirit could succeed out of a thousand Orcs deaths.
Unfortunately, too many Orcs died, and even Illidan found it difficult to bear the burden of thousands of vengeful spirits within him.
Illidan was keenly aware that the vengeful spirit within him could not be removed in a short time.
These vengeful spirits can only leave his body naturally through a long period of rest, but unfortunately Illidan didn't have that time.
After careful consideration, Illidan came up with a plan: he had to meet with someone.
On the throne, Illidan closed his eyes to rest, unaware that this was merely a shadow.
In Shadowmoon Village, Thrall watched the Orcs die one after another with glee, laughing heartily.
"The Orcs are willing to die for me, Illidan, what do you have to fight me with?"
Eitrigg said obsequiously, "Congratulations, great Savior, on conquering the Black Temple! You are now the Lord of Outland."
"Haha, from now on, Outland will belong to us Orcs." Thrall smiled broadly, but a dark cloud hung in his heart.
The Burning Legion and the Army of the Light reached an agreement that the side with the highest military merit would become the Lord of Outland.
Thrall contributed the most, so he deserves the most credit.
But Thrall knew that Velen's son, Rakeesh, was already the designated Lord of Outland.
"Rakeesh, you want to compete with me for the Lord of Outland? No way! You and your father are both useless trash."
Thrall had already planned it all out; behind him, a slender figure was hidden in the shadows.
Eitrigg kept trying to decipher Thrall's thoughts, and as if struck by a sudden realization, he whispered:
"Great Savior, such a momentous battle deserves to be led by a renowned general."
Thrall's eyes darted around, he understood immediately, and he chuckled:
"Indeed, Saurfang the Great is a warrior of my Horde. He made a fortune in Ahn'Qiraj back in the day. It's time for him to show his true courage. Issue my order: command Saurfang the Great to lead the attack on the Black Temple."
In Shadowmoon Valley, at the Sha'tar Altar, Velen and his son are watching the battle.
Rakeesh clenched his fists in frustration, muttering, "Father, everyone says the one who attacked me that day was Thrall's brother, Gudan. I actually lost to an Orcs."
Velen comforted him, "My child, do not be discouraged. Gudan was a Horde leader specially groomed by the Burning Legion; it was only because their scheme failed that Thrall ascended to this position."
Rakeesh retorted, unconvinced, "But I'm one of the few geniuses among the Eredar. Am I really less talented than an Orcs?"
Velen patiently explained, "Gudan is ostensibly Durotan's son, but while he was still in his mother's womb, Kil'jaeden secretly altered his bloodline, implanting the superior blood of us Draenei. Calling him Kil'jaeden's son isn't an exaggeration."
Rakeesh felt slightly better and looked at the Orcs surging towards the Black Temple like a tidal wave, asking in confusion:
"How did the Orcs manage to be even braver than the Burning Legion?"
Beside him, A'dal's clone explained, "The Army of the Light participated in the training of the Orcs, cultivating their worship of Thrall from a young age. Anyone who doubted Thrall was isolated, beaten, and eliminated. Look at these Orcs; their use of Blood Fury proves that they are inherently afraid of death, but they fear Thrall even more than death itself."
The mind-control abilities of the Army of the Light were unmatched even by the Demons of the Burning Legion; Rakeesh was completely convinced of their superiority.
A'dal asked, "Rakeesh, didn't you promise to provide the Orcs with a million soldiers? Why haven't the Orcs armed themselves?"
"It's all Thrall's fault," Rakeesh said, biting his lip. "The first batch of military equipment had already been delivered to Orgrimmar, enough to arm 100,000 Orcs, but Thrall hid it away, making it his private property, claiming that cannon fodder didn't need to be armed."
A'dal thought for a moment and said, "Thrall is right. Cannon fodder doesn't need to be armed; they just need to be willing to die."
Inside the Watchers's cell, Maiev listened to the sounds of gunfire outside.
With the massive depletion of ammunition and Fel, the Black Temple's firepower has been significantly reduced.
Maiev estimated the strength of the invaders; to inflict such heavy losses on the Black Temple, the enemy must be extremely powerful.
"Could it be the main force of the Burning Legion? Or a large contingent of the Army of the Light?"
As a prisoner of the Black Temple, Maiev will not have a good ending, regardless of whether the Burning Legion or the Army of the Light emerges victorious.
From the bottom of her heart, Maiev hoped that Illidan could defend the Black Temple; at least for now, Maiev and her Watchers sisters were doing alright.
With no worries about food or clothing, and spending her days eating and sleeping, Maiev has even gained some weight.
When Illidan appeared before Maiev was indeed unprepared, and after a long silence, she sneered:
"What, as the leader of the Black Temple, instead of leading the battle from the front lines, you've come to see a prisoner like me? That seems rather inappropriate."
Illidan stared into Maiev's eyes. "The Black Temple is about to fall."
"It doesn't feel quite right for you to say that," Maiev said, never missing an opportunity to mock Illidan.
"No one wins forever." Illidan with some disappointment, "You'd never guess that it's the Orcs are about to storm the Black Temple."
"What, Orcs?"
Maiev stared at Illidan in horror. Even the Burning Legion was better than the Orcs; perhaps there was still hope for her survival.
If the Orcs breach the Black Temple, Maiev and her Watchers sisters will only be eaten.
"How could you lose to Orcs? You've disappointed me so much." Maiev looked at Illidan with resentment.
Illidan sighed, "Because Thrall mobilized millions of Orcs, and the Army of the Light and Burning Legion are supporting him behind the scenes, thankfully I had already made arrangements. Akama will definitely let you out. I need you to do one thing."
"If the Orcs breach the Black Temple, what can I do?" Maiev asked disappointedly.
Illidan shook his head. "Don't worry, everything Thrall has done will be in vain, Maiev. All you need to do is kill me before Thrall breaches the Black Temple, then take my body and return to the Vault of the Wardens with your sisters to complete your hunt."
"You!"
Maiev sensed Illidan's resentment; what kind of desperate situation had led him to make this difficult choice?
"You'll agree, won't you?" Illidan pleaded.
Maiev nodded solemnly.
Illidan breathed a sigh of relief; as long as his body remained intact, there was hope for resurrection.
The Fel cannons of the Black Temple roared for five days and five nights, and more than five million Orcs have died in battle.
Naruk Xil repeatedly sent down holy fire, burning away the Corpses of the Orcs on the front lines.
The Black Temple's ammunition was finally exhausted, and its Fel reserves were also depleted.
The Orcs used sticks, stones, and even skulls and fangs to breach the sturdy outer walls of the Black Temple, leading directly to the sewers.
On the throne, Illidan opened his eyes and gave the order:
"I ordered High Warlord Naj'entus to lead the Naga forces to establish a defensive line in the sewers. Oh, and I left him an escape Portal. Naj'entus followed Vashj in his early years and was extremely loyal. I would be very sad if he were to die in battle."