Provoking a Warrior, especially an Orc Warrior, was not a sensible thing to do. It was courting death.
Provoking a Paladin, especially a Draenei Paladin, was a sound tactic if done properly.
Vindicator Maraad was strong. After all, he was a hero from Warcraft.
If they compared strength alone, Robbie, who had taken the mysterious demon blood, was no weaker than him.
But when it came to mastery of the Holy Light, Robbie was far behind.
Then there was Maraad's weapon, the Hammer of the Naaru. Though nowhere near a match for Ashbringer, it was a genuine Epic weapon, far superior to Robbie's Replica Cursed Torch.
Unfortunately, Faith Paladins had a flaw of their own. They could not be swayed by their emotions and had to remain calm at all times.
The Naaru disliked negative emotions such as anger, hatred, jealousy, and resentment.
Vindicator Maraad was a rational and powerful Draenei Paladin, but when Robbie touched the softest spot in his heart, he finally lost control of his emotions.
The Holy Light surrounding him grew unstable, gradually taking on a blood-red hue.
It was the light of hatred.
"Defiler Kapol, you have succeeded in angering me, but do you think that will be enough to defeat me?" Maraad raised the Hammer of the Naaru in his hand. "Come, let me show you how a great Draenei warrior fights."
Before the goddess Yrel, Maraad could not back down and chose to fight.
Hogger, who was standing nearby, had been planning to slip away, but he suddenly sensed that Maraad's Holy Light was not as strong as before. He gazed greedily at the Hammer of the Naaru in Maraad's hand and the Vindicator equipment he wore, and an inexplicable confidence suddenly welled up in him. Perhaps I can beat him.
"Robbie, stand back. Since I'm the one who made the mistake, of course I should make up for it myself." Hogger raised a claw. "I, Hogger, am a Gnoll who takes responsibility."
"All right, be careful. If you can't beat him, retreat. Don't push yourself." Robbie knew that heroes all had special abilities, so it was better to let Hogger test him first.
"Haha, such big words from a mere Gnoll." Maraad looked down on Hogger somewhat.
"Repaying a grudge is the mark of a true gentleman, unlike a certain someone who has forgotten who slaughtered his people, willingly fallen into depravity, and joined forces with the enemy who exterminated his race. He feels no shame, but takes pride in it instead."
Robbie did not forget to slip in a taunt.
Maraad pretended not to hear and ignored Robbie, keeping his eyes on Hogger. Unfortunately, the hand holding the Hammer of the Naaru trembled slightly, betraying his thoughts.
Without the Lava Fury Fist Weapons, Hogger brought out the weapons that had made his name: a pair of one-handed axes covered in spots of blood.
Hogger strode quickly around Maraad and suddenly swung both axes. Maraad's Holy Light was unstable, so he did not use its power, instead parrying Hogger's attack with the Hammer of the Naaru.
Bang!
The three weapons crashed together.
In this first exchange, Hogger, who had used all his strength, staggered back several steps, his arms numb from the impact and his blood churning. Maraad, who had parried with ease, stood like a rock without moving an inch.
Maraad was stronger than Hogger, the mutated Gnoll.
The Draenei were a formidable race. Otherwise, the fallen Titan Sargeras would not have chosen them from among countless races. They were a race of exceptional wisdom, with a natural and close connection to magic. Their physical qualities were no inferior to those of any other intelligent race, either.
Seeing that he had no advantage in strength, the experienced Hogger took a deep breath and began circling, relying mainly on sneak attacks and harassment, paired with deft footwork. He refused to clash head-on with his opponent.
In such a situation, adventurers eager for a quick victory would usually grow impatient and lose their composure, making mistakes that let Hogger land a sneak attack.
Maraad, however, was clearly more experienced in battle and easily saw through Hogger's ploy. He fought steadily, not seeking to gain ground, but making no mistakes either. More importantly, he was calming himself down.
Hogger was wasting more stamina by circling and was clearly at a disadvantage.
"The little Gnoll is going to lose," Yrel said with a smile.
"Not necessarily." With the situation unfavorable for Hogger, Robbie decided to intervene from the shadows.
He used the secret technique he had employed against Tuyang Tusunpo: Holy Light *** Blossom.
Robbie stretched out his right hand and viciously grasped at the air ahead.
Maraad frowned, feeling some discomfort in his abdomen. Had the food he ate that morning been unclean? He thought no more of it, gathering a ball of Holy Light in his right hand and pressing it to his abdomen to settle the churning within.
"What?"
Robbie was secretly surprised. The skill he had created himself and taken pride in had actually failed to work.
Whether in physical ability or the use of Holy Light, Maraad was far stronger than Tuyang Tusunpo. Though Hogger took the chance to launch a sneak attack, and Maraad parried with his hammer in one hand and retreated several steps, that was all. It made little difference to the battle as a whole.
Hogger had no choice but to keep circling and looking for chances to attack by surprise. Maraad continued to play it safe. Once he calmed himself and restored his Holy Light, Hogger would be defeated.
This Maraad is tough to deal with. Even without using the Holy Light, he can barely keep Hogger from losing. Winning is impossible.
Robbie began to worry, while Yrel, standing nearby, wore a radiant smile.
Sure enough, before long, Maraad smiled faintly. The Hammer of the Naaru burst into golden light like a brilliant star. Maraad's Holy Light had returned.
Hogger was startled and wanted to flee at once. Seeing that Maraad had not attacked, however, he hesitated and stopped, intending to wait and see.
One octagonal shield after another formed from Holy Light, joining together into a hemispherical barrier around Maraad. From a distance, it looked like a golden turtle shell.
"Whoa!"
Robbie could not help exclaiming. Maraad wielded a two-handed hammer, yet he was a defensive Paladin. Hogger attacked the barrier with both axes and all his strength, but it had no effect whatsoever.
Maraad laughed aloud:
"Little Gnoll, stop wasting your strength. My Holy Shield Bastion is indestructible, a gift bestowed upon me by the Naaru. It can withstand all physical and magical attacks. Even Khadgar and Grommash Hellscream cannot break through the protection of this great Holy Light."
"Disperse!"
Maraad roared, and the octagonal shields flew out like a shower of rain. Hogger could not dodge in time. Several shields struck him in succession, knocking him to the ground.
"Assemble!"
The octagonal shields all flew back, once again forming the Holy Shield Bastion around Maraad.
No way.
Robbie had really seen something new. The Holy Shield Bastion could both attack and defend.
Fortunately, its attacks were not all that strong. Hogger rolled across the ground, got to his feet, and shook his neck. He was not hurt, though he felt thoroughly aggrieved.
The Holy Shield Bastion covered every direction without a blind spot. How had Blackhand defeated Maraad?
If history followed its normal course, in the coming Battle of Talador, Blackhand would take on Orgrimmar, Maraad, Durotan, and Yrel by himself. In the end, Orgrimmar and Maraad would die in battle, while Blackhand would be wounded by Yrel's attack and leap into the sea to escape.
The Holy Shield Bastion covered a large enough area to protect all four of them, so they should have been unbeatable. How could Blackhand have broken through the indestructible Holy Shield Bastion?
Of Draenor's seven great heroes, Grom Hellscream had killed the pit lord Mannoroth in an instant, making him the strongest in attack power.
But in overall strength, the Blackrock Warlord Blackhand of this world, who had strengthened his body with fire elements, should have ranked first.
Grommash Hellscream could not break through the Holy Shield Bastion, yet Blackhand could.
Could fire be the Holy Shield Bastion's weakness?
Robbie looked at the Replica Cursed Torch in his hand.
The Cursed Torch was called a torch because the hammer portion could be lit.
It was only missing an eternally burning magic crystal. Otherwise, it would have been Epic equipment.
Maraad advanced slowly and steadily, extending and withdrawing the Holy Shield Bastion at will. Hogger was driven into a sorry state, using the terrain and various structures to dodge.
To his surprise, the holy shields had a tracking and guidance function. Hogger had nowhere to hide, and he howled with his face bruised and swollen.
The situation was critical. It seemed Robbie could only take a risk and try.
Robbie hurried toward the Dwarf bunker built nearby.
Robbie put the Cursed Torch in the furnace and ordered the Dwarf working beside it to turn up the heat.
Watching the Cursed Torch grow red-hot, the Dwarf added a heatproof layer to the handle.
"Haha, the little Gnoll has run away." Maraad's voice echoed through the fortress. "Defiler Kapol, do you intend to hide like a turtle for the rest of your life?"
Damn it, you're the one carrying a Holy Light turtle shell. Which of us is the turtle?
"Maraad, come to the Dwarf bunker and fight me. I'll show you what truly unstoppable power is," Robbie called back. "I hope you can take more of a beating than Thrall."
Before long, Maraad appeared at the entrance to the Dwarf bunker. Without wasting words, he arranged the octagonal holy shields in a single line and sent them flying at Robbie.
Robbie picked up the red-hot Cursed Torch and met the dozens of holy shields.
Just as Robbie had expected, the holy shields melted like ice and snow as soon as they touched the heat.
"This... how is this possible?"
Maraad was horrified. He had not known the weakness of his own skill. Robbie swung the red-hot Cursed Torch at him, and Maraad hurriedly raised the Hammer of the Naaru to parry.
The two hammers collided, sending sparks flying.
Robbie's strength had grown over the past few days, and he was not at a disadvantage against Maraad. Maraad could clearly feel a mournful cry coming from his weapon.
The head of the Hammer of the Naaru was a rare amethyst.
Crystal was an unstable compound.
Though it had been blessed by the Naaru, that only allowed it to hold more Holy Light. It could not change
the fact that natural crystal became brittle when heated.
Robbie's breaking of the Holy Shield Bastion had been unexpected, but it was not a major matter, as that was not the full extent of Maraad's strength. It was the damage to the Hammer of the Naaru that completely destroyed his confidence in fighting.
If he unleashed all his ultimate techniques, he was very confident he could defeat Robbie, but if the Hammer of the Naaru were damaged, the price would be more than he could bear.
Maraad hoisted the Hammer of the Naaru onto his shoulder, turned, and fled.
"Haha, Vindicator Maraad, are you going to abandon your own people and run away, just like you did in Shattrath City?" Maraad's heart trembled when he heard that, and he nearly fell to the ground.
Maraad silently reminded himself that this was only a strategic retreat. After all, the Replica Cursed Torch would not stay red-hot for long.
He's running pretty fast. Chances to beat a drowning dog don't come around often.
Holy Light *** Blossom.
Maraad once again felt his abdomen churn, and his legs went weak.
Robbie tossed his head, used Deathwing's Gaze, and caught Maraad's helmet in his mouth.
Just then, Yrel arrived, with the bedraggled Hogger following behind her.
Both looked shocked when they saw Maraad fleeing for his life and Robbie holding Maraad's helmet.
Hogger shrugged. "Before my brother Robbie, even the forest must retreat."