The battle lasted less than half a day. As the main force of the Burning Legion arrived one after another, it turned into a one-sided annihilation battle. The 500,000 Scourge were almost completely wiped out. Sylvanas did everything she could, but in the end, she was powerless to turn the tide. The Burning Legion's losses were negligible.
The hearts of all races in Azeroth who were watching this war were filled with gloom. The Burning Legion, which had destroyed countless worlds, was indeed a force to be reckoned with; its fighting power was simply incomparable to that of the races of Azeroth.
Sylvanas's necklace worked its magic; before the Scourge was completely destroyed, she and Kel'Thuzad were teleported to a secret underground cavern, where a group of Undead acolytes surrounded them and guided them into the Altar of Heroes.
Sylvanas and Kel'Thuzad were both exhausted, their mental and magical energy depleted. Sylvanas noticed that the acolyte was just an empty shell, a puppet used for remote control, and guessed that it was something Kel'Thuzad had created.
Inside the Altar of Heroes, both of them fell into a deep sleep, the Power of Death replenishing their energy.
In the years that followed, Sylvanas betrayed Arthas and became the infamous Dark Lady, but she was never able to rebuild the Altar of Heroes and longed for the days when she could restore her energy within Altar of Heroes.
Half a day passed, Sylvanas awoke from her sleep. Replenished by the Power of Death, she was in excellent mental and physical condition.
In her view, the war between the Scourge and the Burning Legion was over, and what followed should be a life of fleeing and hiding.
Sylvanas saw two Scourge generals enter the Altar of Heroes, Falric and Marwyn, Arthas's two Adjutant, both of whom were exhausted and wounded.
"Sylvanas, once you're fully recovered, let's get to the fight," Kel'Thuzad said spiritedly.
"Fight? Do we still have an army?" Sylvanas asked curiously, knowing the Scourge as she did, they should have been completely wiped out by now.
Kel'Thuzad said calmly, "While we were asleep, Falric and Marwyn held off the Burning Legion, stopping them at Black Valley Town, ten miles from Shadow Valley. Now it's our turn to lead the battle. Half a million troops have been waiting in Blackvale for some time."
"Five hundred thousand?" Sylvanas was startled; she hadn't expected Arthas to be able to muster so many troops.
But was it worth it? Although the addition of 500,000 Scourge soldiers was unexpected, it was still not enough to defeat the Burning Legion. Sylvanas dared not ask any more questions and could only obey orders.
Black Valley Town, formerly known as Rice Fragrance Village, is famous for its rice production and is the rice-producing region of Lordaeron.
During the darkest of times, Thrall led the Orcs to drive the town's inhabitants into the barn and slaughter them all.
The blood of the residents stained the rice in the granary, and over time the bloodstains turned black. So the town was renamed Black Valley Town to commemorate the horrific massacre.
Standing atop the tower in Black Valley Town, Sylvanas gazed in astonishment at the 500,000 Scourge soldiers. These were not remnants of a defeated army, but a well-organized main force, complete with all types of troops.
Sylvanas had her suspicions, and after observing carefully, she sensed that something was amiss.
These soldiers were not the familiar Scourge warriors. She came down from the tower and stopped a Ghoul carrying a log.
"Soldier, your name."
The Ghoul stared blankly at Sylvanas, the red light in its eye sockets looking particularly innocent, like a frightened and uneasy little animal.
Sylvanas waved her hand, dismissing the soldier.
"Something's strange. Where did this army come from?" Sylvanas knew the Scourge. Every soldier had complete memories of their past life; they remembered the land they lived on, their families, and the enemies who killed them.
Not even knowing their names, this is clearly not the Scourge of the past.
This time, the Burning Legion did not launch an offensive. After a day of fighting, the Burning Legion probably needed to rest. Shortly after the battle with Falric and Marwyn ended, the Burning Legion was cleaning up the Battlefield.
Sylvanas gave the Burning Legion no chance. The Scourge launched an attack from all sides, taking the initiative to engage the Burning Legion in a decisive battle. In Sylvanas's view, the Burning Legion soldiers, who had been fighting all day, should have been exhausted.
Unexpectedly, the Burning Legion's soldiers displayed extraordinary resilience, maintaining their formidable fighting power. The Scourge's offensives came wave after wave, but without exception, they all fell to the Burning Legion's blade.
Sylvanas was stunned. The Burning Legion's endurance was beyond imagination. She couldn't help but exclaim, "Are they even human?"
"They are certainly not human; they are terrifying Demons."
Kel'Thuzad was not surprised; the situation seemed to have been exactly as he had anticipated.
"The soldiers of the Burning Legion possess bodies of steel and terrifying stamina; they can fight for days without sleep. But they are still living beings, and all living beings tire. Rest assured, victory will surely be ours."
"A war of attrition!" Sylvanas quickly understood Arthas's tactical intentions, but even an army of 500,000 could only hold out for half a day. Once the Burning Legion was exhausted, how many Scourge soldiers would have to be added to their ranks?
Kel'Thuzad proudly declared:
"Our Scourge has an endless supply of soldiers; that's our advantage, Sylvanas. Don't worry, just command them to Charge forward. Don't begrudge their lives. The Burning Legion shouldn't be here. This is Lordaeron, our home ground. They will surely fail."
Sylvanas was filled with doubt. How could the Scourge soldiers be endless? What was hidden behind this?
Clearly, Arthas was wary of Sylvanas from the start. After all, she was a High Elf in her previous life, not of his own kind, and her heart was bound to be different. Sylvanas could only accept this differential treatment.
The subsequent battles fell into a tedious cycle. Sylvanas and Kel'Thuzad would coordinate, each time leading 500,000 Scourge soldiers to attack the Burning Legion. After the entire army was wiped out, they would return to the Altar of Heroes to rest and take turns with other Scourge. It didn't matter how many soldiers were sacrificed, as long as the Burning Legion was not allowed to rest.
The Burning Legion quickly changed tactics, sending half of their soldiers into battle while the other half rested. However, a large number of Undead Mage squads soon appeared and teleported the Scourge soldiers to the Burning Legion's rear.
In addition, the Scourge soldiers had already dug countless tunnels underground, allowing them to appear in any corner of the Battlefield at any time, making it a luxury for the Burning Legion's soldiers to rest.
Kel'Thuzad called it a human wave tactic, jokingly saying that if he wanted, he could fill every inch of Lordaeron with Scourge soldiers.
Sylvanas awoke once again from the Altar of Heroes and saw a gigantic beetle.
Anub'arak, the Crypt Lord Scourge Undead joins the battle, and I, Anub'arak, will fight alongside you."
A new generation of Scourge soldiers?
Sylvanas was puzzled upon hearing this, and she looked at the Scourge soldiers she was about to command.
Although the Ghoul Legion is still the main force, it has been joined by a large group of Crypt Fiend, but both in terms of size and minions, it is completely different from before.