"Reinforcements are arriving soon! Prepare for a counterattack!"
As soon as Unas entered the camp, he shouted that Bronzebeard King's army would arrive soon, and that would be the perfect time to launch a counterattack.
"Wait! Where's my daughter?" Magni shouted urgently. "Give her to me right now!"
"Once we defeat the enemy, I'll bring her to you immediately." Unas changed his wording; he couldn't easily hand Moira over to Bronzebeard, as that would make Rendaen resent him.
"Paladin, I'm not begging you!" Magni declared with regal authority. "If you won't let me see Moira, I'll have to go find her myself!"
The implication was that they intended to force their way into the camp. Unas's anger flared; he was naturally more compliant to reason than force. He rode his King Kong to Dwarves' path, declaring, "This is my camp! Unauthorized entry without my permission is punishable by death!"
"You damned brat!" Magni slammed his double hammers down with a loud clang. "No one has the right to sentence me to death!"
Unas raised his shield and sword, assuming a fighting stance. "Your Majesty, you may give it a try!"
Magni roared, "You pink-skinned brat, do you even know where you are?"
Their situation was quite dire. The enemy on their side had been temporarily routed and had not yet reorganized, but the fighting on other fronts had not stopped. The Violet Barrier was more than capable of defense than offense, and the camp remained in dire straits.
Unas found the Dwarf King's hasty attitude increasingly strange. Once his army arrived and defeated the enemy, the Dwarves would have an absolute advantage in negotiations, and Unas would not refuse to see her daughter.
But his current eagerness to see Moira couldn't possibly be because he's missing his daughter so much—he's waited for so many years, can't he wait even a little longer?
Something unusual must be going on. Unas seized on one point. "Everything can be discussed after the enemy is defeated. Your Majesty's demands now are no different from those of a bandit taking advantage of a disaster."
Magni grinned, unable to express his frustration at encountering such a troublesome Paladin —where was this large army?
The mobilization of a large force could not be kept secret, and the rescue of the Dwarf Princess was a clandestine operation. To avoid alerting the enemy, it was impossible to mobilize too many troops.
He used hunting as an excuse to sneak into this area with only a hundred personal guards, which was already the limit; there was no large army at all.
The boastful words he casually uttered were meant to boost the Warrior's confidence and to trick them into obeying. Little did he expect to encounter a guy who wouldn't act until he saw the benefit.
He only wanted to take his daughter and break through back to Ironforge; he had no interest in getting entangled with the large number of Dark Iron rebels here.
Cunning humans!
Cursing inwardly, Magni was at a loss for how to resolve the current stalemate. As king, he couldn't admit to lying, and fighting against humans under enemy siege would be the act of a fool.
Just then, a small group of Dwarves came running from the direction of the camp. Leading them were two panting, bald men who didn't even have eyebrows or beards. To the Dwarves, they were utterly hideous.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you've arrived!" Stonebrow and Redbrow were so excited they could barely speak, and they led the way in bowing to the Dwarf King.
Magni abandoned all the pointless questions and went straight to the point, "Where is my daughter?"
"Her Highness is resting in the camp," Stonebrow glanced at the Paladin, not daring to mention that Moira had been whipped unconscious. "Your Majesty, please rest assured."
"Bring her to me!"
The Dwarf brothers instinctively obeyed and turned around, but a roar froze their steps.
"Stonebrow, Redbrow! Don't forget your current identities! What should you be doing now?!"
The Dwarf brothers are now death row inmates redeeming themselves and should be waiting in the Charge, but after being informed of the king's arrival, they couldn't resist leaving the ranks to pay their respects, thus breaking their oath.
The two brothers turned around again, facing the Warden and the king, and could only stand there speechless, their bodies stiff, struggling with whose orders they should obey.
"So you are Stonebrow and Redbrow?" Magni was familiar with the names; the intelligence they sent back indicated that these two brothers were key figures in the rescue operation. "Thank you very much for your loyalty to the Bronzebeard Clan. I will remember you."
These words sounded like gratitude, yet also like a threat. The king would remember them, and whether they would do good or bad depended entirely on their current inclination.
Unas had no confidence in which side the Dwarves would take, and betraying one's own race and king would be a huge psychological hurdle for anyone.
"Stonebrow and Redbrow are now soldiers of the Argent Dawn. They can only obey the orders of their commander—that is, me—otherwise, they will face military law."
"Nonsense!" Bronzebeard retorted. "I hereby declare the Alliance recruitment order between Stonebrow and Redbrows void. You are now free Dwarves!"
The Dwarf brothers originally enlisted to join the Alliance army supporting Lordaeron. Redbrow was a combatant who later joined the Argent Dawn, while Stonebrow was in charge of weapons transport. After being rescued from the Dreadlords by Unas, he also joined the Argent Dawn.
Although their choice was made out of necessity, legally speaking, they were still within the framework of the Alliance's recruitment order, Dwarf King wanted to use a drastic measure to undermine their cause.
"This won't change anything, Bronzebeard King. I don't have time for your nonsense. Either join me in defeating the enemy, or go back where you came from. There are no other options!"
Unas had had enough. It was pointless to make things difficult for the Redbrow Brothers. Even if they obediently followed the king's orders, Unas would not allow them to go to Moira.
Magni completely ignored the choice, knowing that the king's name wouldn't intimidate the Paladins, and instead launched an emotional appeal. "You have no right to stop an old father from searching for his long-lost daughter. No one has that right!"
At this point, Unas understood the Dwarf King's personality—he wouldn't give up until he got what he wanted, and he couldn't be persuaded with words, for both sides.
Are we just going to drag this out in a stalemate? The rebels in the distance are regrouping and will soon break free from the chaos; their previous charge has been a complete waste of effort.
Magni also noticed the enemy's movements and was equally anxious, but the current standoff could only end with one side making concessions, and clearly neither side had any such intention.
At this moment, on the distant horizon, flashes of light suddenly Blink. The light surged forth and converged into a long serpent that rushed rapidly toward the battlefield.
Unas thought Magni's reinforcements had arrived, but the Dwarf King's expression remained unchanged, showing only shock and a hint of panic.
Unas immediately sensed something was wrong, "Isn't that your army?"
Magni shook his head, calming himself. "Prepare for the toughest battle, Paladin. As far as I know, you have no friends in this wilderness."
Unas flew into the air and looked out at the approaching army. The Dark Iron rebels also noticed the arrival of new forces and unconsciously slowed down their attack.
The long serpent of firelight quickly closed in, and before Unas could figure it out, the Dark Iron rebels started making a commotion, showing no sign of welcoming their allies.
Unas finally saw clearly that it was a group mainly composed of Ogres, with Orcs, Dwarves, and other races mixed in. The leader looked strangely familiar.
The Dark Iron rebels were becoming increasingly agitated, clearly recognizing who was approaching—undoubtedly the enemy, and a mortal foe at that.
In recent days, in order to clear the way for the human team "escorting" the queen, the rebels have cleared out some bandits and outlaws, thoroughly offending the bandit forces in the Searing Gorge. The one that has come now is a very strong bandit group.
Under normal circumstances, bandits would never dare to attack a large number of rebels. Their appearance now is clearly an attempt to take advantage of the chaos.
The human camp had been under siege for a long time without success, and one problem after another arose. The three rebel leaders were in a real bind, but retreating could easily turn into a major rout, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and keep going.
A detachment of rebels was sent to meet the Ogre bandits head-on, further weakening the siege line.
Unas, high in the air, saw everything clearly and shouted excitedly, "Brothers, our reinforcements have arrived! Begin the counterattack!"
The entire army was immediately mobilized, and even the refugees who had not received much military training picked up the weapons they were given to defend themselves.
Huoye and several accompanying mages immediately abandoned their support for the Violet Magic Circle and began to unleash offensive spells.
Unas landed on the back of the King Kong and, full of pride, shouted to the Dwarf before him, "Your Bronzebeard, my friend has arrived!"
Magni was somewhat bewildered by the situation before him. Could those Ogres and Orcs bandits really be considered allies?
"Fight alongside me, or watch me destroy the enemy, Your Majesty, the choice is yours!"
After saying this, Unas ignored the Dwarf King, shouted a few times to organize his cavalry, and Charge swiftly toward the weakest point in the encirclement.
Magni hesitated after being thoroughly humiliated. Now no one was stopping him from barging into the camp to find his daughter, but in the current situation, doing so would seem petty and unbecoming of a king.
With a long sigh, the Dwarf King raised his Warhammer, "My loyal warriors, fight!"
The elite Bronzebeard Cavalry, amidst battle cries, followed their king into the chaotic battlefield.
A massive melee ensued. With the addition of the Ogre bandits, the numerical disparity between the two sides was no longer so significant. Furthermore, with the mobilization of nearly two thousand Stormwind refugees, the rebels were no longer outnumbered.
In terms of mage power, the Dark Iron rebels simply couldn't muster Archmages comparable to Omar and Huoye, and no one could stop Unas and Magni's offensive in the Charge.
With the encirclement leaking from all sides, the already demoralized rebel army immediately showed signs of defeat.
Just as they were about to defeat the enemy, several deep but clear roars suddenly came from the sky, startling the people who were immersed in the killing.
Unas looked up and saw a gigantic, dark blue beast rapidly descending towards the center of the camp, passing through the moonlit clouds.
"Twilight Dragon!"
Unas immediately recognized the origin of the behemoth. This Dragonflight, with its dark blue sheen, was not a natural dragon species, but an experimental creation of Deathwing's consort, modified from the essence of Nether Dragons and Black Dragons. As its name suggests, it was also associated with the Twilight's Hammer.
Oh no, there's only one thing in the camp that could interest them— Moira Bronzebeard.
"Continue the fight!" Unas ordered King Kong and the cavalry as he flew back to intercept them.
The golden wings were so conspicuous that they immediately attracted the attention of the enemies. The Twilight Dragon turned its head to meet them, but the three figures leaped off the dragon's back and quickly descended to the ground.
With a powerful leap, the Twilight Dragon pounced forward, its purple dragon breath spreading out at almost a right angle, enveloping the entire sky where the Paladin stood.
Unas immediately activated his ultimate defensive skill – Divine Protection Shield. The thick golden shield made full contact with the dragon's breath as soon as it appeared.
Strangely, he didn't feel any heat, but the power of the Divine Protection Shield was rapidly dissipating, and the Light Wings on his back were shattered under the impact of the dragon's breath, turning into specks of golden light.
Unas continued forward due to inertia. The Twilight Dragon opened its massive jaws wide, inhaled sharply, and a surge of purple dragon breath rushed back, enveloping Unas as it was thrown into the dragon's mouth.
Can you swallow back what you spit out?
Unas had witnessed the Twilight Dragon's peculiarities, but he had no intention of becoming its prey, so he immediately activated Wings of Vengeance once more.
The Light Wings existed for only half a second, but they provided enough power to propel Unas over the Unas's head, onto the Twilight Dragon's neck and back, and then plunge his sword into the ground beneath his feet.
The sword pierced the dragon's neck without any resistance, as if striking thin air—impossible! How could Dragonflight's skin be so fragile?
The Twilight Dragon's body swung violently, Unas lost his footing and was thrown away. He drew his sword in the process, but not a drop of blood came out. Upon closer inspection, there was no wound where the sword tip had been pulled out.
Immune to physical damage?
Unas somersaulted in the air and unleashed three Flame Slashes. Waves of golden-red fire swept outwards, but the Twilight Dragon quickly turned its head, opened its massive jaws, and instantly absorbed all the fire.
"Damn it, "Unas cursed under his breath. The Twilight Dragon seemed to possess the ability to become ethereal, making it immune to physical attacks, and it was also consuming magical energy like food. How was he supposed to fight it?
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the three figures descend into the center of the camp, and Magni on the ground was also rushing towards them.
The key is to seize Moira; it's not wise to get entangled with this dragon now. He activated his Light Wings again, turned around, and flew towards the ground.
With a roar, the Twilight Dragon gave chase, Unas charged at full speed, leaving the dragon some distance behind and landing in the camp first.
But it was too late. The three figures had already disappeared in a burst of purple light, but Moira was not taken away. She lay by the Tent, covered in blood, with a gruesome gash the length of a palm on her abdomen, from which blood was constantly gushing out.
The Twilight Cultist weren't there to take her away, but to kill her?
Having succeeded, the Twilight Dragon seemed to have received a command, flapping its massive fleshy wings and shifting from a dive to an ascent, disappearing into the clouds in the blink of an eye.
Magni rushed to the scene and, seeing his daughter's horrific condition, the Dwarf King roared in fury and lunged forward to tightly clutch Moira's abdominal wound.
"Quick!"
Several Dwarf cavalrymen immediately jumped off their War Rams, took out bandages and medicine, and gave Moira emergency wound treatment.
The Dwarf Princess was not dead, but she was barely alive. She completely ignored her father, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, and when she opened her eyes, she only saw the Paladin not far away.
"Ha ha!" she laughed maniacally, "My child, my child, he will become the greatest Dwarf emperor! Human, you will be torn to pieces by my son! Cough cough!"
"Moira! Don't speak!" Magni cried anxiously, "Your wound..."
"Father?" The Dwarf woman finally recognized her blood relative. "Is this an illusion? What brings you here?"
"I've come to pick you up. You're safe now. I'll protect you. Don't say another word."
"Haha, it's alright, it's alright. I'm going to die, but my bloodline will live on in this world."
"You won't die, my daughter, I won't let you die!"
That being said, the female Dwarf had actually lost too much blood and suffered severe internal organ damage, making her beyond saving.
"Father, your beard... has turned a lot whiter, cough cough." Moira tried hard to make out the Dwarf King's face; he looked much older than the father she remembered.
"You've grown up now, my daughter, you won't die..." Magni's eyes welled with tears as she tried to comfort him in vain, perhaps also comforting herself.
Moira's tender moments were fleeting. Her consciousness began to fade, and hatred regained its grip. Her lifeless eyes were fixed on the Paladin. "It was him! He's the one who did this to me! Kill him to avenge me! Father, kill him! Kill him!"
The Dwarf's high-pitched scream exhausted her last bit of life force. She breathed her last amidst violent coughing, and then fell completely silent, with only her dying words, "Kill him," seemingly still echoing in the air.
"No--!" Magni roared in anguish. Several of his men immediately tried to revive him, but to no avail. They could only step aside and stand there, stunned.
"You!" The Dwarf King whirled around, his eyes blazing with hatred.
Unas felt like he was being stared at by a hungry beast, and awkwardly shrugged, "I..."
He had only uttered one word before he had to shut up, because Magni's Warhammer came hurtling down like a wheel, and he could only dodge to the side with all his might.
Boom!
The Warhammer crashed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of sand and creating a terrifying crater.
However, the Warhammer landed half a meter away from where Unas was originally standing. It turned out that the Dwarf King was only venting his anger and had not actually attacked Unas.
"After defeating the rebels, I need an explanation!"
Forcibly suppressing his emotions with reason, Magni's anger did not subside. He ordered two men to guard his daughter's body, then strode towards the battlefield, knowing that anyone who encountered him now would be in for a world of trouble.
Unas felt a surge of admiration at the sight of the Dwarf King's retreating figure. Indeed, defeating the rebels was the top priority; if infighting broke out now, the advantages they had built up earlier would be lost.
If it were him, with his daughter dying in front of him and her last words pointing directly to the murderer, Unas didn't know if he could resist taking action.
Therefore, he held the Dwarf King in high esteem and, while Charge onto the battlefield, pondered how to properly resolve this problem.