Before long, all the noble prisoners in the arena were killed. Almost none of the corpses were intact. Blood flowed through the sewers, staining the moat red, and the heavy stench of blood rose straight to the sky.
VanCleef was very satisfied with the result. This massacre not only avenged the stonemasons whose families had been destroyed by the uprising, but also successfully turned eight or nine hundred guards prisoners into beasts under his command. As for the remaining three hundred or so stubborn elements who dared not lay a hand on him, they would be used as laborers first, and none of them would be left alive.
"Gather all the corpses, skewer them with spears, and plant them by the roadside. I will use these corpses to announce to the entire city that the era of nobility has ended with us, the Defias! Also, spread the word that any resident of Stormwind City who dares to cut a piece of flesh from a corpse will be rewarded with 10 Gold Coins."
The aristocratic gentlemen, who usually acted arrogantly and domineeringly, must have incurred a lot of resentment. VanCleef clearly wanted to win people's hearts with such a cruel method.
The old marshal was released by the bandit leaders. He had seen too many bloody scenes on the battlefield. After his anger subsided, he simply watched coldly as the bandits cleaned up the mess.
"Marshal Windsor, Stormwind City is now mine. If you're willing to help me persuade the remaining City Guards to surrender, the position of Grand Marshal will be yours in the new kingdom that Defias is about to establish..."
"You're celebrating too soon," the old marshal sneered. "The Black Dragon Princess isn't one to swallow her anger. Although I don't know why she's not here, I guarantee her revenge will come soon. Besides, you haven't captured His Highness the Prince and the Regent. Once they escape and assemble the Seventh Legion, you won't be able to withstand them. Killing prisoners is an ominous sign; your fate of defeat is already sealed."
"I don't even consider a woman a threat. If she dared to resist, she wouldn't have run away. As for the Little Prince, I've already made arrangements; he won't escape either."
VanCleef was confident. He had been planning this day for a long time and had long since discovered that there was a secret passage in the King's Bedchamber. Although he did not know the exact location of the entrance, the exit must be in the cliffs and mountains behind Stormwind City. He had already arranged several groups of soldiers to ambush and guard multiple mountain passes behind the city, just waiting for the Little Prince and the Regent to be captured.
"I will not help you persuade anyone to surrender unless you kill the Black Dragon and prove that you are truly the chosen one." The old marshal couldn't help but feel worried after hearing the other party's plan. His words contained a trap to make Defias and the Black Dragon fight each other.
VanCleef, of course, understood the marshal's meaning and wasn't fooled. "If you're unwilling to help me anymore, then stay put. If you dare to make any moves, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
VanCleef still needs the Marshal as his "princess," and as long as Windsor's name stays by his side, he can attract more Stormwind City troops to surrender to him.
Above the clouds, imperceptible to those on the ground, a beautiful woman floated violently up and down, like a kite in a storm. The Black Dragon Princess had just returned from the beach outside the city and witnessed the mountains of corpses of the nobles. She almost lost control—the noble power she had painstakingly built had been wiped out overnight.
She longed to revert to her original form, unleash all the flames and magma within her to utterly destroy the entire city below, only then could she quell the rage in her heart.
The Elf Warlock floating beside her cautiously advised, "Master, there's no need to be angry. Although the fortress fell unexpectedly, and Defias's fools caused us significant losses, the plan can still continue, and our desired outcome remains unchanged."
"You piece of trash! You wouldn't dare lay a hand on me while I was away?" The Black Dragon Princess grabbed the Elf by the neck with her claw. "What use are you to me?!"
"Master, forgive me, cough cough, I'm sorry..." Vandrin Bloodsoul felt his neck about to be crushed by iron-like dragon claws, and hurriedly begged for mercy.
Black Dragon shoved him aside, "Activate all deployments immediately! Today, I will completely wipe Defias from this world!"
"Yes, yes," Van der Linde managed to steady himself in the air, "Our plan will definitely succeed."
They didn't initially take Defias seriously. According to Black Dragon's plan, they would take advantage of the Brotherhood's disturbance and the prison riot last night to assassinate their political enemy. At this point, the blame for the dead would fall on Defias, and this step was successfully accomplished.
Then, when VanCleef and the Regent are locked in a life-or-death struggle and the situation is nearly deadlocked, she can step in to clean up the mess. After winning, her prestige will inevitably rise to a new level, completely overshadowing the Regent.
But to everyone's surprise, VanCleef used a trick to quickly breach the fortress, so fast that no one anticipated it, catching them completely off guard.
The Black Dragon Princess was delayed because she went outside the city to trade hostages with the Naga —the sudden appearance of the little Naga changed the course of the plan.
Following her father's teachings, Onyxia learned the intricacies of human nobility and tried to assimilate into their society, all in order to control the human kingdom through the hands of the nobles.
Now that all her hard work has been destroyed overnight, she can't help but be furious, but as the Elf Warlock said, there is still room for redemption.
Although the nobles are all gone, she still possesses the docile personality of Varian Wrynn, which she had just acquired from the Naga.
If she can turn the tide and defeat Defias, then claim to have rescued the king from the thieves, the people of Stormwind City will still choose to support her.
The Gilded Rose Tavern, located in the Trade District, is the largest mercenary office in the city. A bald, burly man hurriedly pushed open the door and went straight to the basement.
In the dimly lit room, several fully armed adventurers were already gambling and drinking around a small table. A short mage turned around and yelled, "Barbosa, why are you only arriving now? You made me lose over three thousand!"
The bald, burly man had no time for verbal sparring and quickly ordered, "Gather your men and assemble in the square. Those who arrive within half an hour will receive double the bounty!"
"Yoho!" the short mage yelled excitedly, overturning the table. "Let's go!" He vanished in a flash of light.
"That bastard!" another tall Warrior, his body like a wall, cursed as he stood up, food splattered onto his clothes. "I heard Defias has breached the fortress, and Stormwind City is about to fall. Barbosa, you're too late. My Eagle Eye Mercenary Company is not welcome."
"Think it over carefully," Barbosa gripped his weapon tightly. "I've already stated that I will not tolerate any breach of contract for any reason!"
"Haha," the Warrior chuckled dismissively, "Come on, let me test if your blade is as sharp as you boast!"
The cramped basement offered no room for maneuver, leaving the two sides no choice but to fight head-on. But to everyone's astonishment, after just one round, the Warrior, whose body was like a wall, fell backward, a wound on his neck that would never heal, his blood splattering all over the floor.
"Who else wants to try? I don't have much time." Barbosa coldly looked at the remaining mercenary leaders.
They all stared at him in shock. They had thought this unknown leader of the Blackblade Mercenary Company was a nobody, merely acting as a liaison for the client on this mission. They never expected him to be hiding such formidable combat power.
The Warrior whose throat had been slit was no weakling. None of them were confident they could land a successful blow. Mercenaries fight for money, and none of them wanted to lose their lives here. They all remained silent.
"Very well, I hope you don't break your promise. If anyone fails to show up later, my blade will surely drink their blood!"
In the northeast, at the military academy in the Old Town, an elderly colonel with a missing left eye was rallying his students. On the platform in the drill ground, he was giving a passionate address. "Stormwind City's most perilous moment has arrived! Today we are no longer students and teachers, but warriors of Stormwind City! Arm yourselves, warriors! Let the thieves of Defias witness the power of Stormwind City!"
The sun had already risen high in the sky behind the mountains, its rays fully illuminating the earth. After a night of chaos, the fearful residents of Stormwind City still dared not venture out.
Squads of heavily armed thieves roamed the streets and alleys, carrying corpses strapped to spears. They would set up one at each intersection, and the coat of arms of a nobleman would be specially nailed to the corpses to show that these disfigured bodies had been of noble status in life.
This serves as proof, to announce to the residents the victory of Defias and the annihilation of the nobility.
This is obviously an exaggeration. That night, Defias actually controlled only the port and Stormwind Keep, as well as a few main roads between them, passing through the Church District and the Dwarf District.
At daybreak, VanCleef repeatedly ordered the expansion of the victory.
The negotiation with the Dwarf District resulted in the Dwarves maintaining their neutral and inviolable status, but in exchange for the Brotherhood opening up access to equipment repair and food supplies, in exchange for peace.
As the victor with an absolute advantage, Defias offered very generous terms, which the Dwarf ambassador readily accepted.
VanCleef dreamed of continuing to do business with Ironforge after becoming king and didn't want to offend the Dwarves, so he issued a strict order, otherwise the thieves would surely be tempted to raid the wealthy Dwarf District.
Apart from the Cathedral, the rest of the Church District had surrendered. St. Storm Cathedral, with its fortified gates and high walls, resembled a castle. The Church Guard Knight, though few in number, were each capable of fighting a hundred men, making them a tough nut to crack.
VanCleef did not risk seizing the area, but he stationed a large force around it—to teach the devout followers of the Holy Light a lesson if they were no longer willing to cower in fear.
Defias suffered negligible losses and captured many Stormtroopers. VanCleef selected many strong Warriors from the Royal Guards, noble privates, and scattered City Guard prisoners, and scattered them into the ranks of various bandit leaders, thus expanding the total force to more than 10,000.
The City Guards, still putting up resistance, held their ground in the Trade District. No matter how many noble corpses Defias showed them, they were not going to surrender willingly; they had no choice but to launch a direct assault.
The Trade District is the central area of the city, so it has stone bridges connecting it to several other districts. VanCleef divided his troops into ten battalions, one going to the Church District and the other heading towards the Old Town, launching a simultaneous attack from two directions. The City Guard forces were at a significant disadvantage, would have no chance of resisting.
The prerequisite, of course, is to take over the Old Town. According to VanCleef's intelligence, the Old Town only has scattered guards and can be easily captured.
However, the facts differed greatly from the intelligence, and soon after the team set off, bad news followed one after another:
Surprisingly, someone mobilized all the teachers and students of the Military Academy in the Old Town. No one knew where they got their weapons and armor, but more than a thousand fully armed teachers and students, together with a battalion of City Guards, firmly blocked the entrance to the Old Town, making it difficult for Defias to break in.
Meanwhile, problems arose in the direction of the church. Reports from the front lines indicated that the City Guards in the Trade District had received reinforcements—almost all of Stormwind City's major mercenary groups had joined the battle, a piece of news that was even more surprising.
Many members of the Defias were originally mercenaries, so the Brotherhood and various mercenary groups knew each other well and kept in frequent contact, with an unspoken understanding between them.
Unless someone offers a price they can't refuse, mercenary groups won't help defend the city, and the City Guards' pay isn't even enough to feed themselves, so where would they get the money to hire others?
VanCleef sat on the throne in the Council Hall, a chill running through him. The series of bad news was no coincidence; he sensed a force lurking in the shadows of Stormwind City, beginning to contend with him. Had Windsor truly been right?
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, and a guard rushed into the hall, panting, bringing even worse news. "Master, something terrible has happened! A large group of Nagas suddenly appeared in the sea, and several of our ships have been scuttled. We've requested assistance from the port. Deputy Chief Bakil, who is in charge of the Church District, received the message first and has already led men there!"
"What?!" VanCleef slammed his fist on the table and stood up. The fleet was the result of countless efforts he had put into building; it was his lifeline.
Last night, a general offensive was launched, and many sailors went ashore to fight. There were not many people left at sea, and no one expected that the Naga would take advantage of the situation.
The Naga are natural pirates, Defias naturally does some piracy at sea as well. They are wary of each other, each with their own territory, and have always kept to themselves. So...
Thinking this, VanCleef clenched his fists. Clearly, some kind of counterattack was about to begin. Perhaps the Black Dragon Princess the old marshal had spoken of really was lurking behind the scenes?
But no matter how bad the news was, it couldn't break him; it only excited him more. "Instruct Mr. Heavyfist to repair the fortress walls as quickly as possible, no matter how many prisoners die from exhaustion!"
As long as they control the fortress, they are invincible. The Brotherhood many stonemasons, but it's impossible to repair the breached walls in a short time. They can only exploit the lives of prisoners.
"Bring me my armor," VanCleef decided, for the port was of utmost importance, and he would personally lead the defense. "Take the dragon slayers with you; we might need them soon."
Although he didn't really believe in the existence of Black Dragons, just to be on the safe side, he still followed the agreement he had previously reached with the old marshal and hired a dragon-hunting team that had recently gained a reputation—legend has it that they captured an adult Blue Dragon a few months ago, an achievement worth boasting about for a lifetime.
After the massacre, Unas and Sophia were placed under house arrest with the old marshal in a luxurious room in the fortress. Soft carpets, comfortable sofas, a small bar full of various games and board games were provided. This must have been the lounge of some wealthy and powerful nobleman who knew how to enjoy life.
The old marshal, however, was not in the mood for entertainment. He sat on the sofa with a furrowed brow, seemingly contemplating the future.
Major Sophia stood to one side, her men now all under house arrest in the fortress barracks, but she remained remarkably calm—what's done is done, there's no point in worrying anymore.
Unas chatted with the young woman VanCleef sent to "keep him company," and only then did he learn that this female assassin, who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, was none other than VanCleef's daughter, Vanessa VanCleef.
In the game, she is a minor celebrity. In the original history, after VanCleef's death in battle, she took over as the leader of Defias and launched a rebellion, but it was quickly suppressed by greedy adventurers.
Unas, who already felt sympathy for the family, immediately became warm and friendly. This little beauty was the dream girl of many gamers. "The leader actually had Miss Vanessa personally entertain us; we are truly flattered."
He spoke sweetly, claiming it was hospitality, but in reality, it was surveillance. The young beauty mistook the Paladin for mockery and coldly replied, "I advise you to pledge allegiance to Defias as soon as possible. My father has been very kind to you, but I may not be."
The word "merciful" is ironically linked to VanCleef, who had just ordered the massacre of hundreds.
Vanessa always gripped the two daggers at her waist. Although she looked like a young girl, she had received brutal training since childhood and was also a skilled and cold-blooded killer.
"Oh?" You can't tame a wild cat with words. Unas stood up, wanting to teach this little beauty a lesson. "I think a beautiful lady like you must have kindness in your heart, you just don't know it. Let me see if I can help you uncover it."