Chapter Summaries

Xu Yue went to Karazhan with Lothar to ask Medivh for the kingdom’s help, but Medivh revealed Nielas Aran’s spirit and tried to recruit Xu Yue to his plan to break the world’s cycle. Xu Yue was left shaken by the apparition and Medivh’s claim that they were alike.

• Xu Yue learned that Gul'dan had sent Blackhand to Azeroth and told Llane that supporting a friendly orc could help him become Warchief.
• Xu Yue decided to postpone confronting Medivh and traveled with Lothar to Karazhan to answer King Llane’s summons.
• Khadgar met Xu Yue and Lothar at Karazhan, said Medivh’s behavior had been strange, and revealed his own advancement to the epic level.
• Xu Yue entered the tower alone and pleaded with Medivh to set aside their grievances and help the kingdom.
• Medivh revealed the spirit of Nielas Aran, leaving Xu Yue visibly emotional, then urged Xu Yue to help him break the cycle of tragedy.

Xu Yue reconciled with Medivh and helped prepare for the prisoner exchange, while Khadgar and Belnar suspected Medivh had interfered with the Net of Magic. The exchange turned into an orc ambush, and Xu Yue prepared to eliminate the Reincarnators caught in the battle.

• Xu Yue told Lothar that Medivh had agreed to help defend the Redridge Mountains, while Khadgar privately warned Master Belnar that Medivh might have contaminated the Net of Magic.
• Lothar led an elite force, including Belnar, Khadgar, and the Reincarnators, to receive the human prisoners from Durotan’s clan.
• Bernard assessed the danger for the Reincarnators and persuaded them that the mission was worth undertaking despite the risks.
• The prisoner exchange began peacefully, but another orc force ambushed the humans, and an orc powerhouse killed a fleeing Reincarnator.
• Xu Yue, disguised as Krozhus, confronted Orgrim about a subordinate’s betrayal and said they would join the attack to avoid suspicion.

Xu Yue’s forces clashed with the Horde as Orgrim killed several Intruders and the survivors escaped. Xu Yue then enhanced the human infantry’s armor with liquid metal, helping them hold their formation while Shirley froze the advancing orcs.

• Orgrim smashed Bull Demon and two other Intruders, prompting the remaining Intruders, including Xiao Xiao, to escape with Battlefield Escape Scrolls.
• Krozhus stopped Blackhand from continuing to punish Durotan and argued that the Horde should conserve its strength against the human spellcasters and a terrifying spiritual presence.
• Kevin faced an orc attack until Xu Yue’s liquid-metal magic repaired and empowered his armor, letting him block the blow and kill the orc.
• Xu Yue spread the armor-enhancing magic across the heavily armored infantry, allowing them to stabilize their retreat against the orcs.
• Shirley used her ice power to freeze groups of orc soldiers while Lothar and Khadgar guarded her and Xu Yue.

Xu Yue used time magic to awaken Quel'Zaralam and help Lothar sever Blackhand’s hand, then Medivh’s thunderstorm devastated the orc army. Blackhand ordered a retreat as the Horde suffered its first true setback.

• Blackhand charged Xu Yue and Shirley, but Xu Yue froze time before he could reach them.
• Xu Yue adjusted Blackhand’s position and used his Zanpakuto to analyze Quel'Zaralam, prompting the holy sword to awaken.
• When time resumed, Lothar struck Blackhand with Quel'Zaralam and severed his hand.
• A Chaos Bolt interrupted Lothar before he could finish Blackhand, and Tendo Xu Yue pulled the wounded chief to safety.
• Medivh’s thunderstorm swept through the canyon and killed half the orc army.
• Lothar rallied Stormwind’s warriors to charge, while Blackhand ordered the orcs to retreat.

After the humans successfully rescued their captives, Blackhand and Krozhus decided to summon Gul'dan to counter the human mages and shore up Blackhand's position. In Stormwind City, Xu Yue rejected Shirley's offer to abandon his Promotion Mission, while Jips tried to ingratiate himself with her.

• Lothar withdrew after leading his men in a charge, prioritizing the safe return of the human captives.
• Blackhand, having lost an arm and most of his elite force, listened as Krozhus urged him to summon Gul'dan and warned that rivals could challenge his leadership.
• Blackhand agreed to prepare to contact Gul'dan after Krozhus explained that Durotan's captives had already provided enough prisoners for Gul'dan's needs.
• In Stormwind City, Shirley offered to help Xu Yue abandon his failed Promotion Mission and seek another opportunity, but Xu Yue refused and said he wanted to try again himself.
• Jips rebuked Xu Yue, then offered to give up his Promotion Mission and serve Shirley.

Jips accepted the Dark Seed to escape Shirley’s ice and gained a dramatic surge of power, while Xu Yue watched the Curse Mark experiment unfold. The others mistook Jips for a hidden powerhouse, but Bernard revealed that Jips’s unusually strong first-use boost was unexpected.

• Xu Yue ignored Jips’s declaration and persuaded Shirley to join the coming battle.
• Shirley froze Jips when he objected, and Jips opened his mind to the Dark Seed Bernard had given him.
• Jips’s new power shattered the ice, and he warned Shirley against attacking him in cooperative mode.
• Xu Yue stopped Shirley from acting and privately considered Jips a promising test subject for the Curse Mark.
• The others assumed Jips had concealed his strength, while Bernard reacted with shock at the size of Jips’s first boost.

Gul'dan arrived at the Orc vanguard camp, punished and healed Blackhand, rewarded Krozhus, and began using prisoners' souls to stabilize the Dark Portal. Garona then brought envoys from the Kingdom of Alterac to the camp, and Tendo Xu Yue recognized them as Reincarnators.

• Gul'dan drained nearby life force, rebuked Blackhand for his defeat, and restored his severed arm with Fel magic.
• Gul'dan rewarded Krozhus with a pure soulstone and promised that the human mage would not face him on the next battlefield.
• Gul'dan accepted the prisoners gathered for sacrifice and began channeling their souls into the Dark Portal to stabilize it permanently.
• Garona led cloaked envoys from the Kingdom of Alterac into the Orc camp and introduced them to Gul'dan and the Horde leaders.
• Tendo Xu Yue recognized the Alterac envoys as Reincarnators and wondered why the kingdom had contacted the Orcs so early.

A group of Reincarnators from the Kingdom of Alterac offered Gul'dan weapons and armor in exchange for the orcs' favor, hoping to gain influence and score by helping them. Gul'dan saw through their flattery but ordered Tendo Xu Yue to keep them useful, leaving Tendo ready to assign them missions for rewards.

• The Reincarnators recounted how they had gained standing through the Barov Family and planned to meddle in the conflict between the human kingdoms and the orcs.
• The Reincarnators offered Gul'dan armor and weapons and claimed they wanted to help the orcs rule the continent.
• Tendo Xu Yue warned Gul'dan that the Reincarnators were treating the orcs as fools, and Gul'dan agreed to use their supplies before dealing with them.
• Gul'dan assigned Tendo Xu Yue to host the Reincarnators until they delivered the promised equipment.
• Tendo Xu Yue led the Reincarnators around the camp and planned to issue them missions in exchange for items and benefits.

Xu Yue persuaded Stormwind’s leaders to delay attacking Karazhan and instead target the orc reinforcements and Gul'dan, while arranging for Reincarnators to scout the front lines. In the orc camp, Krozhus promised the Alterac delegation a chance to earn merit by gathering intelligence, setting them up for Xu Yue’s next move.

• Xu Yue told Neltharion that the Alterac envoy was one of his arrangements and warned that Gul'dan could become a grave threat if he obtained the Dragon Soul.
• Garona told King Llane that Medivh had betrayed them, but Xu Yue opposed Lothar’s plan to attack Karazhan and recommended destroying the Dark Portal and dealing with the orcs first.
• Bernard and Jips persuaded their Reincarnator team to join a scouting operation near the Redridge Mountains, and Xu Yue and Shirley agreed to bring the hangers-on along.
• Krozhus offered the Alterac delegation two rewards: help mastering Fel Energy or a chance to earn merit and receive Gul'dan’s guidance.
• Krozhus proposed that the delegation use its human appearance to gather intelligence near the human front lines, and the Reincarnators eagerly accepted.

Xu Yue's group encountered Loss and his disguised Reincarnators in the Swamp of Sorrows, and a brief clash exposed both sides. Loss rejected cooperation and trapped them under a magic carpet, but Xu Yue launched an attack, forcing the battle to begin.

• Jips boasted that his newly fused Dark Power had made him stronger than Xu Yue and welcomed the chance to test himself against a powerful enemy.
• Xu Yue's group met Loss's wounded-looking Stormwind City patrol, and Jips and Loss attacked each other after recognizing that both parties were Reincarnators.
• Loss proposed joining forces, then his group deployed a magic carpet to trap Xu Yue's team and demanded that they withdraw from the field.
• Xu Yue attacked Loss with Projected Swords and urged the stunned members of his group to fight.

Pulai recognized that the Demon Seeds might be part of a trap, but Xu Yue used his Mangekyo to make him accept a sacred blessing instead. As the battle escalated, a seed-powered Reincarnator self-destructed, and Xu Yue studied the effects while preparing to adjust his seeds in the future.

• Pulai warned Shirley and Xu Yue that Bernard might have set a trap by forcing them to use the power of their seeds.
• Xu Yue met Pulai’s gaze with his Mangekyo, and Pulai became devoted and unleashed sacred frost power to protect himself.
• Loss tried to order a retreat, but a Reincarnator charged an enemy and self-destructed, killing two opponents and injuring another.
• Jips and the other seed users were shaken out of their frenzy by the explosion, while another blessed Reincarnator’s eyes turned crimson and fixed on an opponent.
• Xu Yue assessed the seeds’ effects and concluded that he had given Veteran Reincarnators too much power, resolving to reduce the amount next time.

After the battlefield’s survivors escaped, Xu Yue returned to Stormwind City as the orcs broke through the Redridge Mountains. He proposed exploiting dissent within The Horde and using the Tomb of Sargeras to lure Gul'dan into a trap.

• Jips accused Bernard of causing the disaster, but Bernard warned him that his power was shortening his lifespan.
• Pulai said his ability came from devout faith, while Xu Yue tested whether someone like Jips could still enter the faith-based mode.
• The orcs overwhelmed the Redridge fortress network after the Shadow Council’s warlocks nearly wiped out the Royal Mage Corps.
• Xu Yue’s group returned to Stormwind City, where Llane and Lothar discussed the delayed reinforcements and the threatened evacuation.
• Xu Yue told the council that Gul'dan was The Horde’s true leader and that Durotan had reported growing opposition to him among the orc clans.
• Xu Yue proposed luring Gul'dan toward the Tomb of Sargeras and said Khadgar’s help was needed to carry out the plan.

Gul'dan accepted Khadgar's offer to cooperate for the divine spark and traveled to the meeting site with Krozhus, Orgrim, Grom, and Durotan. There, Khadgar's group ambushed him with a coordinated attack, leaving Gul'dan under pressure from both the mages and Grom.

• Khadgar sent Gul'dan a proposal to cooperate in obtaining a divine spark, and Gul'dan agreed to meet him.
• Gul'dan halted the offensive temporarily and left Blackhand in command while taking Krozhus, Orgrim, Grom, and Durotan with him.
• Antonidas, Kel'Thuzad, Lothar, Khadgar, and Xu Yue gathered under a concealment array at the beach to confront Gul'dan's group.
• Krozhus threatened Khadgar, but Gul'dan stopped him before he could attack.
• Orgrim ambushed Gul'dan with Doomhammer, but Gul'dan knocked him away and faced seven Pyroblasts from Antonidas, Kel'Thuzad, Khadgar, and Xu Yue.
• Grom used Ghost Walk to reach Gul'dan from behind as the Pyroblasts closed in, forcing Gul'dan into a defensive position.

Xu Yue and his allies severely wounded Gul'dan through a coordinated ambush, but Gul'dan unleashed devastating Fel flames and forced them onto the defensive. Xu Yue countered with Holy Light and began charging a newly formed Quel'Zaralam, leaving the battle poised for another decisive strike.

• Krozhus's Fel attack empowered Grom, who cut deeply into Gul'dan, while Xu Yue's allies struck through Gul'dan's weakened barrier and engulfed him in seven fireballs.
• Gul'dan survived by transforming into a winged demon, and Xu Yue froze and severed one of his arms before the others resumed their assault.
• Gul'dan unleashed destructive Fel flames that overwhelmed the battlefield, but Xu Yue invoked sunlight and Holy Light to disperse the flames and rescue his companions.
• Xu Yue told the others to hold Gul'dan back while Lothar waited for an opening, then began forming another Quel'Zaralam and empowering it with spoken virtues.

Xu Yue failed to kill Gul'dan with his empowered sword strike, but he transported Mannoroth to the Ice God Kingdom and defeated him there. Xu Yue returned badly injured, while Gul'dan's fate remained uncertain after he fell into the sea.

• Xu Yue's final strike severed half of Gul'dan's body, but Mannoroth appeared and blocked the blow with his giant Battle Blade.
• Xu Yue transported Mannoroth and himself to the Ice God Kingdom, where he fought the Pit Lord using the kingdom's full power.
• Grommash Hellscream struck Mannoroth down before Xu Yue finished the fight, though Mannoroth nearly destroyed the divine kingdom.
• Xu Yue returned to the beach severely injured and learned that Gul'dan had struck Durotan before falling into the sea.
• Xu Yue told the others that Gul'dan's survival was unknown, though their objective had been accomplished for now.

After Gul'dan’s defeat, the humans and orcs mourned Durotan but failed to reach an understanding, and Orgrim led the orcs away. Xu Yue then set his next plans in motion, sending Tendo Xu Yue to Ner'zhul, who was preparing to seek a Supreme Artifact after hearing Gul'dan might be dead.

• Khadgar asked about Fat Mar, and Xu Yue explained that he had sent the demon home with improved Reverse Summoning Magic.
• Lothar offered condolences for Durotan, but Orgrim rejected the humans’ sympathy and led the orcs away, blaming Lothar for his friend’s death.
• Xu Yue planned to pursue another goal while Neltharion, having lowered his guard toward the orcs, selected Ner'zhul Skullcrusher as his target.
• After the three Legendary warriors returned to the Horde, Blackhand suppressed unrest over Gul'dan’s disappearance and Durotan’s death.
• Tendo Xu Yue returned to Ner'zhul, who invited him to seek a Supreme Artifact, and Xu Yue told him that Gul'dan might be dead or weakened.

After Ner'zhul left with the Dragonmaw warriors, Krozhus stayed with The Horde and challenged Blackhand for leadership rather than let the orcs waste lives attacking Stormwind. Krozhus defeated Blackhand in Mak'gora and was hailed as the new High Chieftain.

• Ner'zhul left with the Dragonmaw Clan's warriors while Krozhus remained behind, and Ner'zhul planned to seek the Dragon Soul and control the dragons.
• The Horde captured settlements across Elwynn Forest, then debated whether to assault Stormwind City or surround it and target other places first.
• Krozhus argued against a costly assault, and Blackhand insisted that he alone ruled The Horde.
• Krozhus challenged Blackhand to Mak'gora, while Ruz'gur silently approved of his successor's move.
• Krozhus fought Blackhand without Fel Energy, gradually gained the advantage, and crushed him with a final barrage of blows.
• The orcs cheered Krozhus as their new High Chieftain.

After recovering from his injuries and gaining control over the orcs empowered by demon blood, Xu Yue agreed to join the raid on Karazhan, where he hoped to save Medivh and draw Deathwing’s attention away from another operation. As the human and orc forces gathered at the Darkened Path, Xu Yue sensed that the Red Dragon Queen’s blessing had reached him.

• Krozhus took over as Warchief, gave Orgrim command of the Horde’s warriors, and appointed Grom to lead its assassination forces as the Horde bypassed Stormwind City and attacked other regions.
• Xu Yue recovered, digested Fat Mar, and gained the ability to weaken orcs who had drunk demon blood.
• Khadgar urged Xu Yue to join the Karazhan raid, and Xu Yue agreed, hoping to save Medivh and distract Deathwing from the dragon eggs.
• At the Darkened Path, Orgrim and Lothar exchanged threats as the human and orc members of the raid waited for Krozhus.
• Xu Yue sensed the Red Dragon Queen’s blessing within him.

Krozhus returned after Ner'zhul’s death, and the allies joined forces to attack Karazhan. Inside the tower, Medivh revealed that Garona had killed Llane and waited for Xu Yue and Lothar on the rooftop, determined to kill them and sever his bond.

• Krozhus told Zuluhed and the others that Ner'zhul was dead, then joined the human side in continuing their cooperation.
• Khadgar opened Karazhan’s lightning barrier after warning the group that Medivh was stronger than Gul'dan.
• Medivh’s phantom showed Lothar an image of Garona stabbing King Llane while under control, then vanished and invited them to come upstairs.
• Xu Yue and Lothar led the group through Karazhan’s single passable stairway to the rooftop terrace.
• Medivh turned to face the group and declared that he would kill them and sever their bond.

Medivh overwhelmed the raiding party, but Xu Yue and his allies disrupted the Net of Magic and revealed a plan to counter him. After Lothar’s holy sword failed to strike Medivh, Xu Yue tore open Karazhan’s barrier with the Dragon Soul and evacuated everyone into the Emerald Dream as Deathwing attacked.

• Medivh blasted nearly the entire party aside and told Xu Yue and Lothar he would kill them for refusing to join him.
• Malygos disrupted the Net of Magic across Azeroth, weakening Medivh’s attack, and Xu Yue used his Absolute Defense to withstand it and absorb some Fel Energy.
• Lothar approached Medivh under an illusion and struck with the awakened holy sword, but Medivh blocked the blade with one finger.
• Xu Yue ignited the Dragon Soul with Titan Power and used the Space Stone to tear open Karazhan’s sealed barrier.
• Deathwing emerged through the rift and unleashed destructive flames, while Xu Yue used Ysera’s blessing and his divine kingdom to transport everyone into the Emerald Dream.