Reunion and The Great Sundering

Orc warrior Brox gave his life to buy precious time for the Resistance Army and the strike team, slowing the approach of the Dark God Sargeras to the portal.

Above the Well of Eternity, Black Dragon King Neltharion finally smashed through the Fel Energy barrier, seized the Dragon Soul in his massive dragon claw, and burst into mad laughter.

Then the Black Dragon King lifted his head, swept his gaze across the Dragon Legion ahead and the three Dragon Aspects present—the Dragon King of Time Nozdormu was still nowhere to be seen.

"From now on, all dragons will obey me! From now on, I am the only Dragon King! The supreme Dragon King!"

Malygos, the Guardian of Magic and Blue Dragon King, looked on with concern.

"What are you doing, my brother? Put down the Dragon Soul at once! You've been corrupted! Your mind and will are in grave danger!"

Neltharion gave him a cold stare. Toward Malygos, once his closest brother, he now felt nothing.

"How dare you speak to your king like that? You will face harsh punishment!"

With that, Neltharion raised his claw, revealing the Dragon Soul, and a golden energy beam burst from the golden disc.

The light shot outward, straight toward the surrounding Blue Dragonflight. The blue dragons let out agonized screams as their bodies slowly dissolved, as if they had never existed.

Sindragosa, Malygos's beloved mate, was also struck by the Dragon Soul's attack. She endured it through sheer power but was gravely wounded, blasted backward and sent tumbling away.

"No, no... What have you done? What have you done, Neltharion!"

Blue Dragon King Malygos stared at Neltharion in disbelief, frozen for a long moment, then roared at the Black Dragon King in fury.

Neltharion's emotions churned violently. A clear flash of pain and regret passed through his enormous dragon eyes.

But then a frantic whispering echoed in Neltharion's mind—a voice he knew well. The voice of the Old Gods.

What? You want me to put the Dragon Soul back into the portal? Don't even think about it. It's mine!

The ancient whispers grew urgent and angry, and Neltharion matched them with his own rage. The old things' attempt to control him again burned away the last shreds of his dwindling sanity.

On the ground, Boss Hu fired a Void arrow at Mannoroth, blasting him to the edge of the Well, where he struggled to rise.

Then Boss Hu looked at Neltharion. The Old Gods had finally shown themselves, but they knew the mysterious Titan avatar was present and were desperate to leave.

Finding Neltharion stubbornly unmoved, their whispers abruptly faded. A beam of Void energy shot up from the Well of Eternity, striking Neltharion square in the sky.

The attack was no weaker than the Dark Titan's casual strike through the portal. Black Dragon King Neltharion was hurled away, the Dragon Soul slipping from his claw.

Malfurion, who had been waiting, immediately rode a Red Dragon upward and snatched the Dragon Soul.

At the same time, the towering figure within the Fel Fire Portal had reached the threshold and stepped one leg through.

Everyone saw the Dark Titan's true form clearly.

He was perfect and evil. Fel Energy had severely twisted this Titan, but traces of former divinity could still be seen.

On the armor of his leg was a small crack—an axe mark.

"That was Brox... He did it... He attacked a Titan and wounded him..." Rhonin murmured, staring at the Dark Titan.

"Attack the portal! We cannot let him descend!" Krasus shouted, steering his Red Dragon mount to Malfurion's side.

Malfurion raised the Dragon Soul and aimed it at the Fel Fire Portal below. A golden energy beam roared out, striking its target dead-on.

The portal instantly destabilized, teetering on the edge of collapse, contracting violently.

The Dark Titan Sargeras roared, reached out, and grabbed both sides of the portal. With sheer brute force, he held the collapsing spatial rift open, still trying to cross over.

"I will not fail! This pathetic world will burn to ash beneath my feet!"

"Sorry, but it's time for you to go home, my brother."

Hu Feng's voice came from in front of the portal. He now floated in the air, raising his staff at Sargeras.

All the divine power within this avatar was gathered and condensed in that moment, and then—

A tidal wave of divine power surged forward like a tsunami.

Sargeras, straining to hold the portal open, suddenly felt a tremor.

Danger! There was actually danger?

Then the divine power struck him hard, sending him stumbling back several steps. The struck area was a bloody mess, golden and Fel-green divine blood spilling out.

He could no longer hold the portal. The spatial rift collapsed rapidly. The outcome was sealed.

Sargeras grew calm. Through the collapsing portal, he looked at the tiny figure on the other side, who gazed back at him steadily.

"You... are that world-soul. My unborn kin. You were hiding here..."

"I will... come for you again..."

With Sargeras's fragmented cross-space psychic message, the portal collapsed to a single point.

Then that point exploded outward again. A tremendous suction force emerged—but it only affected demons.

Every demon of the Burning Legion was lifted uncontrollably into the air, then sucked rapidly toward the collapsing portal.

Archimonde the Defiler roared, trying to plant his feet and resist the pull, but soon he too was helplessly flung into the air and plunged headfirst into the portal.

The Burning Legion's demons were swept clean, but the energy singularity formed by the collapsing portal did not dissipate. A raw, violent energy was spreading uncontrollably.

The Well of Eternity churned and surged.

The Well was tearing the earth apart.

The Great Sundering was coming.

"Go, get out of here! Retreat! Retreat! To the rear! Notify the Resistance Army, tell them to flee!"

Krasus circled in the air atop a Red Dragon, shouting down at the crowd below.

******

In the topmost room of the palace, maidservants screamed in terror, only to be cut down one by one by Head Maid Vashj's longsword. This utterly loyal attendant still served her queen, even at the final moment.

Azshara sat by the smooth crystal mirror, appraising the ornate gown she had just donned. As the entire palace shuddered violently, she furrowed her delicate brow.

"Vashj, what's happening? I need everyone in peak condition before the gods descend."

"I'll summon Captain Varone to see you at once, Light of Lights. He should—"

Before Vashj could finish, the magnificent, towering palace plunged into utter darkness.

Freezing, biting seawater surged in, drowning everything.

Azshara struggled in agony. She did not want to die.

A whisper entered her mind, promising the queen immense power and a new form capable of surviving the deep sea.

"Serve us... carry out our will... Naga Queen Azshara..."

******

Meanwhile, in Darkshore.

A female elf, identical in appearance to Queen Azshara, lay quietly on the soft bed in the deepest chamber of the underground palace. She felt her consciousness rapidly fading.

Then... let it sleep.

All doors within the underground palace sealed shut at that moment, and the entrance connecting to the outside was blocked by a heavy stone door.

Soon after, a seemingly ordinary tree pressed down atop the stone door, growing swiftly until it completely covered the underground entrance. Dark-gold divine power flowed through the tree, ensuring the site's safety.

A human who looked exactly like Boss Hu surveyed his handiwork for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction.

Afterward, an Infinite Dragon, its body wreathed in drifting black ash, slowly materialized.

"Done and dusted. Time to return to the future."