City Hall

Deren's boots crunched over shattered elven reliefs, each step splashing up scorching ash.

"The City Hall still has rangers holding out!" The voice of the elderly elf he had encountered earlier still echoed in his ears, further confirming the intelligence they had received.

Jaina hurried after him, frost gathering at the tip of her staff and drawing a white mist through the searing air. "The Undead are too densely packed. We need to avoid a frontal assault."

"Avoid them?" Deren grinned, holding the poleaxe one-handed in his right hand as he spun it a few times. "I'm basically a humanoid dragon now."

Before he could finish speaking, the ruins ahead exploded!

Three Stitched Abominations burst through a wall, their rotting flesh studded with iron hooks and chains, maggots churning inside their bellies. Their roars sounded like the wails of countless dying people blended together, making the ground tremble.

"I've got the left one!" Deren roared and charged straight at it.

The Abomination swung its rusted cleaver down. Deren neither dodged nor flinched, instead swinging his battle axe with his right hand—

Bang!!

The shockwave erupted. The cleaver twisted out of shape in midair, and the Abomination's entire arm burst apart segment by segment, rotten flesh and pus-ridden blood raining down. The monster staggered back, a flicker of fear appearing in its one eye.

"That felt good!" Deren shook his wrist, only to find blood seeping from his knuckles. Tch, this body is still mortal...

Jaina planted her staff into the ground.

"Frost Nova!"

A brilliant blue Magic Array spread out in an instant, freezing the other two Abominations into ice statues. Vokaya took the chance to blow his bone flute, and shadows coiled around the frozen figures like venomous snakes. The rotten flesh actually began devouring itself.

"Move!" Jaina grabbed Deren by the collar. "Don't get drawn into a fight!"

The three of them rushed past the still-twitching Undead remains and turned into a narrow side alley. This had once been a flower-lined lane for elven merchants, but now it was covered in withered marigolds and broken arrows.

Thud!

A bone arrow suddenly struck the ground beside Deren's foot, its fletching wreathed in sickly green plague mist.

"The rooftops!" Vokaya warned hoarsely.

More than a dozen Skeleton Archers had somehow taken the high ground, their bone bows drawn to full tension, their arrowheads blackened—clearly coated in corpse poison.

Jaina was just about to raise her hand and cast a spell when Deren flung out a handful of Copper Coins. Amid shrill whistles, the skeletons above exploded into fragments.

"My money..." He took a deep breath and shouted in pained indignation, "You piles of bones! You made me use Splashing Money. Good thing I used Copper Coins!"

Jaina froze, speechless at this man who was still haggling over every little expense.

"Hurry up!" Deren pulled out another handful of Copper Coins and clenched them in his left hand. "No need to waste time on these bone piles! Throw a handful of coins at them and be done with it!"

Jaina stared at him in disbelief. "That works?!"

"Undead love money too~" Deren smugly tossed a copper coin into the air, only for Vokaya to suddenly yank him down.

A Shadow Bolt as thick as an arm grazed his scalp and corroded a huge hole into the stone wall behind him.

From the shadows at the end of the alley, a Necromancer slowly floated out, stark ribs visible beneath its rotting robe.

"Living... must die..." it rasped, Shadow Energy gathering in its palm once more.

Vokaya's dark eyes narrowed into slits. He suddenly pulled a bottle of crimson potion from his waist and smashed it onto the ground.

"Blood Mist Dance!"

Within the exploding red smoke, countless bee-like shadows pounced on the Necromancer and instantly gnawed it down to a spotless skeleton.

Deren coughed as he climbed to his feet. "You should've used that earlier!"

The Shadow Hunter grinned. "Potions are expensive. That costs extra."

The towering walls of the City Hall were finally within reach.

The City Hall's high walls had long lost their former splendor.

Exquisite elven reliefs had been torn to pieces by Undead claw marks. The main gate had been smashed inward by some tremendous force, its hinges groaning under the strain. Outside the walls lay mountains of corpses—Elf Rangers and Undead alike—silently telling of the brutality of the battle.

Deren, Jaina, and Vokaya hid behind half of a collapsed elven statue, observing the battlefield.

"The front entrance is completely blocked," Jaina murmured. A tiny Arcane eye formed at her fingertips, floating upward to scout. "Abominations and Necromancers are mixed together, at least thirty of them. There are even more Ghouls serving as cannon fodder, and..." She suddenly frowned. "A Death Knight."

Deren followed her gaze.

Behind the Undead troops stood a tall knight in black armor, motionless. A heavy sword brimming with Death Power was embedded in the ground before him, ghostly blue frost mist curling around its blade. He was not participating in the assault. He merely "watched" the City Hall in silence, as though waiting for something.

"Not Arthas." Deren let out a breath of relief. "But still trouble."

Vokaya's nostrils flared as he sniffed the air. "There are living people inside the walls. Lots of them. The smell of ranger sweat, blood... and..." He suddenly grinned, baring sharp fangs. "Elven noble perfume. Disgusting."

Deren rolled his eyes. "Priority target: find Sylvanas, then—"

Boom!!!

A huge hole suddenly exploded through the eastern wall of the City Hall. Amid flying rubble, an Abomination roared as it charged inside, its iron hooks sweeping out and cutting two Elf Rangers in half at the waist.

"No time to plan!" Jaina's staff shone with blinding blue light.

Deren charged out first, Star Soul Power boiling within him. He leaped over a pile of rubble and smashed his battle axe into the head of the nearest skeleton warrior—

Crack!

The skull shattered, but more Undead had already turned toward him.

"Jaina! Now!"

Jaina immediately blinked to Deren's side, then unleashed an Arcane flash.

"Frost Nova!"

A radiant blue Magic Array erupted around Jaina, instantly freezing all Undead within twenty yards. Vokaya took the opportunity to throw three bottles smoking green. The glass bottles exploded among the ice statues, and the corrosive liquid melted the Undead into foul-smelling sludge.

"The breach in the eastern wall!" Deren roared, punching away a lunging Ghoul. "The rangers must be there!"

The three rushed toward the breach, Undead falling along their path like stalks of wheat. But the closer they got, the stronger the resistance became—

Five Necromancers suddenly emerged from the shadows, their staffs pointing at them in unison.

"Shadow Bolt barrage!"

Jets of pitch-black energy tore through the air, spiderweb cracks spreading across Jaina's hastily raised Arcane Shield.

"Tch." Vokaya suddenly tore off a string of Bone Talismans from around his neck and crushed them viciously. "Taste this!"

The talisman powder formed a grinning Troll face in the air. The next second, every Necromancer's shadow suddenly came "alive," turning into spikes that pierced through their own chests!

"Shadow Rebound..." Jaina sucked in a quiet breath. "That's forbidden magic!"

Vokaya shrugged. "That's why it's expensive."

Deren merely laughed unconcernedly. "We'll add it to the bill when we get back. I said so!"

They finally rushed inside the walls. Jaina spun around and used Freeze to seal the breach in the wall with ice.

The situation inside was even worse—several dozen Elf Rangers stood back-to-back in the last line of defense. Their arrows had long been exhausted, and now they could only fight in close quarters with longswords and daggers. The ground was covered with wounded, blood flowing in rivulets across the exquisite elven tiles.

"Reinforcements?!" A Ranger Captain with blood all over his face cried out. "You are from Dalaran—"

"No time to explain!" Deren cut him off. "Is Sylvanas here?"

The ranger pointed toward a half-collapsed section of the eastern wall. "The Ranger General is holding the Arrow Tower! But that side is already surrounded by Undead!"

Deren immediately said to Jaina, "Stay here and help them hold this place. Vokaya and I will save her."

Jaina suddenly grabbed his arm. "Be careful. I'll wait for you here." Her eyes reddened slightly, her lips trembling as though she had something she could no longer keep inside. In the end, she only said, "Don't die, or Onyxia will burn my ass."

Deren said, "Don't worry. My destiny hasn't been fulfilled yet. A wonderful retirement is still waiting for me. I have to surpass Master Wei's achievements."

Jaina actually smiled. "Are you crazy, or am I stupid?"

Vokaya had already impatiently grabbed Deren by the collar and dragged him toward the Arrow Tower. "Keep dawdling, and your elven general will become an Undead bride!"

After running only a few steps, Deren saw a half-collapsed Temporary Arrow Tower. It had clearly been hastily nailed together from scraps of wood and stood a head taller than the wall. A blond elf atop it was fighting a Ghoul.

Sylvanas Windrunner leaned against a broken pillar. The string of her longbow had long since snapped, and all she had left was a bloodstained dagger.

Her blond hair was plastered to her cheeks with blood and grime. Her breathing was ragged, but her gaze remained as sharp as a blade.

"Three... left." She muttered to herself, staring at the Undead soldiers slowly advancing from the stairway.

Suddenly—

Boom!!!

The Arrow Tower's broken wooden door was kicked off by tremendous force, smashing two skeletons to pieces. Deren appeared in the doorway, his massive poleaxe still glimmering with a faint golden afterglow.

"Yo, Ranger General." He grinned. "Need a ride?"

Sylvanas's pupils contracted, and her dagger instantly pointed at him. "A human? How did you—"

Before she could finish, the last elven corpse suddenly lunged at her from behind!

"Get down!"

Deren roared as he flung out a handful of Copper Coins. Sylvanas instinctively ducked. A shrieking gust grazed past her hair and blasted the Undead's skull into bone fragments.

Bits of rotten flesh splattered all over her.

"...Thank you." She slowly straightened, but did not lower her dagger. "But Silvermoon City has no need for a fleeing general."

Vokaya poked his head out from behind Deren, his dark eyes narrowing. "A stubborn elf. I like her." He pulled out a cloudy potion and shook it. "Want me to help you 'sleep' for a while?"

Sylvanas's gaze turned even more dangerous.

Deren sighed and muttered, "I knew this wouldn't work. Couldn't talk her around. Damn plot."

"Your rangers are still fighting," Deren said, stepping closer. "Do you want them to become pawns of the Scourge?"

Sylvanas dug her nails into her palm, blood running down from her eyes. "It's useless. Everything is over. Quel'Thalas died long ago. Escaping now would only mean jumping from one grave into another. This country rotted away a long time ago."

Deren grew somber. He understood where Sylvanas's profound despair came from. The High Elves had a rigid hierarchy; nobles and commoners had long split into two clearly divided classes. After a thousand years of rule, the upper nobles had already degenerated from elites into complete trash. Whenever something went wrong, they passed the blame; when there was profit, they were always first in line.

But he still had to try. "I understand, but things are different now. The Undead are here, and only those who survive have the right to speak. This chance is right before you, your rangers, and countless commoners. Don't you want to fight for even a sliver of hope for them?"

Sylvanas froze for a moment, failing to notice Deren signal Vokaya. Standing behind Deren, Vokaya silently cast a spell, and a green-tinged ripple swept past. Sylvanas's shadow suddenly twisted beneath her feet! She leaped back sharply, but she was still a step too slow—

"Chirp?!"

Pink feathers burst outward. A round, plump Chocobo stood there blankly, blinking its black bead-like eyes twice before lowering its head to look at its own wings.

"General?!" The rangers following behind rushed in, their sword tips aimed at Deren's throat. "What did you do?!"

Deren scooped up the flapping Chocobo and stuffed her into a guard's arms. "It's Polymorph! Better than letting her become a Banshee!"

The guards looked at one another. Outside the Arrow Tower, the low growls of the Undead drew ever closer.

"Either run while carrying your bird general," Vokaya said, grinding his fangs sinisterly, "or stay here and become Undead feed."

After only a few seconds of hesitation, several rangers exchanged glances and nodded at Deren. Deren carried the Chocobo, which kept pecking at his ear, and rushed out of the Arrow Tower. Vokaya scattered Poison Powder behind them to mask their scent, while the ranger guards, their faces pale, brought up the rear.

Back in the front courtyard, Jaina's Ice Wall was already on the verge of collapse as she desperately held back the Abominations' assault. But the moment she saw the pink Chocobo, her staff nearly slipped from her hand.

"You... really..."

"Don't ask!" Deren held the Chocobo tightly. He did not trust anyone with Sylvanas now. He was afraid that one careless moment would hand her over to Arthas and make all his efforts pointless. "Prepare to teleport to the Magic Academy!"

Jaina desperately unleashed another Frost Nova, stopping the Undead Abominations' attack. Deren also put away his battle axe, pulled out a handful of Silver Coins from his Space Bag, and snarled, "You've pushed me too far. I'm afraid of what I might do. Splashing Money—Silver Coins—big spending." A violent shriek split the air, and several distant Necromancers who were casting spells exploded into clouds of bone dust.

Taking the opportunity, Jaina cast a teleportation spell, and the Magic Array enveloped all the survivors.

Second update. Bookmarks went up by several dozen—thanks, brothers. I'm feeling more energized than ever! I'll keep writing, write like crazy! Once it goes premium, I'll aim for a massive update spree. I'll definitely repay your enthusiasm! This new book needs your support. The story ahead will absolutely be exciting, absolutely intense!