Inside the cages, the Fireblade Clan members closest to the cave entrance heard the tremendous sounds of fighting outside. One by one, they opened their eyes and got to their feet.
"Who's out there? What's all that noise?"
"Someone's come to rescue us!"
"Finally! We can get out!"
Their discussion soon spread through all the cages.
Dahl Triple Bloodblade, the former Chieftain of the Fireblade Clan, heard the prisoners' conversation from the innermost cage.
"What's going on? The entire Fireblade Clan was captured. Who's come to rescue us?"
Hearing her father, Azuka Blade Fury sat up and said, "Father, Lantresuo wasn't captured. Could he have found someone to come save us?"
"Hah, ridiculous! Who would help that half-breed, let alone take on Gul'dan?"
Hearing her father's words, Azuka said no more. She knew how prejudiced he was against half-breeds. Getting him to believe that a half-breed had brought people to rescue him would be harder than convincing him that the Chieftains of the Six Great Clans had come to save him.
She silently studied her father's deeply lined face, then went to the side of the cage and sat down.
"Samuro, can you think of any way to open this cage? All the traitors went out with that bastard Nilru. This is the perfect opportunity."
Dahl stopped listening to the clan members' discussion, turned to Samuro, and spoke.
"I'll try, Chieftain, but I'm no thief."
As he spoke, Samuro stood and walked toward the cage's lock. The moment his hand touched the cold iron, a series of footsteps sounded.
Soon, the unhurried footsteps drowned out the Fireblade Clan members' conversation. Everyone looked up toward the sound.
At some point, Gul'dan had risen on the raised platform in the center of the cave. He began walking slowly back and forth across it.
As he walked, he scattered something from his hand and muttered under his breath.
"Dear Demon Lord Kil'jaeden, your friend needs your help. Now, I offer this gift to welcome your arrival."
Then, starting with the cage closest to the cave entrance, the Fireblade Clan members inside began to float into the air. Red lines appeared across their bodies and streamed toward Gul'dan.
Dahl panicked at the sight. His two grandsons were in the cages near the entrance.
"Samuro, hurry! Think of something!"
"Chieftain, I'm neither a thief nor equipped with the right tools. Forgive me, I can't help."
Staring at the iron lock, Samuro could only shake his head.
"No! Sesk! Gao En! My grandsons!"
When he saw his two grandsons float into the air, all Dahl could do was clutch the bars and roar. There was nothing else he could do.
Seeing her father in such agony, Azuka felt both sympathy and envy. She pitied him, yet envied the place her nephews held in his heart.
Soon, more and more people were floating toward the cages. Dahl Triple Bloodblade, Azuka Blade Fury, and Samuro—the three powerful members of the Fireblade Clan—could only watch helplessly as their people were sacrificed one by one. And they were next.
Outside the cave, the fighting grew louder. Blackhand had woken up thanks to Leiluo and Kilrogg's combined efforts, but Hellfire's flames had also damaged his soul. The Blackrock Chieftain, usually so mighty and always the first to charge into battle, could only lean against the stone wall and watch helplessly as Durotan and Kargath, his two rivals, stole the show.
Although they didn't know why the Hellfire Nilru had summoned wasn't disappearing, Kargath and Durotan had already figured out its attack patterns. They still hadn't managed to take it down, thanks to its powerful defenses, but with Leiluo's axe and Kilrogg's Ghost Wolf keeping it busy, it was only a matter of time.
Seeing that the battle was all but won, Leiluo dragged Leolox over to Blackhand. The former was catching his breath while tending to Blackhand's wounds. Kilrogg, meanwhile, kept killing the demons around Nilru, hauling them over one by one to examine them. Once he'd learned enough, he would kill another and study that one too.
As the demons around him dwindled, Nilru was desperate—but there was nothing he could do. At first, he hadn't believed Leiluo's introduction. When the Hellfire took one of them out, he'd all but rolled his eyes.
But now that he'd faced them himself, he realized Leiluo might have been telling the truth. Even if they weren't Chieftains of the Six Great Clans, they were at least Heroic Rank. Otherwise, they couldn't have toyed with him so effortlessly.
Fortunately, they hadn't attacked him yet. So, as he watched his summoned demons disappear, Nilru resigned himself to summoning them again, one by one.
The arrogance Nilru had shown when the Hellfire first appeared was long gone. Now, he was wondering how he could escape in one piece.
As Kilrogg bent over to examine the corpse of a felhound, Nilru began to edge backward.
He kept his eyes fixed on Kilrogg as he slowly shuffled away. Then, behind him, one of his summoned creatures suddenly let out a mournful cry.
"Uuugh..."
He turned to look. His younger brother stood there, holding a longsword still slick with blood.
"Bastard! You're stopping me again!"
Nilru roared. He wasn't angry because Lantresuo was the one blocking him. He was angry because the same person had foiled his escape plan for the second time.
"Brother, turn back. Come with me to join the Stone Clan. We can live together in a place without prejudice. Wouldn't that be better?"
Having thwarted his brother's escape plan again, Lantresuo showed no sign of realizing how unwelcome he was. Instead, he tried to persuade him.
Hearing Lantresuo's words, Leiluo felt a chill run down his back. He didn't want anyone with such extreme beliefs in his clan. That would be a ticking time bomb.
Even after the land had been united and its many peoples brought together, there were still extremists who caused trouble. Leiluo didn't think he had what it took to deal with a problem like that.
But Nilru quickly put Leiluo's fears to rest.
"Ridiculous! A place like that would weaken people's will and make them lose their resolve to pursue power. Who would want to live there?"
Looking at his stubborn brother, Lantresuo finally made up his mind.
"Then I'll take you back by force. I can't let you keep following Gul'dan and bringing ruin to the Orcs!"
"Heh heh heh! Come and try!"
Seeing that Leiluo was occupied and that Kilrogg, the one he feared, wasn't even looking their way, Nilru decided to deal with his annoying little brother first, then find another chance to escape.
"Attack!"
At Nilru's command, all the demons around him lunged forward. What was there to fear from a Sword Saint who wasn't even using Stealth?
"Then come on!"
Lantresuo moved, and four Mirror Images scattered in different directions, charging toward Nilru from different angles.
"Chieftain, please don't interfere. This is my battle, even if I die!"
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