The Gong Sounds, and War Begins
The sun slowly rises from the eastern sky, and the light it emits slowly dissipates the cold air in the desert. Except for the virtual formation, four thousand cavalry and related troops composed of Kor'kron and Huntress are deployed behind the sand dunes on the left wing, and more than five thousand cavalry and related troops composed of human paladins and knights are deployed behind the sand dunes on the right wing. 🍭💜 🐜★
In addition to the feint formation at the front and the cavalry on the left and right flanks hidden behind the sand dunes, the tank brigade and the remaining infantry and gunners were stationed in the empty desert between the Hive'Zora and Hive'Regal, with nearly 20,000 men lined up in full.
Because there's going to be a battle today, everyone had an extra meal last night. So before the official battle begins, every soldier is required to take care of their personal needs and conserve their energy. Bolvar's saying that the moment the sun rises is the time for battle is just something to take with a grain of salt.
The temperature in the desert slowly rose. Zul'ra tied a jade-inlaid hair scarf around her head, wearing a full set of red breastplates connected to her shoulder guards. Her battle skirt was tied around her waist with a belt, and she had a monocular telescope and Forest Sword tucked into her waistband. Her arms, wrapped in wrist guards, had one hand on the longsword at her waist and the other gripping the Snake Spear slung over her shoulder.
With a headband tied around his neck, one hand on his sword and the other carrying Snake Spear, Zul'ra walked across the battlefield in his distinctive and eye-catching attire, speaking to every human, Goblins, and Kaldorei in the area. Faced with his calm and composed demeanor, all the soldiers unconsciously relaxed, and many even took the initiative to gather around and talk to him.
In the early morning, as the temperature was gradually rising, Zul'ra took a stroll around the camp and returned to the vicinity of the magic pedestal at the forefront of the position. There, she chatted and laughed with the Kaldorei priest Shiloma, who was holding the Scepter of the Shifting Sands. At that moment, a red magical firework rose in the western sky of the desert.
"It's about to begin, Lady Shiloma." Zul'ra looked at the red fireworks in the sky and couldn't help but put away her smile, as did the priestess Shiloma's purplish-red face.
The red magical fireworks in the sky were the command signal from the Allied Commander Bolvar. Upon receiving this signal, horns sounded at the forefront of the position, and the soldiers, who had been leisurely, began to form ranks. After three long horn blasts, all the soldiers were in formation, and the officers began to issue orders. The Goblins mercenaries had already retreated because of their short legs.
As the Goblins began their retreat, fifteen giant dragons with scales of green, red, and yellow suddenly took to the air. Each of them carried a cone-shaped bomb as tall as an adult on its hind claw. Around them, Dwarves riding Gryphon and Kaldorei archers riding Hippogryph also took to the air. Their job was to cover the retreat of the troops or, if necessary, to cover the dragons as they entered the city to drop bombs.
Holding the Scepter of the Shifting Sands, Shiloma and Zul'ra walked together onto the magic pedestal. With their backs to the gong, they first glanced at the blazing sun, which seemed to be scanning the earth, then at the more than four thousand soldiers on land and in the air, then at the large army behind the endless yellow sand, and finally at the Scepter of the Shifting Sands in their hands. They couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions, their thoughts drifting back thousands of years.
Hilomar was also a participant in the last War of the Shifting Sands, which is why she was chosen as the gatekeeper of the Scarab Wall, wielding the Scepter of the Shifting Sands. This position was originally meant for Archdruid Fandral Staghelm, but the druid, who had lost his beloved son, rejected the dragons' friendship, smashed the Scepter of the Shifting Sands in front of the Scarab Wall, and did not even participate in this war.
"Priestess Shiloma!" Zul'ra called out softly, looking at the troops who were all ready and then at the priestess who was lost in her memories.
"I understand." Shiloma snapped out of her reverie, glanced at the energetic Trolls, nodded slightly, then turned and raised the Scepter of the Shifting Sands in her hand.
"Clang!" The crisp sound of the gong rang out, and Zul'ra looked at the portal behind the base, which was filled with green vines. In the lingering sound of the gong, the green vines that had blocked the passage surged violently, and at the same time, the barrier energy that sealed the entire city began to disappear.
The crisp sound of gongs gradually subsided, and all the soldiers perked up. Kaldorei archers drew their bows and nocked their arrows, while Priest cast the Light to increase the soldiers' stamina, and Shaman planted wind totems in the ground to increase everyone's speed. The Scarab Wall that the well-prepared troops faced did not respond, only the vines behind the city gate kept surging.
"Send the signal!" Zul'ra shouted at the Sin'dorei mage beneath the pedestal, seeing that the entire Scarab Wall was unresponsive. The Sin'dorei mage snapped out of his daze and fired two red magical fireworks into the sky.
As soon as the magical fireworks exploded, the dragons, their hind claws dangling Incendiary Bomb, flapped their wings, their bodies glowing with magical light. They were the first to fly out from the protective group of Gryphon Rider and Hippogryph riders, leaping hurriedly over the Scarab Wall. The fifteen dragons looked down from the sky and saw that the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj behind the Scarab Wall were a sea of insects.
Just as the fifteen dragons carrying bombs flew over the Scarab Wall, the green vines that filled the gates of the Scarab Wall suddenly exploded, and countless insects began to pour out from the gates and the rock walls.
If the insectoids of Azjol-Nerub- Ahn'Qiraj are a combination of scorpions and wasps. They are mostly large-bellied and slender-waisted, typical arthropods, and come in various colors. Those that walk on the ground with six legs and four claws are called Stinger, while those that fly with a pair of transparent, thin wings are called Wasps. What they all have in common is a stinger on their rear ends.
Just as Zul'ra was observing the situation of the insectoids, a piercing, shrill cry rang out from the walls of Ahn'Qiraj. Fifteen giant dragons carrying Incendiary Bomb flew over the Scarab Wall without encountering much resistance. This was mainly because their magical shields were thick enough, their bodies were large enough, and they flew high enough that the winged insectoids could not stop them.
After flying over the Scarab Wall and looking at the swarm of insects stretching for miles, the dragons calculated the distance and, following Zul'ra's instructions, dropped bombs on the dense swarms of insects far from the Scarab Wall, the insect nests from which insects were gushing out, and the tall and distinctive insects.
The Incendiary Bomb made by Zul'ra weighed eighty kilograms and had a bamboo whistle behind its ring-shaped tail fin. After being dropped from high above by the dragon, the bamboo whistle made a sound as it was carried by the air.
When a bomb the height of an adult lands and explodes, oil and flames quickly scatter and splash out, forming a mushroom cloud of fire seventy or eighty meters high and covering two or three hundred square meters. If two bombs were clustered together, the mushroom cloud could be even higher. During World War II, American bombers that scorched Tokyo were so blackened that even their fuselages were blackened.
After the piercing whistle abruptly ceased, a series of deafening roars echoed through the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj, and flames splattered across thousands of square kilometers of Ahn'Qiraj region. This caused not only the allied forces outside the walls, but also the spiked bugs that had just climbed over the walls to turn around and look back.
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