Abandon everything?
Everything I schemed so hard to obtain, everything I finally won-and now I'm supposed to burn it all to ashes?
Gul'dan did not openly defy Kil'jaeden's will. After gaining insight into the future timeline, he was confident he could rely on the Horde's strength to destroy Azeroth completely.
Even if Azeroth's current strength far exceeded that of the Human Alliance during the Orcs War.
This was one of Gul'dan's defining traits: he never accepted his fate.
"Lord Kil'jaeden, why won't you try opening the portal and let our Horde try again? This time, we absolutely will not fail!" Gul'dan knew full well that the power he possessed now was true power.
After glimpsing the future, he had a clearer understanding of his own destiny.
The Burning Legion had indeed saved him from his fate, but Gul'dan knew perfectly well that he would remain Kil'jaeden's pawn until the day he died.
"No! The Orc Horde is of no help to the Burning Legion's expedition. All you need to do is what you're supposed to do. That is enough." Kil'jaeden rejected Gul'dan's proposal, filling his heart with a sense of impending danger.
Gul'dan began to understand why his counterpart in another timeline had risked everything in the Tomb of Sargeras.
It had not been stupidity, but an attempt to break free from fate's control.
Just as during those miserable days before Gul'dan became a warlock, what he needed most was not this seemingly overwhelming fel power. It was a world where he felt no threat-a world where Gul'dan looked down upon every living creature.
"I... I understand." Gul'dan used that brief interval to weigh everything carefully.
Since the Burning Legion had abandoned its plan to send the orcs against Azeroth, he naturally could not defy Kil'jaeden's will with his own