New Power

Kel'Thuzad is indeed a useful helper, Arthas thought to himself. At this moment, they were standing on a lush green hill, with a captured port below.

This Lich was absolutely loyal to the Lich King, though when necessary, he could convincingly impersonate a servant before Archimonde and Tichondrius. Arthas, on the other hand, mostly chose silence, unsure if he could lie as convincingly as Kel'Thuzad. The two demons' arrogance made it impossible for him to remain calm; several times Arthas even considered attacking directly, but was rebuked by the Lich King each time.

"Archimonde has arrived in this world, and for the Burning Legion, the plan is nearing its end. But for the Lich King's Scourge, the plan has only just begun."

Arthas breathed a sigh of relief. Kel'Thuzad's words at least proved that they weren't truly subservient to the Burning Legion. However, ever since witnessing Archimonde's power, Arthas harbored serious doubts about whether the Lich King was a match for this demon. Therefore, he was more eager than ever to find the final answer.

"The Burning Legion's goal has always been to destroy this world, not to conquer it. To achieve this, they need to travel to the western Kalimdor. That continent possesses another magical vessel similar to the Sunwell. A giant tree called Nordrassil, which the Night Elf Elf call the World Tree, grants Night Elf immortal life and is connected to them by blood, just as the Sunwell is to the High Elf."

"Night Elf?" Arthas was confused. "I only know Quel'dorei. Are they another kind of Elf?"

"They are called Night Elf. Logically, they should be the ancestors of the Quel'dorei, the most primitive form of the High Elf," Kel'Thuzad corrected. He shook his head slightly. "That's not the point for us. What we need to ensure is that we secretly stop the Burning Legion's expedition. That's why His Majesty the Lich King sent Nathanos there first."

"Should we go and find out what's going on over there?"

"Yes, the situation there is very complicated. Not long ago, the Orcs crossed the Great Sea to that continent, and a large number of humans also fled there. They will unite to stop the Burning Legion."

"Humans, Orcs?" Arthas sneered. "You think these defeated minions of the Scourge can stop those demons? Besides, humans and Elf are mortal enemies; how could they possibly unite? It's absurd."

"The Lich King's predictions have never been wrong, Death Knight," Kel'Thuzad pointed out, adding, "Besides them, there are also the Night Elf Elf."

"We've destroyed the kingdom of the High Elf! What can this rabble accomplish when united?"

Kel'Thuzad understood Arthas's meaning. The reason the Death Knight belittled those races was simply because he couldn't personally stop the demons. Without the Scourge's power, or without his power, the Burning Legion wouldn't have failed.

"Night elves are different from high elves, Prince Arthas. They are the oldest race in this world, and they successfully defeated demons once, ten thousand years ago. At that time, the Burning Legion was led by Sargeras, a dark titan a thousand times more terrifying than Archimonde. And this time, they can do it too."

"If that's the case, then what's the point of having the Scourge?" Arthas asked dismissively. Invincible seemed to sense its master's emotions and stomped its hooves uneasily.

Kel'Thuzad had reminded Arthas many times to be patient, but the latter clearly never took those two words to heart. "As I just said, we must secretly ensure the Burning Legion's defeat."

"Since we can't attack the demons proactively, what should we do?"

The Lich's eyes blazed even brighter than before. "Among the Night Elf, there is one we can use. As for you, Death Knight, you need to go to Kalimdor and find that person. I will stay here and help you expand the Scourge."

"Who is it? Why not let Nathanos go find them?" Arthas was clearly more interested in Kel'Thuzad's mission. Expanding the Scourge meant killing, and only killing could satisfy Frostmourne.

"You seem to trust that person quite a bit."

"Why not? Nathanos's abilities are beyond question."

"Remember this, young Death Knight: Not everyone accepts death willingly!"

On this hill on a distant continent, with an unobstructed view in all directions, Nathanos could already see the Orcs. To his surprise, there were other Orcs among them: Troll and Tauren. He finally saw what this new species looked like alive. Just as he had imagined, except they had tails. The Tauren's mounts were also quite interesting—giant creatures resembling lizards.

Besides the Tauren, what surprised Nathanos were their enemies. Yet another strange-looking creature, which directly overturned Veronalara's earlier deduction.

The centaurs, half-human and half-horse, look even more savage than Orcs. They mostly use spears and axes as weapons, and some also carry bows and arrows.

"Nathanos, what kind of monsters are those?" Veronalara felt a wave of nausea, whether it was the Orcs or those creatures that looked like animals.

"I've never seen such creatures before. However, these... Centaur creatures shouldn't be helpless beasts. The skeleton we just saw in the jungle must have been their work. To be able to hunt down such strong Tauren, their strength must be considerable." Nathanos gazed at the distant battlefield. Both sides were poised for battle, and an Orcs leader seemed to be passionately rallying his troops.

"Look closely at those Centaur," he said, pointing. "They are gathered together in large numbers, and most importantly, they have their own formation. From this, we can infer that they are intelligent life forms."

Nathanos was right, and it was quickly proven true. When the orcish and Centaur Orcs, poised for battle, simultaneously unleashed deafening roars, the two armies clashed. The sound of clashing weapons resonated like a symphony across the desolate wasteland under the long night. This was no ordinary battle; melee weapons weren't the only element, but also magic—or more precisely, a kind of sorcery akin to magic. This sorcery initially originated from the Orcs, and it wasn't Fel, but a new kind of magic, incorporating lightning and whirlwinds, the summoning of water from the ground, and totems placed on the earth. Nathanos believed the Orcs had gained new power, but he was soon surprised to discover that there were also those within the Centaur Legion who wielded this power.

"It seems that this witchcraft originates from the world itself."