Battle of the Dragonflights

The temple trembled once more. Deathwing hovered nearby, unleashing molten fireballs from his mouth that were gradually eroding the Wyrmrest Accord's defensive positions.

"It's done," Kalecgos said, his guidance bringing the Dragon Soul to a more stable state. "The power of the Focusing Iris has converged into the magical matrix stored within the Dragon Soul. We can now proceed to the most crucial step."

Ysera's voice remained calm throughout, but Alexstrasza could clearly sense her tension. "I have a bad feeling that we might be outmaneuvered at this crucial step."

The Life-Binder nodded in agreement. "Deathwing will stop us. Afrasastrasz!" She summoned a Red Dragon, the commander of the Wyrmrest Temple Guard.

"I am here, Your Majesty."

"The ritual requires a fragment of ourselves and takes away most of our power. We will be greatly weakened." Alexstrasza a deep breath, waiting to see if the other Dragon Aspects would say anything more; at least she sensed that Nozdormu had something to say. But the Time Lord couldn't string together any useful words. The price the Guardian Dragons would have to pay was high, and what could he say about the necessary sacrifice? The other Dragon Aspects understood this as well. Alexstrasza's gaze hardened, and she continued, "Protect us until we complete the ritual, Afrasastrasz."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Afrasastrasz in human form nodded, then blew the horn hanging from her belt. The sound summoned many dragons from the Wyrmrest Temple. Thrall, who was about to participate in the ceremony, noticed Chronormu of the Bronze Dragonflight, usually known as Chromie. Ysera's daughter, Malygos, was also there... They were among the most powerful of the Dragons.

"Stay focused, Thrall." Kalecgos's voice was unusually serious, a departure from his usual affable tone. The Shaman swallowed hard, quickly regaining his composure.

"Are you finally going to begin?" The Worldbreaker's voice sent a chill down the Orcs and successfully attracted the attention of the other dragon kings. The Black Dragon Aspect's wings now filled their eyes. "It's a pleasure to be reunited, Alexstrasza. I've been very busy since we last met."

Afrasastrasz and the other dragons stood in front of the Guardians. But Deathwing completely ignored them.

"Twisting your young dragon into a brainless deformity and forcing it to submit to my Will is an extremely painful process." As the Worldbreaker's words fell, dozens of faint shadows suddenly appeared around the top of the Wyrmrest Temple.

"Is it Twilight Dragon?" Thrall looked at Alexstrasza with sympathy and worry, anxiously trying to squeeze out some words of comfort. The Lifebinder would obviously be heartbroken for his offspring, and might even be struck by the same reason Deathwing did it.

"They...are no longer my offspring." Even with a slight tremor in his voice, Thrall, Ysera, Kalecgos, and Nozdormu were still utterly shocked. "Afrasastrasz, destroy them!"

The Red Dragon thought he had misheard, but he immediately began to carry out the order. He transformed back into a dragon and let out a roar as Charge for the Wyrmrest Accord to charge.

The two sides engaged in a fierce battle.

"Sister?" Ysera asked with a hint of skepticism.

"Don't blame me, sister. But someone once told me that sometimes we have to kill other lives in order to save more lives."

The coordinated attack of the blue, Red Dragon, and Bronze Dragon within the horde was extremely effective. The Bronze Dragon slowed time, hindering the enemy's movements, while the Red Dragon and blue dragons attacked the immobilized Twilight Dragon with fire and magic. Deathwing summoned a horde four to five times larger than the Wyrmrest Accord, but instead of dealing with the immediate enemy, they charged recklessly towards the Guardians. To protect the Dragon Aspects, the members of the Wyrmrest Accord had to withstand the suicidal onslaught head-on.

Afrasastrasz commanded the dragons to desperately resist the Twilight Dragon, but a few always managed to slip through their lines of sight, lurking in their blind spots, spewing malevolent purple flames as they slowly approached Thrall and his companions. Malygos noticed this, circling around to the other side of the temple before swooping down and unleashing a cloud of poisonous mist upon the attacking Twilight Dragon, plunging them into a nightmare. At least two Twilight Dragon suddenly screamed and fled in terror, as if pursued by an unseen horror.

Having done all this, Ysera's daughter loudly reminded Afrasastrasz, "There are too many of them. We need the help of mortals."

The Red Dragon Commander thought of the allies who had volunteered to come at the call. "They can't get away! They're fighting the minions of the Old Gods."

"Then let's think of something, Afrasastrasz." These words came from the blue dragon Telegrasa. "It's unlikely we can stop the Twilight Dragon on our own."

Almost everyone present understood that their numbers were limited, while the Twilight Dragon seemed to be arriving in an endless stream. Deathwing didn't care about the lives of these dragons; on the contrary, Afrasastrasz could even see the increasingly obvious smile on the Worldbreaker's face.

These dragons could have been their brothers and sisters. The Red Dragon clenched its claws. "Wyrmrest Accord, Guardian Dragons with your lives!" Afrasastrasz glanced at his companions. Though the other dragons were filled with fighting spirit, his heart sank. He could see burns, frostbite, and mutilated limbs...

"Life is so fragile." Deathwing shook his head at the falling Twilight Dragon and other dragons. "But watching life shatter is my greatest pleasure. Come on! Let me see it once more."

More Twilight Dragon surged forth, raining down upon them.

"This is impossible!" This was the only thought in Afrasastrasz's mind; they were on the verge of collapse. But the enemy seemed endless. The Red Dragon turned to look at Alexstrasza and the other dragon kings, who were now enveloped in their own elemental energy, slowly rising into the air. The ritual had reached its most crucial step.

External pressure constantly weighed on the shoulders of the guardians. One thought simultaneously crossed the minds of Thrall and several dragon kings: they had to be quick, they had to complete the ritual as quickly as possible. However, the Dragon Soul was a dangerous weapon; there could be no room for error, or it would destroy this place.

"Afrasastrasz! Watch out!" Malygos's exclamation jolted the distracted Red Dragon back to reality, only to find a Twilight Dragon already charging towards him. At this distance... Afrasastrasz's eyes widened; he had no time to react.