The explosion sent sand and dust filling the sky, and the powerful shock wave brought the entire battlefield to a halt for an instant.
When the enormous cloud of dust cleared, the place where Magic Emperor Vek'lor had stood was utterly devastated. The Alliance had been closest to Vek'lor and suffered the most from the blast.
However, Grand Duke Leoric had immediately activated Divine Shield in that critical moment and stood at the front. The other mages had used Frost to save themselves, while Fandral Staghelm had instantly summoned an enormous wall of Thorns to block the explosion's impact.
Many of the leaders' personal guards died. Grand Duke Leoric, who had faced the impact head-on, coughed up blood and suffered grievous injuries, his entire body going limp. Fandral Staghelm and the others fell to the ground, severely wounded, while the Gnome Warlock Wilfred, Arcanist Nosbin, and Chief Dispatcher Enks lost consciousness outright, lying sprawled in all directions. Fortunately, at least none of the Alliance's leaders had died.
Vek'lor was the Qiraji's magic emperor, and his strength ranked among the very best even in Azeroth. The damage caused when a mage like him detonated his own mana at the end was truly no small matter. Even Grand Duke Leoric, who had used the Paladins' signature lifesaving skill, had fallen to the ground with serious injuries.
The Horde was farther away and suffered less of the impact. Coupled with their timely reaction, their injuries were not severe. All the Horde's soldiers had already fought a fierce battle against Blade Emperor Vek'nilash, only to be struck by Vek'lor's blast just as the fighting ended, so some injuries were inevitable.
The Qiraji's Twin Emperors had fallen, and the remaining Qiraji froze. Their emperors, beings akin to gods, had died? Before the Qiraji could recover