A Complete Reversal

Boom.

The city gate collapsed. It had withstood four Arcane Blasts, but in the end, it could take no more.

As the dust thrown up by the gate's collapse settled, an army appeared, clad in standard armor and robes bearing the insignia of the Kaldorei Empire's Highborne.

"That's an Eredar demon! Weren't they all killed?"

The captain of the warriors in the front rank cried out in alarm. Although they had been stationed at the empire's northernmost outpost, they still knew something of the Burning Legion's infamous demons.

The Eredar demons were an important part of the Burning Legion. With their powerful spells, they had conquered countless worlds for it.

At the sight of the Eredar demon before them, fear appeared on every elf's face.

"I wondered what sort of place this was. So it's an elven stronghold."

"I command you now! Pledge your loyalty to the mighty Burning Legion!"

With that, Snyder unleashed his powerful aura. It battered every elf present, frightening many of them and making their hands tremble around their weapons.

"We have no way out! Our families and homes are behind us. Stand together and drive this demon back! For the elements!"

The messenger shouted, then planted a Tremor Totem among the elven army. The totem's power helped the elves overcome their fear, and they glared fiercely at the Eredar demon.

"Attack!" the messenger shouted.

The elven swordsmen brandished their blades and charged at the Eredar. But they were not the fastest. The archers fired arrows enchanted with elemental power at tricky angles, aiming straight for the Eredar's vital spots, while the Shamans began calling on the elements and casting elemental spells.

Seeing this, Snyder hurriedly cast an Arcane Shield and blocked their attacks.

When the elves saw that their attacks had done nothing, they hurried to launch a second assault. But Snyder gave them no chance to strike back.

He raised a hand, seized an unfortunate swordsman with a magical hand, and hurled him into the other elves.

These elves had only just begun to recover from their magic addiction, and their bodies were still weak when Snyder, transformed into an Eredar demon, attacked them.

Some of the fallen elves were still alive, but they were too weak to stand.

With his powerful physique and the elves still in their weakened state, Snyder rampaged through their army.

More and more soldiers were sent flying by Snyder, and the defensive line was on the verge of collapse.

"Give up, insects! You will be conquered by the Burning Legion!"

Snyder decided to finish by pulling another big move to pressure them. He cast a magical shield, then began chanting, preparing to unleash a powerful spell.

The elves breathed a sigh of relief when Snyder stopped attacking, but when they saw him chanting a spell, their nerves tensed again.

"Attack, quickly! We can't let him cast that spell!"

"Shamans, channel your elemental power into me. We'll cast a powerful spell together!"

The messenger shouted. The remaining swordsmen attacked, and the archers unleashed a rain of arrows. Both sides had staked victory or defeat on this moment.

The swordsmen rushed forward and struck the magical shield. The archers' rain of arrows fell upon it as well. Through the relentless efforts of the swordsmen and archers, the shield finally shattered.

Just as they prepared to move forward and finish off the Eredar demon, he finished chanting his spell. A powerful aura sent the approaching swordsmen flying, and the archers had run out of arrows.

"Die, insects!" Snyder unleashed his spell.

"We will be victorious! The elements protect us!"

Lava Burst, the spell formed by the combined power of all the Shamans, had also been completed.

The powerful fire elemental spell rushed toward Snyder. He had amplified the Arcane Blast formed from concentrated Arcane energy several times over, and the two energies collided.

Boom! The two energies triggered a powerful explosion. Disasters caused by the blast followed one after another, and the snow piled on the mountains was set loose in an avalanche.

Countless living beings were buried beneath the deep snow. Even the blue dragons far away in the Borean Tundra noticed the explosion caused by the powerful energies, and one of them came to investigate.

As the dust settled, the two sides that had unleashed the energies could see each other clearly.

The hope in the elves' eyes faded. They had thought the demon had died in the explosion, but he appeared before them completely unharmed.

The Shamans could no longer cast spells. They were still weak, and casting a single spell had taken everything they had. Many elves had already resigned themselves to their fate and waited quietly for the demon to take their lives.

The messenger called out to the Elemental Spirits. The elements answered his call, but his body could no longer support him.

They had done their best.

Looking at the elves lying on the ground, Snyder burst into loud laughter.

To the elves, however, that laughter struck their hearts like a death knell.

Snyder ended his transformation, revealing his original appearance before them.

"You passed my test."

Snyder cast a Healing Wave Totem to heal them.

The elves' injuries began to recover, and the weakness caused by their magic addiction also began to heal.

"Are you Lord Snyder?"

How was this hero of the War of the Ancients here?

"I led my people away from Kalimdor and raised a new continent. We established a new home there."

All the elves present were puzzled. Why had a hero of the War of the Ancients left Kalimdor?

"You passed my test. You can leave here with me and travel to the new continent."

The new continent and a heroic leader held some appeal for them, but no one was willing to leave.

Seeing no reaction from them, Snyder spoke again. His words struck their hearts like a heavy hammer.

"On the new continent, magic will not be forbidden."

The fact that magic was not forbidden held an irresistible appeal for the Highborne, and the elves began discussing it in low voices. Many also showed a longing to go to the new continent.

"What are you thinking?! When we were in danger, it was the elements that saved us! And now you want to betray them!"

Everyone fell silent. It was true: when they were in danger, the elements had saved them.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Gul'dan Skystar."

"It seems you truly believe in the power of the elements."

"When I was in danger, it was the elements that saved me, that saved us. I will not betray them."

Gul'dan's words strengthened the elves' resolve to stay. The elements had saved them in their hour of danger, and they believed the elements would lead them to a new home.

"Gul'dan, was this what the elemental you saw looked like?"

With that, Snyder transformed into the Elemental Spirit as it had appeared when he first met Gul'dan.

At the same time, an elf who had transformed from a blue dragon emerged from the forest.