A Gathering of Forces

"Good morning, General Mephist," a deep, magnetic voice said as a figure emerged from behind Xiao Yu.

Upon seeing the man, Mofeitosi looked utterly astonished. "Master Medivh, what are you doing here?"

Azathoth (the Source of Chaos): "You know each other?"

Mephist (Dragon Knight Lord): "I had the honor of meeting you once at the Alliance meeting. What brings Master Medivh here?"

Azathoth (the Source of Chaos): "Medivh is here to help me open the Dark Portal."

Medivh nodded. "Excuse me, I need to check the status of the Dark Portal." With that, he transformed into a raven and flew away.

Seeing Medivh far away, Mofeitosi exclaimed, "Damn, you're something else! You even managed to get Medivh to help you. Looks like when are we going to Draenor?"

In his heart, he thought, "Damn it, even Medivh is here. It seems this matter has really escalated to a big level. It's a good thing I was smart enough to bring the whole army. I need to tell Madman and Old E to bring more troops to gain reputation."

Azathoth (the Source of Chaos): "I'm afraid it will be a few more days. Many more reinforcements haven't arrived yet. But how did you know I was going to Draenor?"

Mephist (Dragon Knight Lord): "Nonsense, the Blasted Lands are a godforsaken place. Besides the Dark Portal, there aren't any other famous sights. What else could you be doing here if not crossing the Dark Portal to Draenor?"

Xiao Yu thought to himself, "What he said makes a lot of sense. I'm speechless. But if this happens, will the Elemental Will will also discover his target? It might react. I need to plan ahead." He turned around and instructed the undercover agent he had previously sent into the Elemental Will to keep a close eye on Elemental Will movements.

After waiting outside the Dark Portal for two more days, the second force soon arrived. This time it was the Scarlet Crusade, which A Little Surprised Xiao Yu. He had originally thought that the Madman's Troll bat riders and the Lich Estero's ghouls would arrive first, since they were both flying units and should have arrived quickly.

It didn't matter, as long as they waited, it didn't matter who arrived first or last. The Scarlet Expeditionary Force arrived numbered three thousand, led by Taelan Tirion Fordring. Xiao Yu had arranged a place for them to camp. To be honest, it was a real hassle to march and set up camp with so many troops. Fortunately, the NPCs in the game didn't need to eat, as long as they had a place to stay.

After waiting for two more days, the reinforcements sent by the Lich Estero finally arrived, albeit belatedly. However, to Xiao Yu's surprise, the reinforcements were far more than just a hundred Heavenly Ghosts.

The sky was a dark mass, with three or four hundred celestial demons and more than a dozen Frost Wyrm. These frost ancient dragons were also carrying four Death Knight —as well as the Lich Estero himself.

The Undead army landed on the wilderness of the Blasted Lands with a chilling wind, but instead of entering Xiao Yu's camp, they set up a separate camp outside. There was no other way; the Scarlet Crusade and the Undead were mortal enemies. Although the Scarlet Crusade was not as fanatical as before after being incorporated into the Alliance, they were still very likely to fight if they met, so it was best to avoid meeting them if possible.

Azathoth went to meet the Lich in person.

Azathoth (Source of Chaos): "Huh? Didn't you say you'd only send 100 Celestials? Why did you send so many troops, and even come in person?"

Estero (Lich): "Haha, we're buddies, brothers! How could I be so stingy? If a brother is in trouble, of course I'll do my best to help. Don't worry, aside from those 100 Sky Demons that need money, the rest will be on my payroll. Of course, I'll also be in charge of command."

Xiao Yu thought to himself, "This is really unbelievable." But it's good, you can never have too many helpers. And friends are friends, after all. As soon as they heard I was going to do a mission, they brought a whole group of people with them. It seems I'll have to learn from them in the future.

In the afternoon, the Troll chieftain Madman arrived, bringing with him a large army: three thousand Troll Warrior, Troll Warrior, and Troll Headhunter as the ground forces; over three hundred Troll bat riders as the air force; more than one hundred Troll Witch Doctor; and ten Troll Leader of the Army —a truly formidable force. This was yet another large contingent joining the army.

Azathoth (Source of Chaos): "I say, you guys didn't plan this, did you?" Xiao Yu couldn't help but ask as he arranged for the Troll troops to be stationed next to the Merfolk Legion.

(Troll Chieftain): "Haha, how could that be? I brought the troops here especially for my brothers' sake. It just goes to show that we brothers are all very loyal."

Xiao Yu rolled his eyes inwardly. He had a fairly good relationship with Mofeitosi, but he was just an ordinary friend of the Troll Chieftain. It would be strange if every friend he made was this helpful. He didn't think he had the aura of a protagonist that made people bow down to him with just a word. Madman and Old E must have some ulterior motive.

However, he didn't expose it. After all, the other side had indeed brought in troops, which was ultimately a good thing.

Azathoth (the Source of Chaos): "Everyone, take a day off. We'll open the Dark Portal first thing tomorrow morning and enter Draenor."

Once the order was issued, the army began to regroup and prepare to march the next day. In particular, many adventurers had scattered to the surrounding wilderness to hunt monsters and level up due to the lack of activity these past few days, and they needed to be gathered back together.

After busying himself for half a day to get everything sorted out, just as Xiao Yu was about to rest that evening, the tent was opened once again.

Agnes (Frost Lurker): "Master, Cecilia's messenger has arrived. She has important matters to report to you."

"What?" Xiao Yu was taken aback. He wondered who Cecilia was. The name did sound familiar, and Agnes seemed to think he definitely knew her. He racked his brains and finally remembered. Back in the Tower of Amalarui, he had subdued many elemental creatures—wind, fire, water, and earth—and had even appointed four guardians.

Cecilia (Spirit of Storm) is the Guardian of Wind.

Kaladar (Elder of the Fire Element) is the Guardian of Flame.

Gondorak (the Granite Giant) is the Guardian of Earth.

Wotkud (Elder of the Water Elemental) is the Guardian of the Ocean.

Wotkud had always followed him, but due to the passage of time and the inconvenience of travel, he had lost contact with the other three guardians for a long time and had almost forgotten that he had such subordinates.

Xiao Yu wondered why Cecilia would suddenly send someone to inform him, and hurriedly walked out of the tent.

Outside the tent, however, was a raging wind element.

Azathoth (Source of Chaos): "You are Cecilia's subordinate?"

The raging wind elemental. "That's right, Lady Cecilia. She sent me to inform the Lord that the Elemental Will are gathering a large army. They have entered the Prime Material Plane through several elemental rifts on the continent of Azeroth and are currently marching towards the Redridge Mountains. They will meet up in the Redridge Mountains and arrive here by noon tomorrow. Lady Cecilia learned that they intend to harm the Master and specifically sent me to inform the Lord."

(Damn, these guys really won't give up until they're completely cornered.)

Xiao Yu wasn't surprised that the Elemental Will could detect his presence. There were likely spies from the Elemental Will within his army, and such a large-scale mobilization would almost be impossible to avoid attracting attention. Perhaps nearby monster players had already posted about the Dark Portal's unusual activity on the forums.

To his surprise, the Elemental Will will actually assemble a large army to attack him. Such a large-scale entry into the Prime Material Plane was a very dangerous and high-profile act. It truly was a case of "rivals among comrades," willing to take such a great risk to deal with him. The question then became: what should he do?

The safest option is undoubtedly to open the Dark Portal now, take the troops directly into Draenor, and close the Dark Portal after 24 hours. Those guys will be left helpless. The only problem is that doing so would make it seem like we are afraid of the Elemental Will, as if we were driven into Draenor by it.

Of course, he had a second option: stay and fight the Elemental Will. However, if he lost, his entire army would be wiped out, and his chances of ascending to the Throne of the Elements and becoming the Elemental King would be impossible. Even if he won, it would likely be a Pyrrhic victory, as the army commanded by the Elemental Will was far from weak and could wear him down even through attrition. So, the question was, what should he choose?

A slight smile suddenly appeared on his lips; perhaps there was a third way to go.

Call everyone to a meeting, and invite the leaders of those adventurers' guilds to sit in as well. We have a lot to do tonight.

Before long, Xiao Yu's many subordinates, allies, and adventurer guild leaders were all gathered together in the open space in the center of the camp.

Azathoth (Source of Chaos): "I just received news that those scum of the Elemental Will are gathering their forces and heading this way. They are attempting to stop our great cause. They have rallied many Elemental Lords who are unaware of the truth, wanting to unite against me."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically. A group of Elemental Lords attacking at once sounded terrifying.

Was he planning to enter overnight? Many people wondered, but Azathoth seemed to have other plans.

Azathoth (Source of Chaos): "However, I have long since seen through their plot and devised a plan to deal with them. As long as we act according to my plan, these dregs of Elemental Will pose no threat to us whatsoever. My plan is as follows—"