Through the Dark Portal

In the winter of 1376 Sky Age, as the first snow fell in Elwynn Forest, the Alliance's Outland Expeditionary Force, led by Varian Wrynn, arrived at the Blasted Lands after a long journey.

This barren and arid land maintains a scorching and dry climate even in the snowy winter. Along the way, one can occasionally see mutated wild beasts and some scattered elemental creatures.

Due to the emergence of the Elemental Tide, elemental creatures have appeared all over the world.

These elemental creatures would be a bit of a nuisance to ordinary adventurers, but for the Yuanzheng Army, they were no problem at all.

Moreover, they were not alone. Even before reaching the Dark Portal, from a distance, they could see a Horde army already waiting at their camp below the Dark Portal.

This camp was actually left behind when the elemental army marched into the Outland; it's a good opportunity to make use of what was previously unused.

The Horde arrived by sea, so it was actually faster.

Thrall and his guards were already waiting there.

"It's been a long time, Your Majesty." As the two armies met, Thrall, riding on the back of a wolf, nodded slightly to Varian.

Varian nodded in return, "It's a pleasure to meet you here, Warchief."

Because of what had happened before, the two no longer harbored much animosity towards each other, and even the soldiers from both the Alliance and the Horde seemed much more amicable.

After all, with a formidable enemy at hand, both sides have a deep-seated hatred for the Elemental King, a hatred so intense it's almost irreconcilable. Therefore, in this atmosphere of shared hatred, it's easy to maintain a peaceful situation.

Looking at the Horde Expeditionary Force in the camp, they seemed to be few in number, occupying only a quarter of the camp.

"The Warchief only brought this few troops?" Varian asked, somewhat puzzled. Compared to the tens of thousands of troops he led last time, the Horde's forces this time were extremely meager, appearing to number only three or four thousand. However, the troop types were quite complete: Forsaken scouts, Blood Elf mages, Tauren Warrior, Troll Headhunter, Orcs wolf riders, Goblin demolition engineers.

All the major races in the Horde faction were present, almost none were missing, but the number of each unit was pitifully small. Apart from the Orcs, who numbered around three thousand, the other races only had a hundred or so men each as a token gesture.

"My Kor'kron elites are formidable fighters, each capable of taking on three men. These three thousand troops are equivalent to an army of ten thousand. Besides, His Majesty the King didn't bring many soldiers with him."

Indeed, the Alliance's forces weren't much larger either, totaling only about ten thousand people, including troops from dwarves, gnomes, Night Elf, and other groups.

However, both sides have a considerable number of adventurers accompanying them. This time, entering the Dark Portal is a major plot event, and the system has announced and publicized it well in advance. Moreover, there are no high level requirements. In addition, many guilds have gained a lot from the last plot event, so even more people have come this time. The total number of adventurers from both sides is probably around 200,000, more than last time.

Thrall and Varian exchanged a knowing smile.

The Alliance army entered the camp, but did not set off immediately.

They were waiting, waiting for the people of Dalaran to arrive. This time, in their march into Outland, they had invited not only the Alliance Horde, but also various neutral factions, especially Dalaran, as the kingdom of mages, they were also responsible for opening the Dark Portal.

However, before the people from Dalaran arrived, others came first.

A flock of harpy eagles descended from the sky, numbering around three hundred, led by Tyrande Windwhisperer, the leader of the Night Elf.

"Ms. Tyrande, I didn't expect you to come in person?" Varian was somewhat surprised.

Tyrande, as the spiritual leader of the Night Elf, holds a high position and wields great power, and rarely leaves Teldrassil. Unexpectedly, she appeared in person this time.

Tyrande nodded. "This time I received an oracle from Elune; I will go and persuade Illidan to join forces against the Elemental King."

Varian was delighted to hear Tyrande's words. Both the Alliance and the Horde had heard of Illidan's reputation, and having this Outland powerhouse on Illidan side would greatly increase their chances of victory.

Just then, with a burst of white teleportation light, a group of mages appeared before the Dark Portal.

It was people from Dalaran, more than a hundred in total, all of them high-ranking mages, led by Glinton, the Archmage of the Kirin Tor.

"You've finally arrived." Varian and Thrall both came forward to greet them.

"Not only have we come, but this time we've also brought a special weapon!"

As he spoke, Glinton turned around, revealing Esmehalda behind him.

"She is— the Guardian!" the court mage behind Varian exclaimed in surprise as he looked into Esmehalda's eyes.

The word "Guardian" immediately sparked a discussion. Although the last Guardian had long since lost its lineage, the meaning behind the name still left a deep impression on people.

Not only was the Alliance shocked by the Guardian, but the Horde was also in an uproar, considering that the Orcs had entered Azeroth because of the previous Guardian's recruitment.

Varian frowned, his heart filled with mixed feelings of joy and worry. He was pleased that with the addition of Guardian, their chances of victory were clearly much greater. However, he was worried because the previous Guardian had almost destroyed the world, and he hoped that this Guardian would not cause any problems.

"Your Excellency Speaker, are you sure there won't be any mishaps this time?"

"Don't worry, Esmehalda knows what's important. Her past relationship with Azathoth won't make her hesitate at all; on the contrary, it will allow her to use her strength more effectively."

Glinton said, turning to look at Esmehalda, "Now, let's begin!"

The two can be considered colleagues; one is a star player who has signed a contract with the game company, and the other is a GM at the game company. Esmehalda's successful transformation into Guardian this time is entirely thanks to Glinton's efforts.

Esimeihale walked over, pointed the Kirin Tor Council Scepter at the Dark Portal, and a beam of blue Arcane shot out and struck the Dark Portal.

As the eyes of the colossal statue atop the Dark Portal lit up, a blue light enveloped the entire Dark Portal, through which glimpses of the Outland Realms could be faintly seen.

"Your Majesty, Warchief, you may now assemble your forces and cross the Dark Portal."

Varian and Thrall exchanged a glance. The troops were already on high alert, and the adventurers were even more impatient. Before the two important characters could even set off, some adventurers were already rushing towards the Dark Portal. The two weren't in a hurry. They were already used to the adventurers' disorganized and undisciplined behavior. Besides, there was plenty of cannon fodder available, so why not use them?

The two walked side by side toward the light screen.

As soon as they passed through the gate, they discovered that the battle had already begun.

Soon, the Alliance and Horde armies passed through the Dark Portal. As soon as they passed Dark Portal, they encountered an enemy force. Xiao Yu knew that the Alliance and Horde would definitely come to Outland, so he sent an elemental army to guard the entrance of the Dark Portal, mainly as an outpost to warn him. This force was not large, only about 10,000 men. When they saw the Alliance and Horde people passing through the Dark Portal, they immediately rushed forward.

The battle commenced instantly.

However, the leader of this force was just a high-level BOSS, a lava giant. Under the attack of countless adventurers, it was overwhelmed and killed before it could even put up a fight.

The Alliance and the Horde did not rush to advance, but instead set up camp first.

They were completely unfamiliar with the Outland, so the first thing they had to do was issue missions to adventurers to scout the surrounding terrain. With 200,000 adventurers, they were practically unstoppable.

Meanwhile, Tyrande also set off on her hippogryph to find Illidan.