"Those mages are spying on us." Cho'gall followed behind Gul'dan, pounding his fists incessantly to vent his frustration.
Gul'dan gestured for Cho'gall to calm down: "Cho'gall, you have more important tasks than arguing with these mages."
"Hoo hoo, I'll do it right away." A shadow orb slowly appeared in Cho'gall's palm. Unlike the previous orbs, this one, after falling to the ground, began to draw a magic circle along a specific path.
The drawing of the magic circle was quite skillful; Cho'gall displayed the exceptional talent of a two-headed cannibalistic mage. The magic circle, with its various twisted characters, glowed with a purple light, and Gul'dan revealed a cunning smile.
"Hahahaha." A sinister laugh came from beneath Gul'dan's hood. Upon hearing this unique laugh, Cho'gall wisely took a few steps back to ensure his safety.
Green flames rose from Gul'dan's hand—a new form of energy, one that even Gul'dan was unfamiliar with. It originated from a distorted space, a power derived from the demon lord Kil'jaeden.
He tossed this ball of green flame into the shadow magic circle. A raging green flame erupted, a bizarre energy like a tsunami crashing against the arcane barrier.
The two unique energies began to violently change, clashing and dissolving against each other. Gul'dan watched the changes on the purple arcane barrier, his laughter growing louder and more unrestrained.
After the laughter subsided, Cho'gall stealthily approached, helped his master to his feet, and vanished beyond the arcane barrier. Gul'dan had performed a powerful spell; he needed time to rest.
The purple arcane barrier was continuously eroded by the green flames, and the two magisters and Leylin watched the changes with astonishment. This barrier, which had protected them, was now beyond their ability to repair the damaged arcane barrier.
The energy of the Sunwell continued to flow through the energy network in the sky, however, magical energy was no longer being used to replenish the arcane barrier. The uncontrolled arcane energy ceaselessly clashed and neutralized with the green flames.
Gradually, the arcane barrier was corrupted. Inexplicably corrupted.
The two magisters were helpless; they couldn't understand the origin of this new energy. This energy seemed somewhat familiar, but it was from a distant past, and records about it were scarce.
Leylin stood on the highest point, watching the green flames erode the barrier. He knew immediately what it was: fel energy!
With his [Mastery of Magic] he quickly also analyzed simultaneously: holy light and shadow, life and death, arcane and fel energy. Between opposing energies, they would collide and dissolve.
The arcane barrier began to corrupt, and the orc soldiers attacked once more. The direct confrontation between the elves and orcs began.
Under the combined assault of the armies of Zul'jin's trolls, Gul'dan's Shadow Council, and Orgrim's elite Horde forces charged towards the elven positions.
In the forest, the elves' swift and sharp combat skills and keen eyesight were fully displayed. But unfortunately, the number of orcs exceeded the limits of the elven army's capacity.
After the arcane barrier failed, Leylin's mage squad's mission was to fight alongside the ranger army.
Upon reuniting with Alleria, Leylin faced a surprise attack from Orgrim's orc army. These orcs were far more agile than the other orc soldiers; instead of immediately engaging the elves, they stealthily infiltrated the depths of the forest.
Alleria didn't give them that chance; upon discovering the orcs, they immediately engaged them.
In a direct confrontation, the rangers found it difficult. These orcs possessed extremely high physical strength; unlike trolls, they wouldn't immediately fall after being shot with arrows.
Wounded orc soldiers would become enraged by the smell of blood. Orcs with sufficient rage would become even more frenzied.
Alleria had to use her dagger to decapitate these orc soldiers to keep them calm.
Compared to the rangers, Leylin's arcane magic was much more straightforward. Tearing these orc soldiers apart with arcane magic was far simpler than killing them with arrows.
Having broken through to another level of his magical comprehension, Leylin could unleash eight times the spellcasting power of his mastery. Simultaneously, he unleashed eight times the arcane energy blast, instantly blasting the thirty orc soldiers surrounding him into dust.
Leylin's first spellcasting revealed his position. Since the Horde entered Azeroth through the Dark Portal, their advance had rarely suffered large-scale setbacks.
However, in battle, what the orcs disliked most wasn't the human soldiers' priests, but the mages. These robed figures always attacked them with a special energy far more powerful and violent than orcish magic.
Therefore, whenever orc soldiers saw a mage, their target was undoubtedly the mage. The orc soldiers surrounded them from all sides; their objective was clear.
However, the orcs were clearly limited by their previous mindset. In previous battles, a human army would at most have one powerful mage, but this was Quel'Thalas. On this continent, the birthplace of magic, the cradle of mages.
As the orc soldiers closed in, a vast [Ring of Frost] spread out beneath their feet. The frigid frost slowed the orcs' blood flow. Nearly a third of the orcs were immobilized, and the ranger squad began their counterattack.
Having run out of magical arrows, they fought the orcs with golden bows and short daggers. In the face of direct combat, casualties were inevitable. As Leylin tore orc soldiers apart, he also witnessed orcs severing elf heads.
Leylin's senses were sharp, his nose tinged with the acrid stench of blood and burnt earth. The air was thick with the chaos of battle—clashing steel, roars of fury, and the distant thunder of orcish war cries.
His arcane energy surged through his veins, a restless current that fueled his relentless slaughter of the orc soldiers. Countless bodies lay fallen in his wake, yet the relentless howls and guttural shouts from the forest hinted that the fight was far from over.
He knew, with growing certainty, that the tide of the battle was turning against them. If the current momentum persisted, the ranger squad and perhaps all the elven forces would be annihilated here, in this scorched and bloodstained land.
Suddenly, a piercing cry cut through the chaos. "Retreat!" Alleria's voice rang out sharp and commanding, carried on the wind. Her high-pitched call was a signal that could not be ignored.
In unison, the entire elven army and those under Thalorien's command began to withdraw. The elves, wise and experienced, knew when to fight and when to retreat for the sake of survival.
They had seen the orcish onslaught and realized that, with their current strength, victory was impossible. Better to retreat and preserve their forces for another day.
As the elves withdrew, dark plumes of smoke billowed into the sky from the distant forest. The Horde's brutal strategy was clear: they had set the land ablaze to deny the elves any sanctuary, to destroy the very home of the creatures they sought to vanquish.
The flames licked the sky, casting an ominous glow over the battlefield, a harbinger of the devastation wrought upon this once-pristine land—a land now scarred by fire, blood, and war.