Colossal bat wings stretched over eight meters wide, a three-meter tower of armored muscle and malice, razor-sharp talons that could disembowel a horse, a withered human face that screamed "I've been dead for centuries," and twisted horns spiraling skyward like the devil's own crown—every horrifying detail proclaimed that Balnazzar was indeed a Lord of Dread.
On the ground lay the crumpled form of Antonidas.
Archmage Antonidas—the living legend who had filled the Guardian-shaped void in everyone's hearts with his sheer magical dominance. How in the frozen hells had he been murdered in complete silence and then replaced by this abomination?
The brutal revelation shattered every Dalaran mage's capacity for rational thought. A bone-deep terror seized them so completely that most stood with mouths agape in perfect horror... They desperately wanted to shriek their lungs out, but couldn't produce even the faintest whimper.
Only the most steel-nerved among them managed decisive action.
Mograine and Abendis's Paladins thundered forward at breakneck speed.
Kael'thas erupted in fury when his brain finally caught up, and suddenly mystical energy surged from his very core. It was some arcane technique completely beyond Duke's vast magical knowledge.
Whatever unholy sorcery it was, Balnazzar immediately convulsed and froze solid. Despite thrashing desperately against invisible bonds, the bastard couldn't budge a single muscle!
"Magnificent!" Duke and Mograine bellowed in perfect unison.
One more flash spell, or three more seconds of Mograine's charge, and they'd reach the Dreadlord to introduce him to the true meaning of terror.
At this pivotal moment, another earth-shattering betrayal unfolded.
The two forgettable Kirin Tor councilors whom Duke had completely ignored suddenly dropped their disguises.
Actually, calling it a disguise was generous—they were revealing their putrid souls!
Damned cultist scum!
The system AI's scanning capabilities were extraordinary. It could detect any non-human life form and sense hostile intentions with perfect accuracy. Unfortunately, it could never peer into the cesspit of a corrupted heart.
These were two spiritually bankrupt senators who craved immortality above all else, but they remained breathing humans—Archmage-level wizards wielding conventional magic.
They caught Duke completely off-guard with their opening assault.
The attack originated from a mage tower brimming with devastating magical power. As original masters of Dalaran, they commanded absolute control over the city's most formidable wizard tower. What descended from the purple tower's apex was an arcane tempest beyond mortal comprehension.
Countless energy beams resembling arcane missiles instantly wove together into a deadly net, creating an impenetrable barrier between Duke's group and the Dreadlord. If Duke hadn't already mastered the most advanced spatial magic and reduced his Flash distance at the critical instant, even someone of his staggering power would have been obliterated.
"Galatha! Fatid! You absolute bastards..." Kael'thas exploded with rage, his golden hair whipping wildly from fury and overwhelming arcane fluctuations, transforming him into a magnificent lion ready to devour his enemies.
"Hahahaha! We humans don't possess eternal lifespans like you privileged elves! Curse these damned racial limitations!" Councilor Galatha had reached sixty years—practically ancient by human standards of this era.
"Killing us accomplishes nothing. We've already surrendered our souls to His Majesty the Lich King!" His companion faced similar circumstances. He'd dedicated his entire existence to achieving Grand Magus status.
Their bitterness and resentment, combined with monumentally inflated ambitions, had dragged them into damnation's embrace.
Meanwhile, the Dreadlord Balnazzar, having regained his composure, unleashed maniacal laughter: "Excellent, excellent! Edmund Duke, you truly are humanity's greatest champion. You actually discovered our machinations in advance. But what difference does it make? Everything ends here——"
Ominous circles of darkness materialized across Dalaran Square's marble stones, and the entire plaza vibrated ominously, as if something monstrous was preparing to erupt from the depths.
The mages and apprentices near the square initially retreated in terror, but mage apprentices were the most insufferably curious creatures in existence. Relying on senior mages' protective shields, they actually craned their necks forward, determined to witness the approaching catastrophe firsthand.
"You brain-dead morons! Evacuate the city! Rally with the army!" Duke's magically amplified roar finally penetrated their thick skulls. They began retreating while screaming—though "fleeing in absolute panic" described it more accurately.
Then countless portals blazed to life behind the Dreadlord, and floating liches emerged from dimensional rifts one by one, followed by gargoyles diving from the distant heavens, crypt fiends bursting through ground portals, and zombies plus skeletons flooding from Dalaran's cellars.
Massive floor tiles exploded upward as colossal dragon skeletons began clawing their way from the earth. They roared soundlessly, their skeletal heads emerging first...
Except Dalaran's foundations proved annoyingly solid, making their emergence look pathetically difficult.
Duke's face drained of all color instantly.
He'd been so obsessed with warning Malygos about Sindragosa that he'd completely forgotten about the hundreds of dragon corpses stored in Dalaran. He and Antonidas had collected them together from Alterac's ruined capital at Broken Ridge!
Obviously, Dalaran had invested enormous resources to transport every dragon corpse, hide, and bone to the city's underground vaults.
"Shit!" This time, even Duke couldn't suppress his profanity.
Duke could easily envision that within minutes, Dalaran's sky would be swarming with accursed bone dragons. At that moment, the city's population would learn the true meaning of "blotting out the sun."
Screams erupted everywhere as panic spread like wildfire.
Remaining here to battle the Scourge would be pure suicide.
Even worse, Kael'thas delivered devastating news: "Duke! We're doomed! Taranistrasz's remains are stored in the vaults beneath Dalaran!"
Ten thousand curses thundered through Duke's mind simultaneously.
Damn it all—Taranistrasz was an ancient dragon! If transformed into a bone dragon, he'd become a nightmare rivaling Sindragosa herself.
With so many apocalyptic threats, what was the point of fighting?
Duke reached his decision instantly.
"RETREAT——" Duke's command echoed across the entire plaza.
"Hahahaha! Do you believe escape is possible? Leave your pathetic lives here and serve His Majesty the Lich King as eternal slaves!" The two fallen Kirin Tor councilors cackled with glee.
Duke's eyes became lethal blades as he spoke with arctic coldness: "Fools! Don't dare compare me to worthless scum like yourselves!"
Around Duke, countless magical halos suddenly blazed into existence. They were hundreds of dimensional gateways connecting directly to the elemental planes.
"Impossible!" Terror, in turn, seized the councilors' black hearts completely.