"Glory match, one-on-one, do you dare!" Arthas raised his blood-stained longsword and said to the orc, his tone calm; there was no turning back for him now. Hoo!
Firehowl Kabath's nostrils flared with fury, his rage nearly palpable. While surprised that the other spoke Orcish, he couldn't help but respect such courage. "Human, you are brave, I accept. Blood and glory! I will twist your head off!"
"Ha, but first, I have a request," Arthas replied with a cold smirk, using the moment to regain his strength.
"Speak!" Firehowl, expecting Arthas's demise, showed respect even though his opponent seemed somewhat weak.
"Bring in the assassins sent here; I want to duel them one-on-one, I want to take on ten! The last one standing will be you! Are you daring enough, glorious Orc!" Arthas's words sounded akin to a kung fu master declaring he would take on ten opponents at once.
Hoo! Firehowl stared at Arthas, unsure of what trickery was afoot, as this approach seemed like deliberate provocation! If this were a martial arts school, it would feel like an invasion! In the face of absolute strength, he felt no fear.
With a whistle, the air nearby distorted, and nine Orc blade masters appeared before him. "One-on-one, take him down, who's up first!" One Orc blade master holding a longsword dashed out, his eyes blood-red, clearly under the influence of demonic blood and fury.
Before his feet arrived, the chilling edge of the blade already posed a lethal threat. Arthas held up his shield; his insistence on a one-on-one duel was to buy time to complete his mission, or at the very least, to delay for reinforcements. Aurelia and Onyxia wanted to rush over, but the sudden emergence of the Orc forces entangled them, forcing them to continue fighting and evade. Onyxia consistently unleashed spells, her eyes flickering with unreadable thoughts.
Ding! The blade master's sword aimed precisely for Arthas's head, yet he felt an overwhelming sensation that there was no escaping it. The shield barely blocked the attack, but a moment later, he was slashed across the leg; though the wound wasn't deep, the sheer speed of the attack was impossible to counter, though he could just barely see the trajectory.
"Ah!" Arthas charged forward; the Orc blade master's sword pierced his lower abdomen, while his own sword also breached the blade master's heart.
Pfff! The Orc blade master's scarlet, crazed eyes revealed a hint of fear; they were trading deaths! With a look of disbelief, he fell limp. Arthas used the Light to staunch his bleeding, reducing his health to half. A ray of holy light descended, merging with the ground, creating a sanctified area that provided continuous healing.
He beckoned the remaining Orcs, saying in Orcish, "Next!"
"Seeking death!" Infuriated, the Orc blade masters charged forward, each a skilled warrior capable of taking on the role of an instructor in their clans. Had they not been organized for an assassination mission, they would never act this way in unison.
Orgrim's goal was to eliminate Arthas, the sole prince of Lordaeron. This way, the human kingdom would descend into disarray, and a fragmented alliance would be unable to prevent the Horde's advance! One must admit this Orc had strategic insight, but assassination was a dishonorable tactic.
Originally, he intended to set up an ambush for Arthas, to eliminate him. However, Gul'dan secretly arranged for a unholy assassination, also to steer away the spies monitoring him. By unfortunate coincidence, it turned into an assassination; such tactics carried a disgrace among Orcs, who revered one-on-one, glorious duels—strength and glory went hand in hand.
Arthas utilized the tactic of trading injury for life, using his wounds to strike down the agile Orc blade masters in a single blow. The fights devolved into chaotic scrambles, eschewing any semblance of standard combat for the disorder of street fighting.
The Hammer of the Light could be thrown endlessly; as long as he had sufficient strength and stamina, he could accumulate holy energy to heal his injuries. Enduring continuous injuries, repairing, then suffering more wounds, this cycle was akin to tearing flesh apart and having it heal back, only to tear it anew. The process was excruciating, with immense mental pressure.
Hah! Arthas stabbed the last Orc blade master, his own blood gushing. His armor was soaked in blood, his gaze slightly dazed, one hand propping up the longsword, the other holding the shield. His injuries and the weight of the shield were unbearably heavy due to fatigue. Roar! Onyxia roared, and a dragon's cry echoed; she transformed into a massive black dragon, with the intricate patterns, extending close to twenty meters in length—quite considerable among the dragon race. Her stout tail swept across the Orc soldiers with a forceful sweep, shattering bones upon impact!
Bang! Onyxia took flight and landed beside Arthas, subtly shielding him from attacks from the Orcs before them.
"Ding, the Warchief's Hostility I (Chain Quest): You have been targeted by the Horde Warchief Orgrim. As the Prince of Lordaeron, you should not be on the battlefield; you have disrupted the Horde's plans, and now they have dispatched elite assassins to eliminate you. Deal with the incoming assassins, and strive to survive! Eliminate the Orc assassins"
"10/10, Quest Completed."
"Quest rewards are being distributed; extracting specialization rewards."
"Ding, gained Protection Specialization, Holy Shield."
"You are injured? Mortal bodies are too weak. I will assist you this time; remember to seek more energy to restore my strength." The slumbering Titan soul Eonar awoke at some unknown time, briefly reviving to grant some power before falling back into slumber.
"What is this!" The trembling Deathwing in the sky showed a look of astonishment; although Eonar's power flickered momentarily and was exceedingly frail, for the dragons, it was still enough to crush them. In that instant, he was knocked to the ground by the Blue Dragon King with a sweeping blow.