Does the process matter? Do the means matter? It doesn't matter at all, as long as the result is correct, everything can be accepted.
Arthas does not consider himself evil; even if he is despicable, it doesn't matter. What matters is getting what he wants, the woman he has long desired. Other things are simply not important—light? Darkness? Justice? Evil? If it is beneficial to him, then he will use it!
The upper-class elven mages saw Arthas laughing maniacally, nearly causing them to lose their composure! Good heavens, facing death, he still laughed here, clearly mocking them! Especially under the queen's gaze, this ridicule was a mockery! Therefore, Arthas must die!
In fact, it was truly a misunderstanding, but it's a misunderstanding, so what? Arthas couldn't be bothered to explain. What's there to explain to an enemy, a bunch of mindless fans of Azshara?
At some point, Xavius, disguised as a night elf, appeared behind Azshara. He had originally been a night elf, just a night elf. However, he was transformed into a demon known as a Satyr after joining the Burning Legion, yet he still retained a few features of a night elf, and more of the unique attributes of a demon and goat hooves.
"What's the matter?" Azshara asked without turning her head, still maintaining her lofty demeanor, which was the same whether she was a Night Elf or a Naga.
"He instructs us to capture this person. He was brought in by Ysera, and he possesses a key that allows us to invade the Emerald Dream completely!" Xavius respectfully replied. He had fantasized about turning Azshara into his partner, but clearly, he could not overpower her; this thought had to be buried deeper.
"Understood," Azshara responded coolly. Even now, she would not yield to N'zoth; a person's nature is difficult to change—especially a woman like Azshara, who stands at the pinnacle. Now submerged at the bottom of the sea, she still remains the proudest.
Arthas had been gone for several days, during which the Red Dragonflight had conducted a brutal massacre of the orcs near Twilight Highlands, nearly destroying the Dragonmaw Clan. After killing the Dragonmaw Clan, who dared to enslave dragons, the Red Dragons did not pursue other orcs, as facing the full orc army might result in their own losses.
Thus, the Red Dragons withdrew and did not participate in the subsequent war. When Orgrim learned that Gul'dan had dispatched assassins, and they had failed, he angrily beat him up. Not liking Gul'dan to begin with, he wanted to sentence the orc warlock to death. However, the situation was already unfavorable; he needed Gul'dan's powers and more allies.
Engaging the human alliance in a valley battle was not an easy task; it was a protracted struggle. With the alliance's endless supply capabilities, defeating them head-on was extremely challenging.
Furthermore, the orcs were already showing signs of decline. The orcs who drank demon blood had indeed become more frenzied and combative, disregarding pain when wounded and continuing to fight, instilling fear in their enemies.
However, all of this was at the cost of overdrawn lives; power never appears out of thin air. The decline of the orc powers was still very slight, but Orgrim sensed it. Thus, eager to end the war quickly, he initially just wanted to stand firm here and slowly develop. But with the Stormwind Kingdom breached and King Varian dead, all of that became impossible. Humans would not allow orcs to develop in peace.
Therefore, a decisive battle was essential for them.
"Warchief, the troll leader Zul'jin has been rescued and is resting. Do you need to meet with them?" Marshal Eitrigg respectfully reported, not even lifting his eyelids at Gul'dan.
"Hmph, let them in," Orgrim grunted as he angrily threw Gul'dan to the ground.
"Immediately organize your clan to take the Highlands. If you can't take it, I'll execute you!"
"Yes, Warchief," Gul'dan appeared very sincere, not caring about the other's bad attitude. But the spiteful thoughts in his mind couldn't be easily voiced; smart people know when to be patient.
The Highlands is a critical corridor to the north, from here, one can reach the forest where the Amani trolls reside, which allows for a detour to assault the key city of the alliance, Lordaeron! If they can break through the defenses of Lordaeron, the Horde might achieve victory in the war.
This strategy, known as the decapitation tactic, is frequently used by orcs against the ogre tribes! Not long after, a one-armed troll wearing a mask walked in, his hair turned completely white, bearing the marks of hardship.
"Hello, Warchief, I am Zul'jin, the marshal of Zul'Aman. Thank you for rescuing me from the custody of humans. I hear you plan to cooperate with us? Let's stop the small talk. If you want trolls to join your Horde, you must help us attack Quel'Thalas."
"Oh, why?" Orgrim thought quickly while speaking, looking at the map and considering whether this battle was worthwhile for the orcs. After losing the Dragonmaw Clan's dragon riders, the Horde felt particularly passive against the dwarves' Gryphon Riders. The original wyverns could hardly compete with the gryphons. He had to strengthen the Horde's power and unite with any possible allies.
Humans and trolls cannot be considered friendly; they can even be said to be deadly enemies. Around 2800 years ago, trolls regained the upper hand in wars and began threatening the borders of the high elves and the southern human nomadic tribes. The third generation Sun King Anasterian Sunstrider allied with the newly formed human nation, the Arathor Empire, at the cost of teaching humans magic, and jointly launched a war against the Amani trolls, ultimately annihilating the Amani trolls' living forces at the foot of the Tarren Mill. This battle forced the Amani trolls into a primitive way of life; once they hit rock bottom, they could scarcely recover. For them to be on friendly terms with humans is simply absurd!
"Those knife-ears have occupied one of our Amani capitals, and we will never forget this hatred and humiliation. I noticed that there are many strong warriors in your Horde; if you go to the Amani Forest, there is a Storm Altar built by the high elves. If you're lucky, it can strengthen your soldiers." Zul'jin offered a great gift, one that Orgrim could not refuse!