Under Malfurion's frantic manipulation, the fury of Nature continued to blast Mannoroth with high intensity. However, after enduring the initial struggle, the thick-skinned Pit Lord surprisingly began to adapt to the unending barrage of lightning.
Malfurion was among the very pinnacle of mortals, but he was still a mortal, bound by the limits of his own capabilities. Even the demigod Cenarius, whose offensive power was relatively weaker, could not effectively pierce Mannoroth's defenses; naturally, Malfurion couldn't either. He could only temporarily restrain the Pit Lord's movements.
Once Mannoroth grew accustomed to the electrical harassment, his irritation peaked. Ignoring the bolts striking him, he charged toward Malfurion, braving the risk of further injury.
"Insects who only know trivial tricks! Face the mighty Mannoroth!"
The massive twin-headed spear lunged toward Malfurion's head. At the critical second, Illidan suddenly appeared before his brother, raising the Twin Blades of Azzinoth to barely deflect Mannoroth's strike with every ounce of his strength.
The Pit Lord's monstrous strength was more than the agility-focused Illidan could handle. At the moment of impact, Illidan's arms buckled; the sheer force transmitted through the spear slammed into his internal organs, forcing him to cough up a mouthful of blood.
The resolute Demon Hunter gritted his teeth, holding firm against Mannoroth while shouting at the stunned Malfurion behind him, "Stop dazing! Your spells aren't working—get out of the way!"
Boom!
Wrenching the force aside, Illidan guided Mannoroth's spear to the ground. Clouds of dust billowed up from the massive roar of the spear hitting the earth.
"Scorching Ray!"
Rhonin pointed his staff at Mannoroth's head, and a thick, crimson beam of light shot directly from the gemstone atop the staff.
"Aaargh!"
The eyes, ears, nose, and mouth of any creature are its weak points. Rhonin, who had studied Pit Lords, landed a direct hit. Although he didn't completely blind Mannoroth, the demon's left eye was temporarily rendered useless.
"You wretched mortal!!"
The heavy twin-headed spear swept across in a horizontal arc, a massive green half-moon ripple of energy expanding with Mannoroth's swing. The battle-hardened Rhonin and Krasus blinked away at the last possible moment before the spear reached them, causing Mannoroth's attack to hit nothing but air.
"Krasus."
A voice speaking through gritted teeth suddenly sounded from behind the red dragon disguised as a High Elf. As Krasus turned back in confusion, the Dragon Soul was suddenly shoved into his arms by Tyrande as if it were a piece of trash.
"It's on you now."
What do you mean 'it's on me'...?
Krasus watched wordlessly as Tyrande stomped away in a rage. Seeing the Dragon Soul change hands again, the Eredar immediately shifted their focus. Krasus had to snap his attention back instantly.
Having lost the Dragon Soul, Andreas was no longer the primary target for the demons. He was currently standing with his eyes tightly shut, concentrating all his effort on attempting to control the surging Shadow energy within the Tears of Elune.
Having absorbed a vast amount of Shadow power, the Tears of Elune had turned from its original pale blue to a deep violet-black. Its size had also expanded rapidly from a mere pendant to a gargantuan gemstone nearly a meter tall, floating directly in front of Andreas.
"Is that about enough? Don't say I didn't warn you—if you keep funneling energy, your mortal frame will eventually give out."
Andreas replied to Xal'atath with a bitter smile, "That's not for me to decide. It depends on when the Tears of Elune is 'full' or when it stops the suction itself. No wonder High Priestess Dejahna was so severely overextended after using it..."
"Hmm?"
At that moment, Andreas suddenly felt another stream of energy entering the Tears of Elune, which was already filled with pure Shadow power. Miraculously, this new energy was not rejected by the Pillar of Creation.
Opening his eyes, he saw a fuming Tyrande standing opposite him, one hand pressed against the enlarged Tears of Elune. Moon-white energy was being funneled into the gem from her side.
"Heh~" Andreas was already extremely weak due to the massive energy loss, but his tongue remained sharp. He teased Tyrande, "Priestess Whisperwind, the 'soon-to-be' High Priestess—you finally decided to stand forth? I thought you couldn't bear to let go of that supreme divine authority you just got your hands on."
"Shut up!" Tyrande interrupted Andreas's mockery, her anger flaring. "Don't take me for a coward who fears death, I just..."
"Yes, yes~" Andreas waved his free left hand dismissively. "It's just the subconscious instinct of a sentient being to seek advantage and avoid harm. I get it. You're not afraid of dying."
Under Andreas's repeated sarcasm, Tyrande finally snapped. "What kind of grudge do you have against me?! Can you not speak like a normal person for once?"
Since they couldn't move anyway until the Tears of Elune was fully charged, Andreas simply continued to bicker with Tyrande on the battlefield out of boredom.
"Do you have the right to criticize me? I took a huge risk to save Her Soon-To-Be High Priestess-ship from under Vashj's skirt. And how did you treat me? You've been giving me the cold shoulder ever since!"
"What do you mean 'under her skirt'?! Vashj was trying to kill me! How can your mind be so filthy!"
"Um..." Rhonin, his mana depleted and looking rather pained, interrupted their argument. "Sorry to bother you." Pointing to the defensive line behind them that was about to be breached, Rhonin said with a wry smile, "If we don't think of something soon, Broxigar's sacrifice might be in vain."
Both Andreas and Tyrande were deathly pale. If they hadn't been leaning against the Tears of Elune, they probably wouldn't even be able to stand, having only the strength left to bicker.
Fortunately, as Tyrande's moonlight energy poured in, the two opposing energies within the Tears of Elune reached a delicate balance, and it finally stopped draining them.
Phew~
Andreas felt a surge of relief. After Xal'atath begrudgingly funneled a small amount of her secretly stored energy to him, he exerted his final strength to control the Tears of Elune, making it float into the sky.
Losing her support, Tyrande swayed and was about to collapse. Andreas timely used the Staff of G'Hanir to "gentlemanly" prop up her body.
"Don't go falling into my arms now; my mentor is watching right there."
Tyrande was too exhausted to stay angry. She gave an annoyed and weak roll of her eyes. "You foul-mouthed brat... one day I'll teach you what respect for your elders means."
Ignoring Tyrande's threat, Andreas activated the Tears of Elune. The violet-black and moon-white colors gradually mixed and blurred together within the gem, turning into a gray hue approaching pure Chaos.
This isn't scientific... why do purple and white turn into gray when mixed?
But discussing science in a world of magic and gods was a fool's errand. Andreas took a moment to complain internally before watching the Tears of Elune spin and rise into the sky.
The dark gray gemstone hovered in mid-air. Under the expectant gazes of Tyrande and Andreas, the artifact remained unresponsive for several seconds. Just as they thought the artifact had malfunctioned, a pillar of pure energy erupted from the tip of the Tears of Elune, shooting straight into the heavens.
The dark clouds summoned by Malfurion were pierced by the light, and the crescent moon reappeared before the eyes of the world. Moments later, countless translucent orbs of energy began to fall rapidly like a meteor shower, blanketing the area near the Well of Eternity.
"What is this?"
Mannoroth, who had just beaten Illidan and Malfurion to the ground, swung his twin-headed spear carelessly, attempting to swat away the gray meteors heading for him.
Then, the unexpected happened. Mannoroth's Fel-reinforced spear behaved as if it had encountered a creator's eraser. The tip of the spear that made contact with a gray meteor suddenly vanished. The meteor continued its trajectory without slowing down and slammed into the right side of Mannoroth's body. The same thing happened again.
"What... is this?!"
Having lost half his body and unable to maintain his balance, Mannoroth shouted the same words again, but unlike his previous indifference, his voice was now filled with terror and confusion toward the unknown.
Mannoroth, missing his two right support legs, collapsed to the ground in a panic. The silhouette of Illidan, leaping high with his twin blades gripped tight, happened to obscure Mannoroth's final expression of despair.
Andreas curled his lip helplessly.
What a kill-stealer...