Mannoroth's final scream before death echoed through the heavens.
Pit Lords often trigger massive Fel explosions upon death, but Mannoroth, whose head had been severed by Illidan, made no extra movement. The moment that ugly, massive head hit the ground, all signs of life vanished.
The gray meteor shower falling from the sky seemed to possess a will of its own, specifically seeking out areas where demons clustered. The soldiers of the resistance stood dazed, watching their enemies suddenly vanish before their eyes, unable to process the scene for a long time.
The three Fel warships in the sky, which had been reduced to floating coffins by the Dragonflight, were also primary targets of the devastation. Since their core control rooms had remained intact, the three ships had been hovering above the battlefield, serving as launch platforms for the demon air force. Under the violent impact of the gray meteors, the structurally compromised Fel warships finally began to plummet toward the ground.
The meteor shower's sweep lasted only a few minutes, clearing every demon near the Well of Eternity. The energy released by the artifact seemed to be exhausted at this point. The pillar of light shooting into the sky vanished, and the Tears of Elune, hovering in mid-air, rapidly shrank.
Ting.
The Tears of Elune, returned to the size of a brooch, hit the ground with a crisp sound.
The exhausted Tyrande tried to reach out to reclaim it, but she clearly overestimated her physical condition. Her attempt to bend over nearly sent her headfirst onto the ground. Ultimately, the gemstone was picked up by Andreas, who had finally managed to recover a bit of strength.
Seeing Tyrande's glaring eyes, Andreas whistled and turned his head, pretending not to see.
I looted it, so it's mine. Don't even think about getting it back.
Mannoroth was dead, and the Eredar Honor Guard sent by Archimonde was decimated. But before Andreas and the others could breathe a sigh of relief, the portal—which had temporarily steadied after Broxigar jumped in—began to fluctuate violently once more.
This time, the disturbance was even more intense. A terrifying sense of pressure radiated from the other side of the portal, as if something was on the verge of emerging.
Andreas gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand. "Mentor!"
Having used their mortal bodies to forcibly stall Mannoroth, Illidan, Malfurion, and Rhonin were all severely injured. Krasus, who had served as the primary fire support in the latter half, had been directly hit by Mannoroth's twin-headed war spear. Had it not been for the legendary resilience of a dragon's body, Krasus likely would have been sliced in half on the spot.
Even so, the humanoid red dragon's injuries were grave. Rhonin, whose magic was nearly depleted, was pouring precious Dalaran-made alchemical potions into his mentor's mouth.
After gathering his remaining strength to decapitate Mannoroth, Illidan could no longer suppress the injuries sustained from tanking the Pit Lord's attacks. The Twin Blades of Azzinoth fell to the ground with a clang, and he slumped down awkwardly, unable to stand despite several attempts.
Malfurion was also badly hurt, but as a druid with some mana remaining, he could still cast spells on himself. He was effectively the only person left in relatively stable condition. Hearing Andreas's call, Malfurion dragged his heavy body, currently being mended by Rejuvenation, and limped toward the unconscious Krasus and Rhonin.
"Rhonin, give me the Dragon Soul."
Taking the small golden disc from Rhonin's weakened hands, Malfurion raised it over his head with great effort.
In the sky, the battle among the five Dragon Aspects had reached a clear conclusion. Although Neltharion's individual strength was superior, the four Dragon Kings had gained the upper hand in the grueling fight thanks to Malygos's suicidal, frenzied assaults.
The crude armor plates on Neltharion's body were dangling precariously under Malygos's frantic tearing. The last shred of reason in his mind told him that continuing to fight would likely result in his death. His obsession with the Dragon Soul prompted the fallen Black Dragon King to make one final gamble. Bracing himself against Alexstrasza's Flames of Life, he dove downward, his powerful wings beating in a burst of speed aimed directly at Malfurion.
At that exact moment, a massive, dark-red leg stepped out from the portal behind Neltharion. Based on the scale of the leg alone, its owner's height would perfectly match the size of the portal. As the lower leg entered, two large hands with sharp claws braced against the sides of the portal, seemingly trying to use brute force to expand its boundaries, though to no effect.
"Hmph!"
A displeased, majestic snort echoed from within the portal, followed by a massive head with curved horns peeking through.
"Sargeras..."
The iconic flaming beard allowed Andreas to recognize the identity instantly. The overwhelming pressure of the Fallen Titan caused an instinctive judgment to arise in everyone's hearts: he was unbeatable.
To pass through the portal into Azeroth, Sargeras had clearly shrunk his physical form, which also limited the ceiling of his power to some extent. As the Fallen Titan fully stepped out of the portal, a green corpse hanging from the tip of his sword came into view—Broxigar, still gripping his oak war axe.
To buy enough time for Azeroth, the orc hero had finally fulfilled his long-held wish, dying gloriously on the field of battle. His death was not in vain; a very clear scar remained on Sargeras's right thigh.
Malfurion suppressed the sorrow in his heart. As the Dragon Soul grew increasingly brilliant, he funneled all his remaining Nature energy into the wound on Sargeras's leg. Broxigar's oak axe had been personally blessed and crafted by the forest demigod Cenarius; anyone wounded by it would be left with a distinct mark of Nature.
Swinging his sword, Gorribal, Sargeras flung Broxigar's corpse away. Brimming with ambition, he prepared to begin his conquest of Azeroth.
"Hmm?"
Just as he was about to move forward, Sargeras paused for a split second. The sharp pain from his leg slowed his advance. That single moment of hesitation bought Malfurion the final window he needed. He shouted with the last of his strength:
"Get out of our world, Fallen Titan! Azeroth does not welcome you!"
Under Neltharion's terrified gaze, the Dragon Soul erupted with a golden pillar of light containing immense energy. At the final moment, Neltharion's intense survival instinct saved him. The moment the pillar was about to hit him, the fallen Black Dragon King folded his wings and tried to dive to avoid the impact.
However, his back was inevitably grazed by the light. The armor plates holding his body together were instantly melted. His body split open once more, and the new wound on his back caused Neltharion to let out a shrill, agonized wail. He lost control and plummeted, only managing to regain his balance just as he was about to fall into the Well of Eternity.
The immense sense of threat from behind meant Neltharion dared not linger. Amidst the angry roars of the four Dragon Aspects, he fled into the distance at high speed, letting out pained bellows all the way.
Having grazed Neltharion, the power of the Dragon Soul did not diminish in the slightest. Under Sargeras's gaze of shock and fury, the golden pillar slammed heavily into the Well of Eternity.
The entire continent of ancient Kalimdor was shaken by this strike. Every living soul on the continent could feel the intense vibration beneath their feet. The Well of Eternity, struck directly by the Dragon Soul, splashed massive amounts of Fel-tainted green water, each drop containing an abundance of energy beyond normal imagination.
Boom!
Seconds later, a violent explosion erupted from the bottom of the Well of Eternity, and the tremors across Kalimdor intensified.
Andreas stood up from the ground with trembling legs, using his staff to help the similarly weakened Tyrande up. Turning to look at Dath'Remar in the distance, who wore an expression of shock and suspicion, Andreas shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Dath'Remar! Forget those traitors! Get over here and get us out! The Well of Eternity is going to explode!"
Andreas's shout snapped Dath'Remar out of his stupor. He took one last glance at his former compatriots who had fought them to the end, then wordlessly led his team to Blink to the strike team's side.
Enduring the discomfort of no longer being able to draw mana from the Well, Dath'Remar led the defected Highborne in casting a small-scale teleportation circle, covering all the exhausted members of the strike team.
Before the teleportation triggered, Andreas playfully waved two fingers at the furious Sargeras.
"Goodbye, Sargeras. Let's see if our paths cross again in the future."