On a small hill behind the Drakkari troll defensive line, Kilson watched as a Night Elf suddenly appeared in front of that strong, ornately decorated gray-furred Furbolg.
Though he didn't know what Ursoc's Paw was shouting in such a frustrated rage, it was clear from the Night Elf's poised demeanor and the Great Chieftain's restless expression that something unfavorable to the Furbolgs was happening.
"It looks like there's still a chance for the tide of battle to turn."
Having led his troops out in haste—and not having his own direct subordinates at hand—Kilson had found it extremely difficult to withstand the onslaught of Furbolgs supported by spellcaster units.
If reinforcements hadn't arrived, he predicted he could only have bought Akali another half hour at most.
However, with the appearance of that Night Elf, the battle—which had seemed like a foregone conclusion—began to shift once more.
...
"Hehe~ why so nervous, Great Chieftain Ursoc's Paw?"
Andreas looked at the cold sweat dripping from the chieftain's brow with a smile. "Is it because of a guilty conscience? Are you afraid of Ursoc's wrath and punishment?"
"Shut up!"
A sharp killing intent flashed in the chieftain's eyes. He warned in a low voice, "I don't care what you think you know, you'd better keep your mouth shut, otherwise..."
"Otherwise?"
Andreas's voice suddenly rang out from behind the chieftain, yet he himself remained standing in place with a smile, not having moved an inch.
The panic in the chieftain's heart grew heavier. He tried to suppress his alarm and said deeply, "Still trying to confuse me with illusions? It won't be that eas—"
"Illusions?"
The voice rang out again from the chieftain's left. The Furbolg Great Chieftain hurriedly turned to face the source of the sound.
The smile on Andreas's face deepened. "Chieftain, where are you looking? I've been standing right here the whole time."
Seeing the panic that the chieftain could no longer hide, Andreas knew the timing was right.
What he was using on the chieftain was indeed not an illusion, but a mental spell that directly affected the soul through shadow magic.
Andreas hadn't opened his mouth since the meeting began; he was transmitting his thoughts directly into the chieftain's soul. He owed the application of this shadow magic to Elune's repeated attempts to peer into his surface memories.
To prevent Elune from easily learning his thoughts, Andreas had spent a long time researching how to close off his mind so his shallow surface thoughts wouldn't leak out.
During this research, Andreas had made some unexpected discoveries, such as the Soul Induction technique he was now testing on the chieftain.
In the eyes of others, Andreas was just standing there smiling without moving, while the Great Chieftain was acting like a madman, dancing around and talking to himself.
As Andreas's induction deepened, the chieftain began to "self-explode," revealing secrets that were never meant for outside ears.
From the chieftain's perspective, there wasn't a soul within dozens of meters of him and Andreas. In reality, however, his personal guard was standing right beside him, and the shamans nearby were also paying close attention to Andreas.
Because Andreas hadn't moved from the start, the guards and shamans couldn't gauge his background. Meanwhile, their own Chieftain seemed to have been triggered by something and was incessantly exposing hidden information in a rambling monologue.
"What do you know? Do you know how hard I've worked?"
The chieftain roared angrily, "The Furbolgs are struggling to survive between the Vrykul and the Trolls! Without a powerful deterrent, we would have been dragged down by the threats on both fronts sooner or later! Everything I did was for the Furbolgs!"
The Andreas in the chieftain's vision shrugged. "So you plotted to seize the power of Ursol and Ursoc, trying to create puppet bodies to trap their souls so their power could be used by you? You call that for the good of the tribe? It was for yourself, wasn't it?"
"It was a necessary sacrifice! Once their power is acquired, the Furbolgs will rise in Northrend, and I will become the immortal Eternal King of the Furbolg race!"
"Hehe~ Hahaha! Quite the logic, I have to admire it!"
"Your thoughts have been truly conveyed to your subordinates. However... they don't seem to agree with your despicable methods."
Andreas clapped happily for the chieftain. As the chieftain finished his roar, he suddenly realized he was surrounded by over a hundred personal guards, all looking at him with complex expressions of shock and disappointment.
The chieftain's heart trembled, and he swallowed hard. He finally realized he had fallen into a trap.
...
By the time Leticia arrived with the offspring of the Great Bear Demi-god, the chieftain had already been tied up by the angry followers of the Demi-god.
He was in a daze, seemingly not yet recovered from Andreas's Soul Induction, muttering to himself.
"Immortal King... leading the Furbolgs to the peak... all mortals and demi-gods will bow at my feet..."
Leticia's head was full of question marks as she turned to Andreas for an explanation.
Curling his lip, Andreas complained dismissively, "He has the ambition of Lei Shen, but unfortunately lacks the courage and strength. Destined to have a heart higher than the sky but a fate as thin as paper."
Since Leticia had arrived with the four Great Bears, it meant the situation on the front lines was largely settled.
...
Through Leticia's description, Andreas learned of the battlefield's status.
The chieftains of the various Furbolg clans had grown increasingly furious under the appeals of the Demi-god's offspring. They finally couldn't help but burst into the main camp, only to find it empty.
Celeste took the opportunity to "persuade" the Furbolg chieftains using the rhetoric Andreas had taught her.
The chieftain, for his own selfish gain, had imprisoned Ursol's soul and the Demi-god's offspring, sending their direct forces to the front to die while he planned to slip away and harvest the fruits of victory.
The already furious Furbolg chieftains, upon receiving confirmation from Ursoc and the other bears, quit on the spot.
Leaving a small force to guard the rear, the Furbolg army slowly withdrew from the battlefield.
Although the Drakkari had held the Gate of Drak'Athor, their eastern wall had been breached. With the Furbolgs still maintaining significant fighting strength, the Trolls didn't dare to rashly pursue the retreating army.
Both sides exercised restraint, and the war ended in a somewhat anticlimactic fashion.
The Trolls had protected the Snow Leopard Akali, but with the eastern wall broken, they had to find a way to repair it immediately. Moreover, they now had to guard against the suddenly rising Night Elves in addition to the Furbolgs; they likely wouldn't be able to expand outward for a long time.
The Furbolgs had fought too hard in this war, suffering heavy casualties. Furthermore, the chieftain's deception had been exposed. The released soul of Ursol angrily ordered his execution on the spot. The Furbolgs would inevitably face a power reshuffle and would have no time for external affairs.
With the external pressure on both sides relieved, Nawaz left 30,000 slower-moving garrison troops to hold Drak'Tharon Keep and personally led the main army south to support the besieged Venture Bay.
Coincidentally, the Second Fleet finally passed through the difficult channel outside Venture Bay. A grand array of warships lined up at the port, and the newly equipped magic cannons immediately opened fire on the Vrykul encirclement.
Under the multi-party joint strike, the Vrykul—who couldn't make head or tail of the changes in the Grizzly Hills—fled back to Voldrune in disgrace. This village, which had held an absolute advantage, was now surrounded by the arriving main force of the Night Elves.
General Summer Moon stood atop the newly completed lighthouse at Venture Bay, looking toward the now-surrounded Voldrune with a satisfied sneer.
"Hmph~ Let these barbarians learn what it means for the tables to turn."