Unlike the Zul'Drak battlefield, where defensive lines were being meticulously arranged, the conflict in Grizzly Hills was far more explosive.
Upon receiving Andreas's command, Nawaz immediately led the fully prepared main force across the river to launch a proactive strike.
Chimaeras clad in magitech armor were the first to roar as they soared over the Blackwater River. The military commanders of the Vrykul had not expected the Night Elves to take the initiative, and the reaction speed of their Proto-Drake riders was noticeably sluggish.
Vrykul Rune-casters traced runes in the air, chanting incantations to unleash spells like fireballs and frost bolts at the Chimaeras in the sky.
The magitech armor worn by the Chimaeras was specially customized by the Weapon Research Department. To protect these precious, heavy aerial mounts, the cost of their armor was immense.
As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. The magitech-clad Chimaeras possessed excellent resistance to both physical and magical attacks; spells of insufficient power were simply ignored by them.
The riders atop the Chimaeras quickly retaliated against the Vrykul casters below. The Rangers' precision magitech arrows easily pierced the runic defenses, pinning the incredulous spellcasters to the ground.
In the eyes of the Vrykul, though the Night Elves were well-proportioned, they appeared much frailer by comparison. Logically, an enemy's arrow should not have been able to penetrate a Rune-caster's defensive spells.
Yet, the reality was quite different. The longbows held by every Ranger flowed with magical light. Arrows fired from magitech bows possessed far greater piercing power, and the overconfident Vrykul suffered heavy losses in this wave of aerial strikes.
By the time the Proto-Drake riders took to the sky, the Vrykul caster corps had already been severely battered, unable to organize a decent magical counter-attack in the short term.
At this moment, the Night Elves' Arcane Golems began to surge into the battlefield. The air-combat model, the "Wings of Elune," targeted the Proto-Drake riders specifically, causing trouble for the riders on the dragons' backs or using energy-light wings to shred the drakes' wings, sending them plummeting from the sky.
Due to the complex terrain of the hills, heavy Arcane Golems were not convenient to deploy here. The first to wade through the water and attack the Vrykul camp was a group of standard-model Arcane Golems whose movements were not unlike those of humans—the "Fists of Elune."
Compared to the "Radiance of Elune," these improved standard models had lower power output and less mobility than the "Wings of Elune," but their balance across all aspects was the best among the three types of golems.
Most of the Fists of Elune did not carry weapons. These autonomous golems, taller than the Vrykul, charged into the enemy ranks, using mechanical fists to strike the Vrykul with immense force. A single hit was enough to make a Vrykul curl up like a northern shrimp.
The Night Elf spellcaster units stationed in the rear also began to show their might. A barrage of Starshards and Meteor Showers, jointly cast by a large number of Arcanists, fell behind the enemy lines, and the heavily damaged Rune-casters were powerless to stop them.
However, the Vrykul still held a numerical advantage. Localized setbacks were not yet enough to cause a total collapse of their lines.
...
The situation on the Voldrun front fell into a stalemate, just as Andreas had expected.
Neither side could gain the upper hand for the time being. The Night Elves possessed more powerful war machines, while the brave and battle-hardened Vrykul had Gjalerbron as their support. For over a year, they showed no signs of clear defeat.
Just as the combatants had grown accustomed to the daily skirmishes in the Grizzly Hills, the Night Elf Republic's Second Fleet, anchored at Venture Bay, finally began its secret operation.
Relying on detailed nautical charts provided by the Tuskarr, the fleet silently bypassed the countless reefs and icebergs east of Venture Bay, sailing south to enter the offshore waters of Howling Fjord.
The fleet docked along the northwestern coast of Howling Fjord. The ready-to-go Marines marched in silence, sneaking behind Voldrun to strike directly at the Dragonflayer Vrykul's sleeping grounds—Gjalerbron.
Due to the continuous pressure on the front lines since the war began, the warriors awakened in batches at Gjalerbron had all been sent to Voldrun as reinforcements. The hollowed-out rear of Gjalerbron had not expected the Night Elves to have the capacity to transport a strike force by sea.
By the time the Vrykul fortress of Skorn, located south of Winterhoof Lake, received the emergency alarm from Gjalerbron and rushed to help, everything was already settled.
Under-manned, Gjalerbron was easily breached by the Marines. The Night Elf strike team planted magitech bombs throughout the site. The reinforcements from Skorn were still on the road when they saw wild arcane energy erupting into the sky.
The massive sleeping ground of the Dragonflayer Vrykul, Gjalerbron, was completely finished.
The destruction of Gjalerbron stunned the Vrykul still fighting on the Voldrun front.
With a powerful enemy in front and their home base destroyed, even the fierce Vrykul began to panic.
Just as Nawaz thought the Vrykul morale had collapsed and prepared to launch an all-out attack, the worst-case scenario Andreas had anticipated occurred.
The god worshipped by the Dragonflayer Vrykul, one of the Titanic Watchers assigned to Azeroth, Loken, the King of Wisdom, descended upon the front line.
Like Thorim, the King of Storms, this King of Wisdom wielded lightning. A bolt of golden lightning tore through the sky and descended upon the precarious Voldrun. Without a word, he dismantled over a dozen "Fists of Elune" Arcane Golems that had been pushing forward.
The powerful lightning overloaded the energy cores within the Arcane Golems, rendering them scrap. Seeing the turn of events, Nawaz immediately called off the attack, leaving twenty or so Arcane Golems to cover the retreat as the Night Elf army slowly pulled back from the front.
Golden thunder sparkled in Loken's eyes as he watched the orderly retreat of the Night Elves with amusement.
"I am the Titanic Watcher Loken. For mere mortals to dare offend my kin... are you prepared to face divine punishment?"
...
"Tch..."
Andreas winced at the cost. While Loken's entry was somewhat unexpected, it wasn't entirely unplanned for.
The loss of nearly a hundred Arcane Golems was indeed a heavy blow. These golems, made from precious minerals and reinforced over years by enchanters, were incredibly expensive to manufacture.
However, Andreas did not intend to blame Nawaz for his decision. No matter how many expensive golems were destroyed, they could not compare to the value of a life.
The low birth rate of the Night Elf race meant that every soldier was a precious treasure. Andreas would rather trade Arcane Golems for the survival of his soldiers.
"Sigh..."
Long-lived races really can't afford to lose people.
Massaging his temples in frustration, Andreas felt envious of the explosive reproductive capabilities of Humans and Orcs for the first time.
Celeste stood behind Andreas, thoughtfully massaging his aching temples.
"Uncle Andreas, have you thought of how to deal with Loken?"
Loken was a Titanic Watcher. Falling and siding with Yogg-Saron had not diminished his combat abilities.
Although he was weaker in combat compared to generals like Odyn and Thorim—being the "King of Wisdom" who preferred intellect—he was still a Watcher. For mortals to defeat him would undoubtedly be extremely difficult.
Andreas frowned in thought. "Although I anticipated it, I didn't think Loken would actually cast aside his dignity to participate in a mortal war."
"However, this is also an opportunity. I've been wanting to take down this lapdog of Yogg-Saron for a long time."
"Celeste, go and notify the Dragonflight. Although the hope is slim, I want to see if we can persuade them to take action against Loken."