Clang!
As Andreas swung the Blade of the Black Empire, preparing to finish off Uldir, the tall Vrykul man suddenly snapped out of his state of terror. With great effort, he raised his battle-axe in his right hand to parry the blow.
His bloodshot eyes glared fiercely at Andreas. Forcing down the overwhelming tide of malevolent thoughts in his mind, Uldir roared, "Despicable sorcerer! Don't think you can make me yield! Get back!"
A massive force surged from the clashing weapons. Andreas used the momentum to leap backward, retreating over a dozen steps to dissipate the impact. He looked at Uldir, who had retrieved his axe and stood up again, with a hint of surprise.
"Oh? Unexpectedly strong willpower."
The Vrykul were generally straightforward thinkers. While this simple mindset often made them easy targets for strategists, from a certain perspective, such a linear neural circuit could, to some extent, mitigate the damage caused by mental attacks.
Huff... huff...
Taking several heavy, ragged breaths, Uldir stood tall once more amidst the cheers of the Vrykul.
The playful expression on Andreas's face gradually faded. "I admit I underestimated you. But in your current state, do you truly think you can defeat me?"
Uldir gritted his teeth savagely. "A Vrykul will never yield to mere sorcery! Again! I'll show you what a true warrior is!"
Swinging his twin axes, Uldir seemed to enter a state of berserker rage. He managed to shrug off the Mind Blasts and Mind Flays that Andreas unleashed in succession.
Andreas found this somewhat amusing. "A Nordic Berserker? The logic is that if you're already insane, you can't be affected by mental attacks?"
Xal'atath laughed gleefully. "Hahaha! Fascinating. As expected of those descended from the original Iron Titan-forged. This resistance to mental interference far exceeds that of other mortals."
Compared to humans, who had undergone more severe degeneration, Vrykul occasionally produced individuals who exhibited "atavism"—a biological throwback. Like rare individuals among the Dwarves, they could briefly regain their ancestral "Iron Body."
Uldir showed exactly this tendency. When the Blade of the Black Empire struck him, it produced the sound of metal clashing against metal, and much of the mental corruption carried by Xal'atath was neutralized.
In that case...
Andreas changed his strategy, shifting to direct Shadow magic offensive patterns.
"Shadow Claw."
Invisible claws raked across Uldir's body. Not a single drop of blood flowed from the deep gashes, further confirming Andreas's suspicion.
"Hah!"
In his frenzied state, Uldir ignored the damage to his body. He swung his axes wildly, pursuing Andreas with relentless strikes.
After Uldir's outburst, his attack power, defense, and agility had all significantly improved. The surrounding Vrykul saw a glimmer of hope for victory, and their screams and cheers were deafening.
On the Night Elf side, a ripple of anxiety began to spread, only quieting down under Nawaz's stern command.
The garrisons of Moonshadow's Rest and Risk Cove had undergone many rotations over the last 2,000 years. To ensure training for the younger generation, many of these defenders were new recruits who had only recently joined the military, relying on veterans to guide them.
Andreas's legendary military feats were mostly centered around the War of the Ancients and the Satyr War. To the newer generation, their impression of him was that of the Speaker—a civil official at the peak of his career. Having lived in peace for so long, few youngsters knew that Andreas himself possessed formidable combat prowess.
Nawaz had followed Andreas to Moonshadow's Rest since the days of his humble beginnings. Having risen to prominence through the Satyr War and the Tanaris campaign, he was now one of the most distinguished generals in the Night Elf Republic.
Nawaz knew his boss very well.
It was true that in recent years, Andreas spent most of his time on top-level administrative work. His combat skills had been honed to perfection long ago in the Moonshadow's Rest coliseum, and he rarely fought in public after leaving the city.
However, that didn't mean his combat ability had regressed. On the contrary, tempered by time, the Shadow energy within Andreas had continued to grow in both quality and quantity.
High-ranking officers like Nawaz and Shandris frequently visited the underground training grounds of the Moonshadow Manor to spar with Andreas. They knew better than anyone just how strong this seemingly "frail civil servant" actually was.
...
Andreas was indeed not giving his all. Facing a Vrykul with atavistic abilities for the first time, he wanted to see where Uldir's limit lay.
Although Uldir's attacks seemed ferocious, none of his axe combos managed to touch Andreas. Relying on his agile footwork and perfectly timed parries with his sword, Andreas ensured that while Uldir had immense strength, he had nowhere to land it.
As his rage climbed, Uldir's attack speed and power increased further.
But it was all in vain. An attack that doesn't hit the enemy is simply a waste of stamina.
Clink!
Once again, Andreas used the flat of his blade to slap the side of Uldir's axe, deflecting the blow. He now had a good grasp of the extent of Uldir's berserker buff.
Is this your limit?
A blade of light suddenly extended from the tip of the Staff of G'Hanir, startling the surrounding Vrykul. The cheering stopped abruptly.
Swish!
The horizontal slash of the light blade carved a long, deep wound across Uldir's right hand as he failed to dodge. Despite his metallic skin, no blood flowed from the hand.
Testing over. Andreas no longer allowed Uldir to dictate the pace. Using the light blade to force his opponent back, he leaped to the left to avoid Uldir's pursuit. A flash of moon-white light enveloped him, and he transformed into a majestic silver wolf.
In his wolf form, Andreas's movements became even more fluid. The moment his front paws touched the ground, he pivoted with explosive force, jumping to Uldir's right rear before the Vrykul could even turn around.
When Uldir clumsily turned his body, he was met by five sharp claws extending from soft pads.
Screech!
An ear-piercing sound of metal grinding against metal rang out as five claw marks were raked across Uldir's face.
Having taken a heavy blow to the head, Uldir's mind went completely blank for a moment.
Roar!
Immediately after the strike, the silver wolf shifted into a massive black bear. Seizing the moment of Uldir's disorientation, the bear reared up on its hind legs and slammed its front paws together in a "Double Peak Ear-Clap," striking both sides of Uldir's head with crushing force.
Even if his body was invulnerable after the iron transformation, Uldir finally rolled his eyes and fell unconscious when faced with this kind of concussive shock—akin to being struck on the head by heavy blunt weapons.
The battle ended. The scene was deathly silent. Both sides were stunned into silence by the rapid turn of events.
Clap, clap, clap...
Nawaz was the first to smile and applaud for Andreas. The other Night Elves quickly followed suit, while the Vrykul mostly wore expressions of disappointment and resentment.
However, Andreas had not used cheap tricks or underhanded tactics in this fight. A loss was a loss, and the straightforward Vrykul weren't so petty that they couldn't handle a defeat.
A Vrykul spellcaster draped in numerous rune stones stepped out from the crowd and ordered his subordinates to drag Uldir back.
"Powerful Night Elf, you have won. We will keep our promise and yield the territory between the two lakes. We shall meet again on the battlefield."
The defeated Vrykul had no heart for hollow threats, especially with Thorim watching them like a hawk from the side. They quickly retreated from Voldrun with low morale.
Nawaz, with great awareness, raised his hands high to stir the crowd's emotions. "Everyone! We have won! All hail Speaker Moonshadow!"
"Oh!"
"I didn't know Speaker Moonshadow was this strong!"
"Please give us guidance!"
"The Speaker is awesome!"
Andreas shook his head with a chuckle, pointing his finger at Nawaz from a distance. "I didn't expect that after thousands of years, even a guy as upright-looking as you has learned how to flatter like this."