Chapter 419: The Code

The mages of Dalaran ultimately failed to dispel the treachery spell.

The unfortunate mage, driven mad by the mental distortion, could hardly cast any powerful spells. His only attacks were wild flares of Fireballs, Arcane Missiles, and Frostbolts. 

For the other mages who were well-prepared, such assaults were merely tickles.

First came the Slow spell, followed by Web, and then Entangling Roots; soon, the unfortunate soul was tightly bound, his mouth stuffed to silence him.

It seemed like the trouble had been resolved.

However, how could Gul'dan leave such a significant flaw? Did he not know that this treachery spell would only cause minor inconveniences for his opponents?

The real trouble soon emerged.

The mages noticed that the unstable arcane energy within the subdued mage began to churn chaotically, and dark shadow energy surged uncontrollably, threatening to ignite at any moment.

Unbeknownst to him, he had become a massive living bomb…

Once it exploded, the mages might escape with spells like Blink and Magic Shield, but the entire tower would undoubtedly collapse, and the soldiers on the battlements, including King Llane, would be lucky to survive. 

Even if King Llane managed to escape thanks to the mages' assistance, the crumbling tower could no longer protect the military and civilians of Stormwind. The fall of Stormwind would be imminent.

"Is this the trap you prepared? As expected of you, Gul'dan, none of the bosses in the original text are simple." Alaric smirked coldly, "But it's alright; with me here, all your schemes will turn to dust."

With this thought, he began to communicate with the consciousness in his mind.

"Helena!"

"Understood!"

In an instant, his thoughts surged into hyperdrive.

With the acceleration of time distortion, his thought process reached an astounding speed of one hundred times normal.

In the blink of an eye, he cast several spells.

The Mirror Image spell created several copies of himself around him.

The Blink spell allowed him to instantly vanish from his original spot and reappear on the other side of the wall.

Then, he began casting spells on the impending "living bomb."

Just as he was casting, malevolent flames suddenly ignited his mirror images, shattering their energy forms into nothingness.

One, two, three…

Before long, all of his mirror images were consumed by the flames, save for one that managed to dispel the fire at the last moment and escape unscathed.

That surviving mirror image then became the target of Gul'dan's attacks, as dark shadow arrows were once again shot toward him.

Indeed, it was Helena who controlled Alaric's mirror image and extinguished the flames.

Meanwhile, Alaric used this time to accomplish several tasks.

He cast a small-scale Time Stop spell on the "living bomb," temporarily halting its time and pausing the process of its imminent explosion.

However, even a small-scale Time Stop couldn't last long.

During this time, Alaric did not attempt to dispel Gul'dan's magic or stabilize the magical energy of the "living bomb."

Under the effects of the Time Stop, he couldn't do that; while time was paused, it also interfered with the function of magic.

Nevertheless, he could still perform some rough actions, such as extracting the "living bomb's" magical energy.

Next, he infused the unstable arcane energy, imbued with shadows, into his remaining mirror image.

The "living bomb" was nearly drained of its magical energy, temporarily losing its ability to cast spells. However, at the same time, it also eliminated the possibility of it exploding.

The mirror image, now infused with unstable energy, became the new bomb.

Yet at that moment, this bomb was under Alaric's control.

While Alaric couldn't dictate the timing of the explosion, he could choose where to detonate it.

Before the explosion, Alaric maneuvered the mirror image forward with great effort, and under the effect of the acceleration spell, it soared above the orc army.

Finally, the unstable arcane energy detonated.

The tremendous explosion shook the battlefield like the collapse of the heavens, creating shockwaves in the air, sending countless orcs flying. 

Many were blasted into the sky, while others were buried beneath the fallen boulders.

One massive rock fell onto an ogre, breaking its spine as easily as snapping a small twig.

The onslaught initiated by Gul'dan was instantly thwarted, causing chaos among the orc ranks.

Gul'dan cast a deep glance at Alaric—perhaps two—and then retreated to the back, disgruntled.

He was not prepared to continue fighting, realizing that the opposing power was indeed on par with his own. 

Moreover, his supposedly brilliant strategy ended up harming his own side under the control of this opponent; once was enough to learn this lesson.

He firmly memorized Alaric's appearance, planning to settle the score next time they met.

Alaric and the other mages also tacitly ceased their actions.

Gul'dan, the powerful warlock, had indeed left a deep impression on them. With his formidable shadow magic, he had almost wiped them out single-handedly.

Thus, they chose to stop, avoiding mutual destruction.

For Alaric, whether to re-engage in battle against the orcs was no longer of significance.

He had completed his objectives, and the outcome of the war was already determined; there was no need for him to intervene further.

In the distance, reinforcements from the Blood Ring clan had arrived. Although few in number, the leader was not Kilrogg himself.

Chief Kilrogg was likely still with his main forces, recuperating in his camp, waiting until early tomorrow morning to participate in the siege.

For the Blood Ring clan, tomorrow morning would be the most suitable time for the attack.

After a night of fierce fighting, most of Stormwind's defenders were exhausted, while the forces of the Twilight Hammer had also been depleted in the siege. 

Striking now would allow them to capture Stormwind effortlessly—why not?

The reinforcements sent out now were merely a formality to placate Gul'dan.

Unfortunately, his calculations were made too early.

As the forces of the Blood Ring clan took over from the Twilight Hammer and began another wave of siege, King Llane's message reached Alaric.

"Master Sandor," a royal guard hurriedly ascended the battlements and said to Alaric, "King Llane has sent word that we can signal now."

"Tell him I understand." Alaric nodded and then raised his hand to cast a magical spark into the sky.

A white spark shot up, soaring high into the air before exploding.

Blue and white sparks scattered in all directions, illuminating the entire battlefield in an instant. Even the distant Elwynn Forest could see this massive display of fireworks.

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