Compared to Arthas's motley army, the troops of Silvermoon City were more aesthetically pleasing. Yes, that's all they were—aesthetically pleasing. They looked good but were useless, getting suppressed by the Orcs and Trolls. What was the use of such an army? None at all.
Today, the Horde was still frantically attacking the city. It seemed they knew Arthas was inside, so Orgrim himself had come to the front to oversee the battle. If he hadn't managed to talk Kargath down last night, the Horde might have fractured. Even so, Kargath was extremely distrustful of Orgrim, because the Horde was indeed declining bit by bit. The current Horde had no dignity, no sense of honor.
Samuro was a Blademaster of exceptional skill and a particularly formidable Orc. The Blademasters of the Burning Blade Clan possessed an extreme sense of honor, and now one of them had surrendered to the humans. This was a blow to Kargath's wavering resolve. Why would an honorable Orc Blademaster surrender?
Arthas took the field again today, but he didn't charge forward. He was a Paladin, not a reckless brute. He could at least see that the Horde was preparing a surprise for him! If he charged out like he did yesterday, his chances of survival would be slim.
The city walls were breached, and the two sides entered into street fighting. In these places where large formations couldn't be deployed, the Orcs actually had the advantage.
The sounds of battle cries, roars, and the miserable screams of the dying filled the air. The High Elves fought with their hands tied, while the Lordaeron Expeditionary Force fought with exceptional ferocity, trading wounds for lives. As long as they didn't die, they could be pulled back. The potential of almost every soldier was squeezed to its absolute limit.
Marlene tried a new tactic. She had the surrendered Orc soldiers disarmed and tied together in pairs, making them hold up shields for defense while human soldiers were responsible for delivering the finishing blows, thrusting their long spears through the gaps in the shields.
The heavy blows of the Horde Orcs would numb a human's arm even when blocked by a shield, so using Orcs to hold the shields was a very wise choice. Orcs had high endurance and weren't afraid of being hacked at. They could block casually with the shields, and since they had no weapons and were chained in pairs, they couldn't desert.
The Gnolls continued to provide support on the flanks, using their high mobility to harass the Orcs. They lacked the Worgen's ferocity, but they were not to be underestimated. Each time, they would kill a few Orcs and then flee in a flash. If pursued, they kept running; if not, they would circle back and continue to harass, killing an Orc whenever they got the chance, biting through their necks before immediately escaping.
They would strike and run, enraging the Orcs. The slippery, treacherous, and despicable Gnolls caused few Orc casualties, but the humiliation was extreme, causing many Orcs to fly into a rage and ignore orders, chasing after these detestable Gnolls instead!
With a frontal assault, flank harassment, and ranged fire support all perfectly coordinated, plus priests healing in the rear, the Expeditionary Force's defensive line was as solid as a mountain.
Even under Catapult attacks, they could hold out for a long time by relying on the city walls for defense.
Before long, Arthas also led his men to fight the Orcs on the front line. He didn't advance deep into enemy lines alone, but instead maneuvered with the shield line against the Orcs. With Samuro, a Blademaster, as his bodyguard, he could let loose and kill even more Orcs.
At this moment, a female Orc carrying the banner of the Burning Blade Clan appeared before Arthas. Her skin was not green, but the pure brown-copper of an uncorrupted Orc.
She wielded a katana wreathed in flames, her hair was tied in an old-fashioned style, and a strange rune was on her forehead.
"Arthas of Lordaeron, come out and fight me to the death!"
"Conquer the Burning Blade Clan (Part 2): Samuro is a hero of the Burning Blade Clan. It is now time to settle the score with the clan that exiled him. Defeat the Burning Blade Clan's pursuers and find the clan's whereabouts. Objective: Kill twenty Burning Blade Clan pursuers, find the location of the Burning Blade Clan's encampment, and defeat the Burning Blade Clan Chieftain, Azuka Bladefury.
Reward: Become the Chieftain of the Burning Blade Clan and begin the follow-up quest."
Arthas hadn't expected the female Orc before him to be Azuka, and a pure-blooded Orc at that.
"If you lose, you become my subject."
Azuka hadn't expected Arthas to be so young. Her clan had been ordered to kill Arthas, but time and again they had failed, suffering heavy losses. Her husband and nephew had both been killed, and the hatred in her heart had not diminished in the slightest.
But even so, she steadfastly carried out the Warchief's orders. Here, she had finally found her enemy. It was time for blood to be repaid with blood!
"If you lose, it's your life!"
Swoosh! Amidst the flash of blades, Arthas expertly raised his shield to defend. In actual combat, he had practiced most with the sword and shield combination for defense. Since he could reflect damage back to kill his opponent, the best defense was a good offense.
Azuka lived up to her title as the chieftain of the Burning Blade Clan and was also a Blademaster of exquisite skill. Nearly every strike came from an unbelievable angle.
What seemed like a straight slash could change direction mid-swing, striking a vital point with undiminished power. The very air was split in two, creating a vacuum that annihilated all sound within it.
But Arthas's block rate was one hundred percent, and his mind was focused. No matter how Azuka attacked, he blocked it, while simultaneously blasting her with skills that had come off cooldown. As soon as a skill was ready, he would use it. It was a guaranteed hit anyway. The damage wasn't high, but it was reliable.
After just five minutes of fighting, Arthas's armor was covered in many gashes, some of which had even pierced his body, but they were all healed by the Holy Light, leaving only the marks of the blades.
Azuka, on the other hand, was not faring well. She was lightly armored, and Blademasters were warriors with extremely high attack power but weak defenses. Now, she was nearly half-dead from the reflected damage and lacked a Paladin's self-healing ability. That she could remain standing was a testament to her willpower. Leaning on her single blade, she stared at Arthas with unyielding fury in her eyes.
"You've lost, Azuka. Tell me, who gave the order? Isn't Orgrim supposed to have a great sense of honor? Heh, so he also resorts to despicable methods like assassination!" Arthas sneered contemptuously. He didn't give a damn about the Horde. So what if they had hundreds of thousands of Orcs? Angering the humans and the High Elves had already sealed their defeat.