Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 310, Section 67: The earth-shattering war drums sounded once more. - Bonus Chapter [25]

(Bonus chapter for "Huo Zheng Ting Hao" [2/5])
The War Horde and the Dark Iron Dwarves reached a preliminary agreement, though this was not "voluntary" on the part of the Dark Iron Dwarves.

When Orgrim led his Greenskins to the Burning Steppes, Azeroth's notorious slave owners completely ignored Orgrim's diplomatic requests. They confidently dispatched their Dark Iron warriors and golem armies, attempting to capture these strong and robust men and enslave them.

Then they became slaves.

The War Horde conquered the entire Burning Steppes in just over a month. The Dark Iron Dwarves fought four battles against them and lost all four!
The number of dead, wounded, and captured exceeded tens of thousands, directly enraging Emperor Thaurissan, the leader of the Dark Iron dwarves. He even summoned a group of Sulfuron Pirates and an astonishing number of fire elementals from the "Ragnaros," the deity worshipped by the Dark Iron dwarves.

He had intended to use these troops to defend Blackrock Mountain and Darkforge, but Orgrim had unexpectedly outmaneuvered him.

Upon realizing that the Dark Iron dwarves worshipped the four elemental lords of Azeroth, the Warchief immediately dispatched a group of greenskin shamans to "study" and pay homage.

These shamans had all undergone "tests." Although they had drunk the demon blood, they did not change their class to warlocks during the most difficult times. Logically speaking, no elementalist would want a shaman corrupted by fel energy, but the problem was that Ragnaros, the Firelord, was not a proper elemental lord either.

After demanding the shamans' loyalty and faith, the Balrog generously granted them the power to wield fire.

Although this method of obtaining elemental inheritance is somewhat outrageous, don't worry about whether the method is right or wrong, just focus on whether these orcs are shamans now.

Although they can only manipulate fire and some lava elements, at least the orcs' traditional skills have returned, and thanks to the rage of the fire element, the strategic magic "Bloodlust," which orc warriors need most in battle, can be cast again.

This greatly excited some Greenskin warriors who missed the past. They believed that Orgrim was gradually fulfilling his vow to "bring glory to the Horde and make the orcs great again," and their morale soared on the basis of their consecutive victories.

As for how they stormed Blackrock Mountain and captured Blackrock Spire, that goes without saying.

In any case, Kargath and Grom's surprise attacks, one overt and one covert, broke through the Blackrock Mountain gates, which the Dark Iron dwarves considered impregnable, in just two days. After that, their advance into Blackrock Spire was even more swift and devastating.

Emperor Thaurissan's side was desperately preparing for the "Defense of Darkforge," but the War Horde actually took the initiative to cease hostilities and sent people to discuss cooperation again.

To be honest, with the war at this point, even though the Dark Iron dwarves are notoriously cunning and treacherous, they realized it was time to "lay down their weapons and pursue peace."

"Thorison said his engineers would take care of the Bronzebeard dwarves' walls and passes in Thelsamar. All we need to do is act as their vanguard, storm into the heart of the dwarven kingdom, and hold off the Bronzebeard dwarves' counterattack."

On their way to Darkforge, that extravagant city ring road surrounded by lava and with scorching magma rising from the earth below, Orgrim, riding a dire wolf, whispered to Grom:

"That guy was dishonest; he wanted to use us as mercenaries, but I agreed because of the excellent weaponry he sold us."

"But you just said you found that great demon?"

Grom didn't care about these plans on paper; he was now locking onto his target like the deadliest hunter, and said:
Where is the demon?

"I almost entered the physical world before, near a city called 'Dalaran'."

The chieftain pointed to his ear and said:

"The Black Wolf God has been keeping an eye on our enemies, but that guy called 'Destroyer' Manonos's first invasion failed, and he and his army were banished back to the Twisting Nether by powerful human mages."

"Tch, what a busybody!"

Grom grinned.

But he knew Orgrim wouldn't speak without reason. Since he said he had found the other party, it meant that the Warchief had a clear plan. Therefore, the Warsong Chieftain listened patiently.

"The Black Wolf God's eyes and ears are searching for information in the shadows of those demon worshippers and cultists in the Northern Frontier. It has confirmed that the Destroyer is demanding that those cultists open the second rift as soon as possible, but to allow a great demon as powerful as itself to enter the material world, a rather terrible sacrificial ritual is required."

Therefore, we still have time to prepare.

Orgrim squinted and said:

"The Black Wolf God promised us that once the Destroyer enters the material world, we can obtain its precise location at any time, but it will most likely land in the northern border. Therefore, we need an opportunity to break through the dwarf kingdom that is blocking our way."

My collaboration with Soresen is based on this.

Grom, we will only bring the truly formidable elite warriors, and traverse the dwarven kingdom's territory as quickly as possible to the area where the Destroyers landed. Then, you will personally wash away the shame.

But there are two problems.

"Say!"

The rage in Grom's eyes turned into a crimson light.

He was calm enough, but also furious enough; the combination of these two states made him look terrifying.

“First, Mannoroth the Destroyer is not our ultimate target; it is the Great Demon Lord, the Defiler, who lured the orcs into corruption! Therefore, I will not allow you to achieve your desired goal by dying when challenging the Destroyer.”

Orgrim said seriously:

"That's just our first enemy. Your Bloodhowl must hold out until the Corruptor falls."

"No problem, it doesn't matter how many great demons there are."

Grom said in a hoarse voice:

"I will fight with all my might until I can't cut anymore. What's the second question?"

"The second problem is more complicated."

The chieftain sighed and said:

“I consulted with the High Priest of the Wolf Spirits, Orunok Rendingheart, who used to be a powerful warlock. He told me that it was Mannoroth's berserk demon blood that gave the Greenskins their power, so we are theoretically all ‘familiars’ of the Destroyers.”

This means that we will suffer a strong impact when we are near it.

Lie Xin told me that we would most likely become weak from facing the master of the demon blood, and that the great demon could even forcibly control our minds. This is why the Black Wolf God wanted us to complete our atonement.

Our faith is not pure enough; we have a 'master' on our heads. Therefore, the Black Wolf God's pack cannot accept us until the Destroyer is completely dead.

In this situation, don't expect ordinary warriors to be of any help. The Black Wolf God will do everything in his power to protect your mind from the influence of the Great Demon, and I will also assign Varok Saurfang and Nazgrell as your assault deputies.

They are both tough enough, and Kargath and I will do our best to help.

But you have to consider the worst-case scenario!

In extreme cases, you might have to face that ferocious and brutal demon alone, and you might only have one chance to attack! The Black Wolf God told me that you are deadly now, but compared to a being like Manonos who traverses the sea of ​​planets, you are still far from being powerful enough.

We don't have a good way to enhance you, so we can only work on your Bloodhowl Battle Axe.

The good news is that the Balrog blessed the weapon, allowing it to be imbued with Sulfuras's flames, thus enabling it to swiftly destroy the great demon's body upon impact.

"Where's the bad news?"

Grom looked at Orgrim.

The chieftain snorted and scoffed:
"Don't worry about bad news! Because I have no intention of fulfilling the 'obedience' contract with the Balrog King. The greenskins are about to kill their 'master,' and we will never have a master again."

Neither the Great Demon nor the Fire Demon King can rule us.

"Hmph, Ragnaros arrogantly believes we can't escape his revenge in this world, but Azeroth is merely a stop on the warring Horde's journey. After we've done what we need to do here, we'll naturally go where we belong."

"It wants us to become its servants, just like the weak Dark Iron dwarves?"

Grom grinned maliciously and said:
"The weak and limp elemental lord really dares to dream."

"Who says it's not?"

Looking at the magnificent sight of lava flowing like waterfalls inside Blackrock Mountain, Orgrim sighed and said:

"This world is very powerful. Grom and Azeroth are much stronger than Draenor in every aspect, but this world is just as full of cowards! The Dark Iron dwarves think they are powerful. If we had followed Gul'dan and Blackhand's lead, we would have ended up like those ridiculous dwarves who live in the lava city."

Slaves, servants, playthings.

But their skills are really good!

"To be praised for my forging skills by the Blackrock Clan orcs, I'm really looking forward to Gorehowl's new form."

Grom stared at Darkhearth, which was right in front of him. He had no liking for this place full of cowards.

Emperor Thaurissan of the Dark Iron Dwarves dispatched his most powerful general, Angvor, to "greet" him. The man carried a fireforged battleaxe taller than himself and was the most renowned and formidable warrior in Blackrock Mountain.

But Grom didn't even look at him.

He was just a defeated opponent.

Not only did Grom easily defeat General Angvor, but a few days ago in the Dark Iron Dwarfs' arena, Kargath nearly beheaded Angvor in just over half a minute.

The charcoal-black Iron Dwarf was now pretending to wear a hat to cover his shaved head.

Hmm, speaking of Kargath.
From the day he arrived in Darkhearth, that guy made the Dark Iron Dwarf Arena his "new home." Kargath achieved a record of twelve consecutive Arena wins on his third day there, something no one had ever done before.

Today marks the completion of his seventh twelve-game winning streak. The Dark Iron dwarf slave owners, in a desperate attempt to end the terrifying gladiator's legendary winning streak, even brought in a "Lava Behemoth Lord" from the Firelands as Kargath's final opponent.

It is said that the arena is packed today, with many goblins, pirates, and even regulars from the Dark Iron Bar coming to join the fun.

However, Orgrim and Grom had little interest in gladiatorial activities. Led by General Angford, they took a shortcut to the depths of Darkforge, where the Dark Iron dwarves' treasures stood on a hidden forging platform near the underground magma.

An ancient anvil made entirely of black steel.

It is said that this anvil was a sacred object used by Anvimar, the king of the mountains, to forge weapons more than two thousand years ago, and it was blessed by the god of forging, "Kazgroth". The legendary divine weapons of the dwarves all came from the forging of this anvil.

Before the two orcs, the Dark Iron dwarf emperor Thaurissan II personally held his sacred forging hammer, completing the final repairs on a battleaxe on the anvil amidst the intense heat of surging lava.

A fire elemental lord stood by as an assistant, while a tall and menacing Sulphur Fire Sage infused the battle axe with the power of the Firelord.

"It'll be ready soon! Just a moment."

Thaurissan II was a complete Dark Iron dwarf scoundrel, inheriting all the bad habits of the Dark Iron dwarves, but he actually had a good reputation as the ruler of the city, and this guy also inherited the dwarves' amazing forging skills.

His craftsmanship was so perfect that even Orgrim, the Blackrock orc who carried the artifact, could not find any fault with it.

In fact, the weapons and armor currently issued to the chieftains, warlords, and Kor'kron guards are all crafted by the Dark Iron Emperor and his master blacksmiths. In particular, the elemental warblades prepared for the Blademasters require extremely high-level forging, for which Orgrim paid a high price to Darkforge.

But the goblins do have a knack for doing business.

With the full support of venture capital firms, Orgrim didn't need to worry about the War Horde's finances.

"boom"

Under Grom's watchful gaze, Thaurissan II swung his relic hammer at the crimson battleaxe, finishing the final correction of the last Sulfuron rune. He then stepped back a few paces, and the fire sage, like a snake, stepped forward to infuse the power of the Firelord. As the first flame of Azeroth's creation burned and fell, the battleaxe roared in the flames.

That was the familiar roar.

That was the roar that Bloodhowl would make.

Even though the Gronn's heart, which was sealed within, was no longer there, even though the shattered battle axe had been modified by the dwarves to suit their aesthetic style, even though it had suffered the humiliation of being shattered, just like Grom Hellscream, who had walked through death, the Warsong Clan's sacred relic was "reborn from the ashes" at this moment.

"Its power... Damn it! It's trying to control the sacred fire of Sulfuras, unforgivable!"

The Fire Demon Sage cursed:

"It should submit to the power of the Balrog King, not fight against it! This blasphemous weapon, damn it! Destroy it!"

"boom"

Grom grabbed the fire sage by the neck with one hand and slammed the tall fire demon to the ground.

The powerful elemental creature was powerless to resist and could only watch helplessly as Grom passed through the flames, seemingly feeling no pain at all, and reached out to grasp the red battle axe handle, which was as hot as magma.

The moment they touched, Grom's finger was burned and bled.

But the orc chieftain paid no heed to the pain.

He let his weapons lick their own war-blooded wounds, admiring Bloodhowl's new form.

It still retains the style of a combat single-bladed axe, but compared to its previous wild and simple appearance, the current Bloodhowl has been sculpted into a rather beautiful streamlined axe blade, with spikes sculpted on that blade for armor penetration and increased damage.

The axe body is engraved with the runes of the burning Sulfuras, while a small armor-piercing blade is sculpted on the back of the axe.

The forged source steel connecting the axe body is engraved with the roaring posture of a skull, from which bursts of scorching primordial fire erupt, covering the already brutal battle axe like a blazing blade, seemingly adding an even sharper elemental axe blade to it.

"Excellent! I'm very satisfied!"

Grom gripped the battle axe, completely unconcerned about his fingers, which were almost burned to a crisp.

It's not that he can't feel pain; he's just that he's learned to transform pain into a kind of power that can be accumulated.

The roar of Bloodhowl grew even louder, as if it drew power from Grom's grip and his blood. Under Emperor Thaurissan's astonished gaze, the fire of Sulfuras was absorbed by the wild battle axe in an instant, becoming the beating "heart" deep within the axe.

With a gentle flick of Grom's wrist, a scorching slash remained in the air, like a fiery battle scar etched into space.

"It has a new name; the Fire Demon King believes it should be called..."

Emperor Thaurissan was about to reveal the weapon's new name when Grom waved him away.

"It's called 'Blood Howl,' and that's all it can be called! You have a problem with that? You dare to have a problem with that?"

Grom stared at Emperor Thaurissan, the burning battle axe in his hand seemingly also staring at the charcoal dwarf, as if pondering where to strike for a perfect headshot.

Faced with Grom's question, Thawson wanted to project a tough image, but in the end he shrugged and casually said:

"It's nothing, Bloodhowl is fine too! It just proves you're a nostalgic person, but have you ever thought about it? People who live in the past can't create the future!"

"Creating the future? What does that bullshit have to do with me?"

Grom shrugged and said:

"My job is just to end the old ways."

The Warsong Chieftain scoffed, turned around and kicked the Fire Demon Sage who had just gotten up, then strode away amidst the Sage's pathetic gaze and Bloodhowl's roar.

His fingers, which had been burned to the point of near destruction, were gradually restored within the pure flames of Sulfuras. This was the primordial flame of the Balrog King, the true "fire of creation," so it was only natural that it possessed healing power.
"This order needs extra payment!"

After Grom left, Emperor Thaurissan, who didn't dare to breathe, turned to Orgrim and roared:

"Double the price!"

"Let's triple it."

Before Orgrim could speak, Kargath leaped out of the shadows.

The guy was in a terrible state, almost entirely charred, but he tossed a core from a lava behemoth in the Firelands onto the anvil and said to Thaurissan:
"Forge me a fist blade, according to Gorehowl's specifications! You can ask Orgrim for the labor fee."

"you win?"

The Iron Emperor stared in disbelief at Kargath, who had been burned to a "gourd-like" state, his flowing black hair completely gone.

But this is not the point.

Soresen exclaimed:

"That's Lord Leorus, the 'Stubborn Lava'! He's the oldest elemental being born at the beginning of creation. He should have no rivals in the material world! How did you win? You should have been burned to death!"
You arena monster!

"What the hell do you care how I won? You're making a fuss! Just make the weapons I tell you to make, why are you babbling on and on? What? I, the 'Seven-Time Arena Champion,' don't have the right to ask a Black Iron Emperor like you to forge weapons for me?"
"Is it as we agreed before this duel started? You let me wander into your treasury and take whatever I want?"

Kargath cursed, and Emperor Thaurissan immediately fell silent.

Look at the stupid things this idiot orc is saying. Didn't I make such generous promises before because I knew you wouldn't survive?

My own treasure vault is overflowing; I can't let this orc thief in.

Fine, weapons it is then.

Anyway, making a fist blade doesn't take much effort.

Kargath grunted, struggling to gulp down the healing potion, then looked at Orgrim, flexing his badly injured shoulder, and said:
"I've had my fill of fun. This boring arena can no longer bring me any joy, so when's it time to get down to business?"

"Wait until your fist blade is forged."

The Great Chieftain grinned, glanced at the churning lava and the Black Iron Emperor picking up his forge hammer again, and said:

"Be patient, we'll be at the real battlefield soon."

As they were talking, the fire elemental lord, whose anvil was being heated, suddenly let out a painful groan. Even an assassin like Kargath felt a clear elemental vibration. He raised an eyebrow as he bandaged himself and said:
"What the hell is going on?"

"The Dark Gate!"

Orgrim pointed in the direction of Stormwind Kingdom and said softly:
"The human mages are working on the Dark Portal; our homeland is catching up quickly."

Ps:

I used the 10.0 legendary axe "Feralaz: The Dream's End" as the model for the new Gorehowl. To be honest, this thing is probably the least noticeable legendary weapon ever. Oh, by the way, I bet 99% of you have never even heard of the Little Dragon Evoker's legendary weapon "Nazullo: Unbound Legacy".

Honestly, the design of the Little Dragon's legendary weapon is just as perfunctory as its terrible questline. Sigh, people used to say that the Hunter was picked up by the designers, now it's almost the same as saying that the Little Dragon was picked up.

The model for Phileraz's Dream's Rest is as follows:
(End of this chapter)