As Alaric's enemy, and one of the most formidable villains in Azeroth, Neltharion was undoubtedly far more cunning and difficult to deal with than Voldemort.
At the very least, when facing an existence seemingly much smaller than himself (perhaps?), Neltharion could still restrain his temper, put on a gentlemanly facade, and attempt to deceive his opponent, achieving his goal without bloodshed.
Just like now:
"Human mage, I believe I know you. You appear to be that... youngest Archmage of Dalaran, am I correct?" Facing Alaric, Neltharion immediately revealed his identity.
"Hmm, as a mage, your achievements have reached even the ears of us dragons. Since you are here, that must mean you have already learned about the orcs, correct?
My apologies that the treasure we dragons lost has caused trouble for you. My name is Neltharion, King of the Black Dragons.
If you are willing to return this artifact to me, I shall grant you ample rewards. What do you think?"
As expected of Lord Prestor, the mastermind who nearly caused the downfall of the Alliance of Lordaeron in the original story. His silver tongue was something Alaric had to admire.
It was clear that Neltharion had been planning for human nations for a long time. At the very least, his intelligence network was well-informed.
As a dragon, to even know Alaric's identity meant he had an acute understanding of recent human affairs—something the other dragonflights could not compare to.
And after recognizing Alaric, the Black Dragon King immediately flattered him.
If Alaric were just some ignorant, native mage, he might have been swayed by the black dragon's words and seriously considered his offer.
If he hadn't already known the true nature of this Black Dragon King in his past life, he might have been deceived.
But that was merely a hypothetical.
Neltharion would never know that standing before him was a "prophet" who knew him inside and out. He genuinely believed that the mage in front of him was carefully considering his proposal.
Seeing the human mage, who held the Dragon Soul in his hands, hesitate, the enormous red dragon beside them immediately grew anxious.
"Refuse him! Do not agree to his terms, human!" The red dragon growled in a low voice. "Do not be tempted by him. You do not know what kind of demon you are dealing with..."
"Enough!" Neltharion roared before the red dragon could finish, cutting him off.
"That's enough, Talonixa, my old friend. Please do not let your bias cloud our human friend's judgment."
After saying this, Neltharion turned back to Alaric and spoke soothingly, "My apologies, human.
Clearly, just like your kind, we dragons have our own internal disputes. I hope this will not affect your decision."
Looking at the ever-so-amiable Neltharion, Alaric actually felt the urge to laugh.
This mighty Destroyer, playing the role of a benevolent negotiator—it was almost amusing.
However, he no longer wanted to play along with the Black Dragon King's charade.
"Apologies, Your Majesty Neltharion," Alaric responded courteously, "Although I would very much like to hand over this powerful little trinket to you, I'm afraid I cannot do so at this time."
"Why?" Instead of immediately losing his temper, Neltharion asked curiously, "Are you, like those foolish orcs, planning to use it to control our dragon race?"
At this, his tone wavered slightly, as if showing some fear.
But this was nothing more than a trap.
The Dragon Soul did not contain the essence of Neltharion or Talonixa, meaning that the black and golden dragons were the only ones immune to its effects.
If Alaric harbored such greed or was enticed by Neltharion's words, truly believing he could use the Dragon Soul to control the Black Dragon King, he would be doomed.
To Alaric, this ruse was laughably crude. He simply shook his head and replied, "I have no such ambition.
As for why I refuse you, Your Majesty should already know the answer—no one would willingly make a deal with a traitor and destroyer of the world."
Alaric's words finally made Neltharion's expression change.
Only now did he realize that he had been fooled by the seemingly oblivious human mage all along.
In truth, Alaric knew everything—Neltharion's identity, the secrets of the dragonflights, and perhaps even the true nature of the Dragon Soul.
His earlier performance must have seemed like a pathetic farce to the young mage.
Realizing this, the Black Dragon King felt deeply insulted.
"Very well, human. You have provoked the wrath of Deathwing."
Then, his gaze fell upon the human woman beside Alaric.
"Onyxia, my daughter, it seems you have been keeping many things from me. However, if you retrieve the Dragon Soul for me, I may consider forgiving you."
"..."
Under her father's oppressive aura, the Black Dragon Princess swallowed hard.
She knew all too well how ruthless her father could be. If she made the wrong choice, she had no doubt that he would eliminate her without a shred of familial affection.
Seeing his daughter remain silent, Deathwing took another step forward.
"Have you forgotten the consequences of angering me? I have already spared you many times. If you truly wish to betray me this time, you know the price you will pay."
Deathwing's threat reminded Onyxia of the fate awaiting her.
She was still the only female black dragon in the flight, aside from her mother, who had the potential to become a Dragon Queen.
But such a fate...
Thinking about what had happened to Deathwing's other consorts, Onyxia couldn't help but shudder.
Little did Deathwing know that his intimidation had the opposite effect—it pushed his daughter closer to betrayal.
In her moment of fear, Onyxia stole a glance at the human mage beside her.
She noticed that Alaric did not show the slightest hint of fear or panic. Instead, he remained calm and composed, just as he had been when he first captured her.
Seeing Onyxia's gaze, Alaric gave her an encouraging look.
This was his final test for the Black Dragon Princess.
If she could stand by his side in this moment, it would mean that her submission was genuine, and he could grant her greater trust in the future—perhaps even treating her the same way he did Garona.
However, Alaric did not hold high expectations. After all, their foundation of trust was still fragile.
.
.
.
Guys, do leave some power stones and reviews.
✌patreon.com/bobthewriter✌
If you guys enjoy this story, you can support me on Patreon and get access to 30 Advance Chapters, it really helps me to work on new chapters.