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Mardum

After the destruction of the Scourge's Lordaeron stronghold, Vashj, Malygos, Maiev, and the demon hunters were ordered to travel to Mardum. They found themselves on top of a small plateau which overlooked much of the lower landscape

Upon arriving, they were in awe at the sight. Fel energies corrupted nearly everything in sight. They have all witnessed the Old Gods' corruption but while the fel wasn't as corrupt, it was far more widespread

"Whoa." Asha said in complete awe. "I never once imagined to ever set foot in the Burning Legion's home turf."

Vashj walked over to the edge to get a much better look. Like the others, she was awestruck by the sight. After a while, she turned back to the others, who were just sight seeing. "Let's get this over with so we can return to Silvermoon and aid in the defense."

That brought them out of their sight seeing but Illysanna knew the truth

"No." Illysanna said, getting an irritated look from the naga. "Listen, Vashj. I know Illidan sent us here to retrieve the Sargerite Keystone but the truth is he does not intend us to return to Azeroth."

As expected, Vashj was distraught upon hearing that. "Just what is that supposed to mean?" she demanded and the others, even Kor'vas, were as confused as she was

"When Illidan sent us here, he didn't do it so that we can assault the Legion's homeworld after Silvermoon. He sent us here because he knows Silvermoon is lost." Illysanna said, surprising the others. "I think he admitted that he made a fatal error when we invaded Outland because that's the only reason I can think of where the Legion could have suckered us. Illidan knew that an error like that would have serious consequences so rather than stand our ground, he sent us here because this is our only chance to end the Burning Legion once and for all."

Vashj's eyes widened in surprise at Illysanna's words. She genuinely believed that they would return in time to aid in stopping Archimonde. Like the last time she had witnessed the Legion's invasion, she was being very naive. After everything she's been through, she didn't want to believe that this was happening. Being completely drained emotionally, she fell to her knees. Fortunately for her, Maiev reacted fast enough and supported her

"Vashj." Maiev said as she supported the naga. "Come on, Vashj. Snap out of it. Yes, Illidan may have tricked all of us but are you really willing to just let him die in vain? He's sacrificing himself so that we can live and take down the Legion for good."

"Maiev has a point, Vashj." Kor'vas said, trying her best to support the naga. "We can't let that stop us otherwise Illidan's sacrifice will have been all for nothing."

The naga, despite being saddened by what was said, began getting up and adopted a determined look on her face. "You're right. I was being naive thinking we can just walk out of this freely. I'll have to trust that Illidan knows what he's doing." she said, trying her best not to show how this was affecting her. "So, how do we do this?"

Illysanna then turned to the other demon hunters. "Split up into groups and locate all the portals that would allow the Legion to enter this world. If we are serious about retrieving the Keystone and ending the Legion, then we must make sure they are not aware of our presence here until we have located our objective. The Legion finds out about us any sooner, they can easily have the Keystone relocated elsewhere."

"But what if the Keystone isn't here?" Jace asked

"Then we gather whatever information we can find." Kor'vas answered. "We're not simply going to be looking for the Keystone. We're also going to find out whatever we can about this world. That includes high ranking demons so take note if their location. If we cannot find the Keystone anywhere, then we interrogate the demons."

"Kor'vas is right." Malygos added. "In the meantime, I will need to study a portal in order to figure out how to close it. Maiev..." he turned to the death knight

"I'll watch your back, got it." Maiev said

"Good." Illysanna said. "Malygos, make sure that the demons cannot see us, even the spectres." she ordered and the dragon aspect began casting a spell. "Alright, move out." she said when the dragon finished casting. The other demon hunters split into groups and only Maiev, Vashj and Malygos remained with Illysanna. She motioned for the death knight and the dragon to go on ahead. "Vashj, are you alright? Be honest with me here. If you're not alright then you can sit this one out."

Vashj was surprised at Illysanna's own words but knew she had a point. They couldn't afford to lose focus or they were all dead. "I think I will be."

Illysanna simply stared at the naga in front of her. 'She's not lying. It's obvious that this is taking a toll on her but she's keeping it under control. Has the thought of never seeing him again hardened her resolve?' she wondered to herself, trying to consider Vashj's position during the Sundering. "Alright, Vashj. But at the first sign you're not a hundred percent, stay out of the fight, understood?"

"I do and I was planning just that." Vashj said honestly

The demon hunter simply nodded. "Let's go."

Argus

After his little chat with Illidan, Kil'jaeden went to the underground of his fortress. There, he found the one he had been looking for, the soul of Archimonde. The Defiler's soul has returned to Argus after his defeat at the hands of the demon hunter. As the Deceiver expected, Archimonde was furious at his defeat and even though he was nothing but a soul at the moment, he was thrashing around. His body had not yet begun reconstituting and the Defiler observed his brother approach

"You were careless, Archimonde." Kil'jaeden said in a reprimanding tone

"Spare me your careful speech, Kil'jaeden." Archimonde replied angrily. "What have you found?"

"That victory was pointless. We have taken over his fortress but have found nothing of significance. Neither the summoner nor the demon hunters were there." Kil'jaeden answered

"That's odd." Archimonde muttered. "I could have sworn they were there in Lordaeron."

"Which means that there's more work for us. We can't mindlessly attack otherwise they would simply sabotage us again." Kil'jaeden said

"You're right. The only place that they could be in is somwhere in the Eastern Kingdoms or in that new continent Pandaria or whatever the hell it's called." Archimonde said thoughtfully. "The Scourge would not have the ability to travel to Kalimdor. Detheroc has confirmed they have no portals there and they would not be able to use their necropolises or gunships without us noticing."

'If that is a hundred percent true. If it's not, then Illidan's warriors could be anywhere.' Kil'jaeden thought to himself. Having been manipulating creatures for thousands of years, he was beginning to consider that possibility

"Kil'jaeden, let me ask you something?" Archimonde said, causing the Deceiver to look at him. "Why did we launch a full scale invasion? We should have just captured that damn demon hunter before making a move. I'm surprised that you didn't do that."

"If it were up to me, we would have." Kil'jaeden answered, the Defiler looking at him curiously. "That was my original intention. Sargeras insisted that we take Azeroth by force." he continued, surprising his brother

"Hold on, doesn't Sargeras realize that this would put the fate of both Azeroth and the Legion on the line?" Archimonde asked

"It hardly matters now." Kil'jaeden said as a matter of factly. "You were reckless, Archimonde. You went into battle when you still weren't back to full strength and you paid the price."

Archimonde growled at this again. He always hated how Kil'jaeden was almost always right. "So, what now?"

"For now, we have blockaded the entire sea. The mortals will not be able to leave Kalimdor without being sunk beneath the waves." Kil'jaeden said. "While the rest of our forces are taking over the Eastern Kingdoms and Pandaria."

"I see."

"I'll take my leave." Kil'jaeden said

"Something's bothering you, Kil'jaeden. What is it?" Archimonde asked

"Nothing of consequence." Kil'jaeden replied before leaving. The Deceiver was met by Varimathras upon reaching the ground floor. "Varimathras."

"You summoned me, Lord Kil'jaeden?"

"I want you to head to Nathreza and secure the Seal of Argus. While we have no evidence of this, I wouldn't put it past Stormage to have sent his forces directly onto our territory. If they are, then they must not know Argus' location." Kil'jaeden ordered

"Pardon, my lord. But wouldn't the demon hunters need both the Sargerite Keystone and the Seal of Argus? What are we going to do about the Keystone?" Varimathras asked curiously

"They would but that wretch, Tyranna, doesn't take orders from anyone besides Sargeras and her own arrogance might just end up handing the Keystone over to the demon hunters." Kil'jaeden said in irritation. "In the event that they do get the Keystone, they still would not be able to find the location to Argus."

"But what if they interrogate Tyranna?" Varimathras pointed out

"If that wretch is really as loyal to Sargeras as she claims to be, she should die before they ever get the chance to interrogate her. Even if we send more forces to Mardum, Tyranna would just have them leave since her pride would be insulted." Kil'jaeden answered. "Besides, we won't just be waiting for the demon hunters to strike. This war is a race against time."

"Yes, Lord Kil'jaeden." Varimathras said before leaving

The Deceiver observed the dreadlord leave and had half a mind to kill Illidan. He didn't mention that the demon hunter was still alive to Archimonde because he knew that his brother would just be furious. While Kil'jaeden himself doubted that they would ever be able to break Illidan, he knew that keeping him alive might cause the Scourge to lose focus and end up in an argument with the mortals, which is what he is going for

Kalimdor

A little over a day and a half has passed since the Legion has invaded Kalimdor. They were successful in inflicting massive damage to the Kalimdor inhabitants' homes but the demons weren't able to secure a foothold. They Legion haven't really gone through the effort of launching another full scale invasion on the Eastern Kingdoms since they still needed to prioritize the rest of the Scourge. While they were victorious in Silvermoon, the only thing they truly got was Illidan himself. There was no sign of Kel'thuzad nor the demon hunters which meant that the Legion had to find them first

In the meantime, Kel'thuzad had sent their acolytes over to Drak'thul in Kalimdor. Deeper in the Barrens, the acolytes were ordered to begin summoning their necropolises. They successfully managed to bring forth seven of them along with a small force of undead, the entire naga and the rest of the blue dragonflight

The Legion did try to launch a few attacks but with their resources needed elsewhere, they were all repelled and their minions only ended up fueling the undead army that has allied with the mortals. They were not aware of this though as Azeroth's forces made sure to be very discreet when they raised the fallen demons

Theramore Isle

Sylvanas was staring out at sea. After dealing with battle plans, she decided to take a much needed but short break otherwise she would have a brain overload. The city was still destroyed and nobody even bothered to start any repairs. She had made the decision to make this the one battle for the fate of Azeroth. If they fail, they will be killed or enslaved. If they win, they will provide Illysanna with the time they need to cripple the Legion for good and perhaps, finally destroy Sargeras

"It's weird, isn't it?" a voice spoke up behind the general. "The sea should stress one out given our situation yet one still finds it relaxing."

"Whenever I'm stressed, I always looked out to the sea. I know the Legion isn't native to the seas so that gives me a peace of mind." Sylvanas answered, not even bothering to turn her head. "Besides, I really needed some time to get my mind of making battle plans otherwise I would be driven insane, Anya." she answered and Anya just laughed at that statement as she joined her former superior in just looking out at see. A few minutes later, the dark ranger suddenly gripped her head. "What is it, Anya?" Sylvanas asked

"It's Pandaria." Ayna said and the general frowned. "The Legion has already begun invading it."

"This is bad. Now the Legion will have another place to attack us from." Sylvanas said before noticing her friend look away. "And you already knew that, didn't you?"

"I... Yeah, I did." Anya said, hoping that Sylvanas wouldn't be mad. "A few minutes ago, I was told that Kel'thuzad had sent some of our forces into Pandaria. He's hiding in one of the Alliance Kingdoms and some time earlier, he sent some troops to Pandaria to thin out the Legion's ranks." she said before looking at the general. "That's actually what I came here to tell you about."

Sylvanas just frowned but otherwise made no reaction. She was a little irritated at Anya but she didn't hold it against the dark ranger either. "Sometimes I keep forgetting that Kel'thuzad is actually a part of this." she said in irritation. "I take it he's been made aware of our plans?"

Anya nodded. "He is. That's why he sent some to Pandaria in the first place. He knew about our decision to make this the one battle for the fate of Azeroth." she answered and the general released a long sigh. "What's wrong, Sylvanas?"

"I'm really nervous about this. I've been the ranger general for years but I've never had to make a decision of this magnitude. I don't know if I'm making a mistake or not." Sylvanas said honestly. "I've never been afraid of dying in battle but something tells me I'm not going to die."

"After everything that has happened, you won't. The Legion is no doubt furious that we have stopped their invasion before. Twice, in fact." Anya pointed out. "They'll probably torture us for eternity or worse..." she trailed off. "We'll be their slaves."

"I don't want to be their slave."

"Trust me, you really don't." Ayna agreed, referring to her own experience

Sylvanas shook her head. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm really hoping that the demon hunters succeed nor that we shouldn't let Illidan's sacrifice go to waste."

Their conversation were interrupted when Arthas arrived. "Sylvanas, Anya. Thrall has some information for us." he said

"Shall we?" Anya asked

"Let's do this. We can't afford to waste any time. It won't be long before the Legion realizes that the Scourge is merely duping them." Sylvanas said

The three of them soon made their way to their makeshift command tent since the main conference building was destroyed. Inside were Jaina, Velen and Thrall

"So, what have you found out?" Sylvanas asked

"As surprising as this might sound, this side of the Broken Isles isn't that well defended. Most of the Legion's defenses is on the far end which is the side of the Eastern Kingdoms." Thrall spoke

"I can confirm. Jaina and I have tried to send familiars. We have witnessed the Legion creating some defensive structures but there are only few on our side." Khadgar added

"It is very strange. You would think that they would make sure to be ready for a counter attack." Jaina pointed out. "What do you think about this, Sylvanas?"

"I'm not exactly sure. Considering that the Legion were able to deceive us twice now, I wouldn't put it past them to lay a trap like this." Sylvanas said

"Perhaps but there may be a possibility that this all all unintentional." Velen said before looking at the dark ranger. "You mentioned before that the Legion were able to disrupt your portal network"

"Yes, why?" Anya asked

"If they can do that, then they must be comfortable with the idea that the Scourge will not be able to attack from Kalimdor." Velen reasoned. "Illidan has stood his ground. I suspect that while the Legion captured Silvermoon, they haven't been able to gain anything of significance such as the other members of the Scourge."

"In which case our window would only last until the Legion finds and captures them." Arthas finished before turning to the orc. "Thrall, what do you think?"

"I would say that Velen might be right. Aside from Illidan, only he is the one who is familiar with the Legion." Thrall said. "This is a huge risk and if we make a mistake, we would all be enslaved by the Burning Legion but if we succeed, we might be able to see the last of the demons." he continued to analyze. "I think we should take that chance. Based on what we have seen on the Broken isles, I do not believe that the Legion is aware that the Scourge were able to transfer their forces here. If the Legion were to discover that..."

"Then we would be in the middle of their crosshairs." Jaina finished the sentence

"But if we don't attack, then the Legion will still come after us sooner or later." Anya pointed out before turning to her friend. "Do we go through with this, Sylvanas? As everyone said, the slightest error and we are at Kil'jaeden's mercy."

Sylvanas was in deep thought. "We will." she said with determination. "However, if anyone has second thoughts, feel free to sit this one out. Make sure everyone is aware of it and that they will not be judged if they choose not to fight."

"I'll get on it." Anya said and left after the others agreed

Pandaria

In Pandaria, the Legion had begun attacking the local populace. The pandaren were next to helpless against the gunships. There had been little to no time to erect significant defenses. They, especially the Shado Pan, had witnessed the abilities of a gunship used by the Legion when the Scourge used it to wipe out the mantid. This time, the pandaren were the ones on the receiving end and at first, they thought the Scourge have come to wipe them out as well. However, that soon changed when demons jumped down and there wasn't a single undead among them

Just a few minutes into the invasion, most of the Kun Lai Summit was already burning. The damage from the battle against the Old Gods' minions were only starting to get repaired and now, a more powerful enemy was attacking. With near instant aerial dominance, the Legion's gunships were free to rain down death from above and they did take many lives. In the months between N'zoth's death and the Legion's invasion, Khadgar and the other mages created a portal that would enable the Shando Pan to head to Kalimdor, one that works both ways. Even that was disrupted by the Legion

Most of the pandaren have already retreated into the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. They surviving Shando Pan wanted to use the Mogu'shan Palace, which was still mostly in ruins, to hold their ground but an outsider, specifically a human approached them

"Who are you?" Chen asked, not having seen the human before. "How did you get here, human?"

The 'human' simply chuckled. "I am not a human. I am Wrathion of the Black Dragonflight." he replied. The rest of the pandaren quickly raised their weapons but the disguised dragon wasn't bothered in the slightest. "Please, I am not affiliated with the Old Gods. Whether you believe me or not, I am one of the only three black dragons that weren't corrupted by them."

"Then what do you want?" Chen asked suspiciously

"I have been on Pandaria for years now. Because of our natural affinity with the earth, we black dragons can tell there was a continent hidden here despite the fog hiding it. Since the war between the Alliance and the Horde ended, I took refuge here. When Illidan's war reached here, I have kept myself hidden although I suspect they are already aware of my presence." Wrathion explained. "So, come with me. You cannot hope to fight the Burning Legion and survive but there is a large chamber where we can take refuge." he said, referring to where the Eye of Aman'thul was kept, and noticed the distrusting faces. "Whatever. If you don't believe me, then stay here and fight. See how far fighting the Legion gets you. If you follow me, then maybe we can hide until we find an opportunity. Given the situation, I would imagine that the Scourge would be the Legion's first target. At this point, all we can do is hope that the Scourge would send some of their forces here, assuming that they haven't been wiped out yet." he said before leaving, the rest of the pandaren pondering his thoughts

Kalimdor Outpost

A few hours later, nearly every single officer from the draenei, dragons, night elves, Alliance and Horde have gathered in the outpost. This included Tyrande, Malfurion, Maraad, Soridormi, Alexstrasza and Ysera, among others. In the center of the room were Jaina, Khadgar, Vol'jin, Thrall and Sylvanas

The ranger general gave a nod to the four spellcasters and together, they used their powers to create an image of what they found in the Broken Isles. She then turned to all those who have gathered. "Before we begin, I should warn you, this battle will be unlike every single battle you have ever participated in. If we fail, then our world will fall into the hands of the Burning Legion and all of us will suffer a fate far worse than death. As such, we have decided that should any of us fall..." she trailed off, completely hesitant to finish her statement. "That we would allow the Scourge to raise us back." she finished and as she thought, nearly everyone objected to it

"Sister, you can't be serious about this?" Alleria objected

"She's right. Are you even listening to yourself, Sylvanas?" Dranosh added

"Being reanimated would tarnish our honor." Baine pointed out

"Enough." Sylvanas said before anyone else could object further. "I shouldn't have to repeat this but our enemies are not fighting with honor. They will do whatever it takes to burn this world and if we don't do everything we can to prevent that, we will be their slaves. Also, the reanimation would only be temporary. If we do manage to defeat the Burning Legion, then those who were raised would be granted the death they deserve." she said and turned to the orc warlock. "Drak'thul, is that alright with you?"

"It is." Drak'thul said. "This plan of yours, only you and Thrall came up with this, didn't you?"

"We did." Thrall confirmed. "Our window to attack is rapidly closing. We need to secure a foothold in the Broken Isles while the Legion is still occupied with finding the demon hunters. Once they turn to attack Kalimdor, we would not last very long."

"The Warchief and ranger general have a point." Velen chimed in. "As detestable as it is, we would need every able bodied warrior, both living and undead. We also have proof that the Scourge does not treat their own as slaves and that would be preferable than what Kil'jaeden has in store for us."

"Let's not drag this any further." Sylvanas announced. "If anyone does not agree, then feel free to leave this meeting right now."

Murmurs were then thrown around. It soon calmed down and to the general's surprise, not a single one left

"Alright, now listen up. As Thrall has said earlier, we need to attack before the Legion makes us their top priority." Sylvanas said and manipulated the image. "Thrall and the others have captured this view of the Broken isles. As you can see, the northwestern area of the Broken isles is not as heavily defended. Jaina has confirmed this personally with her familiars. We will attack here and we need to make it fast." she then turned the image to a different area. "The sea between here and the Broken Isles is under constant watch by the Legion's gunships. We will not be able to imake a quiet landing. They key to winning this battle is to make sure that the Scourge's presence in Kalimdor isn't known until we have a secure foothold."

"Wait, so how would we even do that? Won't we need the Scourge's help on this?" Vereesa pointed out

"We will but at the same time, we need to take advantage of the Scourge being the Legion's main concern for as long as we can." Sylvanas answered. "So, the draenei ships will take point. Their artilleries have already been mounted so we will be able to take out the gunships surrounding the sea from afar. Once we have a clear shot, the draenei ships will rush towards the clearing and deploy our forces. We need to do this very quickly before the Legion would guard it. For this assault, I want the dragons to hang back."

"Hang back? Why?" Alexstrasza asked

"According to the Scourge and the night elves, the dragons participated in the War of the Ancients and caused huge losses to the Legion. Your power will be invaluable to this battle and we need to be sure that they haven't prepared anything that is designed specifically to kill you. Remember, they came up with a spell that was designed for the sole purpose of hiding from Illidan's sight. I would not put it past them to do the same to you dragons." Sylvanas answered. "As it should have been clear, there is little to no room for error. Kel'thuzad has the artifacts we need to close the portal." she continued before bringing up what the familiars saw of the Tomb of Sargeras, before they were killed at least. "This is the Tomb of Sargeras, where the Legion's gateway is located. According to Drak'thul, the artifacts must be placed in specific locations, here, here and here." she said while pointing to the top area and two at the center. "So, as we're going in, the Scourge and the dragons will hold back. We cannot let the Legion know that the undead have their forces here. As such, the naga will take first contact. Swim underwater and await the gunships' destruction. Once they go down, you will attack the Legion from the sea and make sure we can deploy the rest of our forces as unharmed as possible. The nearest outpost to our landing site is not heavily defended so our main objective will be to capture it as soon as possible."

"While we are beginning our assault on the outpost, only then will the Scourge attack. You will head to the landing site and raise all those who have fallen. Reinforce our attack on the Legion's outpost. Throughout all this, the draenei ships must keep us covered otherwise the gunships will butcher us." Sylvanas continued before looking to the orc warlock. "Drak'thul, you're first priority is to make sure that everything is safe for the dragons while from range, I want the blue dragons to use your magics to secure aerial dominance. During this time, the draenei ships will continue to pick off the gunships. No matter what happens, focus on the gunships or the battle would be lost. Once we have control of the nearest outpost, we will send for Kel'thuzad at our landing site. It is only at that point we will send for the dragons. The moment he's here, our goal is to cut the Legion off from this world and finish off their forces that remains here. Any questions?" she asked, having finished explaining the plan

Arthas raised his hand and the general nodded for him to continue. "Assuming we succeed, we know that demons cannot be killed outside of the Twisting Nether. Are we truly going to leave this in the hands of Illidan's demon hunters without having some sort of backup plan?"

"Arthas makes a good point." Dranosh pointed out

"Sylvanas, if we are going to do this, why would we not join the demon hunters on their assault?" Thrall agreed

"I have been thinking about that. The problem is that we need the demon hunters if we are to have any hope of invading the Legion's territory. Without their help, I fear that the Legion will simply lure us into a trap." Sylvanas argued back. "For now, our goal is simply to cut off the Legion from this world. If the demon hunters are in a position to attack, we will join them, with whatever forces we have remaining. They'll need all the help they can get, and so will we."

"Hold up, can't we just wait here and plan our defenses? This is such a huge risk." Naisha asked

"That is completely out of the question." Thrall answered her. "The Legion will outlive us and even if we manage to repel their invasion, they will simply come again and again until none of us are left to stand against them."

"Let's also not forget the fact that with Illidan gone, the Legion are no doubt taking over the Eastern Kingdoms and Pandaria. That will only make us more vulnerable than we already are, even if we build up as many defenses as we can." Khadgar pointed out

"Even with that, I don't think even building defenses would make any difference." Anya said, taking a glance at her fellow undead who bore witness. "When Dalaran was destroyed, it wasn't because of the Legion. The city was destroyed by Archimonde singlehandedly. He cast a spell which destroyed the entirety of Dalaran in less than than five minutes." she finished and everyone's eyes widened in surprise. "Frankly, the only real weakness about Archimonde is his own arrogance. I don't think even Illidan is on his level but I'm certain that he will exploit his arrogance. Regardless, that's not the real problem. The real problem is Kil'jaeden, another demon lord who is of even higher rank than Archimonde. He's the one responsible for corrupting the orcs and creating the Scourge. I would imagine that he can do that spell as well."

"So, what you're saying is we have little to no choice." Malfurion said with a sigh. "I sometimes wonder what that brother of mine is thinking."

"To be honest, you should be grateful to your brother, Malfurion." Alleria said, herself feeling very vengeful. "This is our one chance to end the Legion for good. If we succeed, we will finally have peace, after all these years." she continued and there were murmurs going around

"Alright, that is all. Before we head to the ships, I want everyone to keep this in mind." Sylvanas announced. "We may have a plan but do not expect it to go smoothly. Everyone must be ready to improvise if we need to. The Burning Legion will not just let us have our way and we must be ready to adapt. Do not hesitate to take matters into your own hands if you deem it necessary. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ranger general." the room said

"Alright, move out, Legionfall." Sylvanas ordered and coined the name for their group

Here it is, more planning. I decided to make Sylvanas the main leader of Legionfall. I know in the canon it is called 'Armies of Legionfall' but I decided to just cut off the first two words since that seemed redundant. My reasoning for making Sylvanas the overall leader is her experience. With Illidan and Illysanna gone, she is the one who has the most experience in recent fights. Thrall may be a better overall leader than her but in terms of military experience, I don't think anyone surpasses Sylvanas. I mean, she is older than Thrall and has participated in the First, Second and Third Wars and in this story, she also was a de facto leader in Pandaria. The Night Elves may be older but they haven't been in as many recent wars as Sylvanas have, at least the parts where they were in control since in the Nightmare arc, it was Illysanna who mostly took command. This shouldn't be unreasonable since I doubt anyone would want their commanding officer to be an amateur

While the part about being raised into undeath is not ideal, I wrote this part of the story, as well as some of the previous ones, where there is little choice. This time, all morals and honor are off. This is a battle for survival and anything that would hinder that goal is thrown completely out the window which is why Sylvanas, of all people, came up with it. Her character is already different from the canon and given what she bore witness to and that one of her friends is undead, it makes sense, somewhat, and that is why there is a compromise at the end that those who are undead will be laid to rest

Again, don't read too much about Wrathion's presence. As mentioned before, Wrathion, as well as the other Black Dragons, will only have significance in the final chapter. They won't be doing too much and will only make a couple more appearances