Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 242 Summoning and Transformation
On the pristine white snowfield, a vast centaur army was moving, with the vanguard being the Stormrage Centaur Hunters, numbering in the thousands.

As they raced at breakneck speed, they created hurricanes, preventing even slow-moving flying creatures from taking off.

Leo Maruk, the commander of this centaur force, came from the centaur clan of the Hahn Plains. His original mission was to guard the rear of Norton and transport large amounts of resources and troops.

When news of Conrad's capture of Norton arrived, he immediately reported to Field Marshal Livingston, and after holding out for a while, retreated westward.

Although Leo Maruk had a high opinion of himself, he still recognized the difference in ability compared to the renowned Knight Commander of the human kingdom.

Leo Maruk (Centaur): Attack 6, Defense 5, Spell Power 4, Knowledge 4.

Element: Air.

Advanced Centaur Trait: For every 4 points of attack and defense attributes a hero has, the attack power of centaurs (including upgraded units) is increased by 1 point and their defense power by 1 point.

War Stomp: When leading a centaur in a charge, their attack deals damage in a cone-shaped area. Enemies suffer 40% damage and have a chance to be stunned.

Intermediate Pathfinding Skill, Intermediate Air Element Bonus, Intermediate Water Element Bonus.

His strength lay in his ability to maneuver across terrain, whether in snow or grasslands, as swift as the wind. Combined with the high speed of the Stormwind Centaur, this made Leo the temporary commander of the army.

However, he also knew that the Empire would not allow him to lead tens of thousands of men to the battlefield, as Marshal Leven had many powerful heroes under his command, all of whom were more capable than him.

He would consider his mission complete once he could transport the centaur troops there.

In fact, he didn't think he would be attacked. Marshal Leven had advanced reconnaissance skills, and if the human army made any moves, they would definitely be detected in advance. In that case, it would save him trouble and he wouldn't have to command them.

Moreover, Leo received news that the Dragon Knight Orlando had already arrived in Snowfall City ahead of time, making everything virtually foolproof.

In order to reach the rendezvous point as quickly as possible, Leo led his troops on a journey that lasted day and night, without resting even as night fell.

"Everyone, hang in there a little longer, we'll arrive in another day!"
We rested on the hillside ahead and built defensive fortifications.

Although centaurs don't like building fortifications as much as dwarves, they still need to be prepared for marching. For example, the snowy plains are not suitable for garrisoning, so they can only advance to the hillsides.

But just as the sun was about to set, a dark cloud rapidly approached, launching an attack under the cover of night.

"Damn it! Enemy attack!"

As a large number of vampire counts descended from the sky, the Stormwind Centaur finally reacted, charging forward in hopes of using the hurricane to sweep the enemies down from the air.

However, Su Mu was prepared. He applied Swift Acceleration to the vampire count, exceeding the limit, so that he could still fly.

Not only that, Su Mu also brought a veil of darkness to conceal their movements, so even with Li Wen's reconnaissance skills, they could not be detected.

Therefore, he descended from the sky with the vampire count, and Leo was completely unaware.

The two sides quickly entered into a melee, and Leo realized that the enemy's undead numbered only 200, yet they dared to intercept tens of thousands of centaurs.
"Isn't that incredibly overconfident? They only brought a small number of people, yet they dare to try and intercept my army?"

"Centaur of Fury, charge!"

Although the battlefield was relatively small and the centaur army could not fully deploy its formation, thousands of them still launched an attack on the vampire count.

Leo thought that even if the enemy was a group of level 4 soldiers, or even 200 level 6 soldiers, they would be crushed by the centaur's charge.

However, the result was beyond his expectations. The centaur army charged in front of the vampire count. Apart from the first wave of swift attacks that caused considerable damage, in the subsequent battle, the spears could not even pierce the opponent's blood cloak, let alone kill him.

Even if dozens of centaurs ganged up on a single vampire, they could only inflict minimal damage; they simply couldn't break through its defenses.

"Where did these monsters come from? Why are they so terrifying?" Su Mu transformed into the Dark King and charged into the centaur formation with the vampire count, unleashing a massacre.

本次战斗，苏木执政了暗夜君王、中级招魂术以及高级防御术。以他恐怖的咒力和攻击能力，足足给吸血鬼部队增加了9（36）点攻防，45（180）生命值和9%（36%）的致命血毒几率。

Against the centaur legion, Deadly Poison isn't very effective, but the Noble Earl's 10% forced additional damage is considerable. Moreover, the attack, defense, and health are all genuinely boosted; with defensive spells combined with high health, the opponent has absolutely no way to deal with them.

Su Mu only used one wave of spirit-gathering magic, relying entirely on the vampire count's bloodthirsty instincts to awaken the dead troops and sustain the army through battle. This is the strongest form of the vampire army.

The two sides fought fiercely for half an hour. The centaur forces dwindled in number, while the vampire forces grew in number and even returned to their initial state, now equipped with blood shields.

Leo tried various methods, including exorcism, swift acceleration, and even the Frost Magic Ring, but he couldn't defeat the vampire army on the other side.

The centaur legion suffered at least several thousand casualties. These vampires were even more terrifying than demons; they were simply no match for them.

"No, we have to scatter and escape. If we concentrate our attacks like this, we'll just become nourishment for the enemy to suck our blood."

Leo realized that his opponent was an extremely powerful vampire hero with special unit mastery, advanced earth elemental mastery, and even advanced defense magic. These vampires were not only incredibly tanky and powerful, but they could even resurrect after death; they were no match for him.

The only option now is to escape. He had already sent a message to Kuxue City at the beginning of the war, and he figured that His Highness the Dragon Knight was already approaching. He hoped he could make it in time.

Leo commanded his army to retreat in three waves. Even though thousands of men and horses had died, there were still nearly 8000 troops on the field. The enemy was too numerous to surround them.

Su Mu saw the enemy retreating in batches, which was within his expectations. He hadn't brought the War Shackles, and in fact, it was impossible to defend the War Shackles' barrier with only 200 vampires. Collecting enough souls would complete the mission.

He locked onto the enemy commander's troops; no matter what, he was certain he had this centaur hero in his grasp.

The Slow spell is applied across the entire battlefield, and the vampire army attacks Leo's forces. Quicksand traps and Hercules' Shields are deployed.

The enemy lacks advanced water elemental mastery and is unable to dispel battlefield obstacles, essentially putting them in a hopeless situation.

In the end, the centaur hero even tried to have his men scatter and escape, but Su Mu would never give him that chance. He used earth elemental magic to perfectly devour the 3000-strong centaur army.

The entire battlefield was awash in blood, with mountains of corpses piled up.

Su Mu walked up to the centaur hero, who had been torn to shreds by the vampires. His horse body and four legs had been eaten away, leaving only a broken chest cavity and most of his head.

Leo struggled to lift his head, looking at the Dark Lord, and asked unwillingly, "Why...why are you making an enemy of us? Aren't you afraid that the imperial army will march south and flatten the ruins?"

Su Mu was taken aback for a moment, then finally understood what the other party meant, and replied with a smile, "The ancient ruins welcome your visit. Please feel free to come if you are able!"

After saying that, he waved his hand, and the surrounding vampires swarmed forward and devoured the centaur.

As expected, the vampire count's eating manners were rather unseemly. Su Mu had seen Liliana eat with great elegance.

The bloody and brutal scene was very much in line with the style of the undead general of the ancient ruins.

This battle resulted in the deaths of nearly 5000 centaurs, with the Slow spell playing a crucial role.

Moreover, his intermediate-level necromancy after taking power has an 80% conversion rate, which can gather about 4000 skeleton soldiers, providing sufficient conversion resources.

"In that case, spirits of the dead, awaken from your slumber!"

With a wave of his giant hand, the scattered bones around him trembled and rose from the blood-soaked mud.

Pairs of cold, burning souls greet the world of death.

(End of this chapter)