Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 293 Escape from battle

With the shaman's forbidden spirit domain, combined with the destructive power of the two types of elemental baptisms from the Pegasus, even the strongest swordsman was finding it difficult to withstand.

In an instant, they lost over 100 men. Of course, the swordsmen's relentless counterattack also took away hundreds of pegasus riders, making the casualty ratio completely disproportionate. But the fortified troops outnumbered them. Seeing a chance to annihilate this powerful army, they moved like sharks smelling blood.

Orlando and Sumu have fought many times and can be considered old rivals. He is basically very familiar with Kuraki's units and heroes, and even his tactics.

To deal with the swordsmen commanded by Ivan, there is no other way but to use elemental damage units. The earth-molded pegasus is a nightmare for high-damage enemies; no matter how strong its defense is, it can't stop itself from self-destructing when it comes to killing.

Previously, he might have been worried about reincarnation, since Su Mu was a hero with advanced earth elemental proficiency. However, with Joang, this deficiency was perfectly made up for, allowing him to see the possibility of annihilating the Cangmu Legion.

The dragon knight knew he had to kill Su Mu in one fell swoop, or all his efforts would be in vain. That's why he fought so desperately, leading the dragons as the vanguard to draw enemy fire.

Just as he saw the light at the end of the tunnel, he was stunned by the dazzling magical power boost, as brilliant as fireworks.

A group of mysterious prayer warriors concealed themselves and appeared on the plain, with phantoms of vengeance swirling behind them as they aimed and fired at the besieged clay pegasus.

Having already inherited the destructive power of the Arrow of Vengeance, and further replicated the Spirit of Vengeance, these nearly 400 Arcane Prayers unleashed their full power.

"No!"

With Orlando's roar, a rain of magical arrows poured down, and the earth-shattered Pegasus exploded before it could even react, with booming and explosions echoing across the land.

Your clay-molded Pegasus can self-destruct, right? I can shoot from a distance, let it self-destruct however it wants, it's completely harmless.

This group of soldiers originally wanted to rush to the strongest swordsman and become porcupines, but they were shot through halfway and turned into thick dust, raising the ground a meter higher, which shows how many soldiers died.

"Frost Ring!" "Rapid Fireballs!"

Orlando and the Bulwark Heroes immediately unleashed a group spell, annihilating all the mirror images, but it did not cause much damage to the Arcane Prayer.

The vengeful spirits have completed their mission and no longer care about being attacked.

Thanks to the bonus from the Phantom Bow, the Arcane Prayer's damage and range are much stronger, making it difficult for Isildur's ground forces to retaliate in the short term.

At this moment, Maggie also stepped forward, using the power of arcane runes to transform into a magical kaleidoscope, continuously casting amplification skills.

"Swift Acceleration!" "Perfect Shot!" "Bloodthirsty Magic!"

Use any spells that increase damage or attack on the Arcane Prayer, and since the unit itself can be imbued with magic, the Arcane Prayer's attack power is almost at its peak.

As for the Bastion Legion, they originally intended to use the exorcism spell to dispel it, but they were a step too late and encountered a second round of attacks from the Arcane Prayer.

Arcane Prayer can also perform elemental attacks, rendering Orlando's defensive spells ineffective; their only advantage is their high defense. However, Orlando inherited Su Mu's attack attributes, and with the Soul Arrow buff, he can essentially ignore enemy defenses and launch penetrating attacks.

After these two volleys of arrows, the first wall that had stood against the strongest swordsman collapsed with a crash.

Including those previously killed by the strongest swordsman, more than two thousand of the clay Pegasus have died, exceeding two-thirds of the total.

Even more terrifying is the dilemma facing Isildur's forces: if they let the Arcane Prayerers go unchecked, they alone could wipe out all the Pegasus. What good would it do to kill the strongest swordsman then?

Two bottles of poison, which one should you drink?
Even from the cliff top, Orlando could feel the troops' morale plummeting. They had just started to improve, but their formation was disrupted again. The enemy was relentlessly pressuring them, trying to force them into a passive position and make them follow the rhythm of Kuraki's troops.

If things continue like this, there is absolutely no chance of winning; we must immediately come up with a countermeasure.

Orlando glanced at the enemy commander, Su Mu, who was wielding the Titan's Greatsword and fighting the Phantom Dragon. With Su Mu's offensive and defensive attributes, he was already on par with the dragon, and with the added characteristics of a hero, he could even slay the dragon single-handedly.

At this critical moment, Su Mu seemed to have abandoned command, completely trusting his generals and entrusting the entire battle to the other heroes. He charged into battle like a brute, at most boosting morale.

"What a lucky guy, to have so many people helping him!"

It has to be said that Orlando also felt a pang of jealousy.

Orling, Ivan, Maggie, Wayne—any one of these heroes could be a top performer on the battlefield, yet they're now wholeheartedly supporting Su Mu. This guy is incredibly lucky.

While Orlando acknowledges Sumu's talent in command and leadership, does he really think these powerful heroes are as common as cabbages?
Even someone as arrogant as him had to admit that one man can't fight four. The enemy might be individually weaker than him, but with four or five of them, how could he possibly win?
Just when Orlando was at his wit's end, a giant dragon spread its wings and took to the sky.

The time for Skybreaker Wings has come! After destroying the Crystal Ballista and damaging a large number of Earthbows, the dragon began to fly away from the area, breaking free from the shackles of the Gale Gryphon and attacking the Arcane Prayer.

Currently, all units in the bastion are affected by the slow effect, and the only way to attack the Arcane Prayer is to send the dragon back.

Orlando also controlled the Stormwind Centaur, charging towards the Prayer. The remaining Silver Pegasus Stars continued to target the strongest swordsmen, and now, with their elemental attacks, they had wiped out half of the swordsman force, bringing them very close to final victory.

In multi-front warfare, high-speed units like dragons still have an advantage.

But the instant the dragon soared into the sky, the Arcane Prayer shifted its position, reappearing on the southern highlands, extremely close to the necromancer behind it. The Prayer waved its hands, gathering arrows of magical power to deliver the final blow to the enemy.

"Teleport!"

At the crucial moment, Su Mu implemented a pre-prepared tactic: relying solely on his strongest swordsman to charge into an army of tens of thousands was indeed difficult. Once sufficient casualties were inflicted, the rest could be handled by ranged units.

When it comes to pinpoint strikes, no one can beat a marksman.

The sky was filled with the radiant light of cursed power. The few hundred remaining necromancers all perished, turning into blood shamans. Blood splattered everywhere, and the orc legion beside them was almost covered in blood, standing there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.

Orcs don't have a long range to begin with, and when faced with archers enhanced by the Phantom Bow, they can't even touch their shadows.

They do want revenge, but how? War is not just talk.

Just as the orcs were in chaos, the shaman's banner fluttered without wind, and blood-red characters were outlined on the white cloth, signaling an urgent message from the front.

This led to even greater chaos within the stronghold legion.

João fled, taking his elite wolf riders with him, and escaped the battlefield amidst the chaos.

Upon seeing their commander flee, all the troops at the outposts lost their will to fight and abandoned their weapons and armor, retreating in disarray.

They were forced into battle by the fortress, and their core troops were wiped out in full view of everyone. How could they possibly fight the stronghold?
João Hawke is an ogre shaman, but not a barbarian chieftain; he knows when to back down. This is Isildur's war, and they are at most acting as mercenaries, fighting only when there's profit to be made, and not worth risking their lives for the fortress if there isn't.

Although there were still more than 1000 people at the stronghold, they were no different from ants in front of the strongest swordsman and the arcane prayer.

By using the shamanic medium to delay the inevitable, they have already done everything they could to be benevolent.

João refused to continue and decided to retreat to the south.

Of course, this is only one of the reasons. Another reason is the message just received from the Cyclops King, informing him of the unfavorable situation on the front lines, that the stronghold army is almost wiped out, and urging him to do his best to preserve his strength.

Leven actually possessed Noah's Ark and planned to flood the city, but he kept it a secret from Mogo, resulting in heavy losses for the stronghold troops.

This time, João truly distrusted the people of the Barrier. He felt that even if he stayed here and fought to the last drop of blood, the ending would be the same: they would be discarded after they had served their purpose.

Moreover, he felt that Orlando couldn't defeat humans, as their generals were all top-tier heroes.

Orlando may have thought he could turn the tide with a desperate attack, but in reality, he had already been tightly bound by an invisible net.

Ballista slaying dragons, surprise attacks on shamans, stealthy strikes, and the swordsmen's gradually glowing fire shields.

Every step was pre-planned by the enemy. The enemy commander was a monster, able to combine the characteristics of all heroes and troop types to achieve such a brilliant record.

Contrary to Orlando's opinion, João saw that Su Mu was the central axis of everyone, each hero was like a finely functioning part, and Su Mu was the initiator who made all the parts work perfectly.

Without eliminating the enemy's commander, attempting to break through one or two heroes will essentially guarantee defeat.

Orlando is doing this stupid thing right now, so João escapes without any psychological pressure.

He had already foreseen the horrific scene of the dragon's blood staining the earth.

We can't win this battle!

(End of this chapter)