Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 294 Sunset Showdown: The Nation's Elite Force (Part 2)

The army at the stronghold fled in panic, immediately disrupting the entire military formation.

João had already retreated deep enough to quickly disengage from the battlefield and make a swift withdrawal. However, the stronghold troops in the formation were not so fortunate; they were caught in the middle of the centaurs and dwarves, caught in a dilemma.

Seeing their commander flee, the remaining soldiers at the stronghold lost all will to fight and only wanted to escape the battlefield.

Orlando's face turned ashen when he saw this, and he was so angry that he almost fell off the plane.

The two sides were at a stalemate. Even if all the necromancers were dead and the Spirit Barrier had been activated, the strongest swordsman would not be able to revive for a short time. As long as the Arcane Prayer was contained and the ground troops launched a siege, the chances of victory were high.

But once João fled, the situation instantly reversed, and the soldiers at the fortress were also affected by the deserter, becoming somewhat hesitant to advance.

"Kill them! Anyone who dares to retreat will be killed without mercy!"

Orlando's eyes hardened; he showed no mercy to these deserters from the stronghold and ordered the enforcement team to take action.

Behind the great formation stood a squad of elite Great Elf soldiers. They had originally been targeting the strongest swordsman, but now they had all changed their targets and were killing the fleeing stronghold soldiers.

After the necromancers were all killed, the stronghold's forces consisted only of orcs and some ordinary ogres, which were no match for the high elves. A single volley of arrows from the high elves nearly wiped them out.

"Don't kill me! We're allies!"

"I want to live. I still have my mother and children at home!"

"You wretched barbarian bastards, I curse you all to die on the battlefield!"

No matter how much the stronghold troops cursed, it couldn't change the fact that they were being slaughtered. The enforcement team punished deserters, and the army became increasingly chaotic. Large numbers of orcs took up arms and began to fight against the centaurs around them.

However, given the disparity in troop strength, and the fact that the stronghold was the first to be decimated, the troops there had no power to resist and were quickly wiped out.

Except for João and a squad of elite wolf riders who escaped the battlefield, the remaining stronghold troops were completely wiped out.

Watching the orcs at their stronghold being mercilessly slaughtered, the wolf riders' eyes turned bloodshot, revealing a bloodthirsty look. João also clenched his fists, his eyes filled with hatred.

Driven by hatred for humanity, the Cyclops traveled thousands of miles to fight in the heart of the land, which can be considered more than enough. He never complained when it came to attacking fortresses or defending cities and counterattacking, and every penny he earned was hard-earned.

But how did the heroes of the fortress treat them? They flooded the castle without warning; in skirmishes, they couldn't protect the necromancer, and instead of fighting the enemy first, they killed the fleeing orcs.

He remembered this "friendship".

If he has the chance to escape, he will surely repay Isildur.

If he ran away without looking back, some scattered arrows would fall around him, but he would lose his aim, because the strongest swordsman had already broken through to the side of the great elf and started killing.

Taking advantage of the infighting between the strongholds and fortresses, the strongest swordsman finally caught his breath and charged towards the great elf.

The bastion troops only have this one ranged unit. They don't have the Phantom Bow, so once they're caught in close combat, they lose their lethality and become lambs to the slaughter.

The strongest swordsman also suffered heavy losses; after being covered by the Spirit Suppression, more than 300 warriors have been lost.

No matter how high their defense or how strong their attack, they are still human. When they are hit by elemental attacks, they will accumulate injuries.

Maggie has done everything she can to heal the swordsmen, but they are facing too many enemies, and the casualties just won't come down.

However, with a swordsman causing trouble in the enemy ranks, Silver Pegasus Star was stuck in place and unable to move at all.

The phantom dragon hurriedly flew down, intending to ambush the Arcane Prayer, but missed. It stood there watching the Arcane Prayer kill the Necromancer, causing the stronghold to collapse, which enraged the proud dragon.

They flapped their wings and returned to the prayers, using their dragonfire to attack Kuraki's most powerful ranged units.

Compared to the strongest swordsman, the Arcane Prayer has much lower health. It can hardly withstand an attack from a level 7 unit and is instantly reduced to ashes.

But the Arcane Prayer was no pushover either. Its powerful counterattack dispersed the flames, and its spell arrows pierced the dragon's scales, leaving the giant lizard a bloody mess as it collapsed with a mournful cry.

The Mystic Prayer perfectly inherited the Priest's close-combat prowess, maintaining its formidable killing power. Ever since Orling acquired the Phantom Bow, he has been able to fire spell arrows even when at close range, still retaining its immense destructive power.

Even with the dragon's defense and health, it's a Pyrrhic victory, killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of its own, ultimately yielding no benefit.

The already scarce dragon force has suffered another sharp decline in numbers.

Orlando stood atop the dragon's head, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He had intended to pick on an easy target, but upon reaching it, he discovered a terrifying monster that rivaled even the dragon itself, the pressure so immense it was almost suffocating.

After his experience in the Dragon Cliff Illusion, he would never have imagined that an even more treacherous battlefield would appear. The current scene felt like a return to Dragon Cliff, that desperate situation where life and death were not in one's own hands.

In fact, he also realized that the retreat from the stronghold had tied down some troops, resulting in a significant drop in morale and making the battle more difficult.

Despite the heavy losses and small number of casualties suffered by Su Mu's troops, each soldier possessed extremely high morale and luck. Not only did the strongest swordsman unleash a series of powerful attacks, but even the Arcane Prayer had a lucky strike. It's clear that Kuraki had a hero with advanced Leadership and Luck skills commanding the troops, making their overall strength astonishing.

Orlando was already considering retreating, but unlike João, Levin was still attacking on the front lines. If he retreated without a fight and allowed Sumu to join the battle for Sunset Fortress, Levin would undoubtedly be defeated.

The empire is tolerant of talented heroes, but it has zero tolerance for desertion in the face of battle.

Even if they were to leave, they would have to expend as much of their resources as possible to ensure that the human forces couldn't return to provide support. This way, even if they couldn't reach the front lines, they would have a plausible explanation. Being ambushed by a powerful force, blocked halfway, and suffering heavy losses would also be understandable.

"Kill! Silver Pegasus Star, wipe out the strongest swordsmen! Leave them without a single survivor!"

Seeing their commander lead the dragons back to stop the Arcane Prayer, the morale of the bastion's ground troops was greatly boosted, and they roared as they charged toward the strongest swordsman. Even knowing they were outmatched, they would use their flesh and blood to hold off the enemy, buying time for the soldiers who could inflict damage.

Overall, the Isildur soldiers are of much higher combat quality; they are the elite of the Empire and carry the pride of Imperial warriors.

Faced with life and death, they had long since cast aside all thoughts; their indomitable will nourished their very being, making them fearless against any formidable foe.

Thus, the two powerful armies clashed fiercely, fighting until the sky darkened and neither side retreated an inch, resulting in a truly brutal battle.

Su Mu had already led his army down from the cliff top, and the first thing he did was lead the Gale Griffins to charge towards the most solidly fortified formation.

It must be said that the troops Orlando led were incredibly powerful. This wasn't a matter of which tier of unit had the strongest fighting ability, but rather that they were battle-hardened veterans, honed through countless campaigns. This was the source of Isildur's confidence in invading Elton and viewing humans as reptiles.

Even as an opponent, Su Mu greatly admired these soldiers who fought to the death. Only by fighting against such enemies could one hone the sharpest sword and make it forever etched in the swordsman's memory.

But what he needs to do now is to do everything he can to kill them; this is the greatest respect he can show to his enemies!

"Teleport!"

Su Mu moved his army of griffins above the enemy's battle formation. The griffins launched a swooping attack, using their sharp talons to grab centaurs and dwarves and tear them to pieces. Their iron wings were even sharper, mercilessly slicing open the necks of their enemies, causing blood to gush out.

The Wild Griffin then activated Wild Lock, trapping the Great Elf on the hilltop. Together with the remaining strongest swordsman, they made it impossible for the Great Elf to break free and forced him into a weak melee combat.

The Great Elf, originally considered the strongest offensive force in the rear, became a target for exploitation.

With its swift acceleration, the griffin can completely restrict all Isildur forces except for the dragons. In addition, the griffin's infinite counterattack makes it very suitable for melee battles. No matter how many enemies are around, as long as they are not down, the griffin can use its magical properties to launch wind blade counterattacks.

After the griffin troops arrived, Su Mu moved the shieldbearers forward further, allowing them to quickly reach the battlefield. Although the shieldbearers were somewhat helpless against the dragons, they were adept at dealing with centaurs and dwarves, completely suppressing the enemy's attacks.

Lower-level soldiers fight against each other, which used to put too much pressure on them, and it was truly a last resort.

Both sides were fighting with full force, neither willing to back down an inch. However, since the attribute differences weren't significant, unit characteristics became crucial. Both the Gale Griffin and the Shield Infantry were well-suited for melee combat, and even with significantly fewer troops, they could easily take on three or even many opponents.

Su Mu then began unleashing earth elemental magic, a meteor shower. This is when Ivan's tactics, the magical battle formation, became effective. Beyond the initial troop deployment, he could now command his troops more flexibly during combat, performing small-scale micro-management and leveraging the offensive capabilities of his forces.

More importantly, it left room for the release of Meteor Shower, since this is an area-of-effect spell that doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. With Ivan's skillful command of the troops' movement and his notification of the lord's specific deployment, Su Mu could accurately unleash the spell and launch the attack.

One positioned the target, the other fired the artillery; the two heroes' perfect teamwork inflicted devastating damage on the fortified army.

The Demonic Moon, Earth Spirit Orb, combined with Intermediate Combined Magic, unleashed a devastating Meteor Shower, capable of wiping out hundreds of centaurs in a single wave. Even the larger bastion forces couldn't withstand such onslaught.

Maggie also unleashed a series of debuff spells, equipped with magic orbs that dealt equally high damage. Furthermore, Su Mu inherited the Intelligence skill, giving both of them terrifyingly high mana, so there was no need to worry about the depletion of Magic Storm Moon's power.

"What exactly is the situation with this Su Mu?"

Orlando was stunned by this scene. He had previously thought that Su Mu was a rather mediocre lord who only had such a powerful army because of the support of his generals.

Later, it was discovered that Su Mu possessed leadership and luck-related skills, making him a qualified leader, which was barely acceptable.

Now, seeing Su Mu casting magic, forming a magic turret with Maggie, continuously outputting magic points as if they were free, is completely incomprehensible.

How can this Su Mu be so versatile? He has some knowledge of defense, is an expert in archery, knows a bit about offense, excels in intelligence, and is a magic all-rounder?
Are there really heroes like this in the world?

The more Orlando interacted with Su Mu, the more astonished he became. In fact, Orlando had reason to be proud; the fact that he had fought so many battles with Su Mu and gradually grasped the core of governance techniques demonstrated his exceptional personal strength, as evidenced by his ability to survive each encounter.

Little did they know that many ragtag heroes, upon first encountering Su Mu, immediately perished in the underworld, naturally without much thought.

However, Orlando also noticed something: Su Mu's skill characteristics should be related to the heroes under his command.

Other heroes command troops, while Su Mu commands generals, and the more the merrier.

"What a terrifying fellow! We must report this to the Elders' Council and raise Su Mu's danger level!"

Orlando thought he had taken Su Mu seriously enough, but he didn't expect that he still didn't have all the information about the enemy, which explains why he was so frustrated in the fight.

He instructed his lieutenant to use earth manipulation magic to counter the enemy's earth-based magical attacks.

Maggie and Sumu coordinated perfectly, one casting an exorcism spell while the other unleashed a meteor shower, the transition seamless. With two heroes possessing such magical expertise, they were simply unstoppable.

"This Maggie is a problem too!"

Orlando looked closely and found that Maggie was still protected by many griffon griffins, which was a precaution. Otherwise, it would have been too much trouble to let the dragon rush over and attack, and kill the human mage directly.

As the battle raged, Orlando became increasingly irritable and unable to control his emotions.

In truth, he already knew the ending, but he was unwilling to admit it.

While the strongest swordsmen were mostly wiped out, the Earthbow was largely destroyed, the number of shield bearers and griffon griffins was halved, and the Arcane Prayer suffered heavy losses, look at the bulwark side: fewer than 10 dragons remain, the great elves have been slaughtered, only a few hundred pegasus remain, and the centaurs and dwarves are mired in the quagmire and are no match for the shield bearers.

If we consider troop strength, he still has nearly 4000 men, a significant lead. However, considering the rate of troop losses, it's completely impossible to win.

Even if he fights to the very end and manages to kill all the strongest swordsmen and arcane worshippers, his dragons will be completely wiped out, and his ground troops will be overwhelmed by the shieldbearers and become victims of his blade.

The Kuraki Legion's structure is too balanced; each unit is a war machine that maximizes its benefits, and their coordination is perfect.

Even in a battle of such intensity, the opposing side had already planned how to win from the very beginning.

Even when you see hope in the end, it's actually just out of reach.

Perhaps João foresaw the outcome, which is why he fled in panic.

But he was truly unwilling to accept it!
This is Isildor's greatest war in a thousand years, a crucial battle concerning the very survival of the empire. Victory would grant him a place in the Temple of Nature and a promotion to a high-ranking position in the Council of Elders. Combined with his status as a Dragon Knight, he has a very good chance of reaching the legendary rank.

After all, the advancement of heroes and the cultivation of magic both require enormous resources. Whether it's treasures, skills, or even the vast ocean of magic, it all requires the assistance of multiple extraordinary cities. Those who believe that one can become a legendary hero by fighting alone basically do not understand the workings of the hero world and cannot see through the essence of heroes.

If you miss this opportunity, you may miss out on a promotion forever.

The achievement of conquering a kingdom, a legendary kingdom like Elton that had existed for a thousand years, was a feat that many generals dreamed of, yet they missed out on it.

Besides, Marshal Leven was still fighting on the front lines; to withdraw like this would seem too cowardly.

Orlando was caught in a dilemma.

But in those few short minutes, the human forces gained an even greater advantage.

The shield-bearers surrounding the fire shield pierced through the centaur, and the lieutenant hero also ran out of mana, unable to cast an exorcism spell.

The battle of flesh and will between the two sides finally ended with the defeat of Isildur's forces.

With casualties reaching a critical point and suppressed by the bloody slaughter, the fortified army began to collapse, and morale was severely weakened.

If we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave at all!
"I'm sorry!"

Orlando glanced at the fortress to the west, then lay on the back of the dragon, directing the few remaining phantom dragons to retreat eastward.

With the green dragons' resistance and defense, plus the dragon riders' speed, it would be difficult to keep them at bay.

Although the Arcane Prayer tried his best to shoot out spell arrows, he only managed to kill the guardian dragon, but failed to shoot down the dragon Orlando was riding, which escaped into the clouds.

Seeing this, Ouling hurriedly jumped onto the Gale Griffin: "We can't let him get away like this! I'll lead the griffon army to chase after him!"

The shackles of war have always been bound to the heroes in the Hall of Eight Kings. This battle was too dangerous, and it couldn't contain the impact of level 7 troops, so it was not used.

However, if only one dragon remains, chasing and restricting the enemy still offers a chance to capture Orlando.

Su Mu waved his hand, indicating that there was no rush: "Don't worry, Orlando can't escape. There are other people waiting for him!"

If the dragon riders escape, all our fighting will have been for nothing.

The priority now is to treat the wounded as quickly as possible; there's no need to chase after him.

Ouling turned his head and saw that the bloodthirsty gloom on the earth had disappeared, the forbidden spirit domain had ended, and reincarnation and resurrection were possible.

Although the shamans could apply a spirit-suppressing effect to the troops, it was time-limited. In addition, they were ambushed by the strongest swordsman before they could even make a move, so they couldn't cover many troops at all.

The most crucial thing now is to revive combat power. With the bonus from the Demonic Moon, the effect is quite good.

Otherwise, the losses from this battle would be too great; the hard-earned wealth could not withstand such depletion.

Hearing that the lord had other plans, Ouling nodded with relief.

Indeed, since they've already penetrated deep into enemy territory, thinking they can escape is a bit too presumptuous.

What kind of dragon knight is an elven dragon knight if he loses his dragon army?

Just a pile of dry bones in a tomb!

(End of this chapter)