Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 325: Driving the tiger and swallowing the wolf
Liliana possesses intermediate Necromancy and is further enhanced by the Governance skill, allowing her to convert an astonishing number of skeletons.

The fact that they wiped out the bastion legion in the valley and converted thousands of them into skeleton soldiers left Uri completely stunned.

He believed his advanced necromancy was already top-tier, and with the added bonus from the ancient ruins, a conversion rate of nearly 60% was already quite high. But compared to Liliana, it was utterly insignificant.

How many spirit towers and special buildings must there be? Could he have guessed wrong, that the Dark King has a powerful cemetery city behind him, and is not a human he has pledged allegiance to?
But there are only a few places in the plains, and cemeteries and cities need the convergence of earth spirits and the aura of death; they can't just appear out of thin air.

This scene truly shocked Uli, making him more cautious and no longer as at ease as before.

Even after being captured, Uli remained confident, believing that his potential and talent would ensure his survival. However, Liliana taught him a lesson, revealing that this hidden force was far from simple.

I initially thought Liliana was just a decorative vase with some function, but now it seems that's not the case.

Don't say this big-breasted woman is brainless. Even if you put a cow here with an 80% conversion rate for necromancy, it would be revered as a supreme divine cow.

Thinking about it more deeply, if the summoning spell is this powerful, what about its other skills? They must be equally formidable. No wonder the vampires were able to cut through the will-o'-the-wisps so easily when they rushed in; their combined strength is terrifying.

Just as Uli was shocked, Liliana finished converting the skeleton troops, and Sumu cast a stealth spell on the entire army, leading thousands of troops to continue south.

He didn't retreat westward. Judging by the time, Fao and Katherine realized they had been tricked and were heading back towards the canyon.

Even though his disguise is very strong, he will definitely be exposed if he is confronted head-on.

Since that's the case, why not head south directly and give Isildur a surprise?

Since the entire army of ancient ruins is about to be mobilized, it's normal for a contingent to launch a surprise attack from the south beforehand, right? Those centaurs running across the grasslands are a valuable resource.

Rather than leaving it to the Grand Duke of the Dead, it's better for him to accept it.

Lloyd was focused on advancing westward and breaking through the plains. Did he anticipate being ambushed?

If a large undead army came looking for trouble, would he still have the heart to go west?
"Follow me! Let's unleash a bloodbath!"

The vast army of bats and skeletons marched south, and Uli waited patiently for his fate.

With the vampire prince watching over him, Uri behaved very well and did not show the slightest impatience.

As he walked in place, he left several strange footprints on the ground, which were quickly buried by dust and could no longer be seen.

He was then brought before the lord, where Su Mu personally cast a dream-sealing spell on him, completely trapping him in a dream world. Liliana then used her primal blood to seal his magical power, rendering him unable to use magic.

Double insurance.

……

When Katherine returned to the canyon, Faol had already surrounded the place with the Nightmare Knights, but apart from the devastation, nothing of any use remained.

"Where's Uri? Was he killed by Liliana and the others?"

"I don't know. The crucible was taken away, and all the remaining ingredients were killed, but there were no extra bones. It seems that it was transformed by a soul-summoning spell."

This basically confirms that Liliana deceived them, launched a surprise attack, and plundered everything in the canyon.

Katherine commanded her army of skeletons to search every area of ​​the canyon, but found nothing of value.

"There are no special remains in the canyon. Uli is not dead, but we can't detect his presence either. He must have been controlled."

Fao gave him a cold stare, his Nightmare Steed neighing. "It seems Uli isn't just upgrading the Soul Cauldron; he's on another mission. What exactly are you two up to behind my back?"

Upon seeing the Death Knight's rage, the Nightmare Knights around him raised their longswords, glaring angrily, ready to attack at any moment.

Katherine, however, was not afraid at all. His army of skeletons grew larger and larger, surrounding the outside of the canyon. Even when facing the most powerful death knight, he was not afraid.

"I don't know either. The Undead Grand Duke didn't tell me the specifics. He only said that Uli had important research to conduct and asked me to protect him. He also said that if necessary, all the skeleton soldiers should be sacrificed to help him complete his mission."

Given the importance of this entrustment, it must not be something related to a level 4 treasure. But only Uli knew the truth of this matter, and now that he has disappeared, no one knows what the outcome will be.

I will report to the Grand Duke; the rest is up to him to decide.

Clearly, the Grand Duke did not trust his subordinates and assigned different tasks to each of them.

Katherine didn't ask further. He felt that Faol wasn't just a simple killer. These graveyard heroes, whether wizards or death knights, distrusted each other and were full of ambition.

But now that they've been tricked and lost their biggest objective, they're afraid they won't be able to explain themselves well.

"The Grand Duke's investigation may take some time, so I think I'll continue south to track down the enemy."

"Why not head west? Didn't you say that vampire was a subordinate of humans?"

Katherine walked to a stone wall, squatted down, and gently patted the dust off, revealing countless footprints. But when he cast a spell, a black mist condensed into a severed leg, which spun in place before heading south and disappearing.

“Uri possesses dark magic, which allows him to enhance ordinary magic in a special way. He has already left us clues.”

Despite being a hero specializing in skeletons, Katherine is also quite knowledgeable in witchcraft. He clearly had an interest in Uri for a long time, and perhaps even planned to trick him, which explains their close relationship.

Fao shook his head: "I don't care about Uri's research, but the Death Knights will not be fooled. I'm going to hunt down that despicable couple, tear their bat wings to shreds, and bury them in the mud!"

After saying this, Fao commanded his army to march south.

Katherine's bones closed and opened again, revealing a playful smile.

This Death Knight is quite the "reckless fool," but if he's really that reckless, he probably can't replace Ullr in the fight.

Training Nightmare Knights is difficult, requiring special buildings in ancient ruins, and Nightmare Beasts are also very expensive. Even powerful heroes must rely on ancient ruins, which is why heroes like Faol and Ullr are unable to escape the control of the Undead Grand Duke.

Without cavalry, their fighting strength would be reduced by at least half.

Therefore, among this group, the most loyal one is probably Fao. He may not know the specifics of the experiment, nor does he need to care about what it is. He only needs to faithfully carry out the orders of the Undead Grand Duke.

As for Katherine himself, hunting down Liliana was certainly one of the reasons. But more importantly, there were enough living beings to the south to facilitate his conversion of skeleton soldiers.

As long as he can gather enough skeleton soldiers, he fears no one. His sea of ​​skeletons is the foundation of his power, and nothing can replace it.

To put it bluntly, everyone has their own ulterior motives, and surely the Grand Duke of the Dead knows this?

But they are all heroes of the cemetery, not much different from ghosts. Only those who emerge from the cruelest conspiracies and fiercest battles are worthy of representing ancient ruins.

Rather than saying Stuart was raising a treacherous insect, it would be more accurate to say that the artifact was choosing its own chosen one.

He's going to have to put on a good show this time.

(End of this chapter)