Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 382 The war is about to break out

When Su Mu led Cedros and the others to the north and joined forces with Ouling, the battle had come to an end.

Or perhaps the war didn't really break out; the enemy only sent a group of assassins to scout and attack, and after being intercepted, they quickly retreated without lingering for battle.

This left Su Mu speechless. If the opposing team was truly cowardly, they had indeed avoided a free kill. The enemy hero must have known something about Kuraki's forces, knowing they had no chance on their own, and decisively retreated, thus avoiding even greater losses.

It was a lucky accident; there's really no way to deal with an enemy like that.

However, from a certain perspective, it also confirms the Arcane Empire's conspiracy. It seems that they have long coveted Silvertop City and were just stirring things up in secret.

"So, the Arcane Empire will have more enemies coming?"

"According to the scouts, the Void Assassins have not retreated far and are still monitoring us, but they are well hidden and we cannot find a large number of troops."

Although the archers have eagle-like eyes, that's exactly what the Void Assassins do; finding a place to hide isn't difficult for them. If Ouling were to scatter and search for the enemy, it would only give the enemy an opportunity to strike.

The Arcane Empire's units are not weak; if the enemy finds the right opportunity, they may suffer losses.

"Let's retreat first. We'll go to Silvertop City and use the watchtower to observe. From there, we can see the border town of Gurado directly."

So Su Mu led everyone back to Silver Peak City.

What's quite surprising is that, in addition to Cedros, Goode has also made progress.

After a grueling battle, Goode has become more skilled at commanding his warhorse, gaining +1 Defense and mastering Intermediate Equestrian Mastery.

[Intermediate Equestrian Master: Able to train higher-tier warhorses (Tier 6), granting cavalrymen +2 speed and increasing the horse's overall strength by 20%.]

In this fierce battle between the two caves, Goode did indeed eliminate more enemies. After all, the Void Axe Guards were endless, and as long as Su Mu did not kill the array's core, his side would be under constant attack.

Goode almost pushed equestrian skills to their limits, achieving perfect harmony between rider and horse, which enabled him to survive and carve out a path in numerous charges.

The current Crimson Dream Beast is a Tier 4 warhorse. It's wishful thinking to directly train it to a Tier 6 warhorse. Goode plans to train it in a special direction first to obtain a Tier 5 warhorse, so as to maximize the strength of the Wind Erosion Knight.

Moreover, he had some ideas during this battle. Dreams and the void are similar in many ways. The warhorse was currently charging in reality. If it could accumulate the power of the charge in the dream and directly reach the opponent through void magic, the effect would probably be even more amazing.

Many units of the Arcane Empire's Void Cult are actually of this type, capable of teleporting to escape or approach the battlefield, choose a favorable position, and then launch a powerful attack.

However, they lack the effect of accumulating lethality through a charge; this move, when used on cavalry, is practically divine. The only difficulty lies in balancing the void and reality, which is the most troublesome aspect. But the Wind Erosion Knight's sand teleportation is somewhat similar to void teleportation, so perhaps we can find a solution in this regard.

Not long after the group returned to Silvercap, they discovered that Groudon had already amassed a large army.

[5000 Archmages, 3000 Divine Monster Lords, 1000 Naga Queens]

It includes the corresponding upgraded troop types, as well as tens of thousands of miscellaneous auxiliary troops.

In particular, the God-Monster Lord and the Naga Queen, with their enormous bodies filling the small town, and their imposing armies trampling across the fields, destroying everything in their way.

In their eyes, the fields or farms of these ordinary, lowly people are insignificant; their only mission is to fight, and they don't care about such things at all.

The inhabitants of the tower town hid in their thatched huts, not daring to show their faces. Even the town's mages closed the tower's doors. The shadow of war had fallen, and everyone felt a chilling atmosphere.

This was only the vanguard of the Arcane Empire; according to scouts, an even stronger army, numbering nearly 100,000, was gathering in its heartland.

While it's unlikely that all subsequent units will be high-level creatures like gods and nagas, the Iron Golems and Gargoyles are still powerful legions that no one dares to underestimate.

It's clear that the Arcane Empire is truly enraged and determined to eliminate any obstacles in the North.

As for why the other side chose to take Silvertop City head-on, to be honest, in the eyes of the Arcane Empire, it was just a newly built small earthen fortress and they didn't take it seriously at all.

Since Su Mu dares to build a city in the Northern Territory to obstruct us, then the Void God Cult will destroy it head-on and let the world see the consequences of fighting against arcane magic.

An army of over 10 men is converging from across the Arcane Empire, flowing in a continuous and mighty stream.

This is a battle in the North comparable to the Battle of Sunset, and the victor will rule the entire North.

As the core forces arrived, the clouds over the small town of Gurado were filled with lightning, almost becoming a vast ocean of thunder.

"Somura has arrived!"

This is definitely a genuine legendary hero; his aura is so powerful that even from hundreds of miles away, one can feel the awe.

All of Kuraki's heroes held their breath and dared not speak loudly.

This is absolutely a life-or-death battle, and even though they have been through countless trials, they cannot guarantee that they will win.

Su Mu stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the earth through the clouds, without the slightest panic. The generals couldn't help but calm down.

"Should we transfer all of Kuraki's troops here to garrison this area?"

"We'll use it for now; they'll definitely try to create communication barriers and put pressure on us."

We must inflict heavy losses on the enemies in the hills, then use the portal to teleport and engage in the final battle in the North!

Ivan remains in Kuraki City to prepare for the potential attack from the hills. Armed with the Crimson Curse Armor, he has no chance of escape once the enemies at the fortress appear.

Forrest also returned to Kuraki, waiting for the right moment to teleport the remaining troops over to defend Silvertop City together.

Relying on the Elton Congress is definitely out of the question. Su Mu's original plan was to take the initiative, drive back some of the enemies in the hills, and then use Wayne's logistics to launch a long-distance attack.

However, this intention is somewhat obvious, and it is very likely that the Wall Legion will catch up with it and tear it apart by the two wolves, making it difficult to protect everyone.

Now that the portal to time and space exists, this magic can be used for maximum defense. That's why Su Mu was so moved when level 4 magic appeared.

God helps those who help themselves!
……

On the north side of Black Cliff, a powerful army of treants, in conjunction with dwarves, broke through the hilly region and is advancing towards the plains.

They didn't attack Black Cliff directly, nor did they head towards Cangmu City; they simply bypassed the hills and wanted to enter the plains to cause trouble.

In fact, this group did not conceal their whereabouts and even created a special commotion in order to contain Kuraki's troops.

The Arcane Empire's plan to enter the North and march south to attack Kuraki is news known throughout the continent. But Isildur's cooperation is truly rare.

Unfortunately, before they could even begin their harassment, they encountered Ivan and his Rock Legion and strongest swordsman legion. Even the powerful Red Tree Legion was routed, utterly powerless to resist. Tens of thousands of troops from the stronghold arrived, along with several golden dragons, intending to intimidate and threaten Kuraki's forces, preventing them from being careless.

Who knew that Ivan, this reckless man, was completely unafraid. Apart from Su Mu, there was probably no other hero in the world who could earn his respect.

Your dwarf legion, your redwood legion? What kind of trash troops are you? Do you think you can compete with my strongest swordsman? Only the golden dragons are worth a glance, but a few of them wouldn't be enough for a lightning raid.

"Kill them! Slaughter them all, leave no one alive!"

Everywhere there were shouts and sounds of fighting; the troops under Ivan's command were like ruthless killing machines.

The Stone Shield Soldiers, in squads of ten, in formations of a hundred, and in groups of five hundred forming an invincible army, leaned on each other and coldly advanced. No matter who the enemy in their path was, they would thrust out their spears and use their stone shields to reflect damage.

With Ivan's current enhanced defense, it has reached a terrifying level. Anyone who attacks the Rock Shield Soldier will suffer a powerful backlash.

Ivan's magical battle formation had reached the intermediate level. He cast a shield formation on the Rock Shield Soldiers, giving all soldiers +4 defense and +1 counterattack chance. These troops, combined with his defensive spells, were harder than iron.

As for the strongest swordsman, he gains the effect of the Frenzy Array, granting +2 damage, +2 speed, and converting 50% of his defense into attack power. In a full-force attack, a single barrage can cause the deaths of hundreds. The scattered Great Elf troops brought by the Barrier were wiped out by a single lightning strike, leaving the enemy commander dumbfounded.

Originally, the plan was to contain the enemy without launching a direct assault, so the number of ranged units brought was not large.

If Kuraki cannot withstand the attack from the north, then the feint attack will become the main attack. Qiu Ling will continue to increase his troops and rush directly towards Kuraki City. They will not give the Arcane Empire a chance. This credit will definitely be awarded to the person who is closer to the city.

But now it seems that Kuraki did not send his most elite troops to the north at all.

"My lord, we can't defeat them. There are thousands of the strongest swordsmen and shield bearers. They must be Kuraki's core force."

"Those Arcane Empire bastards tricked us with false information! We have to retreat, or we'll be wiped out!"

"Do you think I don't want to retreat? There's no way to dispel the enemy's cursed armor. We can't fight them, and we can't run away either."

"What were your scouts doing? Such a large army launched a surprise attack without a word. Did you really trust the Void God Cult completely? Are you out of your mind?"

Commanding the army was Ryan Silvertree, a general from the border city. He and Dino had originally been causing trouble in the valley, but the golden dragon's mobility was significantly greater. With the humans on guard, especially with the support of their cavalry legion, they could launch a counterattack against the dwarves who were digging tunnels, even if they couldn't capture the golden dragon.

The end result was that Dino lived a life of luxury and accumulated military merits, while Ryan and his legion took the blame and were chased from all sides.

So he simply returned to the hilly area and waited for an opportunity to strike.

Just then, news came from the Arcane Empire in the north, inviting Isildur to join forces in pressuring Kurama and share the spoils of the Shirin Plain.

Isildur was certainly unwilling to bring in the formidable Arcane Empire, but they had fought Kuraki many times and knew how powerful the enemy was. Not to mention, Sumu's fame soared after killing Somra in the North, and no hero dared to claim they could definitely defeat him.

Cooperation is a good option, and it requires less effort.

If the Arcane Empire does indeed capture Silvertop City and eliminate Kuraki's main force, then they should quickly launch a surprise attack on Kuraki City and strike first.

In fact, anyone with a modicum of knowledge would think that the Arcane Empire could easily crush Silvercap City. Even if Kuraki were incredibly powerful, could he really withstand a hundred thousand troops from the towers in a city that had only been built a few months prior?
Not only did Isildur not believe it, but even the humans of Elton were skeptical. The Witcher Marshal of the Valley was even setting up defensive lines, treating the Hilling Plains as if it had already fallen, and they were defending along the river, demonstrating just how little confidence the humans had.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ryan Silvertree volunteered to take the mission from Lloyd, preparing for the chance to seize the city.

Of course, he wasn't stupid. He sent scouts to conduct a thorough reconnaissance, and combined this with the situation in Silver Peak City to determine that a large enemy army had left to defend the north before launching a surprise attack.

Moreover, he was unwilling to be a pawn of the Arcane Empire at this critical juncture; he was merely bluffing to put pressure on Kuraki. Once the fighting broke out in the north, he would coordinate with the hill's reinforcements to strike at Kuraki's heart and capture him.

The plan was good, but something went wrong at some point, and he ended up being brutally killed by Ivan.

These thousands of shield bearers and the strongest swordsmen were ruthless war machines, slaughtering the fortified troops like wheat, unstoppable.

Ryan considered himself one of the few capable heroes in Isildur, but he was truly helpless against Ivan.

"This madman, leading a few hundred swordsmen, dared to charge into my main formation and fought back and forth for several rounds. No one could stop him!"

"Madman! Madman!"

Ivan previously relied on defensive techniques to dominate, but now with the Fiery Shield combined with the Fearless Offense technique, plus the support of battle formations, he is like a prehistoric beast, leading his troops to charge wherever they go, leaving chaos and destruction in their wake.

Later on, any troops he targeted were terrified and retreated dozens of steps. Some dwarves even prepared tools to dig tunnels, already considering making a runaway.

Ryan Silvertree surveyed the battlefield and shook his head: "This is definitely not a mistake in the war; it must be a miscommunication by the Arcane Empire. It seems humanity is preparing to abandon Silvertop City and defend Cangmu to the death. The Tower has misled me!"

"That's right, these mages are all wicked, not one of them is good."

"General, let's retreat first, and then we can discuss this further!"

The surrounding heroes and commanders echoed their sentiments. They were truly terrified of being beaten. Fighting Ivan was unbearable; they couldn't win either, and they couldn't escape. It was incredibly frustrating.

Hearing his subordinates' advice, Ryan stopped insisting and rode the golden dragon away towards the hills behind him.

When the soldiers on the battlefield saw the hero fleeing, they lost all will to fight and scattered in all directions.

Only then did Ivan order his troops to disperse and pursue the fleeing soldiers.

It's a pity the shackles of war weren't on him, otherwise Ryan would have truly never returned.

An army of ten thousand men was utterly defeated by a few thousand. The fortified troops were routed, their armor and weapons scattered, and they retreated before they could even unleash much magic. This was simply beyond imagination.

Ivan, thousands of meters away, shouted to the enemy: "Defeated warrior riding a lizard! Remember my name—Ivan Kuraki!"
Next time you see me, take the long way around, or I'll kill you!

"Must kill!"

The troops shouted in unison with their commander, and the entire battlefield echoed with a terrifying roar.

Affected by this, the routed troops of the fortress fled in panic, with their comrades being pushed and trampled everywhere. Many fell into the mud of the Slowing Technique and had their throats slit by the swordsmen who caught up with them.

Ryan and a hero escaped successfully, only to encounter the Hills troops who came to their aid. They were astonished to learn that the Hills troops had been defeated so quickly.

Ryan emphasized that Kuraki had deployed his main force to ambush them, which deterred the hill troops from making any rash moves, and they withdrew.

However, Lloyd's men were not entirely convinced and sent out scouts to scatter across the plains, monitoring the movements along the inevitable route. After all, with the enemy's main force remaining in Kuraki, Silver Peak City in the north would be vulnerable, giving them an opportunity to exploit after the major battle.

We just need to wait a little longer!

(End of this chapter)