Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 384 Advanced Holy Blood Vial

Various thieves and scouts were deployed outside Kuraki Castle to wage an intelligence war against the enemy on the plains.

Meanwhile, Ivan had already gathered all the strongest swordsmen, griffon griffins, and more than half of the rock shield soldiers in the city.

Since the last great battle, Kuraki has been rapidly increasing his troop numbers. Shieldbearers and Earthbowmen have each increased by more than 600, Gale Griffins by nearly 500, Strongest Swordsmen and Arcane Prayer by 300 each, and Wind Erosion Knights by more than 20.

If we include the troops accumulated in Silver Peak City, Kuraki's garrison has reached nearly 7000, making it a force that cannot be ignored.

Of course, compared to the Arcane Empire's army of 10, it still seems weak and feeble.

However, Ivan is a seasoned veteran, and while he claims to have a large army, he's never actually counted it. It's highly unlikely to reach that number, but it wouldn't be far off either.

The Arcane Empire can certainly muster 70,000 to 80,000 troops, but the key is how many high-level troops and special upgraded troops there are, and how well they are compatible with the hero.

With Su Mu guarding Silver Peak City, Ivan believed that at least one against five was no problem.

The most troublesome thing is that Somra is a legendary hero, and it's unclear what other tricks he has up his sleeve. Sometimes a hero's special skill can turn the tide of battle; after all, this is a world of magic, and no one dares to claim invincibility.

Therefore, Ivan followed Sumu's instructions and did his best to enhance the legion's strength. In the final moments, there was nothing else he could do but wait for the forging of that treasure.

[10 parts Dragon Blood Essence, 10 parts Dark Night Source Blood, 15 parts Alchemy Dust]

Kuraki has gathered all the materials needed to upgrade the Holy Blood Vial. Randall used the Forbidden Hammer to personally forge and improve it. He has been at the Glory Blacksmith Shop for many days, but there is still no news.

“Ivan, a message has come from the north that the Arcane Empire is about to besiege Silvertop City, and the lord has ordered us to evacuate immediately.”

Forrest glanced at Ivan, took out his magical teleporter, and told him that the situation was urgent.

The portal to time and space is not invincible. If the city to which the teleportation is about to take place is besieged, or if the enemy casts a forbidden spell, they will be unable to activate the teleportation.

In other words, the portal to another dimension is inaccessible while the city is under siege. Of course, one could gamble that the Arcane Empire hasn't deployed any space-limiting magic, which might allow for continuous teleportation.

However, the portal itself is not stable and can be destroyed quickly if attacked by the enemy. Therefore, most heroes are unable to teleport troops to besieged cities.

Moreover, Kuraki has done so much to deceive everyone and use all his forces to resist the Arcane Empire's attack. If he were to appear in front of the Tower troops, he would not achieve the desired effect at all, which is unacceptable to Ivan.

"If we really can't wait any longer, we'll lead our army north and rendezvous with the lord!"

At this point, Ivan didn't have many options. Sidelos hadn't carried the artifact for some time in preparation for upgrading his combination treasure, but his condition was barely stable; however, it was uncertain what would happen if it remained unused for too long. Therefore, Ivan still very much wanted to take the treasure with him, but unfortunately, it was no longer possible.

Just as he was about to command his army to form ranks and open the portal to space and time, a strong surge of magical energy suddenly erupted above the blacksmith's shop, and the soldiers standing around were blasted several meters away by the shockwave.

As the iron gate opened, Randall, his hands trembling, held a box containing a dragon-shaped bottle filled with crimson blood.

Even just looking at this blood, you can feel a surge of power that makes your blood boil and fills you with energy.

【Burning Blood Bottle (Combination Treasure Upgrade): Increases the maximum health of troops by 10 points, and gives heroes multiple times the health vitality.

Life Regeneration: All units gain 40% bonus health points and can restore 100 health points/soul power every long interval (maximum number of units affected = hero's spell power * 3000, undead units can also benefit from the bonus).

Burning Blood: A hero can cast the Burning Blood spell on an allied unit, consuming 20% ​​of their health to convert into double the amount of additional damage (flesh and magic damage), and perform an enchanted attack.

Evaluation: Immortal and indestructible, reborn from the ashes of its own blood, no one knows the source of its powerful life force.

"Fortunately, the mission has been fulfilled!"

"The Burning Blood Bottle is yours!" The moment Ivan took the Burning Blood Bottle, Randall collapsed to the ground. It was clear that he had exhausted all his efforts to successfully upgrade the Burning Blood Bottle.

"Quickly, send the best priests to heal Master Randall and take him to the Magic Guild for recovery!"

Forrest immediately helped up Kuraki's hero. Randall clearly knew Kuraki's predicament and was determined to create the Burning Blood Bottle before the war even if it cost him his life.

Having a Burning Blood Bottle is equivalent to having countless medical tents providing treatment; this combined treasure is comparable to a legion of Light Priests.

What's even more remarkable is that for troops without life-threatening situations, they can burn their blood, consuming health points to increase additional flesh magic damage. And when they recover, they can fight again at full health.

100 health points—this is a maximum that most troop types cannot reach. Currently, only the Wind Erosion Knights in the castle army exceed this limit; the rest of the troops recover to full health in one go.

Simply put, even if you lose an arm or a leg on the battlefield and are on the verge of death, as long as you don't die, you will stand up again completely intact.

Moreover, the burning blood vials are effective against the undead, making the vampire army even more invincible.

What a terrifying combination of treasures!

Ivan held it tightly in his hand, remaining silent for a long time, his face showing extreme excitement.

In reality, a simple contest of troop strength is not the key to determining victory or defeat. For example, the Wind Erosion Knights, even with only 40 men, are no less capable than 100 ordinary cavalry.

From this perspective, giving troops an additional 40% of life points is equivalent to expanding the existing force by 40%, or even making it stronger.

After all, in a battle between superhuman units, the unit with higher health has a greater advantage.

He had a premonition that the defensive battle taking place in Silvertop City might be affected by this combination of treasures.

Forrest arranged everything, waved his hands, and directly opened the portal to time and space.

Kuraki Castle is now completely sealed off, with no one allowed to leave or enter, all in order to keep the secret of the main force's northward march.

Thousands of troops stepped through the portal of time and space, and when they reappeared, snowflakes were falling.

Looking up, all they could see were towering white towers and city walls, where Su Mu and the other heroes had been waiting for them for a long time.

With Wayne and Sederlos working together, the portal to another dimension was hidden in a concealed area, and no movement could be detected outside the city.

"You've finally arrived! If you hadn't made it in time, we might have been besieged by the Arcane Empire!"

Ouling stepped forward, smiling as he patted Ivan on the shoulder, only to find that Ivan was holding a purplish-red vial of blood.

Ivan immediately presented the combined treasures to the lord.

"Advanced Combination Treasure: Burning Blood Vial!"

Su Mu touched the scorching bottle; even through the rare materials, he could feel its boundless vitality.

After examining the treasure's attributes, Su Mu was even more radiant.

"We will undoubtedly win this battle!"

Just then, a scout from the watchtower reported that Somra had led a large army across the border and was heading straight for Silvertop City.

(End of this chapter)