Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 386 Cursed Power Matrix
Groups of golden men formed square formations, with 200 men in each group, totaling 2000 men, and began their march toward Silver-Topped City.

A golden heroine with a body made of gold and a curvaceous figure takes command in this operation.

Vera Cyber ​​was a creation born from alchemy and void magic; her original form was a priestess of the Void Cult. While exploring the Void, she was devoured by a ferocious beast, leaving only half of her head.

Her mentor used special methods to preserve her consciousness, which was then introduced into a gilded body, making her a unique hero.

【维拉·赛博（炼金卫士）：攻击4（8），防御8（16），咒力5（12），知识4（8）。

Advanced Alchemy Body: For every 4 points of Defense Spell Power a hero possesses, Golems (including upgraded units, Gold Golems, and Diamond Golems) gain 2 points of Defense and 2% ranged damage reduction. Possesses a special Magic Spell Power Matrix.

Intermediate Defense Technique: Reduces physical damage taken by 10%.

Advanced Electric Spell: When commanding Stone Golems (and upgraded units), enemies fighting them will encounter more powerful lightning spells. This spell takes effect once it reaches a certain area. The special amplification is (Stone Golems +25%, Iron Golems +50%, Gold Golems +100%).

Advanced level Air element mastery, intermediate level Water element mastery.

The Arcane Empire is filled with brilliant generals, including legendary heroes like Somra. The reason why the vanguard general still chose to send Vera into battle is because she possesses strong defensive capabilities and can amplify lightning spells.

As is well known, Somra's Chain Lightning is its most powerful trump card, but if a Golden Army unit gets close to the city wall area to amplify it, it will be a complete disaster.

Her objective was clear: these people would first test the long-range firepower of Silvertop City, as it was said that Kuraki's core troops had not yet arrived.

If the Jurchens could break through to the bottom of the city wall, they might be able to force out the enemy's countermeasures.

Vera arrived at the front lines, her golden arm suddenly detaching from her body and flying into the air, casting a spell on all the golden troops.

【Curse Matrix: It can fix a special buff spell on a stone golem (and upgraded units), which is automatically reloaded every once in a while, and can only be removed by being exorcised twice.

Evaluation: My core is the spell power matrix; even the most powerful dispel cannot remove magic.

Complementing the spell matrix is ​​the high-level air elemental shield, which blocks 50% of ranged damage. Combined with the 14% ranged damage reduction from the advanced alchemical body and the 10% physical resistance from the intermediate defense spell, the Golden Warriors can withstand most ranged physical attacks. Furthermore, they are inherently magic-resistant, making them extremely resistant to both magic and physical attacks.

This tactic was frequently used in previous siege battles, making Vera an indispensable hero in conquering cities and fortresses.

With her spell matrix active, enemies would need to expend two waves of magic to dispel it. Even more troublesome is the cooldown period for heroes to cast spells, which ensures the golden warrior's sustained damage output, allowing it to withstand at least one wave of ranged attacks.

Of course, there is a price to pay: the special magic stored in the spell matrix can no longer be cast by the hero; it can only wait for the magic in the matrix to be automatically reloaded.

However, Vera had already planned ahead. She immediately used Swiftness to accelerate the golden figures to Silvertop City as quickly as possible. Then, in conjunction with Lord Somra's lightning magic, they could attack the enemy's defenders on the city walls.

To put it bluntly, this group of troops is there to scout out the enemy's strength; they've already recouped their investment. If they can reach the city walls and launch a probing attack, that would be a huge win.

Vera was naturally unwilling to be just a vanguard officer. She wanted to make a name for herself in this battle and gain the favor of the Empire's high command so that she could continue to evolve her alchemical body.

She used her alchemical arms to condense a magic array in the air and twisted the mechanism. Suddenly, the entire army awoke, clenched their fists, and marched toward Silvertop City.

"Move out!"

Large numbers of golden soldiers moved swiftly and accelerated, rushing down the hillside from the southeast.

To avoid enemy crossbow fire, the tower army did not get too close to Silvertop City, but naturally they had to choose a closer location when charging.

This partially sheltered hillside became their best place to launch their attack.

At first, Silvertop City didn't realize what was happening and just assumed that the tower troops were on a routine patrol. After all, the two sides were at a very delicate distance, and even with Ouling's artillery bonus, he might not be able to hit the target.

Rather than wasting the ballista's ammunition, it's better to let the enemy set up and wait until they get close before making a move.

In the blink of an eye, the Jurchens reached the snowy plains, and several formations rapidly advanced towards Silvertop City.

"Enemy attack!"

Without Wayne, Cedrus became the primary scout hero, constantly monitoring the movements of the tower's troops from his watchtower. Upon seeing Vera leading the golden army in their advance, he immediately sounded the alarm.

All the heroes climbed to the top of the city wall and looked towards the battlefield. The Jurchens moved swiftly and were protected by special magical shields.

Oling immediately loaded the crossbow, while Maggie prepared to unleash a spell of perfect accuracy to enhance the archer's abilities.

Since Maggie wasn't yet a master of advanced water or air elementals, she could only enhance their abilities by rotating the buffs among her units. Fortunately, she had plenty of mana and could improvise, so it didn't have a major impact. Especially in the current situation, she wasn't in a hurry to cast buffs.

After preparing, Ouling immediately used a high-level water elemental exorcism technique, and a water curtain swept across the entire battlefield, instantly returning both friend and foe to their original state.

At that moment, Maggie immediately followed up with air elemental magic, seamlessly connecting the two.

However, an unexpected event occurred: the exorcism spell did not immediately dispel the golden man's shield, and the opponent continued to charge forward despite the great divine shield.

With the arrow already on the bowstring, there was no choice but to release it, so Orling launched the first wave of attacks from the divine sacrificial cannons.

The massive magical crossbow bolts pierced through the clouds and headed straight for the golden army's formation. With Ouling's current magical power, he could easily control 10 crossbow carts to attack simultaneously.

The enemy had exactly ten square formations, so Ouling didn't need to think much.

The Jurchen commander seemed to have come prepared, as she had dispersed her troops in advance, especially widening the front and rear defenses to prevent the crossbows' area attacks from achieving their maximum effect.

With the added protection of the atmospheric divine shield and the advanced alchemical physique, the golden man stubbornly held on.

Ten crossbow bolts resulted in the deaths of 400 people, but this was far from the devastating effect that Orling had envisioned. It can only be said that the enemy's attack was very targeted.

"Don't cast any buff spells yet. Let me try the exorcism technique one more time. The binding magic on the golden man seems to be loosening!"

Orling stopped Maggie's spellcasting. Since the dispel was to continue, there was no need to accumulate too many buff spells.

Although the golden man still possessed the Great Shield, key spells like Swift Acceleration lost their effect, and the opponent's speed slowed down again.

Vera had no choice but to continue filling in the gaps with Swift Speed, hoping to get the Golden Army to the city walls.

Ouling watched the opponent cast the spell and seemed to understand something. So, after the enemy advanced a certain distance, he cast the exorcism spell again.

The magical aura formed from the water mist completely dispelled the enemy's status, and Orling seized the opportunity to launch the cannon, delivering a deadly crossbow bolt to punish the Golden Man.

As it turned out, without the protection of the atmospheric shield, the alchemical body and the original life force of the golden man were no match for them.

Even when the army was dispersed, nearly 700 men were wiped out in a single round. The divine cannons had practically overturned the hills, and the broken remains of the Jin soldiers were scattered everywhere, buried in deep pits.

"The opponent has reinforcement magic, which should be an enhancement of the atmospheric shield. It will take at least two exorcism spells to remove it."

Having figured out the enemy's skills, Ouling knew that with these 2000 gold men, they weren't really a big threat.

When he reloaded his crossbow and continued firing, he felled another 500 Jin soldiers. This time, it wasn't because the enemy had come up with any new tricks, but because the enemy had been thoroughly slaughtered and their numbers had drastically decreased. Now, using the divine cannon was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito—a waste.

Ouling still didn't give the other party a chance to get close. He could tell that the other party was testing him, but he didn't want the other party to find out anything more.

Just then, Maggie also began to unleash multiple spells to enhance the strength of the city's vanguard and slow down the enemy.

Perhaps the opponent will only test the waters and then retreat, or perhaps they will launch a full-scale attack. No one dares to gamble, so Maggie still made thorough preparations.

With only about 300 Jin soldiers remaining, the ballistae launched an attack, and the earth-bows on the city walls began firing.

Just then, the Atmospheric Shield automatically reloaded, and dozens of surviving Golden Men used this shield to approach the walls of Silver Top City. However, this nearly 100-meter distance became an insurmountable barrier for them, which they could no longer cross.

Just as the Jurchens were about to be wiped out, Somra made his move, unleashing a chain of lightning strikes and using the Jurchens' electrical magic to launch a magical attack on the city walls.

The tower, like a lightning rod, immediately attracted a large amount of lightning, which jumped between the stone walls and hit multiple troops.

However, when the thunder subsided, the outcome was unexpected.

(End of this chapter)