Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 393 Today, the sword is drawn, and blood stains the battlefield.

The moment Somra made his move, the entire Silvertop City, spanning dozens of kilometers, was enveloped in lightning.

Both Kuraki's legion and the Arcane Empire's forces felt a chilling aura.

The intuition that it could directly destroy his body and soul seemed so strong.

"Is Somra abandoning his soldiers? The Arcane Empire still has tens of thousands of elite troops locked in fierce battle. If he does this, even the most resolute heroes will be driven to disunity!"

Indeed, this was the case. The army of golden men and gargoyles, already somewhat afraid of fighting after suffering heavy losses, were now shrouded in thunder from the sky, causing their morale to plummet and leaving them with no will to fight.

The golden men are in a slightly better position, controlled by Vera, and are barely able to maintain the battle. The gargoyles, on the other hand, have begun a large-scale retreat, attempting to disengage from the battlefield.

Su Mu looked up at the sky. Under the cover of dark clouds, a blood-red curse permeated the air, and an eerie, dreamlike aura spread. Although the sky was dim, what was reflected in everyone's eyes was a crimson blood color.

"Something's wrong. This magic has mutated. Has Somra been corrupted?"

Su Mu was first taken aback, then a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

The strength of legendary heroes goes without saying. Somra has also demonstrated his level 6 magic in Winterfell. If it were his true form, he would be even more flawless.

He glanced at a corner of the outer wall, where all that could be seen with the naked eye were tattered tents. It wasn't a marching passage and had been largely untouched by the fighting. In reality, it concealed Kuraki's last trump card: the Crimson Knights and the Wind Erosion Cavalry Regiment.

However, unlike her clone, Somra manipulated level 6 magic with ease, revealing almost no flaws. Attacking her again as before would likely be difficult to interrupt her spellcasting.

Originally, they thought that since the enemy still had so many troops left, Somra would have to wait until a decisive battle was won before unleashing the Calamity Thunder Pool. At that time, the cavalry regiment could charge out, capture the king and seize the flag, and cut Somra down from his horse.

But the genie's ruthlessness exceeded everyone's expectations. He didn't care about the loss of soldiers at all; all he wanted was victory. Even if all these troops were wiped out, he would avenge his defeat and destroy Silvertop City.

Such thinking is extremely dangerous, even bordering on insanity.

Su Mu originally thought it wouldn't come to this, after all, the Genie also had to make a living in the Arcane Empire, and if he did this, probably no one would follow him.

It now appears that Somra's soul was corrupted. The divine power of his clone's soul weapon was used for the dream test, and then suppressed by the Eight Kings Palace, gradually disintegrating the core of the soul weapon and causing his main body to be slightly damaged.

The Crimson Dream under the lunar eclipse took advantage of this aura to find Somra's true form, which is why even a legendary hero was affected by it.

Manic and irritable, perfectly matching the characteristics of the Moon in astrology.

In that case, Su Mu does have a plan.

He used magic to transmit his voice, informing the heroes of the upcoming arrangements.

Ivan, Orin, and the others were somewhat surprised upon hearing this, but they still carried out the lord's orders without fail.

"Somura has gone mad! He has been corrupted by the Crimson Moon and corrupted by dreams. The Void God resides within him. He disregards the safety of the tower soldiers and intends to use a level 6 spell to sacrifice us in an evil ritual!"

The shieldbearers, the strongest swordsmen, the arcane prayer masters, and the earthbowmen all roared in unison, their deafening cries carrying for miles. The arcane empire soldiers fighting within the city hesitated, for they too had seen the thunderstorm gathering in the sky, and the oppressive atmosphere was suffocating.

This is definitely a group spell, and it ignores friend and foe alike. The genie, as the commander, has already floated into the clouds, disregarding the lives of everyone in the city, friend or foe.

"Don't fall for it! This is a despicable human trick."

"Lord Somla will lead us to victory!"

The generals at the front, such as Yuna and Vera, naturally wouldn't let Kuraki's plan succeed, and immediately reassured the soldiers.

The tower soldiers were temporarily stabilized and continued to fight Kuraki's troops. However, the high casualty ratio terrified every soldier of the Arcane Empire. Although the defenders of Silvertop City were being killed wave after wave and their numbers were constantly being depleted, they just wouldn't fall.

As soon as the Earthbowman on the city wall dies, a new archer immediately takes his place; when a sturdy arrow tower is destroyed, a whirlwind griffin descends. Even if the griffins are chopped to pieces, shieldbearers continue their relentless assault. Despite being less than a tenth of the Arcane Empire's army, the fighting feels endless.

While Kuraki's hero buffs are strong, the soldiers' inexhaustible fighting spirit is truly terrifying.

Even if the alchemically created golden figures and stone gargoyles didn't understand, the tower heroes were still extremely puzzled. Didn't everyone join the army to fight and kill enemies precisely to oppress the weak, plunder resources, and elevate their own status?
The defending soldiers before them seemed to have gone mad; death was utterly meaningless to them.

The most terrifying are the strongest swordsmen. These tall, heavily armored swordsmen have honed their skills over the years, are indifferent to life and death, are more machine-like than machines, and more powerful than dragons. They are virtually invincible.

Before this battle, Ivan had actually publicly asked for everyone's opinions, wanting to select an even more elite force from the strongest swordsmen to form the Imperial Guard to protect the lord.

Previously, they couldn't afford a parliament, but now that a parliament has been established, the lord is the ruler of the duchy and can certainly have a royal guard. Moreover, he had consulted Forrest, and the strongest swordsman might still have room for promotion, so the royal guard doesn't necessarily have to be cavalry.

However, Su Mu did not agree to the plan for the time being. He said, "If the most dangerous moment comes, I will rush to the front of everyone to encourage everyone to overcome the powerful enemy."

A true lord is a hero who protects all his warriors and people!

When Ivan relayed Sumu's words verbatim to the strongest swordsman, the team was imprinted with the belief of loyalty. No enemy could ever make them retreat again, because their lord stood at the forefront, protecting them all.

Since the start of the war in Silvertop City, Su Mu has kept his promise, leading the Mystic Prayers to guard the outer walls, fighting against wave after wave of enemies and withstanding the greatest pressure.

With such a lord, the strongest swordsman would naturally be willing to fight to the very end!
"For Kuraki!"

"Guardian of the Lord, the Strongest Sword!"

"loyalty!"

Even when only about 100 of the strongest swordsmen remained, each wounded, their battle roars still shook the heavens, a stark contrast to the tower soldiers who stood by, hesitant to advance.

They launched a counterattack from the inner city, crushing the elite tower forces including the Naga Queen, the Clay Lamp Master, and the Diamond Men, and even managed to break through three city walls to reach the city gate.

The first commander swung his greatsword, shattering the gate and revealing an apocalyptic scene outside the city.

Previously, the two legions were fighting inside the city. Apart from the flying legion, they could not see the situation outside the city. Even though the sky was covered by thunderclouds and the Kuraki soldiers kept shouting, most of the Arcane Empire soldiers did not believe them and thought it was just a disturbance on the battlefield.

But when the strongest swordsman fought his way through and revealed the scene outside the city gates to everyone, even the most resilient tower soldiers couldn't help but feel a little doubtful.

Is the Genie really going to abandon us?
Outside Silvertop City, a vast expanse of thunder and lightning was raging, with an enormous storm relentlessly approaching the city.

In fact, some troops were still left outside the city, but they were attacked indiscriminately by the lightning and instantly turned into nothingness. They didn't even have time to resist, and cries of agony could be heard.

"Somura has been bewitched by the evil god. He indiscriminately kills living beings in order to obtain enough sacrifices."

His soul had utterly fallen, and he no longer cared about the lives of mortals.

"Soldiers of the tower, leave the battlefield immediately! Today, Silvertop City will fight the evil god to the very end!"

At the critical moment, Su Mu opened one of the city gates, leaving an escape route for the retreating Arcane Empire soldiers.

The tower troops, who had previously fought to the death, suddenly began to waver.

Should we continue fighting here against the steely swordsmen and shield bearers, risking being riddled with arrows from the Earthbow and the Arcane Prayer? Or should we retreat through the East Gate of Silver Peak and escape the deadly thunderstorm?

This seems like a relatively easy choice.

"My lord! We still have the strength to fight. If we send the entire army forward, we might be able to break through Silver Peak!"

"These soldiers were all brave warriors who had followed us for many years. It would be one thing if they died on the battlefield, but it would be a great pity if they were swallowed up by the thunderstorm!"

"Lord Ovid, let me go to the front lines and lead the army in another charge. I guarantee I will take Sumu's head."

In the Arcane Empire's command camp, several heroes volunteered to fight, unwilling to watch their subordinates be swallowed by the lightning pool.

Somra's actions were essentially a pawn in preparation for using the city's inhabitants as bait to tie down Kuraki's core forces, allowing the terrifying level 6 magic to completely destroy the city. At that point, any contingency plans Sumu might have would be rendered useless.

The genie had his reasons for doing this; he had clearly sensed Kuraki's extraordinary abilities and the possibility of defeat. To ensure victory, he decided to unleash his trump card at the crucial moment, leaving the opponent helpless, even if it meant greater sacrifice.

But the generals of the Arcane Empire didn't see it that way. These 10 troops were all drawn from the hands of various heroes. Some might not have served as commanders due to skill limitations or magical restrictions. But these were soldiers they had personally recruited, who drank and ate with them on ordinary days, and some even had masters and apprentices who studied alchemy.

In this great battle, tens of thousands died instantly under enemy arrows—it may seem like just a number. But in their eyes, these were all vibrant lives, brothers and friends who had been with them day and night.

In war, people always die. If someone is killed in battle, that's just the fate of soldiers.

Somra's plan to use magic to destroy the city, even killing his own people, is rather unreasonable.

"Shut up! Lord Somra has his reasons for doing this. Do you all believe Kuraki's rumors?"

Ovid's reprimand immediately subdued the heroes.

He knew that if he didn't take action soon, a mutiny might really break out. As for whether Kuraki was spreading rumors, that was no longer important. What mattered was that the Arcane Empire had paid such a high price and had to win this war, otherwise the Void Cult would have no way to explain itself to the Tower of the Circle and to so many warlocks.

They're now in a bind, with no room for maneuver. If Somra were truly confident, he wouldn't have acted so recklessly. If Kuraki continues to wear them down like this, and their forces become outnumbered, who knows what other tricks that cunning Somra might have up his sleeve?

After all, the fact that Su Mu had kept the core Kuraki forces hidden for so long and only launched them at the crucial moment shows his determination.

If this drags on any longer, who knows what might happen?

While Somra's approach was somewhat extreme, it was the safest method at the moment: sacrificing the troops within the city and clearing the area with level 6 magic. Given the current number of deaths among the monsters, the enemy had no chance of resistance; this was the way a legend crushed mortals.

There are still several thousand mages outside the city. When the magic ends, they will be the victors.

But Ovid thought about the strange behavior he had glimpsed about Somra earlier and couldn't help but have some doubts. After the battle was over, he had to report to the Tower of the Circle and have the Genie investigated.

Just as he briefly suppressed the riot and thought the matter was over, a hero suddenly rushed out and ran towards Silvertop City.

"My diamond beauty, you can't die here! Get out of Silvertop City quickly, a thunderstorm is coming!"

Melissa, the alchemist known as the Mad Beauty in the First Legion of the Diamond People, actually wants to withdraw her troops from the battlefield.

This person was an extremely eccentric figure even within the Arcane Empire. It is said that she had a passion for creating diamond beauties, each modeled after a beautiful noblewoman or princess from history, and that she squandered her entire fortune to build an army of diamond beauties. She spent day and night with these diamond figures, even sleeping with them, demonstrating the depth of her affection.

This trip south to Silvertop City was initially thought to be an easy revenge campaign, but as a lord under the Void God Cult, the Mad Beauty Melissa had no choice but to send troops to support them, and she followed along.

However, the battle was exceptionally difficult, exceeding her expectations. Nevertheless, the diamond golems, with their high magic resistance, were able to withstand a significant amount of damage, and despite suffering heavy losses, they were still considered a unit with a relatively high survival rate.

Unexpectedly, Somra went mad and attempted to use the Calamity Pool to wipe out the entire city, instantly turning all the troops within into casualties. With the power of a level 6 spell, the indiscriminate attack rendered even the diamond warriors' high resistance ineffective. The mad beauty then went insane; she tried to reach Silvertop City, strip Vera of command, and remove her diamond warriors from the battlefield.

But this action thoroughly enraged Somra in the thunder, who, almost without thinking, sent a bolt of lightning down from the thunder pool, turning Melissa, who was unguarded by soldiers, into ashes.

Tens of thousands of Arcane Empire soldiers were still besieging the city when they witnessed their commander kill a hero. Looking at the dark clouds and lightning, they didn't even need Kuraki's persuasion; everyone believed that Somra was going to destroy the city, along with his troops.

"madness!"

"What an idiot!"

Upon seeing this, Ovid burst into a tirade, though it was unclear whether he was referring to Melissa or some genie in the sky.

During an astrological month with a lunar eclipse, morale is already low. And with a hero being killed at such a sensitive time, the soldiers in the city are likely to mutini.

As expected, when Melissa's diamond warriors saw their lord killed, they immediately deserted their troops and ran towards the empty gate, no longer willing to fight for the empire.

With someone leading the way, the remaining soldiers hesitated, especially those fighting against shield bearers and the strongest swordsmen. Feeling no chance of victory, they followed suit.

Those who exited through the east gate fared well, but the troops who hadn't yet entered through the north gate were caught in the crossfire and turned to ashes.

Somra went all out, quickly pushing the thunderstorm to the edge of the city wall, covering Silvertop City.

The sturdy city walls vanished layer by layer under the relentless onslaught of lightning, instantly turning into low mounds of earth. If even the city walls were like that, the soldiers were even worse.

No living being has the power to resist the terrifying Calamity Thunder Pool; this is the power of legendary magic.

In an era when the gods are absent, legendary heroes are false gods!
The false god's wrath was unleashed indiscriminately; the tower's troops had no time to escape and were swept into the lightning, vanishing into nothingness.

In this situation, no matter how the general shouted, no soldier listened; they only ran away without looking back. In fact, several heroes from the front lines also fled, not daring to stay in the city, otherwise they too would have turned to dust like the soldiers.

If anyone could see Somra in the clouds, they would find that this legendary genie's eyes were stained crimson, and terrifying dreams permeated the surroundings.

There are scenes of his monotonous time sealed in the bottle, scenes of his battles and advancements thousands of years ago, but even more so, there are silent whispers that pierce through the skull and reach the soul, as if there are several versions of him around, chattering incessantly.

"Ugh, so annoying! This bunch of noisy good-for-nothings!"

"If you weren't so useless, I wouldn't have been sealed away for so long! For victory, it's all worth it!"

As if recalling some unbearable past events, the genie became hysterical, losing all his former composure and grace.

He looked at Su Mu standing on the city wall with a disdainful expression.

"You dare to challenge me?"

Thunder roared, echoing through the sky.

Because the Genie unleashed a level 6 spell and killed Melissa, the entire Tower troops at the front had fled, and there was no one left to fight for him.

On the other hand, even in the face of overwhelming thunder and suffocating storms, not a single person in Kuraki's group retreated. They stood on the shattered city walls, stepping over the corpses of their enemies, gazing ruthlessly at the Thunder Pool without any fear.

Because the lord was standing in front, if Su Mu did not retreat, no one else would retreat either; they were determined to live and die with Silvertop City.

Su Mu turned around and looked at everyone, receiving only fervent gazes. Heroes like Maggie, Ouling, and Ivan, as well as soldiers like the strongest swordsman, the Earth Bow, and the shieldbearer, faced the storm with open smiles.

In fact, Su Mu is a governor, and his greatest ability is to amplify heroes, so he doesn't need to fight on the front lines.

But in his view, the strongest ruler should take up a sword, stand alone on the front line, command thousands of troops, and defend the city and homeland. Who else but me?
Simple battles can be fought by his men. But in battles where there is no chance of survival, he must step forward and fight to the death with his soldiers.

“It feels so good!”

Su Mu planted the Titan's Arrow into the earth and looked up at the Calamity Thunder Pool. Even though the starlight was dim and the heavens were obscured, he was fearless because the strongest army stood behind him.

Somra's true form was here, unlike his clones which had weaknesses. Condensing the Thunder Pool didn't take as long, and he was hidden in the storm, making him difficult to find. He had also learned his lesson; there were still thousands of Genie Lords guarding the area, precisely to prevent a sneak attack.

This group of genie lamp masters were his personal guards, fused together with special treasures, and were able to ignore the damage from lightning, advancing along with the lightning pool.

In this situation, to defeat Somra, we must first eliminate the 1000 Genie Lords, find their true form instantly, and annihilate their souls before we can defeat them.

After all, the Arcane Empire's army had already been defeated, and Somra no longer commanded such a large number of soldiers. In the face of such a powerful attack, it was still possible for her body to be destroyed.

The true Calamity Thunder Pool has been activated. Even if Somra is killed by chance, it may not be able to stop the level 6 magic. It may continue to move and devour Silvertop City. No one can say for sure.

Even so, Su Mu was determined to deliver the final blow to the Genie, to show him what it meant to be united as one, and what the castle's true strength was!

"Oling, prepare to shoot the Genie of the Lamp with me!"

He telepathically instructed Ouling, telling the Soul Archer to lead the Earth Bow and aim at the Lord of the Divine Lamp in the clouds.

The Earthbow suffered heavy losses, with less than one-tenth remaining. The Arcane Prayer also suffered significant casualties. The only way to kill them all is to gather everyone together and attack the Lord of the Lamp in the sky.

Upon receiving the order, Orling pushed aside the corpse, lifted the divine sacrificial cannon with one hand, loaded the last crossbow bolts into it, and revealed a smug smile.

"From the day you saved me, I will stand with you until the very last moment!"

Ouling's reply warmed Su Mu's heart, but the final blow was not launched by them. Somra was probably prepared for long-range attacks. Under concealment, they could not find his true body and could not shoot at him at all.

Thunder has been corrupted by the dream world, and can only rely on the Crimson Knight to lead the Wind Erosion Cavalry, riding the Crimson Dream Beast, to cross the void of the dream world, reach the center of Thunder Pool, and attack Somra.

In dreams, no matter how strong he is, he cannot hide his true form.

Su Mu pretended to be nonchalant and glanced at a corner of the city wall, where the cavalry regiment, which had not yet been mobilized from beginning to end, was located.

Since the equestrian training ground was built, the cavalry regiment has been fighting battles that they were confident of victory. However, when they faced a strong enemy for the first time, they were likely to be killed or killed.

From within the hidden barrier, Goode looked at the Wind Erosion Knights. Although everyone appeared nonchalant, a hint of tension inevitably lingered. They might not fear death, but they feared failing to complete their lord's orders, being unable to slay the legendary hero, and allowing Silvertop City to be destroyed.

Betraying someone's trust is harder to bear than death.

Goode raised his spear, drew his sword, and began to run on his dream beast.

"Rise up! Rise up! Knights of Kuraki!"

"The spear should have been broken!"

"The shield should have shattered!"

The clash between the longsword and the cavalryman's lance produced a loud and exhilarating sound.

"On this day, swords will be drawn, and blood will stain the battlefield."

"The sun rises in the east!"

The Wind Erosion Knight also gripped his spear and activated combat mode.

"charge!"

"charge!"

"Break through the barriers and slay the legend!"

As soon as the words fell, Ouling, leading the Earth Bow, and Sumu, leading the Mystic Prayers, fired their final arrows, which pierced through the clouds and danced like silver snakes.

The entire sky was shrouded in a rain of arrows and thunder, and for a moment it was impossible to distinguish which was lightning.

At that moment, the Crimson Knight and the cavalry also broke out of the barrier and rushed towards the devastating Thunder Pool.

"Kill!"

"kill!"

The two sides were still some distance apart, and the cavalry could not reach the edge of the thunderstorm.

Maggie then used teleportation to send her most powerful cavalry into the air. The Crimson Dream Beast's hooves trod through the void, instantly rushing into the desolate dreamscape.

Under the combined attack of Su Mu and Ou Ling, even the endless lightning could not save the life of the Lord of the Lamp. They were shot apart like dolls, turning into dust and merging into the lightning pool.

The Thunder Pool was replenished with new souls, making it even more powerful, and Somra roared in the clouds.

"Crawler! Die!"

However, what responded to him was a crimson lightning bolt that shattered the dream, carrying the strongest attacking force of Kuraki, and transformed into a lance that pierced into the eye of the Thunder Pool array.

Even under the protection of lightning, and despite the immense power at the center of the lightning pool, Somra, entangled in crimson, eventually revealed her true form.

Wind-eroded knights continued to fall in the sky, and the number of cavalry around Goode dwindled. But he rallied the will of his cavalry regiment, channeling his fury and killing intent into his lance, locking onto the Genie, ignoring any interference, and thrusting his spear into the heart of the legendary hero.

Perhaps the genie doesn't have a heart? But he has the vessel of the lamp, and that is Goode's goal.

"No!"

Before Somla could even react, she was sucked back into the shattered lamp.

The lance broke free from the Crimson Knight, pierced the Genie, and continued to rise, traversing thousands of meters to reach the top of the dark clouds.

Sunlight streams down along this path, dispelling the gloom and preserving hope.

The Battle of Silvertop City is over!

(End of this chapter)