Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 413 The Mad Black Knight Summoner

Upon receiving Sumu's message, Ivan immediately prepared his legion and headed towards the ancient ruins.

Before his operation, Liliana had already arrived in the hilly area and learned about the buildings and troop deployments around the ancient ruins.

Over the past few weeks, the strongest swordsmen have once again amassed a new force. This time, Ivan has brought over 500 of the strongest swordsmen, which is also Kuraki's most powerful legion at present.

To deal with the undead army, we must go all out and not let them snowball their advantage with Necromancy.

Starting from Bearhold, it only took about 3 days to detour around the southwest side of the hills and sweep through the area according to the intelligence that Liliana had gathered in advance.

"There are quite a few evil temples, a total of eight. They spread heretical ideas every day. No wonder the surrounding area is so chaotic. Demolish them all!"

Those who truly understand the power of the cemetery will know that evil temples play a significant role among the dead.

Not only because skeletons are the foundation of necromancy, but also because the architecture of evil temples can gather the aura of death and spread the doctrines and knowledge of death.

Ordinary people naturally feel awe and fear towards death. However, the territory governed by the cemetery is different. Whether they are lords or commoners, they are fascinated by death, believing that the final destination of life is death. They often come into contact with corpses or spirits and even conduct special magical experiments.

Over time, this area became teeming with ghosts and monsters, making it unsuitable for normal civilian life.

Ivan knew of Liliana's existence and was aware of the lord's position on the undead army, but this area was entirely composed of outdoor structures expanded from ancient ruins and was unusable.

Even if they conquered these evil temples, they wouldn't be able to recruit skeleton soldiers, and they would have to garrison troops every week to prevent wild skeleton soldiers from causing trouble. Rather than that, it would be better to destroy them all.

"The witchcraft of the ancient ruins is indeed quite peculiar; it can even control lower-level buildings, extending them as part of the territory. If we were to breach the core area in the future, would these buildings still be able to be constructed?"

Fortresses are one of the factions with many wilderness nests. Beastmasters can recruit suitable troops in the swamps to quickly accumulate strength. Dungeons can also be connected to special wilderness nests through summoning gates for recruitment. But Ivan had never seen anything like the Ancient Ruins, where low-level buildings are scattered everywhere, forming special territories to replenish the undead army.

Liliana was completely enveloped in a thick purple magic robe, which somewhat toned down her extraordinary charm; otherwise, anyone who saw her would have their primal desires ignited.

Of course, as a high-ranking hero with the combined artifacts, Ivan wouldn't be too affected. Most importantly, he knew whose woman the Dark Queen before him was, and regardless of her identity, he would treat her with even greater respect.

"This seems to be a secret technique applied to the gradual revival of ancient ruins in recent years. Normally, a city in a cemetery can only build a low-level barracks. Such a field barracks certainly cannot be controlled by a city."

Liliana thought it was most likely a special method used by the Undead Grand Duke, since it would be too abnormal for a city to be able to build multiple low-level barracks.

"If there are any haunted houses that recruit vampires, the general may keep some as appropriate, but it is best to sweep away all the other low-level troop buildings."

Ivan nodded: "Then let's do as Madam wishes. I'll clear out the surrounding swarms of enemies first and put some pressure on the ancient ruins."

Normally, Ivan wouldn't be so polite to other generals. He's always been brave, upright, and fearless, and naturally quite domineering in command. But when it comes to Liliana, he has to give her the respect she deserves. He's not really stupid; she's not some insignificant figurehead. The fact that she can single-handedly control an army of over a thousand vampires speaks volumes about her strength.

"The lord has instructed me to cooperate with Lord Ivan. Everything is ultimately up to you to decide. I am merely offering suggestions based on my own experience. The general has full authority to make the final decision."

Ivan was merely being polite; Liliana naturally didn't think that a general like Kuraki needed to grant her any authority. His flattery was largely out of respect for the Duke, but even so, Liliana was quite pleased with herself.

Who is Ivan? The newly appointed Marquis of Bearburg, Su Mu's right-hand man, a hero who led the strongest swordsmen to kill tens of thousands of enemies, a figure of fearsome power. That such a person would humbly seek her advice shows that her status is recognized.

Akasha and her group always talk about building their own power, but in reality, those low-level barracks in those dilapidated cities are no match for a single hair on Su Mu's head.

With just a word from the Duke, the most powerful legions would wipe out their enemies and acquire the best buildings and territories. As a female hero possessing such beauty and charm, Liliana would naturally make good use of her. She wouldn't do anything offensive, but her skillful use of her abilities at the right time would be enough to determine the future of this vampire army.

As the strongest swordsman crushed into the outer perimeter of the ancient ruins, flames ignited, the evil temple was reduced to ashes, the earth was set ablaze, and the withered bones were trampled to pieces. The area, which had been shrouded in evil and gloom for many years, was restored to clarity.

For the first time, ancient ruins that had slumbered for hundreds of years were being cleared out by the human kingdom.

……

In the heart of the ancient ruins, several undead heroes and death warlocks gathered to begin a new round of conspiracy.

This time they welcomed a new member, Rhodes, the Lord of the Undead in the North, who is said to be favored by the Artifact of Deception and has gained unprecedented magical power.

He was brought here by Katherine, the commander of the skeleton army, who was always active outside the ruins, looking for suitable creatures to corrupt and absorb into the ancient ruins.

"Lord Rhodes is not currently affiliated with the Ruins; he is merely cooperating with us in the fight against the undead scourge. He has been granted the blessing of the God of Calamity, granting him a powerful ability to spread plague."

Upon hearing Katherine's introduction, the undead heroes glanced at Rhodes but didn't take him seriously.

The heir of the Salman family, the fall of the North under his rule, and his capture by the Arcane Empire, making him a puppet to control the North, made him a celebrity. Even in ancient ruins, his deeds are known.

Wizards never despise traitors or puppets, but they sneer at the weak.

Holding such a good hand, the heir of the Salman family has fallen to this state, and is now a pariah. Even if he has acquired the magic of the dead, what can he do?
A half-skeletal lich mocked in public: "Isn't this Salman, who lost his cities and abandoned his lands? How come he can't survive in the Arcane Empire now and has turned to the undead?"

"Yeah, they've even lost their own surname, only daring to be called Rhodes. Controlling the undead—what are they anyway? They might as well be called Zombie Rhodes; that would be more fitting."

The atmosphere instantly plummeted. After all, this was the stronghold of the undead, a place teeming with brainless idiots. Normally, even invited guests wouldn't be treated with such humiliation; for the lich to speak like this, someone must have been directing him.

Perhaps they didn't want Rhodes to join the ruins and share their power, perhaps the Northern plans were robbing the other Death Lords of their food, or perhaps it was just a simple test.

"Lord Rhodes is a guest; you must not be rude!"

Katherine made a nonchalant remark, and no one else uttered a word. They also wanted to see what kind of person this guest was, after all, this was an ancient ruin, unlike a human kingdom where order was strictly observed.

Upon hearing the other person's words, Rhodes covered his face and laughed maniacally. As he laughed, he grabbed at the pieces of flesh on his face and dug them off. With painful self-mutilation, the handsome young man became a bloody mess.

“You’re right. I’ve always kept this in mind. I’ll give a gift to everyone who offers this kind advice, and you’ll be no exception!”

Rhodes took out a blood-stained bone staff and waved it at the lich.

The lich Dirk instantly retreated several steps, and the surrounding death lords also made way. Although they were all heroes, if someone wanted to show off their sorcery in a one-on-one duel, that wasn't out of the question. It was just one against a group! Dirk's cloak instantly expanded, the entire dark earth bulged, and a large number of zombies and ghosts appeared around him.

This is, after all, the ancient ruins' home turf. As a native lich, it seems perfectly natural for Dirk to summon some of his minions for one-on-one duels. Anyone who dares to accuse him of ganging up on others will have their tongue ripped out and stuck to their ass.

As a hero, should I fight like a brute? Do I really think I'm still a lord of the human race, indulging in foolish chivalry?

Dirk looked at the other person as if he were an idiot and laughed unrestrainedly.

The surrounding death lords remained unmoved. After all, it was Rhodes who had started the conflict. If he continued to cower and act as an obedient puppy, they would naturally accept it; he would simply be another vassal. Since he was unwilling to continue being a puppet, they would see his strength.

A large number of ghosts launched an attack, the first thing they did was drain the hero's mana.

Although Dirk may seem reckless, he is actually very cunning in terms of tactical details. The fact that the opponent dared to be so arrogant when he came to the ancient ruins alone must mean that he had something to rely on.

If Rhodes is a physical class similar to a Death Knight with strong melee capabilities, then he can use zombies to wear down the opponent. Although zombies are slow, if he surrounds them and continues to wear them down, Rhodes will be outnumbered and eventually be worn down.

If Rhodes is a spellcaster in the wizard class, then by using ghosts to deplete his mana, and waiting for him to run out of mana, wouldn't he be completely at Rhodes' mercy?
In short, a hero who loses his unit is like a phoenix without feathers, not even as good as a chicken.

As a large number of zombies surrounded him, Rhodes raised his blood staff and waved it in the air, instantly creating several summoning circles.

A dark gate stood in the open space, and several terrifying coffins floated out, their chains unlocking to reveal a group of powerful dark knights.

These cavalrymen charged out from underground and instantly arrived in front of the zombie formation. They raised their merciless longswords and slaughtered indiscriminately, killing almost every zombie with a single strike. They did so without hesitation.

The level difference between the two sides was too great, and the gap in troop attack and defense was too wide, which caused this phenomenon. Moreover, Rhodes seemed to have a special bonus to the Dark Knights, so these dozen or so knights were able to fight against a hundred enemies single-handedly.

Many skilled liches were watching Rhodes. Magic circles capable of summoning dark knights were practically nonexistent; even the bone storm technique used by Ullr, which utilized skeletons for transformation, was extremely rare, and direct summoning was impossible. Generally, level 5 elemental magic could summon corresponding elements, which was already a very powerful ability, and required an extremely high amount of mana.

But if one were to summon the Dark Knight, what level of magic would be required, and how many mana points would it cost? If Rhodes had that power, would he have fallen to his current state?

Moreover, they are currently in an ancient ruin. This forbidden area has been sealed for nearly a thousand years and has a strong suppressive magic, otherwise they would not have been trapped here for so long.

Although Rhodes does not bear the mark of the ancient ruins, his ability to cast advanced magic here will certainly be restricted.

The liches carefully observed his magic and finally gleaned some clues.

"He used summoning magic to connect to the death portal, transferring his special troops there. By quickly depleting his mana, he could sever the portal!"

He didn't know where the sound came from, but it instantly reached Dirk's ears. He immediately thought of a way to use the Slow spell to restrict the enemy's movement and summon more wraiths to drain their mana.

In his view, once Rhodes' magic was exhausted, these dark knights from the outside world would lose their source of power and return to their original place.

Rhodes remained completely calm, even crafting a stone chair from his blood staff as he leisurely watched Dirk's response.

The wraiths were frantically draining mana on the battlefield, while Rhodes seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of magic, showing no signs of depletion. He watched Dirk's performance with the amusement of someone watching a clown.

Finally, Rod grew tired of the farce and waved for the Dark Knight to rush out a death tunnel, grab Dirk, and pin him down.

Looking at Rhodes, whose eyes were bloodshot and whose flesh was mangled, the lich finally showed a hint of fear: "Spare me, it wasn't me, it was..."

Rhodes ignored his nonsense, strangled the man's neck with his blood staff, and lay on the chair to enjoy the delicious soulfire. Two fingers gripped the empty eye sockets, while his teeth licked the remaining bits of flesh, like a starving beast.

The surrounding death lords were utterly shocked. Logically speaking, those who have reached the level of heroes, except for a few freaks, should pay more or less attention to their demeanor. It was the first time they had ever seen someone like Rhodes eat a lich alive.

Just then, the sound of a deathly bell rang out in the distance, and everyone took several steps back—a sign that the Grand Duke of the Dead had descended.

The rusty throne approached in an instant, and a terrifying undead sat upon it, staring at Rhodes, who was devouring corpses.

Even when facing the undead Grand Duke, Rhodes did not stop. It took him more than a minute to get up from the ground and hand Dirk's head to the Grand Duke.

"Honest advice is hard to swallow. I love hearing people remind me of the past. Whenever that happens, I swallow their brains and remember this shame forever."

"The North is mine! It will always be mine!"

"Hahahahaha!"

A cruel and terrifying laugh echoed through the graveyard, silencing all the death lords. They had seen madmen and fools, but they had never seen such a combination of madness and insanity that had survived.

From then on, it's unlikely anyone would mention Salman to Rhodes again.

Carlos Stuart put down his sword and clapped.

"Gaunt plans to activate five altars, two of which are in the north, one of which is in the heartland near the northern border, currently under Kuraki's jurisdiction."

"If you want to reclaim your northern territory, Kuraki must be eliminated!"

Upon hearing the words of the Undead Grand Duke, Rhodes revealed a bloodthirsty smile: "Don't worry, I have prepared a great gift for Su Mu, guaranteed to leave a lasting impression on him."

Carlos nodded without asking any further questions.

He knew that Rhodes had gained the favor of the artifact of deception, otherwise he would not have been able to cast special magic in the ancient ruins.

This mad avenger, a combination of natural disasters, deception, and the undead, is definitely a troublemaker.

According to the latest news, Ivan and his strongest swordsmen have already swept through the outer perimeter of the ancient ruins. It seems that Su Mu is not going to keep his promise.

In that case, the Principality of Kuraki will become the sacrifice for opening the ruins, welcoming a new calamity of the undead!
(End of this chapter)