Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 414 The Hand That Steals Fire
Ivan and Liliana's cleanup plan encountered almost no obstacles. After all, the area they were dealing with was the outer perimeter of the ancient ruins, not the core area. Skeletons and zombies were no match for the strongest swordsman's advance.

As the troops advanced, they began to encounter some thorny problems.

Several spirit tombs stand on the dark earth, surrounded by countless ghosts and spirits chanting terrifying incantations amidst the broken walls and ruins.

In terms of sheer quality, the wraiths certainly wouldn't affect the strongest swordsman, but their speed and ability to drain a hero's mana are a nuisance for Ivan.

Controlling elemental baptism units requires mana, and as the troops grow stronger and more numerous, the mana cost will naturally increase.

Fortunately, Ivan now possesses a combined artifact, making his attributes far stronger than before, which allows him to control such a massive army.

But if the ghost keeps absorbing magic, he really won't be able to withstand it.

"These annoying spirits are weak in combat and only absorb magic power. We must demolish all their spirit tombs!"

Seeing this, Liliana stepped forward and said, "Why don't you let my vampire army deal with the Spirit Tomb? General, you should save some mana to prepare for the upcoming battle."

Ivan wasn't arrogant this time. The ancient ruins did have some special methods, and if he couldn't provide the strongest swordsman with the boost, he might be in danger.

This attack wasn't intended to raze the ancient ruins, but rather to put enough pressure on the enemy and clear out the surrounding undead structures, preparing for the next all-out assault. If trouble arose, Kuraki's remaining troops would immediately provide support; Orin's sharpshooters and the Gold Elemental Legion were already in position and approaching the ancient ruins.

Ivan isn't just reckless; he's the type who's bold yet meticulous. Logically, when ancient ruins are attacked, there should be some kind of response, but so far no powerful hero has launched a counterattack. Perhaps some conspiracy is brewing.

"Alright, quickly clear out the surrounding spirit tombs and evacuate this area first. I'll rest for a while, and if the enemy doesn't react, we'll retreat back to Bear Fortress."

The ancient ruins are now fully aware of the vampire army operating outside, even secretly colluding with Kuraki. However, they haven't openly confronted them, and if they were caught red-handed, many things would become difficult to handle.

Liliana followed Ivan's orders, leading her vampire army to sweep through the spirit tombs and deal with the wandering spirits.

The vampire princes and counts under her command are not much weaker than the strongest swordsmen. However, Liliana's skills are not as suitable for tough battles as Ivan's. But if it is a protracted battle, vampires would be a better choice.

While unable to drain their blood, the power against these ghosts and spirits was overwhelming. Furthermore, the user used Deadly Charm to control and retain a portion of the spirits.

After clearing the ruins and leveling the spirit tomb, she withdrew to continue secretly investigating the defensive arrangements of the ancient ruins.

This is where the spirits came in handy. Having existed on this land for a long time and being very familiar with it, they carried the magic map and flew around, collecting information.

Even if they die, it doesn't matter; they've basically filled the gaps in the map and fulfilled their mission.

Ivan sat imposingly atop a small mountain of skulls, awaiting the end of the night.

If nothing unexpected happens, this sweep will end here. He will not go any deeper. He has cleared more than twenty buildings on the outskirts of the ancient ruins, which is quite a good result.

Don't underestimate these low-level barracks. In fact, many Undead wars rely on the support of low-level units, while high-level units only play a supporting role.

Liliana also mentioned that these buildings appeared as the ancient ruins were gradually unsealed, indicating that the Grand Duke of the Undead is planning to gather a new army.

Now may not be the best time to start a war, but we must weaken the strength of the ancient ruins and prevent them from accumulating troops with impunity, otherwise it will cause trouble in the future.

Several hours later, as night fell, a dark cloud suddenly drifted in from the sky, shrouding the ruins and intensifying the eerie atmosphere.

Ivan opened his eyes and looked deeper into the ancient ruins, where thick fog drifted and made a rustling sound as it moved.

"Come on, brothers!"

The strongest swordsmen stood up and began to form a battle formation.

Ivan pondered for a moment, then finally decided to use the Champion's Formation. Undead troops have always been adept at demoralizing and instilling fear, and the enemy's plague was particularly troublesome. Directly raising the strongest swordsman's morale and luck to a higher level would prevent the enemy from limiting speed and effectively counter their probability-based skills.

The first to appear were a group of vampire counts. These super-tier troops are endurance units in melee combat, capable of both advancing and retreating, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

However, the strongest swordsman at present doesn't take his opponent seriously at all.

With Ivan's skill set, unless there are tens of thousands of vampire counts, he simply won't have enough time to recover his life through blood drain.

"He dares to enter the ruins all by himself? Su Mu really doesn't take us seriously at all!"

A giant bat descended from the sky and transformed into a pale-skinned male vampire with blood-red eyes, a sinister expression, and an arrogant demeanor.

Edward Palacios, a member of the vampire royal family, is the most powerful vampire hero in the ancient ruins.

He brought over 1400 vampire counts, descended from the night, and surrounded the strongest swordsman.

Ivan didn't take him seriously: "How dare you address my Duke by his name? You brought just a few little bats with you, are you here to die?"
Anyone else need help? Come out and join us!

Edward was instantly enraged by Ivan's disdainful tone, but he didn't lose his temper and order the army to attack, because he did have teammates.

A once handsome but now unrecognizable death knight appeared on the sidelines, followed by more than seventy dark knights and more than thirty nightmare knights. The entire land was stained with blood, scorched by flames, and filled with wails.

"I've always heard that Kuraki is the strongest swordsman, Champion Tenka. Today I'll see what he's really capable of!"

Upon seeing this Death Knight, Ivan remained outwardly relaxed, but inwardly he became wary. The opponent seemed to be a hero specializing in dark knights, which was somewhat troublesome.

The most troublesome thing was that he sensed a special kind of magical power, which was very similar to the fluctuations when Uller activated the Forgetfulness skill before. It seemed that the enemy was preparing to use the same trick again.

But it wasn't over yet. A tremendous whooshing sound came from the night sky, and dozens of enormous creatures, comparable to dark clouds, floated in the air. Terrifying soulfire stared at the tiny ants on the ground, revealing a deathly contempt.

"Ghost Dragon!"

When the Ghost Dragon appeared, fear filled the air, and the morale of all units dropped by 1. A yellowish plague gas spread continuously, enveloping the entire sky.

On the massive dragon spine at the very front, a lich covered in purple flames grinned menacingly at Ivan.

At this moment, the mysterious Death Knight wielded his longsword and unleashed a deadly red spell to steal from Ivan.

Ivan felt dazed, as if a piece of his heart had been ripped out, and he clutched his chest for a long time to recover.

He focused his gaze on the Death Knight, sensing an unprecedented sense of crisis.

[Basic Hand of Fire Stealer (Chosen One of Deception): When activated on an enemy hero, steals a random enemy skill for a short period of time and uses it for your own purposes, gaining 25% of the original effect.]

"It's the fearless offensive tactic!"

The opponent stole offensive techniques, which is neither good nor bad. As long as the defensive techniques are not lost, he is still in an invincible position.

However, this served as a reminder to him that there were such abnormal heroes in the ancient ruins, and he had to be careful.

Ivan waved to the undead hero.

"You guys come together!"

(End of this chapter)