Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 447 Nature Hunter
The battle to ambush Goode and Ivan began first, with Lloyd leading 60,000 troops to surround them.

The Fire Tree Mud Crown fantasizes about forming a Great Wall of trees, steadily advancing to surround the enemy, then narrowing the encirclement to eliminate them with arrows or magic.

This tactic had always worked. When the Fire Tree Mud Crown formed a group of 10, it granted a massive increase in defense and restricted the opponent's movement. Combined with the Fiery Shield, enemies charging forward often fought desperately, only to be injured by their own attacks and forced to retreat. In the end, they could only watch helplessly as the circle of fire drew ever closer, succumbing to despair.

However, it was not very effective against Goode's Wind Erosion Knights.

Although the cavalry regiment did not enter the dream realm, their impact was still considerable. What was most terrifying was their powerful regenerative ability. Despite the Fiery Divine Shield, they broke through the front line's Fire Tree Mud Crown, creating a gap in the defenses.

"How is this possible! How could the other party be completely unharmed?"

The Bulwark Hero looked on in bewilderment as he watched the Wind Erosion Knights wreak havoc within the Fire Tree formation.

It's a well-known fact that cavalry have strong charging capabilities, and Lloyd and his men didn't intend to use the Fire Tree to stop the cavalry charge. But with the Fiery Shield, surely it could at least inflict damage on the enemy? The reality was that while the fire did burn the enemy and did have some magical output, the enemy quickly replenished their health using special abilities.

"It's those warhorses! They can absorb the life force of the fire tree to replenish the knight's depleted health."

The heroes were very observant and quickly discovered the reason. They hadn't expected that this cavalry unit, baptized by two elements, would even have high-level recovery horses, which made them quite difficult to defeat.

At this moment, the heroes of Isildor finally understood why the knights didn't launch a long-range charge—it wasn't that they couldn't, but rather that it wasn't necessary. If the damage was excessive, the knights, affected by the fire shield, might die instantly. Now, it was just right; they only suffered minor damage and could heal themselves through the Crimson Dream Beast—it was a perfect situation.

However, when the crucial moment came, Lloyd did not yield an inch, and still ordered the Fire Tree Mud Crown to press forward, controlling the cavalry regiment within the tree roots.

【罗伊德（红树首领）：攻击7（16），防御9（18），咒力5（11），知识8（12）

Element: Fire
Advanced Mangrove Leader: For every 3 points of attack and defense attributes a hero has, the defense of the Dryad Guardians (including upgraded units) is increased by 1 point and their fire damage by 1 point, and the chance of the Treant's roots entangling them is increased.

Advanced Fire Defense: Reduces the physical attack damage received by troops by 15% (for every 6 points of defense a troop has, the fire burn damage is increased by 1 point).

Advanced Command Formation: Establishes a magical battle formation at the start of battle, allowing control of more troops and reducing spell power consumption. Grants troops the Command Formation effect.

Advanced Leader Learning Ability: Increases a hero's spell comprehension ability by 30%, and upon promotion, there is a chance to enhance existing basic advanced skills to a certain extent (the specific effect depends on the hero's comprehension and strengths).

Advanced Fire Elemental Mastery, Advanced Earth Elemental Mastery, Advanced Pathfinding

[Advanced Command Formation: Grants the commanded soldiers +10 health, +2 damage, and enhances the effects of their special skills]

Unlike Liven Farrell, the leader of the Frost Clan, this Redwood leader was more adept at large-scale warfare and possessed a strong learning ability.

Originally, Lloyd did not have the ability to command the battle formation during the last great war, and his defensive skills were only average. However, through continuous warfare and learning, he gained stronger abilities.

People often scoff at the ability to learn, but Lloyd had a different view. After studying this skill, he gradually developed his own abilities and acquired even stronger skills.

If he could survive this great battle, Lloyd felt there would be even greater room for improvement. Ivan was highly proficient in defensive techniques and the Flame Armor, which provided him with some inspiration.

Neither side used fire-controlling techniques, because in such a large-scale battle, someone would definitely use an exorcism technique mastered by advanced water elementals, and even if their fire-controlling abilities were enhanced, they would be quickly dispelled.

Lloyd's side was the first to falter. Forrest had cast a protective shield and swift acceleration on the Wind Erosion Knight, making its attack and defense already very high, and now it was basically unpredictable.

Left with no other choice, Isildur's heroes first used a wide-area dispel, and then Lloyd replenished the Shield of Fire, thus giving Firetree Mudcrown the upper hand.

Unfortunately, his legion did not have a Flame Unicorn, otherwise it could have unleashed even greater power, and it might have even required two dispels to remove the fire shield.

"Orofiel should already be on his way. He's leading a golden dragon and unicorns, and he's very fast. He should be able to provide support quickly."

"As a lightning ranger, Dino also possesses a marching speed exceeding that of the enemy. As long as we can hold out until our three armies reunite, their forces are nothing to fear!"

Lloyd understood perfectly: since Ivan's strongest swordsman is so powerful, I won't confront him head-on. As long as we fight a good ambush and keep him here, buying time for the other two heroes, the final victory will still belong to Isildur.

Don't talk about casualty ratios or death rates; the ultimate goal of war is to win.

Kuraki's strongest swordsman is so powerful that training him would cost several times more than other troop types; he's incredibly valuable. It's the same principle: the enemy's strategy is to use their elite troops to draw fire. As long as they can hold their ground, they can launch a pincer attack once Su Mu gathers the kingdom's main army.

However, if they could gather their troops in advance and eliminate Ivan and his men, the three forces would have a significant advantage when they turned to fight the Kingdom's army.

The outcome is fair to both sides; it all comes down to who can seize the fleeting opportunity.

"The Slowing Technique!"

"Weak and powerless!"

"Disaster is imminent!"

"A curse has possessed you!"

As the fortress intensified its defenses, Ivan unleashed the cursed armor magic, instantly covering the entire area in crimson light, causing the fortress's combat strength to plummet. Most importantly, the combined artifacts covered the entire battlefield, leaving no enemy unscathed.

If we're talking about weakening, what could be stronger than the Crimson Curse Armor? I've been dealing with undead before, and many status effects have become ineffective, but against the Bastion troops, the effect is maximized.

The treants, already slow, were almost stuck in the mud, unable to move; the fire tree's destructive power fluctuations were not small, and were directly weakened to a minimum of -1; the remaining magic that reduced attack power and luck also made the barrier very uncomfortable, basically turning it into a tank that could only rely on fire shields to counterattack, completely losing the ability to take the initiative to attack.

Even the arrows shot by the great elf in the distance were weak and powerless, barely reaching the strongest swordsman before they could no longer cause any damage.

Ivan clearly saw through Lloyd's plan. He transformed the strongest swordsman into a fire elemental baptism, combined with the advanced champion formation, and began a rapid assault.

At this critical moment, Ivan spared no effort. His strongest swordsman possessed a ring attack skill, and the treants would gather together to withstand more area-of-effect attacks. As for Lloyd maintaining the fire shield, he would keep it up, relying on the Wind Erosion Knights to break through the enemy's formation, while the strongest swordsman would cut in and begin slaughtering the lower-level troops.

The fire-controlling technique cannot last long under the enemy's dispel skills, so the strongest swordsman fights while enduring the fire shield.

Leave the tough, resilient Fire Trees to the Wind Erosion Knights, while the strongest swordsmen focus on eliminating Silver Pegasus, Archelves, and Dwarves.

Even if the counterattack could be fatal, the opponent would suffer greater losses, roughly a ratio of one to several dozen casualties.

However, Lloyd was cunning. He arranged earthen Pegasus in front of his formation and used Ironfury Dwarves to dig tunnels to block them layer by layer, which did cause quite a bit of trouble.

The two sides were locked in a chaotic battle. The strongest swordsman and the Wind Erosion Knight were in high spirits and fearless, ready to fight.

Lloyd, meanwhile, used a combination of different unit types to relentlessly wear down Ivan and Goode's forces.

In a battle of high-level defensive magic, the one after the regime took control is clearly more powerful, and physical attacks are practically ineffective. However, Lloyd is clearly a strategist; since physical attacks are outmatched, he'll use magic to limit and wear down the opponent.

Lloyd was well-prepared for this great battle, gathering several heroes with high magical power and knowledge. If all else failed, he would use group magic to block the strongest swordsman's attack.

Even so, Ivan's army remained undeterred and had already killed more than 10,000 men.

With Forrest's reincarnation, even the strongest swordsman only lost less than 150. Goode's Wind Erosion Knights were even more outrageous; aside from a few killed by powerful magic, the rest were full of energy.

Although Lloyd had heroes from the High Earth faction, after using Reincarnation several times, he found that resurrection could not make up for the number of deaths, so he focused on creating crowd control skills and coordinating with water element heroes.

Although no high-level magic was present this time, Isildur definitely suppressed Kuraki in terms of magical power. If it weren't for the Crimson Curse Armor, the situation would probably have been even more unfavorable.

But magic is magic, and lethality is lethality. The strongest swordsman ignores mental magic, and his opponent has no way to control him.

Lloyd and his men then devised a way to control the Wind Erosion Knights, which delayed the cavalry's advance and gave them a chance to catch their breath.

"Sir, the damage is quite severe. If this continues, the enemy will exhaust us!"

"The Third Fire Tree Legion has already lost half its strength, and it will be difficult for them to even form a battle formation if they continue fighting."

"The Fifth Silver Pegasus Legion also suffered heavy losses. They temporarily controlled some of the enemy's troops by going blind, but if they continue to fight, they will soon be wiped out."

To help Ivan conquer the city, Su Mu had left him some Gale Griffins, which came in handy at this moment.

"Focus on control and delay; do not awaken anything that can be restricted by magic!"

"Hold on to the strongest swordsman with all your might! Keep the exorcism spell and fire shield in tandem, don't stop!"

The most difficult opponent for Ivan is still the strongest swordsman. As expected of Kuraki's elite army, they are almost immune to any restrictive skills, and with high morale and high luck, they are practically invincible.

Lloyd stood atop the cliff, watching the strongest swordsmen charging into battle, and frowned: "Do you have any brilliant strategies to restrain them?"

The heroes below exchanged glances but remained silent.

By now, both sides have used almost every trick in the book, going all out from the start. Initially, I had thought Ivan would primarily defend, encircling the enemy and employing a strategy of encirclement with light harassment to lull them into a false sense of security.

Unexpectedly, Ivan, this reckless fellow, launched a fierce attack right from the start, turning the defensive battle into a counter-offensive. In his dictionary, offense is the best defense, and it did have some effect.

With the Crimson Curse Armor, they can attack or defend at will, and the strongest swordsman cannot restrain them, making them extremely difficult to fight.

“I understand why Somra lost. If the legendary hero underestimated these elite troops and was caught off guard, it could have caused a collapse. Even an army of 10 would have failed.”

War is not simply about piling up troops. If that were the case, both sides could just report their numbers before the battle: I have 10, you have 20, and the one with fewer troops would simply admit defeat.

In reality, on most battlefields, it's simply impossible to deploy so many people. Often, it's just a few thousand people lined up, charging at each other, with several square formations arranged, advancing from the left, center, and right, supporting each other from the front, center, and rear.

Once a legion is defeated, it can easily lead to a complete collapse and cause a chain reaction. The more soldiers there are, the harder it is to command.

However, the combat quality of extraordinary units is very high, and with multiple heroes in charge of different legions, they can fight for a longer period of time, and even fight to the very end.

Now that the arrow troops can't defeat the enemy, or even contain them, how can they fight?
The heroes looked worried, when suddenly a young druid stepped forward: "Perhaps my skills can help the army!"

Lloyd thought carefully and finally remembered the druid's name: Alec Carson, a member of the Forest Earth family, who usually kept quiet and was in charge of logistics and traps, and commanded a portion of the Ironfury dwarves.

Thinking about it carefully, he doesn't seem to have any special achievements, he can't compare with those dazzling heroes, and he doesn't have much fame. He's practically invisible, no wonder the marshal almost forgot about him.

"I have recently mastered a set of advanced restriction magic, which is quite suitable for stalling for time."

Since the army's main objective is to entangle the enemy rather than kill them, it might have a surprising effect.

[Advanced Nature Hunter: Increases all restriction skills by 100% and gains the special magical nature trap.]

[Natural Trap (Special Magic): Deploys 10 large-area invisible traps on the battlefield, possessing the enhanced suction effect of Hercules' Shield, preventing enemies from escaping the gravitational field for a certain period of time; if the Natural Trap is dispelled, it immediately amplifies all surrounding trap-type magic and applies a slowing effect (including quicksand traps, Hercules' Shield, and fire wall). The amplified magic remains for a certain period of time and cannot be dispelled, but it affects all soldiers.]

Alec is a rare magic mastery hero, but his skills are somewhat awkward, all focused on enhancing traps. Since he himself lacks strong attributes and powerful ranged units, even if he casts traps, the opponent can only wait, thus he never plays a crucial role.

But when faced with an unprecedentedly powerful army, Alek's role became apparent.

Since none of the soldiers could defeat the enemy, even with buffs applied, they might as well stall them. Their goal was simply to wait for the other two reinforcements.
Lloyd's eyes lit up instantly: "Quickly, all mages cast restriction spells!"

"Hercules!"

"Fire Wall!"

"Quicksand trap!"

"Swamp and mud!"

Combined with the Fire Tree's unique, intricate magical roots, countless restrictive spells were instantly deployed across the battlefield. Although the strongest swordsman possessed the Champion's Formation, making him immune to slowing spells, these were all obstacle-type spells, which even the strongest swordsman couldn't counter.

"Why did Lloyd suddenly use so many traps? There must be a conspiracy!"

Forrest, observing the commotion on the battlefield, warned Ivan to be careful.

In this situation, it seems there is no other way but to remove the obstacle. Even the strongest swordsman cannot afford to waste time and effort on the opponent; doing so would greatly reduce the effectiveness of their attacks.

Even if you know your opponent has a scheme, you still have to counter it.

"Vera, please!"

From the army emerged a female hero created through alchemy, Vera Cyber, a hero captured in the previous Battle of Silvertop.

After much persuasion from Cedrus, Vera came under the control of Silvertop City, but her loyalty is still relatively low, and there are still some restrictions on her for the time being.

Both Orling and Maggie were in the valley this time. There were no heroes proficient in water elementals in the hills, and Sederlos had to guard the northern border, so he sent her over.

Although there is no Golden Legion to command, a mid-level Water Elemental Mastery is still very useful, especially when dispelling is needed.

In recent days, Vera has followed Kuraki's army as they fought across the hills, and her previous indifference has turned into compliance.

If she still thought the Battle of Silvertop City was a fluke, Ivan and his men's invincible victory over the fortress's formidable defenses truly impressed her.

If Kuraki continues on this path, her future is limitless. As for herself, she already has a rift with the Arcane Empire, and if she could submit to Sederlos, it seems she could truly achieve her inner desires.

Vera gradually began to exert his strength, at least in battle he obeyed orders and devoted himself to serving.

As a curtain of water was cast, the obstacles in front of the battlefield began to disappear, turning the obstruction into open space.

But upon touching an invisible barrier, the surrounding obstacles suddenly began to expand wildly, ignoring any magic used to dispel them. Even with the strongest swordsman's speed, he was temporarily unable to leave the gravitational field and was trapped in place.

Vera panicked slightly: "No, it wasn't me! I used all my strength to dispel obstacles!"

As a surrendered general, Vera was still somewhat cautious, and became quite panicked after making a mistake. In the Arcane Empire, those in power would not show mercy to alchemical creations; any error would be severely punished.

However, Forrest patted her on the shoulder, indicating that it was alright: "It's not your fault. It's special magic. Lloyd's previous arrangements were to activate special magic to limit the output of the strongest swordsman."

They reinforced the Hercules Shield and quicksand traps, making it difficult for not only swordsmen but also treants to move!

Just as Forrest said, the Fire Tree was trapped in the gravitational field and had no intention of leaving. They simply stopped fighting back and focused on limiting the strongest swordsman's attacks.

"Can we teleport them out of here?"

"I can't do it; those dense root systems on the ground restrict the movement of void-type beings!"

Trapped by so many traps, the strongest swordsman and the Wind Erosion Knight were instantly rendered powerless, and their kills began to slow down. Only Lightning Strike had some effect, but its speed was also reduced to the extreme.

Although they still had the advantage in direct combat, they were indeed stalled.

The only combat-capable units right now are the Gale Griffin and the Rock Shield Soldier. The Griffin flies in the sky, so the enemy doesn't seem to have any aerial traps like atmospheric vortexes. The Rock Shield Soldier, on the other hand, is slow and hasn't reached the front line yet, thus avoiding the traps.

"It seems that we can only fight a stalemate!"

Ivan looked unwell. He had planned to destroy Lloyd's core legion as soon as possible, and then, when the reinforcements arrived, he could join forces with the kingdom's army for a pincer attack. Now it seemed that this would be difficult to accomplish.

Forrest comforted him, saying, "Lloyd has been on the battlefield for so many years, some of his methods are understandable. The enemy is betting on the troops supported by Isildur, and we are also waiting for reinforcements."

The Duke originally instructed us to defend, so this is fine; we can wear down as many enemies as possible.

"Once the kingdom's army has assembled, let's see what Lloyd can do!"

Blocking such a large army naturally requires mana to create traps, and the fact that the enemy is only using them now indicates they're desperate. By the time reinforcements arrive, the enemy hero will likely have run out of mana, leaving them with no choice but to engage in a direct confrontation.

Ivan said worriedly, "I'm afraid the enemy will command the golden dragon to arrive first in coordination with Dino, and then it might be difficult to deal with them!"

Forrest waved his hand: "Trust the Duke!"

Ivan thought for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Indeed, such a grand scene should be left to the Duke to handle. What's wrong with having the three heroes of Isildur gathered together?"

It's nothing but a clay chicken and a clay dog! Hahahaha!

Vera stood to the side, listening incredulously to the two Kuraki heroes talking so confidently. Even in such a desperate situation, they didn't seem to care; their mindset was far superior.

Moreover, they truly trusted Su Mu unconditionally, remaining completely calm even when facing imminent encirclement.

When a leader can command such prestige among his subordinates, it is a testament to his charisma.

Inspired by the confidence of the two heroes, even Vera couldn't help but think of them.

Perhaps, with Su Mu's arrival, he truly has the power to turn the tide!

After all, he was an extraordinary hero who defeated Somra!

(End of this chapter)