Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 460 Danger from All Sides

Ivan, leading the strongest swordsmen, relentlessly pursued the undead forces, scattering them and leaving almost no organized units remaining.

After all, the strength of the strongest swordsman is obvious to all. With the enhancement of Ivan's Fearless Offense and Defense Techniques, he is both tanky and has high damage output. Now, with the boost from Sword Mastery, even his attribute strength has been compensated.

Ivan chose to pursue the enemy, partly because of Su Mu's specific instructions, but also because he genuinely wanted to kill as many undead as possible.

The improvement of a sword master requires training, which is similar to the training of the strongest swordsman. The best way is naturally to fight on the battlefield.

Soldiers can accumulate swordsmanship skills through numerous battles, then integrate these skills into the training grounds for the strongest swordsmen, allowing future swordsmen to learn and apply their techniques. Heroic skills, like those of Ivan, involve commanding large armies of swordsmen in battle; the stronger the enemy and the more enemies slain, the greater the insights gained.

In Kuraki, a place of constant warfare, there is no shortage of battles, but if we're talking about those who can kill to their heart's content without any psychological pressure, then only the undead are truly free to do so.

These skeletal remains have risen from the ground, desecrating the dignity of the living, and daring to invade Kuraki's castle. They must be punished.

"My lord, Graystone City has been recaptured, and over 30000 skeleton soldiers have been killed. Now they are fleeing madly into the interior. Should we continue to pursue them?"

The area from Longlit Fortress to Graystone City is still within the territory of the Shilin Plains, with open terrain and flat views, making it ideal for high-speed units to pursue enemies. However, further inland, a few valleys and hills begin to appear. The most crucial issue is that the undead soldiers are too scattered. The more than one hundred strongest swordsmen are indeed difficult to pursue, and splitting up to chase them would likely be risky.

Ivan witnessed the power of the Death Knights at the foot of the city walls. In terms of individual combat, they were definitely a first-rate unit. What was even more terrifying was that they could steal souls, and once killed by them, they could not be resurrected.

[In this battle, you led the strongest swordsmen to slay 32150 skeletons, 1230 zombies, 20 ghosts, and 23 Death Knights. As a swordsmanship master, you gained 35084/100000 training points.]

With basic skills, killing level 1 units is still the most efficient way to improve. Ivan is not a rigid person; he uses whatever method can improve his skills the fastest. The tidal wave of skeleton soldiers is his best whetstone.

However, he also hesitated about continuing the pursuit.

The Duke ordered him to lead the pursuit, luring Rhodes, the mastermind, into battle. Wayne would secretly assist him, and if the enemy dared to show themselves, a special trap would be set to ensnare them. Su Mu arrived shortly afterward.

It means that Wayne has recently mastered a special trap, otherwise Su Mu would never have taken such a risk.

Ivan indeed only has a little over a hundred people, and Rhodes harbors considerable hatred towards him. If his key skills are stolen and the Death Knights are sent out, they could very well be wiped out.

But the more this happens, the more likely it is to lure Rhodes out. If the other side doesn't even seize such an opportunity, what's the point of talking about revenge?

"Have the strongest swordsman advance a short distance, stop when he reaches the edge of the heartland, and make a gesture as if to turn back. But don't turn back immediately; kill some undead on the spot first!"

"Yes!"

……

On a hill on the edge of the heartland, Rhodes hid in a cave, wearing a light gray mage's robe. Although it was tattered, it had a special effect.

【Hidden Ghost Robe (Level 3 Treasure): Grants the general and some soldiers the ability to hide, +20% evasion, and cannot be detected by the enemy. As time on the battlefield increases, the hiding effect and evasion gradually decrease until they disappear.

Comment: As a ghost or monster, you can only pose the most terrifying threat when no one can see you.

This treasure originally belonged to an undead hero in the ancient ruins. He was a ghost-turned-hero, skilled in stealth. However, Rhodes coveted the treasure, and during a battle in the heart of the land, the ghost hero was carelessly surrounded and killed by humans. Rhodes then led a large army to avenge him, and the treasure naturally fell into his hands.

If facing any other human forces, Rhodes would never wear this treasure, but against Kuraki, he felt that even a single invisibility robe wouldn't be enough.

Kuraki's Thief Hero not only possesses stealth and trap skills, but also considerable scouting abilities. Against him, even those wearing invisibility robes can only maintain their invisibility for a short time, not until the magic effect completely wears off. Moreover, the distance must be far enough; if he truly reaches the center of the battlefield, wearing invisibility artifacts will be useless.

He originally intended to personally breach the city walls in this battle, but after Wayne delayed him with a blade trap, Rhodes changed his mind.

Wayne risked his life to delay for half a day, which was definitely not just about loyalty; it was highly likely that Kuraki had finished the battle of the hills and had a chance to return to reinforce. Therefore, after careful consideration, Rhodes decided to be cautious and did not personally step onto the battlefield.

Sure enough, at the last moment before the sealing formation was completed, Su Mu teleported back with a group of soldiers. It was fortunate he hadn't gone into battle; otherwise, surrounded by so many heroes like Cang Mu, he would have been doomed.

"These useless wretches at the Barrier! So many of them can't even contain Su Mu. The destruction of our nation is not far off!"

No wonder Rhodes was so angry. The Hill Legion was Isildur's most elite army at the moment. The two armies should have been fighting for several months, but they were wiped out in just a few days.

Without the hilly terrain providing cover, the Canglan Canyon was virtually indefensible, and the Far Plains were like a bride with her pants down—Kuragi could enter whenever he wanted. The balance of power between the two nations instantly shifted. To say that Isidor hadn't exerted himself would be utterly unbelievable; it was simply a matter of being truly outmatched.

This further demonstrates Kuraki's military strength.

"My Lord Death Knight, the Sword Soldiers have stopped advancing after reaching the border of the interior, and seem to be turning back."

Rhode immediately used magic to observe the movements at the border and discovered that the strongest swordsman had stopped the pursuit. After clearing out the remaining undead troops, he stopped in place and showed signs of returning.

He was immediately caught in a dilemma. Such a delicious piece of fatty meat was already right in front of his mouth, and it would be a waste not to eat it.

After Ivan left Longlit Castle, Rhodes confirmed repeatedly that no other troops or heroes followed him; there were indeed only a little over 100 of the strongest swordsmen. This was the best opportunity for a surprise attack since the start of the war. If they could kill Ivan here, this right-hand man of Sumu would be far more useful than conquering a city.

Without a hero proficient in defensive techniques, Kuraki's melee units will be unable to exert their full strength, which is equivalent to cutting off Sumu's arm.

A large amount of dark mist appeared behind Rhodes, and inside it emerged a large number of Death Knights, roughly the same number as before at Longlit Castle.

In fact, he had already solidified his recruitment skills in the ancient ruins, which means that he has a group of immortal Death Knights Guards. Even if the Death Knights he recruited before died, they can be resurrected in the ancient ruins and then summoned to the battlefield using magic.

Rhodes (Chosen Death Knight): Attack 6, Defense 5, Spell Power 7, Knowledge 4.

Element: Death.

Advanced Necromancy: 30% (100%) of enemy troops killed in battle are transformed into friendly skeletons.

Intermediate Hand of Fire (Chosen One of Deception): When activated on an enemy hero, steals one random skill from the enemy for a certain period of time and uses it for your own purposes, gaining 50% of the original effect.

Death Guard: For every 5 points of attack and defense attributes a hero has, Dark Knights (including upgraded units) gain 1 point of attack and defense, +5 health, can imbue their blades with death elements to attack, and possess the special magic Undying Soul.

Advanced Resistance: 15% chance to be unaffected by enemy magic.

Intermediate Necromancer Defense: Reduces physical damage taken by 10%. Undead units receive double the bonus, while other living units only receive half the effect.

Intermediate Earth Element Mastery, Intermediate Water Element Mastery

【Undying Soul (Altar Amplification): Connects to a mysterious altar of death, granting an undying Dark Knight (or an upgraded and elementally baptized unit, requiring a special building upgrade). It can be resummoned at the start of each battle (after summoning in a battle, there is an extremely long cooldown), requiring sufficient death points to accumulate. The total conversion is affected by spell power, unit tier, and elemental baptism (Spell Power * 15 / (Unit Tier * Elemental Baptism Quantity))】

Since being chosen by the gods, Rhodes has made great strides, especially after Gaunt activated the Burning Altar, he automatically gained a spot and his abilities were greatly enhanced.

But his suspicions grew stronger, and he felt that a great crisis was about to befall him. Rhodes interpreted this special perception as a prediction by the chosen one, and at one point he even suspected that Kuraki was the culprit.

From the destruction of the Salman family to his exile as a puppet in a foreign land, the North has always had dealings with Kuraki. He originally thought that after transforming into an undead, he could embark on a new journey, but unexpectedly, he was brutally beaten up in the ancient ruins.

That's why Rhodes was so wary of Kuraki and wanted to take advantage of a crucial moment to destroy Kuraki's castle and prevent him from developing too smoothly.

Su Mu could also be Elton's chosen one. If he develops, he will squeeze the living space of the undead. If there is a way to limit Su Mu's development, he can gain more divine favor, which is the shortcut to advancement.

He saw it clearly: often talent and hard work are insignificant; only when a powerful figure gives you a chance can you become a hero of the times.

Unfortunately, it didn't work this time, which is a bit of a shame.

After pondering for a long time, Rhodes waved his hand, ordering the Death Knights he had gathered to move out. He was still unwilling to miss this rare opportunity, but just in case, he wanted to add another layer of probing.

“I remember Gaunt’s Crimson Army isn’t far from here. They have a powerful Witcher Marshal who will lead Ivan and the others there.”

Send a message to Katherine: Kuraki's elite troops are all near Longlet Castle, and their mobility is questionable. This is the perfect opportunity to have him attack Bear Castle!

I want to see how many troops Kuraki has left after the great battle, and whether they can hold onto his leaky territory!

(End of this chapter)